THR 2 weeks post op and miserable

[dianehelen]

Awe thanks for asking @charmed-life. The best I can say is fair. This wound vac thing is so annoying, and it's hampering my ability/desire to move more. The wound area is still painful and I'm still taking Percocet twice a day for some relief. I'm walking a bit better, but now my other hip is bothering me probably from using it more, favoring the surgery hip. Luckily I am sleeping ok, so I wake up and count the hours till bedtime, how sad is that. The nurse comes today to change the dressing which is somewhat painful and uncomfortable. All in all, I just want my old life back. Today is 5 weeks from my THR surgery and I should be further along, but this infection and new surgery really has set me back. How are you doing, probably dancing by now huh? ;-)

 

[charmed-life]

Yes, that has set you back although at five weeks many people are still on pain meds and still not really recovered. Its so variable though - I can hardly believe the reports some people have given of back at work in a few days and no pain - and ranging to people who never really recover well. But most of us get there in a few months. I hope your infection will clear up now and you'll just have backtracked a few weeks. At our age, its harder to give in and lose weeks or months, I think although maybe we've learned more patience than younger people needing this surgery. But, yes, I'm doing well. Still some tenderness around the incision area but most of the time doesn't bother me. I walk quite a bit, riding my bike now 4-5 miles several times a week - its finally warm enough here. I did start out in reasonably good shape so that probably helped - now have to lose the 5 lbs I gained while not as active! The recovery took longer and was slower than I had originally visualized (based on not much information) but overall, I can't complain. I still lie down for an hour once a day if my back or leg start hurting and sometimes take acetaminophen but so much better than before surgery that its not even a big issue. I have a small business I run from home so I have a lot more flexibility than some people.

 

[MajorHeidi]

Hi @dianehelen Glad to hear how you are doing, and it sounds like you are doing okay all in all.
This was a setback, but I know you will get thru it and come out happy.
I hope you continue to get better every day.

 

[Josephine]

I'm still taking Percocet twice a day for some relief

Why so few? And if you don't want to take more, why not take some Tylenol in between? Just add that in the Percocet and subtract from 4,000mg and that's how much extra Tylenol you can take, okay?

so I wake up and count the hours till bedtime, how sad is that? All in all, I just want my old life back

Not really. Your energy is being sapped by the infection and everything else. Plus you are only 5 weeks out. Remember this Energy drain for THRs?

You are also in a battle for you health the prize of which is you old life. Get it? Keep up the good fight. I'm sure you'll get there!

 

[dianehelen]

Well when I start my day, the pain is bearable. But by around 3 or 4pm it starts wearing on me. Then on the days (mon-wed-fri) the wound nurse changes the dressing, that brings my pain way up, so I take 2 Percocet when she comes. Then I can usually get to bedtime, when I take 1 and a half Percocet, 2 advil pm, and a xanax.

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[charmed-life]

I know you must hate taking all that but it will get better. You will be able to have a better outlook if you can keep the pain down. Hoping to hear improvement and praying you are beating this infection!

 

[dianehelen]

Hi guys,, so I need some feedback here re my home nurse situation. This miserable wound vac deal requires dressing changes 3x a week, which is annoying enough. But I'm having an appt scheduling issue with the nurse. I have a bit of an added issue in that my sweet husband who took fmla leave to care for me works nights, so it's but easy for him to change his sleep schedule, so he sleeps generally 3am, till I get up and he has to give me my iv antibiotics, then goes beck to sleep till 1 or pm. So first nurse visit set for 10am, hubby set to get with me, wait for nurse done then back to sleep..I need to be laying on his side of bed for dressing change. Ok, set for 10am, she calls at 6:45am, says she'll be there in 20 mins. What? Tells me how busy her day is and can't give exact times. Ok scramble to get up ready h and deal. When done, say let's hi with afternoon appts, would work better. So Wednesday, set between 1-2pm, she shows up 2:45, ok not great but I can deal. Set today for 2pm. Hubby set clock to wake up 1pm. She calls at noon, saying she'll be there in 20.mins ughhhh. I tell her no, and why. She sats ok shell do another appt that is an hour away abs shell call when done. So now I have no idea when she will be here. Feedback? Am I expecting too much by expecting appts set and done in reasonable time frames, or is this just what to live with, in home nursing care?

