My 1st THR Recovery Diary

Zimmer

DAY 8

Well I spent the day in bed, feet up trying to rest but inevitably, just played a game online, until I dropped my phone in my face AGAIN lol. My partner also cares for his mam so isn't here today, so have to be super careful and not do any housework just in case. That, and my body told me to naff off hehe.

Now I don't know why, but I've had no problems sleeping on my back, in the house, but in hospital I was really naughty and slept on my side. I put a pillow between my legs, some behind my back to stop me rolling backwards, earplugs in, face mask on and eventually dropped off. I know, I know, I took a risk but I was struggling so much mentally that I needed some sleep you know.

If I didn't already have an adjustable, second hand ebay special bed, I think I would've had to buy some bed wedges. I mean pillows are okay to prop you up with, but they move around constantly, and you can't. I was looking for a foam wedge for my sofa, as it tilts backwards, but loads of bed ones popped up and that could mean the difference between a good night's sleep I thought. There are ones for the feet aswell I noticed.

Constantly on a mission to achieve more than just 5 minutes of comfort, without fidgeting, I bought a gel cushion to relieve coccyx and numb bum pain from amazon:

Rewoalzx 2025 Upgraded Cooling Gel Seat Cushion 50x50x5cm - Extra Thick Honeycomb Blue Cushion for Back Pain Relief

But although it did the job, I couldn't move around on it easily, so bought:

Honing recliner chair cover, non slip armchair cover

This, was the game changer. Although, like McDonald's, the product did not look like the picture.

I now have different cushions etc for when I want to sit up straight and for when I want to recline. I was getting frustrated and tearful before this but feel so much better now. Just thought I'd share this, as food for thought, for anybody in the same predicament.

Zimmer

@Fran54 love it, sounds wonderful and exactly what drs order, being out in nature is good for the soul. I used to love taking long walks, listening to the birds and trying to pick out the individual songs, the wind in the trees, the sound of water running and sun on your skin. So relaxing, that at the end of the day I still didn't want to go home. My partner found it funny and frustrating at the same time, like a dog that still wants to play in the river when you're ready to head for home. Oh fran, thank you, writing this just brought tears to my eyes, as I forgot how much that used to mean to me. My mindfulness practice kicked in and I was in the woods and feel sooooo relaxed ahh xx.

But I know what you mean about your concern over where to sit when you need it, I hadn't even thought that far ahead, being as I'm still using a mobility scooter. Hmm, maybe a small camping collapsible stool until you know for definite how far you can walk without stopping. But, yeah, that would be a mile stone and definitely something to look forward to.

Zimmer

DAY 10

I've just had a slap to the forehead moment and can't believe I didn't know this already!!! In my younger days I was keen on athletics, swimming, rugby and weightlifting, so I had my fair share of bruising along the way. Okay, I used ice quite often, but that was just for swelling or torn muscles, what I didn't know is that icing also reduces bruising. I've been icing my leg in various areas and wondered how my black bruise was now yellow in a matter of days, usually it takes weeks for that to happen. So I googled it and doh, I felt like such an idiot. 🙄

I found out, though, that it's not my knee that's hindering my exercises, it's my calf and back of my thigh; swollen and tight so I can't bring my knee in. Had anyone else had this issue?

Think I'll ask the district nurse tomorrow.

Zimmer

@Fran54 soz hon, got mixed up and answered you in my diary. Not sure how but yeah and don't want to post a duplicate you know

Zimmer

Hey all, just to let you know that my post is having some issues, like many of us I know😉. I have sent an email about this, but don't know when this can be rectified.

From my perspective at least, my post is missing comments, but they do appear under the notification comment window. I don't know what it looks like for you, but it's confusing the hell out if me, yeah yeah I know I'm easily confused lol.

Like my recent chat with @Fran54 I thought that her comment came from @Jane18, as I couldn't see her response on my feed, but it turns out that it was and I apologised for responding on my own feed and not Jane's so yeah I'm confusing everybody 😀.

