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Bilateral THR the journey begins . . .

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@Zebra - not brave, just didn't want to do this twice, and this way i'm assured of a matched set . . . (;-))
it's now almost exactly 7 days to the minute since they took me in for the surgery -

walking smoothly with a walker - better every day -
i still need assistance moving my footrest (separate from the recliner) but i could probably do that on my own now - (carefully) -

getting in and out of bed was my biggest challenge - my left leg was more mobile than the right, and the right had "log leg". after sitting on the bed and sliding back, i needed help lifting my legs and swinging them around onto the bed. last night (day 6) was the first time i could come close to doing it on my own. same with getting out of bed. so, if you did both, i'd suggest rehab or full-time help for at least 4 days post discharge and more likely a week to get you in and out of bed and monitor your getting into and out of chairs. i could easily have had 2 log legs.

i use the commode as a raised toilet seat.

I assume my legs are even, but then again, I didn't know that I was limping before the surgery, so . . . .

i assume Dr. Mayman used the computer navigation because that is his method of assuring a precise positioning of the implants to optimize mobility and longevity (and i have 2 bandaids on the front of my pelvis that i think were where the navigational device was inserted). i doubt that he used the robot as i did not have any CT scans prior to the procedure.

thanks for the good wishes -
keep me posted on your progress - it really is an amazing experience -
 
I had no pain. Only for first hour after surgery. The only pain, and it was not bad was incision pain. I was surprised I had no little pain. I never took anything more than tramadol, and only in hospital. When I got home I took Tylenol every 4 hours while awake. I did not dose during night, and I slept really well.


LTHR Direct Anterior May 19, 2014
 
@psychteach , it seems that there is a big difference in pain and recovery time with direct anterior approach vs the other approaches. If people have muscle cut, they probably will not have the same quick recovery that we had. It's why I chose this approach. I know it annoys people, but it is a fact and can be a choice.
 
@cr8tvt It seems every OS has different restrictions initially, and different things 'not to do at all'.....
I think most of revolves around potentially damaging something -->and litigation.
So if they tell you not to do something, and the something comes back to bite you, they can say 'well i told you not do it'.....
In terms of weight machines, the only thing I was advised not to do was knee flexion with heavy weights.
I imagine arm curls are ok.
Also, I was told that in the first six months with uncemented hip, they don't want you running, jumping, or doing extreme things that could push the stem further into the femur which would put things out of whack in terms
of alignment. Kinda makes sense.....
 
thanks - having fewer restrictions during recovery is definitely a plus. but i'm told we all end up in the same place eventually (he said hopefully).

my left leg feels great, almost as if it hadn't been done -

my achy pain is largely in my right leg (top of mid-thigh and right underside muscles) and given the source, i may have had it with either approach. according to my PT, she thinks that the muscles/tendons in my right leg/hip may be shorter and strained due to the way they compensated for my malformed hip. now that the hard components are corrected, the soft tissues need to re-adapt. so it feels just about like the way your muscle feels after a bad cramp, a deep achy bruisey pain, that ebbs and flows. should get better over time. (i hope she's right . . . )
 
@cr8tvt , are you forgetting the fact that you are just a week out from having bilateral hip replacements?! The aches and pains you are feeling now are part of the recovery - they will go away and others may come and go before the healing is finished. I know it's hard to have any pain without understanding exactly why or where it is coming from but we do have the many who have gone before us to reassure us that those aches/pains do go away completely at some point!
 
CodeGirl said:
@psychteach , it seems that there is a big difference in pain and recovery time with direct anterior approach vs the other approaches. If people have muscle cut, they probably will not have the same quick recovery that we had. It's why I chose this approach. I know it annoys people, but it is a fact and can be a choice.
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Codegirl, very well put, like night and day I say but be careful or the moderators will descend upon you, LOL.
How are you doing, nearly two weeks now, right?
 
Hey CR8, pulling for you now. Two hips later, I just hung my walker on a hook in the garage. Come join me my man :)
 
@insexec , the reason I asked about restrictions is that the reason most people are raising their recliners or beds is because they are restricted from bending less than 90 degrees at the waist because of dislocation risk. We don't have that restriction so I just sit in my recliner as it is. It might be more comfortable in the beginning not to have to bend that much, but I found that with my second surgery, it was only a couple days where I felt discomfort getting on or off the recliner because of the incision. This time, since I knew for sure that I had no restrictions, I have recovered much faster the first week and I think it is because I am moving and bending a lot more. I did get the raised toilet seat a few days after the first surgery and find that much more comfortable. I may keep it on there even after I'm fully recovered!
 
@waterman1 , I know. I thought about that posting a lot last night and this morning and wondered if I should delete it. :bolt:
I am doing even better that the first time (knock on wood)! I'm 9 days post-op and walking well with the cane, I often forget and walk without it in the house. I know, that's bad. :bignono:I'm trying to be more conscious of it. I'm going to start 3 short walks outside today as per my PT. Just a block to start but it feels so good to have two strong hips, I'll be tempted to keep going, I know!
 
