THR Here We Go Again!

Thanks, @Fit4Family I can see how you, O red-haired child, would be sensitive to adhesive. It is just weird that tough ole me with zero sensitivities should have had a reaction. Good to know it cleared up fairly quickly. Having just taken the glue strip off yesterday, it still looks pretty ugly and raw, but hopeful this will fade quickly. Bad enough to have a gash on my upper thigh without this nonsense!
 
@Barbaraj you are doing so well and you're definitely sounding like the pre-op Barbara, more upbeat. I had to chuckle about you're little rebellious stroll outside, seems to so be you!

Our reactions to the adhesives and swelling/bruising had me baffled. Usually if I have a strong adhesive on my skin for a day or more I'm super red and usually puffy for a while after. And I normally bruise and have swelling for the slightest bumps/bruises. None of the above from this surgery. I'm baffled but totally happy with my outcome. Hope your irritation clears up soon.
 
You continue to make great progress @Barbaraj ! Sorry about the problems with your incision though - It seems there always has to be something to hold us back. To be using no walking aids so early is amazing! Do you think your previous THR experience has given you the confidence to do this? Your husband sounds so supportive and protective (as is mine actually) through it all. Enjoy your meal out!
 
@Barbaraj Allergies are unpredictable things. I’ve had some pretty significant ones come and go over the years. It’s a shame this one caught you by surprise, but it will subside very soon. Funny thought: I am still putting my pro and con list together for next week’s OS appointment to decide approach, and I have wondered if posterior doesn’t get a “pro” because the incision is more “out of sight out of mind.” I thought it was the very definition of adding insult to injury that your new incision broke out in a rash! Oh well, we’ll laugh when it’s over...:)

I also think there’s a lot of wisdom in the idea of using your sleep aid every other night, or three times a week. It doesn’t have to be all one way or the other. We have choices to make about tools we use for recovery, the drawbacks we find acceptable, and the perceived value we get from using those tools. It’s a balancing act, in other words.

Speaking of balancing acts, I keep tuning in to what you say about how secure you feel on your feet. What an amazing sensation that must be.
 
Good Saturday morning--it's cool and overcast here this morning, but forecast indicates the clouds will blow away by midday, and the sun will come out. It will be high's in the mid 70's today, a generally perfect sort of day in my book. It's my oldest daughter's 40th birthday today, and although I've bowed out of two of the activities (no way I could get into a spa pedicure chair, and standing in an "escape" room for an hour also seemed like not a very good idea!) I will be going to dinner tonight at a very nice Italian restaurant where we'll all assemble to celebrate with her.

I think I overdid things yesterday a bit. Went down to a local park and slowly walked the perimeter of the park--flat, wide paved walkway--and probably should have stopped with one circuit. Instead, pushed on for a second one and when I got home I was pretty achy. I slapped on an ice pack for an hour and then we--yippee--went out for dinner. It was nice to have a meal out and although I mourned not being able to have a nice fruity cocktail (had fresh squeezed OJ instead which was tasty but not the same thing) it was just nice to get out and dine, and chat with my beloved caregiver.

I must say that I felt like such a frump, however. It was a hot afternoon and I decided to wear a long skirt and top. But with these hideous white compression stockings on it looked very weird, especially as the long skirt has two slits to mid calf and I was so self conscious, feeling I looked like a total dork. I know that looking like a dork is the least of my worries, but I am sure all of us can probably relate to wanting to just fit in and look normal and feeling frustrated when things don't work out that way. I struggled again last night with appropriate medication choice for the evening, oxy vs Tramadol, and eventually decided on Tramadol. I think part of the reason I hesitate with the oxy is because the label so clearly states "for SEVERE pain" and, if I am honest, I've never had severe pain. Yes, I ache and I'm stiff and I'm sore, but it's never been so bad that I think it qualifies as severe and so I argue with myself as to whether I actually should ever be taking oxy. I find the evening medication isn't so much about pain relief as it is just trying to get to sleep and stay asleep despite my low level of aching. I am undoubtedly "overthinking" this, but just thought I should explain why I struggle so much with this decision. I am not a martyr but trying to do the "right thing" in terms of medication doses.

