THR Craftdee's Made It Through

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craftdee

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Well here I am on "the other side"... I have to say my pre op anxiety did not improve and was totally debilitating. Even after I had my pre med the surgeon came in to see me and said that I didn't have to go through with it, we could leave it for a few more months, I had already bailed once and did realize the op was inevitable.. if I wanted an improved life! The anethesist was SO understanding, he even stroked my arm to help calm me and never made me feel ridiculous - even though I felt ridiculous myself. So hint one is get a surgeon that you feel truly comfortable with, I think I am actually in love with mine :) and if you can score a fab anesthetist too BONUS!

I went ahead, woke up in way more pain than I was expecting, strapped to the stoopid abductor pillow which freaked me out! I got the pillow removed as soon as I was in my room. pain under control within an hour and haven't gone past 3 or 4 on the pain scale since! So many of the things I was worried about proved to be basically non-events, some little things I thought wouldn't raise any issues have... my heels and butt cheeks have given me more discomfort than the wound site... and it's a pretty chunky wound site being posterior approach with some "technical difficulties" not discovered until mid op.

I was very glad to hear from my surgeon that my hip was "stuffed" (I love Australians, such a way with words, lol) and that there was some congenital malformation that made it a technically difficult operation, which he enjoyed as it "broke his day up" !!!! I was so worried I had gone too early for the op, this info really has helped me see the necessity of it as the whole joint would definitely not have lasted until next year, and as the bulk of the collapse is on the pelvic side it would have been a more difficult operation.

I got up on Day 0, even though I had a general anesthetic (again, understanding anethesist said it removed one of my major anxieties, being able to hear the op, so I went with his advice) I walked around my room on crutches in the morning of Day 1 and have been doing all my exercises and about eight laps of the Orthopedics floor since Day 1 afternoon.

I'm on Day 2 now, on tablets for pain control, because I ambulated early I don't have TED stockings or Warfarin injections to deal with, I showered myself this morning (hubby dried my legs for me though, lol), I'm eating every prune offered, so no constipation issues, my precautions include only a much more restricted 70 degree bend, which is standard protocol for Posterior approach in this hospital but my surgeon is happy for me to practice only 90 degree precautions once home - they seemed like too much before surgery, but relative to 70 degrees 90 feels like a win!
I am something of a poster girl for Posterior approach, I had admiring hordes (well three lots of staff, lol) popping their heads in my room saying Look, she's only Day 1- did give my ego a boost; that and the fact that they kept checking my DOB, so I've obviously retained my youthful good looks, lol.

I really feel for any of you pre-op who are suffering serious anxiety. No one can tell you not to worry, because all us worriers just "know" that they're going to have problems; but seriously I'm going home tomorrow (Day 3) after a technically difficult Posterior THR, and I'm nothing special :)) My advice before hand is to prepare as much as you can bearing in mind some things are outside your control... I practiced sleeping on my back for a couple of weeks prior to surgery and that really helped me as I hated it the first couple of nights, getting very poor sleep. I thought it would be good to have some sort of handle on it before having to switch to back-sleeping straight after surgery when there would be many other adjustments to make... it was SO worth it, for me at least. I actually found it more difficult on my back with my bad hip because the position of my leg was very uncomfortable... I have noticed since the op that my leg stays "upright" with the toes pointing to the ceiling like they're supposed to, without effort or discomfort - so essentially you're not comparing apples with apples when you anticipate sleeping on your back post op while you still have a bad hip.

If you get a "reacher" ahead of time take it to hospital with you because you'll no doubt knock your bell onto the floor a zillion times and being able to get it at least some of the time and not have to yell for your nurse is so satisfying!
The other thing would be get some gel booties, they're not expensive and they can help prevent your heels getting sore and your hubby looking at you like "are you serious, you've got a major wound site, and your complaining about sore heels' Also we have a four wheel drive car, which is a little different to enter than using the usual protocols... the ones they give you on the fact sheets, Our physio today had me go up onto a step (easy by the way) and we asked where we could get one like it, the answer was a sports store as it's a Step Class type step - perfect as it's a little wider than a standard step tread and it means I can climb up on it, have room to turn around and enter the car bum first like you would in a sedan! Buying it from a Sports store means a) there's more available, b) cheaper than anything from a medical supply store.

I'm only on Day 2 and I'm sure there are challenges ahead but it's all a lot less stress than I thought it would be so far.... stopping myself from doing things is probably the biggest challenge, especially when the bit of pain I've got (which the nursing staff are super keen to keep on top of, so never anything to fear) goes completely.
 
