THR Deep Breath Reporting for Recovery Duty

[DeepBreath]

@Legin, I doubt I'm ahead of where you were at this stage. I guess I just figure I am where I am and it will progress from here. I don't really mind this 'limbo' state because I know there are good things in my future, so I can be patient and wait. I hope you are getting around okay and all is good with you.

@CricketHip, yes, actually the past few days I have had an almost overwhelming urge to try to take a few steps on that op leg. I wouldn't do that, of course, for fear I would undo all that's been done as far as my femur healing, but I am feeling the desire to progress in some really tangible way.
In all honesty, I have not kept strictly to the toe touch restriction. My right hip hurts and there are times I know I put more weight on the op foot/leg than I probably should. Also, the way our bathrooms are situated (tiny, enclosed areas with a toilet stuck in them) I have to use my left leg to help with balance...not bad, but I have had to do it.
I spoke to my home health nurse about this and she asked if I experience any pain on my left side during or after putting more than toe touch weight on it and honestly I don't. She said that likely it isn't hurting it then, but to be very mindful of not doing it very often. Because of that, I have stopped doing the activities that prompted it, like the lunch dishes, light dinner prep, etc. If I stand for more than a couple of minutes on my right leg (which is what I'm supposed to do) my hip feels like it 'locks up' and I have to move to 'unlock' it. To do that, I have to weight bear at least a little bit on that left side because the right leg is just 'locked'. So, now I leave the dirty dishes in the sink, which drives me bonkers, and get my son to do the leg work involved in dinner prep, while I do the sitting down duties...veggie chopping, ingredient stirring, etc. I don't want to mess up whatever progress I've made.

@Nana757, we have a fire going in our fireplace today! That cold front was enough to bring a chill into the house, but we really don't want to turn on the furnace yet. To that end, we're all snuggled up in our warm clothes and are enjoying the fire...especially our big, old doggie. She's a senior girl and I think the warmth feels good on her bones. She lays so close to the fireplace that she'll start panting and all of our urging to move back a bit falls on deaf ears. Silly girl
There is definite improvement. I can wait until the doc clears me and honestly I don't get terribly discouraged because I knew going into this that it would be a process. Had I gone through with the surgery 5 years ago it would have been different, but I didn't so now it's a different ballgame. I just trust that the outcome will be fluid movement with little to no pain. I think that's definitely worth waiting for.
I hope you, and all the other hippie buddies, are doing great this weekend. It sounds like you are just progressing beautifully and are maybe even getting into that 'it seems like it was so long ago I had surgery phase'.
I'm so thrilled you are doing well and thank you for your kind words and encouragement.

 

[CricketHip]

 

[Legin]

I was still on crutches

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[DeepBreath]

@Legin, no shame there! It will be interesting to see how I progress once I have my other hip replaced.

 

[Nana757]

Oh those darn uncontrollable urges to defy Dr's orders! It happens to all of us at some point or another. I know it happened to me a lot...and still does...Tehehe. But, in your case, caution is word of the day. As you said, you don't want to mess up anything at this stage of the game.
It's wonderful that you have a "real" fireplace to enjoy. We have one of those cheap ole electric ones that serves no purpose, whatsoever! It doesn't even look good.. Ughhh...it just takes up needed wall space, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe one day, we'll have it converted over to a gas unit, to at least enjoy the heat and fake ambiance.
Have a great Sunday snuggled up with your blankie and furry pal.

 

[Hipster Girl]

@DeepBreath I can relate to what you are saying about your leg locking up so you have to weight bear at least partially on the operated side since the other leg is locked. I went through the same thing only opposite sides. Will you be off the weight bearing restrictions this week since this is week 4?

I love your attitude and patience knowing and accepting that this is a process and going with it and not rushing it. I could take a lesson from you in the patience department. Patience has never been my strong suit so while I mentally acknowledge the same things about going with the flow and knowing there are good things in my future on the other side of this, putting it into practice is another thing entirely, especially since I am only half way there and have one more hip to go. I am trying to look at it as "look how far I've come" instead of "look how far I still have to go" and that helps.

Keep up the great work and hope you have a happy healing day today!

 

[DeepBreath]

@Nana757, ours is a gas fireplace so we don't get the lovely crackling and yummy wood scent, but it looks pretty and gives out such nice warmth.
Yep, I'm staying the course. I'm banking that one day I'll look back and think, "Wow, look where I am now compared to where I was back then."

@Hipster Girl, a week from tomorrow for you! How are you doing? Excited? Anxious? A mixture? You're in my thoughts as you go through this week.
Believe me, patience doesn't come easily to me either. Sometimes my impatience threatens to overwhelm me, but I so agree with you about looking at how far I've come rather than looking at how far I have yet to go. Wise words and definitely worth remembering.
I go back to my surgeon a week from today to have x-rays and see how the fracture is doing. Who knows? About this time next week I could be weight bearing on it!
I am heartened by the improvement in my stamina and range of motion. My ROM was just SO cruddy leading up to surgery and now I can abduct on my op side so much better. This past week, actually, has seen a lot of progress. That makes me feel good. It gives me hope that once the next surgery is out of the way I'll really be on my way to a much more mobile life.

