THR Swelling On side of leg

[keepmovin]

Hello @Jessicageb I remember reading your post last week and now see that everything is moving along smoothly!

I just had to comment on your recent post about finding the pimple and your expressed concern about infection...from a person who has gone through this. I, too, just discovered a pimple on my face the other day and was actually 'so happy' to see this! I had been on antibiotics for so long and now that I have been free of them for a few months, wondered if my system would work well without them. The pimple confirmed this as I would occasionally get one now and then in the past. First one since my ordeal and I knew there was no danger to the hip.
Also, so glad to hear your Docs wise words - "No PT necessary - just plenty of walking"!

Sounds like you are doing great and you are well on your way to a successful recovery!

 

[keepmovin]

I see we posted at the same time. The best advice I can give you is to relax, don't worry, heal and enjoy your new hip! Yes, infections/problems do happen but they really are not the norm. If the Xanax helps, then by all means take it but also be assured that you are doing perfectly fine. If you take this recovery time very slowly, do less rather than more, your body will heal much quicker and you will feel better. Resting can be frustrating when you look around at all the things that must be done but believe me, from someone who's been there and still is, less is better especially early on.

We are all here to support you! Spend some time reading some of the stories of others here on Bonesmart. Everyone worries, everyone shares, we laugh, we hug, we care. You are not alone with your worries but try not to over-worry!

 

[Jaycey]

Use whatever remedy you are comfortable with. And please don't worry.

I think there is a larger issue here that I have not seen addressed that much on these boards, which is that my anxiety has gone through the roof since the surgery

Not unusual. Some of this can be caused by your meds - but don't stop taking them. Another very real part of this recovery is Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it . Don't feel bad if you have to take something to help you through the anxiety. It's very temporary.

 

[SweetPea69]

@Jessicageb
Jacey, as well as other forum participants, offers sage advice for you regarding the feeling of panic. I'm a little over a week further out in recovery than you and about a week ago, experienced an unusual anxiety/panic attack. Also, with this surgery I've experienced more post-op Blues than ever before. There's no way I can explain why, but what I do know is that this forum has been a God send to guide me and let me know that what I'm experiencing, in all ways post-op, is not uncommon. The positive, common, & interactive support is so important to all of us.
We each heal in different & common way, but most especially on different timelines. At 4 weeks out, I am able to begin to walk around the house without a cane for a short time & move to a little lower chair.
I'm sending positive, supportive thoughts your way & encourage you to stay with this immense source of support!
SweetPea69

 

[Nana757]

@Jessicageb
Please know that post-op blues are quite the norm, but in the majority of cases, very short lived. I, too, had a couple of major anxiety attacks, that woke me up in the middle of the night. It was quite scary, at the time. Fortunately, I only had the two. The blues or crying jags would come on very suddenly, but once I had my boohoo moment, I was fine. The trick is to just let the tears flow and never feel guilty about it. It's all part of the recovery process and it's just our mind rebelling for what we just put our body through, which was major and traumatic surgery.
It will pass, my dear. Hang in there!

 

[Jessicageb]

@keepmovin - I am definitely going to try to take your advice to not worry and enjoy my new hip! I have been following your thread and my heart goes out to you - you have been through so much and have been so courageous! I pray that everything is ok with your new hip and that you can finally put this behind you

I think we all worry about something going wrong, but worrying about it is not going to change anything. Our stories of how we came to need THR are very similar. Like you, I was healthy and active - walking 5 miles most days and doing 4-5 yoga classes per week. I don't even remember when the pain in my right leg started. It was probably 4 or 5 years ago. What I thought was a pulled hip flexor was diagnosed as arthritis and I learned that I had dysplasia in my right hip. Luckily, it was only on one side. I put off the surgery for way too long, becoming more and more disabled every day. I also put on around 30 lbs during this period . When the pain and suffering from my arthritic hip overrode my fear of the surgery, I went and did it. I don't know how I would have survived it without this site. You are absolutely correct that it is a godsend.

@SweetPea69 thanks so much for sharing your experience. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one experiencing these feelings. It sounds like you are doing great with your recovery!

@Nana757 I really appreciate how you help and encourage all of the people on this board. It sounds like you are very happy with your hip! You are right - this is a big trauma to our bodies and we do need to heal both physically and emotionally.

