THR Z's Postop thread

[Z15]

Jen,

I'm curious too how long "new hip stiffness" is around (that stiffening with being idle and not moving it for a period.

And NOO problem Jane...I presume this is all some form of English but looking at it I sure would not guess it!

Z

 

[Poppet]

Love the Geordie chatter wait until I get more proficient in my Spanish -

dar las buenas noches todo el mundo

Goodnight everyone, I think that is what I have written

 

[welshjane]

It's Welsh, Z!

 

[Josephine]

Josephine...Gerry JUST replied...

He said to offer... " A miss the canny lads & lasses & a bit crack but a gan doon the club n canna ken what thr takin aboot nee more"

Posting this seems risky

Z

Not at all. The answer is "Aw reet then, bonny lad"!

Z, hope you don't mind my hijacking your thread for a moment to post this to Josephine:

Diolch. Nawr fi'n deall. Ma' dwy yn gallu chware'r gem yna!

She'll understand that as well as I understand Geordie!

hwyl fawr, Jane

:hysterical: Touché

 

[Josephine]

To get back on topic .....

That stiffness isn't just to do with THRs. Anyone can get it if they have some problems with their hips, their muscles, aren't getting enough exercise, etc., etc.

For instance, I feel it when I've spent a day on BoneSmart and not noticed the time! First few steps are very doddery but then I'm okay. Another time is like Friday when I drove down to Shropshire and back in a day (450 miles). By the time I got home I was that stiff I could hardly get indoors and even today I am still feeling my age!

Having had a hip replacement just makes it that much more immediate. But know you guys, you will soon work it off!

 

[Poppet]

Ah! The ole stiffness pain... Gets me quite often if I watch too much tv in the evenings... Need to keep moving that is for sure.

 

[Z15]

So....perhaps someone who is a year or two past surgery can weigh in....

I would think that once all the muscles have calmed down post surgery...and the new geometry of angles is adjusted to, that my new hip (which now has some of the vulnerable pieces removed) would be less likely than some of the 53 year old parts to be achy.

Is there a point at which the new hip will be LESS prone than the rest of me to need that extra loosening up?

And NO...I don't mean now, but a year or 3 out.....

Thoughts?

Z

 

[Dee205]

Z,
I know everyone is different but.........for me, it was about 5 to 6 months out. Suddenly, I had gotten up one day and realized "hey, I can just get up and go!". There was no stiffness, stretching.....it just felt great
Dee

 

[Z15]

Thanks Dee. I'm coming up on 3 months and definitely have the stiffness on a regular basis.

The worst is when I am lying down watching tv and a cat or 2 settles down on me and I pretty much DON'T MOVE for an hour or 2 (what we do for our furry friends) and then I get up and regret it...

That will diminish soon as the weather gets warmer and we BOTH avoid that heat build-up... :wink1:

Z

 

[JohnInSeattle]

Thanks Dee. I'm coming up on 3 months and definitely have the stiffness on a regular basis.
Z

I have not had any stiffness issues with my operated leg.
Very occasionally my back is stiff in the morning, but that is not new.

I have been getting a nerve issue on the left leg apparently from swelling, Ibuprofen has taken care of it until I see a PT this week.

The nerve is just the opposite of your stiffness, it is always fine when I get up and starts hurting as I move, getting to the point (with no ibuprofen) to where I can't walk at all in about 20 minutes.

Sit down for a while and it is all better.

This is my first PT since surgery and at my request.

 

[Z15]

John,

I was not aware of your pain issue...don't know if I missed a post along the way. Anyway...sorry to hear that.

If you are on Ibuprofen is the problem non-existant? ..or managed?

One curious thing that I will mention...and it's good to hear about before hand other wise it can be disconcerting...

I had done some nerve damage to my shin years ago. It led to some numbness and some phantom kinds of pain...very hard to explain, but they would come out of nowhere.

But the weird part was that as the nerve repaired itself the pain got a bit worse before it got better. But as I remember it that was only annoying for weeks....not months.

Keep us posted!

Z

 

[Leslie]

Hi Z-

I am 2.5 years out from my LTHR (anterior approach). I vividly recall the stiffness every time I would get up from sitting. I would have to walk a few steps before it relaxed. And just like someone else posted, one day it was just gone. Probably 3+months out. Now I am a Pilates reformer and mat instructor so stiffness would not work too well in my field!

By the way, I am a neighbor of sorts---I live in Stow, Ma. Another New Englander! Keep up the good work with your progress. What a miracle this surgery is!

Leslie

 

[Z15]

Good to hear, I look forward to that "all of a sudden" event. It's not a real issue, it is fine in 20 seconds, but it is a reminder that I'm not fully cooked yet!

And we certainly are neighbors...There are 5 or 6 Massachusetts folks that I see here regularly lately. No one from Western Mass that I've noticed...I may be the furthest out, and I may only be west of you because I am in West Groton!

Z

 

[C Mac]

Hi Z,

The stiffness will abate, it is kind of gradual. In the meantime, didn't someone else suggest setting a timer so that you are "reminded" to get up and move around some??? I'm sure your kitties won't appreciate it, but you'll leave a nice warm spot for them.... :th_heehee:

Take care,
Cardie

 

[Z15]

Cardie,

The sad part is that I am completely aware that I have been lying too long...but don't want to send the message to my friends that they are not welcome. Too often I wait until they leave on their own ...:hate-shocked:

What can I say...I like animals.

Z

 

[Dee205]

Z,
lol......my little warm fur ball (11 lb dog) is the reason I would sit too long in one spot also! In the early days post-op, he would sniff the operated side then curl up in my arm chair on my other side using my leg as his pillow. I felt bad moving, he was my little cuddle buddy! Seriously tho....it is wonderful when that initial stiffness disappears. For me, that stiffness even though it only last 10 or 20 seconds.....was a reminder about the new joint.......after that disappeared, I truly forget I have a fake joint!
Dee

 

[Bionica]

Isn't it fun being 'sandbagged' by the pets! It's getting easier to heave out from under them as the weeks go by, but at first even the littlest cat had me pinned like a Sumo wrestler if she sacked out on top of me!

You are very kind Z to wait for them to mosey off on their own. I have 5 felines--yes, am weird, so if I waited for every last one to saunter off, I'd be one of those folks people find a decade later...

 

[Z15]

LOL...

The paper would say..."She seemed so peaceful and seemed to have depressions in her body in the shapes of cats...Her Right Ceramic hip appeared to have VERY little wear on it"

 

[Bionica]

Ha! Love it:cat-kittyandsmiley::cat-kittyandsmiley::cat-kittyandsmiley::cat-kittyandsmiley::cat-kittyandsmiley:

 

[JohnInSeattle]

Did someone mention sleeping kitties?

One of our Norwegian Forest kitties is very friendly at night, when we are sleeping, she is very heavy and has a 60 decibel purr.

Hana is for Hansker or mittens.
We call her Banana.