THR A new and improved Cindy?<

[Constanze]

Yes definitely,@Cindy, I agree with Legin. You Need your pain meds. I'm on day 8 and take very powerful ones - Diclac 75 (Diclofenac). The doctor says if I stop taking them abruptly, I'll have terrible pain. So later on the Thing to do is to Phase them our gradually. You Need to have Little pain so you can walk and sleep. Icing is also a great pain killer in the early stages.

Good luck at rehab. I hope it won't be as chaotic and busy as my rehab because you Need to have your peace if you want to heal. Do Keep on reporting. Happy healing - Constanze

 

[Constanze]

Sorry, I meant @Cindy99 , The edit function doesn't seem to work. The Wifi is probably too slow in this funny rehab facility.
Hugs Constanze

 

[Jaycey]

@Cindy99 So sorry you are teary. Part of recovery I am afraid. Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
As are the sleep issues Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it? Please work with your surgeon to get that pain management cocktail right. There should be no "tolerating" anything. Staying ahead of the pain at this point means better mobility. Hang in there! Everyday gets better.

 

[Cindy99]

in rehab, bad girl slready. grtting out of bed without their help, warned. had to pee!

very disoriented. don't know what to do with self. wish people would stop asking me what meds i tske, they have had lists for weeks! im not a reliable source at this moment, drugged and tired. stop askingme!

 

[Jaycey]

Tell them "read my chart"! You are totally correct, they are being lazy and it is not appropriate to ask the patient what meds they are taking. Go with the flow @Cindy99 ! Sound like you just need a bit of rest and a good sleep.

 

[Cindy99]

havig hard time.

 

[copsham]

Oh Cindy,
Sorry you are having a hard time, hope issues are resolved soon. Are you still feeling tearful? I was on and off for the first few weeks? Look after yourself - it will get better! x

 

[wcgirl]

@Cindy99 A shower!?! How lovely. I have waterproof dressing but no shower in the room ... I'll just have to ask about that :-D I had to stand at the sink to wash up & 10 min was a long time. Got my extra pill for that and PT and pain level was about #5 while I worked but down to 1 once the ice was back on @ settled in bed. Hugs to you at rehab - I think everyone wants to help and try to reapect how you feel. I just let them know! and tell them this is new to me & what do they think. Seems to work out.

 

[Cindy99]

Hi all. just got big keyboard rigged up so that i can write more. I'm frustrated because they keep making plans and then altering them, now i feel abandoned for the weekend. was told if walked too well they send home, but problem isn't walking it;s daily living, making dinner, moving hot food across room etc. i told them that is what i'm concenred about.

also, my low back REALLY hurts. have had issues for many years, but it's hard to take thta on top of hip recoverery. caan only be comfortable vby lying on good side, sitting hurts. can't do much lying down. getting bored, feeling abandoned for weekend. can't eat in main room because then medicare will decide i'm ok, so i'm eating alone in room.

tir\ed of calling for someone to help with efery little thing (get chapstick),

am recling to write this but painful, must lie on side again. too tired to make corrections.

got meds mostly straightened out today, told them my body was used to a specific time regime insteead of thewse random times. nice nurse fixed.

back hurts!

 

[craftdee]

Hi @Cindy99 Don't think of it as "being abandoned"... think of it as "being left alone without anyone pressuring you to go home"

You're so lucky you are allowed to lay on your side... I had Posterior approach and wasn't allowed to lay on anything but my back for 12 WEEKS, yup, I was OVER it by the end!! I need my other hip doing so I am going to ask about the "muscle preserving" technique you had... if it means I can lay on my side it would make a big difference as my back and shoulders gave me more discomfort than the hip! (I have DDD too, with L4/5 and S1 issues... like so many of my vintage )

I'd be quite happy eating my meals in my room... in fact I was stoked that I got a private room as I don't like an audience for most things @Constanze (in Germany) is in a rehab centre and you HAVE to eat in the main dining area... they even allocated her a seat and she got "told off" for not using it - so at least you are being treated like an adult in that regard

Boredom is the biggest problem for most of us for most of the recovery period, thank goodness for the internet... the ability to engage in mindless websurfing that costs nothing and isn't rude if you switch off from You'll find when you get home day to day activities fill the time... and these things are not anywhere near as hard as you are anticipating right now, so try not to worry too much about the going home idea. You improve really quickly, a few days makes a big difference to how able you are. It does get "old" asking for help all the time, but you won't need help with everything soon, at which point you'll be fed up of doing it all for yourself
Lots of people live alone and have THR, it's not a race and when you live alone at least it's not impacting on anyone else if it takes two hours to get dinner ready... you know for the next day to start preparing dinner straight after your post lunch nap :cool:

Hope you have a nice peaceful weekend... ready for the rigours of PT next week - only joking, the only exercise you need (apart from a little walking) is the one whereby you turn your head from side to side, indicating "no" when asked to do ridiculous amounts of exercises!!

