proximal hamstring avulsion Surgery

Hi upgirl2013 and fellow patients. I haven't been on hear in awhile but I am at 10 weeks post surgery. the process is all to slow for me too. I feel I hurt myself, you repaired it , I should be fine now. It is not that simple. I have the third butt cheek I call it which is my upper thigh being swollen
I have alot of sciatica pain and pain when sitting. I use a small pillow. I am finally able to drive small distances which is uncomfortable but I like being on my own somewhat. I just started doing full up step on stairs but going down is the same. The back part of my thigh is still very numb but tingling if that makes since. I'm going to try to come on here more often as hearing your stories as comfort to mine. noone knows how this really feels unless you have been through it. It is so hard to explain to someone who doesn't know. Sometimes I feel like I have a fake leg. I know it is there but it feels so different than my other leg.
thank you for being here and sharing your story.

@seesa2u I am sorry that it has been too long that I have checked this forum. I hope the swelling at your incision site is going down. The tingling is real and sometimes it feels like someone has slapped me in my hamstring area. I was told that if you start feeling the “fake or peg leg” sensation to stop and ice your area. That is not always possible, and I try to remember to ice when I get home. My PT orders from the surgeon recommend icing twice a day up to 16 weeks post surgery. I can say that I do not ice everyday.

Hi All,
It is has been way too long since my last post. Please accept my apologies for today’s long one.
I am now at 16 weeks post surgery and it has not been easy. At ten weeks my mind started going faster than my body is capable of. The frustration is real. The depression ebbs and flows.
After getting over the sedentary stage of waiting for the cement to cur and the hamstrings to take hold of the anchors then the realization of your limitations set in. Hang in there, the freedom of having your arms back and the weight of the brace off your leg is a fantastic feeling. Using a heating pad at night is relaxing and seemed to take away the incision pain long enough for me to fall asleep.
Stairs and getting in and out of a chair, the car etc.. is not any easy process. I still scrape my incision getting out of the car. My incision is still tender to the touch and sitting for long periods of time is uncomfortable. The nerves at the back of my legs go from itching to feeling like that they have been slapped or ai fell on ice. Sometimes both sensations occur at the same time.
Last week was the first week that I could pick something off the floor with both legs on the ground. It is an awkward position but I can do it. Waiting for my husband to hold the dust pan is really a pain.
PT has been tough these past two weeks. I added bending at the waist, deeper squats, weighted ankle lifts, bridging at different leg widths, box steps, leg presses, one legged bends to the beginning exercises. My PT thinks I could do floor exercises now. I am not sure that I have the mechanics or mental capability to get on the floor. Last time I was on the floor, I was in a fetal position, trying to figure out what had just happened and how injured I really was.
This is the first day that I feel like the muscle is starting to get stronger. I can feel that familiar muscle strain from working out. That actually makes me excited and motivated to do the exercises.
I have been walking almost every day and feel that I am getting faster. I am now at a 20 mile per hour pace. I am not ready for steep hills or long hike, yet enjoying the fresh air.
I made my first trip to the Y since mid June this week. I used the exercise bike on zero tension for 15 minutes, did some arm exercise and then used their table to do my PT exercises. I must confess, it did feel good to go and see familiar faces. I did go into the locker room but not on the pool deck. I hope I can get back to lap swimming after my November appointment with the surgeon. I know my lap swimming mentality would not stick with shallow water walking, even though it would be good for me.
I was not afraid of too many things before my injury and now I look for slipping hazards and other risks a lot more than I want to. I do not like this way of thinking and hope as time goes that will fade.
For those of you who believe in energy work, I recommend a sound bath. I participated in a gong sound bath on Sunday and walked away pain free for a few hours. It was fabulous to cleanse my soul of all the negative energy that this recovery has brought me. It gave me the strength to go back to the gym.
Please keep posting. The support from everyone is important and keep sharing your ideas for coping.

@upgirl2013, good morning,
I felt like you were reading my mind as I read your post. it is hard for anyone to imagine the thoughts that go through my head daily too. why can't my leg just be better, how can I have numbing and pain, I hate the swelling, I can't bend over normal. these thoughts are so real. I just past my 15th week mark yesterday. There has been a mess up with my PT schedule so I couldn't go to the last on the 17th and my next one isn't till Nov 3rd. UGH !. The pain from sitting is so unbearable. I have to use a pillow most of the time. they told me that most of the healing is done by 6-9 months after surgery....UGH again. I am hoping for that day. I am here for a shoulder or an ear and im glad I have you.
hope you have a good rest of the week

@seesa2u please try to do the exercises at home or at a gym. Missing that much PT time will set you back. Try Do topical pain relievers help?
I had to start listing the things I could now do, just to turn my negative thoughts around. I am still happy this happened to me in the summer and our Fall has been warm and dry so far. I can’t imagine trying to navigate ice and snow with the brace, crutches and fear of slipping. I am like you that I get tired of the constant butt pain and useless hamstrings.
Hang in there!!!

It is almost 7 weeks since my surgery. I continue to find all of the above comments very helpful. It helps me know what I am experiencing is not that unusual, and it also helps me to prepare for what may be coming.
Thank you for continuing to post your progress. I do appreciate all the advice and support I have found here.
It felt great to sleep without the leg brace after my 6 week check up. My next check up is at 12 weeks, and he said it should be the last. I question if that should be a final appointment, I don't feel recovery will be complete. Especially after reading some of the above posts.
I am wondering how many follow up appointments others have had?
After laying in bed and slouching on the couch for much of the past 6 weeks, from lack of use, my knee joint pain had disappeared. Unfortunately, with my increased mobility, the old issues are returning. Dealing with weak arthritic knee joints and etc, is proving an additional challenge in doing the physical therapy.
It was difficult for me to do 'squats' with my weak arthritic knees before my accident, and that seems to be what PT requires. I do what I can, and am exploring Hyaluronic injections for my good leg's knee. I had injections in both knees 5 years ago and they worked great. I prefer not to do the steroid injections.
I am just beginning to sit more comfortably, but can not do so for very long. I find that PT seems to make my leg swell more, so I will take above advice and try icing again.
I also have an increased fear of falling. This week was the first time I tackled a flight of 13 stairs. I have the leg strength, but it is often the mental hurdle I have to work through.
I try to celebrate each new task that I can accomplish.
Has anyone tried tracking their step distance since the injury? To track improvement? Not sure if this would encourage or discourage me. At this point, I am wondering if I will ever be up for hiking trails of any grade or length again. Going for hikes and long walks was my previous exercise of choice, as well as hobby and sanity.