Got up and took a shower this morning, washed my hair and, through a series of bending and contorted movements, actually was able to shave my legs! I then lay in bed for about 15 minutes, stark naked, and simply reveled in not having anything on at all, especially those annoying compression stockings! But did put them back on and will shortly dry my hair and style it as I'd like to look semi-presentable for tonight's dinner. New book downloaded on my Kindle so I'll probably read today and that's about it. With yesterday's exercise overload I can probably use a day off to relax.

Oh, @Cecropia, I only had one strawberry because I am an awful gardener and the two or three strawberry plants that I have produce very few berries. The limited ones that I get are generally chewed up quickly by the slugs!
 
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You are doing so well at getting back to normal! You are really active for not even two weeks out. I would love to see the outfit that goes well with those compression stockings! :heehee:
Enjoy this evening's celebrations.
 
O wow at 11 days!
Though with my TKR I had to get out of the house at 2 weeks. for dinner!
You give me hope!
 
It's hard to miss a daughter's birthday party, understandably you have to go even if it is a bit uncomfortable moving about yet. Have fun...be careful.
 
Compression socks......I remember being thrilled when I was able to get them on and off by myself---small victories:) And leg shaving---another milestone. Congrats! :loveshwr:

A major surgery is so very humbling (ala compression socks with nice outfit) and definitely very character building. You really do get taken back to appreciating the little things, and having a newfound respect for your body, and for your personal resilience and ability to handy adversity! Pretty zen way of looking at it:) :heehee:
 
@Barbaraj My mental image of you - I think you’ve said 5’8” and height/weight proportional, and lovely smile we all enjoy - tells me that the casual observer wouldn’t likely look towards your feet. But I know this logic fails when wearing something that feels as alien as TEDS. You’ll have to don your invisibility cloak for a bit, I guess, until you can re-emerge feeling comfortable in your clothes. Soon! :)

I am so glad you explained about “severe.” It’s very insightful for you to realize that when you see that on the bottle, you think “this is not for me.” I would have thought the same thing, if it weren’t for pain definitions I learned from Josephine. When she asks posters her questions to problem solve, she always includes this:

“And don’t forget to factor in other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness.”

If I am uncomfortable but not miserable during the day, still able to be part of a conversation and enjoy a joke, then I am just fine. If that degree of discomfort means I can’t sleep, it’s a completely different situation. All the sensations Josephine described would be enough to keep me sleepless or cat napping. I am a big believer in the therapeutic power of sleep, and I am willing to medicate to get it; I see it as a good trade off because I heal so much faster. With that said, if I could sleep without (like my Dad, who apparently could sleep through anything), I would - I wouldn’t want the side effects. It’s so individual, and the balance between the pros and cons is subject to change daily.

How lovely you were out enjoying July! I hope tonight’s celebration brings you great pleasure:)
 
Ah, good morning--a Monday, and the start of a new week. I am hoping today won't be as warm as yesterday. I felt very wilted by yesterday midafternoon, and while, yes, I know it's summer, it can feel pretty miserable when temperatures are over 80 and you have no air conditioning and are a complete "heat weenie! But it's still fairly early in the day, and my study window is open and the air feels cool and refreshing. Today's "big event" (oh, so sad to even be writing this, but hipsters all understand...) might be a trip to the grocery store at some point. We're low on a few things, and while I'm sure my husband would be fine going by himself--probably even prefer it to having his slow moving wife tottering along beside him--he's very nice about agreeing to things I suggest.