Side note about my senior girl doggie: I worry about her old bones. She's a Great Dane and has those long limbs and I can tell she is starting to slow down. Now that it is getting cooler I am concerned about her laying on the floor and how that must feel for her. She has her doggie beds, but I know she loves warmth so much.
I decided to poke around on Amazon today and found her a self warming, reflected heat pad. It has an insert that captures body heat and reflects it back. That sounded ideal to me. Nice, cozy warmth for my girl with no potentially dangerous electrical components.
She's been such comfort to me while I've recovered. She's always there, watching over me. When I do something 'new' post op, she will watch me closely with her head tilted and I swear you can hear her thinking, "Now look here, human, what shenanigans are you getting up to now? Don't you hurt yourself!"
So sweet!

 

[CricketHip]

Hi Deep! I love the sounds of your heating bed for your pup!! A Great Dane, no less! She will love it!
My pup has been a huge comfort to me, too.
I love hearing your progress, you have been so positive and supportive of others on here. My gosh, next week you may get the word to be weight bearing!! Did they tell you where the fracture was? I am guessing at the top of the femur, near the ball? Did they need to repair it with a screw or just letting it heal with rest?

Speaking of ROM, mine is doing well, too. But it's weird, when I toss and turn in bed there are things that bother me but it happens so quickly that I can't pin it down. I thing it's twisty things when rolling over to the op side.
I will sit and ponder this for a while..

 

[Hipster Girl]

@DeepBreath I bet you are so excited to go for your post-op next week and possibly being cleared for weight-bearing, that is such a sense of freedom! I know you have been very cautious and diligent in following the doctor's orders so I have a good feeling that you will get a great report and possibly even schedule the date for your next surgery as well.

That is great about your stamina and range of motion. I am experiencing the same thing. When doing my PT exercises I notice the ROM on my operated side is MUCH better. I still do the exercises on my other side also because I am trying to strengthen for my upcoming surgery but my ROM is almost nil which is a good reminder every day of why we go thru this.

As for how I'm feeling about my next surgery, I'm feeling surprisingly calm about the surgery itself and more anxious about getting things ready around the house & packing & paying bills & making sure I don't forget anything. Part of the anxiety is not knowing if I will be going to rehab again. I went for two weeks after my last surgery so I assume I will be going again although maybe for fewer days, but the hospital won't know any of that until after my surgery, so I am kind of in limbo with that, not knowing if I need to pack a suitcase for 10 days or so, or an overnight bag.

I'll pack for the rehab facility just in case but I'm one of those people that it drives me nuts not to have everything in order and lined up and planned. I don't like surprises or not knowing but there's not much I can do about it in this case so am just trying to plan for what I do know and not worry too much about what I can't control. I just know I'm ready to get on with the other hip already and am looking forward to getting it done.

 

[DeepBreath]

@CricketHip, you're so kind. Thank you for the nice compliment. I try to stay positive. Thankfully, I had a very strong mother who taught me the power of positive thinking and an attitude of gratitude. Two wonderful lessons that have helped me so much throughout my life.
Do you know, I honestly don't know where my fracture was, only that it was small and that the surgeon put some sort of 'band' around it. My first post op follow up was just 10 days after surgery and I was still getting used to the pain meds. I had timed taking them to offset any possible discomfort with the trip up there (about an hour) and found myself so sleepy that I actually fell asleep while waiting for the doc to come into the examination room.
I am usually Joanie on the spot about having my list of questions ready for any doctor's visit, but not that day!
I didn't ask about the fracture or what size implant he eventually went with (I had the 2 day delay in surgery because he wanted to have two sizes of implant available), among other questions I 'conveniently' thought of later. Now, I have quite the list of questions to go over with him next week. LOL
It makes sense that you'd feel a twinge when turning over in bed toward the op side. No matter the approach, that whole area is sensitive and those soft tissues, etc are still healing. I'm glad they're short lived though. You're doing so great! I am over the moon for you!

@Hipster Girl, I suspect we were separated at birth. I hear you about the limited ROM on the non op side and it being a reminder of why this whole process is so necessary.
Also, ARGH about not knowing your post op plans. I don't do limbo well at all. Overnight bag vs. enough for a 10 day stay is quite a difference. That would have me nettled as well.
I'm glad you're feeling calm about the procedure itself. At least you have some idea of what to expect and I can imagine that would help. The not knowing was so tough on me pre op. With my wild imagination, I can make up some true horror stories and worry about the goofiest things. For the most part, it was easier than I expected.

Enjoy your day, hippie friends! Sending out good vibes for all.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @DeepBreath, You sound great. So that's where you learned to be so positive and have that attitude of gratitude, from you mom! That's wonderful. Your dog sounds like such a sweetheart. I love Great Dances. One of my favorite movies as a child was The Ugly Dashound. Have you seen it? It's so cute...

It sounds like you are being patient and mindful. Reading about other people's recoveries is so interesting. I'm glad you're taking care of that fracture. There's plenty of time.

 

[Doodles51]

I saw my surgeon on Monday and thought I had all my questions written down but when I got home realized I forgot a few, like is there a restriction to how much weight you can lift after surgery, etc. then there is always the difference between surgeon and PT. my PT tends to be more cautious so I will go with her ideals on restrictions, etc. I also forgot to ask details about how bad were bone spurs, etc. I guess to surgeons it's just their job they fix us and details aren't important. In the end we have new hips. Wishing you continued speedy recovery. I am working on walking a little longer distance each day but still get butt leg and back stiffness. I guess i am asking too much for 4 weeks post op. At least the limp is going away and my strides are getting longer. Best of luck to you

 

[DeepBreath]

@Hip Hip Hooray!, thank you for the kind words. That's what I figure: everthing in its own due time.
I have never seen The Ugly Dashound. I will have to check that out!
I hope you're doing well today.

@Doodles51, I think it's so normal for us to expect just a little bit more out of ourselves and our recovery than maybe what is practical. I know I'm an 'I want this done, RIGHT NOW!' sort of person when it comes to everything.
It does sound like you're making great strides...literally...in your recovery.
This whole process does help develop patience.

Sending good thoughts out for all my hippie buddies. Enjoy your day!

 

[DeepBreath]

@Josephine, sorry for the tag. I know you're incredibly busy. My 14 year old was diagnosed with Strep Throat today. I had my THR 4 weeks ago tomorrow.
In your experience, is it likely that my surgeon would order a course of prophylactic antibiotics just to be on the safe side?
I have contacted his nurse, who has been an angel throughout this whole process, to ask for her guidance.
Just wondering what the protocol might be regarding this.

Thank you for your time. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[Josephine]

My dear, no need to apologise - you are perfectly at liberty to tag me whenever you want and so is everybody esle.
That's my job, you know!

I don't think you need any antibiotics, even if you got a strep throat yourself! Contrary to popular (uninformed) opinion, these bugs don't home in to your implant like radar controlled exocet missiles so don't worry about it!

 

[DeepBreath]

Josephine, I appreciate your guidance. I know you probably field questions about implant infections, blood clots, and dislocation all the time. I know those are the concerns on the top of my list.
Thanks so much.

 

[Hipster Girl]

That was a great question DeepBreath - I'm still not real clear on when we are supposed to take antibiotics or not so I'm glad you asked that question. I hope you are continuing to get better every day and hope your son is feeling better real soon!

 

[Nana757]

I agree with @Hipster Girl...great question! I too am so confused about when I should be concerned about taking antibiotics...even before my surgery date arrived. I have a dental cleaning coming up the end of the month and have decided not to worry about antibiotics. In my opinion, a regular dental cleaning is only a step up from the way I do my own teeth cleaning, at home. So, what is the big deal about a dentist doing it? Probably nothing.
With that said, I hope your son feels better soon and you are spared from getting it.

 

[DeepBreath]

Thank you, @Hipster Girl and @Nana757. The infection possibility freaks me out, so I wanted to ask. No word yet from my surgeon's nurse, which indicates to me she might be off today because she is generally toot sweet on answering questions. Still feeling okay, so not too worried.
My son is home again today, of course, since I insist on having at least 24 hours of antibiotics on board before going anywhere. He's still feeling puny, which is no surprise. Thank you for the get well wishes.

@Nana757, I am concerned about the dentist as well. At my first post op, the PA said that they'd like for me to not see a dentist for 5 to 6 months after this surgery. I was so out of it that I didn't ask if that would be pushed back to 5 or 6 months after the next one as well. I don't like that. I am someone who has to have her teeth cleaned every three months because I develop calculus at a ridiculous rate. The 5-6 month thing just doesn't fly for me. I'll gladly take a course of antibiotics rather than risk gum disease starting to develop!

 

[Nana757]

I hear ya, sweetie. Before my THR, I had to go through the periodontal surgical procedure for deep cleaning. Stitches and all that! So, I don't ever want to have to go through that again. I have been so diligent with my teeth, since, I think I can wait another 2-3 months before going back again, just to be on the safe side, as that what my OS said too. Better than 7 years, like I have done before...yup...7 years...I know..I'm really a bad girl. I truly hate having my teeth worked on. But, I have learned my lesson.