Josephine
NURSE DIRECTOR EMERITA
United KingdomWell no, you didn't but that's all right. I've deleted them.
THR Up, up & away!'
- Thread starter doopy
- Start date
- Status
Cas
senior
It was LOL ! The horse was uninjured but I went to emergency. Was black all down my right side from head to toe but nothing broken!!!!! They told me I would pay in later life - how true. Oh the follies of youth ! Was up and out riding asap though.
Miss Muffet
post-grad
OP
OP
doopy
member
@Miss Muffet , and all the Bonesmarty chums - Hi there!
I've been busy! Just come in from 2 hours pressure washing the drive (&pavement, cars & anything else that was located within a hundred yard radius, inc the postman!), have been out seeing friends & driving!!
I saw the surgeon for my 6 week check (which was in reality 5 weeks, because of Christmas), & thankfully it was a wonderfully uplifting experience. When I arrived at the hospital, I had to have my x Ray first: the nurse taking me noticed my TEDs & looked surprised & asked if I was post-op - when I said yes, she told me how well I was walking!
Nearly fell of the x Ray table, but all was well. Surgeon was really happy with my progress, & made me feel fantastic when he said "you know, frankly we were all amazed by your progress & how quickly you were up & about" (I assume he meant post-op, in hospital). I was so happy - it made me feel I could say goodbye to all the fretting & worrying that I was not doing so well.
Interestingly, he didn't seem to go a bundle on exercises at all, but after checking my ROM asked me to practise side leg lifts, & that was all. He was impressed I could stand on one leg (operated one), & told me to try to do that sometimes. I explained that compulsorily using 2 crutches for 4 weeks had possibly slightly retarded my progress in walking unaided, but he wasn't at all bothered & said it had stopped anything from stretching, & that I should just graduate to one crutch & only let go when I felt completely ready. Most importantly, only when there was no chance of me limping.
We discussed the pinching pain in the other hip - the x Ray doesn't show much OA yet. I raised the issue yet again if it being a labral tear - he told me that even if it was, he would prefer not to try to repair it as it probably might not work & there was no point in going through 2 ops. He told me to wait until the pain made me miserable, then come back to see him. I asked about the painful stiff knees, & he said that was fairly normal & should pass within a couple of months. So all very illuminating & reassuring!
Husband was with me & I felt that it was good that he heard that my surgeon was impressed with my recovery even if I do still burst into tears whenever I'm over-tired! Made me feel so positive - I sometimes wonder if healthcare professionals give much thought to the way they speak to patients - a positive, kind & humorous interaction is worth as much as anything & does so much good to the patient who has been locked away dealing with their recovery for seemingly ages!! I love my surgeon!!
So, there we are! Out to dinner tonight, but off for a snooze in the recliner now as I'm frozen from being outside & quite tired from standing for 2 hours wielding my pressure hose thing. Still not sleeping fantastically,but now sleeping on my unoperated side with no problems - bliss to have a choice!! And 5 days short of my 6 weeks, I've ditched the TEDs - the surgeon wrily said, on noticing me wearing them, "I expect you've put those on just for me!" , so I guess he expects us to be a bit lazy with them at this stage!
Hope everyone is happily gearing up to the festivities - a Happy pain-free Christmas to everyone!!! :tree2;:reindeer:
I've been busy! Just come in from 2 hours pressure washing the drive (&pavement, cars & anything else that was located within a hundred yard radius, inc the postman!), have been out seeing friends & driving!!
I saw the surgeon for my 6 week check (which was in reality 5 weeks, because of Christmas), & thankfully it was a wonderfully uplifting experience. When I arrived at the hospital, I had to have my x Ray first: the nurse taking me noticed my TEDs & looked surprised & asked if I was post-op - when I said yes, she told me how well I was walking!
Nearly fell of the x Ray table, but all was well. Surgeon was really happy with my progress, & made me feel fantastic when he said "you know, frankly we were all amazed by your progress & how quickly you were up & about" (I assume he meant post-op, in hospital). I was so happy - it made me feel I could say goodbye to all the fretting & worrying that I was not doing so well.
