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THR Bettifloss is now an old hippy

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Bettifloss, your bandage debacle made me smile. I am the worst klutz so I imagine I am going to have all sorts of fun! Grin. Enjoy your week!
 
Well, my inexpertly applied dressing stayed on overnight, so I think all is well. my veterinary friend did text me offering to come round with a dog bandage if I was in trouble! Perhaps she should also bring me one of those dog neck collar things to stop me messing with it - you know, 'the cone of shame'. Come to think of it, what I really need is some sort of device to stop me breaking the ninety degree rule. Maybe something that zaps you if you go past the critical angle!


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016. Posterior approach with ceramic on ceramic prosthesis.

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bettifloss said:
do you have any experience of cinema-going recovering hippies? Not just idle curiosity - we have a cinema just a short walk away.
Click to expand...
You may want to wait a bit for this. One of the biggest road blocks for recovering hippies is sitting for any length of time. Sitting for 1.5 to 2 hours may be painful at first.

In terms of any seating, take a firm pillow with you and yes you will need to be in the back so you don't block the view of others. Still early days @bettifloss .
 
Hi @bettifloss - do they have any premiere cinemas near you with comfy seating? I've just been to see Star Wars in one that has individual recliners that go all the way back so you can have your feet elevated higher than your heart of you want. I did that some of the time but then my toes blocked the bottom of the screen :)


Siobhan
RTHR 25 November 2015
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@bettifloss >>you know, 'the cone of shame<< In the US we call them E-collars (one of our cats had to wear one to stop her from chewing on her stitches). It really didn't stop her bad behavior, as she was caught jumping up and down on the bed trying to catch a ceiling fan pull string that was hanging down. Next thing I know, she's gone sailing over the side of the footboard, e-collar and all.

I'm thinking a human compass - that bends no further than 90 - one leg strapped to the torso, the other to the leg. One thing the nurses made a point about, since the hips are joined, your really shouldn't bend more than 90º for both hips (flexing the good side shouldn't be done.) All along (pre-surgery), I was thinking flexing one side would be ok, and was 'practicing my moves'.

Last night is the first time since surgery I really had the urge to stretch / cross my legs, etc. I could have used that compass!
 
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Thank you @Jaycey and @shiv01! I don't think we have recliner seats in UK cinemas (at least where we are), though I love the idea - I could take a blanket! Anyway, it all worked out fine - walked down yesterday and checked out the seats, which were actually 19 inches, my 'safe height'. Took a small solid wedge cushion with me in my backpack, just to be on the safe side, not deep enough to trouble the person behind me as I'm only five foot five. Plenty of leg room and not particularly stiff afterwards - though I would have been a couple of days ago. Great to have an afternoon out with a gal pal (who is also on crutches after a broken leg!). We saw The Danish Girl - a very beautiful, well-acted film, though I could have done without thinking about surgery 1926-style.

@catlady - love the idea of the compass, it needs to become standard equipment! I'm afraid that over the last couple of days i have begun to have every wrong impulse possible - wanting to cross legs, wanting to pick things up off the floor, wanting to twist to reach for things. But trying very very hard not to act on them.

I'm learning more American - I realise now from the pic that a 'bandage' is just the same as my 'dressing' - in the UK a bandage is specifically a long thin piece of fabric that you wind round and round a limb, the square stick on things are dressings. Don't you just love language!

Hey just realised its our weekiversary Jan 5 peeps!


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016. Posterior approach with ceramic on ceramic prosthesis.

Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
@CatLady1 @bettifloss While still in my Pre-Op phase (16 more days), and going through daily movements ~motions, bending, stooping, crossing etc, I do keep wondering about Post-Op natural urges to continue these. I need to work on the mindset of overthinking/pre-thinking every movement. It's little things like pulling the covers back up when getting back into bed or every time you need to pull pants up, put slippers on- that we cannot take for granted- at least for a little while.
 
Seemed easy at first when operated leg felt very 'different' - unfortunately has not become at all automatic, especially the pulling up the bedclothes one.