So, apologies everyone, I'm not losing my marbles just yet xx

Fran54

@Zimmer

If it's any consolation I had a problem posting a reply the other day. Also I am not very techy but manage with the basics!!

I did have aching in the back of my thigh at the top/buttock area after starting my new physio exercises so I cut back on the quantity and it did seem to help. Sometimes you just need to listen to your body and slow down. I know easier said than done😏

Hope you are feeling better today. Take care.

Zimmer

Okay, sigh of relief, my diary "appears" to be in order now. So no more confusing posts from me, just the usual nutty ones 😘.

DAY 11

After waking up for the fourth time in the night I got up at 7am to do some exercises. I've had to modify some as my unoperated leg simply couldn't take my weight but then I managed to walk up and down the living room and through the kitchen 6 times, which my partner advised was around 50 metres I initially thought "big whoop" until I remembered that I couldn't have done that pre-op. Another reason for writing a diary, as you do forget the pain and struggles over time and let's face it, we are our own worst enemies.

Spent the rest of the day chasing my bruises away with the ice bags.

Had my second check up from the district nurse today, who was happy with my wound and was also surprised at how quickly my bruising was disappearing. I asked about the weird "hard" spots of muscle like around the wound and the back of my calf, which she wondered , as had I, if heat could help. I told her that I was waiting on a heat pad to arrive so I could put that to the test. It's probably because the bruising is still appearing in parts that I recently starting icing but hey ho it'll work itself out innit.

Anna

Hi @Zimmer, it’s good to hear that you’re slowly improving after your surgery - it certainly does require patience and fortitude!

Sorry I didn’t reply to your message to me above - I only moderate once a week, on a Tuesday, so didn’t see your message till today. You’ll find the community guidelines if you press on the drop down menu on the top left hand corner of each page ( three horizontal lines).

Regarding the order of your posts, I hope they’ve now sorted themselves out. Occasionally, early posts take longer to appear than later ones, possibly because they are all checked automatically for spam and some are held up because of this. Of course, the internet can be a law unto itself sometimes as well, and we don’t know why the posted order is disrupted 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, keep up with your useful posts and your continued rehabilitation!

Zimmer

DAY 12

Well it's that time of year again folks, it's the 2025 Oscars, and this year we have an unprecedented nominee; one who has taken the stage by storm and has received, not one, but three nominations for the biggest 'Well Der moment" of the year.

So, without further ado, the nominations are as follows:

1. Zimmer for The Heat Is On!!!!
2. Zimmer for Sleeping Beauty
3. Zimmer for Pinky and The Brain

1. Who could have known that heat could help with muscle pain 🙄. My heat pad turned up and I used it on the same area that @Fran54 was having pain in and it disappeared!!! The only downside was that I also had the heat pad over my stitches, without thinking, so they're more sensitive than they were. I also tried it on an area where bruising was still prevalent, and it just swelled up. I will alternate between hot and cold until everything settles down. So, triple Der!!!

2. Menopause put pay to a restful nights sleep, so after some research I found the wonders of Magnesium Furoate. Firstly researching whether there were any interactions with the medications I already take of course, and then buying them from British Supplements.

Supermarket supplements just make expensive pee, so searched for products that contained no fillers, or bulking agents. Always check the ingredients, you'll be surprised how much crap is in them.

But leading up to the hip op I was advised to stop taking them, so I did. I've been having crappy sleep patterns for weeks now and couldn't put my finger on why. ....... I'd forgotten all about them, due to tiredness, over, yep you guessed it, crappy nights sleep. But unfortunately, they only wwork when you remember to take them. Double Der!

3. I usually take most of the day to finish a diary entry off and I just realised something! Thinking, was making me tired, something that I hadn't thought of, probably due to self preservation, for quite some time. I always knew that mental work was just as tiring as a physical job, but as I haven't worked in a while, neither has my brain (insert joke here 🙃). I've slowly built some brain power up over the years by doing puzzles etc but totally forgot how draining it was to work your brain in this manner. Der!!

