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THR All Done

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Peaches, ByGosh Elosarabrab Mamarey. I have a nephew with advanced MS so I intellectually understood the challenges he faced, but having to use a wheelchair at airports to get to my son's wedding, using a cane for several months, and just the restrictions on what I can do and the decisions based on whether an activity is worth the pain and difficulty-all these have been such a revelation to me. I want to run around and tell everyone-not that it would do anything.
I am still waiting for the results of the culture to find out if I need an antibiotic, but I am feeling much better today. Thanks for the support and advice.
 
ByGosh & LeeApril & Zauberflote: Thank you for your kindness about the job worries. In the U.S. surgeons suggest but do not decree when someone returns (unless we're getting into short-term disability areas). . My surgeon would kindly suggest whatever I say I'd like, but my employer would not be happy at all if it were more than 6 weeks. And I have no more vacation/sick days beyond 6 weeks and cannot afford to work without pay. So I will suck it up and do my best come 2.5 weeks from now. I am already being muttered about because I have not been volunteering to work from home. I am drained and not able to even really read a nice novel. There is no way I could be working from home effectively. And was not directly asked to from my supervisor. So I have decided I will not volunteer to do that, and will let others mutter away. I am spending all of my energy and fogus on baby steps to get well. I am not pushing myself or comparing myself. I am traveling at my own, quiet, steady slow pace. But that doesn't mean I do not respond emotionally to Type A-Hare types who kind of try to push me (isn't that normal? don't most people respond to these pressures?) Just today a neighbor I barely know saw me with my cane and pronounced that I should be all well completely in a week and more than ready to go back to work. What the hell did he know about it? People are opinionated, that's for sure! . (I am a Type B, Tortoise Type--but I work amongst Type A-Hares. It's like oil and water.) I am certain I am not the only one on this forum who faces this. There are some employers, nice as they may be, who feel it is reasonable to ask someone to return at six weeks or even earlier unless there are some really horrible setbacks. Thanks for the prayers and good wishes. Everyone has his or her challenges; this happens to be mine. I will do my best with it. That' all I can do.

Lenora: I do hope you get good news about the UTI tomorow and am so glad you have a good mystery to engross you so you don't overdo things! Please keep us posted.
Thank you for warning me not to overdo with the shower and to use my cane. I am not going to push it.
No, I don't have staples. I had the "krazy glue" easy type of wound closure. Miraculous! Yet I had no strength till the other day to put my leg above the high tub (I am short and short legged). My wound has ugly scabs and the tail ends of dissolvable sutures that I suppose I need to trim but haven't done yet. And what looks like pieces of dried Elmer's glue. I was told to not rub anything onto it at all, just let the scabs fall naturally and leave it alone. So that is what I've done. I'm amazed at what these surgeons can do these days.

Yes, I too became very aware and humbled once I myself was toddling around city streets on a cane and saw so many others like it. And I see more and more people who need canes and walkers. It seems to be an epidemic. But maybe I just never noticed before. I do now! I am forever changed by this experience and am grateful my eyes were opened.

Today I was outside, at the bldg. next to mine, practicing steps on the stoop, because I still can't do steps except toddler style. My PT said to find stoops with small steps and try them. So I was trying them. This man sitting on the stoop thought i was having troubles, so he asked if he could assist me up the stoop. I laughed and said no, just practicing physical therapy stuff. So then he shared that he needs knee replacement surgery desperately but has been scared to do it. So we had a nice chat about that. He is about to see a surgeon and line it up. So many people with these problems!
 
Peaches. Thank you for the good wishes - I heard from my doctor that I do not need antibiotics, and to continue lots of water and cranberry juice. I think I slosh when I walk!
I know exactly what you mean by Type As. My husband plays tennis in the summer with a guy who supposedly "jumped right back into singles" two weeks after a THR. If I run into this guy and get lectured I may not be able to control myself.
I also have dissolve able sutures and glue, with some raggedy-looking threads at each end. Mine seems to be healing okay but it is still red around it. Not hot or oozing. The PT says I'm healing well, but those threads are weird.
I agree that I am now much more aware of limping folks and those who need new hips. It is an epidemic. Good luck with the step practice. I'm still toddler style, and I also have not lifted my leg into the tub. We have a small stall shower that I've been using.
 
LeeApril26, I am pleased to hear you don't need antibiotics. You have enough to do healing from surgery. I am jealous of you having glue as I had staples. My friend joked I was like a book. I still have a few bits of scabs on my scar but they will come off in their own good time. I don't intend to pick at them.
 
Elosarabrab I feel very fortunate to have avoided staples. I've read on BS that some folks use arnica, not on the incision but around it, to reduce swelling. I've been thinking of trying it. Have you?
 
