My THR recovery diary

JPT · 2024-03-06T20:29:31+00:00

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After a long day, my operation took place at 5 pm. I was a nervous wreck all day but the op was amazing. The theatre team were fab.

I even saw my old hip bone and the reason I was suffering so much with it. Exposed bone and extra bone growth. How I wasn't in more constant pain I really don't know.

Back in my room now , waiting for the feeling to come back. waist down is numb. Surgeon and anaesthetist are happy so it must be good.

Lovely cuppa and sandwich and feeling ok but sore.

Don't be afraid of the op, that's the easy bit I reckon.

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Comments

Janlyn

Wow, it’s good to read this @JPT well done, you’ve done the hard bit now - and what a long wait. Amazing you’ve seen your old hip bone!

Dont envy you the numbness and soreness but every day you’ll move forward and make progress. Amazing how we’re eating and functioning so quickly isn’t it?

Take care, x

swimmer60

@JPT

Such good news! A really weird feeling- numb waist down! I remember wiggling my toes and doing tiny ankle movement as the feeling came back!

🙋‍♀️🤞👍️

ItsjustLisa

@JPT congratulations! So pleased to hear everything went well 💐

john62

@jpt thats all good news, hope your recovery continues to go well. I have my first hip being done 11th April, can't wait.

JPT

Operation day

An emotional day, long wait, finally went to theatre just after 5pmTheatre team were lovely. Not much dignity for Spinal injection. No underwear of any sort in this hospital! Sedation kicked in really fast, ultimately aware of very little. I asked to see my old hip bone. And yes it absolutely had to go, exposed bone, additional bone growth etc how much longer I could have managed I don't know but definitely bone on bone.

I remember going to Recovery room at 7pm and back in room at 7.24

Can't feel a thing from waist down. No feeling still at 10pm other than slight tingling in right leg, possible movement in right side.

Sore on wound side.Can't clench bum or wiggle toes yet

11pm strong painkillers and Antibiotics drip. Quite sore now

DAY 1

Midnight right leg and right butt cheek coming back to life. Cannot lift it. Left leg can wiggle toes a little

No pain

Shouldn't have drunk all those cups of tea they encouraged me to. Have to remember if you can't feel anything....poor nurses having to deal with that?

0100 still no sleep, I am the only patient awake still apparently

Bladder still full but can't pee anymore. If I don't catheter it is.....

0200 No sleep, the machines that go ping every 10 seconds pumping my legs

0300The longest I've laid on my back for at least 2 years

05.30 Finally I can sleep and now whole body twitches wake me up for the next two hours

0830

Consultant and anaesthetist seem pleased. I am exhausted, helped out of bed onto chair, then immediately had to get up and into wheelchair to x-ray then back had a good wash, dressed and back in chair more exhausted.

A different pain is kicking in now. It took me a while to realise this pain is not arthritic pain. This pain will go, the old pain is no more.

Physio later. And sleep hopefully too.

More updates to follow.

Sorry it's a bit long but seeing I was awake all night I could make notes. Hope this helps someone as following others has for me.

Julie x

john62

@JPT did you have spinal and sedation?

[Deleted User]

Congratulations!. It looks you are doing very well. My first night was horrible with nausea. I couldn't eat anything until the following morning. You are realising now we weren't making up the process 😂 Looking forward to reading more about your recovery. Take care X

JPT

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/719386#Comment_719386

Yes Spinal and sedation

JPT

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/719387#Comment_719387

Think I jinxed it, BP just hit the floor. Back in bed again for a few hoursx!

Janlyn

@JPT you've brought back memories for me. The exhaustion - after everything I did it appeared and I had to sit/lay down. Eventually it gets less but your poor body has been through so much and without sleep too. Take care.

No dignity in the operating room for you 🤔🤣I do wish I’d asked to look at my old hip bone 😳Did you take a photo?

