THR THR

Dee62

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Long story short, i fell and broke my hip on 2nd June and had a THR on 3rd June. I've been having fragmin injections daily since, self administering. This morning I had a blood test and was told I need meds for potential dvt and a scan next Wednesday. Has this happened to anyone else? I'm really scared.

Thanks, Debbie
 
Hello @Dee62 - and :welome:

I'm sorry you've had to come to us in such traumatic circumstances. How frightening all that must have been.

Have you had any pain in your calves that might indicate a Deep Vein Thrombosis (blood clot)?
And have they given you the additional medications they say you need?

The Fragmin and other medications should deal with the blood clot, if you have one.

I hope the scan shows that there is no blood clot but, until then, take things easy. Just walk around your house a little, but don't do lots of exercises.

I am a little surprised that you have to wait until Wednesday to have a scan.

I have some recovery reading for you - lots of informative articles.
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 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 the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
Thank you for replying.

No, at the moment no sore calves, no real pain as such. Both measure the same, although this morning operated side was half inch more. It seemed to me like just swelling as I walked a fair bit yesterday and it was hot. But they say blood test indicated it could be dvt so they've taken me off fragmin and put me on rivaroxaban.

Dee
 
It may be that the blood test indicated trauma, rather than a blood clot. I hope so, anyway, since you have no other symptoms.

Until you're sure - after the scan on Wednesday - rest, ice, elevate your leg and walk just a little. Your new hip doesn't need a lot of exercise anyway, so just walking around the house will be fine.

My husband has been taking Rivaroxaban for several years now, for a different condition, and he hasn't had any problems with it.
 
@Dee62 you must be over the moon anxious, I know I would be! I took baby aspirin and had compression knee-highs for both hips, and was doing plenty of walking around the house. Each time, somewhere in I think early Week 2 post op, I had calf pain. Both times I went to the ER because I had rather be safe than sorry. The surgery had maxxed out my out-of-pocket, so I don't think I paid much for either ultrasound.

It sounds like you're being followed carefully-- that's a good thing!
 
Hello Dee,
Easy to say, but try not to stress, you have a plan in place and you‘re under your doctors care. I‘m assuming they made you aware of symptoms to watch for in the interim. Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions or concerns before your scan on Wednesday. Prayers for healing without incident.
Please stay in touch and let us know how you’re doing.
@Dee62
 
Thank you all for the kind replies.

So, last night I took my first rivaroxaban, and oh boy, within 20 minutes I felt nauseous. This continued all night long with stomach pain and very little sleep. I was nervous about taking one this morning, so I called the out of hours doctor, who was really nice.

He said my d dimer levels were reasonably low and the test can give false positive results, so there may be a possibility that it's higher because of the trauma of falling and the subsequent operation. Also, he had me measure my calves again, which are both the same, 35cm, and were last night too. No pain or redness either at the moment.

Regarding the rivaroxaban, he said to stop taking it and he's put me on 5 days worth of treatment dose Fragmin, as opposed to the preventative dose I was on before.

I'm keeping everything crossed that the scan on Wednesday will be fine. I do hope so.

Thank you again for all being so kind. I suffer with anxiety so I'm finding it hard to deal with. On the plus side, 24 days post surgery, I'm using just one crutch and can manage one or two steps without it.

Dee
 
@Dee62 I felt so bad when I read you were prescribed Rivaroxaban. I took it post LTHR and had some very nasty side effects including nausea, intestinal problems and passing out! So glad you got your medication changed.
I suffer with anxiety so I'm finding it hard to deal with.
My friend, it is an anxious time for everyone. Recovery is hard enough. But recovering during a major, worldwide incident is maddening.

Well done on progressing to one crutch!
 
Oh, bless you for replying.

Did they change your meds? And was it given routinely or for dvt?

I'm so glad I found this site because I'm finding it so hard to get info anywhere else.

I had no idea what to expect as my LTHR is a refill of falling whilst out walking.

Dee
 
Hi @Dee62 - Good for you for advocating for yourself by reaching out to the on call doctor. Sounds like he listened to your concerns and made a helpful plan!

