THR my new life as a bionic person

Janlyn

@swimmer60 well done with your gardening - it's good to take the opportunity when we can. I never tried the elastic laces but I'm managing more of a variety of shoes/boots - partly because my feet/ankles seem less swollen and partly by using things like key rings/shoe-horn and hook on my grabber to fasten zips up. Fortunately my toenails are very slow growing so I might be able to cut them by the time they need cutting.

A cold is the last thing you needed, hope you're properly over it now. I'm just pigeon-toed on my operated leg but my physio said lunges would help and they seem to be doing. I'm also just trying to point my foot straight forward when I'm walking.

And yes, onwards and upwards, x

Nurina

@Janlyn My foot from the operated leg goes outward from the shin and my feet can't touch each other. It was worse after the operation so I assume it'll be fixed eventually. When I walk my legs make the shape of a K. 😂 I have an appointment with Physio on Tuesday and, If nurse removes the stiches, I could add another tick on the list. X

Janlyn

@Nurina Good luck with your physio appointment - that's amazingly quick. Hopefully you will get exercises to make sure your foot/leg sort themselves out properly. We're all different aren't we? My stitches were dissolvable so only needed them checking, not removing. x

Nurina

Day 10,

Times goes fast in the morning and slows down in the night. I'm sleeping better, 8 hours today and I've just woken up one time.

I'm constantly hungry, even after eating, like my stomach is empty. It's interesting I had the same feeling when I was pregnant then I craved for sugar and this time, I crave for salted food. After a little research, I've found out that healing a major injury is priority n1 and demands a lot of resources from the rest of our body. Like having, I'm just currently eating for two.

Pain is slowly dissappearing. No swelling or bruise. No pain on the external wound but still the discomfort of having a tennis ball in my bum. Clueless, sometimes I move around without crutches and limping. I shouldn't do that but, actually, it's how I've been living on the last months.

I hate exercises in bed. Matress is too soft and I don't like the rubbing against the sheets. I strech my legs, squeeze my bum and quads and try the bridge, but I don't do anything else. I like more the stand exercises. No problems with lateral movement, knee bends, calf raises. 100 times better range movement than before and painless. The right leg moves much better and I wonder if it really needs an urgent hip replacement.

I have problems doing the exercise of raising my knee trying to make 90º with my body. I don't know if it's due to the surgery wound or the bad posture for years. The psoas is very shortened, hard as a rock and I don't walk straight. My physio said I'd need a lot of exercise here but I'll be able to recover. I'll take advantage of the already paid physiotherapy.

Have a nice day! X

Janlyn

@Nurina I've found exactly the same with hunger and have read of others feeling the same too. I put on a kilogram from going into hospital to coming out, but nothing since then even though my Fitbit tells me I have over-eaten each day apart from one - not sure how much the new hip weighs? It makes sense that we need the extra calories and it's more important than worrying at this stage.

I think I was walking around without crutches at your stage - the limping does get better, or at least it did for me.

I hate the exercises in bed too and after struggling the first couple of days started doing extra standing up ones - most of mine were almost the same, just stood up or laid down. It's interesting to think you may no longer need an urgent right hip replacement - probably best to keep on the list and see nearer the time?

I had similar problems with raising my knee to 90 degrees but now I have no problem. I just put it down to the initial numbness and weakness - the exercises really do work if we stick at them don't they? Good that you will be able to recover fully.

Take care, x

Nurina

@Janlyn I'm on the priority list for the other one, in around a year. It's bone on bone too but, for some reason it's not as painful as the other. My first plan, is to lose the 25lbs I've gained in the last two years due to the inactivity so I'd relief the pressure on it. As soon as I start walking and having a little of exercise, it will not be difficult. Now it's not my priority and it'll be a waste of time until I start moving.

About the fully recovering. The first consultant I've visited said he'd only guarantee I'd live a normal life without pain but I'd be difficult to get a full range. The second one, the one I chose, said the same about the pain but he said either that mobility depends on several factors like back flexibility, muscle mass or willing to be better so I can't expect being fully mobile only with hips replacement. Fair enough and I get his point but I've had RA since I was 5 years old and you'll not believe the horrible things my doctors said about my future that were completely wrong.

