THR Boofit's recovery in Hong Kong

[Lyla]

It should continue to ease up. It’s one of those things where one day you will notice improvement and you can’t really remember when it happened!
You are still very early in your recovery, but you are off to a very good start.
You seem to be doing quite a bit of exercises. Please remember this BoneSmart tidbit:

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

I love the constant reminders in here that you don’t need to exercise them I’ve taken it to heart ! I refuse to do any. I only walk around my house and that is not much walking. However I am now walking unassisted. I don’t have much pain ( hip and leg area) if I attempt the exercises ( I will only do 1-2 ) I can. Brilliant advice !

 

[Snoopy55]

What is an IMS teacher?

@Snoopy55 , she's a Montessori teacher.
There is an International Montessori School (IMS) very close by. I have had 5 people who work at the IMS as my tenants and all of them have been lovely, responsible and respectful in that they inform me of maintenance issues as soon as such arise and take care to handle their own responsibilities whilst living in the rental property, and leave with the place clean! I wish all my tenants were like them!!

That's what I thought as I am an IMS teacher myself lol but for some reason I thought it may be something else in Hong Kong! I am actually a Director and a parenting coach I had a Montessori school for years in DC before our building decided to go condo and I closed pre-pandemic thank goodness. I loved it and had a great time with the parents. We are still in touch. Montessorians are generally a good bunch if I don;t say so myself

 

[Lyla]

Walked 1.4km today using one axillary crutch. Felt absolutely ok this morning.

No pain, except the incision site feels warm to the touch and it's 3 weeks. It is not red and doesn't look inflamed at all, only warm to the touch over that area. Did anyone else have this I wonder?

I did have heat and soreness from my incision. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. As long as it’s not got any drainage or too painful. Sometimes mine would hurt but I think it was the scab pulling. Your incision looks great!! Mine still at 5 weeks has some scabbing. It’s also a lot bigger then yours.

 

[Boofit]

Do you not have tagaderm there ? It’s a film you can buy at the drugstore. I used it after the bandage came off to keep it dry.

@Lyla, Now that my dressing is off, I can shower and wash my hair without having to protect it with anything!
OS said just to apply some cream or ointment over the scar area as the skin was dry.

 

[Lyla]

Do you not have tagaderm there ? It’s a film you can buy at the drugstore. I used it after the bandage came off to keep it dry.

@Lyla, Now that my dressing is off, I can shower and wash my hair without having to protect it with anything!
OS said just to apply some cream or ointment over the scar area as the skin was dry.

Mine said to massage mine as well. I highly recommend if you have any numbness

 

[Boofit]

Me and gabapentin don’t get along.

Me neither. I am on 75mg, and I feel it is very strong. But given the shooting pains down my leg, I am going to continue it for some time...

 

[Boofit]

Mine said to massage mine as well. I highly recommend if you have any numbness

so far no numbness... Thank goodness

 

[Zoebichon]

As for side sleeping, I felt the same way when I first tried it. Great relief from back pain, but after a short while, the hip complained so back on the back! I just kept trying, first one side, then the other, for a bit longer each time. Until finally I could fall asleep on my side for two or three hour stretches at a time. I never really got any sleep until I could sleep on my sides.

 

[Boofit]

As for side sleeping, I felt the same way when I first tried it. Great relief from back pain, but after a short while, the hip complained so back on the back! I just kept trying, first one side, then the other, for a bit longer each time. Until finally I could fall asleep on my side for two or three hour stretches at a time. I never really got any sleep until I could sleep on my sides.

@Zoebichon thank you so much for sharing this I remember reading your thread and note that you started sleeping on your sides at day 12. That is amazing, and you had BOTH hips replaced by the anterior approach at the same time!
My OS has said I should not sleep on my operated side yet (I had the lateral approach), but that I could sleep on my non-operated side. So I will try again tomorrow morning. Like you, I will keep trying, for a bit longer each time.


It is past midnight in Hong Kong. I am tired. I was in bed but have climbed out because I could not get comfortable enough to sleep and am now dreading going back to bed, wondering if I will be woken up by shooting pains, wondering if my leg will seize up, whether my back will ache, worried about my gastric pains, about... the list goes on. It seems in the middle of the night the problems my mind has generated seem magnified and unsolvable.
In the daytime, I know most of my worries will be put in perspective. But then I need to get some sleep before I get to daytime. So I will now take something to help me sleep and go back to bed.

 

[Layla]

seems in the middle of the night the problems my mind has generated seem magnified and unsolvable.

