10 days after surgery

[scotty]

Hello all, currently lying in bed healing. Im on ten days after surgery today. I am on crutches(since day 2) and can get around the house ok. I joined the site because i had some concerns about the clunking feeling in the resurfaced hip. Its good to hear that it will go away, The nurse told me that but it was hard to believe. (i was sure something had come loose). It seem i still have alot of work to do with the muscles as i can hardly bend my leg at all. Originally i thought i would recover very quickly from this surgery, Im sure weve all had people tell us stories about the no pain and quick recovery, Well it aint happening here. I looked at my xray taken 1 day after surgery yesterday and i suppose i am a little concerned on the placement of the cup in the pelvis, it is higher than the good hip, Is this a problem?? Is it normal?? Standing upright it still seems my (Bad) leg is slightly shorter than the (Good) leg. Will this fix itself once the swelling goes away?  When does most return to work? I am in Management and told the directors of the business i could be back in 2 weeks. Am i kidding myself....

[ahershberger]

Scotty:
I am also 10 days post op for my right hip and thought I'd be doing better as well.  I am young, thin, fit and have always been very active. I tried yesterday to extend the time between pain meds (because I am having trouble with constipation) and was miserable for half of last night.  As everyone on this site will say, there is no way to predict or know just how long it will take before we are back to being able to do most things without effort.
My PT just graduated me yesterday to one crutch and the cane; but I can tell by the evening that I definitely need the crutch.  The cane isn't enough.
So hang in there; 2 different nurses (both male) told me that I won't feel very good for at least 2 weeks.  Only after that, you begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Take Care.
Alison
BHR/8/4/08/Dr. Scott Cook

[dgm]

I know it is difficult to be patient but it is important to remember that everyone recovers at different rates.  While I will say that my pain was gone right away (while experiencing a lot of muscle pain on the entire surgical leg) I felt crummy during the first two weeks.  Week 3 was better and during week 4 it was like something clicked into place and there was dramatic improvement in how I felt and my mobility.  I am 6 months post-op today and the only reminder of surgery is my scar.  I still occasionally experience a "slipping" - not quite as strong as the clunking people have described, but I have been told that will go away in time.

Be easy on yourself going back to work - know that you are going to be tired, even when you are feeling better.  If you can start back on a staggered schedule, it might be helpful.  Also know that fatigue can happen anytime, so don't be disappointed and feel like you are going backwards or that there is a problem.  Of course, talking with your doctor's office can put your mind at east, but do know that many of us out here have gone through the same thing.

Keep us posted on your recovery and best of luck!
Denise

[TomBuell]

I know the first couple of weeks can seem difficult, but I think many people on this site can assure you that you'll be feeling better every day.
As for the shorter leg, I know many of us had the sense that one leg was shorter after surgery just because of the way we've adjusted to limping/walking over the years. It can happen, I guess, but it also can be an illusion. I would consult your doctor, or even get a second opinion, before jumping to a conclusion. I know x-ray films also can be hard to interpret.
Just my non-medical opinion.
Good luck - Tom

[Vicky]

I honestly believe most of us have selective memory and only choose to remember the superstar recoveries.  I think the reality is that the majority of patients do recover on the slower side.  This will be like a roller coaster ride, you will have up days and down days.  Some days you will feel like you are full of energy, then the next day you could hit a wall.  It is all normal.  Leg length discrepency or the illusion of it is very common.  I don't think I have ever spoken to one person that did not have the feeling that one leg was longer or shorter than the other immediately after surgery.  I think it took a couple of weeks or so for mine to dissapear, but boy, I will tell you, my leg literally felt like it was a good two inches longer than the other leg!  But then again, Dr. Bose did lengthen my operated leg by about half an inch. 

Take your time, listen to your body.  I know that there is NO way I could have gone back to work at two weeks, my mind would not have been all there.  It was hard to keep my attention span for very long, not sure if it was still all the meds that were in my system but I know I could not think very clearly for several weeks after surgery.

Vicky

[stevenp]

At 2-3 weeks post-surgery, I was not comfortable sitting upright for any length oftime (even half an hour!). So going back to work that fast wouldn't work for me. I also still had no energy--a walk around the block wore me out. At 5 weeks my energy is much better and I am sitting up for longer periods, but still not all day.

Be sure to give it enough time and don't push it. Your body is doing some major healing!

[scotty]

Many thanks for the feed back, i am feeling abit better about myself today, putting my head down and concentrating on my exercisers. i slept for 3 hours without disturbence last night, best sleep ive had since the op. ive been told to keep the pain relief up in my system however the constipation thing is always a worry.
Thanks again, i will be intouch and keep you all informed on my recovery

Cheers
scotty.

[John C]

Hi Scotty,
Since you sound like you are going through the same stuff that I was at 10 days, I want to offer some sincere encouragement. Like you, I was very worried about the clunking, and was worried that something was wrong. It was gone by 4-6 weeks, so no worries there. Like you, I read about the fast recoveries, and being a full time athlete, I expected to have a great, fast recovery. Wrong! I felt like I must have been setting a record for slow recoveries, and reading about fast recoveries did more harm than good, because it made me feel like something must be wrong. For me it turned around like a light switch at six weeks, and I am now seeing rapid daily progress. For me the key was to give up my attachment to how fast I was "supposed" to be recovering, and just started looking for those little victories each day, no matter how small. Back to work is obviously personal, but I was still doing a lot of icing and napping at two weeks.
Throw out the comparisons, and know that many of us have been right where you are, and improvement will happen.