Have a good night! X

Janlyn

@Nurina I agree until you start moving your priority isn't weight loss, if weight has gone on due to enforced inactivity then it will come off when you start to move again and won't that be a joy with so many benefits? Strange how the pain varies and isn't as expected - it was the first thing my doctor said to me - some people's X-rays look as though they should be in pain and they aren't and some people's look as though they aren't in pain but they are - she never mentioned it could be in the same person!

Fortunately we've got so much information, here and elsewhere, to maximise our movement and flexibility and I'm sure you'll be showing the doctors how well you are doing before you know it.

Take care, x

Nurina

Day 11

I had a 6 hours sleep but not a resting deep one but it's something. Pain is almost gone. Only paracetamol at night.

Around 25 staples removed not painful at all. Nurse has put stery strips all along the "much-longer-than-I-expected" scar. She said it's just to flatten it and they will come out in three days, when I have my first shower. She said the scar is it "beautiful" 😂

Then, the physio. He showed me my xray with the carpentry job, very long screws included to avoid anything moving. He said that unless I twist my legs in a very weird posture, not even a fall could dislocate my hip. He handled me a real prosthesis which was the same I'm "wearing?" (how can I call it?). @Janlyn It was very heavy, maybe more than 1lb.

He told me I have just listen to him and my consultant and not follow others suggestions. First surprise: walking is ok to have a coffee but it doesn't help to the healing. If walking is going to make me sore, I shouldn't walk. 😳

Second: I have to stop doing any exercise from the booklet and he gave me only two new ones: sitting and standing from a chair leaning in an angle of more than 90º. Apparently I was totally wrong about the 90º. I thought the 90º was between my belly and my bent knee, but it's actually between my straight back and the line where I'm sat, behind me. Does it make any sense? So if my body was able to bend over my legs, it'd be 180º and if I'm laying down on my back, it'd be 0º. So the exercise would be sitting and standing from a chair leaning my body in more than 90º so I can stand without help. The other exercise. Standing and holding on a counter or a windowsill I have to pull back my leg in diagonal. Not side ways or backwards. Diagonal. He said is to tight the muscles around the new hip. I don't have to do any other exercise for two weeks.

Third: My brain has to learn it's safe to put weight on the new leg and use it. The physio observed me when I was standing and he said I'm currently leaning on the old leg. I have to put 60% of my weight on the new one. He said not to use crutches in the kitchen and bathroom, just "navigate" naturally between furniture without trying to reach out or leaning.

And that's all folks! X

Janlyn

@Nurina some interesting thoughts here.

A beautiful scar - who would have thought it. I imagine you're longing for first shower day?

Oh wow, I haven't seen my X-ray or a real prosthesis to understand how it all fits together. If it's really heavy maybe I haven't put on a kilogram since before surgery after all 🤣🤣

That's interesting about the healing/walking. I find if I do walk too far I'm a little sore but I soon recover. But I have noticed that one end of my scar isn't healing as fast as the rest of it has and have wondered whether it is getting caught on my clothes when I'm walking. I called the hospital to ask their advice re whether it should be properly healed by now and my surgeon wants me to go in so he can have a look 😳

That's interesting about the 90degrees - I think I know what you mean but it's not what I thought so I think I will google to be sure. Good you've been released from the old exercises if the new ones will be more effective. Diagonal sounds interesting but I can see it working - just so long as you are working the right muscles hopefully you'll see speedy improvements.

I can understand you putting more weight on your good leg, I think I have only just started to put full weight on my operated leg whilst getting dressed and in and out of the bath - I was amazed to find I could do, before I was either too weak or too scared.

Hoping you get a proper, restful sleep tonight! x

Nurina

Thanks @Janlyn If you find the logic of the 90º rule, please let me know because I'm still in shock 😂. The diagonal leg lifting hurts exactly in the centre of the bum, where is more painful so I think it's spot on.

