THR Hiptopia!

You're just a lucky duck :chuckmarch:@Calgal

That crazy thing makes me laugh, I named it Mojo because she often uses it, lol.
Enjoy your evening!
 
Over here, we get what we're given!
Not true but many people think this is the case. I picked both my hip surgeons as well as my spinal surgeon. It takes some persistence and some GPs try to fight this. But it is your right to chose.
 
Didn't realize that @Jaycey! I guess what I was saying was that sometimes we laypeople don't really know how to choose the 'best' doctor. When I was an insider in healthcare I knew docs personally and professionally. But having too many choices can be overwhelming, even with brands of marmalade.
 
I guess what I was saying was that sometimes we laypeople don't really know how to choose the 'best' doctor.
You are right but here we are lucky to have the National Joint Registry. It's really a numbers game. For me it was finding the surgeon with the highest rate of THRs per year local to me. Then a consultation to see if there was a "fit". For both THRs I had a private consultation and then got on the surgeon's NHS list.

I worked in the first group in London developing and Choose and Book system within the NHS (years ago) so I guess I have the advantage of knowing my way around the system. But I am always happy to help our members through this route as well.
 
Flashback post to my 1st week, starting from discharge day: (details from my own journal notes at the time, not summarized)

Day 3 Sunday
Discharge day!Physio session in morning, great help and encouragement. Good feedback re ROM. More up and down stairs. A bit tired after session though.
Called hubby and he came 11 to pack up and take me home. Only 2 patients left in hosp,! Closing for bank holiday. Felt deserted.
Asked to have wheelchair to get to car as was tired from physio and a little light headed again. Hard to get into car (leg stiff and swollen) but happy to be outdoors. Grey rainy UK weather but much cooler than hot hospital room. Went home and straight up to bed!!Difficult to settle in and find the right combination of pillows. Decided to stay grotty and wait for shampoo and first shower the next day, didn't have energy.
Still no pain to speak of! Leg was more swollen and tender though. Hubby is exhausted too from going up and down stairs so much with cool drinks (codeine = very thirsty!) and cups of tea for me.

Day 4 Monday
Breakfast in bed was lovely!Ventured downstairs for 1st time for shower (walk in) felt amazing!! . Felt human again. Went back upstairs to finish hair and a bit of makeup. had to sit and rest a couple of times, it was more effort than I thought it would be. Not perfect but more presentable. Went back downstairs to my living room chair for the day. Again a bit of figuring out comfortable pillows, etc was a bit of a challenge. Hip and upper leg swelling, not comfortable. Started to put cushions under foot and recline chair more. Felt much better. USA sites all mention elevating leg and icing. Not sure why UK hospitals don't make a bigger deal of doing this. After 3 visitors and almost all day 'up' I was really really tired after a 6.30 dinner. Went up to bed, elevated leg on pillow and slept till 10.30 when hubby came up to bed. I probably overdid it downstairs today. We watched a tv programme then I took bedtime meds and back to sleep. Finally a BM this evening after a day of figs and prunes. Will do senna tablets tonight to keep things going. Only 1 codeine tonight.

Day 5 Tuesday
Woke up usual 3.30 for wee. Then woke at 7.00. took meds. Still tired! went back to sleep till 9 after hubby got up with dog walk etc. Breakfast and another rest with a cup of coffee. Not doing shower ordeal today but will go downstairs, alternating with bed naps.

Day 6 Wednesday
Senna tablets did their magic this am! Felt good.Shower, hair and makeup morning. Still get tired mid way through and need to sit down. Spent day downstairs till 4 ish then back to bed for a long nap before dinner.
Doing well, no major pain still. Keeping up meds but less codeine (one tablet at a time)

Day7 1 week!
Up but no shower ordeal. Just some makeup and a dry hair restyle.
First venture into kitchen to prep chili in slow cooker with hubby's help. Leg feeling sore after standing on it for much more than 30 minutes. Then to recliner chair for day. Early dinner and early to bed.
 
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Flashback post from my week 2 (copied from my journal notes):

Day 8 Friday
Shower shampoo and makeup morning. Feeling good. Put on bra today 1st time in a week I bothered (just to keep the girls in control, no 'modesty pads') but stayed in cotton lounge dress.Downstairs most of day in recliner chair. No naps!
Hubby went out for a drink tonight. 1st night on own (after dinner). Managed ok.Went to bed 10ish, but very tired!
Really reducing the codeine today, just 1 in am and 1 before bed. Keeping topped up with paracetamol though.
Swelling is way down, but spent most of day sitting with leg elevated.

Day9 Saturday
Very tired this morning! ODIC?
Stayed up too long yesterday. didn't have a good sleep, woke 3x. Took paracet at 5am. Went back to sleep till 8.30, then a codeine before breakfast. Slept a bit more after breakfast before getting up at 10.30.
No shower but put on makeup, bra and shorts/ t shirt. 1st real clothes! Went downstairs and did a few PT exercises and some walking around house and garden. Leg started to ache. Back to bed 2ish to elevate.

