THR Toohip 'made it' RTHR recovery side

[beachgal]

@toohip, use your ice packs throughout the day, too! Great natural pain reliever and helps with bruising/swelling. Just feels good!!

Good job on shower! Mobility will improve daily. In small bits. Patience!


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[Zebra]

@toohip, how are you? Are you getting more range of motion in your hip?

What's it like to walk? Is the muscle pain easing off?

Thanks for letting me know about the guys who went to the sub acute rehabs.

 

[Happy Hipster]

Congrats! Keep up the good work!

 

[toohip]

Hi @Zebra it's 12 days since surgery and pain has eased tremendously...i am still walking with a walker and icing and elevating. I can lift my leg now and get in and out of bed on my own. I am taking about 2-4 pain meds at night only (just to get a good night's sleep, LOL)...I am walking straight and both legs are even now (I still favor my operated leg tho, i've got to stop that soon). I still have the 90 degree restrictions so i can't really check range of motion, because i cant bend down or cross over. I do get tired during the day if i'm up and about and walking alot. Swelling is pretty much gone and most of the bruising is almost gone as well. I have to keep telling myself the first 2-3 weeks are the worse in mobility, meaning being able to get around pain-free and lifting the leg. I have been walking outside and even went out to dinner last Thurs. I am starting to feel more at ease with it all.
When is your surgery?

Thanks @Happy Hipster, hope all is well with you! Thanks @beachgal - Icing and elevating is the best...and definitely PATIENCE! Hope you're doing well!!

 

[Zebra]

Hi @toohip, got another "HSS" question for you in the advice/assistance dept.

What do you have to actually, really need to do to pass their PT tests to go home? I talked to the nurse and the
caseworker and they told me if I can pass the PT tests I could go home, even if I live alone.

I know you mentioned here that you had the "log leg" and needed assistance getting in and out of bed initially when you first got home.

So how did you get out of bed by yourself at the hospital to pass their PT test? Or is it not really like a test?

What do they do? Does a PT actually have you do specific tasks or what?

 

[toohip]

Hi @Zebra - Well you also need to get medical (Dr.'s) clearance to leave hospital as well. But the PT's ask what type of environment (house) you are going to and if you will have any assistance there, they were constantly asking me who's going to be there and what type of environment (such as where's kitchen in regards to bedroom, etc). The nurses/pt helped me out of bed and spotted me everywhere I went (you're not allowed to leave the bed without someone's assistance. Once the PT's know your home environment, they just check you to be sure that you can walk the proper amount (example: walking down the hallway) and if you have stairs they teach you to go up and down the stairs and then you have to be able to do it on your own. I had surgery early (8am) and during the recovery part, right before they moved me to a room (about 4pm) the PT came to recovery area and helped me up and I took a few steps (2-3) back and forth for about 6 min. that was all for the first day. I had surgery at 8am and then was in a room by about 4pm. Then the 2nd day, the PT came in the morning around 10am and got me out of bed and we walked a bit (down the hallway)...also remember at that point I was still on heavy intravenous meds. by the afternoon, HSS took all intravenous and catheter out...so by evening I had to use the bathroom, which the nurses help you with that at all times...by evening day after my surgery, I was able to sit and eat in high-chair near my bed, but needed assistance to get around (plus i tired very easily). My surgeon said if I want to stay a 3rd night, i could and that it was up to me....but when PT came on third day (2nd night)...they said i was capable of moving with help to bathroom and around house and he cleared me to go home...when surgeon's office (Phys Asst) came that morning (I had surgery wednesday and this was now Friday), she said i looked well enough to go home...so i decided to go home on Friday and not stay the extra day.

 

[Zebra]

thanks so much @toohip , that really gives me a feel for how it will go at the hospital with the PTs guess it is very situation specific. That helps to know they are looking to make sure you can navigate your own living environment and who's going to be there, etc. Makes sense.

 

[rettabetta]

Hey @toohip!
Wishing you well on your recovery! I did not realize you are a NYER!
I had my procedure done over at Lenox Hill Hospital.
The days are going by very fast isn't it?

 

[toohip]

Hi @rettabetta - yea, i guess the days are going fast, but some nights are a bit uncomfortable then other nights...last night, i tried going without 2 pain meds and was restless most of the night...i guess i'll have to rethink that tonight and take some pain relief. I could go all day without, but at night it gets a bit uncomfortable. Great to hear you're feeling better!

 

[Zebra]

Hi @toohip , how are you doing? How's your mobility & walking?

 

[toohip]

Hi @Zebra - Thanks for asking!! it's been about 3.5 weeks since surgery and I am now moving much better (i still have significant weakness in right leg though). I am starting out-patient physical therapy next week, so I should be able to build my muscles more in my right leg. I haven't gone to the gym yet, but I think i can. I am walking about a 1/2 to a mile a day (still with a cane for security and stability). As far as pain goes, I am MUCH better and relatively pain free, just slight muscle pain. I have another 3 weeks until my first follow up appt with OS. That's about it for now...How are you doing?

 

[Zebra]

hey @toohip, it sounds like you are doing really well at only 3 weeks or so. Being relatively pain free and being able to do the walking then you can only get stronger that is good news! Can you feel more mobility with your new hip, like able to move it up or outward or wherever it didn't move before?

Just curious because both my hips are fused and the OS docs told me after THRs I will still be stiff, so wondering how much mobility I can really get back. Although just being able to walk would be plenty fine with me. You are so lucky they got your legs even that is truly an outstanding outcome.

What are the 2 pain meds you took to get a good night's sleep? You seem to have slept
pretty well right from the beginning, which is pretty awesome. Whenever I took pain pills they always
gave me a buzz, so I hadn't thought they might actually help with sleeping.