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Hello Craftdee! What a wonderful opening to your recovery thread! Glad you are home and doing so well! Great suggestions for others who are contemplating the same surgery. Take care. I look forward to reading your daily post and watch you on your way to a new life! Joan:SUNsmile:
 
Hi, @craftdee! Thanks for posting your experiences with surgery. I am also very anxious, and love to/need to hear how others have come through and are doing so well. Take care, rest, and be well!

Mary
 
Hi @craftdee You conquered your anxiety and won!
Sounds like you are doing very well, and are happy with how things went.
All the best in your continued recovery. :yay::yay:
 
congrats 24.jpg
@craftdee, you are now an
3 official hippie.jpg
!

Keep up the good work and follow those BoneSmart mantras for the best possible recovery.
 
Hi @craftdee - Hope your recovery is going fine. Just remember to REST, elevate, ice and medicate and no need to do much else the first 7-10 days!! take care!
 
Just an update... perhaps one of the problems of having a SUPER first few days is that you pay the price in the next few days ; I failed to follow the Bone Smart Mantras :bignono: and have had a couple of bad nights - not too bad in the day but painful nights. After discharge I had to have a few trips to the hospital and GP as I was sent home with incorrect prescriptions, no antibiotics or dosage of Aspirin - note of advice, check everything BEFORE leaving the hospital, ask questions, even if the answers seem obvious
I have been to shopping centres, cafes and to see the grandchildren in the last few days and since yesterday have had the famous Log Leg... no problems lifting it for the first few days but now I know exactly what it means! No fun!!:bawl: Toohip and Bottomshollow I will heed your advice, albeit a little late:eyebrows: The hospital I was in does not use Ice and Elevation in it's post op protocols, but I have started both today and got some relief already, Hospital score =0, Bone Smart =1
I am concentrating on regulating my medications, sent hubby out for more Ice packs and have my sister (who sews) coming up from the bush next week to make some attractive aids that I didn't know I needed until after the op and now don't have the opportunity to shop for... like a cover for my new-best-friend-ice-pack. a long handled shoulder bag with pockets that I can use with my crutches to carry my iPhone, house key and bits you always want to hand. my small reacher etc, with room in to carry more than one piece of underwear or similar so you're not wearing a groove in the carpet from the bed to the chest of drawers when you're putting things (that darling Hubby washed, hung up AND brought in, who knew the man had such talent) away. Also a cover for my wedge cushion, a flannel with long loops attached to either end to dry between my toes (got to avoid the old athlete's foot) maybe some padded covers for my crutch handles - any other ideas most welcome... I'm calling it my Hip Hooray package, lol, anyone who sews feel free to lift the idea, I won't get time to patent it for a while, lol
On a (slightly) more serious note, my advice is to use Forums such as this one, where real people have had real experiences in surgery and recovery; the technical stuff is dealt with quite effectively within the medical profession (eg I knew all the technical details of my op but not that the post op restrictions didn't apply to your "good" leg; all the fact sheets show two legs not bent beyond 90 degrees etc. so I presumed you couldn't for example bend your good leg while sleeping on your back, which makes a world of difference to your comfort level!)
I do think that the heightened anxiety levels I felt before the op took their toll too, so anything you find that reduces the pre op stress improves the post op experience
It's still not as bad as I was expecting overall, so I'm looking forward to a couple of good nights to get me back on track.:happydance:
 
attractive aids that I didn't know I needed until after the op and now don't have the opportunity to shop for
Guess you didn't read this article then? Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home .

I also note that nobody left you the recovery articles so I shall rectify that now

First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery
Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Activity progression for THRs
Home physio (PT)
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

And a final bit of wisdom is that hips actually don't need much exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.
 
@craftdee, the hospital goes through the motions of giving you protocol, advice, etc. but if you want to know what you REALLY need to know, stick with us here. Unless you've walked through this fire, you have zero idea of what it takes, mentally or emotionally. I'm proud of you for sticking with it and now you can concentrate on healing and getting ready to begin the beautiful life that awaits you. Please rest, ice, elevate, and take your pain meds. These four things are KEY to a successful recovery. I'm almost 11 weeks out and had to remind myself yesterday afternoon that the ice pack only helps if it's on my hip and not in the freezer. :heehee:
 
Holy Mackeral, @craftdee - you've been to
shopping centres, cafes and to see the grandchildren in the last few days
that's crazy...you should be home, resting, period!! Not to say the potential for infection(s) running around and in/out of car/places.
 
