So at 12 weeks I'm doing very well. I am still on reduced hours at work for one more week, and then we will see how I am, but I think I will be fine. But things still find ways of testing your patience and ingenuity!
I had a break away in a hotel this week which was lovely, but ooh dear, the difficulty getting into a pair of 10 denier tights was a real challenge, and not won I have to say. Normally I can do my socks with my trusty sock - aid, but tights are a complete disaster. I repeated the challenge today and tried to use the aid. Well, they are on after much huffing and puffing at a wonky angle for the day and a large ladder (running upward thankfully), and will be the 3rd pair to go to the bin. Saves washing them I guess Maybe I shall stick to trousers for the winter?
Honestly, someone needs to write a comprehensive guide to all the unknown and sneaky pitfalls of joining this exclusive club so at least we would all be thoroughly prepared!
Leggings that have some give work as they are easy to pull up. They don't have the full foot and stop at the ankle. You can wear them with short or long boots and looks nice.
Jools is this quite common then to still use a sock aid at 12 weeks? I’m only 4 but can get those hospital stockings on and off easily as well as my leggings. I’m nowhere near ready to come off pain killers but I have never used my sock aid as the exercises of lifting up the knee and getting the leg onto the bed I can do now. In all other things I’m slow and behind others in my recovery but I can definitely put those stockings on with no difficulty. i THINK it’s to do with the exercises???
I think this is a bit of a grey area that maybe needs further advice/clarification. I am 4 weeks post left posterior THR and the advice from the Occupational Therapists was to avoid bending the hip joint more than 90 degrees to avoid the risk of damage/dislocation. However I'm not sure how long this restriction on bending the joint should apply.
At the moment I'm doing fine generally and now down to one crutch to get around the house and for short distances outside. However I still have to get help with putting on my left sock as I'm worried about over-extending the operated hip to allow me to do it myself. Don't have a sock-on device except for my wife.
Any advice out there oi when I can risk the stretch to put my own socks on?
Can’t you get your operated leg onto the bed, lift your knee up as per your exercise, keep it up and reach forward to put your toes into your sock? I’m not sure if you’re posterior or anterior but Im posterior and have been bending right down from the time I can home. My surgeon told me the restrictions for bending had been lifted by Stanmore - where he trained - and I could bend and twist. But that’s for the posterior approach. I’m not sure about the Anterior.
Yes apparently so for me. My leg is quite agile except for the sock / shoe combo. I don't seem able to bend right up with a sock in hand and co -ordinate it, or bend down straight legged to reach my foot. Either way it pulls in the groin and at the back / top of glutes. I've done loads of exercises, and can swim breaststroke, do stairs two legged, walk fairly well etc. I do have longish legs for my height though, weirdly even being quite little?! I am improving getting into trousers though. It's just a matter of time I guess. My surgeon did say you can do shoes up with the leg bent and out to the side, so I could try that I suppose.
Mine was a posterior THR. I can get my leg onto the bed and have been doing the knee bend exercise trying to get my heel as close to the buttock as possible. I may try your suggestion for getting my sock on.
Our NHS Trust is viewed as quite progressive but they still warned against over bending the hip in the early stages
I forgot to mention on my hotel trip I wore heels! Although they were Mary Janes so my hubby had to do the left one up! I will get some new leggings though. I'm dying to wear my jeans, but I've put a little bit of weight on around the middle (relaxed / fell off the diet wagon and got run over by it while I was off work!), and I threw all my bigger ones out last winter after 2.5 stone loss
Sounds like you are doing fabulously well, and right on target. My surgeon suggested six weeks of restrictions, but to carry them on if you could for twelve. I know we have all been given different advice, but the variation in whether you are restricted or not is amazing. I think I've carried them on to varying degrees, partly unconsciously as it's just more comfortable, but also it seems quite natural to do it. Some things are back to normal, but things like picking up from the floor I'm careful about. I've been very careful not to cross the midline, and retrained myself as my side sleeping habit was to rotate the leg completely over. Now I wake with the leg in the right position which is good! My new hip is very precious. If I have to use a sock aid for six months, then of course I can. Treat yourself to one too, although true love is surely that you are prepared to put your partners sock on!
Jools: I just have to say quickly as I am getting ready to go out. I am 8 weeks today RTR. About the tights. Me too. All my pants are almost leggings. Tight around the ankle. I struggle, but with my handy grabber I have managed. But here is a neat trick. I am taking them all to a Taylor and having a small dipper on each pant side at the bottom to get them on easier and then I won't need to throw them away. It is the style now in the US. I went shopping for some new pants and saw the dippers on the legs and decided I'll do that to mine.
Hope that helps.
Another thing I had to learn was to get a electric razor for my legs as I couldn't bend over to shave them and the electrolytic razor had a attachment to make it longer?
Color my hair in the kitchen sink still as I don't want to take a chance of getting anything near incision.
I still use the sock helper. (Just got it in the mail and love it)
Almost done with the cane
Need to get a xray of my foot next week though as after 8 weeks I still have pain in it and swelling.
Back to work now (Real Estate)
Still a long way to go, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
There is so much that isn't told to us prior to the surgery.
I can’t do any of those things you can do yet but I CAN put my socks & tights on haha. Isn’t it strange how we all progress at different rates. I know I’m slow but I don’t care as my first three weeks were pure hell. It’s only now, week four, than I can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I never thought Id ever say that.
I agree you can’t go mad but with me I think I found it easy picking things up off the floor because prior to hip problems I could always bend forward and put my hands on the floor. So for me, I just put my operated leg behind me and bend down more on my good leg to get things. So far so good but I don’t overdo the bending down. I get a lot of lower back/buttock discomfort so a good old stretch first thing in the mornings helps this.
I was lucky, a July hippie, didn’t have to attempt socks, tights, trousers for months. (Except the lovely ted socks which I wore at night for the first month. My husband shoved them on every evening.) All the best with your tights......
Jools, don't feel bad. I am on week 16 posterior right side 40yrs old. My sock aid is still really helpful and I might just use it for a long time. But I still can't get my wife to put on tights, or legins for me. I've tried taking her out to fancy dinners , watching the kids to give her a day off. Nothing works! And she didn't have thr. 🤔 Take care I'm glad your doing great! It's very different for all of us regardless of age, sex, or life style.
Your account made me smile. But, socks and tights are a big problem and at 2 weeks Ive not managed to get my operated leg sock on. I bought a sock contraption thingy but have been loathe to try to use it yet and prefer to go out sockless or get my partner to help me out. I suppose I should get the sock thingy out of its packet and give it a go.
I dont forsee anytime soon that I will be able to put a sock on and at the moment my hand to foot measurement is still a foot mile away.lol
Well done Sarah, it does look like your turned a corner. And really admire you for being able to get your socks on so well. Im seeing the physio on wednesday so will ask her for advice.
I think I felt so bad for my hubby. He had been helping me for so long it was only on the run up to surgery that I even realised these helping devices are out there. Even much younger I always felt something wasn't quite right in that hip, so always had to put socks and things on bending at the waist for that leg. So maybe it's just a peculiarity to me. It took me a few goes to work out the best way to use the sock aid, and until I got it right thought it was a complete waste of money. At 2 weeks don't even worry yet. I didn't even need socks till six weeks with those confounding TEDS kept me nice and toasty!