Surprising pain level after surgery

[Suki]

I am 5 days post op for a THR revision; socket and ball changed, existing implanted femur remains.  I required the revision because of a fall in early winter that resulted in multiple dislocations or partial dislocations.  I wore an abductor brace from December until the surgery, or 22 weeks. The other hip is also a THR and was not harmed by the fall.

Doc removed old socket, changed the orientation, and installed a new larger ceramic ball. He says the surgery was " textbook" and that he found very little scar tissue or debris;  he twisted, pulled and pushed and generally mauled the hip to assure himself it wouldn't dislocate without major trauma.

All of that as a preface for my question---should I still feel as though a truck ran into my hip, maybe 5 or 6 times?  I am sore, achey and can bear very little weight on the hip though doc says weight bearing as tolerated. I sort of creep along using my walker, wiith nothing like a normal gait.  It hurts getting up, getting down, and climbing stairs in either direction is a bear....  I am doing my PT but cannot do some of those without assistance.  I am using my "GameReady icer" most of the day.  I was on 24 hours per day while in the hospital, but I am not sleeping with it now that I am home.  My hip hurts, my muscles hurt, my groin aches, and I am generally a miserable human to be around. Even I don't like me.  And I am running a slight fever in the evenings.  I am taking 1/2 my pain meds at a time, and if that doesn't cut my misery to tolerable, I take the other half.

I don't remember having this sort of pain, aches, pulled muscles, general feeling of "this is too much"....after either of my previous THR surgeries. 

Please let me know your thoughts.  I am scared.

Suki

[WTW15]

While I can't comment if it's right or not, and maybe you should check with your doctor, I will say that I ached, hurt, etc for a couple weeks after surgery and after watching the surgery videos online, it's no wonder...... 

[obxpelican]

With your surgery your doctor probably had to do a bit extra to get it right, the fact that he maniputlated you so much to make sure you would not dislocate again could also contribute to the pain you are having.

I would let it go to about 10 days before worrying too much.


Chuck

[OtterDriver]

Hello Suki!

Sorry to hear you're not having a good time.  My experience doesn't compare to yours at all...so can't offer any advice other than to contact your surgeon if you need to put your mind at ease!?  You apparently went ahead with the Doctor in Anchorage?

Good luck to you!

Bruce

[Dan L]

You have been through a lot, and it is very early in the recovery phase, so it seems like the pain is probably reasonable.  Although many do not like to, if me, I would take the amount of prescribed pain meds, because if you are in pain, you're less likely to heal as fast.  Stay ahead of the pain, and ice, ice, ice, and that should help get you through the first couple of weeks.  You'll need less meds in a short time anyway.

Just my 2 cents,

Dan