Become an Insider

Bilateral THR Anteriors 15th June 2015 - my recovery

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi @donor have now had dose of oromorph (10mg morphine in 5 ml) at 10pm and just had the dihydrocodeine and paracetamol. Hopefully things will calm down again. Think l will have a lying down resting sort of day tomorrow with loads of icing :sleep:.

Hope you are ok xx
ps the nurse is here...snoring peacefully!!
 
@Suzette - love the picture of your fur-a-medic :) My 2 cats were wonderfully comforting recovery companions. <- That's Mihku and M'Toulin (Maine Coon cats) in my avatar picture - they were watching a show-off squirrel in the tree outside the big picture window. As for the mobile aches and odd pains - yes I had those too after my BTHR - some days they were very intense and other days just momentary twinges. I think, for the most part, it's just muscles getting use to a new normal and recuperating from the trauma of surgery. I did notice that these types of pains would be worse if I over did it. Too early on I endeavored to do laundry ... which at my house is in the basement and did 5 trips up and down stairs (slowly and carefully) plus scooping laundry into and out of washer and dryer using grabber. Boy did I pay for that the next day! Usually icing and rest plus what ever med schedule I was on would get them to go away. Some of the transient pains were in very odd places - and a few I never did figure out why that particular muscle group should be giving me problems .... found places I did not know I had :rotfl:
 
@Suzette yes head to bed with your two fave bed partners ice and doggie. Lol. The med will kick in and you will feel better. For me, there were days I hurt more but did less, and days I hurt less and did more. This is not a straight uphill climb as much as I tried to make it one. Do you elevate alot and properly? At first I just draped leg over rolled up sleeping bag but learned a better way. I ice still...several hours a day. Ug.
 
@Suzette - take the meds you need to get the rest you need. We all seem to respond differently to different meds; unfortunately we don't always get to experiment before we go home to find out what works best for "me".
If Tramadol worked well for you before surgery it may work well for you now - it did for me while other narcotics didn't touch my pain and made me loopy and stupid. For some, it does nothing. I was also surprised at how well Tylenol (acetominophen/paracetamol) worked for my post-op pain as I had only considered it useful for helping with fever in the past.

Without looking back, I think @Josephine had suggested a med schedule for you? Just make sure you've given the first med you take sufficient time to take effect before taking a second - but don't be afraid to take your pain med "by the clock" - once you have pain it's much harder to catch up.

My gosh girl - you're only two weeks out!!

Patti in Vail AZ
 
Hi @donor , @djklaugh and @DesertHorses . Thanks for your replies. We have a cat as well. She gets on the dogs nerves by standing in front of him then running off and jumping on a wardrobe before he can get to her. She then stares him out.

I have legs up, maybe they need to be up more. The morphine seems to have taken the edge of the throb. So am hoping I can now sleep. I am definitely going to rest up tomorrow, and be more on top of the pain control, so I dont get to bedtime in more pain than normal.

The morphine does seem to work better than the tramadol. So will use that as an between medication instead and everyone will just have put up with a loopy person instead of a moaning one!!

Think I will ask hubby to get more ice packs too.

Ooh I have seen info on meds on another members post that refers to the doses of tramadol etc. Not sure if you use dihydrocodeine in the US. Its supposed to stronger than codeine x 2. So am not sure the best way to intergrate this in with other meds I have.

Anyway love to you all and thanks for your support and yes it is now day 20. I am not sure where those 20 days have gone!

Xx
 
The tramadol isn't near the morphine so, I say use what works for you. For me uncontrolled pain = anxiety and that was not pretty. I hope you sleep well!
 
Suzette said:
The sides of both hips, i suppose you could say, where the ends of the femurs are, are quite achy and throbby at same time as front thigh muscle ache.
Click to expand...
Post op pain! You are still early out from major surgery. Take your meds as prescribed, around the clock. All this can be controlled but you need to stay on the meds until you start forgetting doses.
 
@donor you are right. I think I was purposely avoiding morphine and trying everything else first. I will stick to the morphine now. And thinking about it anxiety/stress/depression does increase and you dont even notice its happenning.

Managed a drug induced sleep for about 4.5 hours.

@Jaycey thanks, i started to think I had done something, as my hip felt like it wasnt mine! I feel well controlled today just a slight right hip throb. So am chilling and on top of meds and will have morphine rather than tramadol when the need arises.

Thank you all xx
 
@Suzette I'm glad this am is better for you. I promise days will come and meds will be less necessary. Folks told me this at first and I did not believe them. My mind has tendency to spin things I to bigger things. I'm here to tell you it's true. Reach out anytime. Xo
 
Personally, I'd stick with the Tramadol and paracetamol. Tramadol is better than dihydrocodeine and not is fierce as oromorph. You're only 3 weeks out so need to be taking it on a regular schedule. This is what worked for me after my first TKR but interestingly, not for my second!

