THR Dec 2 surgery with panic disorder ugh

[2Kittens]

Hello I am a brand new member I am 58 and scheduled for THR for bone on bone arthritis. Went for two years in denial and now I just have to have it despite being bipolar and having panic disorder and generalized anxiety that I haven’t really gotten treated. The anxiety is very manageable until something happens. And I’ve had a very very stressful year covid not withstanding.

Of course I know everyone is anxious before surgery but this is off the charts and it makes me feel very dizzy and weak and all the terrible things that go along with panic attacks. I was surprised I was actually fine until about a week and a half ago. I figure I will be OK and will be able to get it done and I know I will be so happy afterwards but wow how do people with my disorder go through this?

The doctors office said that they will give me a sedative at the hospital but I fight meds I don’t like the way they make me feel so I am wondering how am I going to get through this?

I am opting for a spinal with sedation because last time I had general which was years and years ago for arthroscopic knee surgery it messed with my bipolar and I swore up and down I would never have surgery again so that is why I am opting for spinal and I’m anticipating a good result with that but what worries me is staying overnight in the hospital. I am afraid I’ll want to claw my way out of there or feel so terrible. Sorry, I am catastrophizIng, I know. I am trying not to. I’m just wondering how someone with my Disorder has managed?

Also I have a call into my GP for some anxiety meds I know it’s late but I am hoping he will RX something on Friday but then I worry that that won’t do the job or I’ll hate it. Sorry this is so long.

 

[Celle]

Hello @2Kittens - and

We will help you through this.

Do you have a date for your hip replacement? If so, please tell us the full date and which hip it is, so we can make a signature for you? Knowing the exact date will help us to advise you appropriately .
Thank you.

This is a big deal for you, of course, but try to remember that the doctors and nurses have helped people with bipolar and anxiety before. They will be ready and willing to help you.

Yes, you're right. Everyone is anxious before surgery, but usually they find that everything falls into place and works out all right once they get to hospital.

 

[2Kittens]

Thank you Celle, your last sentence about the bipolar made me cry. The suffering is so bad and kind of late to do anything about it now.
It is the right hip and my surgery date is Wednesday, December 2 of course I do not know the time yet.

mentally I know all will be OK I don’t have qualms about the surgery or the surgeon or the outcome I know I will be so happy I don’t know how my recovery is going to go because everyone’s is different so I’m not really going to fret about that, I am fretting a little bit about managing with my kitty cats but I have my husband here with me I just have never been through post up before and how I’m going to do meals etc. and how long it’s going to take. But my main thing is feeling out of control of course that’s the crux of anxiety disorders and throw in depersonalization and things like that on top of it. I know they said that they would give me something for anxiety when I came in and I think that will be OK I am just very concerned about making it through the night and overnight with the meds they are going to give me and just wanting to get back home. what if I become completely unglued? it is a real fear for those with panic disorder. I know I can do it but I just don’t want to suffer as bad as I am I am in bed all day today with a headache and dizziness I am not mentally or emotionally anxious right now but I get physical symptoms as I have chronic fatigue and limes disease on top of it.
Sorry I know you guys of heard it all I’m not trying to have you feel sorry for me. Because I know I’m going to be fine but I can’t help the drastic swings my body is going through.

One thing I do know is that I will probably be elated that I conquered this thing. I do not want to read about the post op blues because I know they can be a reality but I just don’t want to go there and read about that and I have to remain optimistic and that I will stabilize when I’m at home and my bipolar will be OK. Unfortunately I have a husband who is ill and I have to worry about all of those stressors too. Again apologies for the laments.

 

[Celle]

Thank you for telling us your surgery date. I'll do your signature now and add your name to the December Supernovas surgery team thread.
In the first post of that thread, you'll see the names of other people who are having hip surgeries in December and who will be recovering alongside of you.

Don't worry about expressing your anxieties here. This is a safe place where we'll listen to you without judgement, and support you as much as we can.

Here are a few articles that may be helpful for you:

Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
(A recliner chair is nice, but not essential. Don't rush out and buy one if you haven't got one.)

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing hip recoveries

 

[Celle]

Thank you Celle, your last sentence about the bipolar made me cry.

Thank you for that. I have a son with schizophrenia and he has a couple of friends with bipolar.

 

[Going4fun]

Lots of people have anxiety and depression and other conditions. I have a history of depression, though it's been in remission for a good while.

You can tell your surgeon about this fear of having a panic attack. Tell this to your intake nurses. And when you're in the hospital after surgery, alert the nurses taking care of you that you are worried about having a panic attack. I would call the GP and tell them it's urgent and get whatever help you need.

You really don't want to hide your fear or try to sneak it through.

We live in a new world. We do not want to hide any of our mental health conditions. Literally you should get zero shame from the nurses and the surgeon. Surgeons want you to have the best experience. And having our mood in a good place is part of a good recovery.

