THR Grasstuft's RTHR (22 July 2022) Recovery Journey in UK

Sleep troubles seem to be very common post op. Being wide awake is bad enough, but not being able to find a comfortable position is so frustrating. Have you tried using a pillow under your lower leg(s) or knee(s)? Many of is here have found that lots of pillows placed strategically help a lot.
I found that listening to sleep stories for grown-ups was helpful. I found them on youtube but maybe other platforms have them also. There are tons of them to suit just about anyone, from Harry Potter to train trips along the Arctic Circle.
Congrats on getting your step count moving upward!
 
Good morning,
I try and keep my phone on me all day so I get my step count but not always possible, especially in the house I'm doing laundry, cleaning and phone is somewhere else. So I love it when it tells me, "you walked more yesterday"
No I didn't, just didn't keep you with me all day! LOL!
These devices know more about us than we know.
Restless legs are normal, same here in first few weeks especially because had to back sleep, I'd bend my knees for a bit, then straighten.
One day at a time is the way to go.
Stay cool.
Thanks, mine is a smart watch and like you I try to keep it on all day except when it needs charging every couple of days. I am goal oriented so I like to see I've made progress. Although having said that I am sure my step count will be lower today as I had a dreadful night, and didn't get much sleep at all so plan on taking lots of naps today.
I wasn't sure I should call it restless leg, but thanks for confirming.
Hope you're having a good weekend.
 
Not much planned for this weekend, I volunteer at a dog rescue so I'll be heading out in a bit to do that, then back here.
My son (overnight ER nurse) has invited himself for breakfast tomorrow AM when he gets done! LOL!
Rest when you feel like it, no rush, easy does it!
 
Sleep troubles seem to be very common post op. Being wide awake is bad enough, but not being able to find a comfortable position is so frustrating. Have you tried using a pillow under your lower leg(s) or knee(s)? Many of is here have found that lots of pillows placed strategically help a lot.
I found that listening to sleep stories for grown-ups was helpful. I found them on youtube but maybe other platforms have them also. There are tons of them to suit just about anyone, from Harry Potter to train trips along the Arctic Circle.
Congrats on getting your step count moving upward!
Thank you for the suggestions, I am going to try your pillow under the knees suggestion. I always used to do this pre-op until the right hip started to complain and my leg needed to be straight or I would lie on my left side with my right leg bent. I look forward to being able to sleep on my left side again in the future.
I do have an Audible subscription and listen to audio books, but if I'm wide awake I prefer to watch Netflix, as it's easier to find your place again if you drift off. I also listen to Spotify and lower the volume as I get sleepier.
Not much planned for this weekend, I volunteer at a dog rescue so I'll be heading out in a bit to do that, then back here.
My son (overnight ER nurse) has invited himself for breakfast tomorrow AM when he gets done! LOL!
Rest when you feel like it, no rush, easy does it!
That sounds nice. Thanks.

Today is a total chill out day, and tomorrow should be more of the same. However, I shall be planning my exercises, naps and meals for tomorrow around the Euros 2022 Women's football final at Wembley Stadium tomorrow with kick off at 5pm. England play Germany and we are hosting, so it's huge. I am quietly confident that we can make history tomorrow, but we are playing Germany so we shall see.
 
Day 9 continued

9.46pm: Because I got so little sleep last night (just 2 or 3 hours) I have had lots of little naps today, and was unfortunately not compos mentis until earlier this evening. I then realised that I have now proved that the compression stockings were not causing the pain, as I wasn't wearing them last night. I also recorded my symptoms as they happened and now know what I'm dealing with. So it took me until early evening to realise that I should read thru the 'Managing your pain' booklet I got when I was discharged from hospital because clearly I'm not managing it. I had flicked thru it before, but this time I read it thoroughly. It seems that now my pain has graduated to 9 or 10, so I should be taking Tramadol. Of course that's the only med that I wasn't given or is only available on prescription. It's a Saturday night, so getting it is not going to be easy. I phoned the hospital and spoke to someone on the ward and then was supposed to get transferred to talk to a nurse, but it rang and rang and finally the line went dead. So I resorted to calling the NHS 111 service (a non-emergency helpline). I am now awaiting a call back from a GP, and hopefully the solution will be as simple as my wife driving to our local pharmacy to pick up the prescription. I uploaded my hospital discharge report to my NHS record, as it's not there yet, so the GP can tell I am not telling porkies.

