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Work/Job after LTHR?

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tapan

tapan

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Hey Guys,

I am 21 years old and my LTHR surgery is due in about 5 days from now (July15/09 to be precise). SOOO HAPPY!!! Wow I sound like a little girl thats about to get her new pony.

Last year I worked for my university as a computer technician which essentially required me to sit at a desk, lift laptops/desktops, and occasionally walk about 3 minutes (about twice in a day) to another building to get some additional parts/hardware equipment, and obviously fixing them as well. Now I am being offered this same contract job again this year; however, my question is...Will I able to perform these tasks after my LTHR? Based on your experiences about post OP recovery, can you please advise me if this is recommended for me? Or should I tell my boss that I can return in the second half of the year and take the first half off? First half is from September-December/2009 and second half of the year is from January-April/2010. If I take up on this offer in the second half of the year, that puts me about 4-5 months post OP.

EDIT: forgot to mention that I work only 4 hours a day for a maximum of 2 days a week, as its a part-time position.

Thanks for your feedback guys,
Tapan
 
Hi Tapan welcome. Just wanted to say Hi Im a knee so I wouldnt want to say much. Sure others posts will follow. Im glad your excited, that will make all the dif. in your recovery. Glad you joined and keep us posted. Good Luck on your surgery.........With your attitude, I think you will do well........
 
Tapan, if you start back to work at the beginning of September, that gives you 6 weeks of recovery. In my opinion, you are cutting it close. But the thing in your favor is that you only work 1-2 days a week and then for only 4 hours a day. Assuming the days aren't back to back, it gives you ample time to rest in between work if you need it. Are you enrolled in school also? That would change the equation if you had to attend classes.

I'm from the knee side, so I think it would be best to get opinions from our hippies who have been there and done that. I wish you the best in your surgery!! Let us know how things go.
 
Jamie said:
Tapan, if you start back to work at the beginning of September, that gives you 6 weeks of recovery. In my opinion, you are cutting it close. But the thing in your favor is that you only work 1-2 days a week and then for only 4 hours a day. Assuming the days aren't back to back, it gives you ample time to rest in between work if you need it. Are you enrolled in school also? That would change the equation if you had to attend classes.

I'm from the knee side, so I think it would be best to get opinions from our hippies who have been there and done that. I wish you the best in your surgery!! Let us know how things go.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jamie! I am enrolled in school as well; however, I have designed my schedule for Sept-Dec/2009 in such a way that all my classes start at 10 am and end by 2 pm. Some days classes are only for 1 hour/day. Check out my timetable:

https://img190.imageshack.us/i/fall2009schedule.jpg/

[Bonesmart.org] Work/Job after LTHR?
 
Hmmm....you may find that trying to sit in a lecture for two hours is a bit of a challenge at first.

Knowing that you have this schedule too, you might want to wait until the second term to go back to work. If that is agreeable with your employer and you don't really need the money, I would take the conservative approach. Right now, your healing is the most important thing!
 
Tapan--My gut reaction is that you will be able to do this. You are young and 6 weeks is a pretty good healing time. It depends upon your type of surgery I would think(anterior, posterior, etc.) and your individual recovery, but I would say it is doable. I also work at a desk. The biggest problem with a desk job is not the walking, but the sitting for periods of time as you tend to get sore and stiff. You will need to be able to get up every 30 minutes or so just to move your hip joint, I would think. That will help. I think you can try to do it if you like, but understand that we are all different. My recovery was very quick and I was back to work full time at day 13 post-op, but my case was unusual and due, in part, to necessity.
Best of luck to you.
 
Yeah, TBone.....I had the same thoughts. I'm thinking the three 2-hour classes of sitting will be more of a challenge than anything. Unless there is some way to get up and move around.

Tapan, maybe you could explain to the instructors that you have just had surgery, sit in the back of the classroom and get up every once in a while to walk around or stand for a while. The good news is that by the end of the semester you will probably be just fine. All of this is temporary!
 
Barring accidents and other unforeseeable stuff, I think it just might be doable. Itf anything, it's the sitting will get you rather than the walking. College seats are hard, aren't they? I recommend you take a nice big soft cushion!
 
tapan. i would think you could do both at 6 weeks. i'm 21/2 now and i think in another three i could be pulling it off and your still younger then me. but i know some places with dont offer gait training until 6 weeks and if you can get by without working doing the gait training might be a bigger help to you at this point. too young to walk with a limp if you dont have too.
 
