THR 19 Months Out - Weak muscles causing problems

[Boofit]

Hi @Jamie , good to know that apart from your constipation issue, you are doing well in all other aspects! I too have this constipation issue every now and then, and it is not from drinking insufficient amounts of water as I religiously drink 2 Litres a day... I try to take some prunes and dragon fruit daily, and sometimes need to take a senna pill as well. I did not have much of this issue when I was walking regularly before my surgery, so I guess the lack of exercise is contributing to this problem in my case.

You mentioned the Geko and the On Pulse technology. I am interested in what it does, and personally have not come across this before in Hong Kong. On doing a bit of googling on this device, I am thinking I should get one because I suffer from lower leg and foot cramps (a long term problem which existed since my teenage years, but seem to be getting worse). Tomorrow morning I am going to see whether it is sold in Hong Kong, or if not, whether I can buy it online from the UK or US.

Warm wishes for a steady recovery!

 

[Hip4life]

With just a couple of exceptions, it sounds like your recovery is off to a great start. Welcome to the hipster club. It will be (and has been) interesting to follow your personal observations on this new and different joint replacement. Wishing you many healing blessings and much positive energy in the coming months. I'm so looking forward to your updates.

 

[Jamie]

The geko is available in the US, the UK and possibly some locations in Europe. It is currently only available via prescription from a doctor, so you might have difficulty procuring them. The device is disposable and not rechargeable. Each unit runs for about 24 hours. If you have a doctor treating you for your foot problem, you may be able to work something out to give it a try. I can't say whether or not it would help with chronic foot pain. It does increase blood flow and prevent DVT clots. The pain assistance is a bit of a bonus, I think, as it was not designed for that purpose. I don't think it's been trialed for pain.

 

[Jamie]

Jamie, if you have the ingredients you can try a Brown Bomb

1 cup of prune juice
1 cup of coffee ( or Sprite, 7 Up, ginger ale)
2 tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia

Mix, drink warm. Don't drink it all at once, maybe a third to half and save the rest for later to keep things moving.

It sounds nasty but does the job.

It was the only thing that worked for me...fast results after 10 days of being clogged up

Good luck!

I don't believe we have this concoction in our article on constipation, so I'll need to check. It does sound like "the Bomb!" I've been eating prunes each day and I know they help. I am not good with coffee usually....don't like the taste at all, so if I try it, I'll have to use something else. Right now my doc wants me to take a full dose of Mirlax each day and that seems to be getting the job done slowly rather than bombing the entire area.

 

[Layla]

Hey Jamie, I forgot about this one if you decide to try other options -
Pumpkin Purée has been suggested as a cure for Constipation.
With Pumpkin Puree' being the ONLY ingredient in the can.
Cinnamon can be sprinkled on top.
@Jamie

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Every time we go on a trip lately, my husband gets constipated for some reason. He was taking Colace to no effect, so I gave him some Senna tablets and told him to take the two it says to take at night until it worked. Then, I suggested he take one a night for a bit to help keep things moving along. He actually did as I suggested since he knew it worked for me, whereas nothing else did, and since then he's been perfectly fine. Constipation is miserable, so I hope you get it figured out and get that out of the way.

I'm glad you're doing so well otherwise, and hope you're soon out of the recovery stage and into the living life again stage.

 

[Jamie]

I forgot about pumpkin too. I'll have to go down to my pantry and see if I have any cans left over from last winter. Pumpkin pie sounds very, very good!

 

[Zoebichon]

My instructions regarding constipation prevention said not to take psyllium husk powder right after surgery. Well, since I had been taking two teaspoons of pure psyllium powder daily for years (not Metamucil, which has lots of added ingredients), I figured I could safely continue with it.

I had my first postop BM exactly three days after coming out of surgery. It was like giving birth to a twelve pound baby, only baby didn’t want to be fully born? It was truly awful!

Thankfully, after that first one, things moved along normally!

 

[hawk2go]

Jamie - it good to see that you are recovering well. I wish you continued improvements in leaps and bounds.

 

[Jamie]

The constipation is thankfully resolving with the help of my GP. But I am extremely dehydrated (the scale says about 2 pounds of water needed in my poor old body, even with all the water I've been drinking. I drink like crazy, but have to go pee every 1 and a half hours to 2 hours. So any sleep is very fragmented.

I am also experiencing that typical fatigue. I can't really feel it coming on most times and it just hits me like a ton of bricks. I'm finding it hard to practice what I preach!

But I still feel I'm making good progress. I no longer seem to need anything for pain and only take an occasional Extra Strength Tylenol to help with sleep. I need more sleep!!!

 

[subie2021]

Can you take Benadryl? 25mg = zzzz for me.

Tylenol PM has the same ingredient, Diphenhydramine HCl, but a dose is 50 mg, which has the opposite effect for me. So maybe a regular tylenol tablet plus a tylenol pm?

Sweet dreams!