Day10 Sunday
Shower, shampoo and makeup = human. Bra on but just a house dress lounger because weather wasn't so nice. Rainy. Planned to stay in.
1 codeine in am, then paracet rest of day 4x.
Big accomplishment today was 1st walk outside front house in late afternoon across street to visit neighbors! My leg swelling is almost gone, just a bit at the upper backside after standing awhile. Gets a bit sore after sitting in a recliner too long. Wish I had a lambswool pad or something, but had the bright idea - took the squishy pad I bought for dog to keep him cool in summer and put it on seat of recliner, sort of wrapping it up around the op side leg. Heaven! Dog doesn't use it but I will. Sort of like icing without ice - just a cooling sensation. Trying no codeine tonight.

Day 11 - Monday
Difficulty getting comfortable last night. Up to wee 4 X!! Senna did the trick again this morning. Didn't take it 2 nights ago and felt the need.
Down to just 1 paracetamol this morning. No codeine anymore. Did 2 X paracet X3 today total.
Got new phone today. Thanks hubby, very unexpected. But..
H very pushy to get it all set up. I didn't have the energy really. Worst day I've had I think. By end of day feeling really tired and low and cranky and we quibbled. The blues struck!! Teary. Went upstairs to bed 9pm and slept well.

Day 12 Tuesday
Feeling a bit better after good sleep. 2 X paracet 2 X today only. Really no pain. More energy, stayed up most of the day. Bed at 10 pm and slept till 7am.

Day 13 Wednesday
Lots more energy. No pain. No paracet in am, didn't start till 1:30, then 2x paracet 2x today.
Stayed up till 11pm!
Ordered grocery shopping online, very easy and why didn't I do this before?? Delivery hurrah tomorrow. Hubby is getting tired of shopping and not making good healthy choices. Need to get some normalcy to dinners! Basically cooked dinner all on own!!

Day 14 Thursday - dressing check!
Uh oh - definitely in pain this morning! Too much yesterday - ODIC! Pain when walking and putting weight on leg.
Dressing check with GP practice nurse 10am. 1st outing in car (since discharge day) felt great to get out despite bit of pain bumping in car. Had to put cushion on car seat and a folded tea towel to buffer seatbelt where it rubbed my hip incision area. GP's nurse was really great! Told me it's a long haul and although I'm doing really well, be sure to take it very easy. It's not 6 weeks but more like 3 to 6 months to recover from the trauma of the major op. Said I will feel a plateau several times and feel 'why am I not progressing' but that is normal. (Reiterated all of this in front of husband) Told him no housework for me for awhile. They took off steristrips which made me sort of queasy but they were itching my skin so good riddance. She was pleased with my incision healing. First look at my scar and it's long but not as bad as I expected.
Came home and went to bed to elevate and rest. Will take co-codamol next dose for pain. Out of pure codeine but have some combi so will dip into that if needed. Wimping out today. Big morning.
 
Flashback post for week 3: (summary!)
Completely off the codeine now after milking out my 28 tablets. But if I had needed more I would have called GP. Also reducing paracetamol down to 3000 mg / day, mostly by reducing doses daytime but always doing 1000 before bed to get me through night. Still on the clexane injections for blood thinning till day 27 and the TED stockings.

Swelling is much reduced but scar/incision area is very tender and it feels tight when I bend to sit. Underwear elastic drives me nuts so rooted around and found an old pair with very high legs so as not to rub. Wish I was young enough for a thong!

Had 1st outpatient PT on day 18 and she was pleased with my scar healing and mobility. She Ok'd to put vaseline or bio oil or e45 cream on scar to soften it. She said the itching and tightness inside was also the internal paper stitches dissolving. I ended up using propolis gel on the incision area which felt better. I wanted her to say go to 1 crutch but she said stay with 2 another week. No limping allowed on her watch!

Overall still taking it easy but getting around better and not as tired. Turned a corner. Feeling stronger. Doing more cooking. Still elevating a lot.
 
Flashback post for week 4 (summary):

ODIC major! Father's Day my hubbys 2 sons, partners, 3 year old grandson and new 1 week old granddaughter came over for a BBQ. I told him I definitely wasn't well enough for entertaining, but he promised he would do everything. However I ended up making 2 salad dishes. So stood and chopped vegetables for hours the night before. very tired going into the day and was totally exhausted by 4pm. Loved seeing and holding granddaughter but just couldn't get comfortable sitting for very long. Finally excused myself from the party and went to bed 5pm with ice and the last hoarded remaining codeine.

Rest of week was take it easy! Biggest accomplishment was walking across the street to visit our neighbors for a chat and cup of tea. Weather improving so venturing out to my veggie patch and greenhouse to check on progress.
 
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Flashback post for week 5:

Feeling stronger. Started to use just 1 crutch inside house. Great to be able to carry things! Ditched the TED stockings, weather heating up and they were hot and itchy. My leg skin looked like crocodile - yuk dry and flaky. Used my long handled exfoliating brush for days in shower and tons of lotion and oil to get the skin back to normal.

Had a old work friend come visit which was nice. She has had bilateral TKR so understands joint replacement recovery. Had a nice chat on the deck in the sun.

Big outing was going for a haircut. Nice to feel groomed again. Sitting at the washbasin chair was the only obstacle, but they put a kiddie booster cushion on the chair and that raised it up just fine!

