THR Wiggle’s post-op hip surgery journey

[wiggle]

My PT says I am rocking because I’m hiking my good hip up. He wants me to concentrate on lowering my right hip when walking. He said my brain will cause me to continue rocking if I don’t consciously practice lowering the other hip.

 

[wiggle]

I forgot to mention I think I may be allergic to Tramadol. My eye is swelling and red. This happened before with a medication. Is there another med that is similar I could ask for, rather than having a swollen red itchy eye. Thanks everyone.

 

[Layla]

You may want to run this option by your surgeon’s care team as an alternative that should help with any pain or discomfort you’re dealing with.
The recently retired forum nurse who had 50+ yrs experience in Orthopedics often recommended Extra Strength Tylenol at 1000 mg, 4x daily. So every six hours. Not to exceed 4000 mg in any 24 hr period. Any other meds you're taking that contain Acetaminophen must be calculated into that amount of 4000 mg, as to not exceed it.

Hope this helps.
@wiggle

 

[Mimicking]

All these comments are correct! I too tried to do too many exercises and mostly out of guilt and fear that I would do myself more harm by not doing PT Then I took the advice from this forum and finally stopped and let myself rest and heal and ice !,,
Now 3 months out and I am progressing nicely

 

[Eman85]

Proper walking will come but at 9 days there really isn't much you can do about form as your muscles won't cooperate. When you do get to walking for form it's important to have good and possibly new shoes as your old shoes wore to your old gait and might have a pattern. PT's seem to get a little anxious but it doesn't hurt them to tell you to do things, but it's you that will pay the price later.

 

[Jamie]

Layla is correct that Extra Strength Tylenol may be an option for you. It's not as strong as Tramadol, though, and this soon after your surgery it may not work well. But your surgeon can offer alternatives if you believe this is an allergic reaction. It's a bit unusual to have the reaction only be in one eye, though, so you might want to be sure it's caused by the Tramadol.

Be sure you are icing your incision area or any place that hurts on your leg. Ice can be very helpful for pain management. Just be sure to keep a towel between the ice source and you so that you don't risk freezer burn on your skin. You can ice this way as much as you like. You may hear recommendations to only ice for 20 minutes at a time, but that is not the case when you're recovering from joint replacement surgery. I iced my knees all through the night when I was sleeping and it really helped with pain.

I also suggest that you enroll in our pilot program with One Step for post-op hip patients. They have a therapy program and app that will help you with your recovery and especially with your gait. Check your BoneSmart mailbox (envelope icon at the top of the page) for detailed information in a Personal Message from me.

 

[wiggle]

I iced my knees all through the night when I was sleeping and it really helped with pain.

How do you keep the condensation from getting your bedding wet?

 

[Jamie]

It depends on what type of ice source you're using, but if it's gel packs or homemade ice with water and alcohol, wrapping it in the towel should do the trick.

I forgot to mention that the One Step program I've detailed for you in my Personal Message specifically works with your gait to improve recovery. I really think you could benefit from this. Please take a look and let me know if you are willing to participate.

 

[wiggle]

New Question. Is it OK to sit up in bed for short periods with pillows supporting one’s back or does that put too much stress on the hip? I love to read in bed! Thanks.

 

[Greg555]

The one downside to my hip replacement was the medication. I was able to avoid any narcotics, but was given antibiotics in the hospital and asprin and later ibuprofen for pain management. It destroyed by intestinal gut biome which has resulted in on and off IBS ever since. It’s slowly getting better, but it has definitely been the main side effect. I’ll never touch ibuprofen again.

 

[Jamie]

New Question. Is it OK to sit up in bed for short periods with pillows supporting one’s back or does that put too much stress on the hip? I love to read in bed! Thanks. ☺

Remember that your new hip joint itself is strong so something like sitting up with back support in bed should not be a problem. As long as a position is comfortable for you, it should be okay. Your body has a wonderful way of letting you know when something is not good....you'll feel pain or discomfort. That's why we tell BoneSmarties to listen to their body during recovery and respond accordingly. You might find that a pillow under your lower legs relieves any lower back pressure.

 

[Celle]

I was able to avoid any narcotics, but was given antibiotics in the hospital and aspirin and later ibuprofen for pain management.

