THR Dogchick's Hippy Recovery Adventure

[dogchick]

I had my first outpatient PT appointment today. Before my surgery I had been going to the same place for my Frozen shoulder, (why do I always capitalize the word Frozen? Like, am I trying to stress the fact that it is frozen? Make it sound as bad as possible? ) so when I made the appointments for my hip, I specifically asked for my favorite PT girl there. She is wonderful and never pushes me too far. She is a believer in the, "If it hurts, don't do it" philosophy. Today was more of a measurement and charting abilities type of appointment, but I did get on one of the bicycles...not your usual kind, but one that doesn't let you break that 90 degree restriction. I forgot the name of it. Will get it next time I go. She could definitely see that my left ankle is quite weak, and some other weakness with my left leg. She gave me some exercises to do at home. Most of them are ones I've been doing with home PT, so that's good. So that was my appointment. I was pleased with it.

I had a friend come over to visit me after lunch today. I never realized how much I enjoy visiting with friends until I got stuck here in the house. LOL! She has chickens, and knows that I've been waiting to get chickens for over a year now. Now that I finally have them, I was anxious to bring her out to the coop and share my little lovelies with her, Bugs, Henrietta, and...well, Dogdude and Pup Prince #1 want to name the 3rd one, Pita...as in a chicken pita pocket....ummm....no. I don't want to name her that, so I said, "Her name is NOT Pita!" So the monsters started calling her "Not Pita". I was thinking I wanted to name her Maxine, or even Lucy. She's the youngest of them all. Anyway, We walked out to the coop and talked and had a very enjoyable visit when we came back in the house. Lots of laughs.

After she left, I fell asleep in the recliner. Woke up at 4pm to the news of a Tornado Warning. Not that I wish that on anyone else, but I was thankful that it was moving just north of us, literally in the next town up from us, so it didn't quite make it to us, because, obviously I would have to get down into the basement if one had touched down, and I would not be thrilled at the thought of having to do a whole flight of stairs. The severe thunderstorms have pretty much cleared out of our area, although we are still hearing the rumblings. I slept through the time I should have gotten my Tylenol... Not sure when I should take it now. Thank goodness Dogdude will be home soon and he can advise my swiss cheese brain. Hope you all are having a good evening. All those about to have surgery tomorrow @Quiltmom and @An54 being ones I know about, try to relax and get some rest as much as you can. Thinking of you!

 

[Izabel]

@dogchick ... Just love it "swiss cheese brain". Must definitely incorporate that in my repetiore (sp?).

 

[dogchick]

Hello Hipsters,
I think today is a down day for me. I went to bed last night, eventually fell asleep, and slept through my late night dose of of Tylenol. Woke up at 6am feeling quite sore. Made myself tea, and an english muffin with cream cheese and sliced strawberries on top and went back to my bedroom. After I ate a bit of the muffin, I took Tylenol. I had trouble finishing the english muffin. Just didn't really have an appetite because of the pain I was having. I ended up falling asleep until 9:35am. If you knew me, you'd know how out of character that is for me.

I got up, got dressed, and moved into the living room for a little while, until I was more awake. I was contemplating taking Percocet. I was due for more Tylenol at Noon, so instead, I got up and went out to visit my girls. (Chickens). I attempted to do a few exercises, and just felt worn out, so back to the recliner. Ended up falling asleep for about another hour. I've been icing most of the morning too. I can't decide if I should take my Party girl pill during the day, or take it at night, especially since I have PT during the day usually. I feel like the Tylenol isn't really cutting it though. Decisions, decisions. Any suggestions? Should I call the office and see if there is something that is non-narcotic that can help? Or should I just take the Percocet until it's gone and see how I'm doing after that? My gut says to wait and take it until it's gone, but then there's my dilemma of WHEN I should take it. I'm thinking for today I may just take it this afternoon just to get ahead of the pain.

I have another friend coming to visit in a few minutes, a former co-worker that I have kept in touch with. She is bringing me a book to read. That will be nice. Sounds like a good one too. I can't remember the title, I'll post it after she comes. Maybe we will go out and see the chickens again. Anyway, yeah, feeling like today is a "catching up on rest" day for me. Energy level is low. I bet tomorrow will be better.

