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THR THR Posterior - Slowly Healing

@myglasshalffull this is also me. Type “A”-what must get done, must get done. Prior to surgery I certainly got a lot more done, but I have had to learn to listen now, to MY “Miss Hip”, we shall call her Miss hip of Louisiana-lol . This makes me giggle so, I love the nickname!! I agree on the universal saying, slow your roll sister!! I needed to slow down anyway-so here I am…SLOW and not getting it all done. And do you know what?? Who cares?? Lesson has been learned.

@MinnieAnn-it’s true!! You take your time & do this at your own pace. Truth is-it’s a HARD, SLOW recovery. And so what if someone recovered faster!! You do it your way. Take your time & you will recover without re-injuring yourself. I don’t think any of us want a repeat of this. I know I sure don’t!!!
 
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas ♥️.
Such a strange holiday this year, my first in my new home & my first with this new hip. It was actually very lovely & with no stress (which is always great). I was completely out of routine, staying up later with company & I did have swelling in evenings & had to lay down. I was able to sit on ground & play with my 2yr old granddaughter for a bit, did get uncomfortable after 20-30 minutes & had to get up stand-very carefully getting up!! I am still so very stiff. I think tomorrow I will stay home & rest. Hopefully, a day of rest will do it. This was the most interaction & activity I’ve had since I broke my hip. It was definitely worth it & I was thrilled to see everyone. I am hoping by next Christmas this stiffness & limitations my body has on itself will all be gone. It is frustrating too bc at this point in my recovery, I wish I was where I was pre-surgery, but that is just not the case. YET!!!
 
I'm right there with ya' msart. I've been "on the mend" for the last week - after my PT debacle of last Friday. Have been really being good, taking care of myself (ice, elevate, rest, etc) especially because I wanted to feel as good as possible going into Christmas Eve dinner at a nice restaurant with family and then Christmas Day at the family's house. I did take pain medication before the Christmas Eve dinner, but oh my Lord! That didn't stop the unbelievable stiffness that I had after getting up from the table (2 hour dinner). I had a wonderful time but I could barely make it out of the restaurant...and that was using my walker. So going into today, I was already sore, tight, etc from last night. I took more pain meds this morning and plowed through, did my best. Sore as heck but again, had a great time with family today. So as soon as I got home tonight, back to extreme care of myself (and my new hip). :ice:
 
@daisyduck0801 I am right there with you!! Luckily, i have nothing I HAVE to do. One thing I have learned (the HARD WAY TOO) is that if it doesn’t have to get done, it can wait…period!!! I even left dishes (rinsed off of course) in the sink last night. Was just too tired & sore to even clean up. I just can’t do it. After lunch today, I came home & took a nap. Honestly, I haven’t done much, I just can’t-I know u understand that. We are going to get there, idk when but it WILL happen. Baby steps, as my dad says.
 
msart & daisyduck,
Pretend today is "your" Christmas & give yourself the big relaxation gift!
Sounds like you both did what had to be done now it's your time.
Enjoy your day.
 
With three grand babies aged 6 and under, it was a pleasant build up to Christmas, playing, prepping, shopping and early nights. Unfortunately I picked up a cold whilst travelling here and is has been my constant companion, I guess due to a compromised immune system. I am truly bored of it now.

I really overdid it Christmas Eve helping to prepare for the D-I-L's traditional family meal for 18 people. I did not stop all day and had a swollen foot. Christmas Day is my family tradition meal and I cooked for 3 hours for 11 people. Most of the day was amazing with the children but my back was screaming. I guess as my body adjusts to a new standing position.

Today is another packed family day but I think I will skip some activities and rest, I have never had a cold and cough last so long! I even lost my voice for a day.

( I am typing this with all three grandchildren snuggled in my bed watching cartoons, :)
 
You are normal… experienced the same..it GETS BETTER… agree with that our knees were compensating for years and now we want it to change in a quick time…..b4 surgery the actual knee hurt, muscle/tendons compensated, now the actual knee feels good & the muscle/tendons don’t need to compensate…they can just be normal, but this is what takes time now…hang on! I am CLOSE to 3 months out on TKR, left knee… amazing how every few days I can tell a good change. It’s remembering how it’s supposed to be working! Keep going, agsin…it does get better!
 
@daisyduck0801 & @Phoebie I hope you both are resting a bit today. I just put up a bit of Christmas stuff, but had to stop. I’m now back resting, bc my lower body is telling me to.

@JennJon & @myglasshalffull thank you both for being so supportive to us trying to get there. It is good for us to know this is normal & we aren’t crazy or alone. Really helps in recovery!!❤️‍
 
I am resting A LOT today! Waiting for teenage grandson to make his way over here and he'll take care of all kinds of little things around the house for me (while husband is working). Then hubby and grandson will attend basketball game tonight while I have the house to myself. Will do more relaxing while I indulge myself in leftover Christmas desserts and Netflix. :egypdance:
 
@Phoebie-hoping you’re feeling better today. Lots of people sick-it’s the season. Nothing worse than being sick on top of recovering from this, I’m sure.

@daisyduck0801-hope u got some rest today. I rested, did a few things, rested-you know the drill. It has been storming here so made a really nice day to stay home. I rested so much today, I’m not tired and it’s time for bed. My sleep schedule is still not 100% on track.

If any of you are football fans, the Independence Bowl is here where I live in Louisiana. Obviously, I’m not attending-but just to give you an idea. It will be warm here for a few days-you blink & the weather changes from hot to cold here.
 