But you’re on the right track now, so well done. I’m looking forward to following your recovery story, x

JPT

Day 1 continued

Bp recovered but spent most of the day on the bed dozing apart from continually waking up with a complete body twitch again and again. Very strange and annoying as it makes me shout out!

@Janlyn no photo of the bone, surgeon didn't want to show me it I don't think so ignored me when I asked for a photo! I can remember it quite well though.

It seems very odd that I will be sent home in the morning. I've only got to the loo and back with a frame in the room. I think I will be woken up early with physio, discharge stuff etc. I am rather wary, you can't go wrong here, you have to do as you are told. I worry about the no bend rule sounds impossible to maintain.

Hopefully I will sleep tonight without the noisy leg pumps etc.

swimmer60

@JPT You're doing well! Have you got a grabber? Essential for picking stuff up off the floor. My daughter got me a very long, very baggy black jumper dress from Sainsbury's. It covered everything and kept me warm. No need for knickerrs or tights and I didn't wear socks for weeks. It was October when I had my op done and my feet did get cold.

My surgeon had a "no feet" rule very simple and I did keep to it till about week 9. As for bending, I think about week 9 you can put your operated leg straight behind you and bend using your unoperated leg to pick things up.

But different folk on here were given different advice.

Good luck😘

Janlyn

@JPT I'm still amazed your surgeon showed you your hip bone, and that you asked! I do wish I had thought to do the same.

It is a bit frightening to go home. I remember feeling very safe in hospital. I was actually told I could go home on Day 2 at 10.00am and I asked if I could stay and stayed until the following afternoon, when I was surprisingly ready to go then. I hope you do sleep tonight - I found the only comfortable way was propped up to almost sitting.

I would ask your physio about bending. I developed the 'golfers' move before surgery where I put my operated leg out straight behind me and bent my unoperated leg as @swimmer60 describes. My physio was happy for me to do this straight away and I have hardly used my grabber. Once operated I found that I didn't drop as much on the floor anyway. I had a couple of very long skirts and wore those but still needed socks and found, to my surprise, that with the sock helper I could get them, and even tights, on easily.

Good luck and take care, x

frogmorton

Wow wow wow!!!

You are doing so well. I am totally impressed.

Those body twitches sound unpleasant though has anyone explained them to you?

Keep up the good work and (sorry) the drinking it will bring your blood pressure back up.

((())) and 💐 for you

Toni xx

JPT

I am home 40 hours later. Getting into the car was challenging but the porter was fabulous with the patience of a saint.

Getting out of the car wasn't too bad. My lounge chair wasn't quite high enough as it was painful to get up from so now added more cushions and it is better.

Didn't do too badly getting upstairs, think and go slow is all you can do. Now into bed that was hard but ok once in for an afternoon rest - it's exhausting! But nice to be home I think.

shacklock25

Sounds as if you are doing really well. All the best.

swimmer60

@JPT

Get plenty of rest. Everything will get easier. Hope you sleep well tonight. 😴

Janlyn

@JPT well done - another achievement and I think 'think and go slow' is a good mantra at this stage for almost everything. But the worst is behind you and anything that's challenging now will soon get easier

Hoping you do sleep but if not I found to just get up as it was much easier to nod off in a chair. Really important to get your rest and good food with plenty of fluids too.

Take care, x

JPT

Day 3 (I think, I'm getting muddled, must be all the endless pills!)

Started off more positive as I had moved early hours to to the chair as the pressure on my heel was just too much and I had had some good quality sleep. I find if I am slightly propped up in bed there is little risk of me trying to turn. When getting on the bed rather awkwardly it did start to turn and wow the pain was like no other!

The dressing is quite low down so I can't see it easily but I felt a lump. I have a 2cm lymph blister just below the dressing. Phoned the hospital, and back I go to get checked out. I really didn't need the stress of stairs, car, journey etc so soon, I haven't had a full wash yet either!

Lovely doctor and nurse were there from before. Patched me up so everything is sterile if it bursts, notified the consultant and sent me home. Now I am exhausted again.

