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THR FINALLY!!! Cynthia777's Recovery Journey

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sounding good @Cynthia777
I distinctly remember "waking up" and hearing the hammering and clanging and thinking to myself " awww, they are working on ME" I felt like I was in a very brightly lit area and I couldn't open my eyes but felt very peaceful and happy. then back to sleep I went. My anesthesiologist explained beforehand that I may need to be brought up a bit if I began with breathing problems so it was all explained to me before the surgery.
Im like you, Cindy, I wouldn't even consider the notion to avoid this surgery because of hearing some of the goings on and the discomfort/pain afterwards.. It's nothing compared to the bone on bone pain pre op.
You sound so good! I am thrilled for you, my dahlink!! When I think of your journey and that it's now behind you? I really do get teary eyed... :roseshwr:
 
Finally!!! We hear from you! ~ You sound wonderful, and are recovering as well as expected so far. However, I am dumbfounded to think your wrong leg was numbed!!! On yahhh....'someone' needs to know about that!!! As well as using the wrong tape over your incision. That's just so WRONG! You, being you, can take it in stride (somewhat) but what about those who don't have your attitude, or are alone, or so weak, or older....you have the ability to 'protect' those coming behind you to this guy. He was lax....and needs to be called on it....big time.

And for now....you just need to get comfortable in your Lady Lair, read here when you want, sleep when you want, and be waited upon. Smooth sailing!
 
Thank you @Horseshoe! I'm feeling so liberated having both surgeries behind me! :)

You are right @Jaycey, I should think about others who will be following after me. My problem is, I keep seeing his round cheerful smiling face, which breaks my heart when thinking about reporting him. :-( I know his heart was in the right place and he wanted to do everything right, but I guess I should focus on the fact that his mistakes could actually take someone's life at some point.

Now I have a question for you...my post-op instructions for the care of my incision are for the liquid bandage (forgot the name of it) type dressing, but I ended up with regular sutures because I had that allergic reaction to the bandage they used last time. So my question is, how do I care for it?

I have no oozing or drainage and just have gauze covering the stitches. When I change the gauze am I supposed to wash the incision with anything before applying the gauze again? I've placed a call into my OS's office, but sometimes they don't call back for two days.

Not sure if you or Josephine can give me an idea of the usual wound care when one has sutures, but if you can I would really appreciate it. I think he said I could shower after five days, but I'm not sure if this was if I had the liquid bandage or if it also applies to incisions with sutures (man did I use a lot of words asking this simple question!) :heehee:
 
I'm not medical so can only give you the answer based on my experience. I was told to just leave my incision alone. I was not supposed to get it wet. Just change the bandage if needed. Keeping it clean and dry is a priority.

Do you have any waterproof bandages? Let's tag @Josephine to get the expert's view on incisions with sutures and their care.
 
Awww, thank you @Hipster Girl and yes, soooo worth it! Thank you for being a member who continues to help others so long after your surgeries are done! You have such a caring heart! Hugs!!!

@Nana2-8
You are right and I am going to let my OS know because the anesthesiologist's mistakes reflect on him as well. So now I don't see his smiling face anymore, I see that 80 year old woman laying there in pain and scratching her back until it's raw! Well put my friend! Boy, I feel so human today, but last night was a real humdinger of a night! After advising all my pre-op pals about staying ahead of the pain, I didn't take my pain meds "on the clock" and did I ever pay for it!!!! Word to the wise...SET YOUR ALARM AND TAKE YOUR PAIN MEDS WITHOUT FAIL!!! Trying to catch up is not fun! :bignono:
 
@Cynthia777 Can you stand yet another voice on the matter of anesthesiologists? You might recall I had a similar experience in my last surgery. I woke up completely numb from the waist down and through my left leg. My right leg was the operative leg. That leg was somewhat numb but not like the left side. I did complain - carried on quite a bit. It was explained later to me that the needle went in more to the left, rather than to the right, hence, the left leg remained more numb. I never felt anything during surgery nor did I "hear" anything so sedation was fine but it has to do with placement of the needle.

My guy was very young so I chalk it up to lack of experience and "they got to start somewhere" kind of situation. I still did complain about it though and I'm sure he received the feedback. The hospital will send an evaluation form as they do after every surgery so I will pen the complaint again.
But you do sound like your chipper self and so glad to hear you are moving right along! :cheers: Rest and recover - that's all you have to concern yourself with now!:flwrysmile:
 
Thanks @Jaycey, I'm sure Josephine will have the answers. I don't have any waterproof bandages, but I have read where other members have covered the incision with plastic wrap and showered. I'm just not sure if I'm supposed to actually clean the incision before replacing the gauze bandage. Thanks again for your help! :friends:

@CricketHip
Yeah, isn't that crazy? The rash is getting better because they sent me home with some hydrocortisone cream. Thanks girlfriend! :flwrysmile:
 