Hi msart. Yes. Got plenty of rest today. Did do a little bit of work - not physical - just sitting at a desk. My husband and I work out of the house. Have a home office set up in one of our bedrooms. But, after surgery, even just sitting in a chair can be challenging. So I kept it to under an hour. Oh, and my sleep is very off. A couple of years ago I had terrible insomnia (not related at all to my bad hip). Gradually, the insomnia got much better. I was sleeping fine before the surgery. I haven't had what you would call a normal night of sleep since surgery. But I'm not surprised by that given the amount of pain and discomfort at times. I don't fret about it and just take the sleep when I can get it. I'm assuming that once the pain becomes less and less I'll sleep better. BTW, I'm in Louisiana too, Southeastern Louisiana.
 
@daisyduck0801 oh wow!! Welcome fellow Louisiana girl!!! Then you know about this crazy weather we have-lol. Glad u got to rest-I went to bed super early last night. I wish I could tell you sleep gets better-it did for me and now it isn’t. I do resort to taking a 1/2 of Benedryl (someone mentioned on bonesmart) which really helps me-but I only take a 1/2 bc they make me so groggy.

I had posterior THR-I feel like it is taking me forever to get well. I am certainly not where I was, so I’m trying to keep that in perspective. Luckily, I don’t work-so I have plenty of time, I am just frustrated bc I want to be where I was pre surgery & that has just not happened. Idk if it ever will….im trying to keep positive. I just had no idea what I was in for when the dr said, your hip is broken. Yet here I am!!!
 
The sleep thing... I'm not worried about it. I guess because I went down the insomnia road previously and made my way back, I know that will work itself out eventually.

But, the healing, getting back to the way things used to be...well, I think about that. You are much further down the road than I am and look at the stalled progress you're having. You must be going kinda stir crazy at times, huh? I think I remember reading in one of your earlier posts about you being a type A personality? (I don't know. Maybe I got that wrong. Could've been somebody else). I bring it up because I am the same way. And I know at some point in my recovery (in the not too distant future) if I'm not able to start doing any of the things I loved to do pre-surgery I very well could slide into a frustrated state of mind. Unfortunately, patience has never ever been my strong suit. But this, this surgery aftermath, has forced me to develop some (patience that is).
 
@daisyduck0801 -yes that was me-type A. It has certainly been a challenge for me. I am thankful for my wonderful family & friends-I’m keeping busy. It’s much easier now since I can drive & get out to do things. Speaking of getting out-I went to gym today. I think this is my third time. I have a trainer/friend working with me just in case-bc I DO NOT want to mess anything up. I’ve come too far. So I did light weights-and all the sudden my hip/buttocks area had a sharp pain. Then another. So I sat down. I have not felt this before-quick, sharp, stabbing pains. I am now icing & resting. Talked to my friend and I did light leg press today and we think that maybe did it. So that is noted. Hopefully will get better quickly with the ice. Dang it, this is so frustrating!

Do you know if you had anterior or posterior surgery? It seems anterior heals quicker bc they don’t cut into muscles or tendons. Someone correct me if I am wrong. I wish the surgeons would have done a better job preparing me/us for the mental part of this recovery. It is up & down, highs & lows. You just have to keep your mind focused that this is temporary, a long temporary but it gets better. Problem is the recovery is SO SLOW, so it is hard to see progress. I have to think back & remember where I was-i couldn’t even cut my toenails so I know there is progress!!
 
I would have cautioned against leg presses too early - just did over on the knee side! - things have barely healed, and leg press can really work those glutes and smaller hip muscles.
 
@mendogal -i don’t know what I was thinking!! I KNOW better. I KNOW enough about this surgery, recovery & exercising to have not done that today. I know all my muscles & tendons that are barely healed have been challenged today my own fault. So tonight-I iced, resting & took Tylenol. Seems better if I’m laying down, I have really mad at myself. I hope this heals up quickly & this is not going to be a huge setback. I think I just get to feeling so excited to be back at gym and I just think oh I got this. Really that isn’t just with the gym. This has been the hardest thing for me to learn & get through to my mind. My body & mind are not on the same page-at all.
 
@msart - I'm sure it's not going to be a long stay in the ODIC!

These glitches we catch ourselves in tend to respond really nicely to a couple of days of rest.

Meanwhile, cultivating this rejoining of mind-body to accept the body's need (which doesn't come easily in our culture!) may be a good skill for you - not a bad thing to have alongside your new hip! (I hope that doesn't sound condescending - it's100% written from the heart as one who circumstances led me to that lesson in my early 40s.)
 
@mendogal also, I think the mental part of this is just hard. People can be so cruel & insensitive in their words. I do not need to hear-oh you shouldn’t have any pain, you’re too far along. Not what I want to hear from anyone, unless they have had a SURPRISE THR, posterior, oh wait 2 surgeries, along with RA, and all the other things I’ve had. Jeez. Ok sorry had to vent for a minute. thank you for letting me get that out.
 
@mendogal -not at all. I’m becoming more & more aware of that, during all this. Pre hip surgery I think I didn’t think much about my age, this all has kind of prompted a “refocus” on a lot of things. I have definitely slowed down, been more attentive-not only to me but to others, I’ve noticed I’ve been more patient with people. All these are good things. So I am learning lots of lessons here~along this journey, not just about my hip
 
msart,
You are traveling an unexpected road so the twists & turns can easily trip you up. I also fractured my hip with a fall & ended up having my surgery 1700 miles from my house while on vacation. So we are very much alike in the sense that we weren't "prepared" for this. It's not like we had a "bad" hip that needed replacing. No time to educate ourselves or even have items in your home that are crucial to recovery.
It's a bitter pill & didn't help when PT in hospital proclaimed "in 30 days you will be doing everything you were doing prior to surgery." Ummm....no...didn't happen!
So thank goodness we have this forum to share our unique journeys whether we have 3 months to prepare or no time at all we still have to "walk" the same path eventually.
So rest & don't beat yourself up. You slipped up & now you learn. Isn't that what this entire process teaches us?
 
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