THR Cassidy's hopalong recovery<

[Cassidy]

@Alitm, i could be on an anti-inflammatory, but my stomach doesn't tolerate them well, so they said I could try ice instead, which is what I've been doing. I'm not actually that swollen at the moment - I don't think the swelling could escape the stockings! - but I do have a little golfball sized lump on my buttock which I gather is where the muscle was cut/separated and rejoined, and it does seem to go up and down depending on what I've been doing. I've woken up extra stiff this morning, probably because I did a lot more yesterday, but I'm hoping paracetamol will take the edge off. I don't think I expect total lack of pain, but it feels more like an extra strenuous day in the gym - not that I do many of them!!

I'm sleeping off and on in the night @Mojo333. I've not been a good sleeper for the last few years, and the rigmarole involved in getting to the loo and back to bed wakes me up so much that it takes time to get back to sleep. I don't take codeine in the day any more, as it makes me woozy, but I take one at bedtime and it appears to help get me off to sleep. I'm also not good at napping, unless I just nod off, because I always think I'm going to miss out on something!

Like you, @dogchick, I know something's up,with me if I go quiet - quiet is not my trademark!!

 

[dogchick]

i could be on an anti-inflammatory, but my stomach doesn't tolerate them well, so they said I could try ice instead, which is what I've been doing.

Do they upset your stomach even if you eat something first? Just curious. I've been taking Celebrex for inflammation, and it hasn't bothered my stomach, but Aleve used to bother my stomach, especially if I took it on an empty stomach.

I'm also not good at napping, unless I just nod off, because I always think I'm going to miss out on something!

LOL! I literally have to be doing something that brings me to the point of nodding off, usually reading will do that for me, and then I will nap, and usually pretty long ones. Actually, it's more like that for me at night, I have to get to the point that I cannot bear to keep my eyes open for me to finally go to sleep.

Like you, [USER=29374]@dogchick, I know something's up,with me if I go quiet - quiet is not my trademark!![/USER]

Yeah, once I'm quiet, something is up. Even worse is getting to the next step...Witchy with a B. Where I say things that are mean and don't care that they are mean. Ultimately, I then feel bad later for saying what I said and feel the need to apologize and it turns into this big circle of events. LOL! I try not to get to the Witchy with a B step, I either need more pain meds or I need sleep.

 

[Mojo333]

I'm sleeping off and on in the night @Mojo333. I've not been a good sleeper for the last few years, and the rigmarole involved in getting to the loo and back to bed wakes me up so much that it takes time to get back to sleep.

My exact same experience...!

Hope today is a Good Day!

 

[luvsibes]

Good Morning Cassidy. I'm at 5 weeks post and just now getting to where I am sleeping a bit more. I was like a rotesserie chicken tossing all night the past year pre-surgery and ending up the night sitting up to sleep in the living room. Post-surgery, the lack of sleep continued to exhaustion. The past few days, I resumed my 1/2 tramadol before bed and have slept in 4 hour shifts and only upright a couple of times. I also just mastered sleeping on the non-surgery side which does not come naturally and caused shoulder pain pre-surgery. I totally understand the waking for the bathroom and challenges getting back to sleep! I hope this will resolve for you soon. Sending you some hugs and healing energy!

 

[Alitm]

Hello @Cassidy You sound as if you are doing really well with minimal pain meds. That "little golf ball" doesn't sound like fun, but if it is going up and down I'm sure it will resolve soon.....but also is a good measure of if you are doing too much or not....in that it will get worse if you are over doing it!
Amazing and wonderful that your swelling is minimal, and as you say, hard for swelling to occur with your "power stockings"....they sound challenging but certainly are doing their job...which is what you want! How long do you have to keep them on? Do you have just one set? I would be scared to take them off for laundering and not be able to get them back on! You'll have to fill me in on how all that works! I hope to be a "good girl" about wearing mine!!
Wishing you a good night and that you get some sleep! I think you are eight hours ahead of me in western Canada. I found that the getting up to go to the loo in late pregnancy "trained" me for all the middle of the night feeds with a newborn. I'm hoping that all the sleepless nights now from the pain and discomfort are doing the same for all the getting up for the loo post op! I'm trying to find the up side in all the nocturnal adventures

 

[Cassidy]

I find the back sleeping really trying @luvsibes. I tend to go to sleep for a couple of hours, get up to the loo, watch tv for half an hour, sleep for 2 hours, go to the loo - almost a press repeat! By then I'm really twitchy by lying in the same position, and ready to move around a bit. All this will pass, so I'm told.