So I am going to start looking at the positives. Today, at not quite 3 weeks after surgery, I was able to drive to BJ's (huge, cavernous warehouse type store), walk the entire store (holding onto a shopping cart), do 20 minutes on a stationary bike, and work 7 hours (I work from home on a computer). I still have some swelling and some stiffness and soreness in my leg and hip joint, but I am going to assume this is normal at my point in recovery. I still rest and ice most of the time and am looking forward to a pain free hip

 

[NellBell]

Hi @Jessicageb,
I actually am a therapist (though my speciality is with the kiddos). Remember that your body just experienced a major trauma. That it is for your benefit and was done by skillful surgeons, does not make it less of a trauma. Kind of like childbirth is a trauma, even though it has a long-desired outcome. It is well within the range of normal to respond to these kinds of traumas by feeling like you are in crisis. Even the late night reading is a way of managing these all-to-normal anxiety responses (the brain thinks if I know the bad things that might happen then I can control them). It sounds like your body's response to trauma is anxiety. So is mine. My anxiety with this surgery has been a constant worry about dislocating my new hip (my mother's has dislocated four times which is probably why I'm stuck on that). My surgeon tells me that the dual mobility hip I got is almost impossible to dislocate. Doesn't matter, still worried and have read every article I can find on dislocations in dual mobility hips.Minds and bodies work together and both have to heal from the trauma of surgery. It sounds like while your up late reading about infections, I'm up late reading about dislocations. If it gets to all-consuming a worry talk to the Doc who writes your Xanax prescription. There are different ways out there to treat anxiety.

 

[keepmovin]

@NellBell This makes so much sense. I never heard it put this way, the mind/body response to trauma and how it can manifest itself. Thank you for sharing this.

 

[Nana757]

Oh @Jessicageb, I love BJ's. It is a great store, but I always end up spending and buying wayyyy toooo much!
I hope you don't overdo your outing there. Remember, there's going to be days where you take one step forward and then two steps backward. It happens...just don't get discouraged and continue icing and elevating and resting on those backward days. Before you know it, they will become less and less.
I received so much support, advice and empathy before and after my surgery, from my dear BS friends, that I feel compelled, whenever possible, to pay it forward. I hope you are having a wonderful day!

 

[Jessicageb]

@NellBell, that does make sense. And thanks so much for sharing your experience. It is so comforting to know that other people are experiencing these feelings

@Nana757 I think I probably did overdo yesterday. Today my hip hurts when I walk, so I guess it's a "backward" day. Although I did make it to the supermarket this morning and was able to walk without pain. I have 3 teenagers, so food procurement is something of a full time job

I suppose it's natural to have hip pain at this point. If only I could get my brain to stop screaming "SOMETHING'S WRONG!"

It looks like I am going to run out of oxycodone again. Has anybody here been given a hassle about getting more pain meds after 3 weeks out? I had this problem with my OB after my last c section. She insisted that I should not still be in pain. So I am a bit paranoid about this.

 

[Nana757]

I never had a problem getting my pain meds refilled. But, my GP is very understanding and knows that my body is old and full of arthritis. Check with your GP or OS and let them know that your pain is still keeping you from being more mobile and let them know what your pain level is at best and at its worst. If your pain at your bad times is over a 5 or 6, they should have no problem with refilling it. Good luck and I hope you have a good day of rest, with icing and elevating.

 

[Jessicageb]

@Nana757 i think it is so awesome that you continue to support us recent hippies. You are a very special person and I am so sorry to hear that your body is full of arthritis. It is a terrible disease

I don't think I will need a refill. I am feeling great, the weather is beautiful here in NY, and I am finding a good balance between activity and rest. So I plan to take keepmovin's advice to relax and enjoy my new hip. I know I am still in the healing stage, but so far it is pretty darn awesome

I hope all you hippies out there have a blessed day

 

[Jessicageb]

Hi Hippies! Before starting this post I wanted to warn that this is about a topic that many, especially males, find kinda gross. So I am now 3 weeks and 3 days out and have been on 2 aspirin a day since the surgery, to prevent DVT. Yesterday, began menstruating, quite a surprise because my last time was about a year ago. Was wondering if @Josephine has an opinion about whether the aspirin could have caused this. It is also a super heavy flow, which I think could also be due to the aspirin. I really want to stop the aspirin at this point, but DVT does not sound good

Sorry for the icky post. Wondering if any of the younger hippies have had something similar

 

[Josephine]

Well, bear this in mind - DVT is only a risk not an inevitability, particularly if you are moderately active. But I do suggest you speak with your GP about it and ensure that it really is just a menstrual cycle and not something else. A year is a long time to suddenly get a period out of the blue.