Interestingly, he didn't seem to go a bundle on exercises at all, but after checking my ROM asked me to practise side leg lifts, & that was all. He was impressed I could stand on one leg (operated one), & told me to try to do that sometimes. I explained that compulsorily using 2 crutches for 4 weeks had possibly slightly retarded my progress in walking unaided, but he wasn't at all bothered & said it had stopped anything from stretching, & that I should just graduate to one crutch & only let go when I felt completely ready. Most importantly, only when there was no chance of me limping.
We discussed the pinching pain in the other hip - the x Ray doesn't show much OA yet. I raised the issue yet again if it being a labral tear - he told me that even if it was, he would prefer not to try to repair it as it probably might not work & there was no point in going through 2 ops. He told me to wait until the pain made me miserable, then come back to see him. I asked about the painful stiff knees, & he said that was fairly normal & should pass within a couple of months. So all very illuminating & reassuring!
Husband was with me & I felt that it was good that he heard that my surgeon was impressed with my recovery even if I do still burst into tears whenever I'm over-tired! Made me feel so positive - I sometimes wonder if healthcare professionals give much thought to the way they speak to patients - a positive, kind & humorous interaction is worth as much as anything & does so much good to the patient who has been locked away dealing with their recovery for seemingly ages!! I love my surgeon!!
So, there we are! Out to dinner tonight, but off for a snooze in the recliner now as I'm frozen from being outside & quite tired from standing for 2 hours wielding my pressure hose thing. Still not sleeping fantastically,but now sleeping on my unoperated side with no problems - bliss to have a choice!! And 5 days short of my 6 weeks, I've ditched the TEDs - the surgeon wrily said, on noticing me wearing them, "I expect you've put those on just for me!" , so I guess he expects us to be a bit lazy with them at this stage!
Hope everyone is happily gearing up to the festivities - a Happy pain-free Christmas to everyone!!! :tree2;:reindeer:
Miss Muffet
post-grad
What?! You are a powerhouse @doopy!
So glad your visit to the surgeon went well and that he is impressed with your progress. Really really happy to hear how uplifting this has been for you. Don't overtire yourself and end up crying. Delegate and instruct and if that doesn't work THEN cry
You're doing SO well. Keep it up!
OP
OP
doopy
member
Update: guess what?? 2 hours pressure washing in the freezing cold turns out NOT to be a good idea.....who'd have thought??!!!Am ok, but by the time I went out to dinner last night, most of my body - muscles, knees (hips oddly ok) was in lock-down. Had an ibuprofen before sleep but am fairly whacked today.
When will I ever learn?? So, should you ever see anyone operating large garden machinery in one hand whilst on a crutch with the other, pass on this advice (or just remove the machinery & steer them in the direction of their recliner & a nice cup of tea)!
Miss Muffet
post-grad
Ah @doopy - I have to say it did sound like quite an ambitious exercise. But we all do it. Think we're feeling so much better and then push it, then regret it. 
I thought I was responsible for making all those mistakes so the rest of you don't need to? 
I'm sure the driveway would have coped without you but I'm sure it looks sparkling clean now.
A good period of rest will help out you back on track and regroup. Take it easy - we all care!
I thought I was responsible for making all those mistakes so the rest of you don't need to? I'm sure the driveway would have coped without you but I'm sure it looks sparkling clean now.
A good period of rest will help out you back on track and regroup. Take it easy - we all care!
OP
OP
doopy
member
Ah, @Miss Muffet & @Jaycey - you are so right!! Excellent advice to do half as much as you think you can do - I will try to remember that!! I knew I was being silly, but it was one of those things that once you start, and you see such a lovely clean (and more to the point, safe - free from slimy leaves!) driveway, it's sort of addictive! And haha! re making the mistakes on our behalf - still, we live and learn! I've had a quiet day catching up on emails etc, and now the aching has gone.
Wishing everyone a happy, hassle-free (remember to keep it simple!!) Christmas, :santa sleigh:
and a happy and peaceful and healthy 2017!! :window:
Wishing everyone a happy, hassle-free (remember to keep it simple!!) Christmas, :santa sleigh:
and a happy and peaceful and healthy 2017!! :window:
OP
OP
doopy
member
Hello everyone, Happy New Year!!!