I'm researching what I have to do to flatten my scar. Bio oil, rosehip oil, silicone bands. Any suggestion?

Have a lovely and restful night!

X

swimmer60

@Nurina

When I was in Boots I saw a product that was explicitly for scaring, can't remember what it was called, but worth a browse? I use Aloo Vera ointment and straight from the plant in my kitchen. Brilliant if you accidentally burn yourself on a pan or a scald.

swimmer60

Nurina

Thanks @swimmer60 I'll look for that product. I have aloe vera plants all around the house but I've never used them for medicinal purposes. Maybe it's time to start. X

Nurina

Day 12,

Nothing spectacular to report. My physio told me to walk around the house without crutches to put weight on the prosthesis and help the bone to grow around it. He told me not to be worried about limping because it's a "healthy" limping that will dissappear. I still have the "ghost of the limping past" floating around me like a Dementor. He said that it will never come back because it has been removed from my life.

A friend of mine has lend me a wooden sturdy chair with armrests to practice my sitting/standing and I've been doing some delayed work sat on it at the dining room table. I can't go to my studio until I'm strong enough to use normal chairs and normal toilets without help. Same with coffee shops, restaurants, friend homes. It's good to start feeling more normal day by day.

Have a nice day!

X

Janlyn

@Nurina I did google 90 degree rule and although it's talked about a lot it isn't explained very much. But I do think I've probably been breaking the rule. What I found confirmed laying flat is 0 degrees and sitting up straight with knee to thigh straight at right-angles with the upper body is 90 degrees. Any leaning forward to stand up increases it from 90 degrees though. Whilst googling I came across a lot of photos of scars and got a little shock whilst scrolling. There in the middle of all the human scars was a very hairy one belonging to a dog!

I have just tried the diagonal exercise and it definitely touched a different muscle. Hope it helps you.

That's good news about the limping disappearing. Once you start to move around the house without crutches you might find you go further than you intend to. I started to find I'd gone upstairs and panicked as mine were downstairs but once I got my confidence the strength did seem to follow.

I do like rosehip oil and aloe vera does sound to be a nice natural remedy, especially straight from the plant!

It is indeed good to feel more normal day by day and you'll be amazed how quickly it all happens. I was tempted to take a cushion out with me the first few times I went out.

Take care, x

Nurina

My physio said that dislocations are very rare with modern techniques but they have to follow the old protocols of the 90º and the 6 weeks of sleeping on the back. Unless legs are crossed or twisted in a very weird way, not even a fall can cause a dislocation in a normal person. With the help of a skeleton, he explained me roughly what the surgeon did. My explanation is not very accurate but it's what I understood. During surgery, the surgeon doesn't cut the ligament that holds the hip structure together. They cut a little part of the bone where the ligament is attached and put it aside to access the hip. When the procedure is finished, they re-attach the ligament to the bone again so it's fully functional. Is it not amazing?. That's why the postoperative is much safer than in the past. We are really lucky, aren't we?

Nurina

Day 13

Another milestone: I went on my own around the corner to have a coffee with a friend. Yayyyy! Who could believe that two weeks ago? The coffee shop has heavy wooden chairs and a proper disabled toilet. It's funny my friend is currently using crutches too because she broke one of the little bones of the foot. We've called our meeting "Crutch Clwb". On our way out, we were walking with our crutches using different techniques and I was whistling the elephant march from Disney's Jungle book. It was a real belly laugh.

I have just a little pain, just the discomfort and stiffness remaining. Still a long way ahead but this is wonderful. I'm walking without crutches at home, as recommended by my physio. A little wobbly but I feel more confident. I'm now trying to use the stairs without crutches too. I have handrails on both sides so I think I'll be fine. I only have 2 paracetamol at night to help with my erratic sleeping pattern. My stomach is settling and I have less "hungry attacks" I'll be better when I finish the blood thinners tablets in two weeks.

