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THR THR Posterior - Slowly Healing

Hi msart. I had anterior approach. And yea, I heard and read about how this was gonna be a piece of cake (especially going in anterior instead of posterior) yada, yada, yada. My own surgical team left me woefully ignorant of what recovery might be like.

Before signing up for surgery with the surgeon that did my procedure, I had a consult with a different surgeon. At the first consult, the doc I met with said "Oh you'll hate me and be cursing my name for the first 15 days or so after surgery. After that, it's all downhill (meaning, it would be easy). You'll be back up and doing what you normally do before you know it." I was still in a state of shock because I had just had an X-ray done that showed bone on bone osteoarthritis. I was sitting there with this guy trying to come to terms with what he was telling me...that I needed hip replacement. I was very hesitant and coming up with all kinds of reasons why I thought surgery was a bad idea. He even told me how hip replacement is sooo common and routine these days that it's really no big deal. Even though that doctor did not do my surgery (I wanted a second opinion) I walked away feeling like I was being silly to be so concerned about the procedure.

Well, we know what we know now, right? I'd like to know how many ortho surgeons and their physician assistants went through hip replacement themselves. I just don't get the attitude that comes from these people (the surgeons) that this surgery is no big deal. I know, I'm being whiny. Can't help it. My leg hurts. :tantrum2:
 
@myglasshalffull thank you for that. Seriously made me feel better. I just don’t know what to expect, should I be doing better? Why am I not doing better? Am I doing better? All these things go thru my mind. I am definitely better than I was 3 months ago as I could not walk-but am I where I was pre surgery-no, I am not. I have high expectations on myself & get let down. That is where this forum comes in & I am so grateful for it. I feel much better today, no more sharp pains, but my thigh very sore, so I’m going to just rest it. Talked to my surgeon (out of town surgeon) & he said this was normal, to go into this gradual. Did u experience the same in healing? Sometimes it makes me very down, especially when people say-oh you shouldn’t hurt, you should be better at 3 months.
 
@daisyduck0801 it is definitely, no big deal. I wasn’t even prepared after I left the hospital 11 days later. It is a lot!! They certainly do not educate u with what to expect. Maybe we should write a book, what to expect after hip surgery. I’m laughing bc they have one for having a baby!!!
 
If somebody wrote a book about what to expect after hip replacement surgery - if we collated all the stories that are here, on bonesmart, I'd wager that half of all people, after reading such book, would cancel or never schedule hip replacement surgery.
 
daisyduck0801 said:
If somebody wrote a book about what to expect after hip replacement surgery - if we collated all the stories that are here, on bonesmart, I'd wager that half of all people, after reading such book, would cancel or never schedule hip replacement surgery.
Click to expand...
Ditto knees!
 
Yes! I've heard, anecdotally, that recovering from knee replacement is even worse than recovering from hip replacement. Of course, only someone who's been through both would be able to say.
 
I sure hope this is my last joint replacement!! They are a HUGE deal!! @daisyduck0801 -you are probably correct. Goodness knows I would not have signed up for it, but since I would walk & all I really didn’t have much choice. So here we all are making the best of it!!
@mendogal -have you had BOTH KNEES? Jeez-I’ve heard they are bad too. My massage lady just had one though.
 
@msart
I learned decades ago, with surgery or any temporary disability, to shrug, separate myself from my routine life and adapt to my new one.
Easier knowing it's temporary.

The pain was unpleasant but manageable. I put myself on a daily schedule to start - get up, hygiene, meds, recliner with ice, set timer for 55 minutes, take my prescribed hourly walk, etc. It was basically doing a very long, very weird 24 hour kata (martial arts form) that repeated daily, hopefully at a slightly improved level.

Yes, there were unpleasant things to deal with (constipation! insomnia! and on the first, a total body itch rash - a drug reaction - you don't want to know!!!) but the basic mindset made everything tolerable and kept the blues away.
 
It's easy to say, right now, in the thick of it - a long and painful recovery (and you've been in it longer than me) - that maybe I made a mistake. But when I was sitting with that first surgeon looking at my X-ray and he pointed out to me the bone spurs and all the sclerosis, I was flabbergasted...and scared. I started thinking geez, how much worse would things get if I didn't have the surgery? I started imagining pieces of bone just breaking off, crumbling, etc if I let things go on without any intervention. I also thought having the surgery now would be better than going through it 5 or 10 years down the road. Pre-surgery, I was definitely having discomfort and limitations on long distance walking and cycling. But none of the discomfort I had before surgery compares to healing from this. I wish I had been better prepared for what this was gonna feel like.
 
@mendogal -you seem to have had a plan & are very organized with this. Amazing!!! I have just been flying by the seat of my pants-so to say. however, you are completely done-correct? I suppose had I had the initial time to process & not just be thrown into this-maybe better??? But idk. I think it has complicated things for me bc I live alone & there are so hard days-and I just push through. However, as @daisyduck0801 points out age is also a factor. How old are the both of you? I forget. I am 53, and I was a YOUNG 53!!! Daisy Duck-you made the right decision, it may not seem it right now, but the younger you are the better. If there is one thing I am absolutely certain of is age & your overall health plays a huge factor. I think I’m just at this point in my recovery, where I’m not & not where I was. I just have to get over the hump-and I will.we all will!! It’s just hard.
 
@msart
If you look at our avatars/info to the left of these posts you'll see @daisyduck0801 and I are each 69.

My knees are now over 18 months old and nearing 2 years old. Each knee has its minor long term issue, but both have great range of motion, love to walk three times further than I had in many years, are coming along nicely with ongoing strength training, and effectively do whatever I ask them to.

The difference for you: you had a hip fracture! Away from home! Your RA makes you prone to baseline higher inflammation and you're living alone. I think these factors are more important in your overall situation than age.

@daisyduck0801 : the thing about deferring a replacement is that sometimes the joint DOES literally crumble - it becomes unstable, gives way or locks unpredictably - and then it's an emergency surgery. Not a desirable path!
 
I also think this experience has made me much more aware of those permanently disabled.
We can walk, we might be in pain but we can stand & walk. I thank my lucky stars that my hip could be fixed.
It's normal to get down & be annoyed with yourself & this recovery but you will get back to your old self. I was 70 & very active before my fall. And there are many different milestones you reach in recovery. Seem to be at a stand still than all of a sudden you are able to do a simple chore or activity you couldn't do before. That's how I found my recovery to go.
 
For all my whinging about recovery I know that I was in daily, often excruciating pain pre-surgery. I could not straighten my left leg and walking was like treading on sharp stones in bare feet. I remind myself of that and revel in the relative pain-free life I have now. It is not perfect and I have a way to go but already I stand taller. My body is still adjusting and I expect to take some months to solve that.

If we wrote a book I would definitely throw out some of the PT instructions and recommend walking. I would also reassure people that once the blood thinners are finished the swelling gets better. To have patience and be kind to your new-born hip. The mental impact is also overlooked. And I would add a chapter on telling well-meaning friends and family to, well, keep their advice unless it is asked for. In the nicest possible way.
 
I love this group so much!! All wonderful points made by everyone. Most wonderful thing about all this is that we have found a safe, kind & supportive “home base” so to speak. Where we don’t know each other, yet here we are sharing & caring. This is truly what makes bonesmart so special to me. Especially in this unkind world we live in now. I believe it helps our recovery to have non-judgemental friends.
@mendogal, @daisyduck0801 & @Phoebie thank you all. Just because. I had a lovely day today, not much to complain or vent about-accomplished all my tasks & logged on to see the cheering squad!! BEST!!!
We are all indeed very blessed. Things could be a lot worse.
 
Yes. I think my husband is getting tired of seeing me on the bonesmart boards every time he walks into a room. But I told him that no matter how many times he asks me how I'm feeling, there is no way to really get across to him what this feels like. It's just one of those things. Only those of us on this path can truly understand what it's like. And right now I really need the company of others in the same boat as I am.

All the nearest and dearest in my life - husband, mother, daughter, best friend etc, etc simply don't want to hear any more from me that each and every day there is some pain, some strange sensation, something...not pleasant, that is part and parcel of this experience. I have said repeatedly: This. Takes. Time. I know they all think I should be much further along than I am in what I can do and not do. It's a big part of why I've started having short crying jags every day. Sometimes I think they don't believe that I have as much discomfort as I do. It is frustrating. The only real tangible evidence that I have right now to prove my case is that I can't get off the walker. Not yet. It's still too uncomfortable . I'm not Debbie Downer in the company of others but I refuse to put on a big fake smiley face and say that I'm feeling fine. I just say things are coming along or something vague like that. :sigh:
 
@daisyduck0801 -you hang in there. I know that feeling, even though I live by myself-I think yall & my dog Lily are my best confidants throughout this. I felt like my parents, sister, friends just got sick of my complaining. And none of them have even been through this-and that is where this group came in. We are all here for you, rooting for you. It is HARD. And there is no set time frame, and some days are downright hard. Just don’t push yourself, you will get there. I had a bad day yesterday & look a good day today. And i probably will have another bad day-bc I will feel good & do too much. So I have to keep myself in check. It just takes time & patience. You simply cannot make it go faster, trust me I tried!! lol I don’t think I was off the walker until about wk 4ish. You just take it as slow & as easy as you like. You do not want to risk reinjury. I think I speak for most of us here, we do not want to start all over again. What a dreaded thought!! You are most likely better than you were last week, the recovery is just so slow it is hard to tell when you’re in the thick of it!! I hope your getting some rest, the not sleeping, the drugs I was on & detoxing from hospital made me very weepy the first 4-6 weeks at least. Just take care of yourself, best you can right now. It does & will get better ❤️‍.
 
@daisyduck0801 @msart Thank you ladies for perfectly expressing why BoneSmart exists and is needed as the bridge between a patient and their medical team or their family and friends. All these people mean well when a joint replacement is involved, but they neither have the time nor the understanding to zero in on what a person can need or feel during recovery. I’m so thankful we are here to support you.
 
@Jamie I am so thankful this platflorm exists-between the support from the staff & the caring patients, I have felt more comfort & compassion by this group than anywhere. I have been so very impressed by the knowledge of the staff, addressing all of my concerns & just their overall concern for each of us. Bonesmart is a much needed tool for anyone going through a joint replacement!! I don’t know where I would be without this group, I am so thankful I found it❤️‍.
 
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