Haven't posted in a while, so thought I'd do a quick update: had a very quiet Christmas, with husband masterminding all the big Christmas dinner (well done! whew!), & im still spending some afternoons resting & snoozing in the recliner - most of the year husband's study is a no-go war zone of towering piles of books & papers, discarded clothes (why??), & stuff all over the floor which would be lethal for a Hippie, but at Christmas it gets blitzed, with a fire & nice lights & is made wonderfully cosy, so both of us have been lurking in here after lunch whilst he is still on holiday - lovely! But I do get tired, even at just 7 weeks - I tend to obey my body & rest when I feel like it, if possible.
At 5 weeks I was able to sleep on non-op side, & as of today (just prior to 7 weeks), I can lie on new hip (surgeon said I could as soon as it was comfortable - no sleeping restrictions at all from Day 1 for me). BUT I'm not sleeping well, due to all-over pain.
I've kind of always suffered from this, since I was a child, which I think is due to hypermobility, but it started with a vengeance in my 40s. I sometimes wonder if it's fibromyalgia.
The problem is that since I went down to one crutch at 4 weeks, & then no crutch when at home at 5 weeks, I know I'm not walking properly & am doing something weird in some sub-conscious attempt to protect the new hip, so am walking with stiff knees. It hurts in both knees badly!! If I concentrate v hard, I can walk "normally" & this immediately takes the pain away, but by the end of the day I am in agony, all over - shoulders, thumbs, ankles - you name it! This is, as I said, something I've had before, but not so regularly. Of course, at the beginning, I was on regular doses of Ibuprofen & paracetamol which probably kept it at bay, but I stopped all those on a routine basis weeks ago, only taking them when in pain - maybe this is a mistake?
And today, for the very first time since the op, I had real pain somewhere near the hip - I hadn't done anything that I was conscious of (was just pottering in kitchen), but got a stabbing pain when weight-bearing. I immediately picked up the crutch, & retired to recliner. Maybe I twisted it? I just don't seem to be happy without one crutch really - I tried a stick but didn't get on very well. My PT is only about once a month (no exercises have been given, except for keeping leg moving, knee bends every now & then, & walking). Everything else is going fine - I don't need many of my other mobility aids (loo seats, etc), & have no difficulty negotiating "normal" living (even got into big old Victorian bath last week, with no problems, though I'm not doing that on a regular basis yet).
Anybody else had a bit of a sudden scare for seemingly no reason? And scar is all healed but quite itchy - I haven't done anything at all in terms of looking after it, just left it to heal. Now it is just a fine line, still slightly pink.
Anyway, in many ways (until the scare today), the new hip has been trouble-free, but is hampered by the other painful hip which pinches all the time (surgery due when I am ready).
So, that's me, at just 7 weeks. It's so interesting how all our recoveries differ, isn't it?
But good wishes for a happy healthy pain- free 2017 to everyone - you are all wonderfully inspiring, warm & supportive - thanks to every one of you for being out there!!
Haven't posted in a while, so thought I'd do a quick update: had a very quiet Christmas, with husband masterminding all the big Christmas dinner (well done! whew!), & im still spending some afternoons resting & snoozing in the recliner - most of the year husband's study is a no-go war zone of towering piles of books & papers, discarded clothes (why??), & stuff all over the floor which would be lethal for a Hippie, but at Christmas it gets blitzed, with a fire & nice lights & is made wonderfully cosy, so both of us have been lurking in here after lunch whilst he is still on holiday - lovely! But I do get tired, even at just 7 weeks - I tend to obey my body & rest when I feel like it, if possible.
At 5 weeks I was able to sleep on non-op side, & as of today (just prior to 7 weeks), I can lie on new hip (surgeon said I could as soon as it was comfortable - no sleeping restrictions at all from Day 1 for me). BUT I'm not sleeping well, due to all-over pain.
I've kind of always suffered from this, since I was a child, which I think is due to hypermobility, but it started with a vengeance in my 40s. I sometimes wonder if it's fibromyalgia.
The problem is that since I went down to one crutch at 4 weeks, & then no crutch when at home at 5 weeks, I know I'm not walking properly & am doing something weird in some sub-conscious attempt to protect the new hip, so am walking with stiff knees. It hurts in both knees badly!! If I concentrate v hard, I can walk "normally" & this immediately takes the pain away, but by the end of the day I am in agony, all over - shoulders, thumbs, ankles - you name it! This is, as I said, something I've had before, but not so regularly. Of course, at the beginning, I was on regular doses of Ibuprofen & paracetamol which probably kept it at bay, but I stopped all those on a routine basis weeks ago, only taking them when in pain - maybe this is a mistake?
