6 weeks post (2nd) Op

16th December 2015 

The last week of the 6 week post op period of minimal weight baring and other restrictions has been the hardest. I felt pretty bouncy and positive up till then but all of a sudden, my right leg started to play up and I was finding it hard to get around, as my right leg would just feel so tired that I had to sit down before I fell down! I was also pretty tired and achey all over. Sleep wasnt great. I'd found that I could lie on my non-op side with a pillow between my legs to support the op leg. But I think that just aggravated my right hip in the screw area and made it bit sore and swollen. I could also sleep on my front but whilst this was comfortable for my hips, it was no good for my back as it just made my lower back achey and tense. So I was finding that what ever position I went to sleep in, I'd wake 2 or 3 hrs later from the pain of either pressure on my right hip or tenseness in my lower back. I tried sleeping on my back again but would usually end up not getting off to sleep until 2/3am. 

Despite the overall achiness, especially in my right leg, my left leg continued to be surprisingly good. Not much pain from it, and  not the constant gnawing groin pain I had from my right leg at this same point. 

Tuesday 15th December saw me down in Truro for my post op check. I had an X-ray taken and then saw my surgeon. He has really pleased, he said he could hardly see the fracture line in my trochanter and that I had healed really well. He said I could start putting my full weight through it from that moment, carry on using 2 crutches for two weeks, then down to one crutch until I could walk without wobbling from side to side.   All restrictions were lifted, I could do whatever ever I wanted, even horse riding, yoga and swimming from 8 weeks, but to listen to my body and stop if it hurts. 

In reality this means that from eight weeks, horse riding will be just see if I can get on amd walk round. Swimming will by strengthening exercises in a hydrotherapy pool . I don't think I'll be going to yoga class until I have got rid of the last crutch. But I can do some of the gentle poses at home

  

I asked him about my right hip, mentioning that it had been a bit grumpy the last week or so with some swelling at the bottom of the scar. He thought it would benefit from having the screws taken out but that he could do it the same time as taking screws out of left hip next year. Then he looked a bit closer at the X-ray and said he could see some inflammation/bone spur but that had grown in that hip since surgery  but that it wasn't causing impingement. 

We decided I'd come and see him in April for another X-ray/review. 

I started weight baring as soon as I left his room and it felt OK, my right leg deffinatly appreciated having the pressure taken off. 

My left hip on 15th December, 6 weeks post op. The screws look to be a different angle to my right hip. I wonder if this will mean I won't ongoing discomfort  from them like I do from the right?

My right hip at 2 years 2weeks post op. I have circled the area of inflammation/bone spur that my surgeon pointed out, this has grown since March 2014. The technical term for it is Heterogenic Ossification. I googled it last night and freaked my self out, it seems in the USA, many people that have hip surgery are put on long term anti inflammatories or have one-dose of radiation to prevent HO developing. We don't get that in the UK.  HO can cause impingement depending on location, can irritate surround tissues causing pain and can even break off and lodge somewhere causing pain. So I have decided to try and forget about it as all the scenarios could equally not happen. The X-ray in April will show of it has changed,nor if HO has formed in my left hip. Fingers crossed it won't.