The pain I'm getting @Alitm, is a quite sore muscular ache, as though I've walked a hundred miles or something like that, but it's not unbearable. My leg does really stiffen up when I've been sitting for a long time, but a bit of walking loosens it up.

i've got three sets of stockings, but I keep them on for a few days and then let my daughter put them on for me. I don't think my husband would have the patience; I think he'd be reaching for a power drill or something! I really hate them, but don't feel I can not wear them if they may prevent a DVT, although the jury is out on that one. I know of two people who've died of DVTs, so they're no laughing matter (unlike my stockings).

 

[Cassidy]

When I left the hospital on 9th July, having had my dressing changed, I was told to go to my GP on 13th for a bandage change. They said it didn't matter if it was a couple of days later. In the event the practice nurse can't see me before 18th. The dressing looks fairly all right, but it will be 12 days post op. Do you think I'm all right to leave it until then, please? Maybe @Josephine could give me her opinion, please. My wound is glued.

 

[Mojo333]

By then I'm really twitchy by lying in the same position, and ready to move around a bit.

I certainly sympathize...twitchy accurately describes all those nerves or whatever reconnecting..settling...just aggravated and aggravating!
It will...eventually, subside.
I'll defer to Jo on the bandage change...
You're doing very well Cassidy.
Hang in there!

 

[Cassidy]

I think it looks quite clean. I haven't actually seen the incision yet, because when the nurse changed the dressing she said it looked fine, but it was too far round my backside to see - and she wasn't hurrying to get me a mirror! Actually, I suspect the longer it's left untouched, maybe the better? I've got spare dressings, but I won't touch it unless it looks a bit messier, or I'll ring the practice nurse if I'm worried about it before Wednesday.

 

[dogchick]

So I was in the middle of editing my last reply to add something when my laptop decided to crash....nice, huh? Anyway, it's back up, so what I was going to say is about the back sleeping. Have you tried propping up some pillows behind you so that you can kind of sit up a bit? I can only sleep on my back if I do that and then read/surf the net until I can't keep my eyes open another second, then I might scooch down a bit more and I'm asleep. Not everybody can do it, I know, but that's how I have to do it.

 

[Alitm]

@ Cassidy Is the muscular ache easier to cope with than OA pain, or just different? I'm sure you'd rather it gone!

The power drill assist for the stockings had me !! How far have we come from the wedding garter removal!! In sickness and in health for sure . Glad you are keeping your sense of humour

I'm not looking forward to more back sleeping. Hope that you better tonight.
Wishing you and your newest hip lots of positive healing

 

[Apricot]

We’re all told different things. Mine is glued. I was told to change it myselfwhen I got home using a dressing supplied. Then if it continued to be dry remove the dressing at 5-7 days. Then keep it dry and clean. A bit of a challenge. I spoke to the District Nurses who said everything was DIY these days and we would be able to do it ourselves..In the end a Friend ex nurse did a dressing change and my husband took that off. I must admit you do feel vulnerable then and the area feels delicate. You feel as if nothing should rub. If you have knickers without side seams you may prefer those.

 

[Cassidy]

I tend to do that too, @dogchick. I have to be absolutely ready to zonk out before I settle, because there's no option of tossing and turning when stranded like a beached whale. I'm so neurotic about crossing my legs in my sleep, although I don't think my op leg has the strength to lift up far enough yet anyway.

The pain is different @Alitm. Mine wasn't an ache at night (well, not often) rather sudden electric shock type of shooting pains when walking, and an ache down to my knee and foot. This isn't a stabbing pain, more of a muscular pain reminiscent of having overdone it. I have high hopes of it gradually diminishing.

