THR Are We There Yet?

[SurreyGirl]

Tagging @Layla as I believe Josephine has drawn up a suggested meds’ chart that have your listed drugs with timings to take them that seems to have worked for many people in here.

Waking up a couple of times a night is pretty normal in the early stages, are you icing at night? I would get up at 2am and change the packs but it did help.

 

[Barbaraj]

Hi @SurreyGirl Well, changing an ice pack at 2:00 AM isn’t going to work for me unfortunately. I’d have to wake up my husband and send him downstairs to the freezer for another one and I just can’t bear to wake him up for that. I rely upon him all day long so that at night I want him to at least get some decent sleep no matter how wretchedly I am “sleeping”.

 

[SurreyGirl]

Oh I see. A pity but very understandable! Has your baby brother cooked for you yet?
It is 17:03 in the uk btw...

 

[Layla]

I'm so sorry you're having a rough start today.
Ugh! The meds. That was a difficult one for about a week. I had a schedule from the surgery center, that listed each drug I was prescribed and how often it could be taken. I'd check the box next to the drug and list the time I took it at which made it manageable (for my husband) but took me several days to figure out. I'd look at it with my foggy brain that couldn't hold a thought for more than a couple of seconds, then throw the pen down and give up!

Since you're only 4 days out, maybe you should go back to the Oxy schedule you were given for a few days, tapering off as you're feeling better. Hate to see you suffering pain and discomfort.

I think the shower you're planning for today is going to be a huge mood lifter, it might tire you a bit though. The company of your brother and the nice meal you're anticipating will all feel like a warm hug.

You'll get through this, just a blip on the screen. Wishing you all the comfort you're needing right now.
@Barbaraj

 

[Mojo333]

Whining allowed...miserable sleeping is another "fun" part of recovery. My recovery thread is full of whining, worries, and trepidation.
I'm sorry you are frustrated.
@Josephine could put up the Tramadol/Tylenol schedule she finds useful for pain management!
Maybe that will clarify it for you.

 

[Layla]

A possible solution on the ice.
If you already have a small cooler and any of those cooler ice packs that keep food cold, you could put some gel packs in one for the overnight, next to your bedside, or on a bathroom counter if you routinely use the bathroom during the overnight. Just a consideration if you already have those items and think you'd return to sleep better with ice on your hip. Wouldn't have to bother hubs then either.
@Barbaraj

 

[Barbaraj]

Thanks @Layla, @Mojo333 and @SurreyGirl—good suggestions all, so practical and kind.

I wasn’t really given a schedule of any sort for these drugs—just sent home with them and presumably I am supposed to figure out a schedule that works. Ha! The first two nights it seemed to work (see previous post) but last night threw me for a loop.

If @Josephine has a nighttime schedule that involves some combo of Tylenol, Tramadol and/or oxycodone, I’d definitely be interested.

During the day I feel more able to cope—but I am truly a mess at night. Now don’t hate me or seize up in horror, all you breast feeding moms out there, but one of the big reasons all my kids were bottle fed was because I couldn’t bear the idea of tending to babies at 2:00 AM or frankly anytime between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM! Dads needed to step in during those early months. I am groggy, cranky and simply feel unable to cope with anything in the wee morning hours. Trying to think and make choices about the appropriate pain med at that time is really, really hard.

 

[Layla]

I believe this is what you're referencing.
I'd advise you check with the office of your OS before adjusting meds. You want the most effective pain control so you're comfortable.

The first is for 4-hourly doses and the second for 6-hourly:

This is a schedule Josephine has posted and I believe used, herself.
I've seen this followed up by the statement that if you're using this schedule, do check to make sure you're not taking any other drugs that contain Tylenol (Acetaminophen) You need to stay within the safe limit of no more than 4,000 mg of Tylenol in a 24 hr period. If any other medications you're taking contain Tylenol, add their amount into your daily calculations and reduce another of your doses, so you stay within those limits.

 

[Barbaraj]

Thanks@Layla, for posting the suggested medication regimen. At a minimum, looks like—groan—I really do need to set an alarm for an early morning dosage. I can do that, and just make sure I have the pills and a water bottle on my bedside table to make it as easy as possible.