I swear: every third question on the surveys my surgeon sent out after surgery was asking about possible depression. So mental health is on the agenda of surgeons.

There is peace of mind in just disclosing. Often doing that can lower anxiety. And in disclosing you're alerting. But I would get your GP or whoever involved for perhaps a prescription that you can have on hand. You run that prescription by the surgeon's staff before surgery. Nurses can have your worry about a panic attack in your case notes.

Simply knowing you have a med at the ready--in case of emergency--can do wonders in calming our nerves and anxiety. Much better than worrying about having an attack.

 

[2Kittens]

Thank you @Going4fun that helps. I saw my OS twice with my concerns before agreeing to surgery, I talked to the nurse at pre op appt and asked if others ask for anxiety med and he nodded his head in a huge way, also one of the nurses called me pre op and I told her she said tell my GP he’s out til tomorrow if he doesn’t RX I’ll go to a walk in clinic. I’m scared the med may not work or I’ll feel awful and fight it...sound familiar LOL? I tried a CBD oil yesterday and it helped a lot mentally but physically I feel horrid.

 

[2Kittens]

Another question: hopefully my GP will rx anti anxiety med tomorrow and my surgery is Wednesday I am assuming that’s enough time for the med to bring the anxiety down? (Going to have to be!)
Also they told me to start these protein drinks 2x day 5 days before surgery I don’t care for the calories and have a whey protein powder I already take but I suppose I should just drink them? I’m also a big supplement taker and dislike the fact I’ve been told to stop my magnesium B complex C and D but guess I should do what I’m told!

 

[Celle]

Stop the supplements (it won't be for long) but your own whey protein powder should be OK instead of the protein drinks. They just want to be sure you have good protein levels before surgery.

 

[2Kittens]

OK thank you Celle. I had another thing to add if you bear with me. I know this is going to result in a great outcome kind of like Christmas if I can get through this. Does anyone else have close family members that are suffering with their own health problems that don’t have a promise like this and you feel like it dampens your enthusiasm and you wish that they had a resolution like this? I’m thinking of my husband suffering and how this will eventually “fix” me but it makes me so sad and discouraged about him and that his situation has greatly added to my depression and anxiety it has been a brutal year, just wondering if others are dealing with this?

 

[Jaycey]

@2Kittens Right now I think you should focus on getting to the other side of surgery. Your husband's situation can't be changed. But I am sure he will agree that getting your hip resolved is the right way to go.

Get that Rx from your doctor. I think you will find that just having something "in case" will ease your anxiety.

 

[Celle]

Try not to feel sad that you can't fix your husband's medical problems.
Think of it this way - getting your hip fixed will be a good thing, because once you've recovered it will make you more able to help him.

 

[Going4fun]

Worrying about the unfairness of your husband's situation can be (not insisting here) a way that we think when we're prone to depression. When I'm in my depressed mind (and depression ran in my family--so I saw this with my siblings as well), I can set up the following scenario: Heads I lose. Tails I don't really win because of problem x, y and z. So basically tails I lose as well.

You are doing something wonderful for yourself and something that will ultimately help your family. You can focus on helping yourself, and you will be in far better shape to help your husband. You'll have energy and time and freedom from pain to take all kinds of steps that could possibly help your hubby. Heck, being without pain frees us up to think more clearly!

Can you look at it that way?

As for an adequate dose of meds, tell the doctors what you're saying here: that you're worried if the med won't work. FYI: typically doctors want to give us the lowest possible effective dosage but it will be understood that you can increase the dose until the safety level of the particular med.

Please consider that you will not be alone, you will not be helpless. The nurses will want to care of you after surgery. They can call the doctor on call to give you a different med in case the previous one is inadequate.

Can I make a gentle suggestion here: when you get through this surgery, one piece of information you want to acquire is what anti-anxiety med works best for you. This is information you want to know. Absolutely. That way, you don't even have to think about it in a time of crisis or an oncoming panic attack. A woman I knew well used to be prone to severe anxiety attacks. And there was one med that could calm her down during these moments of pain and anguish for her. I'll not mention it here, because I'm not a doctor and don't wanna make any recommendations. But my friend knew that particular med and told me about it such that I knew to call her doctor to request this med when she had a panic attack.

But this might also ease your worries. You take a med at the hospital and it doesn't work, the nurses will notice. Or you just ask the nurses for an additional med. Actually you just want to tell the nurses about your symptoms, that you're still terrified and frightened and fear anxiety and so on. The nurses will notice your anxiety or panic. There are doctors on call who can prescribe all kinds of meds while you're in the hospital.

Hang in there.

Just editing to add that the goal of these preparations is to lower your fear and anxiety going in. Which lowers the worry about what if I have a panic attack? You'll have a safety net at the read, which then lowers the likelihood of having such an attack.