~•°♡°•~

I see some big names in the audience, @Jane18 @cocoa @Fran54 @frogmorton @Trish9556 so here's a big shoutout and thank you for the help you've all provided in the community. Also, a big shameless Diary Awareness plug 🤭😉🤪. Any suggestions that you may have, will be greatly appreciated.

But all kidding aside, I've been struggling more mentally than physically and that's all down to lack of sleep. I think we all underestimate the power of a good, restorative, nights sleep. I've just woken up at 5 am, struggled to nod off, again, so did some exercises and some journalling, in a bid to wearing myself out and judging by the, dropped phone in face, bit, I'm ready to drop off again.

Trish9556

Hi @Zimmer

I am often awoken in the middle of the night for 'natural' reasons but these can lead to a need just to get up and move. I find I'm unable to get comfortable so after a bit of tossing and turning, I get up, potter around downstairs, make hot chocolate/coffee depending on how early it is and if it's too early I usually try to get some sleep on the sofa until the radio tells me it's an acceptable time to wake up.

Part of my protocol when I am stuck in a rut like a pigs tail (too early/twirly), I put my headphones on, put classical music on my kindle/phone/walkman) and listen to that while relaxing on the sofa which then usually leads to sleep. An eye mask can also help but I do have headphones that is also a blackout eye mask and bluetooth. The only other thing I do is jigsaws - I find jigsaws very therapeutic and have often sat/stood and done a bit of my latest one while waiting for painkillers to work/hot chocolate to be drunk.

The main key to being a wide awake club member is not to play games, do anything that leads to your brain whirring more than it should do at night - that doesn't lead to sleep, you need to relax!

Sometimes I wake at 00:30 and sometimes later - I prefer much much later!

Keep up the good work

Trish

cocoa

@ zimmer

Found your diary at last! Great to read your trials and tribulations from pre surgery ! Your doing so well ! I just feel as tho not a lot going on now maybe ciz seem to make a lot of progress then all slows down and want to do things not yet able ! Will get my cook books out I think , gardening and walking seem bit out of bounds st mo want to throw my last crutch but still limping

Cocoa

Jane18

Hi @Zimmer, pleased to hear you're slowly improving now. We do forget how bad things had become before the operation, so even a short while afterwards, even though it only feels like small steps at the time, it's good to reflect on how much mobility has improved compared with the weeks before the operation. And it gets better day by day!

Know what you mean about supplements - so many have unnecessary additives so it's important to read the ingredients. I had to stop taking all my vitamins before the op as well and forgot to get back to them for a few days, but it doesn't take long for them to take effect, fortunately.

@Trish9556 has some good tips for getting back to sleep in those wakeful times during the night. One thing I found really helpful for drifting off, especially immediately after my hip operation, was finding radio 3 unwind on my smart speaker. I had it on low and the soothing music and sounds (waves, gentle voices sometimes) seemed to work for me. That and getting up and doing some stretching when I got too uncomfortable.

Wishing you all the best for your continued recovery.

Jane

Zimmer

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/737078#Comment_737078

Thanks Anna, I reread the guidelines and admit I had forgotten some of them, as you saw doh, never mind at least I know now. Thanks for letting me know about the delay factor, I hadn't even thought about that, so thought I was going loopy lols.

Zimmer

Ooh, good tip there @Jane18 I'll have to dig me earbuds out and'll give that a whirl. I'll take another look @Trish9556 sleep tips later, as I'm struggling to stay awake as it is lols. Hate broken sleep soooo much. And it's not as though it's due to pain either, all I know is that it's driving me bonkers lol, as you can tell from my last post hehe.

I did try my earplugs and eyemask last night, with a little mindfulness thrown in for good measure and the next thing I knew was when my partner woke me up.