These early days really are the hardest. I do think I should have stayed in hospital for another day, so unused to crutches and moving more than a few paces. Make sure you tell them if you don't feel ready.

I've just had another good night sleep propped up and ending in my chair at 05.30

These chair risers are a godsend https://amzn.eu/d/8RpTf7M

Hopefully today will be less eventful and I can start some gentle exercise

[Deleted User]

You are doing very well, even it doesn't look like that now.

First days are the worst and make you think that everything is pointless but they'll pass very soon. I had to be in bed sat on a throne made of pillows for weeks. It was the only way I didn't try to turn on my side. I used a strap around my calf to tow my leg in and out of the bed.

I thought about staying another night in the hospital, but nurses coming in and out didn't let me sleep a wink. The hospital was a little far from home and I felt bad for my family driving at night to see me just for one hour, due to the restrictions. Honestly I think I wouldn't be ready to leave the hospital even I stayed another 3 days there. They kick you out from the nest like birds do when they think the chicks are ready to fly. Take care X

Janlyn

@JPT Oh, poor you, I do sympathise. I found it hard to get myself downstairs and back up when I forgot to take my painkillers up with me - but a trip to hospital so soon... thank goodness they got you sorted though.

I know what you mean about pressure on your heels. I coped by putting a memory foam pillow under my ankles which raised my heels into the air - not perfect but better than the pain. But getting up and sleeping in a chair was far easier for me. Ouch - I can imagine your pain, I did similar - the getting on and off my bed was so difficult and awkward, especially whilst still a little numb. But amazingly it all goes away day by day.

I've never in my life washed so little - it was just so hard to do properly. And so exhausting. It seemed forever until a shower was possible at that time.

I think @Nurina is right - leaving hospital is a little like kicking the chicks from the nest to fly. I don't think we would ever be ready to leave but we get by. But definitely if anyone really feels they need another night then I think they should ask. Living alone I felt another day of being looked after, cooked for, and tidied up after would help.

Hoping you can start some gentle exercise soon but please make sure it is gentle and only as much as feels right. It can be easy to overdo it.

Take care, x

frogmorton

Well done @JPT

You are doing so well.

My heels also hare me lying on my back. A rolled up hand towel under my ankles has helped in the past. With a try?

Keep on going as you are. Very well done👍👏

Toni xx

JPT

DAY 4 10/3

Overall a good night's sleep, moved to chair at 5am.

Marathon effort to wash and dress, will keep it simple for a while longer.

Downstairs now for the day. Turned away kind meaning visitors, wanting to pop round at 10am!! Left me some lovely flowers though.

Forgot I had to go back upstairs to do full lie down to stretch out the front of my hip.

First time lying flat in two years - no hip pain, ooh lots of groin pain, yikes 30 mins of this daily. But at least I am lying flat.

So sitting in a chair and dozing all day watching TV isn't too bad but I am sick and tired of clock watching for pill time.

I omitted one of the evening additional codeine tablets. Omg at 0230 did I know it... what was happening deep in my groin, the pain is undescribable, it's where most of my arthritis pain was so must be where they dug in deep.. One codeine tablet later and an hour later I can sleep again... for two hours when the pain in my heel is too much to bear and off to the chair I go. My lovely cat Ziggy snuggles into my lap carefully and sleeps with me 💞

My husband is getting tetchy, I think he is finally realising how much I do at home!

Today will be a better day 🙂

[Deleted User]

The pain could be, sometimes, very similar to the old pain, but don't be worried about that because the old pain was cut and thrown into the bin. Pain is a normal thing when they cut a bone in half, isn't it?

I had to set up alarms to remember the medication because at the beginning it was complicated.

Don't feel bad if your husband is doing everything.. Remember all the things you've done fir him before.

Days are getting warmer and longer so you can go outside and start enjoying your new life. X

JPT

How long were you taking codeine for in addition to paracetamol?

I only have enough codeine for another 3 days and I know they don't like to prescribe it for too long