@CricketHip, thank you for the good thoughts.
Yes, I had my first post op appointment with my surgeon and it went well. My incision is looking good and he is pleased with the increased ROM I'm showing. I will be on toe touch weight bearing restriction for two more weeks and will then go back for x-rays to see how the fracture is healing. He says I can sleep on my op side with two pillows between my legs. I honestly can't even imagine this right now. My incision isn't very painful, but I am very aware of it and the 'ridge' feel of it.
He took a good look at how my rash is resolving with the peeling of the skin on my hands and is very determined to get to the bottom of it. He wants definite answers before proceding with my next THR. I told him I'm willing to travel to the hospital as much as necessary and work with whomever, e.g. Dermatology, the anesthesiologist, etc to find the answers we need. Surely I am not the only patient this has ever happened to.
@Legin and
@AndyH99, I am loving the Tramadol. Great pain relief and no side effects so far. Josephine's charts really helped me with my daily med planning. Legin, I gotta give props to those who love to cook because I love to eat!
Andy, great tip about the weightlifting gloves. My hands are a bit sensitive with the skin peeling and all, but I need my walker to get around. I'm definitely going to invest in a couple pairs of those.
@Kim22, thank you for the tip on the palm grip for when I transition to a walking stick. It is amazing how a simple adjustment to something can make all the difference.
I thought it was interesting today and underscored the wisdom to be found here on this site. When talking to my surgeon, I asked him what his expectation was at this stage of recovery and he basically echoed what we learn here: rest, elevate, ice, and movement as tolerated. He said by all means to get up and do things as needed and desired, but to be aware of what my body is telling me. I asked him about physical therapy and he said he sees nothing wrong with simple stretching exercises, but within reason and boundaries of comfort. He said to me, "What your hip needs to heal, is walking mainly, and when you are able to weight bear then you'll be off to the races." He mentioned a couple of exercises that he definitely does not want me doing until the femur fracture is totally healed, specifically straight upward leg lifts when lying down.
So, the physical therapist comes over today and one of the exercises he suggests is...the straight upward leg lift. I told him, "Nope...by doctor's orders". Luckily, he seems like a fairly reasonable fellow and instead just took me through a few more simple exercises that were not painful and did not contraindicate my surgeon's recommendations.
The funny part was that when he came over (earlier than the scheduled time) he caught me napping and icing after taking my Tramadol and Tylenol. A night of fitful sleep, an early morning, an hour car ride each way to and from the hospital had left me drained. He admonished me, saying that while he understood all of that, I should not be in bed at 1:30 in the afternoon and that it takes such a short time to become weakened by being in bed.
I acknowledged the truth in that and assured him that I am doing the 'homework' exercises exactly as prescribed by him and his colleague, but that I was also going to listen to my body, which was telling me that it needed rest, medicine, and ice. Nice fellow, but I can definitely see where you have to be diligent in advocating for yourself when it comes to some physical therapist's expectations.
All in all, a good day though. On we go with recovery! I am sending good wishes for all my hippie buddies on their own recovery journeys.
United Kingdom