@Cynthia777, you sound like you're doing fabulously! :yay:
You are so very dear about not wanting to report the anesthesiologist. I can understand that. I do agree with the others though who have said he does need to learn. Perhaps there is a way to shed light on the situation without actually lodging a complaint, per se?
Yikes about being able to hear the construction. I head them pounding the stem in during my first surgery, but it was very distant and pleasant. I remember thinking, "Ooh, there goes my stem in...how lovely!" :heehee:
I'm sorry you're experiencing more pain this time around. I found that to be true as well, and also not really experiencing log leg with my second surgery.
GAH about having to deal with the allergy again! I'm glad you have some cream for it, at least.
I'm rooting for you, sweet friend! Prayers are being sent out for a terrific recovery. I'm glad you have both hips done and dusted. You did it!!! :yes!:
 
Omg @keepmovin, I remember now and guess what? When the anesthesiologist came in to remove the epidural, he said the same darn thing about just needing to move the needle to the right a little bit! Ummm, is there a reason why no one notified him that the wrong hip was numb? If I told one nurse, I literally told at least three nurses and all I got was an, "oh, I'm sorry"! What's wrong with people today? Gosh almighty! When he stated that all he needed to do was move it a little to the right, I stared at him in disbelief (two days in pain because of lack of communication...so ridiculous)! My guy was in his 60's, so inexperience wasn't the issue. You would think he could have stopped by earlier, making sure my pain was controlled. Your situation was worse than mine, as the only numbness I experienced was from the top of my leg to my knee. Oh well, what is done is done, but I am going to say something because there really is no excuse for him not checking my chart to see what my allergies were.
 
Cynthia777 said:
my post-op instructions for the care of my incision are for the liquid bandage (forgot the name of it) type dressing, but I ended up with regular sutures because I had that allergic reaction to the bandage they used last time. So my question is, how do I care for it? When I change the gauze am I supposed to wash the incision with anything before applying the gauze again?
Click to expand...
Short answer - you don't. At one week out, the wound is not yet closed and dry so leave it well alone.
Cynthia777 said:
the liquid bandage (forgot the name of it) type dressing
Click to expand...
You either mean Opsite which is sprayed on the wound regardless of closure or Dermabond which people often refer to as 'glue'. Have a look in here Closing surgical wounds: how is it done?
 
@DeepBreath (the friend who ALWAYS makes me smile)!m:-)
Isn't it strange that we didn't experience the log leg with our second THR's? I wonder what that's all about?
I think what I'm going to do is suggest to my OS that his anesthesiologist should visit his patients in their rooms the day of surgery, making sure the epidural is doing its job. I'm curious about how often this may happen because @keepmovin had the identical issue that I had. I still can't figure out why one of the nurses wouldn't have thought about calling the OS or the anesthesiologist, letting them know what was happening.

I'm laughing about your thoughts about the stem going in! Another strange phenomenon is the fact that hearing the "construction" going on wasn't bothersome at all! My only thought at the time was that I had read that we should tell them we could hear the surgery sounds, so that's what I did. I didn't tell them because it bothered me, as I too found it quite interesting. :heehee:

As always, I thank you for your love and support, it means a lot! :friends:
 
Thanks @Josephine! It was the dermabond that I developed a reaction to. In fact my OS has stopped using it for some reason. My OS appointment is on the 11th (2 weeks post-op), so should I just wait to take a shower until after that visit or do you think it would be okay to shower if I wrap the area with Saran Wrap?
 
Just received a call from PT to let me know he will be here tomorrow. This should be very interesting, as I have a very strong feeling he and I are going to most likely butt heads. Since I'm a firm believer in Josephine's opinion of walking being the best recovery exercise, I'm just going to listen and see what he has to say. I just want to hear what his evaluation is and go from there. I don't have his name in front of me, but it's something similar to Mussolini...YIKES! :yikes:
 
So here's an update on how I'm feeling today...
 

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You crack me up CC (aka @Cynthia777)!!!!! Here you are dealing with another new hip and the humorous side of you just can't hold anything in! I love that you have such a positive attitude and your sunny disposition shines! There are great days ahead of you, my sweet friend. Keep on keeping on and before you know it you'll be running circles around us all!!!! Hugs and more hugs!!!
:roseshwr::roseshwr::roseshwr::flwrysmile::flwrysmile::flwrysmile:
 
@Cynthia777 :loll:love your sense of humor! So good to see you up and about again. Don't skip your pain meds!!! :bignono: Yours was one of the first posts that I read emphasizing that point and it was good advice. Sorry you have more pain this time. You are handling the anesthesiologist issues very calmly. I didn't understand the epidural was in for post op pain management too until just now. If it had been correct you might have been spared most of this. And not checking your allergy!?!?a The itching is tough to deal with. I would like to be a fly on the wall when PT is there tomorrow. I've been amazed at your level,of recovery without PT the first time around. So will nbe interesting to,see what he has to say this time. Glad to see yip out back with us. Hope you stay comfortable.a. Looking forward to seeing you more! :cheers:
 
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