[scotty]

Thanks for the encouragement John, I do seem to be gaining little victories everyday, movement in my leg is now much better than last week, just gotta keep up those exercises. Think i will put work off atleast another week, i would be ok except for my leg swells quite abit if i sit too long. Had my dressing taken off last night, now that was a victory, My wife (she is a nurse) told me its time to remove it (day 12 ), I was abit concerned that my leg would open up and everything would fall out Heheh.. She assured me it wouldnt but i still tried putting it off. Finally she said its time so i showered and layed on the bed, My god, talk about pain, i was sure she was slowly removing all the skin around the incision (did i spell that right). We talk about hip pain but this was much worse...... you see the clear dressing they put over the incision was on for the twelve days , however that dressing didnt stop the hairs on my leg from growing. The hairs actually grew through the dressing... Ouch!!!!!! i will never wax any part of my body..... She did offer to put a similar dressing over it again and of course i refused, (practically ran away from her).

Cheers from aus

Scotty

[stevenp]

Ouch. I had a different treatment. Dressing came off on day 2 while still in the hospital. They just left strips of tape covering the incision and said they would peel off on their own eventually. After 5 weeks, 4-5 strips (out of about 20?) are off, and the rest are peeling around the edges. No pain, and the bits of exposed scar look clean and just a bit red.

[Pat Walter]

Hi Scotty

I wanted to say Hi and send some good wishes your way.

The clunking is a strange feeling.  I had it right after surgery and for a very long time.  My doctor says it is from the loose muscles and it will take time for everything to tighten back up.  http://www.surfacehippy.info/faqclunkinginhip.php

I am 2 1/2 years post op now and still have it occasionally when I shift my weight while sitting or sometimes standing.  It doesn't happen much any more. 

I just looked at it as my new BHR talking to me.  Sorta strange way to talk, but I was reminded about my new hip.

Every recovery is different and there is no way to push it.  YOu just have to go with the flow.  The one thing that is sure - eventually we all end up in the same place with a great new hip and no pain. Generally we get our lives back and become active again.  Sometimes people with very bad problems post op are not able to get all the way back to an almost perfect life as they had in their younger years.  Fortunatly, most of us do.  Some end up doing things they had never thought of doing before.

I hope your recovery continues to improve and you will continue to let us know how you are doing.

Sorry about the bandage!!!  We got ours changed every few days.  They use waterproof bandages in Belgium too, but they changed them often so the guys don't have your problem.  Each doctor and hosptial does things differently.

I wish you the Best.

Pat

[takilasunrise]

I definitely could not have gone back to work at 2-3 weeks!  I have a desk job, so I sit most of the day, and going back that soon would have been very uncomfortable.  I doubt I would have gotten much work done!  I went back to work the beginning of my 5th week.  It took me a little more time walking into work because I was still using my cane, but I was pretty much pain free by then (for walking).  Expect some stiffness after sitting awhile when you first stand up and walk.  It may take a good minute of walking before it goes away.  I am 7 months post-op and I still experience the stiffness from time to time.  And I still experience the clunking.  But my incision is getting to look like I've had it awhile!    It did take me longer than what most people stated for themselves to lie on my un-operated side and even longer to lie on my operated side.  And I, too, felt like I was uneven for quite awhile.  And I had to learn how to walk "normal", too.  Sounds like we've all gone through the same things, just at different paces.  One day it will dawn on you and you will say, the surgery really worked!  I feel as good as new! 

P.S.  I had like 28 staples (I already forgot how many!).  I wore a gauze and tape dressing over it for about a week.  My husband changed it for me everyday.  Then at about my 14 day check up, the nurse came in with a staple remover looking gadget and pulled each staple out.  The anticipation of removing them was worse than the actual removal.  It felt like a small pinch for each staple. 

[fenceman]

Scotty,  I am at 11 days and am feeling very similar.

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words.  They help a lot more people than you realize.

[scotty]

Hello all, Its been quite awhile since i last visited.    I am now 6 weeks post op. If your currently within the 2 to 3 week post op i feel for you, However, believe what they say... After two weeks i definatly saw signs of improvement. Keep up with your exercises and you will gain little victories everyday. i have only just started walking without a crutch or stick a few days ago. I was expecting to be walking normally by now however i returned to work in under 3 weeks doing 10 hour days and have definatly held up my recovery. The clunking in my hip has dissapeared, my scar has healed almost perfectly and i am now slowly returning to a normal life. I am feeling a bit of pain over the last few days around the incision area, thier looks to be no infection and i am thinking that now im off the crutch the pain might be coming from muscles in that area that havent been used for years.
I am looking forward to doing stuff again, like mowing the lawn etc. Things you think you would never miss.
A note of encouragement... There is light at the end of the tunnel..

Scotty
BHR 4th august 08

[Pat Walter]

Hi Scotty

Glad to hear things are getting better for you. 

You will feel tenderness and some pains here and there since you are still early in your recovery.  It takes months for the body to get back to normal.  My incision was tender for many months and even now 2 1/2 years post op, it will bother me if I sit on a hard chair or bench. I have very sensitive skin.

Glad you can see the light at the end of the tunnel - you will be able to run thru the tunnel pretty soon!

Pat

[ginnie]

Hey scotty,, a quick question,, you mentioned swelling when sitting for to long,, did you use the TED's at home after leaving the hospital. I am hearing so many different things from different patients about doctors blood clot prophylaxis ?? thanks

[Big Bill]

To all 10 day (or so ) new Hippies.... you are at the right site!    CONGRATULATIONS!  You are embarking on a new chapter of your life  . Browse around and you will surely find the answers to all of your Q's....if not ,make a post and you will be sure to get a response quickly     . To answer one of the last posts ....I used the TED hose alot and they did help me.  It did not help me get closer to my feminine side...enough said. Listen to your doc....follow the rules. At the 3-4 week mark ...look back...then move forward...do not forget where your journey started and take advantage of the new opportunity you have recieved !!!


    Big Bill   C.A.S.H.  7/9/08