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THR Day nine, graduated to crutch, staples gone

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Josephine said:
And I'm very pleased to hear it will only be a 'modest few'!!

I don't know why they don't advocate elevation in hospitals either. It's the same over here only I tended to put it down to a shortage of pillows! But I do know the nurses tend to get this elevation mixed up with having a pillow behind the knee which is a definite no-no. But then, you saw the pictures with the crosses and ticks on them!

You now also know that swelling has a big influence on one's ROM - yes?
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Thanks @Josephine! Yes, I know about the swelling and ROM, and if I didn't before, I do now! Makes a huge difference, both to comfort and ability. It's the middle of the night here now and I woke up about 40 minutes before the alarm went off for my first set of nighttime meds. I will take the second half of my zopiclone as well as some more Tylenol with codeine and set the alarm for four hours from then. I'm not finding this difficult as I need to nap for at least one and one half hours during the day.

@Josephine, can I be spending too much time in bed? I am asking because this afternoon I started having a little cough coming from deep in my lungs with a little sputum but not that I was able to expel, just clear it (what we sometimes call a frog in our throat, except it came from deeper). Then I started to think about embolisms but I don't have any of those symptoms. I don't have a fever, no hot or sore spots in my legs, etc. I get up for at least five or ten minutes most hours, walk around my apartment, go to the loo, and today after the physio showed me how, I was able to sit in my recliner sofa for a while - using my firm foam square. It does not appear to be getting worse up to now so I will take my last dosage of nighttime meds and go back to sleep. I'm so relieved you're there for us!!
 
No, you're fine! You probably just got a little chesty from the anaesthetic. it happens but as long as you're not gasping for breath, you'll be fine! I can assure you I probably spend more time in my recliner (on this laptop!) than you do as my chiropractor keeps telling me - my muscles are all flabby and soft from no usage! I tell him "ah but you should look at an MRI of my brain"! :rotfl:

BTW, you didn't say whether you smoke or not?
 
No @Josephine, I smoked 1 to 2 packs a day for 28 years (!) but I quit overm20 years ago. I am lucky that I did not end up with chronic bronchitis, emphysema or anything like that. Just a HUGE amount of extra weight when I finally did quit! Not as chesty this morning - maybe it's all part of 'the mend'. Thanks for your quick response!
 
@Josephine I have been prescribed 1 or 2 Tylenol 3s every four hours when needed for pain - I believe they are 300 mgs of acetaminophen. The codeine is naturally wreaking havoc with my digestive system, never mind how many prunes, get up and go cookies, or whatever else I have. The PT yesterday suggested I may want to cut out one of the codeine pills and instead go to one t3 and one Tylenol (not slow release) but 500 mgs for at least one or two dosages per day. I would have to be careful to stay below 4000mg of acetaminophen but taking that into account, what do you think? Might that help with the blockage? I am getting very adequate pain relief with the t3s, will that be substantially different if I changed to one t3, and one Tylenol 500 mg??
 
300/500mgmgs of Tylenol is no good. You need at least 1,00mg per dose to be really effective - up to 4 times a day.
 
Sounds like you are doing so well @grandma chris

I ride elevating my leg in hospital and ended up in that V position!!!! Not helpful with the restrictions!!!!

Glad it helped with the swelling!!!!
 
Well, I tried substituting one of the T3s with a simple Tylenol 500 mg and I didn't like that so much. I got antsy about three hours in. When I take the two T3s, I don't get feeling like that until longer than 4 hours. Back to what was prescribed. I must have a high pain threshold - it wasn't a particularly easy surgery. You should see my BLACK butt! Today is the end of day 6 and I'm feeling pretty good. I don't have much in the way of staying power - I spend most of my day in bed but I did manage a shower today and DH had his first dressing change. He did a great job! I try to get up every hour and walk through the house. The PT showed me how I could manage to sit at our sofa and I've been able to do that a couple of times, but I get tired very quickly. Today I took a couple of walks down the hall - we live in an apartment building. It was nice to see different wall paint! And I did run into a couple of neighbours. They were not long walks, about 80 - 100 steps each and I don't think I'll feel bad tomorrow. The rest of the time I spend in my bed sometimes with my leg up on a 'stack' that I made and have secured with a couple of belts. I use ice then too. Funny thing, I used to have a really hard time with the knee on the affected hip side. Now I think that may have been referred pain! Ohhhh I so hope it is so!
 