And today, for the very first time since the op, I had real pain somewhere near the hip - I hadn't done anything that I was conscious of (was just pottering in kitchen), but got a stabbing pain when weight-bearing. I immediately picked up the crutch, & retired to recliner. Maybe I twisted it? I just don't seem to be happy without one crutch really - I tried a stick but didn't get on very well. My PT is only about once a month (no exercises have been given, except for keeping leg moving, knee bends every now & then, & walking). Everything else is going fine - I don't need many of my other mobility aids (loo seats, etc), & have no difficulty negotiating "normal" living (even got into big old Victorian bath last week, with no problems, though I'm not doing that on a regular basis yet).
Anybody else had a bit of a sudden scare for seemingly no reason? And scar is all healed but quite itchy - I haven't done anything at all in terms of looking after it, just left it to heal. Now it is just a fine line, still slightly pink.
Anyway, in many ways (until the scare today), the new hip has been trouble-free, but is hampered by the other painful hip which pinches all the time (surgery due when I am ready).
So, that's me, at just 7 weeks. It's so interesting how all our recoveries differ, isn't it?
But good wishes for a happy healthy pain- free 2017 to everyone - you are all wonderfully inspiring, warm & supportive - thanks to every one of you for being out there!!
Sounds like you might need to stay on that one crutch until you are totally confident with your walking and gait. This can take awhile depending on how long you limped around pre-op. At least try a cane to help you balance correctly. Seven weeks isn't all that much after major surgery.
OP
OP
doopy
member
Thanks @Jaycey, I think I will stick with the crutch for a while, especially on trips out. My reluctance to use it was based on the idea that I ought to be doing without it, but I guess I shouldn't see it as a failure, or somehow "wrong". I was limping very badly for at least a year pre-op, and maybe it's also muscles etc which just aren't working yet? Today after a supermarket trip i have aching calf muscles, & I thought my knees would just collapse in pain half way round. So I've gone back to the Ibuprofen too.
It's a bit depressing to feel I'm going backwards after what I felt was such good progress, but there it is. Going to start gentle water-walking in the pool later this week - assuming I can get in & out! Friend will come with me, ready to call Fire Brigade if I get stuck!!
It's a bit depressing to feel I'm going backwards after what I felt was such good progress, but there it is. Going to start gentle water-walking in the pool later this week - assuming I can get in & out! Friend will come with me, ready to call Fire Brigade if I get stuck!!
gertie
post-grad
@Cas Good luck with pool entry/exit. What keeps me away from the pool is the thought of needing to drag my various dressing aids with me. I was given precautions for 3 months (totally unnecessary I think) and am very stiff--I can't imagine putting on my one piece bathing suit and whipping out the sock aid to get dressed and the reacher to put my pants on.
Krista
post-grad
@doopy, my second hip surgery to repair gluteal tendons was Oct 27. My THR was in July, 2015, and I was limping and using walking aids for a year and a half before that second surgery. I am now 9 ½ weeks out, and I still have a limp. I know that my surgical leg's tendons have been repaired, and I can put my full body weight on them, but I have a ways to go before I will be recovered to the point where I can walk easily without aids and without that limp. After all that time of not using those gluteal muscles, and the vertebral compression fracture that I suffered last summer and my immobility during that, my muscles are weak and tight and need more time to recover. I get a tiny little bit better every day. I walk without the aids during part of the day, when in the house, but when it gets too tiring and/or painful, I get that rollator out again. I am taking the long view for recovery.
I plan on trying some pool sessions. Haven't been in one for maybe 20 years! I will go to a therapeutic pool that has steps going down, with an arm rail to hang on to while going up or down. I couldn't handle a ladder or any entrance without a railing. I am almost ready to try that, now that I don't need aids for dressing and I can probably handle getting my suit on and off. I would like to be in a pool, if only for that feeling of being weightless, as my overall body aches and pains from OA are not pleasant.
