THR Teacher having anterior hip replacement

ICWAC

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Hi. 48 y/o Female teacher (and former marathon runner) having a left anterior hip replacement April 1st. I have a few questions about recovery. Any other teachers out there? How long did you take off after having anterior hip replacement? When we’re you able to sit in a restaurant or go to someone’s house for dinner? We’re you able to stretch at all? My glutes, IT band, and abductors are so tight and I haven’t been able to stretch them in months? years? Because of my lack of range of motion. I’ve got so many specific questions that I can’t find answers to!
 
Hi I am not a teacher.

I was a junior side football coach, and maybe I will go back to it soon.

The reason I am responding is that I am 49 and was also a runner, rugby player and football player. I had hip replacement on February the 2nd I was on 2 crutches for first 2 weeks and on 1 crutch for next 3. Now I am not using any crutches though I will take a cane with me just in case. Slight limp although alot better than before hip replacement.

I was sitting in restaurant after 3 weeks.

calling to friends homes after 4 weeks.

walking 1 to 2 miles a day unaided after 5 weeks.

I Am 7 weeks post op, when I was doing these activities I was and still am I suppose very cautious, meaning went to restaurant at quiet times. and took crutch more to show people to be cautious around me I suppose to show I have had major op.

Hopefully I am going back to work fulltime after 10 weeks (light duties) and back to physical work at 12 weeks. (I am a window fitter).

My recovery is going well, I am doing all my physio work everyday, and getting stronger everyday.

All recoveries will be different, you must listen to your surgeon and physio's.

just saying that's my progress at 7 weeks.

All the best with your surgery.
 
Thanks for the reply. Was your surgery anterior or posterior? What are still feeling that’s keeping you from work? I just don’t know what to expect.
 
@ICWAC Since you haven’t had your surgery yet, I’m going to move this thread over to the pre op forum. I’ll tag you after I move it so you can find it easily.
 
Ok, now it’s in pre op, @ICWAC Please continue to post here for this next week. After your surgery, or the night before, you can start a recovery thread.

We‘re glad you joined us, we are a great group! Lots of helpful information and camaraderie and it’s always nice to be with others going through the same thing you are.

Here is some pre op information for you:

If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:
Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic hip?
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:
Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing hip recoveries
 
Hi ICWAC

I had posterior.

I have read that anterior is quicker recovery, though we are all individuals and I suppose all our recoveries will be different.

Reason I am not back in work yet is that my surgeon recommended me to book 10 to 12 weeks off work. On my surgeons advice I couldn't sleep on my side for first 4 weeks, and shouldnt move my hip more than 90 degrees for first 12 weeks. so I use shoe horn and grabber still for certain things. Reason for this I want my new hip to last for 40 years.

I feel real good to be honest, and sometimes I have to tell myself to slow down, I also go on exercise bike for 30 mins a day with high saddle.
Also I don't take any pain meds no more stopped these after 3 to 4 weeks, which I think is good because I was taking them for 2 years before op.

I set goals before my op and listened to my surgeon and my new hip.

A teacher can be a physical and stressful job.
I feel I could go back to work now, though I am using my head not my heart.

like I say we all have different recoveries, we are of similar age, I hope I have been of some assistance. Any questions feel free to ask.
 
Also I don't always look on the pre op forum,.
Any questions please don't hesitate to ask though. All the best for April 1st.

And see you soon on the post op.
 
Hi @ICWAC . There is a member called newguy posting about his return to teaching. I think if you use the search for him you will be able to read his thread. Or search the hip recovery forum for the word “teacher “ and you will probably find others.

It took me 3 weeks I think to go to a cafe for coffee, and after 4 weeks I first went out for lunch. Dinner at a friends place would be similar. The thing is though, we are all different, and it really is impossible to predict what we can do when. I remember when I was on this site after my first hip, there was a member who went to the theatre 3 days after his hip replacement. That’s theatre as in see a play, not operating theatre!! I was still lying in a hospital bed after 3 days.

I’m retired, but I think the important thing for working folk is that your employer understands that this is major surgery, and not everyone will be back to work quickly. And just about everyone will benefit from a phased return, with allowances made as necessary.
 
Also I don't always look on the pre op forum,.
Any questions please don't hesitate to ask though. All the best for April 1st.

And see you soon on the post op.
Thanks! Weird question, but if you’re walking ok, how do you know when you’re pushing yourself too much? Is it general fatigue? Pain?
 
Hi @ICWAC . There is a member called newguy posting about his return to teaching. I think if you use the search for him you will be able to read his thread. Or search the hip recovery forum for the word “teacher “ and you will probably find others.

It took me 3 weeks I think to go to a cafe for coffee, and after 4 weeks I first went out for lunch. Dinner at a friends place would be similar. The thing is though, we are all different, and it really is impossible to predict what we can do when. I remember when I was on this site after my first hip, there was a member who went to the theatre 3 days after his hip replacement. That’s theatre as in see a play, not operating theatre!! I was still lying in a hospital bed after 3 days.

I’m retired, but I think the important thing for working folk is that your employer understands that this is major surgery, and not everyone will be back to work quickly. And just about everyone will benefit from a phased return, with allowances made as necessary.
Thanks! I’ll look for him. And thanks for letting me know about going out and such. My family wants to know if I’ll be ok to come for Easter weekend, but I don’t think I’ll be up to it yet.
 
