THR A new world..there better be coffee

[mainegirl1]

one can never have too many sox
Now my foot and shin hurt a little and are hot
Off to bed and elevation
My caretakers are both sick have had to do little things for them. Not serious

Re shopping for recliner make sure it is easily controlled and lifts you a little to get up and that it supports you all the way when reclibed and that you can add pillows to get toes above nose
Take your tine don't grab the first pretty one

 

[mainegirl1]

Bed experience was a flop.. It really hurts to get op leg into bed.. Then on back there is some muscle screaming.. I thrash on the no op side.. I have to grab the headboard to do this.. or hubbys face.. Comfy for about 10 minutes then onto op side . That is strangely comfortable for about twenty minutes.. Then thrash to roll over..again.. At this stage rolling over is an aerobic exercise.

And curse tangled up sheets and trying to rearrange elevating pillows.. The pillow block between my knees helps a bit but there are so many other pillows
At 2 AM Throw all pillows across the room and grumpily assume the position on the recliner again.. Arrange pillows.. Now the dog wants out..

Peaceful nights are elusive. I cannot yell at hubby as he is asleep and deaf.

 

[Layla]

Aww, the night wanderings begin. You roam the house like Goldilocks looking for the spot that's "just right."
Scream into your pillow if hubs is deaf without his hearing aid. Let. It. Out. Hopefully it will make you feel better. Would a Leg Lifter, or bathrobe belt, make it easier to access your bed temporarily? I hope you get some peaceful rest today and have a great Saturday!
@mainegirl1

 

[Barbaraj]

Yup, those early nights are simply awful, @mainegirl1, as too often no position remains comfortable for very long and, as you've described, moving your body around in bed is a major undertaking, complicated by pillows and sheets which get in the way and it's all so unbearably complicated. I loathe back sleeping and found it very hard at first, but sheer fatigue won out eventually and while I don't love it, I'm now able to get to sleep and mostly stay asleep. For me, that is when the Tramadol was effective in that first week. I could handle discomfort during the day when I was, allegedly, functioning and alert, but at night I really wanted and needed something to make me groggy so I could ease into sleep. First hip I had no problems sleeping on my unoperated side but this time side sleeping is bad on both sides so far. But bed was always better than our small broken recliner! Hang in there, it's going to get better soon, I suspect.

 

[julesglass]

Nights are the worse. I couldn't get into my bed for a while. Recliner was were I camped out till I could get that leg in. Sleep was on again off again, 2-3 hrs. I can only say, roll with it it does get better. I figure it got better for me about week or two. Just getting out on my top deck in the morning with coffee helped me so much. Evenings after it cooled down was relaxing. Take it easy on yourself knowing little by little it all comes back.

 

[ahipgma]

Dont know about the tkr-- never had one but do know about the " muscle screaming" if not on the back on the new hip for sure. When my OS ranged my hip before this last hip replacement he made a face and said your range of motion is almost nil, I believe the muscles around that hip have gotten shorter, atrophied, lazy, so its muscle strain that gets me every time, my shiny new hip is now arthritis pain free,which is why I had the surgery in the first place but to get surrounding the hip structures to get back into shape! I also have been medicating as directed and it makes all the difference.
Hang in there hippy friend!

 

[mainegirl1]

Oh I know I have no range of motion at all. My hip functioned for years as a hinge rather than a ball and socket.. I think it is muscles too.. maybe I will hit the narcs.. I sure overdid this morning.. went with cane into a field to collect watermelon radishes ; the friend pulled the radishes and also her back out. Back to the walker to keep the gait going.. We can do this @ahipgma!
I have a follow up appt next Friday ( staples out)and will ask about muscle relaxers .. I know what pain I have has nothing to do with the new appliance nor the staples

coffee..... its getting ridiculous. now up a cuppa to three a day.

@Layla if I get a good roll going onto the bed with definite intentions the operated leg follows. I am not having luck this time with the dog leash or cane as a lifter.

ogee gotta go stretch... and drink water I think the iliopsoas has just been awakened and is grumpy. I can lay the operated knee flat sideways on the bed..I think that is the muscle that is being put to stretch.

no we are not doing this https://www.yoganatomy.com/the-psoas-muscle/

 

[Supersonic]

Hi Mainegirl1
I remember the nurses lifting the new hip so l could use the commode, (bed pan wasn't the angle to empty my bladder and l didnt want a cathater) and it was scary.
Such a pulling, tearing sensation. Thought my scar would pop, the socket move. But it didn't. Next day they taught me to use a pj bottom to lift my leg in and out. Still cringy and sore. Still using a scarf lassoed under my foot to get it elevated in or out of bed etc
Love my grabber too - gives me independence.
Nhs gave me frame for the lav and raisers too. Nothing less than 17.5 inches in height for me.

 

[Ptarmigan]

@mainegirl1 I hope I won’t offend you, but I have been laughing until my sides ache at the last series of posts - such great slapstick comedy and your snark is genius. Even as I write this, I know it’s mostly funny if this isn’t happening to you, or long after the desire to grab those uncooperative pillows and beat the stuffing out of the hypersensitive recliner has faded away. You’ve got a ‘tude that will get you through all this nonsense in fine form. Carry on!

