Three days and I am VERY nervous!

Hello, fellow BoneSmarties,

I have been so grateful for this board and all that I have learned. You would think I would be going into this with supreme confidence and peace.

Well, I'm not. The nervousness seems to increase each day. And the pain along with it.

It doesn't make much sense because you would think that after six months of unrelenting pain (24/7 pain) that I would be looking at this as a god-send. I'm not. I'm angry that I have to go through this at all. Because it was doctors that caused it with their steroids. Four years of my life have been affected so far because no one warned me of the consequences.

Forgive me for ranting, but I've wanted to say this for a long time. And maybe it's just the culmination of all the waiting.

But I really do thank each and every one of you for being here and sharing what you have.

Kaaper (Marty)

Re: Three days and I am nervous as hell!

Hello Marty, of course you're nervous. Anyone who says they weren't nervous beforehand is probably amnesiac or mendacious. But in two days' time you will be wondering why you felt like this, I promise. When you're feeling really terrified, go over to the other side and read some of the threads of people who've just come through their surgery - that will cheer you up. I can fully understand your anger too, if the need for a THR was caused by steroids. You could say I'm in a similar position to you as mine was caused (or accelerated, to be more accurate) by radiotherapy. But we must remember that these treatments were given to us to help us, to heal some other ill (sorry, I haven't read all your threads to know why you were having the steroids in the first place), not to harm us intentionally.. In my case, I probably wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for the radiotherapy, so though it's caused me a lot of grief - in the bowel department as well as the hips - I'm truly glad I had it, because it saved my life. No one told me either about what such concentrated radiation could do - if they had, in my ignorance I might have refused it, and then where would I be? And maybe you would have refused the steroids, with potentially bad consequences. I don't know whether this helps, but I hope it might encourage you to think of your glass being half full rather than half empty.

I'm going to be on the other side one day before you, and I'll be thinking of you and sending good healing thoughts your way from across the pond.

Re: Three days and I am nervous as hell!

I can only wish you all the best and good luck. I'm sure its going to be great.

If you think you're nervous, I'm having kittens here - and I'm 86 days away from my THR. I'll probably be a right mess by the time it's my turn. :hate-shocked:

Re: Three days and I am nervous as hell!

Marty
It is so normal to be nervous. I was so scared the days and weeks before my operation. Even in the hospital just before they knocked me out I asked if anyone ever ran away from them. They laughed.
Good luck this week.
Bea

Re: Three days and I am nervous as hell!

Hi Marty


It's only natuaral to be nervous you are going to have a major operation but sure everything will be fine. You will experiance recovery pain to a certain degree but once everything has calmed down I am sure it will be the best decision you will make.
All the best for the 28th Marty and will see you on the recovery side shortly.


Billy

Re: Three days and I am nervous as hell!

The treatment was oral steroids for asthma. I should have known something was VERY wrong when I would complain each time, 3-4 days in, that my bones hurt something fierce! The could have given me inhaled cortico-sterioids instead! So that's why I'm angry.

Thanks for all the support, all!

What kind of steroids did they give you? I also have asthma. My normal medicine here at home is now Symbicort with combivent for emergencies. But whenever I have trouble, I take prednisone. I also take prednisone when I travel. In small doses only but still for a few days. I travel into third world countries or through smoggy cities to get where I want to go. That is why I am on them. I get real sick in smoggy areas.
Sorry, when you wrote oral steroids, that gave me a red flag.
Thanks Bea

Prednisone, Horsey girl. That was the oral steroid. They would put me on seven day bursts 3-4 times a year

Hi Marty,

Being nervous is expected, it's a big surgery. Hopefully it will go by quickly now, without me coming across as downplaying the surgery it's really a 1,2,3 quick procedure. I promise I'm not making light of it I was just pleasantly surprised how easy it went the morning of the surgery. It is going to be uncomfortable for a few days, maybe few weeks depending how you heal.

I had to dig back through your threads to see if your OS had given you a diagnoses, like arthiritus....or? Some of our hippies have different diseases and have lived with the pains since childhood. Did they say the prednisone was the reason? I'm sure with the many years of different prescription pills and other things we do with our bodies contributes to failing joints. Pease don't be angry though, being angry wont help you heal. Since having my hip replaced I feel like its a gift to have a new hip and a 2nd chance at a normal life. I'm not a dr or a medical expert I'm hoping for you now you're this close to having this surgery to look forward to recovering and getting well with no more hip pain.

I completely relate to the pain part you have had to live with for so long, we all do that's what connect us here on Bonesmart. Hold tight you are about to have this fixed and feel a lot better very soon!

Lots of love and good wishes!

xxooxx

Nice to meet you, Marty. Hope all goes well with your surgery and starting recuperation. At first, I couldn't understand why I was so shaken and upset by the diagnosis and the thought of replacement surgery, anesthesia, and recovery; I thought I should have been relieved to know what was wrong and know that I may soon feel better. But I'm realizing that feeling nervous is VERY common. In fact, knowing that we're undergoing major surgery would naturally lead to emotional reactions. Even though that surgery will relieve pain and increase mobility, we'll still be hesitant and anxious. I can't imagine anyone enters into it with "supreme confidence and peace," so don't beat yourself up for your natural reaction. You are fine and you're going to be fine. Be kind to yourself and talk to yourself just like you would to a good friend going through something like this, with compassion and support.

Isn't it great that we have this forum to help? I'm so glad I found this place as it's helped me tremendously in just a short time. There are soooo many positive stories of success that help restore my hope. The support is spectacular!

Looking forward to hearing your story of success post-surgery! Best Wishes!

Supreme confidence and peace? Not for me, not by a long shot! I am cautiously optimistic. I am also anxious and depressed. I am reasonably sure that things will go well but I always try to keep my expectations between worst and best case scenarios.
Somewhere in all that is balanced the idea that you will be pain free and much more mobile against the idea that you are having your body cut into and a foreign object inserted. I always hate to look at the xray of my prosthesis because I hate to think that it is in me. But then I look back 5+ years when I had a horrible Trendelenburg(sp) limp, was in horrible pain and was barely getting around and look at the 5 years since when I have been able to do anything I have wanted. (I did realize a couple of years back that I had forgotten how to run but I fixed that). It's a tradeoff my friend, life is a series of those it seems sometimes. Whatever the docs did with the steroids, they did. It's done and you have to get on with the process of fixing it. You will do that. The fact that you and I are ranting back and forth indicates that we are most likely gonna do very well.
I will forecast that by week 3 post op, you will be chomping at the bit to get out and start becoming more mobile. By week 6, you will be feeling almost normal. By week 12, it will be starting to become a memory. (except for that *&% xray) lol. Make you a deal, when we get finished with our surgeries, let's keep posting about our recoveries. It should prove interesting. I am sorry as well for my rant. Seems like a good day for venting....

I totally understand your anger about how you got to where you are at. I'd be angry too.

The bottom line, though, is that you are in pain, and the odds are very good that you will feel much better after the hip replacement. Nervousness comes along with the territory. Just keep thinking positively that you are going to feel better afterward and that it will all work out.

Best wishes for a great surgery and recovery!!

Dorothy