LeeApril26 Alot of people use Arnica for muscle soreness and bruising. It's supposed to have natural anti-inflammatory abilities and healing properties. I want to get some, but they only had the gel, not the cream and it has alcohol in it, so I was hesitant. Although I'm sure that's ok as long as the skin is not open where it's applied. It's at the drug stores here in Conn. and at Walmart, which you don't have in Manhattan, do you? I'm not crazy about Walmart, but it is cheap and there aren't any other discount stores as close by.
Glad you don't need antibiotics. There probably wasn't enough bacteria for it to be classified as a true UTI. I use Pyridium for the burning and discomfort that comes with those. It turns your urine orange but numbs the bladder so it's not agony. They now sell it over the counter in a weaker dose - I think it's called Urostat. You can't use it before giving a speciman, though, because it muddles things up.
 
ByGosh. Thanks so much for the info about arnica and Urostat. I think alcohol would be rather drying to all those sore muscles so will look for the cream. As far as I know there are no Walmarts in NYC but plenty of chain pharmacies, so I'll look. I had an elevated white blood cell count but nothing in the bacteria culture, and the water and cranberry juice seems to be doing the job, but all the liquids are keeping me very close to home because of the elevated toilet seat issue. I am counting the days until my OS appointment on 6/3. Hopefully I can dispense with the elevated seat. Fingers crossed. Thanks again.
 
Lenora, that's great news you don't need antibiotics! That's all you DON'T need ... antibiotics' side effects to deal with. I am so happy that good ol' cranberry juice and water did the trick. I am holding up an imaginary cocktail--a Cape Codder, I think it's called, the one with cranberry juice and vodka (Zauberflote, don't you reside on Cape Code? Is that what it's called/)--at my imaginary Saturday brunch, to celebrate your good news.

I have to say, I was very glad to read your description of your Krazy-Glued wound. Fascinating they can do that, isn't it. Yours sounds a lot like mine. Annoyed a little by the "tails" of the dissolvable sutures at each end. Each tail has a red bump on the skin under it, but I am not worrying about that (too much). The entire area where the big bandage was is a little red and sensitive to the touch, but I am not obsessing of it (too much). Photos were sent to my surgeon's nurse practitioner and they thought it looked okay. I am leaving the whole thing alone.

Funny about your husband's friend who jumped onto the tennis court. I was thinking--as a realist, not as a negative nancy--that there will be some things I will never do again or attempt again, and that will be fine with me. One of them is playing tennis. I never really "played" it as in wearing tennis whites and playing actual games. But I used to love volleying the ball around with other Type B friends. It felt great. But that was at least ten years ago; and remembering it now I recall how you stop and start a lot, pivoting--I don't think I want to do that. And that is fine with me. We all have our goals. I am looking forward to Type B long walks, breathing deeply and enjoying whatever season it is. The proverbial walks in the park, on the beach, in the city. Not race walking, either. Just nice transportation walks, enjoying the view ... I'm sure there will be other activities on my New Hip Bucket List, but right now all I can think of are loooonnng, wonderful walks!

Well, enjoy your antibiotic-free weekend!
 
Yes, Peaches A Cape Codder is vodka and cranberry juice. It may have a slice of lime, too, not sure about that.
 
Peaches. I sure would like a Cape Codder! I'm still taking a pain pill in the am and Tylenol at night, so I'm a avoiding alcohol but it sure sounds good! My incision is also red, and was looked at by lots of doctors at the hospital-teaching fellows-I was told the redness is a form of bruising and will subside.
I love to walk around NYC, and over the Brooklyn Bridge. Haven't been able to do that for more than a year, and really hope I can do it again. My mobility is improving but a long walk seems very far away. I did make eggplant parmigiana tonight, but of course needed help putting things in and out of the oven. My daughter came to help me plant some annuals and hurt her back lifting a pot. Her first back injury, at 39. Hope she heals quickly.
It seems like the list of what you can do varies by doctor. I've seen doubles tennis on approved lists, but who knows. I guess if you love it enough you take the chance, but it does seem risky.
 
Lenora, did all those folks at the hospital look at your incision when you went to have your UTI checked out, or do you mean while you were in the hospital?

I'm avoiding alcohol like the plague! Can't afford to be woozy, lightheaded, or anything at all as I live alone and just don't want to fall, trip, etc. That's okay. The day all the restrictions are a horrible memory, the vile toilet thing has been banished forever (still not sure how and where to banish it, but that's a problem for another day), the knee is cleared up, and i have taken a nice, long walk, I'll have a Cape Codder in celebration. Yes, I've seen doubles tennis on the "okay to do" list, too; I guess if that's how someone wants to take their risk, god bless 'em. I can live out the rest of my life without stepping a foot on a tennis court and be fine with that. Come to think of it, there are a fair number of activities I might not want to try ever, and that's okay with me (bungee jumping). The egg parm sounds wonderful (would love a glass o' red with that, too). Funny you mention that about the oven. Despite being Paranoid Peaches about these dang restrictions, sometimes even i just forget myself and start or actually do something I shouldn't. Opening the oven and leaning over and into it (no, not to put my head in it) is one thing I did the other day, then caught myself!
I'm very sorry about your daughter's back injury and hope she can get it squared away properly and soon. This surgery makes all of us I'm sure be extra extra protective of those we love when it comes to injuries, doesn't it?
 
