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THR dede's shiny new bionic hip is installed

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Nothing special today. Sunday is always a religious day for hubby - you know the football kind. So even though we're together I spent some time upstairs while he was watching a game or three. Luckily for him I enjoy football as well as my brother played as a kid through college. Coming from Western PA it was expected that you were Steeler fans to the core - they say one bleeds black and gold. Can't remember when we ever missed a game. Hubby loves the fact that I understand and enjoy the game. Makes for a peaceful day in the house except when the Steelers and Giants meet up. Yes he was mad for a moment the other week when Pitt beat his Giants.

Tomorrow should prove interesting. I've got PT sometime (not sure what time yet) and possibly a nurse visit from a different nurse than was assigned. My nurse is also scheduled to come on Tuesday so I hope they get it straightened out. I really don't need all of the attention!

Glad to hear that resting and icing is helping your thigh Tammy. I could us some doggy love about now. My friend was going to com over yesterday with her dog but I'm not quite ready for a big dog visit. I think I'll wait until I'm a little more mobile.
 
I know what you mean. If you are anything like me, you are anxious to put this all behind you. It is very difficult to do so when you have all these medical professionals coming to your house and taking your blood pressure and asking about your last bowel movement. I would imagine that your home health care will be finished when you are done with your blood thinners. My nurse stopped coming once the staples were removed and my wound was declared "mostly healed." Home PT will continue until the doctor says I am totally weight bearing. Hope to hear more about this tomorrow at my appointment.

I grew up in Cleveland, so I was a Brown's fan.....we hated the Steelers. Now that I am in Florida, I just like watching the game and don't care who is playing.

Get in that visit with some furry love...

Tammy
 
Well the nurse came this morning and my blood levels have so far stabilized. I have different doses over the next three days and they'll come back on Thursday to check it again. Only two more weeks of this...

Also had PT aide come today. Started out right away on the cane. Wasn't sure I was.quite ready but it definitely felt better.today than before. She wants me up walking around the house every hour and continue the exercises 3x a day and ice afterwards. She thought until I was totlly confident that I should keel the walker near the bed for my nightly journeys to the restroom. Thought it might be more difficult on the toilet frame, but using both arm rests was the ticket. She's only coming back one more time this wek but can come Friday if I feel I need it. Will see the regular PT guy next week and I'll probably be discharged then. I can always ask them to come back if needed.

Hubby and I were glad we weren't getting any visitors on Wednesday so we'll go out on a little journey while the weather is cooperating.
 
*** Rant Warning ***

OMG.. are peolpe just dumb or what???? So those of us that are taking pills for our blood thinners have found out that the dose you take is dependent on the INR values for our blood test. So bloodwork today finally stayed stable. However, my original prescription was written for the lowest dose possible, not necessarily what was taken. Long story short my original rx only had one pill left but I needed 2 for my dose today. The anti-coagulant clinic called in a new rx late this afternoon. Went to pick it up and they said I wasn't due for new refill for a week! Excuse me, but I don't think I'd be taking rat poison unless it was absolutely necessary. Ended up payng full price for it and will cuss out insurance tomorrow morning. And the pharmacist at the drug store actually had the nerve to walk out to the back of the store when we went in to pick it up. Can you believe this chicken s**t?!?!?

OK. I feel better. Nothing I can do about it tonight. I'll have to file a claim and get 97% back as a reimbursement. Eek gads! So stupid.

:gaah:
 
I was first going to comment on your first report. Great news! It sounds like you are making some very quick progress. I'm pretty sure that once you start the outpatient PT, things will go pretty quickly from there.

As to your last post, I can't stand ignorant people. I'm so sorry you are having such an issue. Almost makes me glad that I am on the injections. Even though my stomach is covered in bruises and finding a "clean" spot to inject the next dose is a pain, it seems to be much less of a hassle than you are going through.

Just remember, I can take my act on the road. Let me know if you want a fellow warrior to come up there and whip some butt for you. Just say the word!

Tammy
 
Thanks, I'll let you know if I need your warrior services. I'm hoping the phone call and claim does the trick.
:friends:
 
Oh don't get me started on stupid insurance company rules! And the pharmacist not trying to help you out is worse. Mine at least tries to help me get around the rules. So glad I am only taking aspirin as a blood thinner! Prescription was cheap, and I could always get it OTC if I needed.

