THR All Done

[LeeApril26]

ByGosh I know what you mean about keeping your brain active. Have you watched any TED.com talks? Lots of interesting info. Last week I watched Dr. Jill Taylor Bolte's 18 minute talk about her recovery from a stroke. She is a neuroanatomist, and had a very amazing experience. I was so turned on that I read her book, Stroke of Insight. Fascinating.

 

[LeeApril26]

Peaches Thanks. Yes, we are going away for a few days, and I'm delighted. Had an interesting experience. Went out to dinner and had to walk up a pretty steep entryway to get inside. Groin pain exploded in my thigh. Stopped as soon as I was on level ground, and then fine going down. So beware of inclines, ByGosh and Mamarey. Couldn't believe how quickly and how much it hurt.
Will switch to your thread for your report. Sorry work was stressful-not a surprise, I imagine. Take care.

 

[Songlady]

Thanks, Peaches - I don't know about the slides except that I could pull up pictures via Google and they looked comfy.
LeeApril26 - good for you with getting dressed! I had a physical with my primary physician 1 1/2 weeks ago, and I finally decided to wear a long, folksy skirt and knit (T shirt type) blouse so I could get dressed again. I wasn't so sure about pulling up pants at that point!
If you hurl your toilet riser into the water, could you bring mine with you also? Oh, wait, we wouldn't want to litter!
I watch some TED talks, and I've seen the one by Dr Bolte - wow.

 

[ByGosh]

Oh, thanks for that warning about inclines LeeApril26. I'll make sure to be extra careful. And for the Ted.com tip. I would love to hear Dr. Bolte's talk! I'm very interested in most things medical, especially about experiences and recoveries. I've never heard of Ted.com, either. That's my homework for tonight! Now I won't have to peruse Netflix, looking for something interesting. You're a peach! (sorry Peaches, didn't mean to steal your name.)

Have a lovely little trip. And do a little pool paddling for me.

 

[Peaches]

I'm so sorry about the groin pain due to the incline, LeeApril26. Thank you for the warning. You know, those inclines were always a best pre-op. YOu must be so excited about your trip!

 

[LeeApril26]

Songlady Peaches ByGosh. Unfortunately I can't throw out the toilet riser because I think I may need to do my other hip, which twinges now and then. Will try to strengthen it. Bought a book called Heal Your Hips that offers pool exercises for pre and post op hip patients. I was too far gone for the first hip but hopefully it will work. If not, toilet seat risers will be in my life again.

I am very excited about taking a little trip and getting into a pool.

 

[Peaches]

LeeApril26: Did you talk to your OS about your other hip?
My pre-op report from my surgeon said the other hip had some bone spurs, but the joint space was good.
I asked him today about the other hip and he said it seems okay. But now I don't know if I want to trust him necessarily..... I hope I'm not experiencing "buyer's remorse" with this surgeon!
The "Heal Your Hips" book sounds very familiar. I meant to ask if you have felt any other twinges since this surgery? I have noticed sometimes my right hip bone feels pain--it reminds me actually of when I would get menstrual cramps and would get a pain there. Also, in my right butt cheek, deep inside. These two pains do not last long, so I haven't worried about them. But, still ... When I had my X-rays today and had to keep my feet close together and stand there for a long time, the butt cheek pain was pretty bad. I mentioned it to the radiologist, even. He of course couldn't advise me. As for the toilet seat riser, if you have room to store it, you might has well. Did you like the one you bought? I despised mine as it retained a stinky smell all the time. I'm referring to it in the past tense even though it is still in my bathroom. I feel like taking a Magic Market to it and defacing it. It brings out the terrible two in me. Someone on this forum mentioned a different kind, a kind that sounds easier to clean. Oh, well. Don't you just feel like a big load has been lifted today ?????

 

[LeeApril26]

Peaches. Yes, I am almost euphoric-not my usual state of mind. I feel occasional pulls and twinges in my other hip, and the OS asked me how it was, and I told him, but did not ask about the X-rays. I'm not sure I want to know right now. My knees are slowly improving and I don't want to think about more surgery yet. Funny, I had my X-rays lying down-one with my feet turned inward with toes touching in exactly the position we have been told not to assume. Thought my hip would pop but it was fine.