And for the record, there is no such thing here as either a silly or gross question!

 

[SweetPea69]

@Jessicageb
Wow! It sounds like you are doing wonderful & I'm thankful. I can't imagine going to BJ's, working 7 hours (even from the computer) & doing the stationary bike! I find if I have a really active day I need a resting day & I hope if that is what you need, you can accomplish it. This forum convinced me that my body needs the time to recuperate, even when I tried to push myself too much. Otherwise I know I would have been "over-exhausted now). Be patient if you get tired & let your body rest. Having 3 teens certainly makes your recovery more challenging but remember sometimes it's good for them to do something for you too.
Hope you are having a great weekend & continuing the amazing recovery process! Just remember to give your body & mind permission to rest if you need it. Take care.
SweetPea69

 

[Jessicageb]

@SweetPea69 I am the same as you, I tend to need that resting day after an active one. I am lucky in that I can work and rest at the same time. I use my laptop, elevate my leg and ice while I am earning $. It's a pretty sweet deal. The kids don't require much at this point (other then a constant food supply), and they have helped out quite a bit. I hope you are having a great weekend too and finding that perfect balance between activity and rest. I do have a question for you, since you are about 2 weeks ahead of me in your recovery. Do you still have pain and/or swelling? Do you still use pain meds? I am using the oxy less frequently at this point, but am still reaching for it occasionally.

@Josephine , thanks for the advice. I will go see my OB/gyn next week about it. Trying not to freak out in the meantime . Pass the Xanax!

 

[SweetPea69]

@Jessicageb
Sounds like all is going well for you & im thankful. Yes, I still have pain & swelling. Interestingly enough, it's my knee & ankle on that side that swell more than the hip area. So, I ice & elevate for them. I haven't used oxy for quite a while, however, I am still using Tramadol for pain. During the day, with rare exceptions, I'm making it fine with Tylenol. But by evening (especially around bedtime, I take a Tramadol. Sometimes I take one during the night too. My OS has had absolutely no problem refilling my Tramadol. I was concerned about that of with all of the pain med publicity around the time I was needing it. I think there's no problem using it or the oxy as long as we're judicious about it.
Taking pain medication & elevating & icing are things I wouldn't have done if I were not a part of this forum because I would assume I could just "tough it out". However, reading on BS & the individual responses I've gotten have convinced me that I function better if I listen to my body & treat it more gently.
How wonderful that you can work at home while recuperating!! Even though I'm only working part time, I do that some but find my mind is a little slower & I have to double check my work as I analyze what I'm doing. You're younger than I so maybe you don't have that problem. So glad your teens are helping out; I think it's so important for them to learn to help others & be compassionate.
Take care of yourself & enjoy the rest of the weekend!
SweetPea69

 

[Jessicageb]

@SweetPea69 i totally agree with you. I would have pushed myself a lot harder if it were not for this site. That being said, I am one of those people who have a hard time staying still, so I probably do overdo. I agree about the pain meds as well.

I think my concentration is okay now, but when I was taking the pain meds during the day, not so much. My job doesn't require much brain power luckily

You take care too, it sounds like your recovery is going great!

 

[Toddlermom]

@Jessicageb OMG! The period....on blood thinners ! Day one took SOOOO many extra tampons (3 overnight??). I was shocked. And it was over in 2 1/2 days. Thank heavens I am off thinners now. It might not be a usual topic, but young hippies.....be prepared. It took me half a day to add up aspirin + period = this strange experience. It didn't even occur to me at first, lol!

 

[Jessicageb]

@Toddlermom took me a while to figure it out too. And I am only on aspirin. I can't imagine what it would be like on the stronger blood thinners! Two more days to go on the aspirin, and hopefully this mess will be over!