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016. Posterior approach with ceramic on ceramic prosthesis.

Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
@TerryCloth - I found that everything I had mentally thought about doing / doing wrong - was backwards anyway. I am using a reacher (pincher on a stick) to dress myself - occupational therapy will help you dress the first time and show you how to use it, what leg to put in first, etc. It makes more sense while you still have the 'operated leg feeling' while you're making motions (like putting slippers on, getting into bed, etc). Pre-op I really had no range of motion on my right hip -- but I sure had the golfer's stretch down, and could put on pants in the morning with the aid of my good leg. That's the part they told me was backwards. It will feel natural to you to think twice about moving when you're first out of surgery and the days that follow. I would imagine the more normal I feel, the harder it will be to remember all the 'don't bend like this' rules.
 
@bettifloss -- your bandage terminology -- lol! my arm surgery 2 yrs ago had my skin glued back together, and I could take a shower, but had to change the bandage / dressing daily. Because it was my upper right arm, I needed help with it so hubby was the assigned volunteer. We (he) put gauze folded up directly over the glued skin then put a huge bandaid on top to hold it in place. I guess the gauze material was called dressing, the bandaid was the bandage. I guess we Americans couldn't remember all the correct terms, and said what we could remember? :heehee:

If you're into movies where Americans royally slaughter their own language (comedy), check out 'Trixie', starring Emily Watson (2002). The IMDB tagline:
The only crime she couldn't solve was the murder of the English language

Just writing about it here, I guess it will go on today's list of things to do.
 
Today's adventure - walked with hubby to local restaurant (upstairs) for lunch - climbed further stairs to get to loo - shock horror no disabled loo (doh, why would they have one in an upstairs restaurant?) - had forgotten to pack sheewee - managed a rather balletic 'hover' balanced on good leg with back braced against the wall - phew, that was a close one. Occupational therapist would have had a fit. Motto, be better prepared, or skip morning coffee before you go out!

Hot news today - got into new hydrotherapy programme run by my hospital PT , going for an assessment next week (just to check wound healing and ability to get into pool), and all being well first hydro session on 2 Feb. Thrilled to bits, as keen to do anything I can to aid recovery without doing any damage.


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016. Posterior approach with ceramic on ceramic prosthesis.

Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
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Oh, @bettifloss! Your recovery thread has been so entertaining. I am so pleased that you are already venturing out to see a movie! I read where you are having problem remembering the restrictions. I used the "golfer's reach" to pick things up from the floor and used my cane or my reacher/grabber for the bedcovers, putting on my slippers and pants. It's amazing how quickly one learns to improvise when in a sticky situation. Best of luck to you for a continued uneventful recovery.
 
@ all - when I was unsure I wanted a new hip, etc, I found this site and a couple of HR Blogs (both of which I'm trying to find again) and some youtube videos. Both blogs were similar: two different guys had had THR, and wanted to blog about the surgery and recovery, so both chose to have only a spinal, with no GA to knock them out. They wanted to report on the whole process as they experienced it. Fascinating reading... as to what they saw / experienced in surgery. The recovery part was a good read too.
If anyone's interested, I'll try to find the links. (Good time killer, too, since several of us house bound.)
 
Yes please!

This is a nice blog from the UK perspective, not so detailed on the surgical side but a nice impression of what to expect post op
broken link removed: https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/health-wellbeing/surgery/hip-operation-blog/week-1


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016. Posterior approach with ceramic on ceramic prosthesis.

Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
@CatLady1 - just wanted to tell you how absolutely thrilled I am with the wedge! I had been sleeping with a big pile of pillows - didn't realise how difference much a firmer support plus just two pillows would make. Slept most of the night with just a couple of loo breaks and feel so much perkier this morning (yep, that probably makes me insufferably perky!)

Thank you so much for a life changing, or at least sleep-changing, tip.


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016. Posterior approach with ceramic on ceramic prosthesis.

Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
Sounds like you are on the path to recovery bettifloss! My RTHR is tomorrow so I'm checking on everyone's post op status! Looking forward to being on the other side!


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