Peaches. I just went to the lab for the UTI. But since the hospital my at home PT has been checking my incision weekly, which has been reassuring. Monday is my last appointment with her. Now I start outpatient.
I agree with you about the file toilet riser. I have two, as we live in a duplex and I didn't want to have to keep going up and down. I HATE them, and the need for the riser ties me to our apartment. Hope we can ditch these things soon.
It is very easy to forget the restrictions and just bend or twist. I've done it a couple of times. I do try to use that golf pose. The other day I was alone and dropped my cane. Tried the golf pose but couldn't get down far enough. Did baby steps sideways into another room, got the grabber, baby-tipped back, sideways, and picked up the cane.Ooof! Annoying. Even though my husband is around I have been sending him out for long walks as he has a significant heart condition and needs to exercise daily. He often walks for 2-3 hours, or goes to the gym, and he does all the marketing, etc. so I am often alone. I am grateful for his help, though, and am sure being alone 24/7 is very hard.

My son gave me a huge lecture n the dangers of alcohol and Tylenol, so I have not had anything for months. Liver failure is not appealing.my daughter went to her yoga class today and said she is stiff but able to move.
 
LeeApril26 Now when the grabber falls, that's tricky! I've learned to sort of grab it with my foot and lift it enough, or try to tip it to reach it.
The acetaminophen thing is very scarey, especially since sooo many meds have it in them, and most people don't even know it. It's smart to be conscious of it, especially if any of us are taking pain pills that also have acetaminophen in them, too.
Glad you've no head in the oven yet, Peaches! :) Yes, it's so easy to just DO things. My in-home PT was constantly pointing out how I moved wrong post-op. Even the simplest little sideways move, she'd catch me on. I became very concerned that my post op pain was because I dislocated, she had be so scared. Really, I Googled it and everything. I finally called the OS to clarify my restrictions, and found out that I didn't have that many - mostly no leg crossing, and a pillow between the legs at night, and some other one I can't recall. The OS nurse said that you KNOW when you dislocate - it's very painful and not that easy to do. Thank goodness.
 
ByGosh Tried to get it up with my foot, unsuccessfully. I really dislike the pillow between my legs at night. I hope that when I see the OS on 6/3 it is one of the restrictions that is lifted.
 
LeeApril26 Oh, I bet that pillow between the legs will be lifted because you'll be 6 weeks out by then, right? Most restrictions are lifted by then. :) That'll make your sleeping better..
 
ByGosh. Well, a little bit more than five weeks. I am hoping that eventually be able to sleep on my operated side, as that is how I slept pre-hip issues. Are you back to sleeping normally?
 
Hi, everyone. Hope you had a good weekend.
Cape Cod sounds wonderful to me, but I haven't been there in decades.

Hate the pillow between my legs, too; it always falls out in the middle of the night.
I frequently wake up in the night due to sleep problems and turn over onto my
good side with the pillow between the legs for a break, but not for too long.


I twist around all the time; now I realize how dangerous that is. I have gone from
too cautious about the restrictions to much too lax, I think. I don't cross my legs
and don't worry about that. But twisting around, maybe using the golfer's stance
too frequiently. I wouldn't be able to pick up a grabber from the floor (I have to
use the other grabber when that happens), but I plugged in something into the power
strip on the floor, with my PT watching, and she said it was fine. She is always
nicely reminding me that I can bend more than I think without even coming close to
the 90-degree rule. I use a dustpan with a handle sticking up from it to scoop up
many things the grabber can't get.

Thanks for the reminder about alcohol and Tylenol! Wasn't aware. Ever since the hip
thing in the past few years I have not been much of a drinker, especially the last year.
Too depressed already about the hip, not sure footed, always afraid of falling ... I just
didn't want to be inebriated at all. Didn't want to get bluer, either. Didn't take Tylenol
till the final week before surgery, when I couldnt' take Advil anymore. Now I rely on
Tylenol.

Good luck with outpatient PT, Lenora! Let us know how it goes (and how you are getting there and back).
I am not starting mine till I have my six-week checkup with my surgeon. I have decided I am not ready
to do it (mainly for transportation reasons) and am not going to stress myself out about it in these
final two weeks that I am gearing myself up in all ways to go back into the frying pan called work.
I want to get my OS's input about my knee and lower back (which I hope he will X-ray) and then ask
for a prescription from him for outpatient PT. Last week my PT was urging me to hurry hurry and do
the outpatient stuff NOW, but I am not ready and will not be pushed. I must continue this journey at my
pace. If that turns out to be "wrong," I'll live with it. But I don't do well when I am pushed.
 
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