I've been thinking: Since your surgeon left the door open for you to make an earlier appointment, why don't you plan to do that in a couple of months, if you don't do the PT? You could explain that you would like an evaluation of your ROM. Do you need a referral to see him?

I ordered two risers from Amazon, as we live in a duplex. I did not notice a smell, but I am the Chlorox queen so not sure if I would know. My brother keeps telling me it is carcinogenic, so probably bad.

 

[ByGosh]

Peaches LeeApril26 Songlady I'm keeping my toilet riser just in case...and I still use it with this issue going on here. Why strain my strained groins anymore than I have to? I figure since flexion hurts, don't flex (or try not to.) I did eagerly put it away at one point, but took it back out. Sigh...It would be great to get rid of it. I always feel it's yucky and am constantly Lysol wiping it, and then spray cloroxing it every week or two.
Good idea to schedule an appt. with the OS in a few months if you don't get your answer from a PT about your range of motion, Peaches. Although what's most important is being able to walk about, do your normal activities and not experience pain, I think. But it would be interesting to find out as there's bound to be an improvement without the bone on bone pain interfering. And then you'd know if you qualify to try out for the Rockettes!
Songlady I just read that you've seen Dr. Bolte on Ted.com. and you liked it. I didn't know you had seen it, too. That's another recommendation for me to watch it.

 

[Peaches]

Oh, that's a smart idea, ByGosh. You / we all need every tool we have, to help avoid overuse, unnecessary pain, etc. I'm not tossing out my hateful riser yet, either. But I still want to draw a jack-o'-lantern-y grin on it or deface it somehow. That makes me think we should start a product line of FUN or attractive or both toilet risers! Why must we who need them be stuck with the blank, hospital-ish ones that are on the market? Why not make them in retro colors and prints. Or ... sell a toilet riser KIT, complete with markers and patterns you can transfer someone onto them ... to personalize them. It could be fun family project. I'm not entirely kidding. Someone somewhere figured out that canes can look cute or decorative. Why not toilet risers?? Why don't we start a thread somewhere titled SOMEONE PLEASE INVENT THIS and we can list all kinds of stuff that we or someone should invent. Jokey and not so jokey. I already can think of a few, and I'm sure you can too. I was thinking just today that I'd like a cane that has a James Bond type of button on it you can push and, presto! A grabber-reacher pops up from the end of the cane. That way, you'd always have the two with you. I've had to buy a new grabber-reacher to take to work with me because I still drop things all the time and just because I have **permission** from the OS to pick them up doesn't mean I have the **ability** to do so all day long without incurring pain.

Thank you for your ideas about the OS and PT and scheduling another appointment. I don't see why I can't.... If all else fails, I can invent an "issue" to talk to the OS about a few months down the line. I can enlist my BoneSmartonians for "issues." Seriously, thanks for the support and encouragement, ByGosh.
I hope you have a good night's sleep and that tomorrow brings a little less pain. Take care and thanks for all of your kind posts to me.

 

[Elosarabrab]

Why don't we start a thread somewhere titled SOMEONE PLEASE INVENT THIS and we can list all kinds of stuff that we or someone should invent.

I think thats a great idea I also like the idea of the grabber incorporated into a cane.

 

[Elosarabrab]

LeeApril26, What a great report. No more raised seat or pillow. I dont get my post op check up till June 20th.

 

[TeeEm]

I think thats a great idea I also like the idea of the grabber incorporated into a cane.

That would be so handy

Peaches - love the idea of retro loo raises. you could make a fortune upcycling old ones and flogging them on. Phoned the OT people to come and get them out my house last week and they said they would phone back with a date. They havent, so mine are still here cluttering the place up.

 

[Songlady]

Peaches, I love the idea of the decorated risers!! And the grabbers that come out of canes! You said exactly what I have realized: just because I have "permission" to do x, y, and z doesn't mean I am able to, or that I am able to alll the time!
I went to seem my mom at the rehab last week as it started raining. Without thinking, I got out of the car, pointed my cane toward the sky and reached around with my thumb to try to flip the lever........ and only then realized that my cane was not an umbrella! A cane umbrella might be a though, although it couldn't function very well at both things......