It always seems that way. It’s dark, there are less distractions, the world feels smaller and you tend to feel alone, even though you’re not.
I hope your sleep is peaceful.

 

[Snoopy55]

I am so sorry you are having trouble sleeping. It really is very difficult to get comfortable. I end up looking like I have built a fort around myself that my husband cannot penetrate. Poor thing but really getting a good nights sleep is my top priority otherwise I am just a cranky person. Couple that with pain and not a good combination!

 

[Boofit]

In the daytime, I know most of my worries will be put in perspective. But then I need to get some sleep before I get to daytime. So I will now take something to help me sleep and go back to bed.

A combination of 1mg Valium and half a tablet of Zoplicone sent me into 5 hours of blissful sleep before the alarm woke me up. I thought I had 5 hours of deep uninterrupted slumber but apparently not so. I have no memory of waking up in the middle of that and talking to my husband!! He said I even turned on the bedside light when talking to him (about allergies). But I have absolutely no recollection of doing that.

Reminds me of the time when I went for a gastroscopy many years ago. I was given some strong sedation (I think it was Ambien, but can't be sure).
Apparently I woke up after the procedure in the recovery room, felt bored, asked my husband for the sudoku puzzle in the day's newspaper, completed half of it then told him I felt tired so returned the paper to him, and went back to sleep.
A few hours later, I was discharged and was back home. I picked up the paper to do the day's sudoku puzzle, was annoyed to find it partially completed and asked my husband who had done half the puzzle (he is not interested in Sudoku at all). You did, he said but I had absolutely NO recollection of having woken up in the recovery room and doing the puzzle!!
No wonder the doctor told me before the procedure that I should not sign any document that day.

Such is the power of drugs.....

 

[Boofit]

It really is very difficult to get comfortable. I end up looking like I have built a fort around myself that my husband cannot penetrate.

@Snoopy55 , this is exactly what my side of the bed looks like! With all the pillows under the legs, at the sides and under the head and upper back, it does look somewhat like an impregnable fortress!!

 

[Layla]

Same! With the pillows that is. Started it during my recovery, but found I like pillows surrounding me still…five years later!

That Soduku story
Hope you’re having a good one!
@Boofit

 

[Boofit]

Week 4 update

It is Typhoon Signal No. 1 in Hong Kong, and there's a thunderstorm warning in force. [A Typhoon is a Tropical Cyclone.] It is forecast to intensify tomorrow, which is the day Hong Kong marks the 25th anniversary of its return to China.

Anyway, today I celebrate my ONE MONTH post-THR (left side, lateral approach). Here is my progress update.

Sleep-wise:
Sleep has not been easy these past days, and I have started getting a phobia about going to bed at night.... For some reason my left leg cannot get comfortable in the supine position, even with a pillow under the knee. Maybe it is because I am sub-consciously trying to limit lateral rotation and hence not being able to relax. Even when I try to consciously relax, my left knee feels twisted. I do not want to rely on sleeping medication, so am reluctant to take more than half a tablet of Zoplicone or the occasional half-tablet Valium. So I ice, and try doing mindfulness (not successful at all), and sometimes get up and move into the study to read or go on Bonesmart. Usually after 3 hours or so I go back to bed and manage falling asleep (after numerous different types of pillow/cushion arrangements).
Ah well, at least I don't need to work a 9 to 5 job and get up at a certain hour in the morning, so am counting my blessings....

These two mornings have been trying to sleep on my un-operated side. In post 158 above I mentioned I first tried doing this 3 days ago but there was pain inside the operated hip and down the leg. It felt better yesterday when I tried lying on my side, and this morning even better. But I was careful to roll back over in one piece so as to avoid my left hip abducting and rotating laterally.


Walking:
Using a quadripod when inside my apartment, but using a single axillary crutch when out. Trying to put in some walking daily but mindful not to overdo it.

Went to do a property inspection with a new tenant yesterday. Got in the car, walked to the apartment , walked around the apartment to do an Inspection Report and then walked down the driveway with the new tenant. The whole process took about 90 minutes. It felt okay, and was uplifting in that it seemed like a step towards normalcy.


Exercises:
Have not been doing much exercises. Some gluteus tightening, some quadriceps, some calf muscles (standing on tip-toes) and some ankle exercises a few times a day.
Main exercise is walking.
Have started doing resistance band exercises for upper arms.
I feel so unfit!!!

The lateral rotation in my left leg seems to be decreasing though. It is still there, and my foot is turned out around 20 degrees.

