THR Can you hear me from the other side?

[sansabosa]

Firebrand
Hi dear,
İ hope all is on track. Don forget the ice application
İ still can not concentrate even to read a newspaper fully, so dont get embaressed of you cant read a book.

 

[Queenie]

Hi Firebrand

Many congratulations on reaching the other side! I must admit I did chuckle a little when I read about the brownies.........cheeky monkey. Kids are great aren't they?!
I have two girls 15 and 11. They have been wonderful although I have been reduced to tears on numerous occasions because I still have to repeat myself over and over and over..........to get certain things done(post op blues don't help). Thank goodness my recovery has moved on and I'm back in a position where it's easier to do it myself. Some things never change eh?
Are you a 1950's styled house mistress like myself(rare breed these days) or do you have a job that helps to spark up the old grey matter?
The one thing that amazed me on this wonderful, life saving forum is the amount of youngsters(at 45 I regard myself as a youngster yes I do!!), having to succumb to the knife in the old hip department.

I've made some super cyber pals from AUS, USA and NZ so it's jolly nice to find a new hippie from Old Blighty!!

So Welcome Firebrand........ And remember you are not alone( oooo, that sounded a bit Close Encounters!).

Queenie xxx

 

[Firebrand]

Hi there.

I have a full time job - I manage a large team of people, plus have two children, so my usual time management is down to the wire. For me to be at home now, but unable to do anything practical, is torture. My husband has been wonderful since I got home (putting my DVT stockings on for me takes some doing), but we have very different ideas of getting things done - he can close the door on a kitchen full of washing up, whereas it just calls to me from behind the closed door. My kids (12 and 15) have been reasonably good, but they aren't of the age yet where the common sense area of their brain has yet come into being. And yes, Queenie, I can find myself repeating my requests for them to do simple tasks. Where are you in the UK - I'm in Surrey.

 

[Queenie]

We are most certainly two different animals men and women! My husband has been wonderful too. In fact he's been amazing......but......and I shouldn't say it really, unless they've got a touch of OCD, there's mens clean and ladies clean.........know what I mean?!
I live in beautiful Devon. I was born in North Devon but grew up in Exeter. Moved around the country for a while when I was younger then settled back here 16yrs ago.
Well all I can say to you Mrs Firebrand is please don't over do things. It's very frustrating when you're a doer but all that stuff can wait. All the folks on here that have done too much too soon have lived to regret it and its generally set them back due to swelling or pain etc. You work and you're a mum so you won't get an opportunity to chill like this again any time soon!! It's horrible as a woman to feel incapacitated but you've got to think about things long term and getting the washing up done or a spot of hoovering isn't important when it comes to the welfare of your new hip. Here endeth the lesson!!
I have to say although I'm a domestic goddess(he he he), I never sit and watch the rubbish that is Day Time Telly. I don't know how people can sit there glued to such ****(sorry) all day, I honestly haven't got the time. I must admit to watching loads of films and box sets such as Homeland and Game of Thrones since I've been off my feet, but the day I succumb to day time tv is the day I know I've lost the plot! I'd be lost without my IPad. Husband very kindly got me one for Xmas with my post op activities in mind. It's kept me in touch with the world outside my house and its very light on my lap......perfick.
You should get your family to watch a hip replacement operation on YouTube. It will make them realise exactly what you've put your body through, why its difficult it is for you to do normal tasks, and that you're going to need quite a bit of cooperation from them on your road to recovery.
Get as much rest as you can, don't over do things, keep your feet up and ice that hip. Not sure if you're doing the frozen pea thing but I can highly recommend it. 20 mins at a time eases a lot of pain.......lovely jubbly.

Queenie xxx

 

[millie4162]

Morning all
A can understand all your frustrations. Like you have been told (and I was many times) you have to just switch off and not do too much. We have all over done it and paid ;)

 

[Firebrand]

I've just tied my grabber to a crutch with a length of elastic cord, and I'm getting frustrated at needing it when I don't have it.

And put post it notes at the top and bottom of the stairs to remind me of the order I'm supposed to take them in (it just hasn't stayed in my brain yet).

I have to give myself stern talkings to as I know that overdoing anything physical now will set me back.

Queenie - Exeter is lovely. We went for a long Easter weekend in Torbay a couple of years ago and stopped off there for a break on the way home. We sat on the harbour front outside a coffee shop and soaked up the easter sun - it was delightful. We are (overly) fond of a cream tea or two so your neck of the woods is heaven for us! My husband is from Turkey and when I first introduced the idea of a cream tea when we were on honeymoon in Cornwall, he recoiled in horror cream+tea=yuck. So I ordered one for myself. It's the last time I ever have...

 

[Mbone]

I read about a lot of people getting nausea after their surgery. I told my anesthesiologist that I get sick from anesthesia. They gave me something pre op and I had no problems. Maybe you need to tell them before hand so they can give you medicine for it. I never felt sick or vomited.

 

[Firebrand]

Today marks one week post op. My recovery is slow but sure so far - I'm too mentally exhausted still to be thinking about life outside my house, so no frustrations have kicked in yet.