Saturday's birthday dinner went well and I even treated myself to a cocktail (switching over to just Tylenol before bed that night, in an abundance of caution), a delicious "Italian Greyhound" which was basically a greyhound (my favorite cocktail) with a shot of compari. My daughter seemed to enjoy dinner, and the earlier entertainments (which I didn't attend, preferring to save myself for food and drink!) of pedicures for herself, her sister, daughter and best friend, followed by an escape room experience where the ladies were joined by my husband, older son, my brother and his son. Even absent hip recovery, I am not sure I'd enjoy an escape room as it sounds rather stressful to me but everyone who went said it was lots of fun. Dinner lasted far too long for me as I am only good for about an hour sitting in a hard chair, even with the foam cushion I brought with me, but I kept slightly shifting on the seat and trying to maintain a pleasant facade for my daughter's sake. But, so relieved when dinner was finally over. I walked slowly to the car and collapsed onto the relative comfort of a slightly reclined car seat

I do understand, @Ptarmigan, that I am experiencing pain which can be described variously as the burning, throbbing, aching, etc. The real issue for me is the word SEVERE which is problematic. When I think severe pain, I think about childbirth! While I had epidurals for both my daughters, I had an unmedicated birth with my son, mercifully short (3 hours total) labor but so fast they had no time to get any drugs pumped in. Now, THAT was severe, take my breath away and awful pain! No matter how achy and sore I've been in recovery, it just doesn't qualify in my experience, as severe pain. But you are right, it's a daily assessment and decision about medication, and I'll just keep chugging along!

And, oh, @Fiona444, I totally cracked up at your saying shaving would equal dog grooming! It definitely brought a smile to my face this morning, much needed and appreciated. I actually just used a regular razor and a lot of weird contortions. Okay, maybe the back of my left leg was still a bit stubbly, but I think I did okay, and it was so nice to rub lotion into my dry and flaky legs. I know that my last surgery someone suggested a "giraffe" razor, something you can apparently buy on Amazon, but I was able to do a fairly reasonable job without it so soldiered on and, of course, with time my flexibility returned along with the ability to lift my leg up sufficiently that shaving felt normal again.

You are right, @Debru4, surgery is a totally humbling experience! I suppose I do have a newfound respect for my remarkable body, healing slowly but steadily (she said to herself, confidently and positively) while appalled on the other hand at what a toll is taken by this surgical experience. Those miserable compression stockings look so awful with anything I wear--I guess I didn't mind last time because it was cooler weather and I wasn't wearing sandals, but I feel so Nurse Nancy looking, and doddering, with the white hose! It is indeed massively humbling, and not in a good way. Definitely wasn't "feeling the love" this past weekend when I ventured out!
 
@Barbaraj We have rain moving through right now cooling us down. About the air conditioning. I resisted forever, I prefer to have my windows open all summer. But last year we put a new furnace in and decided to have central air put in as well.
We keep it at 79° lol, and I still sit out in our 3 season room with the windows open out there, it gets up to 90°, and the ceiling fan on high above my recliner as I hate being stuck in the house. I can escape inside the house when I get too hot now, but still glad we finally did it, got air....
 
Just caught up on your thread! You sound like you are progressing really well with only a few aches and pains here and there. Wishing you a speedy return to being 100%!
 
I get what you mean by pain not being severe. I think my pain was severe the first few days and then it just became what I would class as debilitating rather than severe. By debilitating I mean unable to move without being nervous of the resulting feelings and rather too constant for my liking. I am still taking a couple of codeine per day purely because it completely rids me of virtually any aches even though by now my aches are definitely liveable with, I just prefer not to feel them. I dont have many tablets left and I will not be renewing my prescription.

I am glad the image of a poodle parlour amused you :heehee: I think I will attach a razor to a ruler and use a wooden spoon to spread some of my husbands shaving foam on my legs. That should do the trick!

It is funny, but re the rules about compression stockings have been lifted here. Wonder why it is not universal. I was definitely glad about that as they are awful things. I wore them when I broke my leg and they are not pleasant.

I am glad you are getting out and about, I agree even a trip to the store is exciting. My friend came round this morning and took me and my dog out to the country park I cannot tell you how excited I was when she offered !
 

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