I plan on trying some pool sessions. Haven't been in one for maybe 20 years! I will go to a therapeutic pool that has steps going down, with an arm rail to hang on to while going up or down. I couldn't handle a ladder or any entrance without a railing. I am almost ready to try that, now that I don't need aids for dressing and I can probably handle getting my suit on and off. I would like to be in a pool, if only for that feeling of being weightless, as my overall body aches and pains from OA are not pleasant.
OP
OP
doopy
member
Hi @Krista , thanks - that's really helpful & reassuring!
I've read lots of people here talking about tight muscles, but I'm not really sure what that means - I think I've been in pain for so many years with odd tendon tears in knees etc (poss due to the hypermobility- I've had multiple hernias - everything just rips under stress!) that I don't remember what it's like to be loose-limbed & painfree, & not limping. But it makes sense to me that every part of me is aching trying to fit in with a new way of walking, & so I think that if I need to keep on with OTC painkillers & use a crutch, well then, I will. Because I had virtually no post-op pain & just took the otc stuff I imagined that I'd be totally healed & done by now - obviously far too optimistic!
Re the pool, my neighbour & I swim at a v small pool at a local hotel where it's usually nice & quiet. There is a 3 step steep ladder but I figure that I'm pretty ok on steps & stairs - so getting in shouldn't be a problem as I can just go one step down & then fall gently back into the water. As for getting out - well, I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it!! We usually put our costumes on under our clothes before we go, & maybe I'll wear a loose dress so I won't have to wrestle with getting trouser legs on in public!! And if the underwear causes a problem - I'll just bluff it out & go without for the 3 minute drive home!! This hip business certainly teaches you that you gotta be pragmatic!!
I'm not planning on swimming, more just pool-walking very gently up & down. Friend & I chat as we go, so we are very far from being serious sporty types & probably would drive serious swimmers crazy!
I've read lots of people here talking about tight muscles, but I'm not really sure what that means - I think I've been in pain for so many years with odd tendon tears in knees etc (poss due to the hypermobility- I've had multiple hernias - everything just rips under stress!) that I don't remember what it's like to be loose-limbed & painfree, & not limping. But it makes sense to me that every part of me is aching trying to fit in with a new way of walking, & so I think that if I need to keep on with OTC painkillers & use a crutch, well then, I will. Because I had virtually no post-op pain & just took the otc stuff I imagined that I'd be totally healed & done by now - obviously far too optimistic!
Re the pool, my neighbour & I swim at a v small pool at a local hotel where it's usually nice & quiet. There is a 3 step steep ladder but I figure that I'm pretty ok on steps & stairs - so getting in shouldn't be a problem as I can just go one step down & then fall gently back into the water. As for getting out - well, I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it!! We usually put our costumes on under our clothes before we go, & maybe I'll wear a loose dress so I won't have to wrestle with getting trouser legs on in public!! And if the underwear causes a problem - I'll just bluff it out & go without for the 3 minute drive home!! This hip business certainly teaches you that you gotta be pragmatic!!
I'm not planning on swimming, more just pool-walking very gently up & down. Friend & I chat as we go, so we are very far from being serious sporty types & probably would drive serious swimmers crazy!
My friend there is no timeline for this recovery. When you are ready you will ditch that crutch.
If this was the case then the situation is not going to correct itself overnight. Patience is prescribed. And yes take something for pain if you need it.
You are not going backwards. Just a bit of side stepping as you have found the limits. But keep trying. What seems impossible one day is easy on another.
Don't forget there are multi levels of healing. And all that correction needed due to limping is tough to overcome. It's like learning to walk all over again. Keep at it. As you build strength you will see improvement.
Be very careful with this at first. Water makes you feel weightless and can result in over doing. Do about half of what you think you can the first few times. Then slowly build up. Water walking is great exercise but when you are doing it you don't realise the muscles you are using.
OP
OP
doopy
member
@Jaycey , thank you so much!! That is all so helpful, and I'm grateful for your kindness in telling me what I ought to have taken on board by now from Bonesmart!! I now remember you saying before about only doing half what you think, and I will really follow that advice!
Thank you for being there - it's so great to have someone there when you suddenly get despondent! xx
Thank you for being there - it's so great to have someone there when you suddenly get despondent! xx
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