My 1st THR Recovery Diary

Zimmer

I've started this Diary on the 4th day of recovery simply, as expected, I am exhausted and it'll take time and energy to write. I firstly want to give a baseline of my own stage of health and personal information, so that others may use it as a comparison. I have also included the hospital, as services seem to differ drastically depending on where you are from. Lastly, I wanted to provide a brief overview of the pre-assessments and what to expect, with some tips thrown in for good measure, before providing the recovery diary.

Age: 54

Weight: 18 stone (surgeon wants weight loss before 2nd hip op)

BMI: 44

Level of fitness: Had built my muscles up through pool based exercises, by joining a Good Boost programme. I gained better balance and increased muscle mass in my glutes, core and quads but was unable to walk unaided and not strong enough to swim pre-op.

Post-op you lose muscle mass, by building your muscle strength up before surgery, you can work to slow this loss down. Strength training exercises, in particular, can help maintain muscle mass during the recovery period and reduce the risk of falls in older patients. This can make it easier and quicker, to regain your strength and mobility post-op.

Hip Condition: Bone on bone, the socket was almost flat and on the verge of fusing with the ball.

Waiting time for surgery: 2yrs, although I wasn't diagnosed with osteoarthritis until I self referred to physio, who sent me to x-ray. As I also suffer from fibromyalgia, any new pains my doctor attributed to that, so the actual waiting time was 7yrs!!

Type of surgery: Posterior Hip Replacement.

Hip Replacement Materials: Titanium ball and socket, with plastic polyethylene liners for the socket. No cement required.

[Names of medical professional and hospital deleted by moderator]

Summary of events:

Initially told that due to the severity of my arthritis I would be placed on the urgent waiting list, which would be around 6 months.

There are three waiting lists. Priority, which are emergency cases such as broken bones, Urgent, where surgery is required ASAP and Routine, where you will need surgery but it's not so severe that you need it immediately. However, if you are seen and asked if you would like to be put on the waiting list for surgery, no matter how severe your arthritis is, and you say no not yet, then you will be put on the routine list which could take a number of years.

6 months came and went. I chased it up, was told that pre-assessment appointments were around 80 weeks and to chase it up at this time if I hadn't heard anything. The clock starts from the date you are referred to the orthopaedic department. I tried to chase it up by phone, but the recorded message advised that no waiting times could be discussed over the phone, and an email address was provided. I emailed, but received no response.

A further 6 months passed and in this time started having gynaecology issues, but couldn't have a hysterectomy because of my weight, I couldn't lose weight because I couldn't exercise, and couldn't exercise because I needed surgery. So I put all this in an email to the orthopaedic department and surprisingly enough, I received an email back within a few days asking me to call them for a fitness test!!! I don't believe in coincidences, so my advice is to keep chasing them and provide any additional information that you can.

I was given a date for pre-assessment, a few days later for the surgeon and the operation date two weeks later, BOOM baby. I was told that had I not been receiving blood tests with gynae that I would've had more tests, so just a heads up k.

Fitness test: Was blood tests, height and weight. Then a discussion with a nurse, going over a health questionnaire, what you can expect and answering any questions that you had. If she doesn't mention it, ask about the OT and what you will be provided.

(I was told that I would receive a letter from the OT but I didn't and was called a week before to discuss the do's and don'ts and what equipment to get. The only thing that I was provided with was the toilet frame)

When I was asked how I would be getting to and from the hospital, I elected to be brought home by ambulance as I knew I wouldn't be able to get in my car.

Then taken to see the physiotherapist who provided information and exercises to do before the operation.

Zimmer

DAY 1 - 07.08.2025

I went into hospital the day before, as I wanted to remain as calm as possible, to keep my anxiety from spiking. Everyone gets nervous beforehand, it's only natural, but the thought of not getting to hospital on time, for the day of, was playing on my mind.

Was back on the ward early afternoon, to be greeted by dinner, a welcomed comfort. I had an epidural and sedation (so was asleep for the entire procedure), and didn't regain sensation in my legs for quite some time. I can't use a bed pan so I had to use a commode, as I wasn't allowed to go to the toilet. But the night staff forgot about me, so I had to get into bed by myself, as everyone was sleeping and I wasn't able to press my buzzer.

