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Bilateral THR ByGosh ByGolly ByLateral

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LeeApril26 I missed your post about arriving in Penn, and also Songlady 's about the probiotics. I'm not on probiotics, although I am eating Stonyfield yogurt, the plain one. I don't like to eat the sugar ones, either. Align is so expensive I hesitate to buy it. What kind do you use?
You know alot about probiotics Songlady - is Floraster over the counter?
I cancelled my dentist appt today for a cleaning, I felt so sick yesterday and today, and I didn't want to put more antibiotics into the mix.
The months leading up to your surgery were very difficult for you LeeApril26. Did you have a long waiting list for your THR? It's a shame you suffered so much, and your son's wedding was during that time. I never knew that there were people who went through that kind of pain before it happened to me. I've learned from this forum that it's more common than not, unfortunately. It's a blessing that's all in the past for you now.
I hope you get your swim in before it rains. I think the day is supposed to start out hot, then begin to cool when the storms roll in. Let's hope you don't lose power - I don't want you having to eat so much ice cream - what a sacrifice that would be! :heehee: But you're tough, you could do it.

Songlady We should feel cooler in a day or two, I hope. It was 90 in every state in the US today, except Michigan. That has to be a record. Poor Littlejem and Kim22 aren't used to these temps - Littlejem rarely needs a fan, doesn't even have air conditioning. It's a heat wave there, too. Sort of scarey, I think.
 
sandpiper You're so kind, thank you for your understanding. Everyone here is greatly supportive. It really helps to have people who can understand when things don't go well. I can't say enough just how much it means to me. It's not my nature to complain, or ask for help, and it's hard being on the other side of the fence, as I'm the one who's been the caretaker for other people. But I know how important it is to have the compassion of others, and I can face this much better with everyone's help. Thank you for your well wishes and your prayers. I'm hoping things improve soon!
Keep getting well, yourself. Your recovery is going along well and you'll soon be enjoying your life a lot more than you were pre-op. :friends:
 
ByGosh our journeys are very different but one thing I can tell you is that, once I got on the right side of my last surgery, recovery was fast. I had a pair of PTs (a joint replacement specialist and a trauma specialist) who worked to get me back on my feet and on the road to my former lifestyle. I'm a certified personal trainer, so once they were done with me, I knew what I needed to do to regain my fitness.

I was training to run a marathon before my hip fracture. I had lost a lot of fitness in that year, but regaining it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I'm not glad that it happened. The whole experience was absolutely miserable, but I'm glad I was able to get through it. You will too. Once things start moving forward, everything will be okay. You're a strong, determined person. I know you won't let this keep you down.
 
ByGosh I was pretty dumb about the surgery, largely through terror and not wanting to inconvenience anyone, spoil the holidays, etc. The difficulties started in April 2012 and I just increased my exercise and started PT in the hopes that I could avoid surgery. By October my rehab doctor suggested surgery, but the holidays were coming and I have lots of people for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I delayed. Then I started to feel a little better, so like a moron I exercised even more. On Feb. 6 I went to PT then swam laps for an hour. On Feb. 7 I couldn't walk and needed a cane just to get around the house. (Still hadn't gotten anything to wear to the wedding.) Since the wedding was March 2nd in CA, I did nothing but shop online, read and lay on my chaise. Could not get far without my husband and was taking percocet 24/7. I started calling surgeons in mid-March when our four post-wedding 10 day house guests from France left. (Long story) Saw surgeon and was scheduled for April 26th. I should have had the surgery last summer. I hope I don't procrastinate too long and wind up in the same situation with the right hip. The PA said I should have two years with the current OA degeneration. Hope so.
As for probiotics, I am not as knowledgeable as Songlady. The local doctor here said any acidophilus was okay, so I went to the pharmacy and picked up one for $8.99. Also started with the Activia once a day. It is sweet and fruity, which is not my favorite thing, but I am considering it medicine, like nasty cough syrup. I usually have plain nonfat Greek yogurt with fresh berries, and am continuing with that, but I am not sure if it has live cultures in it. So far I am not having stomach issues from the antibiotic. I have two more days. I think you are supposed to continue it for a week or so after the medicine is done. Again, I am a novice at this.
My husband will play tennis at 7 a.m. and when he returns I will swim. Hopefully the storms will be a bit later. Otherwise when they pass, I guess.
I am like a limp noodle from the heat and from my last PT session yesterday which was so intense it was laughable. She had me stepping up on a step, staying on one leg and swinging the other into the air, then back and down. This was after 90 minutes of other exercises. Definitely a former drill sergeant. The point was to build some muscle and help me be comfortable going down stairs. I guess if I could do that I can go down stairs like a normal person. It still scares me, though.
Well that it the end of my litany of pain and yogurt.
Hope the heat breaks before we all go nuts. People in NYC are starting to look a bit tense. I hope all our UK friends are okay. I am used to this heat and I don't feel so well.
 
