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THR Going4fun new hip adventure

@Going4fun Are you eating at least something small when you’re taking your meds?

After surgery, we take so many pills it can be hard on the stomach. Right now, I have a package of Ritz crackers on hand and eat a few when taking meds. It seems to be helping.

It’s early days for us both, and this too shall pass. You may notice I’m typing this at 2:00 am - time to snuggle back into blankets . . .
 
I agree, I'm quite sure it's the narcotics if this is unusual for you.
Hopefully it eases within a few days.
You sound remarkably energetic. Make sure you're icing and get lots of rest :sleep:
A great weekend to you!
@Going4fun
 
Stomach is better today, much better.

My housemate fixed me dinner last night and helped me organize my living space today.

Feeling tired ... had a friend visit in early afternoon ... now ready to sleep ...

Pain is moderate ... leg operated leg isn't quite log leg ... but it's a semi-log leg ... I have to pull it up with a belt or my hand when I'm swinging onto my bed for icing.

Feels like my left leg is longer than the right ... even though pre-surgery my surgeon said my leg lengths were equal. Nurse who called today says that feeling of the operated leg being longer is not unusual. It will take the brain a little time to adjust to the new hip and that unequal leg length feeling will hopefully go away.

I got to give my surgeon credit: he has a staffer call me sometimes twice a day to check in ... plus a nurse from my health insurance company called to check in. I'm taking a nerve medication, an anti-inflammatory medication, a muscle relaxer medication, Tylenol, and Oxy for when pain increases. I'm also taking a stool softener and an acid reflux medication and baby aspirin to prevent clots. Quite the cocktail.

One good sign: when the surgeon came in the morning after ... he described my pain and stiffness down to a t. I was impressed ... I imagine it's easy for surgeons to not get exactly what their patients feel after surgery. My surgeon nailed the exact location of the tightness and the knot I feel in my leg.

I want to encourage folks who are considering this surgery to find a surgeon you trust, who has a lot of experience, and know that the recovery so far is NOT brutal.
 
Not unusual to feel one leg longer.
As cited in Bonesmart library :
Even patients with equally long legs after a total hip replacement may perceive their operated leg as longer immediately after the operation. The patient may feel that one leg, usually the not operated leg, is shorter, although both legs are equally long as the measurement on the X-ray will confirm. The patients complain of a sense of imbalance and they feel that one leg is longer. They may also have pain around the operated hip joint, in the groin, and/or in the lower back. But the pain may occur also in the opposite hip, especially if there is osteoarthritic damage of this hip apparent on X-ray pictures.

There are two types of LLD, apparent and real.

Apparent LLD occurs because, before surgery, the patient has been compensating for their hip pain by tilting the pelvis to put more weight on their good leg. An activity like this becomes a learned posture and can become entrenched in the patient's mind and/or body. Actually both legs are the same length and over a period of a few months, this posture will correct itself or can be helped to correct itself with the guidance of a knowledgeable PT.

I'm sure this feeling will subside as time goes on and you get more mobile.
Have a restful day!
 
You sound good! @Going4fun
I'm happy to hear you're progressing nicely and not viewing your recovery as brutal.
Just keep taking those meds on schedule and icing as often as you're able. It really helps
with pain and swelling. May it only get better!
 
Hi @Going4fun
Wondering how your week is going?
Leave us an update when you have time. We'd love to hear of your progress.
I hope you have a nice weekend!
 
Update 9 days out:

So far I'm feeling quite good. I'm so hesitant in writing this ... because I fear I'm gonna overdo things and set back my recovery as I've read about many times on BS. But my news so far is good.

Yesterday on day 8, a retired colleague came over and drove me to a nearby beautiful cemetery and we walked and talked ... she had her iPhone app going ... and she recorded that we had walked 1.1 miles ... I used the walker, because that was the longest walk I'd taken so far. Truth be told, I was so enjoying catching up with this person that I lost track of time and how far we had gone. I paused a few times while walking.

When I returned home, I wondered if I had overdone it ... but apparently no. I felt like I'd had a good workout (the feeling after exercise at the gym) ... tired ... but not exhausted and definitely not in pain. (I made a mental note NOT to walk this far today.)

I'm starting to occasionally climb the stairs and to descend the stairs leg over leg ... I don't do this the entire way ... I just test out how a movement feels ... and if it hurts or feels unstable I stop ... if not, I might try it it again.

Today I went to the diner with my housemate ... and I used the cane. People were impressed with my movement. I am so much stronger and steadier on the cane than I was even three or four days ago. Took me a few days of testing to find the right height for the cane, the height that seems to place the least stress on the operated leg.

I have moved exclusively to the cane at home ... and sometimes in my bedroom, I walk with no aid. Not far--outside for any distance longer than a block, I use the walker.

