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Post hip replacement problems

Posted by hipgranny1956 @hipgranny1956, Jun 20, 2023

I had hip replacement 6 days ago and the first two days went according to everything I was told but on the third day I tried to walk around and I had excruciating pain in my lower leg down the tibia or shin bone and my knee and the side of my knee was horrible burning pressure tingling just a deep deep ache. I kept trying to walk but it would make me cry out. Went back to orthopedics they did an x-ray and there was no fracture. But they really don't know what's wrong he put me on gabapentin for possible nerve damage somewhere and this is my first day taking it I'm not feeling great on it in fact I feel like I couldn't even get up and try to walk for feeling a little unstable. I just wondered if anyone else had that problem and did it resolve on its own or did they find the right solution? I go back next week for my first visit and I'm praying for some progress as I take these pills and get through the next days of hopefully being a little active.

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rudyhcob | @rudyhcob | Jul 24, 2023
In reply to @linnie1948 "Good to hear! My home healthcare worker was supposed to coordinate my p/t but she did..." + (show)
@linnie1948

Good to hear! My home healthcare worker was supposed to coordinate my p/t but she did not as she did not know that I was going to have to use a walker for six weeks. She thought that it should have been 4 weeks. She actually asked me to ask my surgeon to make a change from 6 weeks to 4 weeks. Of course when I asked I was told that I required the full six weeks. Long story short she never coordinated the outside p/t and we only found out later on that it was HER job to do that. When we called the p/t place we were told that we had to wait almost a month. I figured they were busy and I did not question it. When I had my first appointment for the evaluation I told the p/t that I felt as though I was way behind in my progress because I could not get an appointment sooner. She got a bit upset and said that their surgery patients were usually given appointments right away. She went to the registration desk and all of a sudden there were MANY openings that were available. How could that be? I lost faith in the entire process from the get go. My doctor, home healthcare worker and p/t we’re all part of the hospital and therefore they were all supposed to be on the same page. I’m tired of falling through the cracks and thank goodness I was doing my home p/t every single day so I wasn’t as much behind in my progress as I might have been. As they say “ you don’t know what you don’t know”. I was angry because the whole process involving p/t did not go as it should have as more than one person dropped the ball and I paid the price for it.

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You didn't drop the ball; they did. Today if you don't advocate for yourself, no one is going to do it for you.

There's a problem with hospital p,t,. Insurance allows them to cover only that area within 30 minutes,

Do you homework and research diligently..there's lots on the net. Only do what feels right and you should be starting now.

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hipgranny1956 | @hipgranny1956 | Jul 24, 2023

I'm starting formal PT this week. I will just have to work a little harder to get to where I need to be at this point. Thank you for your post.

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hipgranny1956 | @hipgranny1956 | Jul 24, 2023
In reply to @rudyhcob "I had a sudden onset if pain right before covid so that I couln't see a..." + (show)
@rudyhcob

I had a sudden onset if pain right before covid so that I couln't see a doctor for a year. It turned out that i needed a hip replacement. I agreed but i had severe pain for a year post op, but the doctor said there was nothing wrong. He sent me to a spine surgeon who saw the the hip was overlengthed by over 2 cms and this elevation caused my pelvis to impact my other hip. I had a surgery on my other hip. The doctor said I wouldn't need pt, but I knew I was in trouble. It's now a year post op. I found a great p.t a few months ago who is also a mixed martial instructor, I'm a Pilates instructorm but didn't ptactice throough this time. I just started additional rehab with he. Both have helped, but I have pain and my activities have been severely curtailed. I've gotten to the point where I'm consistently frightened and anxious about ever healing properly.

It's so not like me. I had several back surgeries and worked my way through them. I was younger then. I have not been able to get a therapist since covid filled everyone's practice.

I hope I can find support.

Thank you

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I wish you all the best outcome! We can't give up. I agree with others who say We must be our own advocate. I'm trying to do that now that I've gone through what feels like dismissing me me to figure it out for myself.