It was because of this that I noticed how little pain I was in, and how much I was able to do myself. The grinding, pain in the groin, knee and back pain were all gone, and I was surprised at how much weight I could put on my leg. This lulled me into a false sense of security, so I walked back and forth to the toilet, using my rollator, and then decided to make my bed, as the sheets had all fallen down. I could even swing both legs into bed at the same time!!

Little did I know that there were long acting painkillers provided during the operation, so I was in total agony in the morning. DOH! Lesson learned.

Anna

Thank you for this interesting introduction to your THR. I’ m sure that other members will find it useful. I’ve had to delete the name of your Medical Professional and Hospital as this contravenes our community guidelines.

Anna ( Moderator)

Zimmer

Sorry Anna, I wasn't aware of that, totally understand.

Zimmer

DAY 2

I was visited by my surgeon, to see how I was feeling, and physiotherapist to provide exercises, but as she had just seen me walk back from the toilet, she wasn't concerned that I couldn't do any.

But I was surprised that I hadn't been discharged as, apparently, in the hospital around the corner, you are discharged on the 2nd day. I was also surprised that two ladies had been in hospital a week, following their surgeries. I did notice that the entire floor had patients around my age and much older, so maybe that's why, I don't know.

I had taken my own medication into hospital, but was unable to have my usual painkillers, due to the drugs I received during the operation. I was only allowed paracetamol initially, which I was gutted about, given the amount of self-inflicted pain that I was in. I was eventually given Codeine later on in the day, but couldn't have any other painkillers until the following day.

Despite the stiffness and pain, I still managed to drum up some willpower and make myself walk to the toilet during the day. I couldn't just sit around as this causes pain, but overdoing it also causes pain, damned if you do and damned if you don't innit. But I had to get a commode for the night, as my leg was too painful. I had attempted some exercises but found it far too painful as well.

But I was glad that I had taken my grabber, dressing stick and leg lifter into hospital, as this maintained a degree of independence.

I was starting to notice cognitive decline, due to the lack of sleep both before and after the operation. I do suffer with mental health issues and fibro, so it could've been a mixture of everything. I was not retaining any information and started feeling insecure about it, but the staff were wonderful.

I started noticing that the swelling was slowly creeping down my leg, and would do so apparently, for the next two weeks or so.

Zimmer

DAY 3

The doctor advised that I would have to have my wound looked at in two weeks, but due to the type of car I had, I knew that I wouldn't be able to get in the car. The doctor told the staff who said that they would contact my GP to arrange a home visit from a district nurse.

Physio was happy with my progress and signed me off and said I would receive an appointment at my nearest hospital, within the next two weeks. I didn't have to do the stair test, as I told her that I would be sleeping downstairs and wouldn't have to do stairs for a while. As with the wound check, I told her that I couldn't attend hospital, so she will ask the physiotherapy department for a home visit but this could be in 4 weeks time though.

All signed off, waiting for my meds and then the ambulance, so I started packing, which was good as I was on my last pair of knickers lol. I was told that I could be picked up by 1pm but as I was still there at 5pm, a nurse asked where it was. I had an inclination that I wouldn't be going home that day and I was right. Apparently there was another patient in the ambulance and because she was going home for palliative care, they thought it best to make her the priority, which was totally understandable.

So, unpacked a little and did some exercises, which were getting increasingly difficult as the swelling was getting bigger and my leg was so stiff.

Once again, finding it difficult to drop off to sleep and was awake until 2am, so popped my earplugs in, put my eye mask on and concentrated on my breathing, and eventually dropped off.

Zimmer

DAY 4

Nurse tried to wake me in the morning, at the usual 7am, but had to shake me several times before I woke up!!! But hey, that was the best sleep I'd had in weeks and the latest I'd slept in at in hospital, usually it was 5am.

