It seems that I have floated on a comfortable cloud for this surgical event when I compare my experience with many others on this board. Apart from the fright and anxiety leading up to the surgery, everything couldn't have gone more smoothly. I got a few high-powered pain meds in the hospital, but when I returned home after my night in the hospital, I only used Tylenol and never touched the tramadol. I started cutting down on the Tylenol because it upset my stomach. I dropped it completely a couple of days ago, and am now only taking the baby aspirin against blood-clotting. The only other participant I know of on this forum who had no pain was Mycroft, and he vanished pretty quickly after his concerns (about being pain-free) were addressed.
However I suspect my smooth ride regarding pain may have its origins in my bout of shingles last summer. It started with excruciating back pain (9 on the scale? I could barely talk) that landed me in the emergency ward. I was struck down at my family's little cabin on a Gulf Island at 3 am, so had to sweat it out for hours before dawn broke and the ferries started running again... wow I will never forget that night. I have never been through childbirth, so that was
the pain experience of my life to date. My friend was staying there with me, so at least I wasn't alone.
It was a difficult one to diagnose as I didn't get the rash,
zoster sine herpete (ZSH) "shingles without the rash" according to my googling, so the window of opportunity--3 days-- to treat it with whatever had passed. The back pain was in my mid/lower back, and offset from my spine, right side. On day three I noticed that my lower belly on the right hand side had gone numb. Hubby, who was out of town, directed me back to the Emergency ward, then it was on to my family doc back and forth a couple of times, and got armed with heavy duty pain-killers. Even by day five no one could tell me what was wrong with me. Neither of the emergency physicians I saw --one in Nanaimo, and one in Vancouver-- thought of shingles because I didn't present with the characteristic rash.
However my doctor did consult a neurologist, and she phoned me at home to say that the specialist thought that it might indeed be shingles without the rash. So that was as close to a definitive diagnosis as I ever got. It was a nasty experience for some long weeks. Under the numb skin was a storm of pain that felt like a bayonet wound to my belly. Okay--I've never been wounded by a bayonet ;), but somehow the experience melded in my imagination with a movie I once saw about WWI veterans in convalescent homes, nursing horrible wounds.
Fast forward one year to my THR. My lower belly, right side, never regained sensation. It is still numb to touch, but I don't care. I'm just glad that I didn't end up with post-herpetic pain for the rest of my life.
So here is the nub of my long rambling post. Is it possible that my lack of pain post THR surgery is tied to the nerves that were destroyed during my bout of what I assume was ZSH?
I would be very pleased if
@Josephine weighed in on this.
...they mean well.
). Saw a nurse at the clinic and had the staples (20) removed. All looks well. Went out socializing a bit yesterday evening. It was a very merry birthday party, live music pub. It was good to see so many old and new friends. I moved quite gingerly around with the crutches; I haven't been using them very much. At home I am still using the walker, but I am starting to sense a shift in my strength. Once or twice I caught myself turning and stepping away from the walker with an unconscious and natural step. I think that I am on the edge of simply walking.
United States
or a Croissant.
(pretend it's a Margarita) 
