THR THR June 23rd

irish211

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Hi
Everyone! Im so happy to find this site. Ive been up and down with emotions and am my own worst ememy. My pain is definitely gone but still very sore and stiff. Im going to PT 3Xs a week. I love it but am frustrated. I tried to walk with a cane and actually it pushed me back a day or so. I got very upset. I have friends who have had this done and i feel like im behind them in my recovery. Saw my Doc for Post op and hes pleased and said im a little ahead. Im so worried about limping again. When i try to walk a few feet without help i feel the limp and weakness. I did start behind the eight ball in that my hip was very bad. Doc said he had a very hard time dislocating my hip because of bone spurs. He also said my hip had dropped. Yikes!!! Do you think this is why im having trouble getting back to ME??? I soooo love that i have this site to talk to and get advise and support.
 
Welcome! :welome: Thanks for joining us and congrats on your new hip. Please let us know which hip was replaced so we can apply that info along with your surgery date of June 23rd as your signature. Thanks in advance.

Mood swings are common during early recovery, so understand that it’s normal to feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster.

There is certainly no reason to get upset because you haven’t transitioned to a cane at only eighteen days post op. It takes many much longer than that. It is advised you use an assistive device until you’re no longer limping.
A tip -
Try heel-toe walking when / if you're limping. Let your heel hit the ground first followed by toes. It takes a concentrated effort, but I believe you'll notice a difference. Give it a try.

Try not to compare your recovery to that of others. We’re cautioned about this because no two recoveries are alike, not even with the same person. We go into surgery with our hips in varying degrees of deterioration, so we won’t all recover at exactly the same rate.

I don’t know that I’d agree that you’re having trouble getting back to you, as you mentioned. You‘re in recovery and your body is healing, please be patient and give it time.

You‘ll find the Recovery Guidelines below, pay special attention to the articles on ICE and ELEVATE, especially when you’ve overdone it or are dealing with pain or discomfort.

Take note of the BIG TIP also. If you’re hurting, consider stepping away from PT. It’s really isn’t necessary and 3X weekly sounds ambitious for only eighteen days post op. Walking is the best exercise and all you really need at this point, but not to excess.

Stop back often...we’ll be here for support. :)


Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask the at each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Welcome to bonesmart. The way to get to a good easy walk is to use the walker and practice heel/toe walking. I used my walker to slow down and walk properly as my muscles strengthened. Toward the end I would just gently push it along as I walked the correct way. It takes time for our bodies to relearn how to walk properly after the limping - the body holds unto the limp and takes much practice to overcome. Even now at 7m if I am tired I start to limp without even noticing. Patience and it will come. Please do not compare yourself to others and ease off on the PT especially this early in your recovery. It takes time and pushing it along can make it last longer. Please read some of the articles and some of the recovery stories here. Reading other people's recoveries helped me gain perspective on myself and to learn we are all different and we all start off at different points due to how bad our hips were and for how long.
 
Hello!
Every once in a while I see a post that I'm impelled to comment on. Although I had my hip replaced in April 2019, I can still remember the first several weeks of recovery! It was a roller coast of ups & downs. And, like you, I compared myself to others who told me it was going to be a piece of cake and you'll be doing things that you used to in no time!

Listen to Layla, whose advise used to help me enormously. From what i remember, you're doing much better than I was at this stage in time. In fact, I was surprised that you even attempted to walk with a cane. That took ma about a month, I think. I always felt that I should be doing better at each stage of my recovery; but this group helped me realize that I was perhaps expecting too much of myself.

Everybody is different and healing comes in stages; sometimes backsteps and 2 steps forward. Even now, I get tinges from something I've done - and I worry - and usually pop back up on this group for advice or help. Considering that your surgery was less than a month ago, it sounds like you're doing better than you're supposed to be - not worse.

But, don't speed things up. Take it at your own pace and listen to your body, not compared yourselves to others. Eventually, you'll get where you want to be. I have, and I never thought I would!!!

Take care,
Trudi
 
Hi @irish211 ! I have been my own worst enemy with both hips too, so you are not alone! I think you are still YOU, and are wishing for time to be past already! We are often not told by our OS team just exactly how long a full recovery takes! I am sure that somewhere in my hip handouts (hipouts? :snork: ) it says, "full recovery takes a year" but after surgery, all that info flies out of my brain.

Each hip is different. Each of mine was! And still is, in fact. So each recovery will have similarities and differences to what other hippies are experiencing, but we have to remember, it's not a contest! Not even a contest with ourselves! The hip is in charge, the body knows what to do, and sometimes it's better just to take a nap and let it heal.

PT-- I did zero Pt for my second hip, except the ankle pumps and some glute squeezes before I planned to go from sitting to standing. The multitudinous sets of reps of exercises had ruled my mood for a time with the first hip. Guess which hip felt better faster?........ the non-PT one. Even my OS'sPA was in favor of no PT!

Speaking of mood-- the ups and downs really are a thing. I snapped at people out of the blue, cried out of the blue, got blue out of the blue... it goes away, really it does!

Glad you found here-- this joint is jumpin'! (Pun intended....)
 
Im definitely getting better by leaps and bounds

She leaps tall buildings in a single bound! :heehee:

Stopping by to say :hi: and wish you a Happy One Month Anniversary!
With any luck all is well. Let us know how you’re doing as time allows. We’d love to hear.
Hope the end of your week is a good one!
 