Today's update.... bit of a long one I'm afraid
I had a really good night last night, after following the BS Mantras :yes!: Sticking with it today, just took meds even though my pain is 1! I've done a bit around the house, nothing too strenuous and definitely paced myself. May do some PT later, but not 10 reps of 13 exercises like I was doing before

Thanks Josephine for the links... I did read about some of the recovery aids suggested by fellow hippies, but that was weeks before surgery and I guess I didn't really know what I NEEDED until I , well NEEDed it :heehee: Some I had bought (like my long handled sponge) and I certainly haven't needed all of the things suggested. One thing I really needed that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere is non-slip matting... the sort of stuff you put in your cutlery drawer; When we arranged the hire of a high backed chair it was level and not a problem, but once it was adjusted with the front legs lower I couldn't sit on it without sliding off as the seat is vinyl:heehee: (probably exacerbated by the fact that I'm a shortie, lol) we bought a roll of grip mat from the hardware for under eight bucks and have cut a piece to fit the chair - it works BRILLIANTLY - some to put outside the shower instead of a bath mat, a piece to line my over chair table so I can have it on an angle without all the bits sliding towards me and I still have loads left for whatever use I can find, now or in the future,

I'm still getting my Sister to make me some things up as she is desperate to help me; she lives 300 kilometres away so hasn't been able to help day to day and she sews as a hobby - so we have a sort of mutual therapy session coming:snork: That has been another thing I didn't really think about beforehand... the fact that people really WANT to help so having a function ready for them is a good idea; you don't feel like you've got to make something up for them to do, they feel like they are truly helping and you are in fact getting help. If you don't have it organized ahead of time you end up having to work out something you think is not too onerous when you really can't be bothered thinking at all!! I organized for my Mum and Dad to watch our dog for a week - they are in their mid eighties, obviously wanted to help but I was concerned about THEM overdoing it; this has worked out perfectly as the dog's easy to look after, but I'm glad to have him not underfoot just yet, and Mum has taken it as her mission meaning she's not nagging me about doing other stuff that I would feel guilty about her doing..... if that all makes sense.

Beachgal, how right you are; the hospital goes through the motions; it's a bit like midwives who haven't had children themselves... the perspective just isn't there, so BoneSmart is a godsend - full of people who HAVE been there. Make sure you remember the ice-ON-hip rule, lol

Toohip; don't worry too much about my risk of infection; I have a waterproof dressing on the wound that feels like it's welded to me... I'm actually worried about how they're going to remove when it comes to having the staples out next week - and I put an extra one over the top, which was more as form of padding than as infection-protection, but did work for that as well (though if I'm honest, it was more my comfort I was thinking of:snork:) I suffer from Depression so the risk of getting depressed sitting at home had to be weighed against sensible getting-out-and-about... the only real mistake I made was doing TOO much at a time, not in fact being sensible! Getting in and out of the car is really easy, we just bought an SUV a few weeks ago and I was concerned about having to climb in and out of it... we bought the aerobic step I mentioned in my opening post and it works sooooo well - I am now happy that we changed from my old car, which was a Sports model (not to be confused with a Sports Car, lol) which was low slung and would have been a nightmare to pull yourself out of.

Anyway ladies, thanks for your replies... it's really nice to think there are people in other parts of the world thinking about me :friends: It's spring here so when I was dressing myself this morning I thought how much easier it must be for me than for those of you in the colder countries; I literally dragged on some undies a T Shirt and some harem pants (which I never owned a pair of until now, I'm hooked!!) slipped on some low shoes and I'm good to go... it must be so much harder having to put on loads of clothes, and I can't even think about socks and boots etc :unsure: So now YOU know someone on this side of the world is thinking of YOU :cool:
 
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@craftdee, great post! Glad it's getting warmer where you are, recovering in the nice weather is much more pleasant, I think. It was a very hot summer here when I had my surgery but I loved wearing my loose shorts and sandals! No need to layer up!

Finding chores for friends and family members to help you with is such a great idea. I had a few things lined up but they switched around jobs as they were available. Folks DO want to help and it's nice that they can do it in a productive way.

I've never suffered from depression but have had several close friends who do and I understand very well about being cooped up inside...it's tough especially when you're used to being out and about. Try to tell yourself that staying "safe" indoors is part of your recovery and it won't be many more days before you're healed enough to take some short outings. You're hardly a week post op and just look at how well you've done thus far! Heck, it was probably the 5th day after surgery before I could even sleep for more than three hours! Yay for you! :cheers:
 
@craftdee so for the late welcome to the other side. As you may have seen I too am a new hippie (for the second time). Glad you are now following the mantras. They are tried and tested and they work! Ice is your friend. I am only a few days ahead of you and I have already seen the benefit of continual icing.

