Well today is Day 5 post-op. No real changes- still pretty swollen (feels like a rolled up wash cloth), not much pain, icing regularly, taking meds orally with no probs, able to get in/out bed and vehicles pretty easily, moving around on two crutches and able to stand w/o crutches. went to a restaurant last night and had no problems sitting on the wooden bench and eating like a horse! Back to normal in the restroom dept (the meds/anesthesia messed with that a bit). Still doing the isometric exercises. Feeling better everyday!
Thanks again for the well wishes!
J

Jess,

How goes it on day 9?  You and I were the same day with Dr. Gross.  I was the big mouth chatterbox during our last PT session.

You post on day 5 pretty much pegged where I was, although getting into/out of vehicles was not that easy at that point for me.  Today I can walk a mile w/ a cane, am only taking tylenol, and getting stronger every day.  Hope you're doing the same.

Andy

Imgetinold, how is your swelling?  Any knee pain, mine is killing me today. I think it was from an aggressive stretch yesterday? 

No, no knee pain.  I used to get knee pain when the hip was hurting, so none since the surgery.  Actually, the hip had been playing nice for weeks before surgery, so none for a while.

The only pain I've had is what I've read about somewhere in this forum, which was a bit of pain in the front "crease" of the groin, but just brief and mild.

I'm afraid to stretch anything, although my leg/glute is screaming for a good stretch.  What stretches are you doing?

Hey Guys! Sorry for the delay...been catching up with sleep and the mountain of mail!
Hey Andy...so far so good! Pretty much off the pain meds just an occasional tylenol. Swelling is down substantially but still have a ways to go. Still some "tightness" in the hip area and around the front of the hip joint (groin)...not painful just stiff. I'm able to stand full weight bearing no problem, but trying to move..not so much. I can get around the house on one crutch pretty easily though now. I do still have to be careful with my movements...a couple of times my knee has slid inward while in bed and felt like I was close to dislocating! That precipitated some muscle spasm/cramps for a short time...Yikes! :o

1-18-2012 was 1 week post op. The bandages were starting to come off by this time so we peeled them off completely. Holycow was that scary! The bandages had some kind of black coating on them and when we took them off a lot of that coating stuck to the wound...it just looked bad thats all. changed the bandages and also put on the anti bacterial gel and we were good to go. Luckily I was feeling pretty good because that was the day we flew back home. From the time we left the hotel till we pulled into the driveway was 11.5 hrs! That was the part that I worried about the most and it went surprisingly well! Just took the meds and the pain was mild at worst. No problems sitting in the cramped regional jets...we did get a bulkhead seat so that helped some. No problems being out of bed that long either but did lay on the floor with my feet up on the seats in the gate areas while waiting for the flights. Still a pretty good amount of swelling but not really too painful.

Sounds like we're pretty much in the same place, recovery-wise...which makes sense I suppose.  It's really unbelievable, isn't it?

I last took Tylenol on Saturday, and reserve its use for only when I have pain.  Tightness and a little soreness doesn't count, and I've been fine.

That black gook is pretty nasty looking, huh.  My wife - much to her dismay - was helping scrub some off today.  Of course, she now can't look me in the eye.

Glad you got home without incident!

-Andy

Yeah still have some on my leg as well.....too afraid to scrub it off at this point! I did roll over and lay on the operative side the other night by accident/without thinking about it...and it wasn't too bad, but did break the incision open a little bit...it started to drain slightly in one area. Not a big deal but just leaving the bandages off at this point to air the wound out as much as possible and using the antibacterial gel to be safe. Congrats on the recovery so far! Wives....couldn't have done it without them for sure! We're going to go shop for a cane after dinner tonight as well....if I remember right, Evel Knievel had a pretty awesome cane!

J

I've got a hand-me-down cane from my wife's grandmother....so nothing cool at all.  Keep posting.....it's fun to see how close we both are in our recoveries.

