THR Candi's hip journey - two THR and a revision

[dandy_candi]

Oh it is so great to hear about your experience and that you are doing well!! It is so nice to get living plants - how special! Poor hubby, it is really tough on the other when one of you is in hospital. My hubby has been in hospital each year of the last 3 years and each time it is exhausting to keep life going, visiting them in hospital etc.
I am glad that you took your quilting in, how long do they think you will be in there?? I assume if you are not out on Friday they will keep you in on the weekend.

Rest up, be pampered and enjoying your quilting! Can't wait to see it

Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

Yeah hubby is coping okay, calling a few times a day and will come and visit tonight. They say I'm likely to go home Sunday so will be 4 nights if that's the case. They release you on a weekend. I just used the crutches and then had a shower, feel so much better. My physio asked if I wanted to go home tomorrow- said I wasn't sure and she said if my blood pressure is still up and down they will keep me another day but she feels I would be okay to go tomorrow.

 

[dandy_candi]

Hi, Glad things went well with your surgery. Ask the nurse how to use your room phone. When I was in hospital I had to dial 0 or 9 before I dialled the phone number. You may have to go through the hospital switchboard first.
My husband lost his phone a week ago and two days later I found it in the bottom of the washing machine. How I missed it I will never know. He normally empties his pockets and I normally go through them again before putting the clothes in the washing machine. We tried the phone in the rice and also in those water absorbing crystals but it still does not work. The phone may need longer to dry out. Take the battery and SIM card out so that they do not rust. You may just have to wait longer for it to dry out properly. My hubby put the phone in a zip lock plastic bag with the rice.

I am surprised you did not have a catheter inserted so that you did not have to get up or use a bedpan to urinate. I did. Apparently it is a common practice to have a catheter for about 48 hours but I asked for mine to be removed earlier. Those leg pumps are great as well. I found them very soothing but some people don't like them.

Did you have low blood pressure after the spinal block. I did and apparently it is not an uncommon thing.

Yes the nurse told me how to use the phone and I did what she said and it still didn't work. At least I can still receive calls.
Yeah it may need more time to dry out. It's an iPhone so I can't take the battery out. Crossing fingers it dries out.

Yeah no catheter- maybe there was one during surgery and they took it out before I woke up. I am glad I got up and moving the first night though.

 

[jomarie58]

Weird that the room phone still won't work! That must be annoying!

I would say that one week out I am doing ok, having some pain med issues so right now my movement is a bit tentative with only Tylenol pain control but as of today I tried sitting on our TV room sofa and was able to get in and out, it is tough to get up out of but I managed. I seem to manage about one chore per day then need a nap! Grin.

Have a binding to sew on a king size quilt and plan to start working on that tomorrow. Have issues with hands going numb since I gave been using walkers and canes so can only sew for short spurts.

Have a good night!


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR on May 26, 2016.

 

[sherrymorss60]

@dandy-candi I'm having a bit of a rough patch as its still very difficult for me to get up. A trip to the bathroom wears me out. But then I'm still a pretty heavy person so that's probably why. I hope you are progressing nicely. Take good care of yourself.

 

[Horseshoe]

You sound wonderful! So happy for you and it's terrific that you're feeling so well so soon afterwards. Too bad about the phone, I was boasting to a work friend how I never drop phones and one second later onto the pavement it went, cracked screen, so a good excuse for a new one. Hope you continue to do well, your room looks nice and comfy, enjoy your presents

 

[Sommers16]

@dandy_candi - so happy to hear of your progress. One down, one to go, kiddo. Try and take it one day at a time.

Sorry about your phone. Hope that didn't add a lot of stress to the pre-surgery stress. I haven't dropped my phone down the toilet, but I once placed my camera on the back of a public toilet, and because of my pre-surgery arthritic leg I sat down a little rough on the seat, which jostled the camera off the toilet, where it hit the concrete floor and broke the flash. Rather frustrating, but what can you do?

Good to hear you will be out this weekend. I think it helps psychologically being at home, not to mention having better TV options there.

I didn't have a catheter either, and my hospital said they've gotten away from that standard as another means of reducing infection.

Like you I had nausea and blood pressure issued after surgery but it was short lived. Yours should adjust soon too.

It isn't fun, this business. But I hope you feel strengthened and encouraged moment by moment, day by day. I may be thousands of miles away, but my thoughts and prayers are with you as you navigate this new territory. I'm a newbie myself, with just a little over two weeks post surgery under my belt, but I can tell you things are getting better with me, and our sisters and brothers who are ahead of us give us glimpses of hope for down the road.