Aspirin and Ibuprofen isn't a good combination, as both drugs increase your tendency to bleed. I'm sorry you developed IBS. They could also have caused severe stomach bleeding.

 

[wiggle]

I have developed quite a rash on the inside of both of my thighs. I just discontinued Tramadol yesterday. Taking Tylenol and Celebrex. Does the surgical team put some kind of sterile soap or something on inner thighs, as a prep fir hip surgery? I wonder if they did and I’m allergic to it? I’ve had 3 showers so there shouldn’t be any residue of anything there? The itching is really causing me to not sleep well. I’m icing the areas now which provides relief. Thanks everyone.

 

[Greg555]

I was able to avoid any narcotics, but was given antibiotics in the hospital and aspirin and later ibuprofen for pain management.

Aspirin and Ibuprofen isn't a good combination, as both drugs increase your tendency to bleed. I'm sorry you developed IBS. They could also have caused severe stomach bleeding.

 

[Greg555]

I was able to avoid any narcotics, but was given antibiotics in the hospital and aspirin and later ibuprofen for pain management.

Aspirin and Ibuprofen isn't a good combination, as both drugs increase your tendency to bleed. I'm sorry you developed IBS. They could also have caused severe stomach bleeding.

That’s correct. Both are NSAIDs. They weren’t taken together. Aspirin was used initially to ward off clotting. Then I transitioned to ibuprofen after stopping the aspirin. Both are extremely hard on my digestive tract. Never any bleeding though.

 

[Layla]

I doubt any antiseptics used to prep your skin before surgery would be the cause if you’ve showered three times already. Tramadol does list - severe redness, swelling and itching of the skin as a possible side effect. I understand you discontinued using it, but that was only yesterday. Going back through your thread, you’ve mentioned “moisture” frequently from icing. Could the itchy skin be an irritation from wet fabric on your thighs for extended periods of time?

I hope you received your ice packs by now in favor of the bag of peas you were using. If icing brings you relief from the itching, keep it up. If it doesn’t begin easing soon, or gets worse, you may want to call your surgeons office and speak with someone on his care team for advice on how to remedy the itch.
Best wishes for a good nights sleep.
@wiggle

 

[wiggle]

Thank you. It does seem to be an allergic reaction to something. They wanted me to take calcium which I started also, so it could be that. I suspect Tramadol though, because I had redness in my one eye also, which has disappeared.

 

[wiggle]

Sorry, I meant to say the irritation in my eye has disappeared but not the skin rash!

 

[wiggle]

Could the itchy skin be an irritation from wet fabric on your thighs for extended periods of time?

I haven’t had wet material on my thighs. More on the side where the incision is! More icing there. I did receive my gel pacs today abs they are wonderful. Pricey but well worth it..

 

[ncarlson]

Hi Wiggle! You are my mirror hip surgery buddy. I had RTHR on same day as you. So glad you found this place too. Sorry you are having some issues. And thank GOODNESS you got the gel packs. Be sure you have a light cloth on them if you didn't get the kind with the cloth inserts. I got 2 of the large ones with straps to go around your waist and hip - only about $15 each. Perfect.

I live in the northern tundra of Minnesota, so icing anything is not fun right now. But very necessary. And I hope you found the wonderful article from this forum on the proper way to elevate your leg - I did not even know that at first - it's how I found this place. The tiered stacking of 3 pillows is magical.

As they have so wisely said in this forum, rest, and let your body heal. It actually knows how what to do. You can knock out ankle pumps any time during the day without hurting anything. But otherwise, rest and take your time.

I received a once per day anti-inflammatory med (Meloxicam) that has been amazing. I tried early on to substitute "occasional" ibuprofen for it. Good grief, my leg swelled up so bad I was scared to pieces. This is only being taken for first 2 weeks. Then I think it will be on to ibuprofen. But I definitely see the need for an anti-inflammatory.

My best advice from these wonderful wise people: take it easy, take it gentle, rest, ice, elevate, take occasional walks - we don't have to be doing any big dance or chores right now. Heal. Snuggle into pillows around your body to try for some sleep. You can hold your legs however you want basically if it doesn't hurt. It's amazing that our hip/leg knows when it's not right. If it hurts, don't do it. If it feels comfortable, all good.

Hoping for some gentle peace for you and saying some prayers for your healing my forum friend.