ByGosh. Just got home tonight after being at my mom's since surgery. Don't know why but I can't seem to fall asleep. :mcoffee: i got to thinking about you. I hope you are having a restful, pain free night . I can't wait until Tuesday gets here and hopefully you will get some relief. You continue to be in my prayers! Take care and I'll be checking in to see how you are! :puppysmooze:
 
Gosh, ByGosh, I was so sad to read your thread on my return from hols. I had no idea you were experiencing such difficulties with your recovery. What a bummer. All my best wishes for the treatment on Tuesday.

Boy oh boy, can I relate to your comment "I was pretty dumb about the surgery". My medical background entirely comprised compulsive reading of lightweight health articles in women's magazines in the dentist's waiting room. I go hot and cold with embarrassment when I think of some of the dozy questions I asked my surgeon immediately after my accident. Factor in the language barrier, and I reckon some halfway decent comedian could turn it into a great routine.

Can you believe I truly thought: "Well, I've had an accident, now I'm having an operation, and then I'll get better." My dad always used to say I was very gullible.

I'm certainly not trying to suggest that my problems come anywhere near those you describe. I was unlucky to get the infection, but after my revision surgery I am loads better. But here I am 3 and a half years later, and I still have discomfort - not pain - and still have to give thought to most everyday activities. Can I walk that far? Will there be many stairs? I'd love to go on the country walk, but you'll have to help me over the stiles. That sort of thing.

Not a big deal in the whole scheme of things, granted. But it gives me some rough idea of how you are feeling.

I hope this is not inappropriate, but I will briefly comment that my trip to Alaska was glorious. Stunning scenery and excellent wildlife sightings, including standing within yards of 2 young black bears trying - unsuccessfully - to catch fish at a salmon hatchery. Also liked the cities of Vancouver on way out, and Seattle on way back. Excellent trip. Would definitely go again.

As a devout atheist I don't do prayers, but I so much hope you make some good progress after Tuesday.

Glynis
 
ByGosh said:
The weather is supposed to start breaking this weekend, thank goodness​
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ByGosh, The weather better break soon....the muggies make me very ugly.....The only good thing about this weather is that we lost power at work 2 Fridays in a row and were sent home....YEAH!!!
I have also been thinking about SeaSiren, hoping that maybe she is just laying low and resting. I'm sure that all of the "smarties" have her on their minds.
None of us knows how strong we are until we face certain obstacles. I fight not to get overwhelmed. I say a little prayer numerous times daily...."God help me to help myself".
All of the visitors to your thread are thinking good thoughts and praying for a good outcome for you....Hang in there!
Annie
 
LeeApril26 - a lot of yogurts now have active cultures. According to an article I found, " To be sure one is getting all the attributes of live and active cultures, consumers should look for the National Yogurt Association's Live & Active Cultures seal." I don't like sweetened yogurts, either, and I don't do artificial sweeteners, so I tend to buy unflavored and add a little fruit, nuts, homemade jam, or honey.
glynis, LeeApril26, ByGosh, in regard to knowledge before the surgery, I think it's very hard, if not impossible, to be a cool and collected "informed consumer" when one is in horrible pain. I benefitted because my mother had her hip replaced 6 months before I did, so I helped her shop for an OS and I collected recommendations from the local medical folks I knew. Otherwise, I had been prepared to just place a call to the most famous guy in the area (AHEM) and get on his waiting list.
 