The cocktail of nerve medication, muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatory med and Tylenol is working really well to control the pain. I take Oxycodone at night ... and in the last two days, I've cut my usage during the day ... But if pain flares up, I'll take more during the day.

I realize from reading on BS that recovery does not proceed in a straight line and I don't want to tempt bad luck ... but I'm fairly astounded by how solid the operated leg feels. I'm doing minimal exercises ... like ankle pumps ... I think my surgeon emphasizes the ankle pumps to prevent blood clots. I do those if I find myself lying in bed for a long period.

I pulled off my bandage two days ago following the surgeon's discharge directions. The incision looks fine ... just a little itchy around the edges, but I've refrained from scratching.

My one complaint: I don't sleep through the night. I'm up at night and going to the bathroom a lot. Not sure if that is from drinking water for the meds (as well as other drinks) during the day.

Anyway, overall, I'm pleased. Feeling stronger than I thought I would and feeling better than I thought I would at this point. And I'm reminding myself that hey, progress may slow in the next few weeks. No rush. I'm just trying hard to not tempt the OVERDIDIT fate.
 
Good for you @Going4fun ! Such a great report - you are definitely off to a wonderful start!

I bet sleeping through the night will come soon. Maybe experiment a bit with pillows at night - you might get lucky!
 
@Going4fun - That is quite something; good for you!

The oxycodone and Tylenol combo really knocks out the pain for me and honestly, I could stand to take it 3x a time right now, which is still half the recommended max. I took the two-each dose today at 11am before physical therapy, then let 8 unmedicated hours go by; it's now 7:15 in my time zone and the left hip is k-i-l-l-i-n-g me.

I was only taking the oxy to sleep, as you are now, two weeks in with my right hip surgery. I was unable to sleep more more than an hour or two at a time right up till the second procedure. Now, I'm sleeping solidly, and on my back, too, with the memory foam wedge pillow. Your problem will likely pass. You really are doing wonderfully, and if you pay a temporary price for overdoing slightly, that's a lesson learned, ice and elevate ...
 
@Knitquilt, thanks for the encouragement. Yes, I will take your suggestion and tinker with the pillows ... and I'm gonna tinker with slightly reducing my drinking in the evening so I won't have to run to the bathroom so much

@EL11, 8 unmedicated hours ... ouch! ... Does that mean you were out and about? You're giving me an idea: I think I need to take Tylenol with me whenever I start to go out for longer periods.

BTW: How are you using the wedge pillow for sleep? I've been using it to elevate? Are you resting your head on the wedge pillow? Looking to steal ideas.

.
 
Great update! Thanks.
Sounds like you're on your way.
Enjoy the weekend!
@Going4fun
 
@Going4fun - I went all that time without pain pills for no good reason, climbed the stairs twice like a knucklehead, and by bedtime had returned to using the walker, I was so achy. The intake nurse had said, take the pills prophylatically, i.e., ahead of time when you know you’ll be exercising and also to get more sleep. And a nurse at the hospital told me that oxycodone + Tylenol = Percocet and when you truly need pain relief they work well together. But having Tylenol on hand for in between sounds like a good way to go. Don’t take the arthritis strength, the OS’s office cautioned me, but the regular extra-strength. And I restrict myself to 2 grams a day.

I use the memory foam wedge pillow under my knees, to elevate. I tuck a Flex-Kold blue ice pillow next to my hip on the pillow. It’s weird how with the 2nd hip my body is agreeing to sleep in this position! I’m like, Thanks pal ...

I went to sleep a few hours ago, woke up to go to the loo, and am settling down again feeling comfy and grateful with my pain at a 2.
 
:wave:you sound wonderful for less than two weeks.
Such early days but I won't even depress you with how long it took me to get a full nights sleep.:blackcloud:
So annoying!!

Need to stay hydrated and not sure even if my bladder wasn't calling, I didn't need to get up and move as I was constantly trying to get comfortable.
Actually I did find positions to get comfortable...for five minutes at a time:sigh:
All part of the process...
Nap when needed and keep up the great progress!:flwrysmile:
 
I want to solicit suggestions and guidance here from the BS community.

I'm 10 days out and overall, I'm feeling like my surgeon did a fantastic job.

But one wonderful memory I have of my surgery is the conversations I had with the two primary nurses assigned to me after surgery ... I arrived in my room after surgery at about 1 p.m. There was one nurse who stayed til 7 p.m. And then one night who worked form 7 p.m to 7 a.m. Both were women.

I had amazing conversations with both of these nurses and especially with the nurse who checked on me from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. I couldn't sleep and so I would just ask these nurses questions about their job, how much they liked it ... their work schedules and so on ... Quit background: I'm a former reporter, and my friends say I can get anybody talking and revealing all kinds of information about themselves. And it's true. I realize I'm a bit of an outlier in that I LOVE to hear other people's stories. Love to hear other people talk about themselves more than I love to talk about myself even.

