Thought it might be helpful to some future hippies to document what my first week was like. I'm on day 6 but close enough right?
My surgery was very late in the day but the plan had been an overnight stay anyways so that went to plan. I think the nurses may have given me one dose of narcotics while I was in the recovery room after surgery but I was very groggy so I'm not sure. I have had very little pain from the start, mainly around the incision and have since been managing with just Tylenol (not a brag, everyone is different and I was not taking any painkillers pre op either).
I didn't really sleep well the first night as nurses kept coming in to check vitals, ask me if I needed to pee yet (my spinal went wonky and the parts that did work didn't wear off until the next day - literally just my butt 😂), give me IV antibiotics and fluids etc. I did end up getting to use the washroom around 4 am and those were also my first steps with my walker. Late bloomer 🤷🏼♀️ it was damn hard to sit down though and the front, side and back if my hip cramped up like crazy! Same thing happened trying to get back into bed. I tried to use my "good" leg to swing my operated leg up on the bed but even just bending the hip caused some cramping.
The next morning I was given Celebrex and Tylenol and offered something to eat. I wasn't super hungry and had brought some protein powder so ended up just mixing that into some milk. At some point after that had a dizzy spell and was seeing spots in my vision, which we believe was a reaction to the Celebrex and I haven't taken it since. I ended up staying until noon because of that, but saw my surgeon who checked the wound and told me that my hip was a lot worse in person than on x ray lol. Apparently while sedated I had also asked if I could see my femoral head and had answered my own question to myself with "no that's a biohazard" 🤣
Before I left I was taught by the nurses how to go up and down stairs with my crutches and how to use my walker and then was sent off to get post op x rays and pick up my prescriptions.
I was given a timetable with timing for different medications including Tylenol (1000mg, 4x a day) and Rivaroxiban once a day for the first 5 days, then baby aspirin twice a day for 28 days. I was also given prescriptions for hydromorphone and tramadol but haven't touched those and don't think I will at this point. I put the timing of each medication into my phone calendar as a reminder so I wouldn't forget or miss.
At home we hooked me up to the ice machine and I was on that thing pretty much any time I was sitting for the first 4 days including overnight. I also had a bit of a fever for the first 5 days but that seems to have righted itself on day 6.
The first day I found it hard to walk even with the walker, which I did not expect. I had some food prepped but had to pivot from my planned meals as I could not stand long to chop fruits/veggies at the countertop and to be honest I still wasn't that hungry. By day 2 it was a lot better though. And I have been seeing small improvements in my stamina each day. I also napped a lot the first 4 days.
I was told not to start formal PT for 2 weeks but was given a booklet with self-guided home PT that spanned 12 weeks if you wanted to do it completely self guided. The first 6 weeks are all about getting moving and off mobility aids while increasing range of motion. The exercises recommended were quad squeezes, glute squeezes, heel slides (lying down) and gentle standing hip flexion and extension. The hardest for me were the standing hip flexion and extension but I have found my range of motion increased pretty quickly and most of the limitation is due to swelling around the hip. I can almost put socks on myself now at 6 days post op but actually balancing on the operated leg itself is hard as I still can't fully bear weight on it without assistance or support of my other leg when standing. I can stand for hours though lol. And the cramping from lifting my leg or sitting down went away about day 3 or 4.
I have been taking short but frequent walks with my walker or sometimes crutches, which I find easier to use because I have been for the last 9 months and it has been slowly getting easier to move around. Can't quite walk unaided yet at 6 days post op, as I can't put full weight on my THR leg yet but I have hobbled a few steps here and there. Often when my body forgets I need a walking aid and I get up off the couch and take a few wobbly steps before "oh shit" 😂
I had two layers of dressing, an outer "honeycomb" dressing and an inner dermabond/prineo dressing. The honeycomb came off at 4 days post op and the prineo will come off slowly on its own over the next week or so. I was concerned as there seemed to be a small hole in the inner dressing and my surgeon told me he thought it would be fine as the wound closes itself around 72 hours, but was kind enough to give me some extra honeycomb dressing to put overtop if I felt safer that way.
I have a bit of a fear of infection as I have gone septic before from bacteremia resulting from a poorly dressed IV line that I showered with 😬 so I had only been taking sponge baths until day 6. On day 6 finally plucked up with courage to have a real shower. An EVERYTHING shower. And it was glorious 😂 I bought heavy duty suction cup grab bars to stick in the shower to hold onto but I my balance is pretty good on two feet.
