THR Two New Hips in Six Weeks

[SurreyGirl]

Lol!

 

[ladylorn]

I know we are reminded here that PT is not necessary for hips, but personally I have been glad to have a task aimed at strengthening my new one.

... he could see my right leg was now a little longer. I have heard different comments about that, that it may or may not be temporary, but he said his mom actually did gain an inch (I didn't ask if she'd had both hips done).

Re, PT: I have to agree with you @EL11; for ME, the PT has been necessary, even though I took it VERY easy at the beginning (and only had one in-home session for the second hip; I laid pretty low for the first 5-6 weeks, that time). Because all the other muscles had deteriorated so much while I tried to keep going (if you read my tale of WHOA, you'll learn that I was in extreme pain for more than a year before finding doctors who would actually listen to me - by the time I got to my OS, the hips were so damaged that my legs and hips looked like one unit on the x-ray). I was very PT-wary at the beginning, and am still very vocal if they ask me to do something that I feel might be too far beyond where I am; but I'm grateful to have found a great and caring facility to help me rehab my flabby muscles, and these hips (their having an aquatic PT definitely makes them tops in my book!).

Re, height: I used to be 5'6.5"; when I went to the OS the first time I was 5'5". I'm now back to my original height. It really is rather amazing!!!

Wishing you continued healing, with this hip and the new one!!

 

[EL11]

Re, height: I used to be 5'6.5"; when I went to the OS the first time I was 5'5". I'm now back to my original height. It really is rather amazing!!!

That’s extraordinary! I went from 5’6” to 5’5”, we shall see.

I want to go read your whole story now. It sounds as if you had to be very tenacious.

I never learned to swim, though I could stay afloat. A few months ago I bought some leasons and made good progress and I have a couple left. I’m going to make a list of questions for the surgeon about what I can and cannot do down the line, at the gym. Also, I sold my treadmill when I moved from WA, going to get another for the winter months in New England.

 

[ladylorn]

Hopefully you'll get back to your original height, as well; either way, you won't be in pain, and that in and of itself is a bee-yoooo-ti-ful thing!!!

I swim like a fish, my mom taught me when I was barely walking (I think because she loved the water so much, she wanted me to share in the experience - which I do). The great thing about pool PT is that you don't have to know how to swim - the deepest end of the pool comes to mayyyybe my shoulders. There's a treadmill in there, as well as steps: you walk on the treadmill (frontways and sideways - both sides; I didn't quite get that far the first time around because I still needed the other hip done)), go up and down the steps, and do basic stuff on the flat floor of the pool. I love it because 1) water; 2) it's much easier on my body than land PT; and 3) it really helps you re-build muscle without putting too much stress on the joints.

 

[EL11]

After my third lesson, the instructor emailed me to set up our next appointment, and asked if I might like to try a water bike. I said sure, but wound up not going back, figuring I would do it after both hips had healed short-term.

 

[EL11]

OK I’m just posting again to complain that all of a sudden I have “no good leg.” The one I’m having done two weeks from tomorrow has started aching badly again, maybe because my other hip is better now? This is a phenomenon? I did no pt today, honestly I just was working on something all day and I forgot.

Happy Labor Day, hipsters ... wishing you good progress and restorative sleep.

 

[Layla]

Hope your pre-op hip has quieted down a bit.
Eleven days to go and you'll be a double hippy.
Something that worked for me in the last weeks before surgery was a heating pad.
I used to lay in bed with it at night and watch tv because it actually brought me a little relief.
Try it if you haven't in these last days leading up to surgery.
Wishing you comfort as you await the 17th.
@EL11

 

[EL11]

Hi @Layla and thanks for the suggestion. The pain is so on and off. Today at the pre-op appointment I was carrying my crutch down the hall and walking with no discomfort.

I can’t wait to be a double hippy!!!

 

[soccerdad]

Best of luck on your second surgery. I had my right hip replacement 7/31/18 and my left hip is scheduled for 11/6/18. It’s reassuring to read all of these posts and to know I’m not the only one going through this process.

 

[Mojo333]

Glad you decided to just keep the activity down until to you get that other hip with the program.
Double hippy coming up!
Hope you have a good weekend!

 

[EL11]

Same to you, @Mojo333

@soccerdad, Best of luck to you for your second surgery. You have a nice window of time to complete short-term recovery from the first.

It truly is helpful to read others' experiences and offer whatever suggests of personal knowledge we've picked up along the way. When I first booked my surgeries in April, I scoured countless websites looking for personal stories of people who'd had joint replacement surgery. For some reason, I did not discover BoneSmart until after my first hip was done. I appreciate the way the site is set up, knee, hip, pre-op, post-op. The timetable of what to expect is the clearest I've seen.

 

[Layla]

Thanks for the kudos re: BoneSmart. We appreciate your kind words.
I found it helpful also. I was a lurker here, a learning lurker, lol.
It's where I got the bulk of my info. I found it helpful reading real people's commentary on their experience
with the process. When I reached out in a panic the night before my surgery and got many consoling responses, I was hooked! It's a great resource.
I hope your weekend is all you want it to be!
@EL11

 

[eve2]

Hey @EL11

good to read you updates. Sorry about you pain but I hope things get settled soon.

Sending you good vibes for the weekend

 

[EL11]

Good vibes to you too, @eve2.

As a matter of fact, this morning I took a 20-minute walk around the block with no problem, the first time I have ventured out sans crutch, and have yet to use the crutch today. Think I'll go out for another 10 to make it 30. Then ice again.

 

[eve2]

Ice baby ice

Sounds great! Nothing beats pain free walks!
Keep it up!

 

[EL11]

So ... @Layla , do I keep this thread for recovery #2? Maybe I should have titled it differently ...

 

[sharonslp]

Hi EL11. My first THR was a great success, and I couldn't wait to get my second hip done. The doc said he'd do it as soon as I was ready...xrays showed it was pretty far gone...but I wasn't having pain. I couldn't wrap my head around having surgery when it wasn't actually causing a problem. The minute it did, I was on the phone to get myself scheduled. Turned out to be 15 months later. I think you're lucky to get your second one done so quickly. I'm excited for you too because life with two new hips is a wondrous thing indeed.

Most of us do start a new thread for our second hip. Each hip and each surgery is different. It's important for the admins and advisors to be able to look back at your history and make sense of your concerns when you raise a question, and if a thread gets too long, it's terribly cumbersome to sort back through it. On the other hand, you are having your surgeries very close together in time, and so far this is a short thread. Perhaps an option would be to prepare a short recap of anything noteworthy from this first THR, and add it to the beginning of a new thread.

@Layla What do you think?

 

[Layla]

Hi @EL11
Re: your thread, if it were me, I'd continue on the same thread. I'd change the title and keep moving forward on the same thread. Your THR's aren't even two months apart. You're still in recovery with Hip # 1. You don't have a crazy amount of pages and you haven't left the forum between the two THR's.

I'd maybe consider starting a second thread it if I left the forum for a length of time, but you haven't. Also, if I was looking back for something in particular, at a later date, I'd rather page through one thread looking for it as opposed to back and forth from thread # 1 to thread # 2.

It's personal preference, there's no right or wrong, it's only how I would do it if it was me.
Wishing you comfort as you wait out these last few days.

 

[EL11]

Thanks @Layla ... I will keep this one; I don’t see how to change the thread title here on my phone, but maybe on my laptop it’ll be obvious.

Thanks also for the good comfort wishes. I feel good except for waking up sore at night. Icing and elevating as I type

 

[Layla]

You're welcome!

Please feel free to leave a new thread title here and a Mod will change it for you.
Hugs and sweet dreams
@EL11