I also tried raising my feet a little, in bed, as this swelling throbs a bit and a tad hard, so it's hindering exercises but I won't stop trying, yep I'm very trying 🤣. Well, if you can't laugh at yourself, you don't deserve to laugh at anyone else innit.

Zimmer

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/737091#Comment_737091

Glad you found me, I've also found this site difficult to traverse at times. Yeah it's hard when you feel as though time is standing still but I'm sure that with each movement, you'll find it getting easier until one day you'll do things automatically.

Zimmer

The other thing that I'm unsure of and what @Jane18 touched on, is stretching. My lats have taken a beating lately and I just feel like I need to twist, which is not allowed. The middle of my back is so tight that I just want to bend forward to crack it, but I can't do that either and because I don't know when I'll get to see a physio. Hmm, I do have some yoga balls somewhere 🤔.

I have also noticed that I'm back and fore the toilet a lot and just thought my menopausal incontinence had gotten worse, but no, my partner reminded me of the excess fluid in my leg has to go somewhere. So yeah, yet another Der moment, as this does seem to worsen when I've iced my leg.

Fran54

@Zimmer

I am finding that with my walking and physio I am not napping much during the day now and about an hour before I go to bed, I read some of a book on my Kindle. This seems to help me to drift off and luckily I am only waking up twice in the night about 4/5 hours apart so I am gradually getting a good nights sleep again. For me, things have gradually improved after the first two weeks which to be honest were hard both mentally and physically. I am feeling stronger and walking a little further now only using one crutch. I still use one indoors as my leg is not quite strong enough yet and I am walking around holding on to the furniture, but will get there eventually. I have my second physio appt. next Tuesday so will see how it goes re. the walking.

The real bonus for me is that all the debilitating pain has gone and I now no longer need any pain relief which is great. Just started taking my multi-vitamin tablets again ( every little bit helps! ). Take care.

Zimmer

Wow @Fran54 that's brilliant news. Our bodies have unfortunately gotten used to sedentary ways, thanks to the arthritis, so I suppose it's going to take a while for all the muscles, including the brain, to get used to doing things again.

I wish I could nap as that might refuel the tanks, but I can't so am left exhausted all day and wishing bedtime would come sooner. If I get to the point where I can't take the throbbing, I lie down and put my feet up, which does seem to help with the tiredness as well.

As I use a rollator, I wasn't provided with any crutches, but doubt my wrists could've taken that in any event. I was using a walking stick for balance, but found that I was in more pain, as I was leaning to one side and my muscles were trying to counteract that.

As my strength and balance improved, thanks to the Good Boost sessions, I bought some nordic walking sticks, as I thought they could help to straighten my gait and aid balance, to help me try and walk "normally" and I'm so glad I did. In hospital the physio advised against using the sticks at first, which is understandable, but you should be able to use them at your stage of recovery. This would also alleviate your need to lean against furniture for balance too and really help with your walking. I've taken a screenshot of the ones I use and they're called TheFitLife Carbon Fibre Trekking Poles. I like these, as the old pair I had didn't have the locking system, so if I didn't tighten them sufficiently they would start going down, which for us is a complete nono..

And thanks for letting me know how you prepare for "sleep", and happy that you're getting more sleep now too. I must admit that I do the complete opposite to every suggestion for nodding off; I use my mobile, which is blue light, I play games and write in here, so am not relaxing etc etc. I used to be a complete bookworm but haven't read anything for years, maybe I could try an audio book, slap my face mask on and try some mindfulness for good measure. ANYTHING to help me nod off innit.

So glad that you're now pain free Fran. I can't wait to have my second one done, as it's causing more pain than the one I'm recovering from. There'll be no stopping you when you're fully healed and bet you'll never look back 🤗

Fran54

@Zimmer

hi. Thanks for the picture of the trekking poles. I may have to look into that a bit more as I will eventually get back to more walking and birdwatching. I had been using a walking stick before both of my ops. but hope to eventually hide that away! I will continue with the one crutch indoors and out and see what my physiotherapist suggests next Tuesday.

