Left hip joint full replacement - 6 week update

[Bob Kontak]

May 24th surgery. Front incision. Home in 24 hours. Percocet 8 per day until first 40 gone - 5mg. Then tapered off over two weeks until one at night. . I have ten left out of 100 total. Percocet on full tilt at first was hallucinogenic but no withdrawal symptoms.

Sister was there first two days but after that on my own save friends dropping off groceries. Walker, pallets underneath couch raising it, metal frame toilet with arm rests to push myself up to walker. Slow going but functional. Biggest bummer was the walker required two hands. Moving stuff (like a sandwich from the kitchen) was hard and a couple trips were required to have a meal. Help would have been divine. All worked out though.

Saw surgeon after 14 days. "You are doing great. Drop walker next week. Use a cane for a week then ditch that." That took an extra ten days to move to cane and I'm 50-50% cane / walking right now. If I lay/sit down it requires about one minute standing to get comfortable taking the first steps. Once moving all good. Not fast - just good.

I have to say the physical therapy guys that came to my house five times in the first three weeks were really helpful getting me situated. They stressed do not do something stupid to mess up the surgery.

First trips (e.g., grocery) out after three weeks were uncomfortable. Add another week and huge improvements came.

Physical therapy at the the nearby facility is a bee-otch. Guy worked me out good yesterday and I was all gung ho. He said you may be a little sore tomorrow. Yes I am. First time for that level of workout. It's sore.

On a pain lever, its a sub five out of ten at the worst. Mostly one to two out of ten and it's honestly annoying at times. However when laying down with ice or drugs or just taking the weight off it's painless.

Six more weeks and I should pretty ambulatory even though I can function slowly now.

Thanks for listening.

[stevej37]

Wow...that's quite an ordeal that you have gone through....but it sounds like it's all working out.
The procedures today are so much better...not as much pain and less time in the hospital.
Follow the therapists directions (I'm sure you are)...they know what is best. (I had one at my home for two weeks when I had a fractured femur. I swore at her a couple times for pushing me too much.)
I used a men's belt wrapped around my foot to lift it for a couple weeks.

Best wishes for the rest of your recovery. Keep us informed of your progress.

[rwest]

Hi Bob,

So glad it is going well for you. A hip is a big piece of gear to have replaced, cannot image the initial pain.

I’m sure the daily sponge bathes from Ronnie helped, but he should have asked first!

Take care and keep us updated as I’m sure it will be in the future for many of us,
Rutager

[Baz]

Hi Bob.....thanks for the comprehensive update and info! Sounds like things are moving along for ya! Pun unintended.

They probably didn't want you using one of those walkers on wheels --- but you know they come in handy to carry stuff. Mom used to use hers to carry her meals back and forth - coffee...water....etc.

Now she's using the upright kind like you probably used but is in assisted living so doesn't have the problem of transporting things - because she has the assistance that you didn't.

The stuff medical science can do nowadays......I just shake my head......

[Tobra]

Have them measure you to make sure you do not have a limb length discrepancy in stance. If one exists, you want a lift on the short side

This is not too bad, taking x-rays to check this is a bit much, IMHO
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Leg_Length_Test

[Rawknees'Turbo]

There's nothing like a TexASS-style sponge bath, Rutager! You can't imagine what you are missing!

[rwest]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

There's nothing like a TexASS-style sponge bath, Rutager! You can't imagine what you are missing!

Oh, I can imagine Ronnie, that’s why I’ve spent the last 2 hours trying to break my own hip!

[masraum]

Outstanding news! Congrats on the successful surgery.

My mom had a hip replaced, I think, about 5 years ago when she was 70. She had the other replaced earlier this year. I think in some ways this surgery was easier and in some ways harder, but both went well.

It's amazing that they can replace such an important, active, structural part of our bodies and have us up and walking in hours. The marvels of modern medicine!

[Bugsinrugs]

Having it done from the front will speed your recovery. My wife had her hip done from the back and it took about six to seven months before she started to really get back to normal. I’m eight months post knee replacement and I am just starting to not think about it during the day. Hope you recover quick.

[fanaudical]

Am glad you're on the mend, Bob. It's better to get this done than to be immobile.

My mom has degenerative arthritis in one hip and should have had it rebuilt years ago. She put it off and now it's too late (nothing to anchor to). I expect her to be wheelchair-bound within the year.

[pavulon]

Robotic assist or no? Some surgeons insist that it be used while others have no interest but not many in the middle. Glad you're recovering well.

https://www.therobotreport.com/7-companies-transforming-orthopedics-with-robot-assisted-surgery/

[Bill Douglas]

Sounds a bit scary Bob, but I'm pleased it worked out well for you. Keep up on the "getting better and stronger thing".