 

[mainegirl1]

My hubby has other opinions about 'tude
Hes on the receiving end of it
Meanwhile I feel like I can imagine exactly how each muscle was dissected
Nothing is comfortable and the shin swelling particularly hurting
I can say one of the benefits of the uncooperative recliner is it has arms to aid in position changes
In bed the only available object to grab is hubbys throat and head.

I cant wait for my flexors to become engaged again so I can raise my leg

 

[SurreyGirl]

Poor hubby!

 

[Ptarmigan]

DH has my sympathies...you do too...and in two weeks time you’ll be a veteran at this with better ways to get comfy, and I will be aerobicizing in the recliner, wondering why I thought anything was funny!

This too shall pass .

For what it’s worth, my PT said the laying down quad and glute squeezes would help with “log leg” post-op. He emphasized I shouldn’t clench hard, but rather try to gently contract and release, maybe 25% power, like a good twitch. The idea is to reconnect all the signals that got disrupted during surgery. He also said I could do full strength squeezes on the non-op side, and there’s neurological messaging that will transfer from non op side to the op side. Once the muscles are firing again, walking and other activities of daily living will do the conditioning work. This isn’t a “repeat many times a day to get stronger” thing. It’s a “repeat in sets a few times a day until the leg wakes up, and then move on” thing. I don’t know how that lines up with your doctor’s orders, and don’t want to contradict them, so feel free to ignore.

 

[Mojo333]

I so vividly remember the dreaded log leg and trying to find comfortable positions to rest.
Try not use hubby's head and throat for leverage.
Elbow to the ribs might work if you need help..
Many nights I spent in the recliner so I could get up myself when needed.
Keep the faith friend, all temporary.

 

[mainegirl1]

I was given some home exercises and quad and glute setting are on the list as well as the tried and trite heel slides
Because they are so easy to do in the recliner I do lots of them
I like them as they give me the feeling of a cat stretch
I cant arrange the pillows or short arc quad lifts but when I have furniture arranging help they are easy
So why is it so impossible to raise my op leg?!
Doing hundreds of ankle pumps in the recliner!!!

I can report that while a grabber is handy sleeping ON it is not!

I shall not approach the marital bed again until I can behave

 

[Mojo333]

So why is it so impossible to raise my op leg?!

Time is the healer here.
There was a period where even though I walked okay, there felt like there was a disconnect between my brain and my leg. It didnt comply with my requests to get in the car or get in the bed.
It will get there...more doesn't always help so try to relax until all comes back on line.

I shall not approach the marital bed again until I can behave

Heard hubby's sigh of relief all the way down south.

 

[ahipgma]

Good morning @mainegirl1
Hope last night was better for you!. it's right now 810am and got a full nights sleep thanks to 7.5 mg of oxy. Even though getting around is a painful struggle during the day, at night my hub gets me all tucked in, feet elevated, ice on, grabber , leg lifter at my side,I take my prescribed meds and away I go! Oh yes and the TED hose come off for the night----ahhhhh.
I am in our little guest room so no marital bed for me yet either, especially since my op side this time faces him. One accidental kick to my incision and you would hear me all the way in ...Maine, girl! That was an oxy induced pun ...
But seriously I feel every passing day those muscles heal more, my hip capsule is reforming so what i can do is medicate, follow orders and wait it out.
Keeping you in prayer, happy Sunday!

 

[Barbaraj]

I, too, hope that maybe a bit more sleep last night despite all the impediments you have to deal with, @mainegirl1 Maybe sleeping in another bed (sorry, hubby!) is the way to go. Grabbing his face and throat would not make hubby happy, I'm guessing. One thing that worked for me was, because I sleep close to the edge of the bed, was to grab the side of the mattress to assist me in hauling myself one way or the other. And I agree, that horrible log leg will fade pretty soon, I'm guessing, or it did with me. One simply isn't "graceful" getting in and out of bed and chairs, but it does get easier with time. It's early days, so give yourself a break--and have a good Sunday.

 

[CricketHip]

@mainegirl1 your story about trying to sleep in your bed! Hilarious, except I'm sure it wasn't for you. Grabbing husbands face? now that's hysterical. You will do just fine because you have a great resolve and sense of humor.
I hope today is a good day!

 

[VSlowLife]

Mainegirl1, knitting socks does keep you focused! I have knitted one pair of socks, in my knitting experiences. I did enjoy learning how it was done and would love to try again with a yarn that might stay up. It’s on my list of things to keep me busy for recovery.
Thank you for the advice on a recliner. My former recliner now resides with my mom in her assisted living room. I am sure it is not the kind I need for replacement surgery, but it works for her.
I am enjoying your type of humor about your struggles. I know the first two weeks are so tough to get through, from what I have read. I have every confidence you will be navigating things better as each day goes by. It’s good you have someone at home to help out.
It’s so wonderful you have all this friendship and advice from folks who have had this procedure, too, to help you navigate through recovery.

 

[Ptarmigan]

@mainegirl1 When I asked my PT your question about log leg, his answer was inflammation, which can interrupt nerve signals to muscles- a side effect of trauma. Put that together with Mojo’s “time is the healer here”, and you can see how everything ties together. Rest, ice, elevation, medication, repeat...