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[shrinkette]

Boy, would I be ticked!! I myself have a nurse coming every other day to check/dress a wound that is finally healing nicely, AND a PT who comes 3x/week. When setting appts initially I let them both know I am not a "morning person"... don't even think of it. (Of course I 'do' mornings when I have appts outside or whatever). They both come around 1 pm-ish, but they'll usually give an hour's window ... maybe 12 to 1, so they keep it somewhat elastic, but within some sort of boundary. You obviously have certain needs to accommodate & it seems to me they should be reasonably met.

Can you just tell the nurse -- perhaps more emphatically -- that you need a more definite schedule & that it's too difficult for you to make spontaneous adjustments? And if she is not sympathetic, somewhat apologetic, or otherwise responsive, perhaps you can call the agency out of which she works & present them with your concerns. Worth a try? You are not helpless here -- they are serving YOU & need to schedule better. Hope this helps. Go get 'em!!

 

[Josephine]

She sats ok shell
abs shell call

Sorry, Helen, I don't understand these two phrases. Can you interpret, please?

We have this issue with our home care nurses here. The main issue is that they cannot be completely certain how long they will need to be with any particular patient. So though they might schedule for 10-15 minutes, it could be 5 or it could be 30. That's the nature of the job. Not to mention the issue of travelling from one place to another and what will the traffic be like ....

 

[dianehelen]

@Josephine , that's from typing too fast and not checking autocorrect. That should have said: "she says ok, and she'll call," sorry bout that.
Ok so she just left, and I do basically like her, I did say we need to have a reasonable window, she says she'll try. NOW its time for Percocet, and hopefully a nap to get past the dressing change pain. She did say the swelling is going down and the wound depth is shrinking, just seems I'll be attached to this machine forever. Im trying to walk more with just the cane, but that gets annoying, having to hang this machine around my neck.

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[Dieter]

sounds kind of like the cable guy... "Your appointment is between 1 and 4"...but from the nurses stand point they have to care for patients that less than two years ago would have been in a skilled nursing facility (I would guess that is where you would have gone to "back in the day". In home nursing is one of the toughest areas of practice for a nurse, I'm sure you are frustrated, I'd bet your nurse is too.
Sounds like your are on the mend...that is the most important thing...

 

[Josephine]

That should have said: "she says ok, and she'll call," sorry bout that.

Of course it is! Why didn't I see that?

 

[dianehelen]

I'm approaching the 6 week out mark and looking for some perspective. The added complication of this crappy infection has I'm sure slowed things down. But I am walking a bit better, and for the most part am only using a cane, so I guess that's progress. But my steps are still very tenuous and difficult. At almost 6 weeks does this still sound within the normal range? Also, probably from compensating, my other hip, as well as my back feel a bit achey, should I be concerned? My husband is telling me I need to be walking more, but I tire, and it's painful, so I'm not pushing myself as much as maybe I should. My usual daily walking consists of, getting up in the morning, walking the maybe 200 steps to feed and let my dogs out. Then I get my coffee and yogurt together, and then into my recliner, maybe another 50 steps total. Maybe 2 bathroom trips for the morning, another 100 steps. Try to do a walk around the house maybe once or twice , a bathroom trip or 2 for the afternoon, dinner, another bathroom trip or two during the evening, then to bed. Does this seen reasonable, or should I push myself more?

Next question about the Percocet. How long and how frequently is it safe to keep taking these , and not risk dependency on them. I have backed off a bit, and the days I don't have to deal with the excruciating wound vac dressing change, I can sometimes get thru the day without them, but feel I still need it at night to help get comfortable enough to get to sleep.

I know we are all different, but at 6 weeks out, so many seem so far ahead of me. I know between my age, weight, and overall in general I'm on the low end of the recovery curve.

I'm very thankful for this forum, it's been a great source of comfort to me, and I thank each of you for your help, support, and kindness

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[dianehelen]

Oh and, other then the new hip feeling kinda wierd/stiff/different, most of my pain now is from the new surgery and where the wound vac dressing is.

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[miaow27]

@dianehelen,
Sorry you still have pain, but I think it is a good sign that you feel it is just from your most recent surgery. As far as walking and stuff goes you can only do what you can do- you have had more complication than most. The infection was NOT your fault so don't be so hard on yourself....
I'm afraid I don't know about the percocet( not really sure what drug it is ...) but everyone here says being in too much pain will hinder your recovery.
Hope you feel less in pain soon,
Gill


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[Canuck]

My husband is telling me I need to be walking more, but I tire, and it's painful, so I'm not pushing myself as much as maybe I should.