For now I'm in bed, in a zombie-like state thru lack of sleep, with the hip ice pack under my operated leg, to try and keep the RLS pain at bay and ward off the burning leg pain. Tonight it's in the opposite order, for some reason as it usually starts with the burning pain then the RLS arrives. Hopefully I won't have to wait too much longer for the callback, but while I'm waiting I will sleep as I am so damn tired.

11.38pm Awake and still no call from the 111 GP. I originally called at 7.24pm and after being on hold for 27 minutes spoke to a human who took my details and said I would get a callback within 2 hours from a GP. Instead the same person called me back at 9.45pm to say they were sorry for the delay as the GPs are really busy, but one would call me soon. Two hours later Google told me it would be too late to get the Tramadol tonight as the midnight pharmacy closes at 11.45pm. (Shouldn't it be called the 11.45pm pharmacy then?) So I took my Codeine instead, as I'm not getting the Tramadol until Sunday. There will be no such problem in the USA as there are 24 hour pharmacies.

Note to self: that's another thing to add to my long list of reasons why life will be better in the USA, that is when the US embassy finally approves my visa, including:
  • It will be summer all the time (I'm emigrating to Florida with my American wife and English Yorkie)
  • No freezing cold winters or ice and snow. This limits the chances of accidentally falling over to treading on a banana or plantain skin, so I will know for sure when it's time for the next THR
  • Central air conditioning everywhere
  • Palm trees
  • Parking spaces large enough to hold the average-sized car and actually get out of it without the need to be anorexic. The only exception to this rule in the UK is Costco car parks, because of course Costco is American!
  • More choice for everything, especially groceries
  • Restaurants galore
  • Roads that are large enough to drive down without having to keep stopping every 10 seconds because there are parked cars on both sides of the road.
  • Drive-thru everything
  • More Five Guys restaurants
  • Earlier cinema releases
  • Chance of finally seeing Pat Benatar live
  • Gatorade zero!
  • Oceans that are blue not ****- coloured, because they are full of sewage
  • Christmas lights on homes that actually look lovely and don't make you cringe when you drive through your neighborhood with all the tackiness flashing at you.
  • Trees decorated beautifully with lights (particularly palm trees). In the UK people have not grasped the concept of wrapping the lights around the trunk, they just throw a bunch of lights at the branches of the tree and hope they don't fall off.
  • iHOP
  • Brunch
  • Housing regulations where you cannot fill your yard with trash and leave it there for years as an eyesore
  • Zoning laws that actually separate industry, commerce and housing instead of none at all, so you can end up living between two crappy industrial estates full of rats
  • Absence of pot holes in every road you drive down
  • Ice in drinks everywhere
  • Free refills everywhere
  • Housing communities with adequate parking provided so the roads are not full of parked cars
  • Car parks with separate entrances and exits, so it's easy to get in and out and not get stuck
  • Ability to use a hair dryer in a bathroom (one from the wife) as it is illegal here
That's it for now, but there's more I'm sure.
 
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Oh gosh, look at the list of pros for moving to the USA/Florida. I had a good chuckle reading it.

But didn't giggle when reading about your tough nights recently. You definitely are correct, you need to stay ahead of the pain. After the pain hits, it takes a good bit of time to get up on top of it again.

Have you considered making a chart and noting when you are taking your meds? Then take them again at the noted time on your chart. If you aren't doing this and are waiting for the pain to notify you, well it's too late again.

For myself, the medications with codeine were for my more extreme pain. tramadol helped when the stronger meds weren't needed but I still needed help.
Glad to see that you have ordered at least one more ice pack.. several are needed to keep some of them cold and waiting to be used.

If you don't get a return phone call, please be persistent. It sounds to me like you may be undermedicated.

Good luck with your sleep! If it helps to hear it, many of us had sleeping issues immediately post op. In fact, it can last for quite some time. So you are right to snag those naps whenever you can.

You also mentioned exercises. So I'd like to remind you of our favorite saying around here:


BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.
 
Oh gosh, look at the list of pros for moving to the USA/Florida. I had a good chuckle reading it.
Thanks, I was in a particularly sarcastic mood last night with my list of pros, but I stand by every one of them. Sure there will be a few cons of leaving the UK (but not as many as leaving the EU - I hate Brexit with a passion) the main one will be missing my sister and her family. However, my wife has spent 15 years here with me and missed out on a lot with her family in Florida, so it's only fair I make the same sacrifice now both my parents have passed away. Hopefully my sister will accept our invitation to visit, particularly at Christmas. I have spent many a happy Christmas in Florida, which is the perfect time to get away from the cold English winter.
But didn't giggle when reading about your tough nights recently. You definitely are correct, you need to stay ahead of the pain. After the pain hits, it takes a good bit of time to get up on top of it again.