Take care.

Zimmer

You're welcome hon, I used mine in the house being as I couldn't walk very far and to steady myself in the bathroom at the moment, so I can get in and of the shower. I was going to say, have a chat with your physio and see what they suggest, because I find them awesome and the first time I've walked, albeit verrry slowly, upright and the loops take the pressure off the wrists and stop you dropping them lol. Let us know how you get on hon xx

cocoa

@zimmer

I’m now 6 weeks! Managing to sleep a good hour in the afternoon and 6:7 hours at night ! Down to one crutch but not been outsude tiday only the clothes line. I had really disrupted sleep fir the first 3/4 weeks mainly uncomfortable so up after few hours watch tv Mandy was my go to every night cup tea always 2.30. am then back to bed at 4 am painkiller sent me sleep fir another hour or so . Really bad . Think was Codeine phosphate causing my disrupted sleep took while get off em and just on couple paracetamol now when need em. Scar still sore but looks ok. Foot/ankle still swelling but not so much actually got my slip ins on this morn but trouble getting em off tonight !! Can concentrate littke bit on reading now . Exercise wearing especially with the band one. Rescheduled next physio to Sept 4 day befire see consultant . Difficult to stand on operated leg fir long on own but getting there. Still can’t raise operated leg unaided but couldn't befire op !think Fran 54 same stage as myself looks like autumn arrived early nights already drawing in cosy up everyone and Relax !!

Cocoa

Zimmer

@cocoa that's fabulous news hon, I can't wait to sleep for longer, but it's not due to pain but due to constant peeing lol. My leg is still super swollen but at least the bruising is going down now so I don't feel like a meat tenderiser has been run all over me anymore. Icing for the win!!!

But I know how you feel about lack of concentration, as I struggle with the simplest of tasks, like thinking, but I've put that down to tiredness. I don't have any problem getting to sleep now, but wish it would be for longer you know.

When was your first day walking outside, as I haven't had the confidence to do that yet as my street is super difficult to walk on. Being as I'm from Wales, there's a lot of hills around so I have a small bit of flat street to walk on, which is in the middle of the street. So I'm just walking up and down my living room, not ideal but at least I'm trying I suppose.

Jane18

@Zimmer, it took me a week after my operation to venture outside, first just into the back garden for a few steps, where I had plenty I could cling to, and then finally out the front, which felt more daunting. For the first few days after that I only walked down the road a little, then each day a little more.

Walking around indoors is good as well as it gets you into practice for later. So just take your time until you're ready.

I used to use trekking poles for outdoor walking when I was doing longer distances, especially climbing hills or on uneven surfaces. So might dig mine out again. They are very fashionable these days!

Take care x

Zimmer

DAY 15

, I can't believe that it's been two weeks already, it's flown by, but I'm concerned that I should be further along in recovery by now.

Zimmer

Lol, I've Actually slept today, and can't keep my eyes open. I had written more on my last post but I must've deleted it and then posted it as I fell asleep doh. I'm so exhausted.

What I wrote was my progress and wondered if I was doing okay, so let's try again 😏.

I have managed to do some standing exercises by leaning on my rollator, to take some pressure off my other leg, lifting my knee by say 45° which is more than before and also out to the side by holding for a few seconds × 10 and then bed exercises. I can stand unaided on both legs without pain, for a bit and can nearly stand from a seated position, without pushing up with my arms.

I did check the exercises out on the Versus Arthritis site but I couldn't do a lot of them and the ones I could do, I'm doing already. So I'm just trying other exercises, being as I have no physio yet, but taking it easy as I obviously don't want to do something wrong you know.

So based on this, can any of you advise whether I'm doing enough or not? I know that we're all different, but I suppose I'm just looking for a ballpark recovery rate.

And thanks @Jane18 that helped, as everyone was talking about walking a lot, so I felt like I wasn't doing enough.