hip surgery aftermath

[Mobuck]

I'm officially displeased with the way this recovery is going. Something just doesn't seem right. Over the years, I've been cow kicked, horse stomped, hit by machinery, and smashed by trees/logs/posts on most of my large muscle groups. The deep muscle pain and tightness from the surgery just isn't lightening up or getting better.
Two week checkup is 7/30 so we'll see what Dr. says then. This morning, I switched the walker for a pair of canes but the nagging pain is preventing sleep or even much rest.
Had I known I was going to have to resort to opioids to handle the pain, I'd just have started the opioids 6 months ago and skipped the surgery. I certainly wouldn't recommend the surgery as a "proactive" solution. I'd rate this as one of worst decisions of my adult life.

 

[Cordwood]

Sorry to hear about the continued pain. Be careful with the medicine. Don’t be hesitant to let the doctor know how you feel. You know your body and how you have recovered in the past.
You are in my prayers.
Butch

 

[daveg.inkc]

Hey Mobuck! Be patient, my friend. I had my right hip replaced July 1. Went in surgery 11 am. I was walking on new hip 4 pm. First night was terrible pain. It takes a month for swelling leave. Left hip was replaced Dec 7,2000. Scar is still tender. I got along fine, same Dr. did right hip. It takes a year to fully recover. I’m driving now. I sat in ‘65 GTO last night, had to hear 400 cubes idle! This is a major surgery. Recovery cannot be rushed. I know exactly how you feel.

 

[daveg.inkc]

When you think about, your leg is almost amputated and then reattached. Very painful procedure.

 

[Rook]

Something that you might want to take along the pain killers is stool softeners. Those darn pain killers will dry you out and make life miserable.

 

[bogus bill]

I fell on mothers day may 12th and broke my hip. Had to have a new ball and socket. Frankly up to about two weeks ago it`s the worst time of my life. I still am on a walker and afraid to take over a couple steps without it. Spent 3 days in the hospital and then twenty days in rehab. They were the most miserable of my life. I am tall, heavy and 78 years old. I lost about 35 pounds, (no appetite) but have gained back about 15 of it. My surgeon told me a few weeks ago to walk, walk, and walk some more. I cant very much. I think the reason I fell and broke it was that my ankle must have gave out due to arthritis and it go`s out every once in awhile without warning for the last year or so. I fell again about three weeks ago in the same spot going for the bathroom in the middle of the night, groggy. This time I was on the walker and got banged up. The right hip was replaced and I have arthritis in the left foot. That works against each other using the walker. Better days are coming. I hope.

 

[jack black]

Had the left hip done 6-17 and still sore at times scar is tender, now the rt is being done in Jan 2020 New approach anterior with only a 2" incision at the groin area. Hang in there if you are the least overweight lose the fat eat non acidic foods ,NO smoking , quit the soda, processed foods cut back on the alcohol and keep moving. I say again stay THIN

 

[rimmer]

Man up! It will get better. I had mine done and it was not as bad as having my arm and shoulder muscles reattached down my back and rotator fixed.
I hope you get to feeling better, you have to give it time.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Mobuck, I hope you start feeling better. I know you aren't happy and are taking opiods, which wouldn't make me happy either, but the key to the whole thing is to stay ahead of the pain. My wife had her knee replaced last year and only took Tylenol for the whole time. She's stubborn too, so it took a while to get through her head to take the pills in a timely fashion and not to wait on the pain to start. She's doing ok at this point.

 

[pete44ru]

I fell on mothers day may 12th and broke my hip. Had to have a new ball and socket. Frankly up to about two weeks ago it`s the worst time of my life. I still am on a walker and afraid to take over a couple steps without it. Spent 3 days in the hospital and then twenty days in rehab. They were the most miserable of my life. I am tall, heavy and 78 years old. I lost about 35 pounds, (no appetite) but have gained back about 15 of it. My surgeon told me a few weeks ago to walk, walk, and walk some more. I cant very much. I think the reason I fell and broke it was that my ankle must have gave out due to arthritis and it go`s out every once in awhile without warning for the last year or so. I fell again about three weeks ago in the same spot going for the bathroom in the middle of the night, groggy. This time I was on the walker and got banged up. The right hip was replaced and I have arthritis in the left foot. That works against each other using the walker. Better days are coming. I hope.