You're doing great to come here and share. You're courageous. You're gonna make it through.

 

[2Kittens]

Thank you everyone. Yes I am prone to depression being bipolar and frankly my husbands medical issues have seriously affected me and I don’t see a way through but to take it day by day and I do anticipate being much more helpful to him after I’m healed and he is totally on board, he’s a wonderful husband. I’m the kind of person that finds it harder to be happy if the ones I love are suffering :(

on a good note my doc just rx’d Klonopin I think it is. I have no idea if that’s the med for me and my surgery is Wed, not a lot of time. Ithink I’ll try to take it as rx’d instead of trying to tough it out and then take it when I’m really bad, at least that’s how it’s supposed to be with pain meds, idk about anxiety meds. I trust and have faith in God and I can rest in that but He sure doesn’t spare us from really tough things.
As far as being treated for depression I am on the classic bipolar meds for decades and gave up all these drug trials as I am extremely sensitive to meds and they all just made me feel worse and I’m not up for all the juggling and time spent on figuring out what else works and suffering the S/E’s....so here I am.At least I have an anxiety med now hopefully it’s the one and I’m going to have surgery. I know I’m going to be ok I do think past the fear and see positive but I’m just tired of “bearing” it instead of feeling ok. But really nothing can be done about it after years of feeling this way....I also have to say I have Fibromyalgia/CFS and my doctor thinks I may have Lymes so that affects everything also. Please forgive the complaining!!! I truly think about all you guys say and it helps! (I just had a COVID test and boy does my nostril hurt lol)

 

[2Kittens]

@2Kittens Right now I think you should focus on getting to the other side of surgery. Your husband's situation can't be changed. But I am sure he will agree that getting your hip resolved is the right way to go.

Get that Rx from your doctor. I think you will find that just having something "in case" will ease your anxiety.

I was thinking about this today that if I knew my husband would be able to do something to alleviate his terrible daily pain and then he would feel happiness while I still had my own condition I would be very happy for him and wouldn’t trade it for the world so maybe I could look at it that way, I’ve always just had my joy so tied with the ones I love.

 

[2Kittens]

I have another question (s) for those who went to PT (I’d like to) when did you go? I’m thinking 2 weeks post op?

Also... I have a treadmill (couldn’t use it for at least a yr, used to walk on it daily) and a recumbent exercise bike, wondering when I could use those again? Walking will be important and frequent during recovery but my house is small can’t see myself going back and forth. Wondering if slow walking on TM is acceptable...I suppose I’ll ask my PT before discharge. On an upnote I didn’t really feel anxiety yesterday

 

[Jaycey]

I would not recommend PT - especially at only 2 weeks out. You are healing, not in training.

I would not use a treadmill until you are cleared by your surgeon. Ask before your leave the hospital. You may be able to use it with no resistance. But the speed needs to be adjustable to very slow and steady.

 

[Pumpkin]

2Kittens,
Some start PT right after surgery, others wait a month, some go 2-3x a week, some go once a month to up date their home program, some have no PT at all. Everyone does fine eventually.
Caveat for PT is you want someone up to date on recovery from a THR.
As Jaycey said, hips really do not need PT at all.

Here is a copy of the recovery guidelines to help you prepare for your THR on Wednesday.

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

​

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

​

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

​

Activity progression for THRs​

6. Access these pages on the website

​

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Care In Hospital​

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

 

[Woodstockhip]

Hi,
I too suffer from anxiety and panic disorder and have been on meds for years. At this point, only extreme situations (like surgery) cause me panic and I asked my doc if it was okay to take a Xanax the night before surgery. He was totally fine with it. I had a spinal anesthesia with twilight sedation and had no anxiety whatsoever! Pain yes, but that’s to be expected and I was able to pretty much keep it manageable after the first few days. Even neuro-typical folks get a little freaked out before surgery, so you are in good company. I’m two months out now and doing really well. Hang in there. Oh, and as for PT, I had two weeks of in-home PT and outpatient PT starting after that.

 

[2Kittens]

Thank you for the advice I will certainly ask my doctor and the PT at the hospital about the treadmill I just want to have my walking in maybe it’ll just have to be round and round about the house LOL. Also I have slept on the couch for the last two years because it’s very comfortable but it’s definitely lower than my bed it’s easy to roll in and roll out of my bed so it’s either that or I have a comfy recliner that I don’t sit in at all it just holds clothes and am wondering if I should set up camp there? It’s in the living room of course closer to the bathroom than my bedroom but and it’s a big but I have six-month-old kittens and they will be kept out of my bedroom at night for at least two weeks the recliner is in the living room where they will be so it’s a quandary.

Also sorry if I keep posting in this thread I didn’t know if I was supposed to make new threads each time I have a question so I’m just posting under my own thread.