Stretching:
My quads and hip muscles are still tight - am doing gentle stretchings.

Swelling, Pain and Bruising:
The swelling in my hip is decreasing. There is still a hard lump at the incision area about the size of 3/4s of my palm. And this area is still reddish in colour and warm to the touch.
There is tenderness along my IT band and upper thigh.
My ankle feels tight although there is no visible swelling.
No apparent bruising.

I have on and off pain in the middle of my butt, but around pain level 3
The pain in my right shoulder (rotator cuff and having to bear weight on right arm when using crutch or stick) is still there but is no more than a level 3 pain.


Medication:
Am still taking:
Paracetamol 1000mg three times a day (Tried cutting it to twice a day, but I think I am not ready yet)
Arcoxia 90mg once a day
Lyrica 75mg once a day
I took the last tablet of Amoxicillin this morning. Was taking it for UTI symptoms.

Since taking yogurt, my gastric pains have decreased. I also stagger the intake of medication, since I reckon my stomach probably does not like being bombarded by so many drugs in one go.

ADL
Am able to put on my pants by sitting on something but still not willing to try putting on my sock for the operated leg.
Am no longer climbing into the bath tub, but am using the walk-in shower without any problem.

I am generally content with my progress so far. I do have a fear of dislocation and infection. Have read somewhere on this forum that the rate of both dislocation and infection are low so that gives me some comfort and also have been reading other recovery threads for encouragement.
Thank you my fellow BSmarties!!!

 

[Boofit]

Today was a good day - went to have lunch with a very good friend. This is the first time I have had lunch with any friend and it was at my favourite Italian restaurant.

Did not drink any alcohol.
Had a strange experience last night. After doing the Inspection Report with my new tenant, I had a strange hankering for Ruinart Rose Champagne. Don't ask me why, it just happened.
So we opened a bottle after dinner, and I drank two glasses. Yummy!

When it was time to go to bed, I noticed that my left leg was swollen. Both my legs were slightly reddish in colour, but the left one was visibly swollen, from thigh to lower leg. Very strange and I wonder why

Anyway, the leg is no longer swollen. Hubby says it was probably an allergic reaction, and that I should not drink any alcohol for the next 6 weeks
Luckily it wasn't Coke Zero. Alcohol? Sure. But no way would I be able to stop my Coke Zero for 6 weeks.

 

[skigirl]

The meds for this morning just arrived, and I notitce that they have stopped my oxycontine and am now only on lyrica (every 8 hours) and panadol (every 6 hours) and one NSAID once a day. Am worried the pain will hit me soon. I have read here that people go home with Oxycodone or similar, am am worried that if I get discharged, my pain meds won't be enough. Lyrica has done nothing for me in the past, except make me somewhat woozy.

Hope to get to talk to doctors today...

My doc told me that 1000 mg of Tylenol and 1000 mg of Aleeve is a really effective pain reliever. I have taken. 500 of each as well

I also have a bad reaction to Lyrica and would not want to take it

 

[Zoebichon]

Hi Boofit,

I also began doing seated arm exercises at 4 weeks with my hand weight. It feels good to slowly begin some movement again.

 

[Boofit]

Hi @Zoebichon , you are staying up late!

And thank you for the encouragement on side sleeping. Last night I actually fell asleep on my side without any issues! I was careful about turning though - am concerned that in turning back to supine position I might inadvertently place my operated leg in a figure of 4 position

 

[Boofit]

It is a public holiday in Hong Kong today. It is raining heavily and the number 1 Typhoon Signal has now gone up to a number 3 and the Observatory is saying it might be hoisting the number 8 later today.

My helper has just come home from meeting with friends and told me that the storm has brought down a big tree along the road to our building, so cars could not pass and she had to walk the remainder of the way back home.

She brought me some dark mint Kit-kat chocolates, so that is a ray of sunshine! Comfort food is now my go to - it seems this surgery has thrown my system off and I am constantly hankering for carbs and chocolates and ice-cream! We have run out of ice-cream, and now with the tree blocking the road, we cannot go get some.
So bingeing on chocolate kit-kats now... Chocolate is protein, no?

The weather definitely seems to be affecting my mood. Not a happy camper and feeling a tad restless and grouchy... Just one of those days in recovery land I guess.
Or maybe it is because I ditched all sleep meds last night. No Valium. No Zoplicone. Just trying to cope without. Sleep was fitful but I think I managed 5 or 6 hours, so I should be ok, right?

Oh well, tomorrow is another day.