Have you considered making a chart and noting when you are taking your meds? Then take them again at the noted time on your chart. If you aren't doing this and are waiting for the pain to notify you, well it's too late again.
I am using an app to manage my meds, but have now realised thanks to you that it's not really up to the challenge of recording the actual times I take them. It was fine as an exercise reminder and to take my daily Levothyroxine, vitamins etc. but It can do little else. I must find a better one, or use a spreadsheet. Relying on memory is not sufficient when there's so many meds.
For myself, the medications with codeine were for my more extreme pain. tramadol helped when the stronger meds weren't needed but I still needed help.
The hospital's pain guide lists Tramadol as only for severe pain, which for me is thankfully just at night when RLS and burning leg strikes. Having read the side effects on the WHO analgesic ladder that can affect as high as 1 in 10 I'm not surprised it's not prescribed normally.

I think I've now formed a new strategy, just by rationally thinking things thru while composing this repIy to you, so thanks again. Codeine does work combined with the ice pack. In fact last night I managed 3 hours sleep just using the ice pack, no Codeine as I was hoping to get the Tramadol prescription. In the morning I'm going to ask for a sustained release version of Codeine instead, because 4 hours is not enough for a good night's sleep and I always wake up in pain and have to take more. That together with the ice packs should be enough.

Glad to see that you have ordered at least one more ice pack.. several are needed to keep some of them cold and waiting to be used.
Yes indeed. Unfortunately the 2nd one arrived pretty late last night, so wasn't adequately frozen by the time I used it and only lasted about 10 minutes. However, thanks to you I've just realised I'm actually better off with their XlL pad as the hip pack version I got has velcro attachments, which are more of an annoyance to me as I lay on it, rather than use it while standing. I shall return the other two.
You will laugh when I say this, but I thought I read it lasts for 2 hours 22 minutes, not 22 minutes.
If you don't get a return phone call, please be persistent. It sounds to me like you may be undermedicated.
Still no phonecall at 5.55am so I will have to call again in the morning if I don't get a call.
Good luck with your sleep! If it helps to hear it, many of us had sleeping issues immediately post op. In fact, it can last for quite some time. So you are right to snag those naps whenever you can.
Thanks. It seems strange that I can nap successfully during the day without pain, but can manage only 3 hours max at night, but I'm not complaining as that's a bonus.
You also mentioned exercises. So I'd like to remind you of our favorite saying around here:


BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.
Thanks, that is good to know and I had read it before (probably with a bemused look on my face). I'm a firm believer in physio as its really helped with OA in my right knee, and the groin strain I had last year. I have used it as a reminder that it's not absolutely essential I complete my 3 sessions each day if I can't (like last night when I was completely wiped out). Increasing my flexibility and mobility is my prime reason for doing what my physio has advised.

Thank you so much for your reply and advice, you have helped me strategise my next plan of attack. I have now taken 2 more Codeine and replaced my ice pack, and am going to get some more sleep.

I hope you have a fabulous Sunday.
 
Day 9 Recap (Saturday 30 July)

Achievements
  • Can now get into bed without using a leg lifter on my operated leg
  • Recovered from an 'oops I dropped my crutch' moment while home alone (wife was at the gym) by shuffling carefully to find the grabber and then retrieving the dropped crutch.
  • New personal record for longest ever callback time from NHS 111 (non-emergency line) - 14 hours overnight
 
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Day 10 (Sunday 31 July)

I did manage to get more sleep last night than the previous night (6 hours 18 minutes including 1 hour 29 minutes of deep sleep according to my Garmin Venu). I still need more and was planning on grabbing some, as the overnight burning leg/RLS is thankfully gone for now (it's like a vampire and only comes out at night . However, my wound started feeling super itchy, so I had to get up and get another ice pack to calm that down.