DANG, Bill - You might have to learn to walk on your hands...…

 

[bogus bill]

That would be a great idea if I could do it! What I miss most is driving. My wife has been scaring me to death. But then I never was a good passenger with but maybe two people. My dad and a close friend that died. Trail riding in our RZR had become my biggest pleasure. This year I am cheated. I live on the computer and gun sites. The worst was the hospital and rehab as even the adjustable beds were to short. I didn't average a half hour sleep total a night!

 

[gunzo]

Hang in there Mobuck, while I'e not had any replacements, my brother has 2 new knees, a good friend 2 hips, & another close friend 1 knee. Recovery time/problems varied, but all agree it was worth it in the end.
Ya just gotta get over that hump, they all did.

 

[any ruger]

Wife had 2 knees 2 hips and was still bowling when she needed the shoulder replaced.

 

[Achigan]

Hey Mobuck. I haven’t had a hip done(yet) but I’ve been through 3 rotator cuff rebuilds. I took opioids for 6 weeks post op each time. Truth is, I/ you:we heal faster when not in pain all the time. We sleep better, and “squirm around” less. The advice about laxatives/fiber is spot on. G’luck with the follow-up appt.

 

[OVERLOADDED]

My hip surgery was a piece of cake. I used walker 30 days, then did therapy made all the difference. After 6 weeks off work (post office), went back to cutting post. Slipped and fell first day in the timber. That was scary. Saw went one way me the other. That was in '04. I took pain meds as needed. Overloadded

 

[Mobuck]

I parked the walker yesterday (11 days post surgery) and using two canes for stability. I don't "feel" anything as far as the joint is concerned, it's the deep muscle pain that is disconcerting.
Was not able to go outside yesterday because I was alone and bit iffy on the steps going off the deck. My Grandson is leaving today so now I'll be on my own full time and am going to need all my self control to prevent getting myself in a predicament. I couldn't tolerate using a walker for 30 days. I'm slated to give a training class in 3 1/2 weeks at a location 70 miles away so I've got to be getting around well enough to handle that. I can delegate most of the stand up tasks and the fetch and carry stuff but I do have to present myself as being a capable leader.

 

[daveg.inkc]

Try going down stairs backwards. When you walk, lead with bad leg. It takes a month for thigh soreness to leave. My hip joint is pain free. Muscle takes a while to relax

 

[dad45]

MoBuck, I will randomly tell of my experience and surgeon orders and maybe it will be useful to you.
first the last post suggesting stairs backwards I would guess any Surgeon would cringe at this worried about a fall (just a Guess) I was told to lead with operative leg going down and lead with good leg going up stairs. Also the 4th post about basically cutting off and reattaching is pretty spot on! a major surgery to say the least.

OK here I go, I am in my early 50s and the hip damage started with a 25 foot fall about 20 years ago and finally wore itself out a couple years ago but I pushed it and lived with the severe pain until this spring when I couldn't even hardly walk, the problem with this wait is I did further damage to my already troubled back and as a result of nerve pinching my operative thigh muscles were not in equal shape to the other side, also I work heavy construction which is just plain old hard the body anyways. My surgery was on May 6th and I ditched the walker after the first week and moved to a cane for about 2 weeks after that. I to had some pain in the thigh and this also was a problem before and it was severe prior to surgery, when they do the hip from the front side they basically move and spread those muscles and tissue to get at the joint which takes a long time to heal from which I assume is at issue for you, I have done a lot of walking and as a matter of fact walking was my surgeons therapy orders, from the first day I was to walk 6 minutes every hour. I walk fine now but still have an issue when riding motorcycle it is hard to and hurts to lift my leg from the ground to the floorboard of my bike but this is improving. Also as I heal the different minor pains and sensations have been interesting as things heal and move into place and all that, but most all those weird sensations have now gone away however my hip is still a little swollen and my surgeon said to expect some swelling and sensations for up to 6 months afterward. Another thing that was important from my surgeon was to be careful not to pivot or rotate on that leg as it is healing so as not to disrupt the bone integration as they call it for up to 8 weeks, the integration process ( bone growth and attaching to metal parts ) is also why anything vibrating such as riding mowers and motorcycles are strictly forbidden by this surgeon in fact I was told if I mess this up a second replacement to fix would be from the rear and healing time and pain would increase significantly.
I went back to field work after 8 weeks ( longer because of type of work) and the first week was hard because after that time off one looses ability quickly but feel great now and I am just conscious not to jump into or off anything or do anything else to put the hip at risk. By the way being younger and working a physical job prior to surgery aids in recovery time as ones body is typically in better shape to handle the stress. Also remember the bad hip causes one's body to position and operate unnaturally which takes some time to undo
One last thing is I had to consciously try to walk normal as the old habits from pain and immobility stuck with me, at first I would catch myself walking sideways as if I still had a bad hip.
I hope my rambling on gives you some hope and or some new info to go on
good luck and let us know how you progress
Respectfully
Dad45