Re-packed after breakfast and thankfully didn't have to wait for long and was picked up at 10.30am. The journey home was awful. I was in a chair that resembled the air hostesses jump seat, it didn't fit my ample bottom, so the seat belt buckles were digging into my wound. I asked the driver whether he enjoyed rallying, as that's what I felt his driving was like, but apparently he was going the speed limit the whole way home. The “ambulance” was a converted van so that would explain a lot, as it always feels worse in the back.

I couldn't wait to sit down and get an ice pack on my hip, knee, and ankle 😆. I then did some exercises but wow, it was far too hot. I also found that my other leg was too painful to complete the portion of exercises that were standing, so I did extra bed exercises instead. If it hadn't been for my left leg, I would definitely be able to do them otherwise as I still, despite the swelling, can put a lot of weight on the leg. I noticed a huge bruise coming on my knee though, which I thought was strange, but hey a lot was moved around.

I felt absolutely exhausted and struggled to stay awake for the remainder of the day. But come bedtime I simply passed out for a good 4 hrs before waking. I was given oxycodone hydrochloride, as I'm allergic to morphine and only take that when in a lot of discomfort, as it just increases my fatigue, so I took that and woke up at 12pm!!!

I am so glad that I practiced sleeping on my back pre-op, as I'm finding it much easier now.

Zimmer

DAY 5

I think that despite best efforts to make yourself comfy, you're gonna feel sore and will have to change position no matter how soft or supportive you try and make your sofa. The bed however, is a god send, I am so glad that I have an adjustable nursing home type bed. It makes life so much easier, it helps you to get in and out of bed by raising the height of the bed, your head and then helps the swelling in your feet, but not at the same time lol, taco anyone. I must admit that I seem to have lost days somewhere in the fog.

Zimmer

DAY 6

Had a worrying day today, as I didn't know what to do. I took my nightie off, so I could wash, and noticed my dressing was nearly saturated with blood. It was spongy but hadn't oozed out. No signs of visible infection, not that I could make out the red from the black and blue, no pus and I didn't feel unwell, but I was concerned enough to call 111.

Had I realised that it was Tuesday and not Sunday, I probably would've called my GP, DOH!!! It's probably due to the exercises, but best to be safe than sorry innit.

111 took details and said someone would call back, which they did, although more knowledgeable she couldn't advise either and said she would ask the out of hours doctor to call me.

The out of hours doctor called me, we discussed further what the wound looked like, well, what it felt like really and how the dressing looked. He said that a district nurse would call me in the morning.

Jane18

Hi @zimmer, good to see you have started your diary. It does take a while to recover from the hip operation and you are still in the early stages. I wasn't aware of any weeping from my wound under the dressing, although it felt a bit hot and took 3 weeks after the op to heal fully. Hopefully the district nurse will be able to advise. If you have a temperature then it might be time to get attention sooner. When I was discharged I had a list of symptoms to look out for. I'm no expert, but you might want to ease up on exercise until you've been seen, except maybe for gently circling your feet while you're lying down to help with circulation. The hot weather doesn't help with inflammation so take it easy.

Do you have a (wrapped) cold pad to ease the swelling? That can help when applied for short periods (I was advised max 20 mins at any one time).

Hope the nurse can help you and let us know how you get on. You will get there!

Jane

Zimmer

@Jane18 yeah I thought the same thing, about exercise, but then I couldn't just sit around sweating. So I thought I might as well do some housework in the kitchen. I've always done housework to take my mind off things.

Was running out of nighties so did some washing but my partner hung it out, emptied and refilled the dishwasher without bending of course, sat down to do some washing up, made some squash for the fridge (luke warm water in hospital made me really appreciate that), wiped the counter tops and boy was I sweaty afterwards, so jumped, or should I say gingerly got in the shower.

Omg that was awesome, who would have thought that clean hair could make you feel human again 😆. I was super careful, never letting my dressing get wet, until right at the end when I rinsed. But the best feeling......was that I got in and out of the shower all on my own. Okay my partner stood in front of me, whilst I stepped down using my walking sticks, but I didn't expect to be able to do that you know.

District Nurse will hopefully be out tomorrow, and the dressing is almost full of blood now, so I hope it's not burst stitches. Oh well, at least I'll have clean hair if I have to go back into hospital.