Saturday afternoon here in the UK and I'm pleased to report that the temp has dropped to about 23C/74F today. The last few days have been awful. Hardly any private homes in the UK have a/c as we don't normally have the temps to need it. For the past week in London, and in many other places in the country, we've averaged 30C+/88F. Very, very difficult to sleep at night. It was reported today that in excess of 700 people have died as a result of the heatwave, mainly from heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks, etc. It's going to get even warmer next week. Phew!!
I've just caught up on all your posts ByGosh and they made me cry. I just can't tell you how much I hope the cortisone shots work. I feel sure that they will. Mike's BIL has had them in his hip for more than two years now and while he is scheduled for surgery in mid-September they have kept the worst of the pain away for all that time. They are used regularly in the UK for joint pain, chronic inflammation, etc. I've never heard anything bad about them and they certainly worked in my wrists and fingers.
For the last two days I've had a bad pain in my left knee and groin and I fear that the dreaded OA is on the march again. It's not disturbing my sleep and I can get around OK but I'm not going to be messed around like I was with my right hip. I'm going to see my GP this week and ask for x-rays to see if my left hip has deteriorated since January. My OS thought that I might get 3-4 years out of it but I fear I won't. We'll see. Evil unto the day. I'll definitely have to go on the NHS waiting list as I just can't cough up another £12000 for a private op. If I do need another THR I'm going to see if I can be referred to another area with shorter waiting-lists.
I'm busy planning our London trip. My goodness, there'll be quite a lot of us. I hope I don't lose any of you on the Underground.:heehee: We're having a quiet weekend. I'm not doing loads of cooking as it's too hot and we don't feel like eating much. I've prepared a fruit salad and we'll have chicken salad and pasta tonight. My two old cats who are eighteen next week have both been diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. The vet has put them on a special renal diet but they are on bonus time now and the heat doesn't agree with them. We've had them since they were 6 weeks old and I can't imagine our home without them. They are very dear old boys.:sad: :cry: Never mind.
I'm wishing all of you, dear ByGosh, LeeApril26 ( bet the mountains are lovely), Kim22 (so pleased you had a lovely holiday), zauberflöte, Songlady. BeckyR and Poppet a peaceful weekend. I will be forever grateful that I found this site. I have gained so much knowledge and the caring, kind, supportive people who post here give me hope for my future whatever it may hold. Bless you all :flwrysmile: :flwrysmile: :flwrysmile: Ros xx
 
@Nylsor zauberflöte, BeckyR ByGosh, LeeApril26 Kim22 glynis, Poppet - the heat is much better today; about 86 F which is about 30 C. With the humidity factored in, the weather site says it feel like 95 (more like 35 c.) For four days this week, it was 96, with "feels like" of 106 (41c!!) Stores here and newer homes might have air conditioning, but our house does not. My husband and son finally put a room unit in our two bedrooms. Most churches don't (and being mostly wood frame, they don't keep the cool as stone might) so a mid-week funeral for which I played organ this week was horrendously hot! Luckily, the church where I work does have A/C, which was a huge controversy when it was put in - and I am just hoping it keeps working!

So far I have not heard of deaths locally. The area "info-line" hotlines will give you a list of Cooling Centers if you call - public libraries, and such. Otherwise they are suggesting people go to malls and movie theaters. We lost electricity for an hour the other evening, and it was uncomfortable, but I was so worried about my mom! Later I found out the outage had not reached her area.

This heat is highly unusual for New England!
 
anniemg@ByGosh. You know what got me through....besides all of you at BS, it was something me late mother-law told me. She always said, " LET GO, LET GOD". I not only said it daily but I tried to live it. When fear and worry of the unknown, depression at not being who I used to be, angst over a projected long recovery took over, I tried to just let go of all of it and turn it over to God. That and being able to put my fears into words here and get a loving supportive response every time got me through! ByGosh. I hope you will be able to turn over all of your worries and let your friends here help carry some of the load! :friends:
 
Nylsor. Just a quick note about your knee pain. My PT said that if you have pain in the knee opposite your operated hip it can be caused by the weakness of the glutes on the operated side. Weird, I know, but as I rebuild the glutes the knee is getting better. Worth a try. Hope it is not your other hip. I was just told I have about two years on the "good" one. I wonder if cortisone shot would help my achey thumbs.
ByGosh. Songlady. It is cooling off here as well-still humid but about 84 degrees. Storms expected later.
thanks for the info on probiotics and live cultures, Songlady. I think I will continue to take the acidophilus until they're done, and then try one of the others. Think cool thoughts, everyone.
 