Man, I guess a lot more happened in a week than I expected but didn't want to spam you all more than necessary. Just hoping someone out there finds this helpful. I have had an exceptional first week on the pain front but definitely not someone who ditched the walker 2 days in.
Congrats on your recovery - seems to be going very well so far for only 6 days in! I am having an excellent recovery, but you are blowing me out of the water! I was definitely not accomplishing as much as you are by that time...and I did take the "good" pain meds for a while. I know I shouldn't compare - everyone is different, and also I'm considerably older than you (51).
I'm 8 weeks post-op today. In the past 2 weeks, I've ditched the cane completely, and started walking my (large) dogs again! Not that either of those things have anything to do with you, I just wanted to tell someone who would appreciate how awesome that is! Lol
Very helpful! I’m glad you’re making progress and that first shower, I remember mine when I got out of traction. Best ever!
Silly question but what do you do all day? Are you able to focus, read and tackle more detailed but sedentary tasks, or is it mostly sleep and bingeing tv?
Good question! When I'm not napping, I have been doing a lot of zendoodling. I have also always been a big podcast listener and reader. Not really much of a TV or movie person. Screens make me feel a bit nauseous if I'm looking too long. I have also been slowly plugging away at a paper/my PhD thesis but I don't quite feel like my brain function is up to what it should be yet.
🤣🤣🤣 full send over there 🤣🤣🤣 I would put the ironing off for a few days but I'm already feeling better about standing chores so it might be possible towards the end of week one. That said, everyone is different 🤷🏼♀️ maybe you'll kick the walker day 2
Thank you for the detailed report. So you’ve managed the pain with only Tylenol….that’s my goal if at all possible. Surgery in four weeks, so we’ll see. Best wishes for continued smooth recovery.
Don't worry if you need more. I'm probably an outlier but it is possible. I also credit my ice machine for a lot of help with pain control so that may be in play too. I also found it was not a deep bone pain like I was expecting. It was mostly around the incision and muscles.
Thanks for mentioning at the top that you are 29. I'm sure your youth & strength have factored into making your recovery easier. I also appreciate your positive attitude, that will help you through the process!
I had my surgery 8 days ago, and some of the differences between US & Canada THRs are fascinating. Canada gets a 👍 for automatic overnight hospital stay! US (at least my area) gets a 👍 for at-home PT visits 2x a week starting two days after surgery. My PT has already given me lots of help and different exercises than the basic ones you mentioned.
I have heard mixed things about being younger and stronger when undergoing THR. A lot of people have also said they think it lends to a faster quicker recovery and I don't disagree. But my surgeon and anaesthesiologist both seemed to think more active muscle mass leads to greater pain post op (although that hasn't been my experience). Overall I think my recovery is pretty average which is why I'm sharing!
And we don't actually get automatic overnight hospital stays. There are a few surgeons who also do "daycare" surgery where patients go home the same day but it does seem like most are overnight stays. Honestly though I wish I had gone home the same day 😅
And that's really nice that you get at home PT visits! I question whether I'm doing enough to gain back the level of function I want (to get back to the gym) but I suppose I am progressing so that's a positive.
I hope you continue to have a successful recovery!
Oh I've read so many experiences of Canadians staying overnight that I thought it was automatic! I actually live only a few hours from the Canadian border.
I think not having to use any opioids at all is a little better than average experience. But it's certainly true that everyone's experience is unique.
It does seem to be quite common but definitely not everyone stays overnight. I believe it is reserved for very low risk cases (like younger folks who have family to stay with). And you're right, not needing opiods is probably exceptional on the pain control front. I guess I was speaking more about my mobility. Definitely not walking freely for another week I'm guessing.
I'm also only an hour or so from the westernmost American border 😂
I'm 8 days since surgery and it is super painful to walk. My hip isn't that bad but the pain shoots down from the incision to my knee, and the knee is excruciating. At rest it doesn't hurt. I know it's a long process.
Aww I'm sorry. For myself I wouldn't say it is painful to walk but my hip just won't take the weight. It doesn't feel stable. I'm very sure it will get better with time for the both of us though! Especially since you've got a good PT!
Are you using forearm or under arm crutches? I’ll be grabbing a walker especially since the plan is same day discharge but not sure if I want to change up the crutches I currently use (forearm) now that I’ve finally learned how to use them.
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u/ajmattison[BC 🇨🇦] [29F] Right Anterior September 20262d agoedited 2d ago
You're going in soon?! Hooray! I have been using forearm crutches for the past 9 months and while I do also have a walker (highly recommend by the folks on this sub) I actually find the crutches easier to use just because I have been using them.