 

[LeeApril26]

Elosarabrab Again, different doctors and different plans. When I first met my surgeon he said the precautions would be lifted after four weeks, but made the appointment for five and a half. Yours is eight weeks. Strange how they vary.

 

[LeeApril26]

Peaches You are an inventor. I would have liked my riser to be hot pink with butterflies. And the cane/grabber is genius. Perhaps you can find a partner who could draw the plans for the cane.

 

[ByGosh]

Oh my goodness Peaches Not only are you kind, empathetic, and funny, you're also brilliant! If only we could somehow manufacture a 'cane/grabber' or a 'crabber' or a 'gane' (gain? because we're gaining something with it, as in retrieving...) then you could go on Shark Tank and get them to invest! Have you ever watched that show? Some of the inventions are ingenious, and anyone they've invested in has become a millionaire. And just like Songlady I also like the idea of an attractive toilet riser. You're absolutely right, of course. The decorative canes are a hit, why not a decorative riser? Or at least some colorful ones, like green, blue, pink, whatever. Much better than those bland white things. I agree!

Yes, I hear you Songlady and Peaches about the lifting of those restrictions, and whether we can or should do everything. I didn't have any flexion restrictions and could do just about all of the bending movements after a few weeks. So of course I foolishly did - put my socks on, bent down to feed the dogs, etc. because I thought it was 'good' for my recovery. Well, we all know where the recovery's gone - out the window, (like those toilet risers should, after we're finished with them!) So I'd say it's very, very smart to be cautious and not do too much, especially the hip flexion movements.
I bumped into a Mom of one of my daughter's friends at her prom picture taking, who is also a PT, and I told her I was still in a lot of pain. She said that maybe it's from too much flexion - "THRs aren't supposed to do a lot of flexion". Made perfect sense to me, but it was the first time I'd heard that! And I had 2 different PTs after surgery.

 

[Songlady]

Gosh, ByGosh.....I don't know if that was a helpful comment from the PT friend or not. In one way, I think if you KNEW definitively what was going on, you'd feel better doing whatever (or NOT doing whatever) to help it resolve. Or maybe I'm just projecting my own MO.
I had a wonderful PT with my last hip, and... I'd say I've had one marvellous one to about every 5 so-so or harmful ones. (Maybe the problem is that as individuals their areas of excellence are simply in another part of the body than they've been asked to address with me.)
I just re-read your thread, and you did talk about pain from the get-go. So... I'm not sure you "did" anything that wasn't already headed in that direction.
But you make a good point - in general, we are taught to stretch or "do" to the limit and then a tiny bit more in order to strengthen ourselves, become more fit, whatever - and I guess with this surgery recuperation stuff we're not supposed to? And how would we know that if we were not told....?
LeeApril26, that's curious, the mention of 4 weeks and then the appointment not till 5 1/2!

 

[ByGosh]

Thanks Songlady You're right in that I don't really know 100% for sure what's going on here. It started after week 4- pain in the groins, which was a terrible week for me with activity. Just around that time, I was having less post op pain in general, but still had incredible stiffness and some soreness in the hips. Then that stiffness seemed to turn to pain in the groin, first one, then a few weeks later, the other. So I don't know. It could be something simple or worse. Who knows?
LeeApril26 I read in Elsorabrab's thread a while back about you having nightmares from Melatonin. I believe that I have odd dreams from it too. I only took a small amount, 300 micrograms, maybe? The lowest dose under 1mg. I haven't taken it in a long time. and I believe that's why. I rely on Benadryl now, 1/2 pill, and it works well. I don't even know if you still have sleeping issues anymore. I hope not.

 

[LeeApril26]

ByGosh I was taking a fairly low dose, and had really frightening dreams, so stopped. Have taken Ambien off and on for insomnia, but since surgery that doesn't work. I didn't take it while I was taking pain pills-that's why I tried melatonin, but did go back to Ambien a couple of times when I stopped, with no success. Last night I didn't sleep with the pillow between my legs, but still on my back. Didn't sleep much. I get very nervous on my side, and can't settle. Oh well. I am used to insomnia.