 

[Jamie]

I decided to take a Tylenol tonight. They seem to be working for me. I have taken Benadryl and didn't think about that. I don't have trouble going to sleep, just staying asleep as I'm in one position for quite a while these days. I don't flip around like normal because of the pillow between my legs.

Just one Extra Strength Tylenol tablet has actually been working pretty well to take away any minor discomfort my body feels now. It's not real pain and definitely not in the hip. It's more of an allover achy feeling. No fever, though. I think it's just part of the surgery trauma. It comes around in the late afternoons and sometimes at night.....when I'm tired or when I stay in one position for a while. I suspect it will go away gradually. I usually don't have any trouble sleeping.

 

[kiwicurls]

Hi Jamie
Sounds like you’re doing well. I think the achey feeling is soft tissue reacting to your position on the operating table. This is not unusual after hip replacement. I worked in orthopaedics and a few weeks after surgery it was a common complaint.
All the best!

 

[Jamie]

Things are going okay. I finally got to see the Home Health nurse today. She will be returning Wednesday to hopefully get the blood work done. I still get very tired during the afternoon and evening. Sleep is only about an hour or hour and a half at a time because of having to get up to go to the bathroom. The nurse today felt I was adequately hydrated now and told me to try drinking less water through the night and during the five hours before bed. I get thirsty during those times, so I’ll try just sipping rather than chugging water. Maybe I’ll be able to sleep more.

I have done a few household chores today and walked some. But I was experimenting with not taking anything for the low level of pain I have. I will have a Tylenol at bedtime. I don’t think I’ll continue that because I seem to have more oomph during the day if I take at least one Tylenol after getting up.

I don’t know if it’s the difference in the general versus the spinal anesthetic, but this recovery has so far been very different from either of my knees or my shoulder. I’ll be glad to begin feeling more “normal” again. I know in my heart that it’s just now 3 weeks out, but it seems like much longer and my mind thinks I should be much farther along in terms of how I feel. Fortunately, the hip still feels really good, so I’m very happy about that.

 

[Susie-Q]

Brown Bomb

That name is ominous! I'm glad things have resolved in that area for you. Remember, you can always try the Smooth Move tea, it worked great for me while I was taking oxy.

 

[danelady]

@Jamie Oh goodness, I loved reading your recovery posts! So glad that you have a handle on this crazy hip thing and I can identify with a lot of what you are going through! For example getting up every 1 and a half to 2 hours at night to relieve myself! It's like clockwork and doesn't make for a very restful night either. I sleep more during the day, well like 3 hours, lol.

I'm slowly building my energy more and more every week but like you said I could only do one thing a day, any more than that was too much. Taking a bag of garbage out made me so proud of myself, lol. And yesterday was the first time I could lift my leg onto the bed on its own.

Well Jamie, best wishes for you as you recover! I think we got this covered!

 

[Jamie]

Although I wouldn't wish that constant peeing all night on anyone, I'm rather relieved to hear that you're experiencing the same thing, @danelady. I agree that we DO have this covered, though.

The past few days have seemed to bring some normalcy back to my life. I no longer have to take MiraLax to function. I've been able to back down from the huge levels of water my GP wanted me to drink. My lab tests (blood and urine) all came back within an acceptable range. And I finally am beginning to feel like "me" again.

My puppy dog is getting settled in at home again and the weather has been beautiful for us to sit out on the deck. I have just a few more days that I must be 50% weight bearing and on the walker and then I can switch to a cane. That will mean I can get down to the garden and out in the back yard to do some watering or just enjoy the yard. How great that will be!

My hip still has a little bit of soreness in the joint area, but most of the time it's not enough that I even take a Tylenol. I suspect that will get better when I can do more normal walking with a cane next week. The joint itself still feels very strong. One thing I noticed is that I can now fully extend my surgical leg. Prior to the hip replacement, there was always a stopping point just before full extension that wouldn't allow it. It didn't really hurt, but it meant my leg was always slightly bent when standing or walking. So glad that is now gone as it makes my leg feel stronger. Maybe I'll gain some height.....

 

[danelady]

Wonderful news! You are really coming along!
I did dislocate 3 days ago....wrote about it and posted it. Oh well, I'm ok though.

I also have a she devil for a dog but she really has a gentle side to her as well. Ever since I came back from surgery she started doing something new....as soon as she hears me reach for my walker up she jumps to escort me to the bathroom. Kinda nice to have her company.

How nice for you to finally be able to straighten your leg!! When I dislocated I pushed my leg 2 inches shorter!! Yikes! But its ok again.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Time sure has flown-I can't believe it's been nearly 4 weeks for you already! You're doing so well, and I'm glad you finally got the monster back home to terrorize......er....keep you company again........

 

[NightQuilter]

It was good to see you online yesterday and hear about how well you are doing...even with the puppy. You should be checking into the Four (or more) Replacements Club any day now!