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THR CatLady1 - recovery thread

Somewhere I read (bonesmart?) the trick to getting in / sitting in a car is getting that kitchen size garbage bag and placing it flat on the passenger seat - so once you sit down, it's much easier to slide around and move into place (or get back out again). Whoever dreamed that up was a genius! :yahoo:
 
Ha ha, I read that somewhere too, must have been here as this forum seems to be my only source of info!
I will definitely remember that for my first adventure out! How did it go btw? X


Becki - RTHR - 6th Jan 2016
 
The adventure went well. Short of getting in and out of the car, I'm not convinced I walked further than I would if I had stayed on our deck. Riding in a car seat is interesting, only in that I can't really prop up my legs / ankles like I do at home; that might have caused some of the stiffness feeling. The getting in / out process felt a whole lot more natural today than it did when I came home from surgery. Could be after surgery I wasn't comfortable with moving yet - not sure of what move should be done so early.
I still can't get the hang of up with the good, down with the bad without stopping to think, now which way is it? When I had hip pain, it was really easy.... up with the good, and drag the bad behind you (or lean on the rail so there is less pressure on the bad), going down didn't matter.
When getting back in the car from the campus visit, I got to the curb, immediately stepped down, stopped to think about it, and realized I just did it backwards. But it didn't hurt.
I'm icing now as a precaution.
 
@CatLady1 - congratulations on your outing! Chinese sounds like a great idea. It seems in the USA no-one gets the 'no unnecessary car journeys for two weeks' rule that my Uk hospital has on their list of precautions. Their argument is that getting in a car is a dislocation risk that you can avoid (though they send you home from hospital by car!). So i have been sticking to this despite being a bit doubtful of its importance - fortunately our house is really well placed for walking to shops and cafes! Planning first car outing for Monday - one day early but no-one will tell the physio!

@Widge422 - you're UK, aren't you, did anyone tell you not to go in car as passenger for two weeks? Wondering if my hozzie is especially strict!


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016. Posterior approach with ceramic on ceramic prosthesis.

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@bettifloss - No! I wasn't given that advice, and am actually planning a little outing today!
I think it's a lot of common sense and listening to your body!
How are you feeling?? X


Becki - RTHR - 6th Jan 2016
 
Great @Widge422, outing sounds like a great idea. You sound very cheerful. From your experience, like my hozzie is unusually strict, so I will feel justified in going in car on Monday, one day early. Meanwhile getting in plenty of walking to shops, coffee shops etc. The trouble with listening to your body is, if I listened to mine, I would probably already be doing way to much....body wants to walk without crutches, bend down, and all sorts of wrong manoevres.

How did you get on with raising your knee when lying down?


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016. Posterior approach with ceramic on ceramic prosthesis.

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Glad your outing went good. I would agree the operated leg did seem to not quite be totally comfortable for my little outing yesterday too. I was told "butt first" when getting in & it was definitely the way to go. I don't think I coulda gotten my feet in, then my tush situated right going the normal step in route. I'm ready for another trip, say maybe for a breakfast or lunch in a low key restaurant this time. I suspect that my pain pills are stronger, so one of mine cut in half is probably equal to one of your full tabs. Thankfully what I'm doing seems to be working with the pain pills. I was having others encourage me to call & switch it up because of the grogginess & possible constipation, it just wasn't necessary. Hope your day goes good. No set backs!
 
Ha ha very true! I am actually coming down the stairs without the stick, I find it easier!?
Yes, ok thanks, I still wonder if I'm raising it too much! x


Becki - RTHR - 6th Jan 2016
 
Hi ladies! Glad to hear you are doing well and venturing out. Getting in and out of a car can be tricky, to say the least. I bought one of those turntable cushions and it made a big difference. I would also push the seat as far back as it would go, before backing up into the seat, which made lifting my leg in much easier as well, since it gave me more leg room to maneuver the op leg. I am a tall person, so I did have to be careful not to bump my head on the door frame, while trying to get in.
Have a great day!
 
