THR copsham's recovery thread

[sharonslp]

Karen, you sound like a person with great common sense. Five weeks is that danger point where we are starting to feel well enough that thoughts of greater activity sound appealing. Then we carry a heavy shopping bag, and whomp! Back on the rollercoaster.

Over the next five weeks, you will see huge strides in your recovery, and the temptations will be even greater. Give yourself the gift of patience and restraint; the payoffs are huge and there is no downside. Taking the risk of overdoing sets you up for much longer soft tissue recovery issues. How do we know where the line between doing and overdoing occurs? Usually we discover it the hard way. Ouch!

Some of that is inevitable; the secret is to tiptoe cautiously up to the line, and test it out with just a toe over the line....as you did with the heavy bag. Then you rest and learn from that. In another week or two, that bag may pose no problem at all. Short walks now. Slightly longer short walks. Increase the number of short walks. Slowly increase the length of short walks. At ten weeks or so, you will realize that you are walking with a normal stride, and your energy is noticeably increasing. But again....patience. The soft tissue healing takes a year OR MORE, and while the overdoing line is always a moving target, it still exists. Again...there's no downside to patience. There's a huge downside to impatience.

I look forward to seeing your positive progress in the weeks to come.
Sharon

 

[copsham]

Oh Sharon thanks for your lovely email. It bought tears to my eyes. My first thought was "why on earth tears?". My second thought was "the joys of bonesmart - people who REALLY understand". It is amazing, the going gentle and being patient are not characteristics I was bought up with. I have been nurturing that approach for over a year now. It is rewarding but also challenging. I am going forward and having to learn from my mistakes but what you said about timescales ie soft tissue healing for a year or more, I know is true but hard to accept.

Th garden is waiting for me .... but I must only do little things ... so hard. Boxes from when we moved need emptying ... but I must not do them ... so hard. I am able to cook now which I love.

I will think of your email I want to over stretch my self and try and pull back!!

I just looked up where "middle of the Mitten " is .. it sounded like something from the Lord of the Rings to me! Interesting reading wikipedia re St Louis and it history! I am just fascinated where everyone comes from. A sleepless person in the middle of the night in England might be on line at he same time as an active person in America or Australia.

Sharon you email is much appreciated!

 

[Legin]

Big strides in acceptance pal. I know that every fiber in your body wants to do those jobs and if the boxes are in view must be sooooooo hard. Yaaaaaay on cooking also my love, the kitchen is my domaine and dont mess with my herbs and spices. Have a houseful ish tonight so Tortilla Pie on menu.

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Jaycey]

Boxes from when we moved need emptying ... but I must not do them ... so hard.

I know this feeling! I moved house 4 weeks out from my RTHR. I had no restrictions but I knew lifting or excess bending would have consequences. Bottom line is things will get done. It may just take a bit of time. Hang in there!

 

[copsham]

Yes I think I will concentrate on cooking for a few days. At least i will have a sense of achievement!

It is amazing what you cannot do - sort out that cupboard - whoops no, just plant a few bulbs whoops no, clear out grandsons toys no no and the boxes and the books no, no!!! Yes it will all wait but needs a massive change of approach to life no more just do this, just do this before i do that. In the first few weeks the shock and my meds were keeping me woozy on the sofa but now I want to be back to normal BUT normal for me is hyperactive!! So for me its high protein and aminos to keep it (me) under control!

THanks all for support - so much appreciated X

 

[Legin]

You are best gauge over it. Also have developed strategies I know its not possible to not think about those things. Can you not adapt ie do some seed planting in trays on a worktop get hubby to bring compost in im sure he will. One year I decided to grow as many things from seeds that came from the food we buy to eat. So chillies peppers melon (failed). Hope you dont think im preaching definitely not just trying to help. I dont suffer from ants in pant I have a flipping colony. Hence my new word is adapt how can I do things all be it very differently.

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Legin]

Oh another on the plant thing quite a lot of my herbs have come from using top bit by pinching and placing in water for roots to dev.

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[copsham]

@joesphine can you advise please

I am super allergic/sensitive to a million things. I originally discussed this with my surgeon at pre op stage who said things that you are allergic to on the skin are not replicated internally. So I left him to decide materials and I just got on with trying to keep myself calm.

Now I am in week five. Every thing has been going reasonably well physically , slowly and surely (and a roller coaster emotionally). My surgical wound healed straight forwardly except for a red lump at each end of the wound from week 2 - the size of a little finger nail. I have been watching these red lumps trying to check if they are getting infected but didn't seem to be. Three days ago a nurse looked at the wound and said that it did not seem infected and surmised that these red lumps were excessive scar tissue. She advised that I should oil and massage the wound which I have done (but it did not feel right)

Last night the red lumps looked a little bit bit redder and angrier, seemed like a reaction to Bio oil which stung when I put it on. I took antihistamine and put antihistamine cream on the wound. By this morning it was a lot calmer.
This afternoon a white coloured liquid came out, a tiny bit out of each red lump at each end. At first I thought this was pus and then thought maybe one of my allergies/sensitivities to what ever is at each end of the wound. (sutures??) I have made an appt to see GP on Monday.

What I wanted to ask was has anyone had a reaction to their stitches if so what was it like and how long did it last. Any other ideas?
I tried to upload a photo of the wound and hopefully the photo will following next post.
Many thanks
karen

 

[copsham]

See my previous post relating to this picture!

 

[copsham]

@Josephine
I tagged my previous two posts wrongly so here goes again!

can you advise please

I am super allergic/sensitive to a million things. I originally discussed this with my surgeon at pre op stage who said things that you are allergic to on the skin are not replicated internally. So I left him to decide materials and I just got on with trying to keep myself calm.