I've been trying to increase my activity somewhat, which includes getting out and staying out of the bed during the day. But today I felt so incredibly tired and sleepy I couldn't watch TV, surf online or anything as it felt like too big an effort. I got back in bed and took a nap and I needed it.

Be kind and patient with yourself. I'm trying to do the same. Seriously, however the word "patient" came to be defined as both a person and a characteristic really should be challenged and corrected. I'm a THR patient, but being patient is sometimes altogether different. Ha Ha

Hugs to you and looking forward to hearing more about your restoration and wellness journey. You are on your way, and we are so happy for you.

 

[dandy_candi]

@dandy-candi I'm having a bit of a rough patch as its still very difficult for me to get up. A trip to the bathroom wears me out. But then I'm still a pretty heavy person so that's probably why. I hope you are progressing nicely. Take good care of yourself.

So sorry you are having a hard time sherrymorss60. Yeah getting up wears me out too but having more weight would make it more challenging. I am around 68kgs and only quite short but I can feel my abs getting sore from using my upper body to move myself around. I feel like I am going well and then the physio suggested going home tomorrow and I was like 'don't think I'm ready yet'. You take care of yourself too and take it easy, this is a rough surgery we've had!

 

[dandy_candi]

@dandy_candi - so happy to hear of your progress. One down, one to go, kiddo. Try and take it one day at a time.

Sorry about your phone. Hope that didn't add a lot of stress to the pre-surgery stress. I haven't dropped my phone down the toilet, but I once placed my camera on the back of a public toilet, and because of my pre-surgery arthritic leg I sat down a little rough on the seat, which jostled the camera off the toilet, where it hit the concrete floor and broke the flash. Rather frustrating, but what can you do?

It isn't fun, this business. But I hope you feel strengthened and encouraged moment by moment, day by day. I may be thousands of miles away, but my thoughts and prayers are with you as you navigate this new territory. I'm a newbie myself, with just a little over two weeks post surgery under my belt, but I can tell you things are getting better with me, and our sisters and brothers who are ahead of us give us glimpses of hope for down the road.

Be kind and patient with yourself. I'm trying to do the same. Seriously, however the word "patient" came to be defined as both a person and a characteristic really should be challenged and corrected. I'm a THR patient, but being patient is sometimes altogether different. Ha Ha

Hugs to you and looking forward to hearing more about your restoration and wellness journey. You are on your way, and we are so happy for you.

Yes it didn't worry me too much about the phone, was more worried about if anyone was contacting me and thought I was ignoring them! And annoyed that it was something else I had to pay for!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I am not a religious person but that still means a lot to me. Yes I can already see myself progressing- I pretty much slept all day yesterday but then slept better last night as if I woke up I asked for pain meds and then embraced the fatigue and didn't try and fight it. I am usually a person who plans things so this process is teaching me to go with the flow a bit more! I am also not patient but we are forced to be aren't we because if we over do it we pay for it and sleep all day!
Have a restful day x

 

[Zelda]

@dandy-candi I'm having a bit of a rough patch as its still very difficult for me to get up. A trip to the bathroom wears me out. But then I'm still a pretty heavy person so that's probably why. I hope you are progressing nicely. Take good care of yourself.

It will get easier. The first time I managed a shower in hospital I had a two hour nap afterwards it was so tiring! You get a little more energy each day.

 

[Zelda]

I feel like I am going well and then the physio suggested going home tomorrow and I was like 'don't think I'm ready yet'. You take care of yourself too and take it easy, this is a rough surgery we've had!

I really admire the people who go home after just a day. Especially this time around, I liked having the time in hospital just to be confident I would cope at home.

You're right to go with the flow and let your body decide what it can cope with. Sleeping is healing as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Constanze]

Hi @dandy_candi ,
Keep up the good work - you're making good progress. Your blood pressure will stabilise as you become more mobile. No need to rush going home. In Germany 7 days hospital stay is standard practice. Your incision is nice and short. Mine is also just under 10 cm. What sort of approach did you have - posterior, anterior or lateral? I had the lateral which is common in Germany and in England, and had minimal invasive surgery, and I also didn't have to observe any restrictions like the 90°C rule for any length of time - my surgeon said 6 weeks maximum, but could try and do things sooner and listen to my body. If they feel good, I could go ahead doing the movements.