Have a nice evening . X

Janlyn

@Nurina it is absolutely amazing. Around Halloween I found myself in my local garden centre examining the skeleton closely and trying to work out what would happen during my op. At that time I didn't dare google in case I got too scared.

Well done on getting out and meeting a friend for coffee - another step back to normal.

Well done for getting around the house without crutches too. I found it amazing how my strength built up when I stopped relying on sticks. I thought I would never be able to stand just on my operated leg but it really is strong enough now. Are you not having paracetamols during the day at all?

Take care, x

Nurina

@Janlyn Thanks for your encouraging words.

Day 14

Two weeks ago I didn't believe I could be that good.

I'm having paracetamol when I feel a little bit sore and at night because of the immobility. I'm limping less than before but still very wobbly. It I make a tea, I need the crutch or I'd spill it with my unrefined break dance. The real miracle is my back pain has gone. Completely! Before surgery, I had to roll on the mattress to get up because of the pain. Every morning and night I had to stretch on a mat and massage my back with a Lacrosse ball and a cylinder. My psoas is very shortened and my hips are still tilted. I can't walk straight like many of you said they've noticed. My physio said everything will be ok in due time but first, I have to do the basic exercises for healing.

Have a nice day! x

Janlyn

@Nurina It's amazing you're only taking paracetamol when you feel you need them. I was planning to wean myself off of them but my physio said not to and that I would improve better with the full dose. I will see him on Tuesday and see if he still thinks the same. I admit when I have walked a little too far or been on my feet for too long I do get a little sore and I think that's what he meant to avoid.

I was still wobbly and weak and needed to hold on to furniture/use my sticks at two weeks - remember it is only two weeks for you! It's amazing your back pain has gone though - we really don't know how much we are affected in so many ways do we? It took me a while to feel I was stood straight or at least straighter than before. I don't think I'm quite there yet but well on the way. And people that don't know me would say I am limping but it is getting better although when tired it increases. I need to remember the three Ps - patience, paracetamol and pacing!

I'm sure your physio is right - the exercises and time will make such a difference, remember it's only two weeks!

Take care, x

Nurina

Day 15

@Janlyn Paracetamol is almost harmless. It isn't like Ibuprofen. My physio said I have to take it when I restart my normal activities and new exercises.

Yesterday, we went for a fish and chips for lunch. It's not as easy as it sounds, believe me 😂. Before ordering, an inspection of lift, chairs and disabled toilet. Everything was OK to go ahead. My plan was to have a beer with the food but, before ordering, I googled blood thinner and interactions with alcohol, just in case. And, of course, I found I can't drink alcohol when I'm on blood thinners because it can cause haemorrhage. I usually don't drink alcohol but I was a day to celebrate. Anyway, I can live another 3 weeks without having a beer. After that, we walked around the bay to the car park. It was sunny and bliss. 1200 steps, enough to feel great. I was walking with the sticks, having a chat with my husband without thinking about the pain, like I used to do before. Before surgery I couldn't enjoy anything. I was just thinking what to do to feel less pain. When I arrived home, before starting feeling sore, I took one tablet (500mg). At night I still take 2 tablets.

Wound is healing, well and I don't feel pain when I touch my thigh around it but I have a discomfort where the surgeon opened the window to fix the bones, the GZ. It's like a muscular numbness with the size of a small tennis ball. If you have ever walked up a very steep hill, and your bum was on fire, that's exactly what I'm feeling.

Did you feel the same?

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. X

Janlyn

@Nurina paracetamol is wonderful, isn't it?

Well done on your fish and chips lunch. Another little bit of normal. Lunch and a little walk in the sun without having to worry about the pain is bliss indeed. Although I was surprised initially about my hospital not using raised toilet seats on the grounds that I wouldn't have one everywhere I went, so best to get used to it early, does mean that it's something I don't think about when I go out. Although I have been tempted to take a cushion for less comfortable dining chairs. Pre-surgery I got used to using disabled access toilets but already now I would feel a fraud if I did so progress indeed has come quickly.