Now I am in week five. Every thing has been going reasonably well physically , slowly and surely (and a roller coaster emotionally). My surgical wound healed straight forwardly except for a red lump at each end of the wound from week 2 - the size of a little finger nail. I have been watching these red lumps trying to check if they are getting infected but didn't seem to be. Three days ago a nurse looked at the wound and said that it did not seem infected and surmised that these red lumps were excessive scar tissue. She advised that I should oil and massage the wound which I have done (but it did not feel right)

The night before last the red lumps looked a little bit bit redder and angrier, seemed like a reaction to Bio oil which stung when I put it on (I did not use it again). I took antihistamine tablet and by yesterday morning it was a lot calmer.

Yesterday afternoon a white coloured liquid came out, a tiny bit out of each red lump at each end. At first I thought this was pus and then thought maybe one of my allergies/sensitivities to what ever is at each end of the wound. (sutures??) I have made an appt to see GP on Monday.

Yesterday evening it was getting redder again and this morning having taken antihistamine it is still red but not as bad.

What I wanted to ask was has anyone had a reaction to their stitches if so what was it like and how long did it last. Could it be an infection and I am kidding myself that it is not? Any other ideas?
I tried to upload a photo of the wound but it had "too many pixels" I downsides it so the photo posted above is the clearest I can do.
Many thanks
karen

 

[Legin]

Oh dear Karen, as you and many say a rollercoaster. I know this will be a wee bugging voice for you as with us all if you think about it. We all glance touch think on our wounds more than we know. Is it warm to touch sure you will know the holding palm over to check heat. With my silly foot that looks like o soak it in ribena first thing asked is it hot.
Good luck here for you if needed

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Josephine]

I originally discussed this with my surgeon at pre op stage who said things that you are allergic to on the skin are not replicated internally.

This is correct.

My surgical wound ...a red lump at each end of the wound from week 2 - the size of a little finger nail. Three days ago a nurse... said that it did not seem infected and surmised that these red lumps were excessive scar tissue. She advised that I should oil and massage the wound. Yesterday afternoon a white coloured liquid came out, a tiny bit out of each red lump at each end. At first I thought this was pus

When you mentioned the red lump I immediately knew you had a stitch infection. That nurse was incorrect to say it was scar tissue - daft idea! Why do people always assume that. Generally because they don't know any better!

But don't panic about a stitch infection. They are quite common and harmless as the infection is only a few mms deep. Massaging the wound encouraged the mini abscess to open and allow the pus to escape which is good. I suggest you bathe it with sterile cotton swabs and an antiseptic like saline (salt water). You can make this yourself like so:

put a ¼ teaspoon of salt in about ¼pint (250ml) of water
boil gently for 5 minutes
pour into a closed clean pot and keep the lid on
allow to cool
when required, poor a little into a clean egg cup and dip the swab in to wash the area
use each swab once and discard, don't put a used swab into the saline again
dry and cover with an ordinary Band-aid sticky plaster

You may only have to do this for about 3-5 days at most as they generally heal quite quickly. If they don't and/or they get more inflamed, tell your GP.

This is not a hazard to your hip.

 

[copsham]

Thank you @Josephine. What you say always sounds such common sense! I will follow through your salt water instructions.

 

[copsham]

I am getting very confused with my recovery - really positive and really scary at the same time.

I went to GP today because of the infection (in my stitches?) it was travelling down the wound, despite there salt water bathing, so thought I had better get it looked at. I was prescribed antibiotics, did not ask me if I felt unwell, if I had a temperature did not take a swab or anything else, a nearly non verbal community consultation. So antibiotics for 7 days but seeing my consultant on Thursday for the 6 weeks check. Last night laying in bed I was winding myself up about infection in the hip, what will I do, can't cope with another op etc despite @Josephine being confident that this was an infection of my stitches.

Friend who was going to pick me up from doctors car broke down. There i was minus my phone thinking I am going to have to walk home. It is about a mile, up hill, back home and I had only walked about a max of 200m previously. During my walk home in was a bit cold and windy, suddenly some hail stones, then rain as I puffed up the hill. As I turned in to my lane the sun came out and it was glorious. The walk was longer and steeper than I have done for years but I felt really good. I am resting now but no dreaded reactions to this little challenge.

So excited about the walking but sort of scared about infection! What next??

 

[Jaycey]

@copsham I had a minor skin infection only days following my first THR. A week of antibiotics and all was well. As Jo says, this is nowhere near your implant - just on the surface of your skin.

Well done on that long walk! Hope you aren't too sore. But that is certainly progress!

 

[copsham]

Thanks @Jaycey I need sensible reminders from those who know when my mind is running riot!!

 

[Jaycey]

 

[Josephine]

Indeed, Jaycey is quite correct. Lots of people have stitch infections. And your GP was also correct to put you on antibiotics. So please don't worry about it.

despite the salt water bathing

As a matter of interest, how often were you bathing it? I only meant for you to do it once and cover it up. That's all that is needed.

 

[copsham]

@Josephine I did it three mornings in a row. It seemed to stop it getting worse at first but it is so hard to be objective! Then it seemed to be travelling down (along) the incision. I m allergic to penicillin so have something differnt
Clari ... mycyin(?) What I realised today is that the area is getting aggravated by the car seat belt when i am a passenger.

 

[Josephine]

They are best cleaned and then left alone. Sorry I should have said so.

Car seat rubbing it, eh? Good clue, Holmes!