I had my hip replaced on November 26 of 2013 and my post-operative recovery regime consisted entirely of Josephine's advice; rest, ice and elevate. No PT and no more walking than was necessary to care for myself. As an old, fat guy, my primary goal was to avoid as much pain as possible.

I didn't have the complications that you encountered but my recovery went about as smoothly as one could hope for. MY OS didn't want me to put more than 50% of my weight on my new hip for the first six weeks so I used a walker for about 3 1/2 weeks and alternated between a single crutch and cane the rest of the time.

When I eliminated the walking aids, it took me awhile to learn how to walk properly again and I did encounter some back pain. Gentle stretching eventually eliminated that, as well as the stiffness in the rest of my body.

I'm living proof that hips don't need much rehab and, if I were you, I'd lay back and do my best to wait out the healing process while avoiding as much pain as you can. In a few months (maybe sooner), you can step up your exercise efforts, if you feel the need, without having to worry about hurting yourself.

BTW, I also used Percocet as a pain suppressant and I doubt that you'll have much trouble eliminating it from your life. It's relatively mild. Best of luck.

 

[dianehelen]

@Canuck Thank you so much for sharing your experience. That really gives me some hope. Just curious, how much of an "old" and "fat" guy are you?. And I'm guessing your surgery was November 2013, which is about 5.months. How are you feeling and walking these days?
Thanks again


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[Canuck]

You're right about the date of the surgery.


I'm 66, 6'3" about 295 lb. I'm fine now, and though I don't enjoy hauling my large butt up multiple flights of stairs, I can do so with no ill effects.

I made my major gains in range of motion in the first two, pain free, months of recovery when I did nothing but rest, ice & elevate. I think I still had some minor swelling up until then. Since that point, I've been doing more strenuous ('strenuous' being a relative term) stretching to increase ROM and riding a recumbent bike/climbing stairs to increase my leg strength. I needed a new hip for about five years before I had the 'testicular fortitude' to schedule the surgery and that, obviously, resulted in some muscular atrophy.

I'm a 'type A' personality and laying back and letting 'nature take it's course' has not been the easiest course of action for me; I tend to think I should be doing something to help the recovery process. Nonetheless, I decided that for once, I'd shut my big mouth and follow the advice of selected professionals (Josephine) and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

If you're able to relax and find a way to pass the time with a minimum amount of concern, I think you'll get through this ordeal. There really will come a time when you're pain free again.

 

[dianehelen]

THANK YOU! So other than.my infection complications, we are similar in age and size. I'm not as tall, but 5'10", similar weight. I guess I'll just keep plugging along at my own pace, and hope for the best. It took me abit over a year to accept that I needed the surgery, tho there are days where I question my decision. I hope that swings the other way too

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[Josephine]

But my steps are still very tenuous and difficult. At almost 6 weeks does this still sound within the normal range? Also, probably from compensating, my other hip, as well as my back feel a bit achey, should I be concerned?

This is all quite normal for your history. You've had a setback so can't expect things to go smoothly or routinely.

My husband is telling me I need to be walking more, but I tire and it's painful, so I'm not pushing myself as much as maybe I should.

No 'should' about it. You get fatigued because your body is now also fighting an infection and the invasiveness of the wound pump. Like I said, you can't expect things to go smoothly or routinely just now. Take your time and take it easy.

How long and how frequently is it safe to keep taking these , and not risk dependency on them. I have backed off a bit, and the days I don't have to deal with the excruciating wound vac dressing change, I can sometimes get thru the day without them, but feel I still need it at night to help get comfortable enough to get to sleep.

Not everybody gets dependent on opiates. Some people do but most don't. And if it happens, dependency can occur anything from a few weeks to a few months. Don't fear this. If you have genuine pain, the risk of dependency is minimised anyway. You also shouldn't back off them because you are fearful of dependency (which might never happen!). You will find yourself able to reduce slowly as your pain reduces. That's the correct way to do it. Also read this (which was in your list of recovery articles!) Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

Oh and, other then the new hip feeling kinda wierd/stiff/different, most of my pain now is from the new surgery and where the wound vac dressing is.

Exactly! Just what I was saying. And the stiffness is because of the additional surgery and inflammation, infection and other interference with the usual progress of recovery. Don't fear it, expect and accept it.