 

[dogchick]

I decided to go ahead and take the Percocet, so watch out world! My co-worker came over and loaned me a book. It's called The Last Time I Lied, by Riley Sager. The book starts with a girl at camp waking up and the other 3 girls from her cabin have disappeared. Then it jumps ahead 15 years, she’s an artist and has been asked back to the camp (which had been closed since the disappearance) to be the art instructor. She then spends time trying to figure out clues left by one of the girls as to where they went.

I am looking forward to starting it today. I am feeling like a tiny bit of energy has returned to me, but not a lot. Appetite is still not that great, but I had a couple of chicken strips for lunch, couldn't eat more than that. Not a great choice, but, I didn't feel like getting up to make anything.

 

[Bone-obo]

Sorry you’re having a pain day! Good call on the Percocet, by the way. By this evening you may be outside partying with Not-Pita (who, I hear, makes a fabulous frozen daiquiri. Or should I say Frozen?)

Better stop capitalizing it or Disney’s gonna slap us with copywrite infringements...

 

[InkedMarie]

Sorry you’re having pain today :(

 

[dogchick]

Sorry you’re having a pain day! Good call on the Percocet, by the way. By this evening you may be outside partying with Not-Pita (who, I hear, makes a fabulous frozen daiquiri. Or should I say Frozen?)

Better stop capitalizing it or Disney’s gonna slap us with copywrite infringements...

Hahaha! Thanks for the laugh! The Percocet definitely helped. I couldn't make sense in my head about whether or not to take it, or when to take it. So, when Dogdude got home from work, I was talking with him about it and told him I took it at around 3pm. I was trying to just talk it out saying I'm not sure when to take it. Then it hit me...why do I need to choose? I can take one at night and one during the day, and I'll have enough for the week, and hopefully by then, I'll be able to cut down. I said as much to Dogdude. Talking to him always seems to help me visualize better and better able to see things more clearly. So now I know what I'm doing...PHEW! I did take 3 trips out to the chicken coop today, one more trip then I've been making, so that was good exercise for my hip.

Oh, and "Not Pita" is no longer "Not Pita". Her name is officially Maxine now. Like the old lady comic strip, Maxine who always has something funny and sarcastic to say. I love her! Great "Frozen" pun!

Sorry you’re having pain today :(

Thank you. After I took the Percocet it finally started getting better.

 

[dogchick]

Hmmm...well, now that I'm on the Pecocet again, I'm awake from about 1am until now...it's 4:18am. Party Girl strikes again!

 

[Quiltmom]

Hmmm...well, now that I'm on the Pecocet again, I'm awake from about 1am until now...it's 4:18am. Party Girl strikes again!

I have nightmares when I take percocet.. the doctor says they're vivid dreams not nightmares. Lol

 

[Mojo333]

Dogchick. Glad you realized it probably wasn't time to completely go off your painkillers quite yet..staying pain free helps with rest and mobility.
I know we are just injecting humor into our stressful situations, but hope you don't take offense that I worry your reference to the Percoset as Party girl could make the argument to others or visitors that don't get your humor...that opioids are just ways to get high or abuse opioids.
The crisis for addicted users is real, but I know myself it was necessary and helpful.
Just don't want to give the impression they are being used for fun.
There is heated debate on the subject resulting in people who need them having a hard time getting them prescribed.

I am glad you are taking all struggles in stride and do hope you understand I just worry how our humor is perceived by others .

You are doing super! Hope today is a Good Day!

 

[Cassidy]

Apart from the stockings, @dogchick, I think night times are the pits! There's nothing worse than being awake when the rest of the world appears to be asleep - although it's not, because so many of us hippies find sleeping like a beached whale virtually impossible! I've been hanging on to my one codeine at bedtime, not so much because I'm in any intense pain, but because it does relax me enough to go to sleep for a couple of hours, but after that ... I don't want to ask for sleeping pills, and I'm hoping that once I can sleep on my side again my not very good pre-op sleeping will come back - I've always been a light, sporadic sleeper, unlike my husband whose head just has to hit the pillow to be snoring!