ByGosh you are such a lovely person and go about helping others to stay positive when all the time you are going through your own little hell, that's a very special person to do that!! We all love you to bits and if positive thoughts alone could help you, with all of us rooting for you, you would be fit and well. I so hope the injections give you the relief we are all hoping it will give you. :console2:
 
alexthecat glynis Poppet Songlady (ahem LOL) anniemg sandpiper Nylsor anniemg Littlejem and all the others
I'm overwhelmed (in a good way) and so grateful for everyone of you, and your kind and supportive posts.
You all seem to understand just how challenging this is, and are wonderful to provide such encouragement and hope. I can't tell you how much it helps to hear from each of you and know that you're watching over me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
 
:iagree: ByGosh, I'm with everyone else. You have encouraged so many of us here, I'm praying that Tuesday comes quickly and with super results! When I had cortisone shots in my hips, it did take a few days to feel the effects, but I can remember how amazed I was at how they helped the pain.
Everybody on the East coast, hang in there. It's been beastly hot here too, but today at 1:30PM it is 66 degrees with only 59% humidity. Sending it your way!!! :flwrysmile:
 
alexthecat said:
I'm glad I was able to get through it. You will too. Once things start moving forward, everything will be okay. You're a strong, determined person. I know you won't let this keep you down.
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alexthecat You're story is inspiring to me, and very encouraging. I'm sorry that you had to go through so much but the best part is that it turned out alright for you. Your determination and hard work helped your story be a success. I hope I can do as well as you did.

LeeApril26 Your story sounds a lot like mine in a way. My pain started in March 2012 and I never thought I'd need surgery so quickly. It's good that the waiting list wasn't too long when you decided to have the THR. Mine was about 3-4 months, and the pain just got worse.
I don't think you'll wait if and when you need your other hip done. You know all of the signs, and how things can go from bad to much worse so quickly. You'll stay on top of it, and get an xray if there's any trouble. Being through it once gives you that experience to know what to do.
I'm glad your stomach is holding up from the antibx and the yogurt and probiotix seem to be helping. You're last PT session is a little strange - why did she push you so much? I guess she felt to need to be sure she covered the bases. I'm glad you're not in pain - being tired will subside, and after your swim you'll feel revived.
I just downloaded Belleruth Naperstak's pain CD on my ipad, thank you so much for the information. I'll have to listen to it soon, as today is a difficult one as far as pain goes. I'm glad my appt is Tues, I don't know how much longer I can hold out.
I can imagine that the people in NYC are tense with this heat! It's hotter there, and just getting around must be so much harder for them, on foot, or bus or subway. Not as easy as in an air conditioned car. I hope this ends and doesn't return, or we may all lose power from the big energy demand.
Enjoy your visit to the mountains! I hope your energy returns, and you have a relaxing time.
 
ByGosh. You're strong and you've been through worse. You will hold out as long as you have to because that is what you do. But, it stinks, and I hope with my heart that you don't have to because the shots work!
My wait would I have been much longer if I had gone with the most senior doctor. My primary care physician suggested I go with the "young guy" because he used computer assisted, minimally invasive surgery, and even if I wasn't a candidate a doctor who specializes in minimally invasive has to be skilled. Turned out to be good advice.
I think the PT was trying to show me I could do more than I thought I could. I have been really hesitant about steps. Today I replicated the exercise on the step in the pool10x on each side, and it worked. I have to be able to go down subway stairs confidently before I can get to the pool in the city. Have to keep trying. Wiped out again now.
Try to find a quiet comfy spot and listen to the Cd. Even if you start to doze your brain is still listening. After surgery I listened 2-3 times a day. I hope it helps. It isn't as if the pain disappears but it helps to stop fighting it. When I was less tense I could handle it more.
 
sandpiper I'm glad you're at home now, with your family. That's a big step. Too bad you had a sleepless night. It was probably from the traveling, and the change and the work of getting settled in. I bet you'll sleep better tonight - I've found that a bad night of sleep is almost always followed by a good night.
sandpiper said:
I hope you will be able to turn over all of your worries and let your friends here help carry some of the load!
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You're right - everyone here is so helpful - it is a big relief to have people to share this with, especially all of you who are so understanding and caring. I hope I can soon get on with my life so that I can be the one supporting everyone else - it's more my style! :friends: Thanks for checking in. Now try and get some rest tonight! :sleep: Sweet dreams.
 
ByGosh, just dropping by to say a very early good Sunday morning (6:22 am) and to let you know I am thinking of you and sending healing vibes....
 
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