The talks I had with these two nurses were amazing. Clearly this hospital was well staffed and so if I pressed the call button, they would come in 30 seconds or so ... and that was in addition to the frequent rounds and checks they made on me.

By morning, I felt like the overnight nurse had shared her entire life story ... and about her kids and about her husband who doesn't cook ... and I shared a lot. Note: there was nothing flirty about these conversations at all. But the result of all the conversing was that by the next morning, I felt like I had been at some amazing storytelling event ... in which I had gone on a journey with these two nurses and especially with the overnight nurse.

So now I want to send the nurses a thank you note ... but I don't want the note to be overly enthusiastic ... or hint at anything more than the platonic joy and wonder I experienced in getting to know these two people overnight. I don't want to appear as a creepy guy ... or even hint at the possibility that they were too revealing or close with me.

Finally there were other nurses also who attended to me ... and were excellent.

So here's my tentative idea, but I'm open to suggestions and guidance.

I can send a note to all the nurses who worked on me. I got a card from them at the end, and so I have all their names.

Then I'm thinking I can send individual notes to the two nurses who told me their life stories and thank them for the conversation. I realize the conversations were a great distraction as I was unable to sleep and I was still nervous and scared after surgery.

Any suggestions on wording or what to do overall? ... I'm also open to just keeping the memory of my time with the nurses to myself and maybe not send specific notes at all.

To give you an idea of how much these two nurses meant: when I updated friends about the surgery, one of my biggest comments was how wonderful conversing with these nurses was. I almost highlighted that more than I did the surgery, even though I felt great after surgery.
 
Hi there, @Going4fun
First, thank you for your kind words above. You're very thoughtful.

Your thoughtfulness also comes across in your desire to show gratitude to the woman who tended to your needs and provided you company while you were alone after surgery.

I'd buy a card and address it to all of the nurses who offered you care. I don't feel it's inappropriate to single out the two you spent a great amount of time conversing with, but I don't believe it's necessary. You were probably just as much company to them, as they were to you. If it was a slow night and they had the time to engage, I'm sure it helped pass time for them and they obviously enjoyed your company or they would have excused themselves to tend to other duties.

So....I'd suggest a beautiful card, a pretty bouquet of flowers for the floor and a box of high end chocolates. I'm sure you will get some feedback from others also.

Ten days out already. You're doing very well it seems. This surgery is such a life changer.
I hope you sleep well tonight and have a great Sunday!
 
@Going4fun that's beautiful, seriously. I'm not the king of good decisions, and you're probably better off taking advice from a female, but if I were in your shoes I'd just express myself honestly. I'd probably just call out the awkwardness and lay it all out there - basically just print what you wrote here, haha. If it's taken the wrong way and she thinks you're flirting, she'd probably be flattered anyway.
 
Two week update:

Overall, things are good ... much better than I thought they would be at this point.

I am basically on the full time cane now ... I have ditched the walker ... and not deliberately. If I decide to go on a long walk or say to a mall at some point, I will bring the walker and the cane.

This morning I met a friend for breakfast at the cafe at the end of my block. Afterwards, we walked up and down a long city block--with the cane. The movement felt great and felt great for the muscles in the operated leg.

Funny: I woke up this morning and the knee on my operated side felt tender. But somehow walking with the cane to the cafe and then walking up and down the block ... must have loosened up something. The tenderness in the knee didn't flare up at all.

More and more around the house, without really intending to, I ditch the cane and just walk. I used to wobble even a week ago ... Now the unassisted walk is becoming more even and stable. Again, I'm not "trying" to walk unassisted. It's just sometimes when taking a few steps in my bedroom or in the kitchen, I just move instead of reaching for my cane.

Just a few minutes ago, the delivery person rang the door bell ... and I scurried down the stairs without a cane ... pretty fast. I descended foot over foot for most of the way while holding the banister And I was pretty much stable.

What I've been good at is not forcing things. So even though I moved quite quickly with no aid down the stairs this time, I don't try to repeat that performance. I didn't "try" to walk fast down the stairs. I just did.

I'm taking minimal Oxy ... maybe one a day ...

Overall, I think my surgeon did a great job ... the incision seems to be healing nicely (he glued it shut).

I'm feeling that this hip is gonna be really strong!
 
Wonderful update! You're dong great at two weeks post op.
Thanks for posting, it's always nice to hear how members are progressing.
A great rest of the week to you!
@Going4fun
 
Great progress for you!
Hope all continues to improve.
Watch those stairs....NO falling!

Hope your weekend is sweet!:yes:
 
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