On a positive note, I must say that today’s shower was heavenly! And clean clothes, some small earrings and even a spritz of cologne—feeling much more human this afternoon. Thigh is still a stiff, sore and swollen hot mess, but any discomfort is far more tolerable during the day. Brother arrives in a couple of hours with a delicious dinner, and youngest son will be dropping by for a visit in a short while. These are happy and much appreciated distractions from lying around and feeling sorry for myself. Ending my day on a good note and hoping changes to nighttime medication schedule will improve things, too. Onwards!

 

[Lmflora]

I’m on a similar med schedule such as what @Layla posted above. I set the timer in my phone to get the night dose, With a few bites of cracker to keep stomach settled for the 5:30 am dose. This is what I’m doing, and it seems to work well. Trick I think is to keep ahead of it. I have the evening meds in little cups, with a water bottle. I too am groggy, having everything prepared spared my caregivers and it went pretty quickly, and I got back to sleep.

Good luck!

 

[Bone-obo]

Hang in there - it gets better! You're currently in the First Week Adventure Cave, with a surprise (usually unpleasant) around every corner. (I took meds at midnight, but the pain gremlins would still come to visit around 4am, about the time my ice bag became a room temperature bag.) Considering how well you're doing otherwise, by this time next week I suspect you'll find you've started to get the pain under control, staying upright in the kitchen will be easier, and you'll be having good days again. Love your journal, by the way!

 

[Lea61]

@Barbaraj ....I hope your day continued to improve and that you enjoyed the company of your brother and son. A meal made by anyone else, is always good (unless it is made by My husband Or yours, it sounds like)! I had to laugh when you described your cooking in tandem with your husband. "If" I cooked with mine, I think it would be exactly the same (twenty questions about one direction). Unfortunately, we have a small kitchen, so that doesn't make the task any easier, and two people trying to navigate a small kitchen is not ideal. So, I usually settle for him setting the table (or watching the ball game, yes, usually watching the ball game)! But you are still (trying) to keep your sense of humor, so that is always a good thing.
I hope you have a better night and that a new medication schedule works for you.

 

[Going4fun]

@Barbaraj, sorry to hear about the sleep-time pain that awakened you.

I guess have to thank my surgeon and his nurses because they gave me a schedule. Usually meds were either 1x a day ... 2x a day ... 3x a day ...

On Tylenol, I've seen Josephine say this (as Layla just said) ... and my surgeon and his nurses said this: we can go up to 4,000mg every 24 hours. So most of us get 500mg tablets ... so you can take 1000mg (2 x 500) ... four times over 24 hours.

I'm almost three weeks out ... and until maybe two days ago, if I was late at all ... like an hour or two late on the Tylenol, I swear ... my body felt it ... and not in a good way. Same with the Oxy during the first week or so ...

Good luck ... You'll figure it out.

 

[Alitm]

@Barbaraj Set your alarm for the middle of the night dose for sure. @Bone-obo describes week one very well. By week two you will see a shift...of course not as fast as you'd like, but a carrot for sure that keeps your chin up and keeps you going.....and then if you are anything like me, you'll get so excited you'll temporarily join the ODIC

Glad your shower felt great. Wonderful hey?! Earrings were the first thing I put back on when I got home! Self care is important When I figure out how to shave my legs, I'll post it immediately. I just can't bring myself to ask my hubby to do . It is just my lower leg I can't reach. I purchased a giraffe shaver thing from Amazon, but I wouldn't recommend trying it while on narcotics. I keep forgetting to bring it to the shower!

So glad your brother and son are visiting with you and have cooked dinner

I found Josephines dosing charts very helpful. Hope they help you out.

Hang on to your humour if you can . It will take you through this week and into an improving week 2!
Sending you lots of positive vibes and cyber hugs, this too shall pass. I promise!

 

[Barbaraj]

Good morning, everyone--feeling SO MUCH more positive this morning! It's remarkable what a semi-decent night's sleep can do for a girl! I did set my alarm for 2:00 AM, and actually woke up feeling a bit sore and stiff shortly before then (although not in horrible pain like the previous night) and quickly popped a Tramadol before changing sleep positions and back to sleep fairly quickly. I am not thrilled about being back on the heavier duty pain meds but y'all are right, absolutely NO gold stars given out for trying to tough things out! I think at least for this week I will continue this nighttime regimen before even considering weaning off. Thanks to everyone (@Layla, @Lmflora and @Going4fun) who shared their medication strategies, and for the votes of confidence (@Alitm, @Lea61 and @Bone-obo) as there is nothing like fellow travelers cheering me on this recovery journey.