I came back to add that initially if I tried to push to hard my body surely let me know and I listened to it and backed down
Again good luck I hope your situation improves greatly

 

[Mobuck]

dad45,
Thanks, it seems all those things you describe are happening to me. My hip was likely not as damaged as yours but had been an ongoing problem for over 40 years following a serious equine/bovine/human crash.
I was up too much yesterday and feeling it overnight and this morning.
I feel some Drs. tend to stereotype and fail to understand that some older folks aren't going to be satisfied with "better" when they're expecting 100%.

 

[daveg.inkc]

I fought a bad hip for a year dad45. Going backwards down stairs was and is easier on bad legs. My step mom had both knees replaced. And she told me thats how she does it. It works for some cripples!

 

[contender]

I can't offer any advice,, as I've never had that surgery.

BUT,, I can offer moral support & prayers!!!!!!!!

 

[vito]

Wishing you the best with this, but I do have one recommendation. If your physician cannot or does not offer any positive suggestions to deal with the pain and the slow rate of recovery, set up a visit with another orthopedic surgeon from a totally different group. Ideally, find one that is part of the teaching staff at a teaching hospital, such as a university medical center where staff are up to date on the latest developments in the care of hip replacement surgery. The second opinion might just be exactly what your doctor tells you, and if so, it will give you greater confidence in relying upon his guidance. But it may result in giving you other options that might be worth trying. Don't be concerned with hurting the feelings of the first doctor, this is your life and health and you have every right to try to find out what others might think about your condition.

FWIW, I've been through more surgery than most people have in a lifetime. Sometimes it has been pretty simple, such as the quintuple bypass coronary artery surgery that I had, and was back to almost full activity in less than three months. Sometimes it was not so simple, such as the thoracotomy (lung opening surgery) that took me more than two years to feel that I was fully recovered. Try not to be discouraged since that does not do you any good at all. And try your best to do whatever rehab is recommended, even if painful. At least you will know that the pain of rehab is part of the path of getting better, not making things worse. Maybe you will need some type of ankle support to give you the confidence to try walking more, which might be the best rehab for you. Hang in there. As long as you are on the green side of the grass there is reason to be hopeful.

 

[dad45]

I fought a bad hip for a year dad45. Going backwards down stairs was and is easier on bad legs. My step mom had both knees replaced. And she told me thats how she does it. It works for some cripples!

I dont doubt that helped and in fact i had to do some strange things myself to get buy, I was just simply saying that POST surgery I don't think a surgeon would endorse that procedure but who knows every surgeon is different, like I said originally “just a guess”
Dad45

 

[daveg.inkc]

I’m guessing you had left hip replaced dad45. If you are on a scooter, throwing right leg over seat is out. Hip abductions is out on hip replacement. So is kick starting a Pan head!

 

[dad45]

I’m guessing you had left hip replaced dad45. If you are on a scooter, throwing right leg over seat is out. Hip abductions is out on hip replacement. So is kick starting a Pan head!

You figured it right!