Bassetmom
new member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2024
- Messages
- 16
- Age
- 59
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Female
Hi all, my first post after finding this incredibly helpful site (I wish I had found it before my surgery and will recommend to others!)…I had a RTHR on 4/16 and am in day 11 of my recovery. I received a very informative packet from my surgeon’s office pre-surgery that has helped me know in advance what to expect post-op, but reading what others are going through has been super helpful. The materials say (and it was reiterated at my post-op appt with my physicians asst) that the first 2 weeks are the toughest so I’m hoping that once I get beyond that timeframe my progress with increase a bit quicker.
Surgery was outpatient at a surgical center so no overnight stay. Didn’t have any issues with the surgery procedure itself, had spinal anesthesia with no grogginess or nausea in recovery and they had me up on a walker fairly quickly before I went home. Later that day I was using the walker at home, thinking this is a breeze! Then days 2/3 came and it all definitely got real…I read the term “log leg” on this site and it’s accurate, the heaviness and tightness i feel in my leg is crazy. I’m on day 11 at this point and that feeling has started to subside a bit (been icing and elevating like crazy) but I still have lots of soreness/pain across the top of my lower thigh if I try to bend my knee the slightest bit. From what I’ve read on the site, it could be my IT band that has no doubt been through much surgical trauma.
I had adhesive muscle stimulus items on my upper calves post surgery (Geko devices), and had to wear one on my right leg for 7 days. This combined with the thigh high compression stockings I was instructed to wear for 2 weeks and the daily aspirin for 3 weeks to prevent blood clots. I am seriously going to celebrate when I’m done with the compression stockings, they have been one of the worst elements of the recovery process!
I know each person’s progress is individual but I can’t help thinking about what a few friends have said about their recoveries, one who said she had no pain after surgery/recovery (how is THAT even possible??!) and one who drove at day 7 (although he had his L hip done). Driving is definitely my goal at this point.
My surgeon doesn’t prescribe PT until after 2 weeks so I don’t start until next week. I’ve been fine with that since I’ve read here about the danger of over-doing it with PT, and I had been going to PT since October before I knew surgery was going to be the only option for the osteoarthritis in my R hip and continued until the week before surgery so hopefully I’ll regain strength a bit quicker.
I’m using a cane mostly now but the first step out of bed to go to the bathroom definitely still requires the walker. That is the worst time of the day when my leg feels like there is a huge lump of wet cement that then slides from the top of my leg to above my knee. I really wish I was able to accurately describe to friends and family who ask how I’m doing what my leg feels like in those moments (also after I’ve been sitting/icing). Just trying to raise and lower my leg onto an ottoman or getting into bed is painful even with assistance equipment! Most of the pain I’ve had since surgery has been in different areas of my leg, not in my hip area. But getting incrementally better, slowly.
I have been walking around the house and out back in regular intervals and have recently taken a few short trips to a store with my walker to do some smooth walking (easier that trying to push the walker on street/sidewalks). Have even ventured out in a store with my cane the last day or so for short walks.
A note on equipment, I’m very thankful I got a raised commode, a leg-lifter strap, a cane and a grabber ahead of surgery, they have all been incredibly helpful during this process. I don’t have an ice machine, I have a neoprene hip/thigh ice pack holder that you can pump air into for added compression that my surgeon suggested. If anyone is interested I can send a link to any of these items.
It’s not like things are getting much easier by the day but there are moments when I think “oh, I was able to lift my leg up with my hands a bit easier” and times when the stride of my right leg moves more naturally (as opposed to having a bit of a limp) that make me think progress is slowly happening.
Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences (the highs and the lows), it is much appreciated since I wasn’t sure what the reality of recovery was going to be like.
Kim
Surgery was outpatient at a surgical center so no overnight stay. Didn’t have any issues with the surgery procedure itself, had spinal anesthesia with no grogginess or nausea in recovery and they had me up on a walker fairly quickly before I went home. Later that day I was using the walker at home, thinking this is a breeze! Then days 2/3 came and it all definitely got real…I read the term “log leg” on this site and it’s accurate, the heaviness and tightness i feel in my leg is crazy. I’m on day 11 at this point and that feeling has started to subside a bit (been icing and elevating like crazy) but I still have lots of soreness/pain across the top of my lower thigh if I try to bend my knee the slightest bit. From what I’ve read on the site, it could be my IT band that has no doubt been through much surgical trauma.
I had adhesive muscle stimulus items on my upper calves post surgery (Geko devices), and had to wear one on my right leg for 7 days. This combined with the thigh high compression stockings I was instructed to wear for 2 weeks and the daily aspirin for 3 weeks to prevent blood clots. I am seriously going to celebrate when I’m done with the compression stockings, they have been one of the worst elements of the recovery process!
I know each person’s progress is individual but I can’t help thinking about what a few friends have said about their recoveries, one who said she had no pain after surgery/recovery (how is THAT even possible??!) and one who drove at day 7 (although he had his L hip done). Driving is definitely my goal at this point.
My surgeon doesn’t prescribe PT until after 2 weeks so I don’t start until next week. I’ve been fine with that since I’ve read here about the danger of over-doing it with PT, and I had been going to PT since October before I knew surgery was going to be the only option for the osteoarthritis in my R hip and continued until the week before surgery so hopefully I’ll regain strength a bit quicker.
I’m using a cane mostly now but the first step out of bed to go to the bathroom definitely still requires the walker. That is the worst time of the day when my leg feels like there is a huge lump of wet cement that then slides from the top of my leg to above my knee. I really wish I was able to accurately describe to friends and family who ask how I’m doing what my leg feels like in those moments (also after I’ve been sitting/icing). Just trying to raise and lower my leg onto an ottoman or getting into bed is painful even with assistance equipment! Most of the pain I’ve had since surgery has been in different areas of my leg, not in my hip area. But getting incrementally better, slowly.
I have been walking around the house and out back in regular intervals and have recently taken a few short trips to a store with my walker to do some smooth walking (easier that trying to push the walker on street/sidewalks). Have even ventured out in a store with my cane the last day or so for short walks.
A note on equipment, I’m very thankful I got a raised commode, a leg-lifter strap, a cane and a grabber ahead of surgery, they have all been incredibly helpful during this process. I don’t have an ice machine, I have a neoprene hip/thigh ice pack holder that you can pump air into for added compression that my surgeon suggested. If anyone is interested I can send a link to any of these items.
It’s not like things are getting much easier by the day but there are moments when I think “oh, I was able to lift my leg up with my hands a bit easier” and times when the stride of my right leg moves more naturally (as opposed to having a bit of a limp) that make me think progress is slowly happening.
Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences (the highs and the lows), it is much appreciated since I wasn’t sure what the reality of recovery was going to be like.
Kim