I'm 4 weeks in for my THR on my right side. I have AVN and will be have the other done eventually. My doctor has prescribed Oxycodone for my pain. I can't sleep more than 2 hours at a time if possible and night time always seems worse. I'm doing my exercises daily and wondering if this is contributing to the pain as in "over doing it" Curious as to what other pain meds others are using? How many weeks before pain subsides??
Be very careful about overdoing it with exercises and not using some supportive device until you feel more balanced and comfortable.
I took Oxy for one day and didn't like the side effects so switched to Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen for less than 2 weeks. After that time, I took acetaminophen (Tylenol) when I needed something.
I spent a lot of time in a recliner both during the day and for sleeping for weeks after surgery. Did get rest that way even though not for more than a couple of hours at a time.
I couldn't use any opiates. I'm allergic. I'm 4 weeks out and using panadol and brufen only. I do plenty of walking in short bursts. 40 mins tops. Exercises 3 times a day. 15 reps of each.
Not really much pain. Just an achy feeling.
We are all different and have different paint tolerance levels.
You could try doing less but more often perhaps? Best of luck sleeping. Sigh. I've had 4 hours last night. Yippee.
i started off on ibuprofen and paracetamol,but had to come off the ibuprofen as it was making me ill-paracetamol never even cured a headache for me-there seemed to be nothing else i could take,as i cant take codeine based stuff either.not a comfy time,but you get through.i had to cut my exercises down to once a day as i too felt twice was too much.i believe tylenol is the same as paracetamol.good luck!xx
I did not have too much pain. I was given Tramadol, but did not really need them. I think a lot of us have sleep problems. I am not sure of a good suggestion though to help.
Hi Rod
Unfortunately poor sleeping after the op is pretty much standard for everybody. The only suggestion I can make is to sleep when you can and don't worry about it when you can't. If this means napping for a couple of hours throughout the day and night then that's what you need to do.
With my first op, I was in so much pain (also was taking Oxycodone), that I could only sleep in this manner for the first 8 weeks. Once I stopped fretting about not sleeping at night and cat-napped whenever I could my recovery rate improved in leaps and bounds.
Find a comfortable place to nap (bed/sofa/reclining chair - whatever suits) and sleep when you can and catch up on your reading/films/series etc when you can't.
This sleeplessness does pass - in my case by week 10 I was sleeping on my side in bed through out the night.
Good luck with your napping.
I am as well spending a lot of time in the recliner then couch. I have tried extra strength tylenol but doesn't seem to reduce any of the pain. I have reduced my exercises to 10 to 15 reps of each once a day. I'd give anything to sleep and not wake up in extreme pain. It really starts to weigh on you after 4 weeks. I also am now having pains in my knees and feet. I try to do short walks about 5 min each 7 or 8 times a day
I sure do try to nap whenever I can. Thanks for your feedback. I will stop stressing over it as that's exactly how I'm dealing with it. This is what I'm looking for. Just want to know that this is normal recovery. I know everyone is different...... so here's to hoping it's just a few more weeks.
I have avn also I had my right hip replaced in January and unfortunately am 12 days into recovery from my left replacement. My first time through sleeping was miserable. I was lucky to get 2 hrs at a time. This time I’m sleeping 4-6 hrs in a recliner then going into bed and getting 2-3 more. I was off of prescription painkillers in 1 week with both replacements. The 2 things that seems to help me are ice lots of ice and a Homedics percussion massager. I use the massager 10-15 times a day on my leg. I’m now using only a few because the pain is light. I will say the 2nd time through does seem easier so hopefully you won’t put off the next one out of fear of going through this again.
Hi rod,
I was lucky in that I had no pain after the op but they still forced oxycodone down me, which caused constipation and sickness, took paracetamol when I got home ' just in case'. We all have different pain levels, how is yours normally? You are only 4 weeks, don't push too hard, you do not want to damage your implant, it is not a race there are no medals for rushing recovery, take it easy.
In the first few weeks after my THR, my surgeon told me to limit short walks to a few times a day.
Are you icing area that is painful? Sometimes that can help. Limit icing to 10-15 minutes at a time.
Dear Rod,
It is very possible that you’ve overdone your exercise. I only took osycidone for a week or so then switched to Voren. I’m i6 weeks post op and starting to lessen my analgesic intake a little. Hope you feel better!
Millie
Tramadol worked wonders!
Thanks Paul! It is detering me abit to have the other done. But your %100 right, I shouldn't let it.
Yes the meds are making it tougher to poop. Good thing its cherry season lol. My pain tolerance sure isn't what it used to be when I was younger.
I was icing the outside of my hip joint and I started to have spasms.
I'm eating a lot of fruit and green veggies. I try to drink water and juice. (I sure miss a beer or two) no alcohol since surgery. What else could I introduce in my diet than may reduce pain or increase my recovery?
Protein is important, too, for healing. When I had the surgery, it was recommended to take a stool softener so there wouldn't be any straining which increases pain, too.
I meant a laxative.
I had issues when I left ice pack on too long. I've also used a heating pad. My surgeon told me either could be used when I asked him about the thigh numbness I've had.