Today I had my first shower since leaving hospital, and washed my hair. It is quite amazing how such a little thing can have such a major effect on my well being. I feel so much more human for it. I was starting to look like a bit player in Shameless - track suit, greasy hair and crutches. (But for the record - Stella McCartney perfume!)

I'm still having to have a quite substantial nap every afternoon of 2 to 3 hours, the need for which I'm hoping will naturally go in the next couple of weeks, as they tend to leave me feeling quite washed out, and means that I'm always in bed when the kids get home from school (back to Shameless). But for the time being I'm just going with what my body needs in order to recover.

I've also been trialling using one crutch rather than two, as it actually feels easier to get around like that. Which was fine until I dropped it when I was stood in the middle of my bedroom. Luckily my husband was home and heard the crash and came to investigate.

So lots of positives to report from me so far!

 

[bottomshollow]

There really is no place like home---and a shower and shampoo are always heavenly after surgery. Makes you feel almost human again. Follow that mantra to the letter--you'll get more bang for your recovery buck that way.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[designergirl]

The first thing I did when I got home this afternoon was wash my hair. How wonderful that was. As you FB, I'm a bit mentally foggy, happy, but not at the top of my game. Good thing I payed all the bills for the next month.

Queenie, you got that man cleaning thing right. I'll give him an A for effort though. Luckily my daughter is coming to clean once a week in my assigned areas, so that will be up to snuff. I will just have to let the small stuff slide and when I'm fully healed some months out, I will go to town and clean.

 

[sandybeach]

Firebrand, I think the more pillows the better for sleeping at night. I think I start with three under my head and one under my knees....I also woke up with my heels hurting, I have never had that before. I can sleep on my side so I can roll over and sleep with a pillow between my knees. Just have to experiment around and see what you can do to get comfortable, I try to get as close to the hospital bed positions as I can.

 

[octopus]

Awesome report Firebrand! Good to hear things are going well so far!

 

[designergirl]

Firebrand, how are you doing?

 

[Firebrand]

Thanks for asking after me designergirl (sorry I don't know how to tag). I'm struggling these past couple of days. Fundamentally I'm not sleeping, which is affecting everything else. I must have tried every cushion in the house, but I can't get comfortable in bed, and my heels are sore. Things that were fine - getting in and out of bed, on and off the sofa, seem to have got harder. I know that this is all the road to recovery, I just wish I could sleep a bit on this road...

I'm due to see the nurse this morning to have my wound checked, and the physio tomorrow.

Bet you wish you'd never asked now...

 

[BarbaraR]

Firebrand, if you want to tag someone, put an @ sign in front of their name. I'll tag designergirl for you. I was sorry to read that you're not sleeping. That makes everything harder. Can they give you something to help you sleep? I take Benadryl, it's over the counter in the US, don't know if that would help you. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[Firebrand]

Thanks for the tip BarbaraR - did that work? I don't think that we can get that sort of thing over the counter here - but I have some herbal stuff knocking around somewhere. It's not so much the falling asleep, as staying asleep. I got up this morning at 5am and put my ugly great granny-style hospital slippers on, then got back into bed, as they have a thick enough back to them that it gave my heels the protection they needed.

I've just got a clean bill of health from the nurse, who took the dressing off and signed me off. My wound was held with steri-strips only, so no stitches to come out, no infection or bruising. Yah!

 

[BarbaraR]

Firebrand, yes, that worked. i always sleep on my back, and it is easier on the heels to wear thick socks. And I feel your pain--night before last I woke up at 1 AM and never got back to sleep--finally just got out of bed at 5--and had a really bad day yesterday, i couldn't get off the couch. It's amazing how much better I feel today after having slept.

Congrats on the clean bill from the nurse. You are lucky. I had staples and surgical glue (which was stuck to the staples), so when they took the staples out--20 ouches!--and then I had small open wounds for a few days till that healed, so it was a little step backward. All in the process, right?

 

[designergirl]

Firebrand , I have trouble sleeping for long periods also, just a string of 3 hour naps make up my night. I just add extra naps in during the day. I don't usually sleep on my back, but am doing so now. I prop up my legs and my head also, it isn't perfect but it's ok. I used to sleep on my non operated hip with a pillow between my legs, but now I don't feel good doing that. The hip feels weird in that position, so I'll wait on that.

Try to get one rest, I know it's tough right now. Congratulations on the good report from the nurse.

-Susan

 

[Elosarabrab]

Hi Firebrand, I had trouble sleeping as I cant sleep on my back. I got a back rest and piled pillows up to get comfortable. The way to remember to do the stairs right is the good go up to heaven the bad go down to hell. LLoyds pharmacy have a website with things like back rests, grabbers cool packs at reasonable prices worth a look Barbara

 

[Mbone]

Nothing works for my sleep...not even prescription meds....Last time I looked at the clock it was 4:00am!!! I tried to go to sleep at 10:30! Definately planning on napping today!