I'm hoping to take a nap now, because I'm sleeping less, rather than more, and I keep hearing that the body needs sleep to heal, so I suppose that's both our way forward - napping in the day until we can sleep at night again. Just hope I don't nod off when I go back to work!!

 

[dogchick]

I have nightmares when I take percocet.. the doctor says they're vivid dreams not nightmares. Lol

Funny you should say that...I wouldn't say I have nightmares, but I do have very active dreams. Had one last night even, I never related it to Percocet though. LOL!

 

[dogchick]

Dogchick. Glad you realized it probably wasn't time to completely go off your painkillers quite yet..staying pain free helps with rest and mobility.
I know we are just injecting humor into our stressful situations, but hope you don't take offense that I worry your reference to the Percoset as Party girl could make the argument to others or visitors that don't get your humor...that opioids are just ways to get high or abuse opioids.
The crisis for addicted users is real, but I know myself it was necessary and helpful.
Just don't want to give the impression they are being used for fun.
There is heated debate on the subject resulting in people who need them having a hard time getting them prescribed.

I am glad you are taking all struggles in stride and do hope you understand I just worry how our humor is perceived by others .

You are doing super! Hope today is a Good Day!

Thanks, I know I'm definitely not ready to be off the painkillers yet, I can barely move, nor do I want to, if I don't take it.

Well, I definitely don't want to give the impression that these are being used as a way to get high. I only called it Party Girl because it seems to keep me up at night and it makes me talk a lot and takes away the "filter" for my mouth that I naturally have in place. So anybody reading this, I in no way feel that this is a way to get high, in fact, if I didn't need it, I wouldn't take it, since my mouth gets me in trouble anyway, without the filter it's even worse. I end up apologizing a lot more.

 

[Bchbum4evr]

Finally caught up on your journey, to quote you, I've been having 'Swiss cheese brain'!

Hubby has laughed at me falling asleep mid sentence.
Stay ahead of the pain and keep that positive attitude!!

 

[dogchick]

Apart from the stockings, @dogchick, I think night times are the pits! There's nothing worse than being awake when the rest of the world appears to be asleep - although it's not, because so many of us hippies find sleeping like a beached whale virtually impossible! I've been hanging on to my one codeine at bedtime, not so much because I'm in any intense pain, but because it does relax me enough to go to sleep for a couple of hours, but after that ... I don't want to ask for sleeping pills, and I'm hoping that once I can sleep on my side again my not very good pre-op sleeping will come back - I've always been a light, sporadic sleeper, unlike my husband whose head just has to hit the pillow to be snoring!

I'm hoping to take a nap now, because I'm sleeping less, rather than more, and I keep hearing that the body needs sleep to heal, so I suppose that's both our way forward - napping in the day until we can sleep at night again. Just hope I don't nod off when I go back to work!!

I have good nights and bad nights. I don't seem to have trouble falling asleep, but it's staying asleep. Napping is never a problem for me. I napped everyday pre-surgery, so my body is used to it. Now I just take a lot more naps.

 

[dogchick]

Well, my guess is that this week is the week of no energy. I just can't seem to get myself to do anything. Just pouring a bowl of cereal seems like too much work. I made myself go out and see the chickens and get the newspaper from the driveway. But I'm struggling to want to do anything. It's not depression, it's lack of energy. Plus, I'm finding it hard to want to eat anything. Not that I'm not hungry, because I am, but if it means I have to get up to do it, I'd rather just pass on the meal. I am so stinkin' tired. Plus, nothing we have in the house seems to be appealing at all. I think @Layla created a list of protein rich foods in someone elses thread, but I don't remember who's. I need to look at that because I'm sure I need more protein.

Dogdude is going to be making steak tonight, normally I LOVE steak and can't get enough, but...not sure I'm in the mood for it. It takes effort to chew. It's usually one of my favorite things to eat. I am taking a lot of naps, too, I think I'm asleep more than I'm awake at this point. Is this just a phase? Or maybe I'm not getting enough of certain nutrients? I want to make sure I'm eating what I need to, and that I'm not getting too low on the ones that are helpful for recovery. Anybody want to come be my personal chef?? LOL!