Lucky you with the warmer weather. We are seeing the opposite here and somehow the cold and dreary days add to the post op blues. Please send some sunshine!

Happy healing!
 
Well the first two weeks have gone by... and I survived :yahoo:from what I've read the "first two" are the "worst two" - and if my first two end up being my worst two I'll be more than happy.

I had my staples out yesterday - 19 in all, not bad for a Posterior Approach, though I'm only little so it's probably all relative. It wasn't fun, but not as painful as I was expecting... I took my Silver Chain Nurse Friend's advice and basically removed the dressing at home before I went to the surgeon to minimize the discomfort - only having to have staples removed without losing 10 layers of skin along with the dressing, lol. The nurse at the Surgeon's rooms was lovely and was as quick and gentle as she could be; only three or four really made me jump. Taking painkillers beforehand probably helped too :heehee: my scar looks pretty good, I have a dressing on about half as it's a gaping a bit, hopefully it won't end up too wide. I'm using Bio Oil on it, I'm hoping not to get a Keloid scar out of this one... probably a vain hope as every other scar I have is!! I'm also hoping that massaging it will get some of the lumpiness out from under it :fingersx:

I'm going really well, I'm using only Paracetemol during the day, I'm quite active - walking a lot and doing some bits and pieces around the house; I did the whole grocery shopping (with hubby) on Thursday but made sure I got iced and elevated straight after:ice: (leaving hubby to put the shopping away, I may never find some of those purchases!) I've been sticking to Oxycodone and Targin at night. To be honest I often don't feel the need for the daytime meds at all, but I use them before doing my PT which I sometimes find a bit painful.

The nights are harder... I'm losing a fair bit of sleep. I have to lay on my back (obviously) but find it really hard to have my leg flat because of a dragging pain in my groin, if I elevate my leg, even a little, the pain in my groin goes. My OS basically insists that I persevere with the exercises given to me to 'stretch' the muscles/tendons/whatever that have shortened over the years of holding my leg in a slightly flexed position to accommodate the damaged hip, and that elevating my leg at night will just mean that the muscles stay in their 'old' position meaning "we've gone to all the trouble of giving me a shiny new hip to end up with the same flexibility issues" so I have to try and persevere with keeping the leg flat too. It's quite a bit of exercise too: 12 exercises x 10 reps x three times a day!! If it starts helping soon, I can deal with it, but if not I'll have to rethink.

I can walk quite well using one crutch, but I'm not sure how correct my gait is, so I try to use two most of the time (I tend to go to one for convenience rather than anything else!) We're thinking of getting some private Physiotherapy (probably in the home so I don't have to inconvenience anyone to take me to appointments) so they can check my progress... the first appointment at the hospital is not until I'm at 6 weeks so I'd like to make sure I'm not making any mistakes in the mean time.

The energy drain thing is still happening, I don't feel so tired all the time, but when it hits... wow! I just HAVE to rest, if I can manage to just go with it it's fine, but if I fight it it gets me down, so I do try to go with it :cool:
I'm not missing driving yet, so I know I'm still not "well", as I drive a lot (as do most people in Australia) and after surgery in the past have been chafing at the bit by now.

My bruising is clearing really well... the only bad bruising I have left is on my calf which is apparently from the manhandling of my leg during surgery (I was very worried about it the first few days because nobody told me to expect it and I was thinking throbbing calf must equal blood clot!!) it didn't come out for a few days after the bulk of my bruising and is staying a little longer and is a little tender - I will definitely remember to mention it to anyone I know who is having a THR and save them some angst!!
So all in all, a good recovery that I hope continues it's trajectory. I wish the same for my fellow hippies too :loveshwr:
 
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I'm using Bio Oil on it, I'm hoping not to get a Keloid scar out of this one... probably a vain hope as every other scar I have is!! I'm also hoping that massaging it will get some of the lumpiness out from under it :fingersx:
@craftdee I would not put anything on an incision that is not totally healed yet. It will fade into a very thin line but it's early days. Oil and massaging may only irritate those soft tissues.
 
Hi Sandgroper @craftdee - as Jaycey indicated, not a good idea to apply anything to your incision line until fully healed.

Haha, from one Aussie to another "I think I am actually in love with surgeon" - that has been my catch cry for three years... I see him annually, and still feel the same...