[KFC911]

Hey Bob, sounds like you're toughin' it out with progress being made! Haven't been on PPOT lately .... just couldn't keep up with the forum ....

Hang in there bud!

[astrochex]

Great to hear the recovery is going well, Bob.

Its amazing that you were making it work on your own only days after surgery.

[GH85Carrera]

Keep on getting better Bob.

With no doubt the dumbest thing I did in my life was put off my hip replacement. I had been to the orthopedists, and his words were something like "I will not tell you that you need a hip replacement, you will tell me" and he was right. When walking was so painful, I said, do it!.

He said I had just bone rubbing on bone with no lubrication but some blood.

That side had become shorter due to no cartridge and worn down bone, but it happened slowly. When he cut my leg off, and put in the titanium parts, he missed by 3/8 of a inch to the length of the other leg, and suddenly I was a little bit taller on that side. It took a while to learn to walk properly and not even notice the difference.

After 10 years, I never thing about it, except when I get out of the shower, and I see my large scar.

I hear chicks like scars, but for some reason they all run screaming when I drop my shorts to show them my hip with the sexy scar.

In a year you will not even think about it. Welcome to the geezer club!

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Have them measure you to make sure you do not have a limb length discrepancy in stance.

He was concerned about this first of the year when they took prelim x-rays standing up. My pelvis was angled with surgery side higher and he said I don't know if you are favoring the bad side or if this is the way your pelvis is.

Post surgery x-rays show level pelvis and doc made me take shoes off and studied my stance. No tape measure but no indication of problem.


Here's some of the bad stuff:

Spinal anesthisia only lasted a couple hours and I could sense moderate + pain in the recovery room within ten minutes. It was an hour (or so it seemed) before they gave me morophine and oxycontin. I was then in my overnight room and very uncomfortable.

Pain killers cause constipation. Don't know how all the food fit but lets just say six days after surgery I took two showers in one day and I had not planned on taking one.

Before leaving hospital too much practice with crutches, "Oh, lets do the steps again" Also, "Go pick this stuff up at the drugstore." Too much time to end up home and I could not do the three steps onto the front porch. Had to sit down and scootch backwards with sister reefing on the neck of my t-shirt to get me to the couch. I used a pee jug that night. Next day four pallets were put under the couch. I kind of dropped down into the walker. Way better.

Nothing else bad except over estimsting my strength for going to the grovery. Once with brother, once solo. Just really sore during.

Oh yes, FWIW, a nurse was talking to me at the shop the other day and said "They pop your femer out of the joint and put your leg up by your head". I'm like, "Thanks for that".

No robotics that I am aware of. They e-mailed me a three page summary of the procedure that I can read a couple sentences of and then search on google what they are saying they did. Technical for an acountant.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Welcome to the geezer club!

Thanks, Glen.

Scar is stitched on the inside. Not invisibke but my Dad's appendix scar is way nastier. Maybe five inches long in the front. Just a line. Bypass surgery scar is fairly nonexistant also.

As a side note, the hip pain maybe hits a four out of ten when taking first steps after sleeping but coughing after bypass surgery two years ago was an eight out of ten. I wince just thinking about it.

[juanbenae]

Glad things are improving Bob. I had my right hip done mid Feb of this year by the posterior method. Had my final follow up appointment last week and was give some final instruction on the do's and don'ts for the next 6 months or so.

Even with the posterior method requiring a more involved recovery I could not have be happier with the result. When I spoke to the surgeon and asked why he did not use the anterior method the front side approach like you had. He stated he's been doing the posterior method for nearly 20 years, and he was not going to learn a new technique on his patients when he has "perfected" the posterior. With few choices up where I am I went with it even with friends and family who had the anterior method saying I was not making the right call. I termed them "anterior snobs" as I was leading up to the procedure.

Well with all said and done my procedure went off very, very well. I was off a walker completely in about 4-5 days and off a cane at the 12 day mark. Infact the 1st day I walked into the outpatient therapy at about the 3 week mark the therapist did a double take on his clipboard asking me to confirm the surgery date because he was so surprised with my prompt recovery to that point. He looked my over testing range of motion, pain levels and a few other things before he declared we would be skipping ahead some on the therapy schedule because I could start on the weight bearing activities that many others have to work up to.

