THR

Hi Julie nice to meet someone from Milton Keynes. Yes i found sleeping on back a problem was glad when i could sleep on side.had my hip done thru Saxon Clinic. Have other hip op in February 18th 2015

good luck with your recovery

I had trouble sleeping on my back but if u put pillow under your knees it helps and roll a small towel up to put inbetween your legs. I can now sleep on my side but find it more comfortable on my back guess ive got used it

Hi Julie - I had my THR on 5 Nov so am a little ahead of you.  I solved the sleeping on my back problem, by sleeping on my front!  I did this by crawling into the bed from the bottom.  I usually prefer to sleep on my side, but this was a halfway house.  After a couple of weeks, I found that I could sleep of the front of my operated leg at a 45° angle to the bed - operated leg on the bottom so no chance of it crossing the midline - not perfect, but at least I could sleep!  Hope this helps.  (Let me know if the 45° angle doesn't make sense and I'll try and think of a better way of describing the method)

The swollen leg is normal it will go down in a couple of weeks.

What you have to watch is your calf doesn't get hard and discoloration. If thats good then you are fine.

The sleeping everyone goes through it. You can sleep on any position after 4 weeks of post op on your back no sooner. 

Any time sooner you risk dislocation. The reason for the first four weeks is for the cup to adhere to the bone in the socket called bone growth. 

I had gone through this i am 5 months post op RTHR.

No more pain, just therapy they assist my muscle to regain posture and strength.

Cat Naps is better than no sleep.

 

Hi,

Another positive outcome I have just read about, great to see that things are going well for you.  Merry Xmas.

Hi

I put a pillow under my knee when I went for my 2 week check with physio she said its a big No No , because it relaxes you're upper leg muscles as you sleep so all the exercises you do during the day is undone as you sleep , I would recommend you check with your physio first. Trouble is even some doctors and physio say different things but nether the less I would check it out. 

It's obviously not normal to sleep on our backs as so many of us find it so difficult! Does take some getting used to but I'm a lot further down the road (4 1/2months) post op and I'm sleeping on my side again which is bliss! (still wake up for a wee though during the night....age!!)  Swollen legs are normal but need to exercise. Someone mentioned discolouration which I find interesting because after all this time, my varicous veins which I thought had disappeared with the op, have just started to reappear sadly but also my right leg has changed colour, it's more pink than before or than the left leg. Plus I have a lot more little like blood blisters or thread veins which I never had before. Mind the way the bang us about it's not surprising really I suppose!

Hello Julie,  Glad to hear you have come through OK and are free of that OA pain - it is so liberating isn't it!  Leg swelling should go down within a week or so.  Sleeping on your back is a real pain - as everyone says.  I got pressure in my heels from being on the bed so I put a rolled up towel under my ankles which relieved it.  I don't think there's any easy answer to it, you just have to do it for 6 weeks and then you can try sleeping on your side.  I had to have a sleep every afternoon for the first 8 weeks but since being able to sleep better on my side I've had a lot more energy. 

It seems like a lifetime at the time but those 6 weeks will pass and you will soon be feeling so much better. 

Don't do too much over Christmas but enjoy yourself.

Take care and here's to a painfree new year!

Stella x

Hi Julie, i remember your original post asking everyone what to expect, was wondering if everything we all said was true to form for you !, yes, the sleeping on the back is a pain and i thought it would never end, but the time flies by and before you know it you will be able to turn over onto your side, bliss !, takes a while to be able to lie on the operated side as it can be a bit sore, but keep trying and soon it will happen, even for just an hour or so. im 5 months post op. now and the time has flown by, looking forward to next summer as this years was taken up with recouvery, have a nice restfull christmas, from Chris