1-25-2012 2 weeks post op. Getting around pretty well on the cane only. No pain meds, just the celebrex to prevent heterotopic bone growth, and the blood thinner (xarelto) to prevent clots. Leaving the incision open as much as possible (its almost completely healed). After showering I do apply the antibacterial gel and if I wear something other than shorts and go out, I will put new bandages on just because the gel is very sticky. The swelling is getting better...I would describe it somewhere between the size of an elongated golf ball and tennis ball along the length of the incision. Mine is about 7" long and "L" shaped due to my previous 12" scar from the accident and resulting scar tissue below. He also needed more room to remove the 2 previous screws from the femoral head as well...thus the odd shape? No pain really...just stiffness. Andy mentioned in a previous post that it just feels like the hip and quads/hamstrings just need a good stretching, and I would agree. Am able to drive an automatic easily and get in and out of various vehicles ranging from Camry's (low) to pickup trucks (higher). Still haven't tried to drive my standard yet, but feel pretty confident that I could. I do have much more strength/stability/control in the hip as far as lateral motion...that was a small problem for me early on. Now I don't think about it as much. No pain at all while walking...not sure of the distance daily....just walking around the house and running errands I would guess 1/4 to 1/2 mile..maybe more? I have started off a couple of times without thinking about it and forgotten the cane! Still no pain, but a pronounced limp... psychological maybe? Not sure. It is almost as someone described it in another thread, like coming off of training wheels...if you don't think about it, its almost automatic/natural if that makes sense. Anyways, thats about where I'm at so far! Feel free to add to the thread or ask questions!
J

Sounds good Jess. This was about the time I started really watching my gait, you want to tighten up that walk and get rid of any limp. Won't be possible for a while, but keep up the good work.

Thanks hernanu! I did notice that the cane wasn't as "stable" as the crutch and it forces you to use more muscles in the hip to stabilize  yourself. Our mailbox is about 1/2 mile from the house and the weather today is finally descent enough that I might give it a try. We'll see how it goes!

Sounds great, Jess.  I find that if I walk without the cane around the house, I "dip" when I step on my operated leg unless I really concentrate.  However, when I go for my walk, and I've gotten warmed up, I can walk fine without my cane...no limp.  I went about a mile last night holding my cane as I went.

I am just over a week behind you guys and your input is so encouraging!!!  I've been walking around the house with just one crutch and really concentrating on heel/toe - good form and moderate weight bearing.  Feels good but hard to trust that leg really just yet.  I have a LEKI adjustable cane that we'd bought for my mom years ago when she was dx'd with MS and was still walking.  Had it sent to me and have not tried it yet - maybe after my post op visit on Thurs depending on what the dr says. 


Also hoping to get my driving privileges back :-)  just in time for another snow storm - perfect!  will feel good to go spin some hoolies! 

Jess and Andy - keep up the good posts! 

Good job W! I'm finding "slow and steady" is the way to go. I find myself getting a little too exuberant sometimes!
2-1-2012 3 weeks post-op. Swelling is down, but still have a ways to go yet. The stiffness is decreasing as well. Off the pain meds. Still taking the Celebrex and the anti-clotting med, but thats it. The scar is pretty much healed up and looks way better than the "Frankenstein" scar I got back in '99! I can also sleep on the op side now without even thinking about it...I was a bit tentative before. I am able to walk without crutches/cane off and on. I tried going to the mailbox with only the cane a few times, but it turns out our box is .7 miles from the house so its a 1.4 mile round trip that I was able to do in about :40 min. Its also slightly hilly in our neighborhood so that didn't help! I was sore after those so reverted back to both crutches for a day or two then back to one crutch/cane then no cane around the house. Its easy to over do it....take your time! Also doing light yard work but have to be slow/gentle while doing things. I do notice while in bed if I have my op leg in certain positions I sometimes get muscle cramps about where the incision is...not a big deal just move it to a position that doesn't cause it to cramp! It may be a result of the muscles getting stronger/growing back together? Overall though, so far so good!