I think today will be much like yesterday, attempting to catch up on lost sleep by napping when I feel the need. However, I am planning my day around the England vs Germany Women's Football final of the Euros, and keeping all fingers and toes crossed (even those on my operated leg). So it will be dinner, in the middle of the day instead of the evening then a nap before coverage begins at 3.50pm. I shall probably watch solo, as my wife is threatening to clean the bedroom during the match. She loves football, or soccer as Americans call it, and actually got me into it, but gets so nervous when it gets tight that I can hear her dry heaving. She usually comes in to watch the goals after hearing my screams of delight. The only cure (apart from Dramamine maybe?) is to physically be at the match. The occasion then helps to calm her nerves. We went to all the US women's teams matches for the London Olympics in 2012, even the ones in Scotland, and thankfully they took home the gold.

0937am: Finally got my GP callback, and I am getting a prescription for Tramadol electronically sent to my local pharmacy. He helped to allay my fears of the long list of side effects. Hopefully tonight I can actually get a good night's sleep.
 
Happy to hear you will be getting your prescriptions filled.
I laughed at your list of reasons you are moving to Florida! We had to travel to London back in my corporate days and my boss was a Pepsi with tons of ice drinker...forget it, not much ice to be had in London!!!
And he hated the food.
Oh well.
Enjoy your soccer/football game.
 
Oh and BTW the itchy incision is part of the healing. I used Arnican gel on mine but I'd clear that with your OS if you still have stitches or staples. The gel is very soothing.
 
Oh and BTW the itchy incision is part of the healing. I used Arnican gel on mine but I'd clear that with your OS if you still have stitches or staples. The gel is very soothing.
Thanks. I can't put anything on it besides an ice pack until the dressing is removed and the clips come out a week from tomorrow (surgeon's orders), but will be sure to ask when I go for my appointment.
 
Happy to hear you will be getting your prescriptions filled.
Thanks.
I laughed at your list of reasons you are moving to Florida! We had to travel to London back in my corporate days and my boss was a Pepsi with tons of ice drinker...forget it, not much ice to be had in London!!!
These are the extremes in the UK regarding ice in soft drinks:
  1. No ice, unless you ask for it and then just two or three cubes if you're lucky.
  2. One or two cubes that melt within a minute of the drink arriving. That's usually the norm for tap water, which is never cold enough for my liking.
  3. Practically all ice and hardly any Pepsi, because ice is way cheaper than Pepsi.
  4. Half and half with free refills, more often than not at an American restaurant, e.g. TGIs. This is the way it should be, of course.
Did you know that on cruise ships they only routinely provide ice for US routes?
And he hated the food.
Oh well.
Enjoy your soccer/football game.
Thanks. I hope so.
 
Your Life Is Better in the USA list gave me some good chuckles. I hope it all becomes true for you.
I did volunteer work with an emergency room physician who split his year between the midwest and Florida, before finally permanently relocating down there. Once when we were talking about how things were going for him in his new place, he remarked that overall it was good, but there were times it got cold enough that he *almost* needed to wear socks :SUNsmile:

If you find that tramadol makes you drowsy, I suggest that you work your meds schedule backward from your usual bedtime, so you have a dose that lets you get sleepy right then. Broken sleep is part of the post op experience, but it gets better over time.

Like you I'm a proponent of PT, having had a lot of it over the past 15 or so years. It helped with a lot of problems and kept me chug along. But for post THR, I found less is more. Early days is not the time to worry about ROM and strengthening; there is a time for that after healing and waiting a couple or few months won't set your fitness back all that much. For now it might help with pain to focus on your new improved gait, and balance and proprioception. Let your body get used to its new self, then work on strength and conditioning.

I hope your enjoy the "football" matches. I'm looking forward to the other kind of football when collegiate play starts in just over a month. My granddaughter played rugby in high school, and we always enjoy seeing world class games when they are televised here.

Best to you!
 
England 2
Germany 1

Happy dance at your house! :happydance::yay::happydance:
Yes indeed, what a result! I didn't actually jump out of my chair and dance, as I'd been sitting down glued to the screen for over 30 minutes but there was a lot of shouting and plenty of tears.
I hadn't expected to be so emotional just watching the pre-match show.. When the final whistle blew I felt something I have not felt in years (since before the Brexit debacle) proud to be English again.
 
Your Life Is Better in the USA list gave me some good chuckles. I hope it all becomes true for you.
I did volunteer work with an emergency room physician who split his year between the midwest and Florida, before finally permanently relocating down there. Once when we were talking about how things were going for him in his new place, he remarked that overall it was good, but there were times it got cold enough that he *almost* needed to wear socks :SUNsmile:

If you find that tramadol makes you drowsy, I suggest that you work your meds schedule backward from your usual bedtime, so you have a dose that lets you get sleepy right then. Broken sleep is part of the post op experience, but it gets better over time.