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1 reply
rudyhcob | @rudyhcob | Jul 24, 2023
In reply to @hipgranny1956 "I wish you all the best outcome! We can't give up. I agree with others who..." + (show)
@hipgranny1956

I wish you all the best outcome! We can't give up. I agree with others who say We must be our own advocate. I'm trying to do that now that I've gone through what feels like dismissing me me to figure it out for myself.

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thanks for your wishes. I've had to advocate for myself. Thank heaven my son found this p,t, she got me out of the horrific stage. Before that I had days where i would curl up all day long and they wouldn;t givr mr meds. I couldn't gt through to my surgeon with all the p.a's and np's in the way. My p,t, is out of pocket, and I haven't been able to work for three years, but it's worth it. This is the kind of decision you have to make.

Going back to my Pilates mentor was also good. I was so afraid at that point. She's been so great/ I have all my equipment from my studio so I practic all the time.

You've got to find your own balance. That;s hard to do but pain is a great motivator.

No we can't give up because we want our lives back. You'll get discouraged but just come back up again. we can all plow through this with support

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1 reply
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Jul 25, 2023
In reply to @rudyhcob "I had a sudden onset if pain right before covid so that I couln't see a..." + (show)
@rudyhcob

I had a sudden onset if pain right before covid so that I couln't see a doctor for a year. It turned out that i needed a hip replacement. I agreed but i had severe pain for a year post op, but the doctor said there was nothing wrong. He sent me to a spine surgeon who saw the the hip was overlengthed by over 2 cms and this elevation caused my pelvis to impact my other hip. I had a surgery on my other hip. The doctor said I wouldn't need pt, but I knew I was in trouble. It's now a year post op. I found a great p.t a few months ago who is also a mixed martial instructor, I'm a Pilates instructorm but didn't ptactice throough this time. I just started additional rehab with he. Both have helped, but I have pain and my activities have been severely curtailed. I've gotten to the point where I'm consistently frightened and anxious about ever healing properly.

It's so not like me. I had several back surgeries and worked my way through them. I was younger then. I have not been able to get a therapist since covid filled everyone's practice.

I hope I can find support.

Thank you

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Good morning and welcome to Mayo Connect. I see that you have already connected with one of our most determined and encouraging members @hipgranny1956.

Most of us who come around looking for help after hip replacement are not the (to me) mythical patient described by my surgeon - one who is "back to normal" in 6 weeks. By the way, I winter in South Texas among over 100,000other seniors and retirees - I have yet to meet anyone who was at full strength & power at 6 or even 8 weeks - all of us had issues with pain, or fatigue, or like my friend Bob "not being ready to swing a golf club yet...but I can practice putting, walk and I hurt less..."

Like you I am a veteran of way too many ortho surgeries, and trying to avoid even more. So PT and daily exercise are my life now, just to keep on going.

I have a suggestion about what you describe as feeling"...consistently frightened and anxious about ever healing properly." Please take a look at this powerful little book, "The Way Out" by Allen Gordon and Alon Ziv.

I had to take myself off to a pain rehab clinic because I was truly in that place of fear, and found it made the pain ever worse. Following the model, I have worked with my doc, PT & a counselor to learn which pain is meaningful - like when my granddog strained my arm last week. And which pain is exacerbated by my brain. Then I know when to adjust my activity and when to adjust my attitude. I will never be pain-free - too many ailments and too many miles on my body. But I now know which pains mean danger, and which I can work my way through or ignore. For the first time in 20+ years, I am not suffering daily, severe neck and upper back pain - and when it comes at me, I have coping strategies.

Hang in there, with your background and determination, you can get your life back!
Sue

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1 reply
rudyhcob | @rudyhcob | Jul 25, 2023

Thank you so much. I'll down load the book. I get up early, but for the last several months, i get a panic attack the moment my leg twitches,

20 years of being a pilates instructor gives me a lot of awareness. When I closed my studio I kept my apparatus. At least I can do zoom sessions and homework. Life is all about rehab. I'm sorry about all your surgeries. I'll get the book and share\

REPLY
linnie1948 | @linnie1948 | Jul 26, 2023
In reply to @rudyhcob "thanks for your wishes. I've had to advocate for myself. Thank heaven my son found this..." + (show)
@rudyhcob

thanks for your wishes. I've had to advocate for myself. Thank heaven my son found this p,t, she got me out of the horrific stage. Before that I had days where i would curl up all day long and they wouldn;t givr mr meds. I couldn't gt through to my surgeon with all the p.a's and np's in the way. My p,t, is out of pocket, and I haven't been able to work for three years, but it's worth it. This is the kind of decision you have to make.