Looking forward to next week and 6 week check at OS and 2nd PT. I think they will be pleased with my progress!

Still using paracetamol but less and less necessary. Activity is simply walking more, concentrating on gait.

So now I'm up to date on my gory detailed recovery history up to my very first post, which was at week 6. Hope my story helps some of you know what happens and how I coped. Happy healing!
 
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:hi: Happy Friday!
I wish I would have kept as detailed of an account of my recovery.
You're doing well. And to think it's going to get even better. :yes!:
Enjoy the weekend!
@Calgal
 
You suggested I log all my details Layla! :heehee: perhaps too detailed?? Looking back now it all seems so long ago. I can really see that the 1st 10 -14 days were really a struggle but things got much better after that. Your recommendation for people look at one week accomplishments is sound. Amazing the difference a week makes! Looking forward to continuing progress. This week's goal is to try driving! :driver:
 
I am glad you posted your journey it is so helpful to see the progress over a few weeks. I think you were more active than me in the first few days. I managed to go downstairs this morning and sat for about 5 minutes before going all clammy and lightheaded
 
I believe many will find it interesting. Especially those who are waiting for surgery and those recovering along with you.

Before my surgery I no idea when I'd be able to do anything afterward. When a nurse told me pre-op that barring any complications I'd be going home 23 hrs post op, I was stunned and felt as though I was being thrown to the wolves. :yikes: I'd never experienced more than a tooth extraction and figured they'd have to wheel me back into my home on a stretcher :heehee:
Reading accounts of how quickly things can progress is encouraging. Well...at least in my opinion.
@Calgal
 
@Fiona444 don't worry about how active you are! In-between the lines I did a lot of going back to bed for lie downs and naps the first weeks. I also realized that I was able to milk my codeine out a bit more than the 6 days I originally told you. Glad you got more from the GP. They love to rx cocodamol but I totally agree with your logic of alternating the different meds times. I also think it's good to be able to manage the dose (taking more or less) of each drug separately as needed. Good for you for calling them back to get what you think is best for your situation.
 
Week 7 milestone: driving again! Yippee! :driver: Was starting to hit the blues with my wings clipped, relying on hubby to drive me anywhere. I longed to go shopping and just browse at my leisure without an impatient man saying 'hurry up!' :gaah:

However I'm now lounging in the ODIC club this afternoon, icing and elevating, after driving to my favourite discount housewares shop and walking EVERY aisle (an hour), then coming home and driving to then taking dog for a walk in the park for over 45 minutes. Felt good to get out but naughty Calgal, I know better!! :headbang:

Taking it easy tonight. And probably tomorrow. Now I know why @Layla and @Mojo333 say week 6-8 people report more pain, just because we are more mobile and probably a bit stir crazy and try to do too much!!! Lesson learned.
 
Driving again is so awesome! You feel like a teen who just got their drivers license....well almost, lol.
I'll bet you went to a HomeGoods like store we have on this side of the pond. It's my fave, my happy place and it totally relaxes me walking up and down every aisle also. Always feels new because the merchandise moves so quickly. Sorry you overdid it and you're dealing with some discomfort, hopefully it eases soon.
Wishing you comfort and a great evening!
@Calgal
 
Thats great that you are driving @Calgal. Is this the first time you walked the dog as well? I cant wait to walk my 2 again
 
Wow, @Calgal, so loved reading your recovery thread to date--you are doing super great, it seems, although I'm sure there were and will continue to be bumps on the road. In many ways, your recovery seems to mirror mine from my first hip--I, too, felt it really wasn't that bad. I had swelling, some discomfort and that terrible (I hadn't anticipated that) energy drain for the first 4 - 6 weeks, but I was able to stop heavy duty medications within a few weeks, and loved transitioning from that annoying walker to using a walking pole after that. All in all, I felt I had a very uneventful recovery and am absolutely hoping recovery #2 will mirror my first time experiences. I hope you realize that, in my opinion/experience, folks actually LOVE reading about fairly straightforward and "boring" recoveries--gives one hope that it's not going to be a horrible, traumatic ordeal. Before my first hip replacement I obsessively read posts on the post-op side, and some of the horrifically awful recoveries scared me to death! I was always so relieved when I read about recoveries like yours and I promised that if I had a similar one I was definitely going to post about it. I did, and going back and rereading it helps calm my nerves when I start to feel myself becoming anxious. Doctor says more likely than not this recovery will be similar--that's what I'm hoping for anyway. Glad to read you're doing so well, and I do agree that the more mobile you're able to be, the more the temptation to overdo things is present. But, even though you pay the price the next day sometimes it's worth it to push the envelope just a bit! That being said, do be sensible! Cheers!
 
@Fiona444 officially yes, all on my own. I've trundled behind my husband once or twice but stopped after a few hundred yards and waited for them to go on a longer loop and pick me up on the way back. So yes 2 milestones today! I really missed getting out into nature with hubby and spaniel. I haven't been able to walk my furbaby for about 4 months due to rapidly progressing OA. I sure feel it now though! Ice is my friend. :ice:
 

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