This mind you was after snow-ma-geddon up here that was so bad the home care nurse and therapist only visited a couple times in the 1st week before I was snow in and they out. I was moving snow on my quad at the 10 day mark after a few warmup to see if it was tolerable I was spending 3 hours or so a day on it moving snow. All had been going great until at the 4 week or so mark I slipped on some Ice and put my full weight on the new hip and there was something defiantly wrong. The outpatient therapy was scaled back down to less impact and it hurt more than any point post-surgery. About a week after the slip I visited the surgeon and as he looked over the x-ray I told him what had occurred and he said "ya, we see some changes". I had jammed the rod 4mm further into my femur!!! My right leg was always a lil shorter than the left so it's been a non-issue as I have fully recovered.

It is so nice not being in constant pain like I was prior to the replacement. You will be so happy as your get to full recovery.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Thanks, Glen.

Scar is stitched on the inside. Not invisibke but my Dad's appendix scar is way nastier. Maybe five inches long in the front. Just a line. Bypass surgery scar is fairly nonexistant also.

As a side note, the hip pain maybe hits a four out of ten when taking first steps after sleeping but coughing after bypass surgery two years ago was an eight out of ten. I wince just thinking about it.

For my hip replacement, I was in the hospital for two days recovering and they sent me home. That evening my leg began to swell, and swell, and swell. Back to the hospital. I had taken a pain pill 3 hours before going back to the ER. They left me in the ER room for a couple of hours waiting for it to stop swelling. It did not stop. So another doc came in and cut open the stitches and poked around in the open wound looking for an infection. I was in agony, sheer agony and finally said STOP! He told him I had not had any pain relief meds in a long time and he was killing me. They finally gave me some morphine. He could not find an infection and since it was Sunday early morning, they admitted me. My poor wife was up all that time, filling out paperwork. I was put back in my same hospital room.

The ortho doc opened me up on Sunday morning with a full crew on hand. It was cool going into the OR awake, and seeing all the equipment. Then in a nanosecond, I was waking up in my old hospital room.

Final diagnosis after a week, I was allergic to the blood thinner they had used on me, but to be safe lots of antibiotics with a pic line into my heart and 6 more days in the hospital.

No infection was ever found, All was fine and I started recovery. And yea, constipation was by far THE worst part of the ordeal. Passing an baseball bat size turd was not something I ever want to do again.

[E Sully]

My first posterior hip replacement was in Nov. of 2012. I had the choice of in home, but stayed at a nursing home rehab center due to the amount of stairs in my house and my wife at work all day. I was definitely the youngest healthiest person there. I kept the meds to half of what was prescribed, but they were definitely needed in the beginning. Sleeping on my back with a pillow strapped between my legs was not comfortable. Also one of those reacher grabber things is a must. Therapy went smoothy and I was healing nicely. I went home after a few weeks doing pretty well.
Two months after surgery in mid January I remember thinking I was feeling pretty good. It was a rare time when the daytime temperature was in the high 60's with a light drizzle in NY. My wife went to visit a friend and was due back around 6pm. Shortly after the sun set I went outside and was going down my 6' staircase. What I hadn't counted on was as the sun went down, temps dropped quickly to around 30 degrees, and everything was now black ice.
I put my foot on the first step and next thing I knew I was on the ground. Seems as though I had landed on my new hip. I got up and noticed my right foot was pointed 90 degrees right.
I guess full shock was in effect, and I worked my way up the stairs, then made it to the basement and got my crutches. I called my neighbor and asked him if he could give me a ride to the ER, then called my Orthopedic surgeon telling him I might be needing him again. He told me that the ER doctors would check me out and notify him. Then I told my wife to meet me at the ER.
The hospital did their x-rays and such and found I had fractured the femur. My Dr. got to me and said I was going to have surgery again to replace the hip with another one. Trouble was the one I needed was not available and surgery would be put off for 3 days. I was also down about 4 or so pints of blood and needed a transfusion.
It was rather depressing, but I tried to keep my spirits up, and even joked with the Dr. that it should be easy this time, just follow the scar lines from the first one. Pain medications can help that way. So anyway, I got the new hip, along with 4 metal bands around my femur to hold it all together.
I went back to the same nursing home rehab center, but had a lot more healing to do this time. I was there about a week and a half when my wife brought the mail. One was a bill from the hospital for a huge amount. I was not in the best of mental shape from the surgery and medications, and made a quick decision that I was going home. I had to see why I had this huge unexpected bill and felt I had to be home with my insurance records and stuff to see why this was bill was so much money.
The nursing home Dr. did not want to release me. I signed myself out and left 2 days later. I then called the Hospital to try and sort it out, and their response was interesting. The billing department said I should just ignore the bill as it was sent out before they put it through my insurance.
Anyway, It's been a little over 10 years now and all is going well.