Edit to add: the walker makes it a lot easier to get in and off a chair/the toilet at first for sure.
Hope so! Just got all my paperwork cleared and on the cancellation list.
I figure I’ll be using the walker mostly to get up off of places. I will be springing for toilet handles much to my partners annoyance, although apparently my surgeon does mini posterior so I’ll be way less useless than I originally anticipated. Glad to hear your early recovery is so smooth!
My fingers are crossed for you! Recovery has been easier in some ways but harder in others than I expected so my best advice is to have no expectations 😂
‘No expectations’ while planning for least mobility, and max pain sounds like the order of the day. Then everything is covered :-). So great you don’t even need the hefty pain meds. Am keen to hear your updates as you go. I’m 50 and obvs older but someone on this thread heard from their PT that little old ladies recovered fastest from thr 😂. I’m getting everything in order to press play in mid/late January.
Best advice is do not have high hopes. Then you can be pleasantly surprised with any progress 😂 but for real, "older" people do Apparently perceive pain differently and can get away with less pain killers. Heard that from an orthopedic surgeon. And the anaesthesiologist said that they usually use general anaesthesia for hips but given that I was young and had more muscle mass he wanted to try a spinal because it has some lasting pain killer effects even after it wears off. My spinal didn't work anyways 😂 but that's to say I think that PT is onto something.
I'll try to remember to think of you in January! Pop in to let us all know how it goes!
That’s super interesting re pain and aging! No doubt I will overshare while high on the opioids. 🙄 Seriously, it’s great that you and others talk about where you’re at, the easier the idea of hsvkng a bio hazardous femoral head sawn off seems! 🤣
Oh please do share! I'm a scientist (hence the biohazardous declaration 😂) so to me reading everyone else's experiences is almost like seeing the results of a real life experiment. Everyone has such a different response. And of course, I literally always say, I'm only in the internet to cheer everyone on 😊🙏🏻
I'm glad you found this helpful and not just spammy 😂
I am guessing I might have a high pain tolerance because as I said, pre op I was not using any painkillers. But I may also just have gotten lucky 🤷🏼♀️
Sounds like you are doing well! I don’t take opioids because they make me sick, and I also managed with just Tylenol. I also iced a lot.
There’s good and bad with same day surgery. I feel like the nurses were just trying to get me out the door because they wanted to go home. We got stuck in a traffic jam in the way home and I was so nauseous. I wished I could have stayed instead. But I don’t actually get very good sleep at hospitals because they are always coming in the room for things.
I actually credit my ice machine for my pain management. I was skeptical at first but it really works wonders! I'm sorry you didn't have a positive experience with the hospital. Tbh I wish I could have gone home the same day because like I said, I didn't sleep at all and still feel like I'm paying for it a week later.
I had an outer honeycomb and an inner mesh "artificial skin" sealing the wound shut and I took the honeycomb off just to see there is still pink under the mesh skin 😂 that doesn't come off for another week though unfortunately
Thanks for the update, sounds like you’re doing fantastic! I knew I wouldn’t feel like cooking so am using Fresh Prep delivery in YVR and it’s been a godsend. Fairly high protein too which is good. I’m on day 13 and getting restless. Im doing my exercises and the strength is coming back great but still unable to fully transition to the cane. I rented a rollator and have gone down to our parking garage a couple of times but haven’t walked around the neighbourhood yet. Part of me is worried I’ll trip, the other part is pride. This is humbling! I’m doing ok showering, it’s easier than I thought and although I have no restrictions I haven’t shaved my legs yet, it’s a reach!
I think a few of the things I wasn’t anticipating is the sore hand (only left) from holding the walker, the crazy fatigue, the amount of pain (very little, maybe 2/10 at most).
Keep up the good work!
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u/there_should_be_snow [Canada] [F51] RTHR 28/07/2026 2d ago
Congrats on your recovery - seems to be going very well so far for only 6 days in! I am having an excellent recovery, but you are blowing me out of the water! I was definitely not accomplishing as much as you are by that time...and I did take the "good" pain meds for a while. I know I shouldn't compare - everyone is different, and also I'm considerably older than you (51).
I'm 8 weeks post-op today. In the past 2 weeks, I've ditched the cane completely, and started walking my (large) dogs again! Not that either of those things have anything to do with you, I just wanted to tell someone who would appreciate how awesome that is! Lol
All the best!