Hi!!! I don't know why but I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out how to post here. I‘m pretty good on the computer so I don't understand. I‘m dying to talk to everyone here. Maybe its the pain meds, lol! The last time I posted I was feeling really good. Very positive. The last few days have been not so great. I have graduated to using a cane for the last week. It‘s hard. I‘m having a lot of trouble putting any weight on my left hip, the hip that had surgery. I‘m feeling discouraged and disappointed. I‘m so afraid that I’ll never be able to walk without assistance. Friday will be my last day of PT. I‘m doing really great on all the exercises except trying to walk or put weight on my hip. Doctor told me that he had a hard time dislocating my hip and also that ligaments had pulled off of my bone. Don't know what bone. I also had weakness before surgery. Do you think I’ll ever walk without my cane?
This is really putting me in a big funk. I‘m doing my exercises at home but it still leaves me sore and hurting. Please tell me this is normal.
 
Oh, @irish211, I am so sorry you are feeling discouraged and having difficulty walking with the cane. I would go back to the walker till you felt more comfortable walking and built up your abilities. Advice is always to use whatever aids gives you the most support and the ability to walk and move best. There is no timeline when one should be on a cane as each person is different and their recovery journey unique.
Many of us had weakness before surgery due to not being able to move a lot due to the pain but it comes back but like most things it takes time for your hip and body to heal. You talk about doing PT and exercises and that they are causing pain. Of course they would be as you are so early in your recovery. The advice here that I followed for both of my recoveries is to limit PT and mainly do some walking regularly and not necessarily long distances. Please read that article. Hips really only need walking to heal and especially so early in the healing process. PT can come later if needed.
PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy

We missed you also so please keep returning. We are here for you.
 
Don't get discouraged. You're just barely a month out from this very major surgery. Although your wound may heal fairly quickly, as you can see from the articles that were posted above for you to read, there is still a lot of healing going on inside your body. Then, after healing it can take time for everything to adjust to it's new "normal" realignment that the new hip brought to your body. Because your hip was (in your words) pretty bad before surgery, you may be on the outer edges of a "normal" recovery. There is no hurry. Your body will recover on its own time. Don't stress...or let anyone else stress you to "get there" before you're comfortable. Our bodies are a miracle of healing in cases like this. You might be interested to read our section on Wound Care (tab at the top of the page) because it provides a lot of detail about the healing process. It's actually quite amazing!
 
If you are having a hard time putting weight on your hip, back off and give it a rest! I think almost everyone on this forum would agree. You are early in your healing and there is no reason to rush if your hip isn't ready. You will be fine! Keep us updated.
 
Thank you so much! This is what I need to hear. I’m so sorry to be a Debbie Downer. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to give others hope and encouragement.
You are all so nice to take time to explain and give me advise.
 
You’re not a Debbie Downer. You experienced a major surgery mere weeks ago. A controlled trauma that your body is slowly healing from. Recovery takes patience and has little ups and downs, but you’re doing well and you will get there. Stop by often for advice, support and encouragement. You’ll find it in abundance here.
Hugs and wishes for a good day!
@irish211
 
Thank you so much! This is what I need to hear. I’m so sorry to be a Debbie Downer. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to give others hope and encouragement.
You are all so nice to take time to explain and give me advise.
Before and after my surgery I would watch YouTube videos of people who were two and three days post surgery dancing down the hall of their doctor’s office without a crutch or walker. I’d watch those vids and think what is wrong with me? This place helped me understand that we all heal at different rates. I wish that the doctors that post those videos would reconsider keeping them online. It’s really nothing more than a sales pitch. I’ve been having good days and not so good days. Recovery from this surgery isn’t a linear process. It’s more like two steps forward, one back. Three steps forward, two back. Two steps forward, three back. I also backed off on some of the exercises that were suggested. Especially during the first two weeks. I really think that they were doing more harm than good. At almost four weeks post op I’m able to do all the exercises most of the time. There are those times that I listen to my body and skip em. Truthfully, I get more out of careful walking by paying close attention to perfecting form than I do the exercises. I also have begun gentle stretching. No tugging or pulling, just gentle, repetitive stretches.
 
@irish211 you are sooooo not Debbie Downer! You are having a normal recovery! We get mood swings. I snapped at my husband out of the blue, got weepy out of the blue-- these were common to every surgery I've had (more non-ortho than ortho, too, and most much younger than I was for the hips).

I was extraordinarily fortunate with both hips that the cane was more of a "keep the crowds away" tool than an actual support, so I was able to graduate from walker to nothjng. A very good thing for me because of the arthritis in wrists and hands! If I'd been given crutches, that would have been horrible to watch. I do remember using the shopping cart as a support once I was doing the big shopping after a few months. And the cane was always laid in it easy to hand for whacking running children (too close to the truth for me :heehee: )
 
Happy Two Month Anniversary!
How are you doing since we last heard from you? I hope things are looking up, you’re making progress and feeling more comfortable with your recovery.
Please leave an update as time allows. We’d love to hear from you!
Have a nice week. :)
@irish211
 
Hi! Thank you for checking up on me. To say the least, its been quite the roller coaster ride. I finished my first round of PT and was given 4 more weeks after that because I was still having issues. I have progressed and can walk a little without my cane. Very little. My leg gets fatigued fast. I start to limp and rock when that happens. At PT they kept talking about the "fine line"! Am I doing too much or not enough.
At my last session they told me I was doing great. I said yes but still have a long way to go and im extremely frustrated. That's when I was told that I had extensive repair on my tendons and that takes a lot longer to heal. What?? Why wasn't I told that weeks ago?? I most likely wouldn't have been so down on myself and frustrated.
So, now here I am, finished with PT and have no idea what I should be doing to get better.
 
So, now here I am, finished with PT and have no idea what I should be doing to get better.
Activities of daily living and walking. This is the best exercise for a healing hip. And since you had issues with tendons it will may you a bit longer. Focus on heel/toe walking getting your gait back without a limp. Use a cane or crutch if you are limping at all. Sometimes it takes awhile to break the habit.

You'll get there!
 

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