Swelling

[claudia]

I was going to post in the thread already started about limb swelling but my situation is a little different.  It's also got me worried...
As Ive stated before I was on the "Slow program" after surgery with Dr. Gross.  I'm at 12 weeks now and on and off a cane.  For most of the 12 weeks I've had minor swelling but since then I actually only started putting full weight on the hip at about 9 weeks.  I stayed on 1 crutch a bit longer and the cane as well because I was still a bit wobbly without the cane.  I also limp badly without the cane.  (I limped for a year before the surgery)
Well, at 12 weeks I have been much more active but the operated leg is swelling really bad.  The calf and ankle.  It's not a clot as I had it checked out by doppler ultrasound.  I pretty much HAVE to put a compression stocking on in the morning but it still swells badly with activity.  I elevate my bed at night but still lots of swelling.  So - it really got bad when I took a trip to the mountains and felt so good that I probably did wayyy more than I should of.  And - I was not using the cane at all which I probably should have.  We own a rental and I was planting, helping my husband cut trees, cleaning , repairing, you name it.  It's 95 degrees at home and I have to wear these dang compression stockings otherwise the leg is 3 times the size of the other. 
I contacted Nancy and she said that the swelling should be pretty much gone by now.  Really?  It just started!  Definitely related to increased activity.  She prescribed Mobix for me which I hope helps but just wondered if anyone on the slow program had this happen.  I'm concerned I did something to the hip and or maybe something is going on in there?  Could the device in the acetabulum slip?  Dr Gross is out of town and will get back with me on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Concerned.

[Joe_CA]

Hi Claudia,

Sorry about your issues. I hope your condition will soon improve. I didn't have any swelling at all (bilateral Dr. Gross patient back in December 2016), so I can't be of much help there. It does appear to be late in the game to have swelling 3 months after surgery though. I hope Dr. Gross's staff will have an answer for you.

I'm replying to help assuage any concerns about device "slippage"/loosening et. al. I'm not an expert of course, but I was kind of paranoid about device issues, and had a few questions to ask the staff about the likelihood of those unfortunate issues occurring. I was relieved to hear that device failure is extremely rare (for Dr. Gross), and it would take the equivalent force of jumping off a 1-2 story roof to get a cup/cap to "slip".

This advice made me feel much less worried. I hope it will ease your concerns as well. You have less  bone density, and that is why you've been put on the "slow" program. Again, not being a physician, I am still of the understanding that this doesn't place you in any additional risk categories for device failure than the rest of us. I think your density levels only increase the chance of a femoral fracture during the initial months post-surgery.

I hope your condition improves (hopefully the swelling is related to more activity, and nothing else).

Good luck

[catfriend]

I didn't have my surgery with Dr. Gross, and I wasn't on a slow protocol, so take my experience with a grain of salt. I experienced periodic swelling long after this. I would experience swelling if I did a lot of walking. I would also experience swelling if I was too sedentary (long hours at the desk or a long car drive). I would swell up in the heat. None of these were extreme, and they weren't persistent. They were all situational. This was also consistent with how I healed from past injuries and surgery.

[Owl]

I'm 16 weeks post-op and was on the extra-slow recovery program due to some severe acetabular erosion and the need for bone grafts (6 weeks 10% weight bearing, ramping up to full WB over another 6 weeks, then on to two crutches, one crutch, and finally just a cane which I'm still using.  I have some persistent swelling in my calf and ankle which is worse when I'm sitting at my desk at work most of the day.  Elevating it helps some and it's near normal after a night in bed.  My PT said it just takes a while for the body to figure out what to do after major surgery.  Everyone is different.