Good to hear your wound is healing - I'm amazed how quickly they do. I've heard other people talk about the 'small tennis ball' and unless I'm not recognising it I don't think I've got that. I sometimes have a little sharp fleeting pain when I try to sleep on my wound side around that spot but that's all, not that I'm complaining! Although I've been given permission to sleep on my side, and I was struggling so much to sleep on my back. I have found that I start off on one side or the other but whenever I wake up I seem to be on my back. I think it's the being able to move about rather than sleeping rigidly on my back that has helped with sleeping.

Take care, x

swimmer60

@Janlyn @Nurina

I was given pain killers after the initial op., about 3 weeks worth. After I'd finished injecting, yuck, I had to take aspirin. Wasn't really given any pain relief advice, more as and when. As I'd been taking so many before the op., I am very reluctant to take any at all. Of course I've had muscle ache but nothing bad enough to warrant taking pain killers. However, I'm sometimes achy when I wake up in the morning, now thinking I need a new bed 😕 Expensive! But last night, for the first time, I felt comfortable on my operated side and fell asleep. This feels like progress.

As I'd used a raised toilet seat I too got extreme toilet seat anxiety when I was out anywhere! And when I took mine off at home, I found I wasn't judging the "drop" properly and was banging my bum on the seat! Ouch! 😁

I'm going to start using a bicycle at the gym, as this is said to be good exercise. I think I said, my operated foot turned right in before my op and it still does a bit, but on the treadmill and cross trainer your foot is forced to be in a straight position, and this is definitely helping.

Phew! That's quite enough personal info., but am only posting in the hope folk find it reassuring. Take care.

Nurina

Thanks @swimmer60 Your experience is very helpful for those who are behind you.

Day 16

The surgery pain has disappeared but the discomfort and stiffness are still with me. When my leg was painful, it made sense, but now, it's a very weird feeling. Why can't I move? Why can't I bend my knee? It's a very slow process like waiting for your hair to grow. You don't notice big changes, it's steady and slow. So far, if I look back, I'm moving better and I'm now not using the crutches inside home. I wouldn't ever imagine that a week ago. Yesterday we went to the supermarket and I loved it. 1500 steps. I'll increase the number very slowly, maybe 100 steps more every day but not scheduled. If it happens, it happens. I feel my operated leg knee a little bit sore. I think I'm walking too tense, too stressed putting too much weight on the crutches. My hands and my back are paying for the effort. Today I'll try to walk in a more relaxed way.

Nights are getting better but not good, not even close. My hungry is controlled and I don't need binge eating in the middle of the night.

I'm not going to post more daily updates, maybe once a week or when there is a big change. My progression is almost a copy of others, like @Janlyn and I wouldn't want to be repetitive. She is brilliant

I hope you all have a fantastic Sunday. X

Janlyn

@swimmer60 Definitely progress that you can sleep comfortably on your operated side. Regarding your operated foot turning inwards mine has done since surgery. Physio said it is because a muscle hasn't been worked properly and told me to do some lunges each day. I do, but I also concentrate on straightening it when I walk - I've noticed it's almost okay now at 6 weeks. I've no idea if it's the lunges, time or concentrating on straightening it that worked!

@Nurina I think you've made such good progress so far but there's so much healing still to do too. Remember it's only just over two weeks from major surgery for you. I found I gained in strength when I stopped using my sticks. And I had been leaning so heavily on my non operated side stick before surgery and in the early days that it's still painful.

I think your progress is good and steady. I think once you get a little more confidence with daily tasks you will naturally relax and everything will seem easier, more flexible and less painful. The nights will hopefully become more normal, I get the odd bad night now, but most are fairly okay. And my hunger is getting almost back to normal - my Fitbit is registering okay rather than too much!

I hope you do continue posting, even if not as often, it's good to know how you are doing and for others to see a similar pattern too. I have been thinking once I have had my surgeon/physio appointments this week I will just post changes. At the moment I am still so excited at 'normal' I can't seem to help myself!

Take care everyone, x