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10 weeks post op worries

Posted , 9 users are following.

toto64676
toto64676

HI Hippies

I am now 10 weeks post op and having physio and doing all the exercises.  I have taken Rocketman's advice and got some walking poles, which are really great.

There are some problems that are worrying me, firstly I still limp and lean to one side badly.  The scar hurts and I cannot sleep on either side as it is so uncomfortable and I am getting a lot of lower back pain.  

I am wondering if anyone else is experiencing any of this, I thought at this stage I would be so much further forward and feel really deflated at the moment.

 

3 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • rose0000
    rose0000 toto64676

    Posted

    Hi Toto 

    Are you seeing a physio at all? I needed to see one because of the limp, and found that it worked....I wondered if you were seeing/planning to see a good PT?

    I also can not sleep on my sides still, I can lay on my left but find it uncomfortable, and could not bring myself to relax on my right side. Either side I could not relax enough to sleep ~ I dont take any medication do you? I am still sleeping on my back too, which is annoying after all this time, but I am moving more in bed than I used to, I remember being stiff as board too scared to move anywhere. So you are definitely alone with the sleeping positions, maybe someone will post and tell us when this will be more comfortable for us.

    I started sleep walking last week which was scary!!! Gosh I was so worried when I woke up on the landing!

    I would think your lower back pain could be caused by your posture and limp. I had the same until I ironed out the limp, it plays havoc with your other joints and back. I expect this will ease off....Do you have some of the heated patches you can stick on directly to your skin? I found this worked brilliantly.

    Please do not feel disappointed, your limp can definitely be fixed, it is muscle weakness. A visit to your GP to organise a referral or if you have private funds, you can book one and I am sure they can help you with this straight away.

    In the meantime:

    Riding on a stationary bike will help

    Clam shells

    Botttom clenches

    Legs risers

    Standing on your operated leg with your good leg off the ground as many times a day as you can - like a flamingo

    Your major muscles have been cut through, and is repairing, this is the last hurdle to getting it up and running simply strengthening should help. I hope some of these suggestions will help x

     

  • Hailea
    Hailea toto64676

    Posted

    Hi toto

    you are only 10 weeks from your op. I know it is so frustrating. But you have to remember what you have been through is major surgery. You may have healed up on the out side but you are still healing on the inside. I am 11 months post op on my left side and almost 8 weeks post op on my right side. It is only now that I can sleep on my left side in some comfort and still get the odd twinge.  It takes up to 12 months for you to really get over this op. If your wound is still sore don't force yourself to try and do things. Leave it another week or so and try again. You will get there in the end. It has been one very long painful frustrating journey for me. I am at last making some reall progress. But it really has been a learning process if my body says no not yet I have had to listen to it not let my frustrations get the better of me. 

    Everything comes to those who wait. wink

     

    • Meg1216
      Meg1216 Hailea

      Posted

      OMGoodness I see on this more then a few folks are -10 weeks out and still still having so many problems. I have surgery the 18-they make it sound like a breeze "you dont need pt,you dont need home health even tho I live alone -you're going to suprise yourself !" My doctor said 6-8 weeks off of work Im approved for 6 (w no pay),21/2 to 3 weeks no driving..Im having posterior. discussions like these are scary yet enlightening

       

    • rose0000
      rose0000 Meg1216

      Posted

      Hi Meg

      There is one thing being able to function and be comfortable, and it is if I am being honest quite another being completely back to normal. So it depends on your expectations, the condition of your hip and leg before surgery, level fo fitness pre surgery, how long you limped before surgery etc etc. Depending on what kind of work you do it might be possible to go back to work at six weeks.

      It is by no means a quick recovery though Meg, I don't think anyone would describe it as that...and setting time limits like six weeks (as I did) may lead to disappointment and confusion. 

      I am not sure many of us were driving after two weeks, I just about managed at 3-4 weeks in an automatic and that was by no means a pleasant experience.

      You will surprise yourself by walking straight away, making huge leaps and bounds and of course the main thing is the bone pain will be completely gone, how long it takes you from there is really only something you will know when you get to it. Best to plan for both I would say.

    • CelsB
      CelsB Meg1216

      Posted

      Please try not to worry Meg,

       It's natural to be a bit scared but remember that most people who make a great recovery probably aren't going to hang around here posting.

