April Rainbows 2011 – Are You Having Hip Surgery In April?

[referee54]

For those folks who are going to "take the plunge" in April: my best to you. Be prepared to be "wowed" when, after your recovery, you are pain-free and really, truly, " living life."

There may be some bumps on the road to recovery--no doubt yo have read about those, but you will be fully prepared and the Bonesmart folks will be here for you and to help you, too!

 

[HaggisWhisperer]

Lol........me to....lol.

So.........is there any feel good, warm fuzzy, mushy feeling item that anyone will be taking.???

It will be my DD2's 4th Birthday while I am in hopsital - so she will be coming in to visit. She is definately warm and cuddly AND my mum has promised to bring in a chocolate birthday cake so we can sing Happy Birthday. Does that qualify LOL?

 

[Jyoti]

To be honest I don't think I I will be taking anything 'mushy' in. Not that type of gal.
Jyoti

 

[nadineme]

It will be my DD2's 4th Birthday while I am in hopsital - so she will be coming in to visit. She is definately warm and cuddly AND my mum has promised to bring in a chocolate birthday cake so we can sing Happy Birthday. Does that qualify LOL?

Mmmmm..........a chocolate birthday cake to share with the little birthday girl.....perfect. What a way to start your recovery. I love it.

 

[MagnoliaMs]

Oh--it's starting to get real now! I have been "not thinking about it" since it was "so far away" but my pre-op is next week! Then --flash--it is admission time and--yikes!

So--chocolate cake--well--since I have been limited in ability to get out and garden, golf, walk, or ride my bike I have had to really watch my calories so as not to gain for the big day--and I would love CAKE. So--when the first surgery is over--a giant piece of cake will be had---and then on to the second surgery.

 

[MagnoliaMs]

Nadine,

I didn't think to take anything in with me for my first surgery but my mom brought in a super soft bunny the first day, and it was great to have! You put it just right: it felt good, warm, furry and mushy in a place (hospital bed) that doesn't have a lot of softness to it. It was very comforting, AND you can never have enough "pillows", I say! I continue to sleep with it now after surgery #2 in my home hospital bed.
If you already have an item from home, or maybe that you associate with a loved one, I say go for it! The nurses only admired my bunny and didn't laugh (it is bright pink so very noticeable - not my usual color, but it is so soft....). Kim

Dear Grateful---I see you had two surgeries as I will have God willing--did you feel more relaxed for the second as you had been through the first or did the first freak you out and the second was more intimidating??

 

[grateful]

Magnolia,

I have to say it was some of both. My first experience was very positive from start to finish. So 90% of the time leading up to the second surgery, while in the hospital, and now at home in recovery, I feel much more relaxed the second time around. Even though I didn't think I was overly stressed the first time, the additional peace of mind second time was continually noticeable. Especially in the hospital when almost nothing is under your control, it was so helpful to know the routine.

The only time I actually felt a little more nervous the second time, was in the last couple of weeks leading up to surgery. It wasn't so much that I was scared, it was, "oh, am I really ready to go through all this again?".
But now, just 12 days out, I am so glad I did, and my future and my summer are in front of me! For me, 15 weeks was just about the perfect amount of time. My first leg was strong enough to do all the extra work, and my family and I were ready to go through the inconveniences again.

One thing you might think about doing Magnolia is jotting down some notes as you go about how you're feeling when, your little milestones, etc. It has been helpful the second time to look back and remember, "Oh yeah, I do have one or two great days, and then a day when my energy is low, over and over again. Oh yeah, I run a low-grade temperature the first week or so." Good luck with both of your surgeries - but just take them one at a time! Kim

 

[Jaycey]

Magnolia - Kim is right on. Keeping some sort of log or diary about your recovery is very helpful. I created my own recovery thread here just for that purpose. When you have a "bad day" having the information available about how far you have come really does help!

 

[danni]

Hi all I phoned admissions today and I have been told the end of april for me, but won't get the date until nearer the time. I just wish I had a date so I could start the count down, it is so frustrating. Danni

 

[Jaycey]

Danni - you do have a month though. At least you confirmed you are a real April Rainbow ! Hang in there - it's nearly your time!

 

[Jyoti]

Welcome to our Elite club!! :yes 4:

 

[danni]

Yes Yjoti you have beaten me to it,:th_heehee: which means you will have to support me through the rough times.

 

[nadineme]

Congrats Danni........hang in there. It will come fast now.

 

[danni]

Hi nadineme looks like you and I will go through this together except that I will be on my second hip, and you on your first. Looking forward to keeping in touch:biggrin:

 

[Jyoti]

No worries, Danni, I'll support you all the way :THUMB:

Not long for me - 2 weeks and 4 days - I keep counting down the days! Only 2 weeks at work so manically trying to sort everything out and then off for the 4 days prior to the surgery to ensure I have everything I need.

There's always something to do :LOLL:

 

[danni]

jyoti you don't sound remotely nervous, I am trying very hard not to, but it is a struggle I can tell you. Thanks very much for the support it means a lot. We can support each other, after all I have been there before.

 

[MagnoliaMs]

Hi Rainbows and all "on the other side"! Am wondering if anybody found a good way to relax the "night before" the big day?? Although I am definitely much calmer now than when I first absorbed the news that I was headed to --horrors--surgery. I am quite sure a panic will swell up that night. Are we allowed to take our usual sleeping potion like Trazodone or a low dose of
Xanax that night? I remember the old days when we went into the hospital the night before and were given a sleep aid by the nurse. I really am getting more confident from all the friends here--but then "that night before"--

 

[Jamie]

Your surgeon will probably not want you to take anything in the hours before surgery, but you can always ask. A good thing to do is to plan things to keep you busy all day and into the evening so you are as tired and distracted as possible. Meet with friends, have your hair done, go out to eat....anything so you're not just sitting around thinking about the surgery.

 

[grateful]

Magnolia,
You should check with your OS' office, but at the hospital I used, you could take standard painkillers, any usual psychotropic drugs, pretty much anything other than NSAIDs and herbs. When you go for your pre-surgical screening you'll be told what you need to stop taking when.

My best advice, based on doing this twice recently, is don't leave everything to the last minute so that you are racing around that last day. No matter how calm you try to get yourself psychologically, if you have been super busy your body will still have adrenaline coursing through it when you try to sleep.

Are you still able to get in and out of the tub? How about a nice long soak, maybe a glass of wine? You will probably be off both for a good while post-surgery. And of course whatever you normally do to try to relax... Finally, don't get too uptight about how much sleep you get that last night. It is all part of the surrendering you'll have to do that week! :THUMB:

 

[grateful]

Ha! Jamie and I were writing at the same time and showed two sides of the same coin re: busyness. But I completely agree that if you can do fun, distracting things such as she mentions, that's a great way to go!