The early days (which I think can mean several months or more) following a major operation is anxiety provoking for most people, in my opinion. You deserve credit for asking for what you need, and I am so glad you had a positive response from the doctor.

Hoping that your scan goes well on Wednesday!

Also, congratulations on using one crutch successfully.

As for trying steps without a support, based on my recovery experience, I personally think it is better and safer to keep using a support until you are really feeling stable.
 
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Well, Dee, I’m glad you called and got some reassurance and a change in medication. I think between what the doctor told you and everything else being pretty much baseline that you can go confidently into your scan. I would think that you would have gotten a scan immediately if they had been really worried. I went into the PCP a few days after my iliopsoas release because my heart arrhythmia decided to act up and I got a scan immediately because of that and my leg was slightly swollen. Well, I did just have surgery. Otherwise, no pain, no redness, no unusual swelling. I was fairly confident I didn’t have a DVT and that is what the scan showed. Hoping the same for you but it is all scary especially when you don’t get a running start (forgive the pun! Lol ) because the surgery was precipitated by a fall. That’s why this is such a great forum. Sending continued healing blessings. Keep us posted. ❤️ Pat.
 
Did they change your meds? And was it given routinely or for dvt?
I was almost done with the prescription when I realised that all these symptoms were not a result of my THR. The day I passed out I called the NHS helpline and they confirmed I could stop taking the medication.

It was given to prevent DVT post joint replacement. But there are plenty of people who have reactions to it. I self injected Lovenox post RTHR and had no problems with it.
 
I think I'll stick with at least one crutch for the time being at least.

I'm glad I got to speak to the doctor this morning. He spent half an hour on the phone with me, explaining about false positive d dimer results, etc. He was very kind.

Dee
 
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@Hip4life, thank you for your kind reply.

I will be glad once I've had the scan, then I'll know for sure, one way or the other. It's scary, isn't it?

Thank you for sending healing.

Dee
 
@Jaycey, thank you for your kindness.

I felt dreadful after just one tablet, goodness knows how you must've felt.

I've felt so rough since last night, that other than yo go to the bathroom I've stayed in bed today. Leg elevated and sleeping, due to lack of it last night.

I'm now on a much higher dose of Fragmin, so hopefully I'll be OK.

Thank you. Dee.
 
Dee62 - I'm betting that your D-dimer blood result was a false positive and the scan on Wednesday proves that.
I believe I suggested earlier that it could have shown positive as a result of the trauma of surgery.

I had a false positive D-dimer test 2 years ago, after a fall. As I have a minor bleeding disorder, I am less likely than most people to get a DVT, although it is theoretically possible. My scan showed no blood clot.

I'm sorry the Rivaroxaban caused you and Jaycey problems. These things are very individual. While my husband has been taking Rivaroxaban for about 5 years now with no ill-effects, another oral anticoagulant - Pradaxa (Dabigatran) - gave him terrible diarrhea.
 
Up until Friday I've had a good appetite, but since then I'm struggling to eat and when I do I feel sick. Has anybody else felt like this? I'm eating very little. I feel OK otherwise, although I am very nervous about the scan for dvt that I'm to have on Wednesday. I should say that up til now I have no symptoms. Calves measure the same, puff up a bit after exercise, go down after elevating, no redness or anything.
 
It could be nerves. I have the opposite problem-I want to eat all the carbohydrates in sight! Or a medication side effect or both! You may want to try to eat smaller meals/snacks more frequently. Light and easily digestible foods. I also find sipping on a nutrient or protein drink helps to keep my nutrition up when I’m not feeling especially hungry. It’s just plain scary and in your face pretty much all the time until the scan is over even when you’re pretty sure it will be okay. You haven’t recovered from the first onslaught and now here this is. I felt the same way waiting for my stress test and echocardiogram for my heart arrhythmia. I know it’s a process that you do to try and be prepared for any contingency. Unfortunately it creates a lot of anxiety. Sending blessings for peace and comfort as you await your scan. ❤️ Pat
 
I agree that it could be the stress about your upcoming test or possibly the higher dose of the Fragmin? Hip4life had some good ideas as well.
 

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