CodeGirl said:
@cr8tvt , are you forgetting the fact that you are just a week out from having bilateral hip replacements?! The aches and pains you are feeling now are part of the recovery - they will go away and others may come and go before the healing is finished. I know it's hard to have any pain without understanding exactly why or where it is coming from but we do have the many who have gone before us to reassure us that those aches/pains do go away completely at some point!
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:) thanks - i know - but it's like we were discussing earlier - being the data pig that i am, i "need" to understand things. i'm quite patient about progress, (as long as i see progress, which has been great so far). but i want to know where things are going and about when to expect them. and though it may sound like it, it's not that i'm trying to rush them. I'm already doing things now that I could not do pre-surgery (e.g. sitting in a chair with my feet apart). when i hear about my potential a year from now, i'm overjoyed. but knowing why things are as they are helps me to treat them (knowing when to push it versus letting things heal). the question about pain also relates to managing pain meds. when do you stop/taper off? if you're feeing good, do you try stopping certain things and see what happens? how concerned do i really need to be about perhaps over medicating for the first 3-6 weeks?

and again - thanks so much for your concern about my crazy anxieties and putting things in perspective - - it's wonderful to have people tell me to "snap out of it" -
 
CodeGirl said:
@waterman1 , I know. I thought about that posting a lot last night and this morning and wondered if I should delete it. :bolt:
I am doing even better that the first time (knock on wood)! I'm 9 days post-op and walking well with the cane, I often forget and walk without it in the house. I know, that's bad. :bignono:I'm trying to be more conscious of it. I'm going to start 3 short walks outside today as per my PT. Just a block to start but it feels so good to have two strong hips, I'll be tempted to keep going, I know!
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personally and in all honesty, i'm perfectly ok to hear about advantages and disadvantages of various approaches, so please don't pull any punches. others considering the surgery should hear them as well. how else can people make informed decisions? i don't think anyone is saying: oops, you blew it. there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches in terms of surgical risk and short term post-op recovery. well-respected surgeons at top hospitals would not use an approach that is not effective. would i like to have fewer restrictions now? absolutely. but i am very happy with where i am now and where i expect to be. and anything i've read says that either approach has the potential to end up in the same place, which is what we all care about. and as you all mentioned in response to my questions on @NewlyHip 's thread: you pick your surgeon and let him/her have at it. so far, i'm good with it all -

thanks again - :)
 
@cr8tvt , since your left hip feels great at just over a week post-op, I would say that you are having a terrific recovery! I can't imagine doing two hips at once although it was an option for me. Keep doing what you are doing, every day gets better!

As far as pain meds go, for me I stopped taking them during the day when I did not have pain when sitting still or walking and basically just had soreness when I poked or prodded various muscles/tendons. I continued to take Tramadol at night just to ensure a good night's sleep and I continued that through my 2nd surgery which was 9 days ago. So it really depends on how you define pain. I don't take medication for soreness type pain, but would if I had an aching kind of pain. I sometimes have a kind of stiffness pain that goes away with movement that I get after sitting or sleeping in one position for a few hours. Are you taking narcotic meds for the pain or something more like Tramadol? I have Norco but only took one or two because they make me nauseous and the Tramadol seemed to work well enough. I do take Celebrex once a day as well.
 
btw -
today (day 8) - i am doing ankle pumps, quad sets, glut sets, hip rotations to neutral, heel slides (to almost 90), snow angels (one leg at a time), standing toe raises, standing knee flexion, and stairs (with the PT monitoring) and lots of walking. and my digestive tract is starting to get a little more back to normal (i think it was the meatball sub). just on the cusp of being able to get in and out of bed without assistance. (and playing lots of guitar) -

life is good - :)
 
I think that waiting to take your next dose during the day is the only way to figure out if you really need it or not, at some point you have to try it.
 
CodeGirl said:
@cr8tvt , since your left hip feels great at just over a week post-op, I would say that you are having a terrific recovery! I can't imagine doing two hips at once although it was an option for me. Keep doing what you are doing, every day gets better!

As far as pain meds go, for me I stopped taking them during the day when I did not have pain when sitting still or walking and basically just had soreness when I poked or prodded various muscles/tendons. I continued to take Tramadol at night just to ensure a good night's sleep and I continued that through my 2nd surgery which was 9 days ago. So it really depends on how you define pain. I don't take medication for soreness type pain, but would if I had an aching kind of pain. I sometimes have a kind of stiffness pain that goes away with movement that I get after sitting or sleeping in one position for a few hours. Are you taking narcotic meds for the pain or something more like Tramadol? I have Norco but only took one or two because they make me nauseous and the Tramadol seemed to work well enough. I do take Celebrex once a day as well.
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i think i'm with you -
celebrex (1/day), tramadol (2-3x/day), tylenol (2-3x/day usually with the tram), and i've taken one oxy once -

i tried not taking the tram last night and i was ok, but a bit more achy and stiff this morning, so i think i'll go back to it taking it in the am and pm for now, perhaps at least for the next week before trying anything else - i'm sure i'm being overly conservative about taking pain meds (due to potential side/withdrawal effects) but reading about all of these impacts is a bit unsettling. as with you, i'd rather tolerate a certain amount of discomfort than over-medicate, but it can be a delicate balance.
 
day 10 -
just an update -
walking (with a walker) more smoothly every day -
and cutting down pain meds

@CodeGirl described my pain/meds balance well
CodeGirl said:
@cr8tvt As far as pain meds go, for me I stopped taking them during the day when I did not have pain when sitting still or walking and basically just had soreness when I poked or prodded various muscles/tendons. . . . . . I don't take medication for soreness type pain, but would if I had an aching kind of pain. I sometimes have a kind of stiffness pain that goes away with movement that I get after sitting or sleeping in one position for a few hours. Are you taking narcotic meds for the pain or something more like Tramadol? I have Norco but only took one or two because they make me nauseous and the Tramadol seemed to work well enough. I do take Celebrex once a day as well.
Click to expand...

I only took celebrex at 8am today (now 5:30pm - no tramadol or oxy) - and mostly feeling the pain as she described it "soreness . . . stiffness pain" sporadically or after doing certain exercises (heel slides on the right side)

we'll see what tonight and tomorrow brings . . .
at times, this recovery period can feel quite long and daunting, but as long as one keeps one's eyes on the prize, it's tolerable . . . :)
 
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