Gonna be a good girl now, cos the swelling is nearly causing numbness. Got two ice bags, so one in and one out but they don't seem to be doing anything, weird!!!

Trish9556

Hi @Zimmer

I do love your diary! I did giggle a bit when you said about going to the toilet in hospital on your own - I did that and got caught by a nurse who came in to check me and got really told off so I didnt do that again! I think you're doing amazingly well. The first couple of weeks are incredibly difficult and I certainly could not have done the washing and emptied the dishwasher in my first week. Please do try not to overdo it though, recovery from hip surgery is a marathon and not a sprint race.

Bags of frozen peas work well as a cold compress - wrap them in a tea towel to protect your leg. I keep a bag of cheap and cheerful in my freezer especially for this purpose.

I don't think I could have waited if my dressing had leaked like that, I would have been on to the ward or 999!

Keep up the good work and do not do too much!

trish

Fran54

@Zimmer

well done for starting your diary as I myself would have been too tired to do anything like that. I had to phone the hospital ward where I had my op. as my wound was giving me some pain after starting the post op physio. I was told not to worry and to stop the exercises for a few days, but saying that I had a district nurse come round a few days later unannounced to check my wound. I am so glad that I did as my dressing was quite bloody/saturated. But once cleaned the wound was fine, which was a great relief.

I think that if you have any worries, don't be afraid to call someone for advice as you are the only person to know how your body feels. I feel that compared to a year ago when I had my first hip replaced the hospital are under pressure to get you in and out as soon as possible. I also feel that I was given very strong medication which I had not been given before and did not want when discharged and managed on dihydrocodeine and paracetamol.

Hope all goes well with the District Nurse tomorrow and take it easy.

Zimmer

DAY 7

I have no idea why I'm not in more pain than this, but I'll take it. It's not as though it's because of the painkillers, because I've been taking them for years. But it could quite possibly be because I was in soooo much pain before, that this is "manageable". I seem to be putting more weight on the operated leg, as the unoperated one is too painful you know.

@Fran54 @Trish9556 Don't get me wrong, the wound itself is quite painful and has me worried that I've popped a stitch, due to the bleeding, but I think it was either the uncomfortable ambulance ride home or post op exercises that did it, I dunno. But the technicoloured leg has me distracted 😆.

Either way, I'm gonna spend the day in bed tomorrow and try to get this swelling down, especially as the district nurse will hopefully come tomorrow too.

@Trish9556 I know what you mean about the meds, cos a few of the ladies in my ward were sleeping non stop, which I could only surmise was due to the meds. One of them got fed up by the nurse nagging her to get out of bed and commented on how she was supposed to be expected to do that when they had just given her oramorph. Which is true, she could've fallen innit.

Zimmer

@Anna don't know if you can help me with this, but I just posted something and it's not here. Did I contravene the rules somehow? If so please can you let me know or let me adjust it, as it was a lengthy one. Also, where can I read the dos and don'ts to avoid this happening again. I read everything when I started posting but I obviously missed something sorry.

Zimmer

@cocoa just remembered to tag you so you could find me, but if you want to find other diaries you can search key words such as THR Recovery Diary or arthritis etc. Mine's called, My 1st THR Recovery Diary

Zimmer

DAY 8

Well I feel so much better today, thank goodness. The district nurse came out and changed my dressing, apparently there had been some confusion, as my Dr's surgery falls under a different zone than where I live, so the information nearly got lost in translation so to speak 😳.

Anyhoo, it's all clean, no issues apart from the district nurse having difficulty removing the hospital dressing; it was welded in place lols. The pain from around the wound has also gone, so I am much more comfortable now.

My partner couldn't help but have a quick butchers and was amazed how good it looked. I have dissolvable stitches and the wound was glued, so I don't have to worry about going to have the stitches removed at least, which is a huge bonus. By the sounds of it I'll have minimal scarring.

But I wish they would tell you what to expect from wounds, as it would save a lot of unnecessary worry. It's apparently normal for the wound to bleed/ooze because of the bruising and swelling in the leg, as it has to go somewhere. Although the hospital says for the dressing to remain in place for two weeks, this is dependent on how much has collected in it, and it will be changed no matter the time limit. She will pop round on Monday to see how I'm getting along.