[Bonesmart.org] Anteriors 15th June 2015 - my recovery
 
Hi @Josephine so drop the dihydrocodeine and replace with tramadol plus paracetamol. Never thought of that, as was just sticking with the hospital meds. Will give that a go tomorrow, see how that goes.

Thanks x
 
@Suzette
If you had it to do over again, would you still opt for bilateral THR? I have AVN in both hips and have wondered if bilateral was offered to me, would I go for it? Sometimes I think it's best to get it over with, but then I wonder how difficult recovery would be with having bilateral replacements.
 
@Cynthia777 to be honest, if you had asked me at the beginning ie from day 2 to 9, I was asking myself the same question. Why did I do it!!? I mean I actually requested to have both done!

But...

What I have learnt from this forum and reading loads of stories, is managing pain relief. I did not realise until too late how important this is along with rest, icing and not doing too much, oh and using crutches or canes.

So the issues I had were not being mentally prepared for the muscle and groin pain I had, in what was, before the op, my best right leg, AND pain control in the hospital and the next 9 days at home, which just wasn't controlled.

Now the left leg; which also had a torn labrum like you (?);was extremely painful and stiff before op. This leg however had less pain post op. Today I have little pain in it at all 3 weeks out, except a very very slight throb.

The right leg, however, still has the muscle and bone ache lurking, but again, it is down to me making adjustments in pain relief meds. I also keep walking about too much and not resting up. I am also naughty as I think..ooh less pain I will walk about with no sticks and then I pay for it later by limping and hurting.

I am now doing as I am told :fingersx:.

So to answer your question on day 21... Yes. I am glad I have had both done together, as it means I dont have to go through the same recovery period for a second time in august/September. Which would mean another period of time healing, inactivity and possible boredom setting in!!

So, although you may or may not get lots of pain , shown by my hips reacting differently to the surgery. Be pain aware before surgery and get ready to demand where necessary the correct drugs to see you through the initial period. Dont over do it and use sticks etc.

Know there is light at the end of the tunnel and be positive.

@Michegon and @djklaugh both had bilateral ops too. So hopefully they can give you their thoughts to help you decide if you are asked by the surgeon.

Xx
 
@donor ooooh Imagine that :xmark: and yes you are right about whether it's one or both hips.

I often think, well if I had just had my bad hip done first, I would have been well impressed with the way it is now 3 weeks later.

Then I think. If I had the other hip done first with all the pain I had in my thigh. Would I have had the other done at all? Or gone a head with knowledge of what may be coming, and been happily surprised it wasnt as bad as I was expecting.

It definitely shows that the same surgeon, who on same day, operated on both hips, but that you can still have different pain outcomes.

Yes, i am happy I have 2 new ones done at the same time :yes!:

Hope you are well xx
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the input. I think it makes sense that one would feel regret at having had bilateral in the early recovery days and would feel happier and happier as the time goes by, knowing it's all over!
 
@Cynthia777 oh how true. I am happy its all over and it also means that I dont have 1 good operated hip and still have 1 bad hip. It must be tricky trying to look after the new good hip whilst the now increasingly bad hip gets worse.

But either way you end up going whether both or one at a time you know that one day soonish you will get your hips sorted out for the better xx
 
@Suzette
I am "hopping" in late to your thread and have caught up on your journey~ you deserve a medal for surviving your post op experience in the hospital. I was so sad for you. As for your return to work~ take all of the time that you can as the longer the rest the least chance of set back. It seems as though you are doing a great job resting and control your meds~ way to go girl!
I had 2 surgeries in the same hip and my anterior approach was first ~ that was 5 months ago and that area is completing healed and doing well. Now I am recovering from lateral approach 9 weeks ago on the same hip and it is a journey in faith, optimism and courage~the same qualities you need for your two new hips recovery! Hang in there! :angel:
 
A thought for the day .... all these issues regarding pain management and difficulties coping, they only last for a relatively short period, usually about 6-10 weeks. In 6 months time, they won't even factor in your memory, in 12 months you will have forgotten you ever had a hip replacement. Don't get too obsessed about these issues now, they are only for a short season and then there will come a new season.
 
Josephine said:
A thought for the day .... all these issues regarding pain management and difficulties coping, they only last for a relatively short period, usually about 6-10 weeks. In 6 months time, they won't even factor in your memory, in 12 months you will have forgotten you ever had a hip replacement. Don't get too obsessed about these issues now, they are only for a short season and then there will come a new season.
Click to expand...

Ah yes. I KNOW this in my head, but to be honest, when you are in pain right now, and were yesterday, and the day before that, it really does require a leap of faith to believe! If only there were a pill for that...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Staff online

Members online

Total: 875 (members: 2, guests: 873)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom