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I'm sitting on a painful "golfball"

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cindy48619
cindy48619

Good morning to all! I hope today finds everyone feeling well and loved. Today is 10 post op!!! I can't believe it, I am finally starting to feel like a human being.It is hard for me to enjoy visitors because when I sit on anything but my bed it feels I'm sitting on a painful "golfball" on the operated side. I know some of you have mentioned this. What exactly is it and when will it go away?? Should I massage it?

Love you all lol

2 likes, 22 replies

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  • LDW
    LDW cindy48619

    Posted

    Hi cindy.

    i haven't experienced this myself, but have read lots of posts on this site about it. Seems to always resolve and is considered one of the "normal" post op pains.

    if you can navigate yourself to rocketmans website, I'm sure he will have some info there about it.

    lindsey

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 LDW

      Posted

      Thank you Lindsey!  I will do that. If this is the only problem I encounter I think I shall be ok!! Have a wonderful day
    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 LDW

      Posted

      Hi again Lindsey, I took your advice and went on Rocketmans site. (How awesome that he has this website for us). I did find that the golfball pain is normal. He said that excercising the muscles may help it to go away sooner biggrin
    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK cindy48619

      Posted

      Cindy,

      Back from my first few hours at work today, so came back to my favourite haunt for the last 5 months.

      Yes, it will get better - not actually sure that exercise does fix it, but that is the advice I got.  I suspect a mix of exercise, rest and a bit of time is what really does it.

      Best wishes

      Graham - 🚀💃

    • LDW
      LDW cindy48619

      Posted

      Glad that you have some reassurance, which oftentimes counts for more than the symptom disappearing - this has to take time as we heal and recover.

      L x

    • LDW
      LDW Rocketman_SG6UK

      Posted

      how was work?

      and the commute?

      i expect it's great to have something else to focus on, but probably tiring? (Hopefully not painful).

      L x

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 Rocketman_SG6UK

      Posted

       Thank you Graham. I hope that your return to work is going well for you. I spent some time on your website today and was filled with gratitude to you. There is so much information on the basic day to day things that we encounter as hippies. I live in Connecticut USA so it is a devine intervention that when I looked for forums on hip replacement I found this one!! Do you have a sense from what others have said how long this golf ball thing will hang around? I will ask my physio today about it but I think I get better information from all of you who are actually going through the same thing as I am
    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK LDW

      Posted

      Very tiring .... but nice to get back to 'friends I can see'.

      Pain - no, just a little bit of limping, but quite managable.

       

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK cindy48619

      Posted

      Cindy,

      Like everything else about this recovery, it varies from person to person.

      I think mine had gone by 6 weeks, but it wasn't until I heard the hospital physio talking to someone about it that I realised it had gone.

      Graham - 🚀💃

  • josh55
    josh55 cindy48619

    Posted

    Hi Cindy, Yes I have/ had the same sensation. Feels to me like a piece of muscle that is swollen and has a little blod in it. Though by itself its not painful it is simply a

    a knot of muscle and is uncomfortable. If I adjust my butt a little it seems like I can get to where I dont have to sit right on top of it?? Im now 3 days post op and walking around without crutches. I really dont think

    your muscle know is anything to get freaked out about. I often imagine the doctor pulling my bone out of my leg, cutting off part of it, routing out the marrow, sticking another piece in there with a good wack from a ball peen ahmmer , then sticking the bone back in my flesh. LOL

    I only say this because when you think about it , its pretty amazing and you need to expect just a little disconfort!! Go with the flow.

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK josh55

      Posted

      Josh, 

      I was awake for my operations, and it sounded more like my local garage than a hospital. wink

      Graham - 🚀💃

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 josh55

      Posted

      Thanks Josh!! Yes I feel amazed and grateful to the doctor who had to "beat my body up a bit" so that I can have pain free days ahead.I think of the people years ago who didn't have the options that we have.

      You are really well. I too can walk on my own but my physical therapist wants me to use the walker and cane to re-learn the correct way to walk. I will follow her advice, but I can't believe that my beautiful brand new hip is adjusting so well.

  • Skidget
    Skidget cindy48619

    Posted

    Isn't Graham's website FAB!!?  I've had, since waking up from surgery (four weeeks ago), the sensation of sitting on a small pile of rocks (as opposed to a golfball), and get way more answers from this forum than any health professional that I've queried about this. I just found this a few days ago, and this was definitely also what I needed to see:

     “That sensation of sitting on a brick is just the scarring left by the surgery and the consequent swelling. When you have a posterior approach, the incision goes in between the muscle bodies on its way from the skin to the joint. As a result, there will be swelling for quite a long time and it occurs right on your ‘sit-upon’ place! But it's not the prosthesis - that's in far too deeply for you to ever be aware of it.”

    That's a quote from a Nurse Director on the BoneSmart site.

    And, yes, the more time that passes, the less the pain/discomfort affects me. I can sit flatly on my bottom now, albeit with special attention on putting that right side squarely down. Thankfully!

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK Skidget

      Posted

      Thanks for that. Most of what is on there is stuff that I have gleaned from others whilst being on this wonderful forum - thank god for Patient.Info I say biggrin.  It just needed someone to pull it together and stick it on the internet ........ so I took the bull by the horns and had a stab at it.  It was most theraputic too.

      Now I'm back at work, I'll try to keep updating it, as and when I can.

      Graham - 🚀💃

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 Skidget

      Posted

      Thank you Skidget!!! Thats exactly what I needed to here. You are so right that we can get answers here that no one else can give us. They haven't been where we are!! I tend to stay sitting up in my bed to avoid that feeling ofthe golf ball because it is so uncomfortable. But... I don't want to stay in bed for much longer. So you, actually go ahead and sit in a chair even though you feel the
    • cindy48619
      cindy48619

      Posted

      Even though you feel the "rocks"?
    • Skidget
      Skidget cindy48619

      Posted

      Yes...give it a shot! Rocks and all!  : )  I think I was wondering if not attempting to sit flatly would create a problem, and Lovely Renee chimed in right at the right time, saying that her PT strongly suggested trying to sit as correctly as possible. So, egads, it felt so weird then...still does! But each day shows a wee bit of improvement in that regard.  Also,a really soft throw pillow, on top of my wedge cushion, made things a lot more pleasant. Sitting on something hard (yet supportive) was not helping my rock sensation. 

      You are so right, that the THR medical personnel haven't been where we are...if they had, I know they'd answer questions quite differently, e.g. when I asked the intern ortho surgeon at my 3-week f/u a few very specific muslce spasm and fascia questions, he answered, "it's 'just' pain from the surgery."  Thanks, Doc. haha!

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 Skidget

      Posted

      Thanks Skidget!! I will march on through this. It helps to know that this is what you did as my fear of course is unintentionally hurting myself. I think all will be fine!  biggrin
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