 

[Bone-obo]

For the first 3 weeks, I slept in shifts, and all my dreams (of which there were many, many) seemed to relate somehow to my surgery - one whole night was a running conference with doctors and pundits (!) that did nothing but pontificate about the state of my leg. I knew I was starting to get somewhere in my recovery when it was back to normal stuff like being naked in school (at 65! what's up with that!?) and pee dreams.

Nap long and lovely, little DogChick, and dream of slow squirrels.

 

[dogchick]

Finally caught up on your journey, to quote you, I've been having 'Swiss cheese brain'!

Hubby has laughed at me falling asleep mid sentence.
Stay ahead of the pain and keep that positive attitude!!

Thanks! I am trying to stay positive. Sometimes it's hard. I have also been following you, and wanting to reply, but sometimes I just have a whole lot of nothingness in my head and I can't even put together a decent sentence. But know I'm following and cheering you on and keeping you in my thoughts when there are struggles.

 

[dogchick]

For the first 3 weeks, I slept in shifts, and all my dreams (of which there were many, many) seemed to relate somehow to my surgery - one whole night was a running conference with doctors and pundits (!) that did nothing but pontificate about the state of my leg. I knew I was starting to get somewhere in my recovery when it was back to normal stuff like being naked in school (at 65! what's up with that!?) and pee dreams.

Nap long and lovely, little DogChick, and dream of slow squirrels.

My dreams have all been very active, I'm usually running through the whole thing, whether it's running to get things done, or running after something, or running from something. It changes. Sometimes it's more like Brain Olympics, where I have to really use my brain, and I'm literally dripping with sweat I'm doing so much mental work. I can't remember specifics, but I do remember the activity level. Oh! I HATE those Pee dreams! When I was in the hospital and had to use the bedpan, I found it really hard to go because it made me feel like I was having pee dreams, and then I was worried I'd get used to the feeling and actually pee in the bed.

Slow squirrels? I would just like to have the energy to chase a tortoise. LOL! I think my little guardian would enjoy the squirrels though. She never leaves my side....not even in the bathroom. I'm never alone, I always have my chocolate monster.

 

[dogchick]

Is it possible for compression socks to cause bruising? In the picture below, inside the blue shape is where I have a greenish bruise. It's difficult to see in the picture, because the camera isn't picking it up, but it's there. I used my husbands compression socks because the holes in the hospital issued ones drove me crazy. I have since sewed up the holes and I'm back to wearing the hospital issued ones. The crease you see in my leg is from the hospital ones. But I feel like my husbands socks were much tighter just at the top, and I was beginning to have pain, like very sore to the touch, from them. Could they have caused this greenish bruise? Is this a bad thing? I mean, for blood clots? Should I say something to my doctors office?

I'm only supposed to be wearing the compression sock on my Op leg, but my foot is getting SO hot in bed at night. How bad would it be to NOT wear it at night? Just to give my leg and foot breathing room and a break from being so confined?

I'm once again wide awake after initially falling asleep tonight. I'm thinking I'm going to use some of my essential oils to help me relax and go to sleep. I also have some to help with pain...just not sure if I should use those while I'm taking Percocet.

On a different note, I'm finding that my incision the last couple of days has become itchy. Sometimes I have to run my fingernails on either side of the incision and scratch it gently. I'm assuming that's a sign of it healing.

Oh my goodness! I was told that I could get a shower on Tuesday, but things have been kind of crazy and busy for Dogdude, so I haven't been able to get one yet. I'm hoping I'll be able to get one tomorrow, because he will be gone all day into the evening on Saturday. I am going to miss him. I will have Pup-Prince #2 here in the morning until 1pm and Pup-Prince #1 after 4pm. So I'll have a few hours all by myself. But Dogdude takes better care of me than the princes do. #1 keeps me laughing and talking, but doesn't help physically as much, and #2 helps more physically, but isn't as social. Funny how 2 brothers can be so different. Anyway, just my mind racing and thinking. Trying to control it, but clearly...it just ran amuk here...