My darling brother brought a fabulous dinner last night--my absolute FAVORITE comfort food: Ina Garten's recipe for macaroni and cheese. Sheesh, I could inhale that stuff! He knows I love it and I was so touched that he went to the trouble (and expense--it's got a ton of gruyere cheese which ain't cheap) of making and bringing it. He also made some sautéed green beans with lemon zest and garlic as the vegetable side, and a beautiful apple cake for dessert. It was a wonderful meal! If I were to eat this kind of thing regularly I'd totally balloon up as macaroni and cheese, despite it's deliciousness is NOT the most healthy of meals. But screw that--I absolutely enjoyed the indulgence of such a meal. If a diet guru had shown up as I wolfing that stuff down, I would have snarled and snapped at him or her!

I was pretty sore by the time my brother left--sitting too long in a dining room chair, but it was totally worth it to have two disgustingly huge (but so delicious) servings of macaroni and cheese, and to have a conversation that wasn't centered on ice packs, drugs and how stiff and sore I was! It just felt, well--so normal!

Once my brother left I hobbled upstairs, changed and crawled into bed. Darling husband brought an ice pack and I watched a bit of mindless TV until 11:00 and then it was lights out. Today still stiff/sore/swollen, but I am taking all your sage advice to heart--it's just the first week, be patient and this, too, shall pass. Feel like I need to perhaps get up a bit more today and take a few more walks. Trying to find the right combination of movement plus rest--as with medication, I suspect it will be a changing mix. Happy Monday all!

 

[Barbaraj]

Hey, @Alitm, although lots of folks have crabbed about those compression leggings, I actually find them sort of comforting to wear and they keep my legs/feet warm in bed AND I don't have to worry about shaving my legs for awhile. I am hoping I'll somehow figure out how to do that however (so, yes, when you figure this out let me know ASAP so I can shave before my first pre-op visit!) as I--ahem--can definitely get a bit hairy without a weekly shave.

 

[SurreyGirl]

That all sounds great! Love that menu and bless your brother for doing that. I totally agree about gruyere cheese. It is wonderful stuff but expensive in the UK too.
Good that the pain relief is getting under control. And yes it is lovely to talk about stuff other than operations. That was the only problem with my wonderful Rehab place in that, understandably, it was the first topic of conversation.

That said, there were a group of us there that had dinner together who made a pact to talk about hip-related stuff for the first 10 minutes and then stop. We had the liveliest table going!

 

[Alitm]

@Barbaraj

Happy Monday to you too

Re pain meds: I saw my OS 12 days post op I think (it was last Tues), for the two week check. He encouraged me to keep on the Tylenol through the day, and take the Tramacet at bedtime and middle of the night for a few more nights. By this weekend (this past Friday being two weeks) I was on Tylenol only. Hope that helps. Stay on the Tylenol through bed time. I found, as I always have a trip to the loo in the night, that I'd check the time and it was usually also "Tylenol Time" as well! Have stopped setting the alarm for it though. Had one night where I was fine through the night, but last night I took some Tylenol. I kept forgetting to take the Tylenol in the afternoon, particularly when icing. Not trying to be a hero here either, thats for sure! My other hip and back are kicking up with the damp weather and lack of movement.

Diet: The mac and cheese sounded SO delicious! All that gruyere cheese is loaded with calcium and protein, just what your body needed. I had a huge steak last night. I haven't eaten a steak like that since I was nursing twins in the first month of their birth! It was quite gluttonous really, but I figured my body needed it. NOT my normal eating pattern!!!!
Great to have conversations NOT revolving around hips and icepacks, as you said! to normalcy!

Wising you a comfortable day

 

[Alitm]

@Barbaraj We crossed in cyber space. I'm going to try the shaving gadget today, not using a new razor, as I'm scared of slicing myself! I wasn't brave enough to try it while on Tramacet, as I was sure I'd do bodily harm!
I went to my first post op hair and all. I also went to physio in the same state! I asked my phsyio if he had any pointers on the shaving, and he wasn't very helpful unfortunately and told me not to worry about it, that many woman have hairy legs etc etc etc. Not what I wanted to hear! I'll report back......

 

[SurreyGirl]

Jerk Salmon, Ratte potatoes and Courgettes (Zucchini) for me tonight… home alone so having "diet food" Lots of protein there. Yoghurt and Figs to follow…. I am about to rejoin "My Fitness Pal" where one logs food and works out the calories/fat etc. It worked very well for me last time… I want to lose 14 lbs by January..