Jess

0.7 miles to the mailbox!  Wow....I want your yard!

Mine is about 40 feet.  Sounds like you're doing really well.  My Celebrex was gone a week ago, and I noticed a little more swelling after it was done, but that's gone now.

I also get some cramping depending on how I've been sitting or how long.  Especially in the driving position in the car.  If I splay my operated knee to the side, it helps me.

Congrats on the recovery so far......

Hey Andy congrats on the steady improvement! Yeah, sitting is where it bothers me too....seems to stiffen up some. I have to shift my weight off the op side to get comfortable sometimes...still feels like sitting on a rolled up wash rag or something. Our insurance wouldn't cover the extra Celebrex till feb 2 ( they allow only x amount per month?) the label says 1/day, but the instruction sheet says 2/day. Oh well gonna refill tomorrow. I have noticed after a good soaking hot shower that I can immediately get around without a cane and NO limp or restricted motion in my gait (which is so unbelievable after 13 years!) and NO pain! If I do so after sitting or lying down, it takes a few steps to loosen up after which everything is good. (not sure if its mental though!) Ha! I wish our yard was that big! we have one of those neighborhood or community boxes whatever they're called. Good to see everyone coming along so well!

Jess

Well my dreams  of walking to the community mailbox have be quashed by 12"++ of snow - so will make laps down the 23 steps to the garage, around the garage (it's huge, over 900sqft) we jokingly call it building a house around the garage and then the 23 steps back into the house.   Mountain Living! 
Doc was OK w/ me using the cane so it's a go.  Drove home too - got to get my "slide on" just a little as the snow was just starting to fall.  I love sliding the 'burb!  so predictable.  LOL  Old movies and naps on the schedule for today.   TGIF everyone! 

Sounds great  - you're really starting to kick into gear. Have fun and by the way (... GO PATS!...).

2-8-2012 4 weeks post op. Off of all meds at this point (celebrex and xarelto). I did notice a weird side effect today (2-11) that may be related to the celebrex.....ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Still need to call the dr's office maybe a coincidence who knows. Otherwise swelling is almost gone. The incision is healed but a little sore to the touch or uncomfortable laying on it for long periods of time. Still some muscle stiffness/soreness but not bad once I get moving. It seems worse after sitting for periods of time. Range of motion is ok so far...still trying not to push it till after the 6 wk chk up. No pain while weight bearing. I have noticed the "clunking" while standing at the sink washing dishes or brushing teeth..not audible just feel it. It doesn't hurt or anything just a different feeling. I do occasionally go back to the crutches or cane for a day or two if I over do it on the walking or working around the house. Otherwise no real issues. I am scheduled to head out to Columbia about mid march for the 6 whk chk up (it'll be more like 9 wks at that point due to airline scheduling). Not anticipating anything bad. We'll see what happens! Hope everyone is doing well!

Jess

2-22-2012 6 weeks post op. So far so good..no real problems other than some muscle stiffness/soreness. The hip itself has NO pain from arthritis. I do notice as others have, that while sitting I do get pretty stiff/sore and it takes a few steps to loosen up, but once underway not much as much soreness. Range of motion is pretty good and should get better with the phase 2 stretching. I have noticed quite a bit of muscle weakness and control in motions other than standing and walking. For instance while laying on my stomach with my legs bent 90 degrees at the knees, there is not much strength in trying to keep my left foot from swinging inward or outward (dangerous!). I've also noticed that bending over to pick things up (like a golfer would) is a little weak and unstable on the left side too. I do also notice my left leg is much weaker in climbing stairs obviously. I seem to lead with my right (strong) side out of habit for so long. I think a lot of it is mental as well. Phase 2 should bring back a lot of that strength and stability. Hope everyone is doing well!
Jess