Going back to my Pilates mentor was also good. I was so afraid at that point. She's been so great/ I have all my equipment from my studio so I practic all the time.

You've got to find your own balance. That;s hard to do but pain is a great motivator.

No we can't give up because we want our lives back. You'll get discouraged but just come back up again. we can all plow through this with support

Jump to this post

I’m six months out from a complex hip replacement. If someone had asked me three months ago if I would ever do it again I would have found it difficult to answer in the affirmative. Today I am almost pain free and feeling better than I had in YEARS. Yesterday for the first time in many years I skipped the mid day acetaminophen. Wow. That was huge as I had been taking it round the clock for so many years that I can hardly remember a time when I didn’t take it.

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susanfalcon52 | @susanfalcon52 | Jul 26, 2023

Pain and anxiety do go hand in hand. First thing in the morning, (now) I come down the stairs saying “ouch” “oh” “ugh” the whole way. My husband says that I am less vocal today - one month out from surgery.
I get coffee and then I go straight to this site. The pain is worse first thing in the morning because I haven’t had any pain medicine. I immediately think that I’m going to be in terrible pain all day. Then, I think I will be in terrible pain for the rest of my life. Some Jedi mind control is definitely called for here!

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2 replies
hipgranny1956 | @hipgranny1956 | Jul 26, 2023

I agree with everything you said except after my surgery for some strange reason I don't want coffee. It doesn't sound good to me right now. I'm about to go for my 6 weeks check up tomorrow and still feeling like I'm a little behind in my recovery but as I said in a previous post I had a couple setbacks so my husband was in the hospital I was only two and a half weeks out and I was walking the corridors a lot with my Walker that I was really sore and stressed . I came home to take care of him which was my first priority. I'm getting back to doing what I need to more often for my best recovery. Good luck to you. I love this sight for all the 'help and insight from those who have gone before ❤️💪

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Jul 26, 2023
In reply to @susanfalcon52 "Pain and anxiety do go hand in hand. First thing in the morning, (now) I come..." + (show)
@susanfalcon52

Pain and anxiety do go hand in hand. First thing in the morning, (now) I come down the stairs saying “ouch” “oh” “ugh” the whole way. My husband says that I am less vocal today - one month out from surgery.
I get coffee and then I go straight to this site. The pain is worse first thing in the morning because I haven’t had any pain medicine. I immediately think that I’m going to be in terrible pain all day. Then, I think I will be in terrible pain for the rest of my life. Some Jedi mind control is definitely called for here!

Jump to this post

I just read this "...The pain is worse first thing in the morning because I haven’t had any pain medicine. I immediately think that I’m going to be in terrible pain all day. Then, I think I will be in terrible pain for the rest of my life. Some Jedi mind control is definitely called for here!"... after coming from seeing my pain psychologist, where I reported a pain-free neck for the first time on maybe 40 years!
She reminded me, near the end of our appointment, that there WILL be relapses and exacerbations in the future, and I need to resist jumping back into thinking "I will be in terrible pain for the rest of my life."
In the mornings, when I am most stiff and sore, I do some flexing exercises before and immediately after getting out of bed. If it feels like a possibly bad day, I step into the shower and ease my muscles with some nice hot water. Then I get dressed and head for the kitchen.

I have also incorporated some mindfulness and deep breathing exercises in my day, and especially use them when I am frustrated by what I cannot do, or because I have overdone and know what is coming. And at least once a day for many years, I have paused to be grateful. It was hard to do after hip surgery, and when in pain, but I would pick any little thing I could - maybe even a song I liked on the radio.

Hang in there - it does imperove.
Sue

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