Sleeping

[mslendzion]

Thanks Kiwi.  Not sleeping is horrible, it is good to have a tool.  Working/living days with little or no sleep is not good. 

[Woodstock Hippy]

I wasn't able to get on either side until I got my staples out.  Then I could get on my sides with a pillow in between my legs but I really couldn't get comfortable, but it kept getting better every night.  This weekend, at 3 1/2 weeks, I'm finally able to get into my normal comfortable positions on either side.  Hang in there everybody, it won't be long until you'll be feeling better at night.

Also, the sweats are almost over for me.  It got bad for a while and I had one four tee shirt night but now I'm just changing once.  I hope its over soon.

[Aerial]

I guess I am in the night sweat club.  I actually have been off narcotics for a day and a half but woke up drenched last night.  Had to change my top and bottom.  What actually causes this sweating?  I am very cold by nature especially in the winter.

[hernanu]

I think I am having a very normal, though somewhat slow recovery. No real issues to speak of, just plodding along letting my body heal so we can increase the recovery work.

Anniee, it's funny that we think we're making little or no progress sometimes, and yet the people around us are amazed at how fast we are improving.
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Boomer

Boomer, join the ranks of the type A personalities here. I think you're making good progress at a reasonable clip, it's just hard to have the one thing we all seem to lack and which is critical at this point: Patience.

I know it's hard and will get harder as you become more mobile and the goodness of the HR kicks in, but you have to be patient, follow your instructions and let that hip heal. You're making good progress from my perspective, but I do know how difficult it is when you just want to get up and run.

[Boomer]

Hernanu,

You are so right! Did my first walk outside yesterday, only about 200 yards with two walking sticks for support. It felt great! I iced all day afterwards while watching football. Then did my home PT at 6 pm. That also felt great. What a wonderful breakthrough day I thought. Wrong!

Up most of the night with pain in all the muscles around my hip. Sore back. Nothing serious, just my body letting me know it was not happy about getting back in the game. And, I did nothing I shouldn't have done. This is just a very difficult surgery to recover quickly from. So, as you said, better to just understand it will take a long time, and be happy with the incremental progress. I did after all take my first notable walk yesterday. And, I did get through my home PT. That's a good day, regardless of what happened afterwards.

I hear you. My recovery is inching along, but that's just fine. Outpatient PT today. Maybe a shorter walk. Whatever. I'm moving around with just a cane. Appreciate your advice. I agree with you. The biggest problem for people posting on this page is our reluctance to let the recovery happen at it's own pace. We try to speed up the agenda, because pushing the pace is what we do.

Thanks for the post.

Boomer

[PistolPete]

Boomer-

Hang in there things will get better.  We've all had setbacks along the way. One day you feel great and you overdo it only to pay for it over the next day or two.  I've done this many times but this is all a learning experience.  Also, don't get frustrated if you read other posts where someone is at the same time post surgery as you but are doing more.  We all progress at different levels and some of us are worse off than others.  My PT said I will have a longer recovery than most because my hip was so bad for so long that the supporting muscles were badly damaged. 

You will get there and it def. sounds like you're making great progress.  Just think that the pain you're feeling today is your muscles and body getting stronger.

[Boomer]

Thanks Pete. I expected a slower recovery because of my age 57, and because my hip was really bad. I'm not frustrated. I keep focussing on the fact that for the first time in a long time, I am getting better every day instead of getting worse. That is the key perspective for me.

I've had great support from family, friends and Hippys like you.

Boomer

[Dan L]

Boomer;

Hang in there pal....

Sleep was a problem for the first 4 weeks for me, much better since overall.  I've had a couple of small setbacks, both seemingly cold weather related that have screwed up my sleep again, most recently over the weekend.  Couple bad nights then it normalizes.

I use the same mantra as you: the day before surgery was the last day this was going to continue to get worse, and each day since has been overall better than that last day with the old hip.  It really does continue to improve as a trend, with little ups and down that seem like minor inconveniences given the scope and depth of what I've been throuugh since early October.  I feel so good about it, I've scheduled my second surgery (although found myself doubting that as I tossed and turned over the weekend!)