I think @Apricot, that the troubles within the NHS are part of the problem. I was sent away with painkillers, for example, and told to speak to my GP if I needed more, but in my past experience I'd have to wait at least 28 days until I could get an appointment. I rang asking to see the practice nurse on Friday 13th, and was told the earliest was 18th unless it was an emergency, which it obviously isn't. I'm afraid I've since had time to worry about whether it's bad to leave it fermenting for so much longer!! Illogical really, because the dressing looks perfectly all right. I didn't get a sniff of a District Nurse! I can't fault the treatment I got in hospital though, and I'm always grateful to the NHS, ragged though it is at the moment.

 

[Apricot]

I completely understand about appointments it’s the same here. My husband took my discharge prescription in and asked the receptionist to organise a prescription. It was done that afternoon (unusual). He got the impression that information might have been available electronically. On our gps website is a number for the District Nurses I just rang them. You could try something similar and if you get a person rather than an answer machine I am sure they would advise. I completely agree with you about the current scarce resource the NHS has become and of course the additional strain medical staff are under tokeep it working.

 

[Apricot]

@Cassidy Just another thought. Usually on discharge from hospital they do say, or give you in writing, that you can telephone the ward and ask for advice. You could do that and ask your question for peace of mind.. you never know they might organise a District Nurse visit.

 

[Cassidy]

Thanks @Apricot, I might just ring tomorrow morning. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but everything's a bit heightened at the moment, as I'm sure we all understand. To be honest, the two things I'm finding hard at the moment are these darn stockings and night times. Off to sit in the garden and read my paper, a bit of a luxury which I should appreciate. Whereabouts in Yorkshire are you?

 

[luvsibes]

Hi @Cassidy. I have the glued wound approach. In the first couple of weeks I had problems keeping the outer bandage on. I had a nurse aid come out twice and replace the outer bandage. Hubby patched it together a once also. Underneath the outer bandage you may have steri-strips. At my post-op (3 weeks post), the outer bandage was permanently removed to reveal these steri-strips. I am told they will fall off on their own and it's ok to get them wet in the shower. I've now lost all but about 4 or them. The wound is healing well ("healing like a teenager" is what my OS said at post-op) but it's still tender. I'm still in soft cotton loose yoga pants. It will be awhile before I put on a jean of pant with stiffer side seam! I'm wound-phobic so pretty much ignore it. Hubby takes a pic periodically and I sort of look at it. I'm on ice now as it helps the wound feel less tender.

I'm not to mess with the wound for another month. Once it "cures", I will be doing warm water pool therapy and using vitamin E oil on the scar (my home PT recommended Burt's Bees Mama Bee Vitamin E Oil). So, I'm waiting for these strips to fall off. The scar underneath doesn't look too bad from what I can see.

OS told me to not mess with it at this point and just let it do it's thing. My home PT did suggest a very light massage (tracing figure 8's) over the wound. I read a research article that found healing touch to be effective for the helping the nerves in the wound. I very lightly and lovingly do this or just lay my hand over the wound to send it healing energy. I'm into woo stuff and as long as it's very gentle or just above (w/o touch) I've decided to do it. I do find the nerve pain is lessened.

 

[Apricot]

Just glue no steri strips on mine. What’s variety there is.

@Cassidy Hebden Bridge.

 

[Cassidy]

@luvsibes and @Apricot, I know I was told that the incision would be glued, but I haven't seen it yet to see if there are steristrips or not. All will be revealed ..... It doesn't appear to be leaking though.

Sorry, @Apricot, you'd already told me you were at Hebden Bridge, because I told you my husband had been up there quite a bit on business - a lovely part of the country.

 

[EmEm]

My wound was glued and the waterproof dressing was removed (completely clean) 12 days after surgery. I had a new dressing for 5 days and then nothing. I had no steri strips just the glue. It’s not a pretty scar (if there is such a thing) but it healed well. The 12 day nurse visit and my hospital check-up at 5 weeks were the only times anyone looked at my incision.