Sounds like you are progressing right on track for 6 days post @grandma chris - I slept solidly for 6 weeks! Hubby and I would be chatting and then I didn't answer.. He said I looked like a classic rag doll whose head fell to the side with my eye closed, lol.. He also said that I would fall asleep in mid sentence..

It is hard to get the right pain med protocol, I read that you have gone back to your original? If that doesn't work, don't hesitate to ring your OS and seek advice/suggestion :)
 
@Poppet where in Western Australia are you? Last spring DH and I rented a car and drove from Mandurah to Monkey Mia with a stopover in Geraldton. What beautiful country! We stayed in Denham and loved everything about it. I came home with emu poop in the treads of my runners!
 
Sorry, I don't disclose my location - rather cautious on the www :)
 
@grandma chris - you sound wonderful. Hope your system clears. I loved recuperating in my bed (still do)! I needed the sleep - energy drain! Wishing you a continued amazing recovery! Xo
 
P.s. very pleased you enjoyed Sandgroper country :) It is a beautiful state, but then I could be biased, lol...
 
Don't blame you for being cautious @Poppet! It is a huge world out there with many dangers. That being said, I loved your country and your state - I'd go back anytime!!
 
@Hibbe, thanks for the good wishes! This has been a real learning experience for me - when I consider how totally petrified I was, of what I now wonder? I mean, it's no bed of roses but in the grand scheme of things it's definitely for the best. Here's to our continued happy recovery!
 
@Josephine, can you please comment on how I handled the Tylenol part of this. was it all right to take one extra pill?
Okay - so it's the middle of the night (4:00 AM) and I have the answer to 'did I overdo it yesterday'. The answer is a resounding yes! Up until now, my plan has been take the pain meds before bedtime, set the alarm for four hours hence, take more pain meds, another alarm, and then up for the day. That has been working very well. Other than night two in the hospital there has been no breakthrough pain or anything like it. So if you read what happened yesterday, you'll see that I went for two longer walks down our apartment building halls, one for 80 or so steps and one for 100 or so steps. Also, I was able to stand at the sink and wash a few dishes that were not suitable for the dishwasher. No bending involved and not such hard work that I felt tired or anything. So a full hour before I'm due for another dose I wake up hurting. Not major scream your head off stuff, but a solid 4 or 5. I'm VERY happy that I took someone's advice on BS and built myself a This is too high, it will take some time for a T3 to take care of this pain and that's all I've got. So I turn the light on, become fully aware and conscious and calculate how many mgs of Tylenol I'm having in a day. It is working out to 3000 mgs per day. Safe is 4000. In this case I decided to take one extra one the hour early and went back to sleep. When my alarm woke me up an hour later, I came on here to find out if I should just take my normal dosage. I don't know if it's because it's the middle of the night and I'm tired, or I'm looking but not seeing, but anyway, I can't find the answer. I've decided to go ahead and take my full dose of two T3s now. That pushes my daily total up by 300 mgs and should be safe.spreadsheet where I record every single pill I take the moment I take it. I can easily forget within 10 minutes if I took it or not! For those of you who are still in anticipation - no pain I've suffered has been anywhere near a 9 or 10. On night two in the hospital (I believe as the pain killer was wearing off from the surgery) I hit a 7 or 8. That was dealt with very quickly by nursing staff and didn't last longer than a minute or two. Tomorrow I will not be so ambitious with walking. Back to sleep now.
 
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So this is the closer to the first full week. You can be sure I did not go for two long walks today! I have been very conservative today, did a few butt clenches, knee pressing down thingies, and an 80 step walk. I expect to have a good night. The physiotherapist will be coming on Friday and depending on how my incision looks, may remove the staples. Otherwise, I have to wait until Tuesday as Monday is a holiday here. I expect I will be more comfortable when the staples are gone - not quite so much pulling and stretching. I cannot wait to get back into the pool for aqua therapy. That will be the best way for me to build up some muscle tone. G'nite all
 
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