I am glad the PT appt went well... I found the cane weird at first, but now I am really used to it. And now I can really scoot along at an average speed of 2mph :heehee:
 
dede62 said:
Long story short my original rx only had one pill left but I needed 2 for my dose today. The anti-coagulant clinic called in a new rx late this afternoon. Went to pick it up and they said I wasn't due for new refill for a week! Excuse me, but I don't think I'd be taking rat poison unless it was absolutely necessary. Ended up payng full price for it and will cuss out insurance tomorrow morning. And the pharmacist at the drug store actually had the nerve to walk out to the back of the store when we went in to pick it up. Can you believe this chicken s**t?!?!?
:gaah:
Click to expand...
My blood thinner pills were the most expensive part of my meds, $270 for 26 tiny little pills. I had to pay "just" $100, my deductible, but I was still shocked. Apparently, I don't have a blood problem, so when they were gone they were gone. However, the pain killers (Tramacet), aren't covered by my plan, so I had to pay out of pocket, which ticked me off. I guess the next time my doc writes me a prescription for something, I'll have him confirm it's covered.
 
My Lovenox ends up costing me more than $20 per shot. Anticoagulants seem to be a high-profit item for Big Pharm.
 
Thank God for military insurance. I just got my bill from the hosptial. My responsibility was $8.00 and my script for Lovenox injections $0. Finally getting something in return for all those years of being separated from my husband and spending all my waking hours stressed out and worrying that I would be receiving the "official notification visit." The closest we came to that was that my husband was in the Pentagon on 9/11 and reported missing for more than a day. Worst time in my life I'll tell you.

Nerdgrrl, you need to step it up a bit....I think I can crutch faster than 2 mph. We are going to have to get you into a warrior training program. Hard to be sneaky when moving so slow......WAIT A MINUTE...you were the reigning champ at games like Red Light, Green Light and Statute weren't you? Those stealth moves are exactly what our act needs. Love it.
 
Damn! Heh, heh, well right now I am going for distance rather than speed. According to my phone app that is my average speed. Blink, when I go by and....you'll still be able to see me ;) I see you have been checking into my past. I *was* pretty good at those games.

Dede - good luck with the insurance company!
 
I had to laugh at your rant not because it was funny what happened to you, but because it reminded me of my own "rant" last Friday - my first trip to the grocery store and my 2nd outing since surgery. I was craving homemade chicken soup, the kind my mom used to make. I had convinced myself I was ready to make it and my neighbor was kind enough to take me to the store. Even with a list, my attention span was short at best and for some reason I was limping more than normal. My neighbor endured my meandering around the store like someone who is there for the first time. I wanted a pumpkin pie too and was dissapointed they were out. You should have seen my face when I found one more (loked like it was in a cart for markdown with a broken crust) but I was elated! On to the rant - So my chicken soup calls for Reames frozen noodles and although we searched everywhere, no go. I had bought them this spring at this same store but it looked like they were discontinued. We couldn't find anyone to help, finally a couple of kids who worked there came to help. When I asked for Reames frozen noodles he looked like I asked for some exotic ingredient then calmly asked me if I meant Ramen noodles. Ah, no. I finally harumped my way to checkout begging my neighbor to take me to a different store. The checkout guy happened to ask me"did you find everything you needed?" Now you know they don't really care, nor do they want to know if you did find everything you needed or not but he asked so I said "As a matter of fact no I did not!" He tells me the grocery manager is right there, points, but she mysteriously dissapears as soon as I am done checking out. I go to customer service and get a very nice young man and tell him I want him to call his competitor to find out if they have my noodles. After he tells me he doesn't have their number, I tell him look it up or I can call 411 for him (by golly they are going to call for me!) he calls on his own phone to find out they do indeed have my noodles. By now my neighbor thinks I am nuts (why can't you use different noodles?) and is rethinking her generous offer to take me to the store. So on to the next store and success! I had waited 3 weeks to even be out in a car and I was not going home without my noodles!(which my neighbor thought I had definitely lost). The chicken soup got made the next day but not before boiling over and making a mess when cooking the chicken(to remind me of karma) and I have been enjoying it ever since!
I am sure my mom must be laughing from above at my noodle hunt, it was such a reminder of her - making her chicken soup was the ultimate comfort food for me and the noodlecapade made it that much more of a memory!
These will be the things we laugh about as we get far ahead in recovery - can you believe that coumadin caper, or that noodle hunt?
 
:rotfl: Oh Hippishani, have you ever watched Seinfeld? Specifically the episode with the Soup Nazi. I kept hearing him yell "No soup for you!" as I read your post.

Whoosh! There goes Nerdgrrl.....NOT! LOL

Tammy
 
Sissy, isn't it great...? BS warriors are coming out of the woodwork. I love it.
 
HippiShani,

Thanks for that story! Sometimes we just want what we want and nothing else will do. Kinda like when in the hospital and just wanting a moment to one's self. There are times when 'me' time is needed. Glad you took yours!
 
Post op day 17...

I've been on the cane since Monday (3 days). PT came this morning. For some reason they've got me on a fast track. Faster than I am ready and willing to be on. The PT aide thought that I'd be ready to walk without the cane! I know I'm not ready and I let her know. Yes I've taken a few steps wiithout but it doesn't feel secure yet. As I went through the exercises I was able to explain to her what I was feeling and she got it. So between now and next week I'll add a pause in each rep of the exercises to strenthen things. If it hadn't been raining we would have gone out for a walk. That would have been OK since hubby and I had already been out a couple of times (pharmacy episode and grocery shopping). At least they are letting me have my say in my recovery - wouldn't expect any different!

Nurse will be here shortly for bloodwork. Only about 10 more days with the blood thinners (I HOPE). I'll check with her to see if that's the case.

Trucking right along!
 
Here's a question for you dede6 and other hippies:

Who sets the protocol for your physio? Your OS or a physiotherapist?

In my case the OS has a strict protocol on what exercises are to be done at what stage and the PT follows it to the letter. There are clear signs when one one attempts to walk without a cane and is not yet ready. After 8 weeks I'm at the point now where I walk without a cane for short distances, but nobody suggested it. My left leg is still weaker than my right and probably will be for some time.
 
John,

The hospital I had my surgery at has a very specific protocol of exercises they have for their orthopedic patients. Obviously based on if patients are weight bearing or not will determine what the expectation is for the exercises. While in the hospital everyone did the same exercises both in group PT and independent PT, plus the OT for daily living skills. We were actually given a book with all of the pre- and post-op expectations plus all of the exercises for your specific surgery. The hospital uses the same Home Healthcare service, so all of the PT and OT providers know what is expected. They then expand on the exercises based on your progress. In-home PT is assigned for a specific number of visits. Also depending on progress, more visits can be requested. Once the visits are concluded and up to the 6 week appointment with the OS, patients are expected to continue the exercises. If at the check-up it is determined more PT is needed then they will write up an order for it. Otherwise continue exercises and get on with daily living. There is no set timing for transitioning through walking aids as each person progresses at their own pace.
 
Dede had a slightly different experience than I did with regard to PT/OT in the hospital. I did not attend any classes or group therapies. Each day in the hospital, 2 people from PT would come in and get me up out of bed and have me hop along behind a walker (non wb), then they would have me sit in a chair in my room for a bit, then back to bed. OT would then come by and ask how things were going and ask if I was going to have help at home. She didn't help me learn any ADL's at all. Don't even know why she even bothered.

Once I was discharged, my doctor prescribed in home PT 5x per week for 4 weeks. The PT had the written protocol my doctor uses, but apparently decided to accelerate me too rapidly. My doctor has removed me from in home care and stopped all PT until December 7th. I will then go to out patient PT, again following the doctor's protocol.

Now, I have used this facility in the past. My experience has been that while the doctor determines the protocol, the PT has a lot of input. My PT would regularly call the Dr to provide updates on my progress and make suggestions as to what to do next. If the doctor agrees, then we proceed. If he doesn't, then there is a discussion and modification.

Hope this helps.
Tammy
 
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