Just curious when folks started backing off thier Meds and also when they started sleeping on thier operated side?
Only meds I was on at home were extra strength Tylenol for pain / inflamation, aspirin (350 mg) for clot prevention.
I was doing the Tylenol for about 2 weeks at full strength (3X / day, 2 pills), then backed them down significantly the last week, completely off by the third week.
The aspirin I did for about four weeks (as advised), then the TEDs came off, the aspirin stopped and then... drug free!!!
Sleeping on operated side - about four to five weeks for me. Used a pillow between the knees for the next few months.
Hydrocodone/APAP for maybe five days @ night...a week of self-injected (lotsa fun) blood thinner followed by daily aspirin for three weeks. Started sleeping on the operated side @ week five with knee pillow...still occasional tenderness as I position myself.
I took the Oxycontin once a day for three days. Never did take any of the Oxycodone for additional pain. Then I took acetaminophen as needed which wasn't very much. Ice and elevation seemed to be a much better pain reliever.
I think I started rolling on my good side about a week after with two pillows between my legs. This was only for short periods. By the third week I was able to roll on my operated side for short periods again with two pillows between my legs.
Dan
Thanks guys. Your meds are slightly different to the ones I'm on, though probably serve similar purpose.
I'm tramadol for pain, diclofenac as an anti flam & asprin for blood thinning. I've not had to where any TEDs at all which sounds like a bonus. I've also been taking zopiclone (sleeping aid) which has really helped me get through the nights since the op. I'm trying to back off that & the tramadol now - but gradually. I'm 2 weeks post op today.
Good to get an indicator on when I can sleep on incision - looks like it'll be another couple of weeks.
Sleep's so darn important isn't it? For me it was one of the key motivators to getting the op done. Once you start losing sleep, it impacts other parts of your life.
Looking forward to drug free sleeping soon!!
Forgot to mention that the narcotics themselves were disruptive to sleep, would wake up mid night every couple of hours, (perhaps my body waiting for the next dose) such that getting off them also helped with sleep in and of itself.
For me, tramadol itself, which I've taken for years for chronic spine pain and works extremely well during the day with very, very few side effects (2 spinal fusions 20 years ago), prevents me from sleeping. I can't take it any closer than 6-8 hours before bedtime and get any sleep. A well-intentioned pain management doc had me try the 24 hour version a couple months before BHR, and I did not sleep at all. In the past darvocet (since taken off the market) and now the replacement vicodin does not have that klind of sleep-disrupting effect. One vicodin (which also contains tylenol) and one 8 hour tylenol helps with night pain greatly and allows sleep.
Hope it helps.
Dan
Thanks Dan. Looks like I'll be backing off the tramadol at the same time as the zopiclone then. I have already backed off from initial prescription and hope to be off most meds by Christmas, which will be about 5 weeks post op.
I backed off the tramadol too much the other day and regreted it for the next night & day. Gradual is best it seems.
Cheers
Simon
Check my thread in hip stories for a detailed log of recovery
best wishes
G
Hi,
Since asking this question over a month has past, I'm now at 7.5 weeks & can only manage 20-30min max on operated side. I'm not sure if it's scar tissue or minor swelling - or a combination of both. I'm exercising well & cross fiction massaging scar so doubt there's an issue. Really just curious if there are others out there that struggled with the sleeping on operated side for this long. It would be good to give my right shoulder & collar bone a rest!!
Is it actually the incision area and the deep muscles around the incision that hurt? Is it possible that it is a tight IT band or psoas that prevents you from sleeping on your side?
Aerial
Good question mate & I reckon you're on to something. I can handle cross fiction deep massage on incision so it can't be that. It could quite possibly be my IT band & Glute on that side. It's hard to explain, it not overly painful, more like a stinging uncomfortable pain. There's two areas as I adjust on my side, one is right on top of outer hip (possibly IT band) & could explain referred pain to my knee sometimes. The other is possibly my glute.
I'm seeing PT on Thurs so will ask her about it.
Cheers for that.
Hi
As you know, I was 2 weeks ahead of you for the op and I was sleeping comfortably on my right hand side (operated) by Xmas. Sometimes I will get a stinging sensation if I sit 'strangely' - have not yet defined the strange as it only happens occasionally. So I hope it has come right for you by now.
Rachel
Hi
Aeries - just read your reply here!
My PT thinks Areal could be right in that it's the IT band, possibly combined with some minor swelling that remains.
It has got a bit better since last post but still unable to sleep for long periods on that side.
It'll go eventually I'm sure & doesn't seem to impact my current exercise routine. The only time I notice it is when I lie on my side on a firm surface or in bed after 20-30 mins.
Cheers
Turns out the swelling was bursitis (inflammation of a bursa), apparently quite common after hip operations. I had a cortisone injection and swelling went away within 72 hours.
I am three weeks four days post-op. Two nights ago I figured out a way to sleep on my operated side for a couple of hours at a time. I stack two pillows under my head and one pillow under my waist/hip area. If the right pillow is used and positioned properly it elevates that hip and takes most of the weight off the incision. Hope this helps.
Cheers Jennifer. I'm not having a major issue with it now but I think I'll try your idea as I still struggle with lying on that side and I'm at 12 weeks! I'm sure it was just the bursitis all this time.
In reading your posts you've given me some food for though. I have had pain in both my hips for years. I have had more pain in my right hip than my left. I finally get through the years of the pain and can take it no more. So life leads me to Dr. Su and he has an MRI done. Turns out my left hip is in far worse shape and is the one he resurfaces. My right hip just shows moderate arthritis and still some room that will allow for some ROM. Dr. Su says he is just not seeing in the MRI the justification for the pain in my right hip or to have it resurfaced at this time. This baffles me, again because my right hip hurt so much more. I am going to ask him on my follow-up on the 27th if he can test me for bursitis in my right hip.
The bursitis was not painful like OA. My OA pain was on a totally different scale. The only time I felt any pain with the bursitis was when I was lying on my side & it's more of an uncomfortable stinging pain.
It'll be interesting to hear what Dr Su has to say about your situation. All I can say is that I know X-rays don't naturally correlate with the amount of pain you feel. Still makes little sense why you'd feel so much more pain in your moderate arthritis hip. As you say - baffling.
Let us know how you get on.
Kiwi,
I had my first follow up with Dr. Su yesterday and I indeed have bursitis in my right hip. It was really bad and had gotten to the point of shooting pains. Apparently bursitis can get pretty bad. For a year it had hurt worse than the arthritis in my left hip. When I read your posts the thing we had in common was the sleeping issue. My right hip always hurt worse at night trying to sleep on that side and in the first few hours of the morning. He gave me a cortisone shot and the pain is gone. So I can keep up on it by icing, stretching my IT band and NSAIDS. The great news is I don't need surgery on my right hip for quite some time and now I understand why. The pain was very confusing to me.
:)
That's good news, Jennifer.
Hi Jennifer,
Glad you've sorted it & at least there's some logic behind the mixed pain messages now. I hadn't heard of or read about bursitis until my PT mentioned I may have it.
Good to get to the bottom of these things - especially when the solution is as simple as a quick jab! I am only just starting to sleep on my operated side now - at 14 weeks!! I put this down to both the bursitis & IT band.
Cherz
Kiwi
I just read this thread with some interest because at 17 days I am still sleeping strictly on my back - and I don't sleep well on my back. I've tried rolling onto my non-operated side with pillows between my legs but I feel increased "pressure" in the hip/incision area and I'm concerned about dislocation. Rolling onto the operated side is too painful. Is there a transition period that people go through, like first sleeping on the non-operated side, and then moving to the operated side and if so, when did you start doing that?
I've got the foam thingy that I can place between my legs and strap my legs to it, but I've avoided it because it reminds me of.....handcuffs or black leather. Do any of you use that device?
I had that pressure as well and I think it wasn't until 4 weeks when all of my restrictions were lifted that I was able to sleep better and on my non-operated side. I just can't remember!
Non-operated side fairly quickly...maybe a week!? Operated side (w/care) at week five.
Slept on my operated leg about 10 mins last night, 5 days after surgery. Wasn't actually directly on it, I was more on my stomach and lower leg.
Dr. Su
RBHR 4/9/12
Hey stephen1254,
I think it's different for each person, depending on individual recovery rates, surgical procedure & after care instructions.
My surgeon was happy for me to be sleeping on my non operated side with two pillows between my legs from when I was still in hospital. It took me ages to sleep on the operated side, but as mentioned earlier in this thread, it turned out I had bursitis.
Good luck.
Cherz
Kiwi
I'm in with the group moving a little more slowly... Almost three weeks out and still sleeping only on my back. I can lie on my non operated side for a few minutes with pillows between my legs, not even close to being able to lie on the operated side. Also still using two crutches for any significant walk, cane for short distances around the house. I was getting frustrated but after reading lots of posts here I realize we're all unique and recover at our own pace...thanks for all of the info!
At day 17 I was sleeping on my back. Day 22 and I've been sleeping on both sides without issue. It's just a question of time for everything to return to normal.