Also, did HSS give you a walker to take home or did you buy one yourself? Just wondering if I should get one
and whether to choose a standard or one of these rollator things with four wheels. I have two hips to do so I don't mind buying some of this stuff.

 

[toohip]

Hi @Zebra - I know someone who was having bilateral operation at HSS and using Dr. Edwin Su @ HSS...will you be having bilateral? My OS said everyone's recovery is different, so not to listen to what others have to say. I am still on the 90 degree restriction and he said when i see him in a few weeks he will try rotating my hip past 90 degrees...I was able to walk (with a limp) prior to surgery, just couldn't cross that leg or lift to put on socks or shoes. He will try that movement when i see him in a few weeks. right now, i am just trying to build those muscles back and stretching them as well. The dr. said those muscles even my shin muscles were in tight position for many years prior to surgery, so all the muscles need to get back to correct order. (hope that makes sense). That's where the muscle stiffness comes into to play. I must say i am able to easily get up from a sitting position and walking much easier and straighter now than before, the arthritis pain is no longer there when i go from sitting to standing or laying down to standing.

I am taking hydrocodone/APAP - 5/325 MGs. I think it's the generic of NORCO. I am taking 2 of those pills a night with 1 pill each of a laxative and stool softener. I think next week or end of this week will try cutting to 1 pill a night of the pain med....then maybe go to tylenol pm.

HSS can order you a cane or walker at the hospital...I already had both, bought them from 2nd hand store. I am now just using the cane outside and nothing inside my house. I am still icing and elevating during the day and at night. I am not sure if you'll need the 4 wheel walker...i just had the two wheel walker.

 

[Zebra]

@toohip, how hard is it to follow the hip precautions? Is it really as strict as they make it sound?

I'm looking at the pre-op booklet where it says that you shouldn't bend over even a little. IE. "do not bend forward or let your shoulders come in front of your hip while sitting" and there's a pic of someone sitting on their bed.

How on earth do you get out of bed or out of a chair to get to the walker or cane without bending forward at all, ever, even a little? I can't even sit up very straight as it is. You're supposed to sit perfectly straight, right?

I always lean forward to get up I'm like how am I gonna do this? Just been observing how I move and looking to see how I will have to adjust.

Did you ever get a "twinge" or pivot on your operated leg by accident or cross your ankles? In other words,
is the new hip more forgiving than how they describe?

 

[muckingabout]

Check out this you tube or search for others:



They illustrate handling restrictions better than anything. I watched a ton before my THR

 

[Carriemay60]

@toohip , You are doing so well!! You seem to be progressing at a steady rate and not paying the price for extending beyond your capabilities, well done!
@Zebra I would strongly suggest you get a leg lifter and a grabber if you haven't already, especially if you live alone. The lifter will help you get in and out of bed - they will show how to use one in hospital (I bought mine both I hospital for $10 each in Canada) A raised toilet seat and recliner are also of a huge benefit. Beachgal also made a great device for picking up tiny items like a dropped pill of duct tape on the end of a long ruler (or something similar) It seems to me that when we can't bend over to pick things up is when we drop everything!

 

[toohip]

Hi @Zebra and @Carriemay60 - I am about 5 weeks out from my surgery and doing a bit better every week. The hip precautions in the beginning are pretty easy to follow as Carriemay said you only need to follow it for the operated leg. you kind of slide out of bed in the beginning, but as you get better/stronger by the 4/5 week, i am sitting up in bed and then tightening butt muscles to lift myself out of bed. I have started doing the golfer's reach to pick up dog bowls, etc. During the beginning 2-3 weeks of postop, you are a bit weak, so that's what i mean that it comes naturally to follow the 3 precautions. Plus, I really only went out probably 1-2 during the first 2-3 weeks. I mostly stayed around my house those initial 2-3 weeks with limited movement. Hell, I was wiped out, I don't know how others say they go back to work after 3-4 weeks...I still need afternoon nap time, LOL. I would say i started really going out last week and this week, lol. I think yesterday was first day i went without a nap. I am also down to 1 pain pill at night...and will probably cut that out by next week.
Zebra, make a HSS consult appt! you won't regret it and before you know it..you'll be out of pain and on the road to full recovery!! I even danced a bit this weekend and went out to dinner...and getting in/out of chairs and bed is painfree (no arthritis pain)!! Oh yea, I bring a pillow when i go to restaurants, movies, etc...so that i sit up a bit higher. And most places have handicap baths, which is great.
I started outpatient PT and that is going well!! My mobility is getting better and so is my balance...i'm still slightly limping, but the PT people say that's my mind doing it and if I concentrate and walk 'heal to toe' walk, then i don't limp. I still have weakness going up a regular-size step with the operated leg first...but we are working on that at PT...i start with a lower step size and do about 30 reps.
Also, my family and friends can't believe my legs are even length (it sorta blows their and my mind)...but it's true...now i just need to 'retrain' my muscles. I love the feeling of being able to have both feet firm on the ground. I go to my OS next week, first appt since surgery, so i'll have a better update for you.

 

[Carriemay60]

Gosh @toohip You are up to so much more than me! I feel a bit jealous but know my time will come eventually. I see my knee O/S tomorrow so maybe some answers then. For those of you that have had long-term hip pain and all that goes with it I really rejoice in your observations of "two feet firmly planted on the ground" and your legs facing the right direction. I can only imagine it is absolutely life changing! Keep up the great work

 

[toohip]

@Carriemay60 - Don't be jealous, everyone has a different recovery and healing process! Just don't overdo it!!!

 

[toohip]

I really rejoice in your observations of "two feet firmly planted on the ground" and your legs facing the right direction.

@Carriemay60 - yes, this is a great feeling...and puts a lot less stress on my non-operated leg!
Keep up the good work and all the best rest, lol!!