Donna

 

[Cindy99]

@craftdee

 

[Cindy99]

@craftdee Donna, just to be clear am lying on non-surgical side. no precautions, either!

Just craving company cuz when I go home it will be even more isolating. only pt twice a week, no visitors. eternal problem. nice chipmonks who live in my yard, though, and the bears are apparently more prolific this year.

Yes, the internet is saving me from going stark raving mad... thanks!

Cindy

 

[Jaycey]

@Cindy99 put a pillow under your knees when you sleep on your back. It takes the pressure off your lower spine. I have tons of spinal issues and pillow was a life saver!

 

[Cindy99]

@Cindy99 A shower!?! How lovely. I have waterproof dressing but no shower in the room ... I'll just have to ask about that :-D I had to stand at the sink to wash up & 10 min was a long time. Got my extra pill for that and PT and pain level was about #5 while I worked but down to 1 once the ice was back on @ settled in bed. Hugs to you at rehab - I think everyone wants to help and try to reapect how you feel. I just let them know! and tell them this is new to me & what do they think. Seems to work out.

Had one shower because prunes worked too well, another in OT. I'll take 'em where I can get them!

 

[craftdee]

@Cindy99 to prune or not to prune, that is the question no fun in "going" too much, but my son (who had a serious accident in 2013) was VERY ill with constipation... he was readmitted to hospital because of it so I tend to be willing to err on the side of caution, as it were We do joke about constipation, but it really can be baaaad - not that I knew how serious it could be until "The Matthew Incident"

I think you're just showing off now with your "no precautions either" As a treat I was "allowed" to lay on my operated side at about four weeks... of course it was far too uncomfortable to lay on - so it was a pseudo treat

Jaycey is so right about a small pillow under your knees helping your back.. it was the same advice she gave me early in my recovery but my OS wanted me to persevere with laying on my back with my legs unsupported to "encourage" the leg to lay flat as my muscles/tendons had contracted from years of keeping the leg slightly flexed (to accommodate the arthritic hip) I did try to stick with the program as much as possible, but some nights I just elevated the leg... even a tiny bit helps a lot (the edge of the pillow I had in bed to stop me rolling over would just "fall" under my leg :cool It saved my sanity as I got some decent sleep, and saved me from drowning in my tears of self pity too

I understand your desire to stay where there's a bit of company... even if it's not the company you would normally choose to keep! I have to say chipmunks sound cute... I have no idea if they are, the bears sound.... less cute It always fascinates me that people in other countries say how dangerous Australia is with it's "things that bite"... I'm just sayin', we don't have BEARS

My sister had her THR on 14 April, she lives in a bush setting too... things went a little awry so she was in hospital for two weeks - she considered it the worst of two worlds; she was in town but too far from any of her family (we live 400km away) or friends to visit (the hospital was 50km from her teeny home town) and didn't have the beauty and serenity her property offers... she's very glad to be home with her visiting kangaroos, possums and birds - but having a chemical toilet and canvas bag shower is, well, less appealing than the ensuite facilities in the hospital

Donna

 

[Cindy99]

@Cindy99 to prune or not to prune, that is the question no fun in "going" too much, but my son (who had a serious accident in 2013) was VERY ill with constipation... he was readmitted to hospital because of it so I tend to be willing to err on the side of caution, as it were We do joke about constipation, but it really can be baaaad - not that I knew how serious it could be until "The Matthew Incident"

I think you're just showing off now with your "no precautions either" As a treat I was "allowed" to lay on my operated side at about four weeks... of course it was far too uncomfortable to lay on - so it was a pseudo treat

Jaycey is so right about a small pillow under your knees helping your back.. it was the same advice she gave me early in my recovery but my OS wanted me to persevere with laying on my back with my legs unsupported to "encourage" the leg to lay flat as my muscles/tendons had contracted from years of keeping the leg slightly flexed (to accommodate the arthritic hip) I did try to stick with the program as much as possible, but some nights I just elevated the leg... even a tiny bit helps a lot (the edge of the pillow I had in bed to stop me rolling over would just "fall" under my leg :cool It saved my sanity as I got some decent sleep, and saved me from drowning in my tears of self pity too