But I'm glad in a way, that this did happen as I was also worrying that my GP surgery wouldn't set up the district nurse visits for me anyway.

Just done my exercises and iced my whole leg so apart from feeling like I haven't slept in a week, I feel great 😁

Jane18

Pleased to hear all's well with your wound @Zimmer and you're feeling a lot better. Hope you can catch up on some sleep.

Take care

Jane

Fran54

@Zimmer

so glad that your wound is okay and will be checked again on Monday. Yes I too wish that they would explain that "spotting" from the wound is normal as it would stop people from worrying too much. Gradually day by day I see little improvements and have my 6 week check on Monday. Doesn't time fly!! Take care.

Zimmer

@Fran54 6 weeks, yeah it has flown by. Feels like it was only yesterday that you'd past your two week mark.

So what are you going to do with your bionic hips, once they're fully healed that is? A night out on the town painting it sooo red, dancing, holidays, walking on a beach? Or, simply regaining your lost self😊.

This time last year, you were recovering from the last op, I can't believe it, you must be so chuffed hon.

Zimmer

Quick question, and I assume it's normal, but did anyone struggle with the exercises once all the bruising came out, as my leg has gone so stiff that I'm struggling to bend my knee?

Also, my unoperated leg is shouting at me every time I try the standing behind the chair exercises. I know that's a lot of weight to be putting on it anyway, but as I don't know when I'll see a physio, I wondered if any of you have some hints and tips on this please

Jane18

@Zimmer, I would ask your physio when you see them. Knees can be stiff for all sorts of reasons, but you might find that it eases gradually when you're walking around, if you've been sitting or lying for a while. Provided it's not causing any pain, that is.

I did get aches in my unoperated leg when I was doing some exercises, so just took those exercises more gently at first so I wasn't straining it. For me it was because the leg muscles were working harder to support the operated leg and it has eased since I've been more active. But again you should ask a professional if it's causing you much pain.

Hopefully if you just take the exercises gently and don't overextend, it will ease up over time and you may find your range of movement improves.

@Fran54, sounds as if you're making good progress. Hope your 6 week check goes well next week.

Zimmer

@Jane18 I don't know what to do for the best, as I won't get to see a physio for around 4 weeks they said, being as I need one to come to the house. I think it maybe the severity of my condition, as I couldn't do the stand up exercises even before the op, I just double downed on the bed exercises and threw in some old exercises for good measure, which did seem to help with strengthening them.

It could also be psychological, scared of any new pain, like Titanium is that brittle lol, but you know what I mean. It's weird, the muscles seemed spasmed, because when I gently pressure point massaged an area, it did release bit then went hard again instantly. Hmm maybe I should try heat 🤔

Jane18

@Zimmer, maybe try the Helpline team on this site to see if they have any advice or can point you to somewhere?

Sounds as if doing the bed exercises is helping to strengthen you, at least, and may be worth trying heat or ice applied to the problem areas to see if that eases them.

Zimmer

@Jane18 omg brain freeze, of course der, I had completely forgotten about that. Thanks for reminding me, I'll have a quick butchers in a mo.

I have found the ice is helping the pain but not the tightness, so I'll see if I can find my wheat bag.

Usually I would relieve painful muscles in the shower, but they said no direct spray and I obviously can't use Tiger balm lmao, can you imagine.

Fran54

@Zimmer

yes the 6 weeks has suddenly flown by. I cannot believe a year has gone since my right hip was replaced and is now so strong and supporting my new left hip.

Regarding stiffness in the knees, mine are always a little stiff when I get up in the morning, but gradually loosen up as I move around.

I don't have problems with the exercises affecting my knees, but everyone is different and as mentioned it maybe worth contacting the helpline on here as you are not seeing anyone from physio for a few weeks.

As for future plans, I intend to go on a few holidays and continue my birdwatching trips which does involve plenty of walking out in nature which is so beneficial for health and mind. Also it will just be lovely to be able to go out shopping or walking without having to worry how far I can walk and if there is a seat available. This at least gives me something to look forward to.

Take care.