The aquacell bandage covering my incision was taken off today -- I've got a nice little slice on my rear! My husband tells me it doesn't look bad, but the bandage showed where there was some blood seepage over the week (but nothing fresh or oozing.) I don't know if it's my imagination, but it feels like the area has a 'stinging' sensation now. Unless it's oozing, I don't need to cover it.
Another bruise I've just noticed is on the knee cap area of my operated leg. It's probably a 2" wide bruise, right on top, and it's not terrible looking either. We're not sure if it's from the blood thinner I'm on (and now more knee movement while walking?) I know pre-surgery, I walked stiff legged on that side, and had a swollen knee feeling.) I don't remember seeing the bruise last night.

The last surgery I had that had significant bruises from injury - I took grape seed extract to help with that. Is anyone (has anyone) doing that here? or can comment on anti-bruise vitamins? Thanks. --Sheryl
 
Are you on any anti-blood clotting medicine (warfarin, aspirin, injections, etc)? If so, from what I've read, the vitamins (K, in particular) that help alleviate bruising are also a no-no when on anti-clotting meds or injections.
Other than taking specific supplements, icing seems to help with bruising and swelling. I am, by nature, a person who bruises very easily, but amazingly, I didn't bruise at all with my surgery...except where I had the IV inserted. But my hip never bruised.....which was a mystery to me, but a pleasant surprise.
 
Thanks @Nana757 I am on 325mg aspirin twice a day. I could have bumped my knee yesterday (moving around, in and out of the car twice). Like I said, it's more of a wide bruise than a deep one. I'm sitting now, with ice over it. My hip is like yours - no indication (yet) of bruising. The outside top of my knee/thigh is swollen a bit - I'm sure due to the wrenching / turning of bones, etc. It will be interesting to talk to my Doctor when I got back in a week for my checkup and ask him what parts of me got moved where.
 
CatLady1 said:
Another bruise I've just noticed is on the knee cap area of my operated leg. It's probably a 2" wide bruise, right on top, and it's not terrible looking either.
Click to expand...
Knees get twisted during the procedure. Ice the same as you would your hip. My knee hurt worse than my hip post RTHR!
 
Kitty @CatLady1 . My knee on OP side has given me more bruises and soreness than the 5" incision down my thigh. On day 4 or 5 (don't remember now) I had considerable swelling around my right knee and when I tried to figure out why we discovered a huge purple bruise just above and behind the knee. Now, after removing the bandages from the thigh I see the yellowing bruise all around, on and below the knee. In fact, any time spent standing I get knee pain not hip pain. I looked at photos of the Hana table used for my anterior RTHR and I watched a video of how it works during the operation. Now I know what contortions that right leg, including knee, went through while I was enjoying lala land. Yours is probably a similar situation. --julie
 
I'm guessing yes on the knee contortions, although didn't see any bruising signs until today, and still don't see much of bruising or swelling on my hip. Actually, like Jaycey, I saw more knee swelling than hip (similar to pre-op too). To be honest, I really haven't spent a lot of time looking at my patella area since surgery. I could see the swelling above / outside the knee.
 
Day 11 of recovery .. yesterday the bandages came off, and now I can feel the incision swelling (not so visible to my eye, but I can feel the 'lump'). That lump feeling was disguised by the aquacel bandage which also felt like a lump on my rump). I'm icing when I'm elevating, and plan to make another small adventure to the drug store this afternoon to pick up a couple more of those ice gel packs -they work so much better than ice.

So how much walking are you new hippies doing? And where does the walking fit into the "sit when you can, elevate and ice often, don't do it if you don't have to" advice?
 
How are you feeling? For me, walking was more comfort and energy driven. Once I realized I could do it and glide easily with my walker, I was fine. And, then, once I had the energy I would walk around my cul-d-sac and around the house, often. Once I progressed to the cane, at about day 11, I walked even more.
 
I feel fine. Other than I can notice the swollen areas, they don't hurt. I guess I might describe it as stiffness.


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For those looking for reading material-- Mr Big blogged about his hip replacement: broken link removed: https://www.mrbig.com/hip/hip-book/hb-0.html


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