Like you I'm a proponent of PT, having had a lot of it over the past 15 or so years. It helped with a lot of problems and kept me chug along. But for post THR, I found less is more. Early days is not the time to worry about ROM and strengthening; there is a time for that after healing and waiting a couple or few months won't set your fitness back all that much. For now it might help with pain to focus on your new improved gait, and balance and proprioception. Let your body get used to its new self, then work on strength and conditioning.

I hope your enjoy the "football" matches. I'm looking forward to the other kind of football when collegiate play starts in just over a month. My granddaughter played rugby in high school, and we always enjoy seeing world class games when they are televised here.

Best to you!
 
Day 10 (Sunday 31 July 2022) continued

I went to bed jubilant after watching all the post-match coverage of England women's well deserved victory over Germany 2-1. Watching the aftermath as it unfolded at Wembley Stadium reminded me of actually being there with my wife to watch the US women win the gold medal football match at the London Olympics in 2012. England's lionesses have made me so proud to be English again, which is not something I've felt since before the dark times of Brexit followed by the mess the government has made with their handling of Covid.

I talked with my sister on the phone after the match, and told her all about my leg on fire pain, RLS and my so far unsuccessful attempt to fill my Tramadol prescription (my wife went to collect it but found there was no pharmacist 2 hours before closing time ). I am going to take her advice and get an appointment with my GP in the morning to discuss my THR-related pain, get my leg checked out just to make sure it's ok because it is rather red, and see if they can offer any advice on my trials and tribulations in getting the right size compression stocking for my over-sized leg.

On Saturday my wife made a 2 hour round trip to the hospital to pick up some 2XL compression stockings. I was expecting them to be the same brand as the ones I was given in hospital. However, when I took them out of the bag they were a different brand entirely, and they looked really small. So I checked the size guide on the manufacturer's website and found out that for my 25" sized calf (thanks to a haematoma lump that never went away) the correct size for me would be 5XL. So they went back in the bag straight away. I had purchased some other compression socks online and tried to wear one in the afternoon for a few hours but could only stand it for a couple of hours before it felt too painful, so asked my wife to remove it.

I'm also going to ask the GP about the possibility of getting some stronger Codeine in sustained release form, instead of the Tramadol, as I'm still concerned about the long list of side effects. My sister told me that my brother-in-law has taken Tramadol, which made me feel a little better, but I want to explore all the available options for stronger pain meds.

I took my Codeine and then fell asleep just after 11pm quite easily as I was so tired, but was awakened with violent RLS movements in my operated leg about 2 hours later at 2.09am. It settled down again after a trip to the loo, and an ice pack change, so hopefully I can get some more sleep now. that I've taken my final dose of Codeine (none left in the box now).
 
Day 11 (Monday 1 August 2022)

04.17am:
Still awake after trying to drift off to sleep for an hour. I've now been awake since wakening to RLS pain at 1:09am, and have only had 2 hours sleep since nodding off around 11pm. I was so close; started seeing random images floating by accompanied by dream-like thoughts, but then the wound itchiness returned and became unbearable, so I had to get up, take another Chlorphenamine (Piriton) and get the hip wrap around ice pack, rather than the XL flat ice pack I have been using for pain. Sleep - where are you?

04.59am: Sleep is still evading me, and now the RLS is back. Going to try and walk it off.

07.14am: I got another 1.5 hours sleep, and have awoken to find both ankles are now swollen. Argh! That's something else to add to my list of things to talk to the doc about. I wonder if I will get water tablets? Now applying another ice pack on my hip and I think I will go and get another one for my feet. Gonna attempt a bit more sleep before I have to call to make an appointment at 8am.

07.33am: Now laying down with both legs elevated, ice pack under my ankles and another around my hip.
My left ankle doesn't seem to be swollen just the one on the right operated leg, not sure if the left went down or I was mistaken earlier.
 
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Best to get those legs checked if there's this much swelling. Are you taking 81mg aspirin? I had to take for several weeks after surgery. If you sat for extended period with legs down that could cause your ankles to swell, this is why I don't like to sit in a chair for long periods.
Stay elevated and iced and try and see your doctor.
Keep us posted.
 

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