I'm keeping my eye on Feb 2013 when I'll be 12 months out from all post surgery limits...

Best regards,

Dan

[curt]

    Hey Boomer, sorry to hear about the frustration.  My guess is that your recovery is not much different from the majority.  Slow and frustrating most of the time, but the general theme of posts is more specific and thence more positive.  There are lots of specific pains, aches and hurdles that most of us Type A, non-whining, should be doing at least as well as the next guy refuse to bring up in the posting. 
    I even wrote some of my problems down in a sort of journal for the first two weeks and then lapsed, but I can tell you that I had forgotten almost all of them (except catheter and getting on and off potty) until I reread them.  My long-winded point is that few of us have had an exceptional recovery, truth be told, and we all over do, under do and expect too much.  The good news is that most seem to catch up in the end.  Sleeping well, walking further, limp gone whatever.  Just hang in there and take what progress you CAN perceive and relish it.  I think you'll find that its still a heck of a lot better than the shizzle you endured before the surgery.

Best for a "funner" recovery,

Curt 

[Boomer]

I am creeping along, making progress and overcoming each obstacle as they arise, just like the rest of you Hippys did. My physical therapist is pleased with my range of motion and stength, which is had to believe considering I have neither at this point.

Today the PT warned me about the Delayed Reaction pain coming my way from the therapy. Nice.

I'm a happy Hippy. The hip doesn't hurt. I'm off the pain killers except for after PT to fight off the dreaded DelayedvReaction pain! I've even gotten used to my wife injecting me every evening.

Please stop mentioning the catheter. That is my nightmare. Nothing hurt worse. The whole idea is barbaric, cruel and inhuman. There simply has to be a better way.

Thanks for posting. I'm doing fine. Drank a toast of Langavulin to Woodstock Hippynyesterdatvto celebrate his fine check up and release from restrictions. Life is good.

How you doing?

Boomer

[Kiwi]

Couldn't agree with you more Curt. I thought I was cruising along pretty well to begin with - a very uneventful first two weeks apart from severe fatigue. Walking long distances (900m in first week) & around the house with one crutch in the first week. I actually started to back off posts as I felt like I was bragging.
Then I get clunking / clicking, swelling & pain just after weektwo, then yesterday massive spasms, more swelling, soreness all around incision & upper leg. My muscles are angry with me & I need to back off everything for a couple of days yet again.

Some days I feel like I'm going backwards & get frustrated. The one thing I keep reminding myself is; where's that horrible arthritus pain that used to floor me? It's gone.... yeah it's frickin gone!

It's early days & in the echo of many - "Take it easy" - "Listen to your body" - "Build up slowly" - "Let it settle".

If only we were aal that patient!

You're not alone Boomer!
Simon

[curt]

         There are things that I still can't do.  Luckily, there seems to be an ever-increasing set of things that I can.  I can reach my foot, I can walk with virtually no limp, roll over at night without thinking about it (too much) and after 10 weeks, I can work at my job again without being in serious pain when walking or sitting.
         I still cannot move my knee too far over center without feeling like I'm at the "edge" of hurting the joint.  I cannot turn left when walking without feeling like my leg is swinging through the turn.  I'm still weak at abduction and use my arms when standing up. 
         When I got the surgery, I was excited by a lot of posts and testimonials of those that were very active soon after surgery.  People doing Ironmans, marathons, blah, blah and blah.  It didn't take me long after my surgery to refocus my goals on the basics:  walking, sleeping and most importantly being pain free from that friggin' OA.  Those are goals that I can live with for now, and after 10 weeks I'm mostly there.  Slower than I had hoped, and certainly isn't on par with getting a number and a timing chip and starting training, but I get pretty excited when I think how far I really have come in 2 1/2 months.
         Lets face it, when early successes revolve around getting off meds, taking stairs foot over foot and using the toilet like a normal person, maybe its OK to let the really big physical improvements come when they come.  I'm extremely grateful for the level of activity I can do NOW, especially compared to where I was before surgery.  I can't wait to see where I'll be a year from now.  Hang in there Boom.

Curt