THR Here we go again

[Jaycey]

@Ruamac I don't think you need to be so concerned with 3 naps during the day. You need down time throughout the day so just listen to your body. If you are tired, rest. This may indeed equate to 3 naps per day.

Strength and stamina will come later. For now focus on resting when you need to, icing and elevating.

 

[Ruamac]

Thanks, Jaycey. I'm not concerned at all about naps. It's just that I mentioned how difficult it is to fit them in at times and then some people didn't understand why three naps per day should be prescribed by my medics. All just information criss-crossing in the ether. No, I'm more than happy to take three naps a day if I can manage that. If not, I'll snooze where I fall. I didn't used to be a napper but now I find it to be one of life's blissful pleasures.

 

[Ruamac]

Haha, Scarab, it's not nearly so strenuous as you might think! I mean picking up things with my grabber, rearranging drawers, etc. And, yes, all on my crutches. I was already on two crutches before my surgery so ditching them now would be nothing short of a miracle! Basically I'm talking about hobbling around my bed, straightening things, and pretending to be useful. In my world, 'pottering' means to do very little at a relaxed pace, so no need worry about me overdoing it!

 

[Debru4]

Slow and steady wins the race.....it sounds like you are doing a great job of rebuilding your stamina and increasing mobility.

A word of caution....Be careful when bending down to pick things up, especially if you are a bit woozy from the meds. A friend of mine who had surgery was on pain meds and bent over to pick something up. She literally fell on her face. She said she didn't realize how off her balance was.

I don't blame you for being impatient, and ready to get on with your recovery after having both hips replaced within a year. But you don't want to set yourself back either, so just keep on walking, and taking it easy. You are right on track....no worries!

 

[Debru4]

Love the word "pottering"! And yes, I'm with you on the joys of napping

 

[Layla]

So, my goal for this week is to work on feeling better, getting my appetite back, and building my strength through gentle exercise.

Best Wishes you accomplish all three. We're rooting for you.
I hope you have a lovely weekend!
@Ruamac

 

[Ruamac]

Day 9

I walked with just one crutch for the first time today. It wasn't planned, it wasn't easy, but I did it. I simply had to carry something and had no one to help so I did the best I could. However, I don't think I'll be trying that again before next week.

Other than that, not much to report. I ate well, slept well, and continued with my gentle exercise programme so everything is on track.

 

[Ruamac]

@Josephine - I have a concern that I hope you'll be able to help me with so I'll try to keep this concise yet comprehensive.

Since a few days after surgery I've noticed numbness in my non-operative thigh. I can't tell for sure if it was there before and I just didn't notice it because of all the other trauma of surgery. Two nights ago, when I was in bed, I started to get electric shock pain down the front of my thigh, from my groin to my knee. Perhaps beyond the knee but I can't say for sure. Next morning it was so bad that I screamed with the pain and I couldn't get out of bed by myself. My daughter lifted my legs for me and I managed to get up.

When I spoke to the doctor on the phone he said it sounded like sciatica, that I was already on the appropriate meds, and to call back if it got worse. It didn't get worse. In fact it was fine all day but last night it started all over again. When I tried to get out of bed I got this excruciating electric shock down the front of my thigh. I figured a way of wriggling into a different position so that I did manage to get up on my own. And I was able to make myself a bit more comfortable in bed by placing a pillow beside my thigh so that I could draw my foot up flat, and lean my leg against the pillow.

There is no heat, no swelling, no sore or hard spots on my thigh or calf. No other symptoms besides the numbness in my thigh and the pain when I move in bed.

But I'm worried. I've only ever experienced sciatica pain going down the back of the leg; never the front. Is this possible? Do you know of anything else that could cause this.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Rua

 

[Josephine]

I've only ever experienced sciatica pain going down the back of the leg; never the front. Is this possible?

You are right and your GP is wrong!

Do you know of anything else that could cause this.

I think what you've experienced is nothing more than cramp! This was confirmed to me when you said your daughter had to help get your leg out of bed.

This can be a really excruciating experience and pretty near paralyze you! I've had it in every part of my legs from foot to upper thigh! In fact, the upper high experience was so severe, I was almost in fear of a fracture! It felt that bad! But in time it will fade away and may even leave you with a bruised feeling where it hit you.

Good news is, it's not serious and won't result in any damage nor even a dislocation. Best thing to do is to try to leave the leg alone until the spasm abates which is will within a few minutes. But it is a scary and breath-taking experience, isn't it?

 

[Ruamac]

@Josephine - thank you for responding so quickly! I really appreciate your time.

It doesn't feel like cramp, although perhaps cramp pain can come in various forms that I have never experienced. I used to have bad cramps before being diagnosed with coeliac disease. This feels like a major electric shock. It passes as soon as I shift position. When my daughter helped me out of bed I was able to lie still and let her swivel me so I didn't get have to get into the position that triggers the pain. It doesn't feel as if it's affecting a muscle. And the constant numbness in my thigh is also worrying.

I'll get in touch with my GP tomorrow. Yesterday I spoke to the out-of-hours doctor so I'll feel better when I see my own doctor.

Thanks again x

 

[Josephine]

It doesn't feel like cramp, although perhaps cramp pain can come in various forms. This feels like a major electric shock. It passes as soon as I shift position.

It certainly can come in various forms and your description exactly describes my experience!

 

[helenium]

Hi @Ruamac. Your description sounds very much like the pains I had about a week or so after my L hip revision. It was the most intense paralysing pain that would shoot from from groin to knee. I was still in hospital, non weight bearing, and I would be stuck in one spot when it happened. Although I couldn't put any weight on that leg anyway, I just couldn't move at all and had to be rescued! I was literally "struck down". After checking out the hip, they diagnosed muscle spasms (cramp) and gave me muscle relaxants which helped a lot. The pains troubled me on and off for a few days, then went away thank goodness. As Josephine says, breathtaking and very scary. Hope yours stops happening very soon.

 

[Ruamac]

OK, that sounds promising, Josephine! I really hope that's all it is!

Thanks again x

 

[Ruamac]

Thanks, @helenium - that sounds very hopeful.

 

[Jaycey]

@Ruamac Many of our members suffer from this type of pain post op. In some cases they are just not getting enough magnesium. Here's an article from the nutrition area of our Library that might be of interest:
Magnesium is a star

 

[Ruamac]

Thanks, @Jaycey. The link doesn't seem to work but I will certainly research magnesium.

 

[Debru4]

That's interesting about the magnesium, @Jaycey. I started taking it about a month after my surgery, not specifically for any hip symptoms, but for some of the other health benefits.

It was around the same time that I began having the zingers and thigh pains. As I've mentioned before, they lasted about 2-3 weeks and then gradually stopped. It never entered my mind that the magnesium may have played a part in helping with those pains. Within 2 weeks of starting magnesium, the pains were gone. Very possibly they may have stopped on their own, but I also am thinking the magnesium may have been related.

 

[Layla]

Poor, Ruamac. What you've described sounds awful.
See if this link works -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/magnesium-is-a-star.20301/
I hope you find relief soon.
Wishing you a great week
@Ruamac

 

[bickypeg]

I tried magnesium a couple of times after reading about its benefits on here but it just worked as a laxative?

 

[Mojo333]

That is what it does for me too.