How much swelling is normal following anterior hip replacement surgery

@valleygirl1955 I'm a little slow replying, butI had it after all 5 of my hip surgeries, in varying amounts. All I can say is that my docs and my RN daughters and sister assured me it was a normal situation - lots of fluid accumulates during and after surgery. They showed me how to massage it towards my groin while sitting in bed, then to lie down and elevate my legs. This seemed to help a lot.

By now you have seen home health - what was their response to the swelling? Has it changed at all since Sunday?

It is slowly getting some better. I ice as often as I can. Home health came Tuesday and will again today, but since their 1st visit I feel as though I'm hurting more. I have been walking pretty good with a cane but am now having a really hard time raising my leg when that had seemed to be getting more normal prior to 1st Home Health visit. Also, the muscles in the front of my thigh are screaming and so tight. I put just a wee bit of heat on it last night (no where near the incision) and that seemed to help and tiny bit. It feels like I take two steps forward and 1 step back. I really thought I'd be just about back to normal at this point. Guess I was wrong.

Wow, you must be Superwoman to think you would bounce back so quickly from major surgery! At 10 days, your body is still trying to recover from the assault that is major joint surgery, even the incision isn't healed yet. Maybe you'll feel (closer) to normal after 2 months or so, but you will still have a lot of healing to do. Expect to be intermittently tired and sore for up to six months as you increase your activities.

The leg raising "ups and downs" will continue for a while as the swelling and bruising works its way out, and even though the muscles were not cut they were disturbed in the surgery. Let's ask @heyjoe415 where he was at 10 days after anterior hip replacement surgery.

I just assumed I would bounce back a bit quicker. There are stories on line of people being able to walk unassisted after 2 weeks and basically doing their normal activities. I just don't see me being quite there in another 4 days. Oh well, live and learn. I must admit that for the most part it does seem to be a wee bit better every day. I just feel so tired all the time, and often still nauseous. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom and comfort. I am totally winging this alone as my significant other is in prison. I really wanted to go visit him this weekend, but it ain't looking likely. Again, thank you. God bless

I pray things get better for you. I have to have a hip replacement soon also. The ppl I have asked about it says it's not too hard to recover from

It's not too awful bad, I just expected quicker results than is feasible. And, I live alone with no real support system, so it's been a learning experience to say the least. They wanted me to go to in-patient rehab for a fee weeks (maybe 1), but I'm hard headed and decided I'd go home. Probably looking back, I should have done at least a week in rehab. Live and learn

Dear Valleygirl,
Swelling the first weeks is normal, keep in touch with your providers on this (physical therapy, home nurse, clinic, PA or NP, MD). I felt better after one month, but I suspect one year is needed before a patient can relax and believe serious surgical complications (1-2% at least) are not likely any longer.
Activity levels vary, but I believe most surgeons will want you out of bed hourly approximately, when not sleeping. Suggest to do what your surgeon recommends, try not to do much less or more.
I was walking 3000 steps or more the day after surgery, anterior approach, and possibly doing too much the first weeks. Almost no pain, no opioids, except some pain during sleep the first week. But being quite active might have contributed to dislocations at 10 weeks and again at 15 weeks, both when bending at the waist while standing (my unusual lumbosacral features and history of flexibility with yoga contributed?) - and I was advised the dislocations should not have happened, so a mystery why dislocations took place. (I did read a Canadian study indicating the anterior approach can be
associated with surgical complications, similar to posterior approach, perhaps even more so. )
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762906
Bottom line, patience, follow health care provider advice, be cautious regardless of anterior versus posterior approach.
Best wishes

Thank you.

I'm thankful my youngest son moved back in to help me. Im recovering from a surgery and the hip replacement is next, currently using a wheelchair. My left leg of course right now is longer than the right. It has my whole spine out of whack

I completely understand!! I've also got a bad spine (lower and cervical) and this has done it no favors; however, I believe that my surgeon was very careful with the leg length discrepancy, as I do not appear to have that problem. Thank goodness for small favors. I'll take the win when I can.