How are you with regard to pain and what pain meds are you taking now. I had diclofenac. I have the impression isn't used frequently in anglosaxon countries because they think it's not very effective, but I might be wrong. If, however, it really isn't effective I had an incredible improvement with the pain, or else the diclofenac just had a placebo effect. I stopped taking them anyway after 4 weeks and then took nothing. Carry on reporting. I find it quite interesting.

Best wishes

Constanze

 

[dandy_candi]

Hi @dandy_candi ,
Keep up the good work - you're making good progress. Your blood pressure will stabilise as you become more mobile. No need to rush going home. In Germany 7 days hospital stay is standard practice. Your incision is nice and short. Mine is also just under 10 cm. What sort of approach did you have - posterior, anterior or lateral?

How are you with regard to pain and what pain meds are you taking now. I had diclofenac. Carry on reporting. I find it quite interesting.

Best wishes

Constanze

Thanks for writing, I had the anterior approach. Also minimally invasive, obviously with such a small incision.

I am not sure what was in the patch that was making me sick but otherwise I have been taking tramadol and endone. Think I over did it today, bit sore now. Swelling is moving down towards my knee a bit. My foot keeps rolling out too, might see if I can get that wedge back and see if that will hold it.

 

[kwarendorf]

Swelling is moving down towards my knee a bit.

Swelling is mostly a normal part of post-op life. As long as the swollen area is not red or overly warm it's probably OK. My operated leg and foot were enormous when I came home. My leg is pretty much back to normal, which ain't exactly slim, but my foot still swells when I walk or sit for any length of time. The swelling reduces when I elevate and ice it. My doc and physical therapist assure me that it's perfectly normal

Kyle

 

[gullimac]

I had swelling and some bruising that migrated down my leg at times. The icing helped me keep that to a minimum. Sounds like they may have gotten you balanced out on the meds a bit now. I wasn't able to get any long chunks of sleep until I got home. Hoping you get to a spot where you are comfortable heading home over the next day or so.

 

[dandy_candi]

Yeah I know red does tend to mean infection @kwarendorf so I'll keep an eye on it. I was getting sore from sitting so I will have to work out some exercises that don't aggregate too much but keep muscles moving-walking maybe??? I know that's a BS mantra!!!

Thanks for the tip @gullimac I am pretty sure it's Sunday, as long as I can demonstrate stairs tomorrow I think I am ready. Better try and get more sleep

 

[kwarendorf]

I was getting sore from sitting

I was told not to sit for more than an hour at a time. This seems to coincide, timing wise, with the soreness I feel after sitting. Sometimes I get up and walk around the apartment a bit, other times I just stand up for a minute or two.

As to the walking BS mantra, I was told that half of my doc's patients are walking a mile, with cane/walker/crutch one week after surgery. For me it was 12 days, and with a cane. I think there are as many opinions on THR rehab as there are Dr.'s replacing hips My thinking is that I want to do as much as I can, safely. I'm not looking to be a rehab hero, but I do believe in "Use it or lose it."

Kyle

 

[dandy_candi]

I agree @kwarendorf about not wanting to be a rehab hero, it's just working out what is right for you. I almost slept through the whole night last night. I was nervous about potentially going home today when the PT said it yesterday but now I'm ready to go home tomorrow. Pain was probably at its worst last night so I know my limits now. Thanks for all of your comments everyone, lovely to hear from you all.

 

[Sommers16]

@dandy_candi - be safe going home, don't forget to ice and rest all you can. Thinking of you!

 

[gullimac]

@dandy_candi steps will not be a problem, I was SO NERVOUS about going up and down steps and it was no problem. As long as you are confident and ready you will be good to go.

My biggest problem with steps was the urge to treat my non-op hip as the bad hip. I had to concentrate on the idea of "up with bad, down with the good" because prior to surgery the non-op side hurt worse with stairs than the op side. In my mind the operated side was my "good hip". In fact that is how I started going up and and down steps foot-over-foot....BY MISTAKE.

Do not get caught up in the "cookie cutter" idea that you have to reach certain milestones (kilo-meter stones ). At any certain time. Listen to your body and make your on decisions.

Good luck on your transition to home. As I have said before...go get 'em!

 

[dandy_candi]

@dandy_candi steps will not be a problem, I was SO NERVOUS about going up and down steps and it was no problem. As long as you are confident and ready you will be good to go.

Do not get caught up in the "cookie cutter" idea that you have to reach certain milestones (kilo-meter stones ). At any certain time. Listen to your body and make your on decisions.

Good luck on your transition to home. As I have said before...go get 'em!

Thank you guillimac! Hahaha we still use the term milestones even though we measure in kilometres!

I am taking your wise advice on Hope your going well!