Here is @newguy thread

 
Hi @ICWAC
I know there are lots of unknowns with upcoming THR, but most of us come to terms by realizing how our hip issues and chronic pain is shrinking our lives and happiness.
Getting rid of the equivalant of a bad tooth (maybe bad analagy) has given me my life back.
As far as Easter, I say please forego this..... missed my son's college graduation due to my recovery timeline... but this was almost 5 years ago and I am a grateful double hippie who is present, happy, and healthy.
:happydance:
 
How bad is the post op pain compared to the pain of the bad hip right now? I’ve got hip dysplasia, osteoporosis, a torn labrum, and bone spurs. It locks up a lot and when that happens, if I try to move, it hurts so bad I can’t talk.
 
I'm not going to sugarcoat it, the first days for me were a bit rough- two at once, but I quickly discovered it was sort of a "New Pain" with that old bone.crunching hip pain gone!

I had anterior approach, so incision and thighs were super tender.
But All Temporary, doable, and .... Temporary.
 
I wasn't a teacher and I never went back to work but that was my choice. The basic recommendation is take 12 weeks. Everyone of us and every hip replacement even on the same person is different. With my first THR I was sitting in a restaurant the day after surgery on the way home from the hospital. Same hip at 3 mos in recovery I was sitting in the recliner with Ice as I over did it and had to take it easy to get back on track. Funny thing about THR as far as how do you know. The problem is if you feel like you did too much you're usually waaaay past when you should have stopped and the pain comes later in the day or the next day.
My hips were bad when I was a kid, replacement was an option in my 30's so I had my first in my 60's. Pain..I know about the I can't speak pain. Also the locking up and the release with a loud pop. Post op it's all gone the minute you wake up. The old joint is in the garbage and it will never hurt you again. What the pain is post op is the soft tissue that gets strained performing the procedure. It's a trauma to all of the muscles in the hip area from being dislocated and our legs rotated unnaturally.
 
How bad is the post op pain compared to the pain of the bad hip right now? I’ve got hip dysplasia, osteoporosis, a torn labrum, and bone spurs. It locks up a lot and when that happens, if I try to move, it hurts so bad I can’t talk.
Ouch! Sympathy. Never that bad, before or after.

I think our memory tends to do a bit of editing out of pain. But my best estimate for myself would be a couple of spells of maybe an hour or two that were worse than any pre-op hours. But never as bad as the pre-op sudden stabbing pains. Again, I have to say we are all different, a lot depends on our bodies, luck, and the hospital’s skill at pain management. Some unlucky people have a rough time for various reasons. But I think they are a very small minority.

As for knowing how not to overdo it, I am sitting here in the ODIC (Over Did It Club) right now, so clearly not an expert! But I would say, be very cautious about doing any PT exercises at all in the first couple of months (read, and believe, the Bonesmart guidelines), and try not to increase any activity in one big leap forward. It is sooo tempting as we begin to feel fully recovered.

But don’t worry too much. The ODIC has an exit, I fervently hope!
 
Hi ICWAC

Yes soon after operation it was general fatigue. You can feel tired first couple weeks post op, at least I did.

Then after that it was soreness, slight pain.
I had a plan to walk little bit further everyday.
I am still working to the plan and can confidently walk 1 to 2 miles a day now. I am still cautious mind, and if I am on my own or say just with my dog I will take a cane and just hold it in my hand.
I am walking further and with alot less pain than I was pre op. Like I say I am 7 weeks post op and improving everyday.
 
Hello and Welcome to BoneSmart, thanks for joining us! It looks like you received some good advice already so I will share a post from another teacher, that while several years old, made an impression upon me that I haven’t forgotten. It has to do with the mental aspect of returning to work too early, not just the physical.
Here we go -

Jan 9, 2018 from pkuznuts…
Yesterday was my first day back at work (4 wks Post-op)—here’s what it was like:

Well, fortunately for me, I found parking close to the building I am teaching in, so that was a relief before and afterwards. But within 10 minutes of standing up in front of college students explaining the course, reviewing protocol,demonstrating the way the online platform portion of the course works, calling roll and adding students waiting to take the class and so on, I felt increasingly weak and exceptionally vulnerable! I thought to myself “maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all!” Ironically, my hip felt okay; it was my MIND that felt like it was struggling in 2nd gear. The first hour exhausted me...yet I had 4 more to go!

My overall impressions from my first day include huge internal applause for how fabulous my hip felt considering I was on my feet or walking for MOST of that time! There was never anything that resembled pain; however, I did sense stiffness as the day wore on. The 10 minute drive home from work felt like an hour, and I wanted to hurry home and get my little dogs greeted, piddled, and fed so that I could put my jammies on and ice/elevate my leg and take a half of a pain pill with some Tylenol. Let me just say that ICE is the savior of my life when it comes to hip replacement!

As I lounged in my warm bed this morning, putting off getting the day started, I wondered what my hip would feel like when I stood up. Did yesterday set me back? Am I going to feel even more stiffnees today? Will I actually feel pain as a payback for going to work so soon? Guess what? My hip felt great! It wasn’t any worse for the wear! My overall impression is that my mind and my energy levels are not nearly as recovered as my hip is! I’ve got three more days til my weekend when I can lounge around and rest and recuperate. Hopefully, my mind holds up til then ;)

This is from the thread of (pkuznets)
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/patrikya’s-thr-recovery-journey.44858/
 

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