I understand your desire to stay where there's a bit of company... even if it's not the company you would normally choose to keep! I have to say chipmunks sound cute... I have no idea if they are, the bears sound.... less cute It always fascinates me that people in other countries say how dangerous Australia is with it's "things that bite"... I'm just sayin', we don't have BEARS

My sister had her THR on 14 April, she lives in a bush setting too... things went a little awry so she was in hospital for two weeks - she considered it the worst of two worlds; she was in town but too far from any of her family (we live 400km away) or friends to visit (the hospital was 50km from her teeny home town) and didn't have the beauty and serenity her property offers... she's very glad to be home with her visiting kangaroos, possums and birds - but having a chemical toilet and canvas bag shower is, well, less appealing than

the ensuite facilities in the hospital

Donna

Thank you Donna for your perspective. You are being patient with me.

Just had a bad start to day, but mYbe up from here?

 

[Cindy99]

Wish i felt better every day but feels worse.

 

[wcgirl]

Wow @craftee, everything you write is so informative and delivered so well you make me laugh!
All I know is every day is different w different tasks & I learned yesterday that I have to STOP when I know I should. I do give credit to doc's recommendation that I bring the ice device. I have no bruising & think it helped w healing & keeping the pain level down.
I think of @Cindy99 everyday & wish you comfort and self confidence. I brot my watercolor pencils & field book but what to sketch? HA! Curtains, backs of NAs fleeing, my dinner tray... Hmmm dinner tray could be fun!
So I'm Keeping busy with practicing daily living tasks -- I requested no visitors, no flowers after my allergy attack in the hospital. So I give myself time for tasks and then it's pills & naptime for an hour pain free. Hugs all April rainbow hipsters, how did it become May so quickly! So happy to have you here.

 

[Cindy99]

Now I'm really ticked! Except ticked in me comes out as crying and taking it out on myself.

I am in rehab. I told them upon entering this place that I have inconyenience issues. In fact the first night I was here I had to go to the bathroom by myself be ause they weren"t responding to the buzzer fast enough. I was told of their policy about needing to wait for someone. At that time I asked the question they don,t seem to want to answer, "so you would rather I pee in my bed?"

This afternoon as soon as I woke up i felt the urge so i rang the buzzer. After waiti as long as I could I took myself to the bathroom and back. the. nurse came in the room just as i was getting back in bed. I wish I'd jad the presence of mind to ask for domething, but instead i confessed.

i got a lecture, and was told this would be put into my record and that if medicare decides I can walk this well they would send me home. Several. problems with this.

i get no opportunity to put my side into the recorddd. i'm the one who should be mad that it took at least two minutes for them to answer the bell and didn't even get any semblence of an apology for it. instead i was scolded like a schoolgirl.

every time i ask them if they would rather i pee in bed, they refuse to answer the question and simply say that I must wait for them. guess i'm going to pee in bed.

being able to get to the bathroom and back is not the same as OT. I have been begging for OT since I got here on thurwsday. Got a shower and dressed myself. Still haven't been taught how to make dinner and cross a room with a hot dish or any other hazardous thing.

They also didn't offer me incontinence pads when I arrived even though i told them about it and the previous hospital had given me pads the whole time i was there.

Now they act like it's my problem. I asked to speak to the charge nurse, to whom this had been reported, and found that she is the one who wasn't very happy with me the first night i arrived (she was one who persisted in talking to my back). she was not receptivr.

I'm really ticked now. when I get ticked i tend to withdraw. I'm not going to win this one, I now know. They threatened me with putting a buzzer on the bed so that they can tell when I get out of bed (hey folks, I diddn't do this for the hell of it). I'm not sure what that's supposed to prove. I've been in this bed since Thursday, staring at a wall.

No one cares about state of mind or taking any ownership of an issue. Or lettting me get into the record that I"M ticked that they put my helath at risk by setting up a situation where I might get out of bed because no one responded. I've already had diahrea in bed (at the other place), so I'm obviously having problems.

they have now offered me pads, at my suggestion, whihc they could have offered me three days ago.

Am I the only one who has faced this one-sided instituttional brick wall?

I'm ticked. Really ticked. Proably some valid childhood psychologial thing at work, but I'm still ticked.

 

[Cindy99]

now i find out that i got reported. for going to the toilet by myself two nights ago. i had forgotten about it, but it was brcause the buzzer had fallen behind the head of the bed, a place i clearly couldn't reach. I tried yelling but noone responed so i took myself.

I remember saying to the nurse ,you can't give me demerits when I can't reach the bell'. she laughed. i had no idea she wrote it up. Bet she didn,t add thst the buzzer had gone missing!

Did i say i'm ticked? in more ways than one.