Here is some essential reading for you - knowledge is power!

Slow and steady and remembering that recovery from a joint replacement can be a marathon and not a sprint gives one permission to recover in one's own timeframe :)

The following is a link to an article which provides the current science regarding the healing beneath and around the implant and approximate timeframes for the healing phases and processes and the relevant nutritional information for each phase.

Healing Phases & Nutrition

This second link is to other nutritional articles which you may find interesting, including one relating to bone health.

Nutritional advice for pre op and recovery

This third link refers to my ongoing research..

nutrional-snippets
 
Hi @craftdee , just wanted to add that my OS would not let me put anything on my incision til the scabs fell off.
It sounds like you are doing great! I would agree that the first two weeks are the hardest ones, and you've passed with flying colors. yay you!!!!
 
Don't worry @Jaycey @Poppet @MajorHeidi .. I'm only applying the oil to "sealed" skin; it does actually remind you on the bottle not to apply to open wounds, the scabby bits washed off days ago and there's dressing on one bit that's still got a bit of a scab (I think the dressing is to keep the scab from catching on my clothes, it's certainly very dry) It really did heal remarkably quickly - I always do heal quickly and it's usually a double edged sword as healing quickly is good in itself, but means that stitches and staples have already got tissue growing over them by the time I get them removed... adding to the discomfort! I've only put it on twice at this point anyway as I'm feeling flat as a tack and can't be bothered
It will fade into a very thin line but it's early days. Oil and massaging may only irritate those soft tissues.
@Jaycey I'd love to have it fade to a very thin line, but history is against me on that one sadly; it is only a scar on my butt so I'm not that worried
What I'd really like help with is my sleeping; I had another truly awful night last night trying to keep my leg flat as ordered by my OS. I caved in the end and put it up on a pillow, I thought I'd done about four hours and was really distressed to find it was less than two. It's getting to the stage I'm dreading going to bed, the days are so good - mainly because I have my leg flexed at least a bit most of the time - and the nights are so bad. I'm just not sure which is more important; getting sleep to help mend or keeping my leg straight so the muscles mend correctly. I am so jealous at this point of all you Anterior Approach-ers, having little or no restrictions must be so much better than this "No sleeping anyway other than on your back, no rolling over, no elevating your leg during sleep, no crossing the midline, no bending..." no bloody everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My hip feels great, so I suppose that's a ray of light in what has turned into one of my darkest days since the op
Anyway, I've had my whinge, I'll be back when I'm in a better mood
 
no elevating your leg during sleep
Frankly I have never heard of this restriction. I elevate my op leg every night. I would have major back problems if I didn't at least have a pillow under my knees. Keeping your leg perfectly straight while sleeping seems like mission impossible! If you elevate correctly it helps with swelling and pain control. Just my opinion!
 
Thanks for replying @Jaycey I was sleeping pretty well (considering I was sleeping on my back which does not come naturally to me) until I saw my surgeon on Friday and he told me to stop propping the leg to "make" the leg lie straight/flat which it hasn't done for years (but then I was allowed to sleep on my side, so it wasn't an issue) What you said about back problems is pretty much on the money... I find if I flatten my leg I'm sort of arching my back, if I let my back relax and have the leg flat it "pulls" at my groin to the point of misery, so Mission Impossible just about describes it! Elevating the leg even a little seems to make all the difference and I'm frankly at the end of my tether; I'll just opt for a night of leg propping. I'll have to do something as it's another four weeks before I can sleep on my side
I read the proper way to elevate your leg on Day 1 home, as they did not do it in hospital (I was flat on my back, legs flat... must have been better drugs because it didn't bother me for the time I was in there!) Mind you they didn't ice there either, though they said they would provide it if I requested it, and I have found ice has made the world of difference. I am doing my exercises three times a day, and am spending some time laying on my stomach during the day, which forces the leg to lay flat so I'm just going to hope that that's enough even if it takes longer.
I was given a lot of restrictions, it was nearly enough to stop me having the op in the first place, but I have found most of them can be accommodated more easily than I thought... just not this one. I was given the news ten minutes after returning to my room after surgery that I was not allowed to bend more than 70 degrees instead of the usual 90, but not really told why - only that it was standard for Posterior; I could have howled.... I haven't seen it as standard anywhere so I'm sticking to 90! I've been progressing really well, and I don't want to slip into feeling defeated - I really was quite despondent this morning and it's much better NOT feeling like that.
Hope your recovery is going well, Donna xx
 
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