Tapan, another consideration will be getting around on campus...especially at the beginning of the school year. Will there be much walking? Can you drive and park? If so, can you get a handicapped spot temporarily? With everything else you're doing, a lot of walking just adds to it.
 
Tap! You should re-think your position! Don't expect so much from yourself at first! )Ou may be setting yourself up for disappointment!! :(!
 
I'm siding with the more positive thinkers, but also agreeing with TBONE's caveats. You probably can do this (classes & PT job), but approach & your pre-op condition/circumstances are very important factors.

I went back to work (mostly desk job, but I tend to go talk to co-workers vs. email or call them so move around often) at 5 weeks post, but frankly was ready to go back at 3 weeks. Like TBONE, I had anterior, which made a difference in speed of recovery. Conversely, I'm more than twice your age (:shk:), so I'd venture to guess youth is a big advantage!
 
Tapan
I would think if you are otherwise healthy you could certainly do this at 6 weeks. If you are the type that likes to keep busy. I had exercises to do but did not have pt after my hip replacement.
Good luck to you on your op and let us know how you are.
judy
 
Hi Tapan. Good for you your day is almost here!:thmb: Everyone's right about the sitting. I went back to work 4 hours day Monday-Friday at a desk job after 4 weeks. I had to keep getting up every half-hour just to move around a bit. Do your 2-hour class sessions allow for a break half-way through? When I got up from sitting, sometimes I couldn't go for a walk so I would do my standing PT exercises and that helped. By week 8 I was back full-time and found I could sit at my desk for about 1 hour, then had to move. I still stiffen up if I sit too long, but I can sit longer. I would think about the activities you would be doing and see if you can come up with a plan on what you can do if you get uncomfortable. And who knows, you are young and may bounce back faster than I. Happy thoughts to you.:D
 
Hi Tapan,

If your recovery goes very smoothly, your plan should be doable :) Others are right - the sitting down does get to you.

I went back to work full-time after 6 weeks (IT job at a University with as much or little walking as I could cope with). However for the first few weeks back at work I was very tired at the end of each day. I was still on one crutch then, mostly to avoid doing the limping thing. Also, if you have a crutch, people are less likely to mow you down in transit, or knock into you in the lunch queue.

As others have said, if you are able to use the disabled parking spaces, then take advantage! It is great at the end of a long day not to have to walk ½ a mile to your car.

If there are assessments due for your courses, think about asking for an extension for those pieces of work. At the 6-8 week stage after surgery I would get home, make dinner, then go to bed. No way could I have coped with any “homework”.

For me, 12 weeks was the point where I could say, "I'm fixed!" - when energy and stamina were back to pre-op levels, but without the pain.

Keep in mind that everyone heals and accomplishes milestones at different rates, and that it is REALLY important not to overdo things.

All the best!
Regards,
Monica
 
I went back to work at four weeks. Half desk job half not... It was way too early!!! I had some complications too. Going back too early hindered my healing I can tell you without a doubt. I would advise to err to side of caution. Seriously, I hurt my healing doing too much. I am not as young as you, but I am still very young for this surgery, 32!
 
I'd say give it a go and see how you go.....if necessary pull out if you need to....or talk to the university staff and see if they can make allowances for your needs...and sit up the back so that you can stand and stretch in lectures if you need to. I know that at 6 weeks I could have managed those hours....my greater concern is you needing a day off , and then getting assignments etc in.... I would be wanting to combine some classes onto one day so that you have to travel less often. I don't think the lectures are the problems, its the travel
Rachel
 
Rachel's right! Maybe you can talk to your college professors and see if you can do a study program on line, at home! Yours is certainly an unusual situation!
 
The one thing I haven't seen in this thread is whether or not he is having an Anterior Approach.
I had one, and the recovery is WAY faster than a posterior approach. You never have to sit or lay on the wound.
If he's having an anterior procedure, the hard part will be staying alert for any length of time. I drove a couple of times on Percocet, but only out of necessity and desperation. By six weeks (which seems how long he has before classes start) he "should" be off the narcotics anyways, but like Josephine always says, everyone's different...
 
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