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THR VSlowLife's Recovery Thread

Whew! What a relief no DVT! :happydance: I was worried for you. So glad it's just good old normal hip replacement aches and pains (in lots of other places than the hip, as you now know!) to get through. :groan: Knees seem to be particularly problematic for many. So thankful I didn't ride that train. Sending you healing hugs.
 
Sorry for your fright and pain... but glad you had it checked out and then got some much needed sleep.

I remember a couple times, with the first hip where I rushed a bit to get ready for company and set myself back a day or so. No rushing allowed!

I hope you are already fast asleep :sleep:
 
So glad you are ok @VSlowLife I was catching up and quickly read forward to see it all checked out. I still have daily pain that moves around at 6 weeks, so it is all pretty normal. Especially once you start to do more around the house and start venturing away from home. Hope you have a good week!
 
leejaa said:
I hope you had a restful night after all the excitement.
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No :tantrum2:

Pain goes up to a 9. Using lidoderm patches, ice, sometimes a bit of heat and keeping it elevated.

PT did not want to do much today unless she sees my INR score from ER.
We tried gentle abduction/ abduction with a yellow band. Left leg did just fine. Right leg got a huge cramp on the first try. She helped to work it out and that was the end of any work on my operated side. It went straight from my hip to my knee.

Switched to a cane today.
 
Wow, just updated myself on your thread. It looks like you had a scare. All is well it appears...thankfully!

I would reconsider using any exercise bands at this point. It's not necessary. You're recovering from a major surgery. Let your body heal first. It doesn't need a workout. Obviously it's your body, your choice, just cautioning you.

I hope you catch some z's today! :sleep:
 
My log leg left quite rapidly, as well as maybe 80% of the swelling. I was able to stop using my leg lifter, about day 6 or 7. Maybe reclining and sleeping with my legs elevated all the time in the recliner helped with that?

Eman85 said:
I still had log leg at 10 days.
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I think it may have more to do with the slight leg lengthening and my leg learning not to toe in. That effort, wearing non slip socks over my wool socks, has been working well, and I see less toeing in as I heal.

My incision looks great. No more black and blue, just light, dappled purple and a bit of yellow. It’s a very neat line.
 
Layla said:
I would reconsider using any exercise bands at this point.
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Yes, I had warned PT we were going to have to be very gentle today, and she does not want to do much until I get the INR lab result.

It was good to see the difference in the two legs. My PT person used her foot as the fulcrum point, so each leg was done individually, not together.

It was obvious to both of us with the muscle cramping up so tight, and painful, just attempting one abduction move, meant I was not ready. And these tight muscles may be causing my extreme behind the knee pain :fingersx: rather than any sort of blood clot.

She comes from an agency which has a special training program for hip rehabilitation.
 
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Also I graduated to a cane on day 10. This is day 11. PT made sure the height was correct. I had a new cane from the ER.

I now wear an apron with the seam ripped between the pockets so I can carry things easily and still have two hands for balancing.

Overall I am pleased with my progress. With the northern approach, I do not have pain sitting, from the incision, because the incision is more across the side. So I never sit on the incision.

No tape was used. Just some kind of a clear super glue that shows no signs of peeling. No itching, so far.
 
Had a one hour nap this afternoon and just got up from a three hour nap. :happydance: The pain in my knee is getting better. My ER records were e-mailed to me. My chloride is too low, from my day of vomiting, and that makes muscle spasms and cramps worse.

I keep pedialyte powder at home which has chloride. My Gatorade 2 does not. I took one 8 oz dose and I will sip another.

I was getting strange muscle ticks, too. I was only given one bag of Ringers after my day of vomiting. Guess I could have used more before discharge, but my levels were never checked before discharge. It would have been cheaper than me needing to go to the ER to find out.

Also I am at 11, when I was 14 Hgb before surgery. I am anemic. I can’t remember the last time I ate red meat, but I will now, for a little bit. Scheduled a food order. Will eat it with pineapple juice, which is loaded with vitamin C so it is better absorbed.

I have been drinking pineapple juice everyday.

Also my INR is within normal limits. My PT wanted to know this number, before she did further exercise, due to the pain behind my knee. I am guessing if it were elevated, she would not want to do anything very strenuous.

Did a 5 minute walk with the cane today around the house. tomorrow I will try 6 minutes.

I still have goin pain when I sit so I ice that too. My hip doesn’t seem to hurt as much, today. I have not needed to ice it.
 
-I really like your idea of wearing an apron with pockets to carry things. Will try that too.
I drink pineapple juice all the time also. My surgeon says that this juice really brings down the inflammation. Not sure if he is right but it tastes good.
Also I just started the cane yesterday too and will do your 5 min scheduled walk around the house. The PT adjusted the cane height yesterday and now my back doesn’t hurt using it. Didn’t realize that it had been too low.
You are so lucky you aren’t itching! That is a real bother for me. Makes me wonder if I am allergic to the glue they used to close the wound, but the pinkness around the incision has gone down a lot.
We are on the rough road to recovery!!! Thank goodness the nice weather outside is cooperating with no ice and snow so far.
 
Glad you are getting some rest and I'm sure you will be feeling better every day as your body rebounds from this major surgery.
Hoping today is a Good Day.:flwrysmile:
 
Mojo333 said:
I'm sure you will be feeling better every day as your body rebounds from this major surgery.
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It does get better, overall, each day. I have had the same pain on the outside of my knee since surgery, where the IT band connects. The IT band is throbbing into the trochanter area, I think. And then from my knee down to my ankle, it is very tight on the outside, too. I think it may be a reaction to the leg lengthening. Next time PT comes I will ask if there is a strategy to work on it, at this stage.
 
Thanks for the update. FWIW my hgb was 14.2 prior to surgery and was 10 when checked about 12 hours post surgery while I was in the hospital. I was concerned but the nurse said it's common for it to go down after THR. If I remember the conversation correctly she said it could get into the 8 range before it was concerning enough for blood products to be considered.

I didn't ask how long it takes to come back up. I wonder how much red marrow we lose in THR?
 
Oh gee, I never thought about that, but you are right!
BruceH said:
I didn't ask how long it takes to come back up. I wonder how much red marrow we lose in THR?
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You went pretty low. I have some healthy red meat arriving in my food order. I just want to get mine to at least 12, since iron is what carries oxygen to the cells.

I was not worried about a transfusion, I just did not want to be weak and in danger of passing out.I had that experience when I was younger and anemic. My college had terrible food.
 
@VSlowLife @BruceH Were your low hgb numbers from losing a lot of blood during surgery? Is that a blood test routinely done after surgery? I am not aware that this test was done on me
 
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