      There are many, many people who post on here pre-op, post for a few weeks post-op then go off into the sunset to live full, happy and painfree lives, and so they should. 

      This is where we share our anxieties pre-op and discuss twinges, pains, limps, constipation and anything else post op.  It doesn't mean everyone is going to have problems and even so most of those problems are temporary anyway.

      I had my op 3 March, posterior like you and am now 8 days on.  I live alone and am coping, pain isn't too bad at all, am getting around on my crutches okay and all is good.  

      It is a big operation and healing from the inside out does take a long time but that doesn't mean all that time is going to be awful. 

      Don't work yourself up into a state and that's an order.

      Cels xxx

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK Meg1216

      Posted

      As you say Meg, the medics all make it sound so easy - but as you can see, it can be far from easy, but having said that, there are "miracle cases" too. A friend of ours had the samesurgeon as me in the same hospital, and walked out carrying her crutches!

      Andas Renee says, don't try to compare.  I had two surgeries on the same hip joint, ten weeks apart, and they turned out so different in recovery.

      Graham - 🚀💃

    • rose0000
      rose0000 CelsB

      Posted

      Cels, I had a great recovery, I could not have asked for a better recovery to be honest, but like to continue to post to give something back in the same way I was supported pre op and post op. A case of feeling like we need to give back to those wonderful people that got us through this experience.

      This forum has been a source of such great support and laughs, so I guess I will miss it when I leave....so i check in every now and then to support the new hippies...and hippies to be.

      I made a classic mistake of underestimating my recovery, I think many of us do, and I thought my fitness and age would be an advantage (I am not sure it is!) Possibly it is best to go into this surgery with an open mind when it comes to going back to work etc, and then if you are back driving in two weeks or working in four weeks you will be happy as anything, and if not, not too disappointed.

      I hope all is going well with you and your recovery is really coming on - 8 days has gone so fast! All the best x

    • CelsB
      CelsB rose0000

      Posted

      Yes, I also will continue to post for the same reason.  I really just wanted to reassure Meg that she'll probably hear more problems discussed than great recoveries if you know what I mean.  

      I'm gobsmacked by how well I seem to be doing and keep expecting something to come along, smack me in the mouth and say "Hah, that'll teach you".  I can't believe this time last week I was feeling so poorly from the morphine and wondering if I'd done the right thing. 

      Cels xxx

  • Hailea
    Hailea toto64676

    Posted

    I also meant to say if you are limping you need to see your GP about some physio to re train your pelvis to walk in a balanced way. 
  • renee01952
    renee01952 toto64676

    Posted

    Hi Toto, 

    As said here before: do not compare your self with others - hell,  even my own 2 THR surgeries cannot be compared - 

    It is discouraging at times, we all know that - The leaning over to one side and limp might be something your PT can help you with - My problem is that when PT asks me to walk, i do it perfect ... no leaning,no limping - but those are just maybe 10 steps under his watching eyes ... 

    my scars still do a number on me - they pinch, do little stabs etc - 

    Gentle massage with nice cream or oil might help - 

    just go with whatever mood hits youeek  - all part of the this interesting road to recovery

    Angel blessings

    renee

     

  • toto64676
    toto64676

    Posted

    Thanks everyone for your advice and help.  The good bits are I can now stand up without pain, before the op I could not get up out of a chair without help and standing in a queue was agony.   The pain  in general is greatly reduced so overall I would have to say the op was the right thing to do and I am being to impatient with myself regarding the limp.  
  • AnnieK
    AnnieK toto64676

    Posted

    Toto, limping can have many different causes. It is true that most people are able to walk unaided after THR by 10 weeks. Sometimes it takes a bit longer. For others, it make take quite a bit longer, but they will eventually get there without interventions. For a few others, like me, there is a problem that cannot be solved by time and healing. I was getting impatient at 10 weeks, too, and at 8 months I still have pain and limp. I will be having surgery to repair torn gluteal tendons/muscles which never healed after they were cut for surgery, who knows why. My case is unusual and rare, but complications can and do happen. 

    So only time will tell. Make sure you inform your surgeon and any other doctor you see of the problems you are having, in hopes that they can order physical therapy or other measures that may help you. Certainly leaning badly to one side still at 10 weeks sounds to me like a situation that needs additional help. 

    Best of luck to you!

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