THR Hopefully Hippy Recovery

[Apricot]

Good to be somewhere being looked after well. I can't resist these emojiis. Don't usually use them. Have a good day today.

 

[Mojo333]

How are you this day... @SurreyGirl ?
Walking going okay?
Figured out how to sleep somewhat comfortably yet?
That was a biggie for me...didn't happen for a long time!
Any idea when they will let you go home?
Hope your weekend is peaceful!

 

[SurreyGirl]

Thanks Mojo
Day 4 at the Hippy Hotel - arrival day being day 1

Hi everyone!

Sorry for not typing earlier and thanks to all who sent me private messages of support. It was and is much appreciated. Because the “trauma” of last weeks shenanigans caught up with me big time, I was having nightmares etc and could not concentrate, I thought it best to have a few days clear to calm down. Even now my typing rate is half of normal!

1. I left the hospital being able to use the loo, walk with crutches etc and getting into a car was fine., I had already practised with the Grabber putting clothes on prior to the op so no issues there.
2. well done Bonesmart. I did a s lot of work on what to expect post recovery thanks to your group - and it has been invaluable.
3. I have named my hip “Hermione”. She is magic (naturally) but a baby so is being trained for six weeks. And therefore is taking baby steps. I sincerely hope she and I Bond properly and that she graduates in 6 weeks time with flying colours and no further restrictions ..
4. “Ice” - by the time I have finished here I will be called the “Ice Queen” Even in the lounge I elevate my leg slightly and ice my poor swollen ankle and, when sitting in a chair, have ice against my hip. As for the ice machine we use after physio, May I marry it?.
5. Chairs. The chairs in the dining room are rather saggy so I have an extra blue orthopaedic cushion - also one in the armchair in the bedroom. I have invented the “Hippy Wave” which involves half standing when the glutes starts hurting, holding the position and then sitting down again. This release the tight muscles and makes sitting easier. It also strebgrthns the arms. It has caught on much to the amusement of the physios. On our table of four the other day we were all doing it, much to the amusement of the staff!
6. The Energy drain is very very real and quite scary the first time one experiences it. yesterday after lunch, I felt as if a Dementor was hiding in the corner sucking the life out of me and Hermione.,(H).... and, although I can walk well with my crutches now, I asked for an escort to take me to my room. More of this later but when your body starts feeling this way it is time to listen, bed or recliner rest, ice and elevate.
7. Showering. I was quite upset initially that i had to be washed by someone else and not independent in the shower. This morning I did it all calmly and coolly. The carer was making the bed so was around if I had issues. Now this means that I can shower when I like as do not have to call someone. Excellent. I now have some time back.
8. Physio. The suggestion is 2 x sessions a day. I have booked one a day. The whole point of being here is to get better but also have much needed time to myself. And I desperately need this. I do work on the exercises on my own anyway. The thought of going back to work right now has me quaking. 2 physios were excellent. Today’s was a “just do one more for me” type. She is very nice but I am feeling it now
9. Support stockings. My Condultsnt does not believe in them. So having to control ankle swelling with ice.
10. Service. Off the scale. Need more ice at 3am?No worries. Have nightmares - someone will come and listen. Have a loud crying fit and have not put “do not disturb” on the door results in 5 oeoolr (including the f and b man) who was passing by ) coming to the rescue. Fancy a cup of tea at 3am? No problem

I am making notes about the funny stuff happening and little vignettes so I don’t forget but am far too drained for the writing style to flowhopefully I will be back at some point.

Hope this brings you up to date and thanks for your concern.

“shattered Surrey Girl” xx

 

[Layla]

Glad to hear you're doing well at The Hippie Hotel.
Get all the rest you can, it's great for healing.
Can't wait to read the result of all your note taking.
Wishing you a peaceful week!
@SurreyGirl

 

[Mojo333]

Support stockings. My Condultsnt does not believe in them. So having to control ankle swelling with ice.

You must certainly don't know how incredibly blessed you are!
Thank you lord for not torturing me with those darn compression stockings.
We are aggravated enough!

Good mojo coming at you.
Good job, @SurreyGirl !

 

[SurreyGirl]

03-25 Uk time.
Hi! Just woken and answered call of nature. Then walk around my room a bit checking what works and what hurts as various muscles now making their presence felt. Mixed feelings as to whether this is a good thing to do. On one hand it helps with stiffness, on the other it wakes me right up. If I didn’t have a Carer watching me I would definitely want to feel slightly more awake in order to safely get back into bed. Then I realise, I am starting to think about “going home”....I smile...

 

[SurreyGirl]

Re the Support Stockings, or lack thereof. I quite agree Mojo. The weather here is blisteringly hot. One can spot my fellow patients who went under the same knife as me by their lack of SS.....yes, we have swollen ankles do deal with but we don’t have the daily struggle of the SS.

Someone I shall henceforth call “Lady Longlegs”, greeted me on the first day by barking out loud” YOU DONT KNOW HOW LUCKY YOU ARE”!,... As I was just checking in and she was the first guest I had met, and I was still pretty traumatised, and didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, I wondered what an Earth I had arrived to...... of course I now realise that she was Loki g at my legs, her own being encased elegantly in long white socks...

Ooops, just realised I have introduced my first character to part 2.”Hotel for Hippies”

 

[Apricot]

The stockings. Ah the stockings. My OS hasn’t used them for a long time because he believes it increases dislocation risk. But the ankle swelling is not joyful.. on the other hand A pal of mine is Five weeks ahead of me and after her Six week release from knee highs she has developed red ankle swelling. Seems there may be no way forward but time and afternoon elevation.
A walk round in the middle of the night. Why not it does relieve stiffness for a while and takes pressure off the posterior incision. It’s hard to be ourselves with all the chemicals in our systems.. A new toast to you, not cin, cin but ice, ice.

 

[Jaycey]

Then I realise, I am starting to think about “going home”....I smile...

How long do you have to stay in the hotel? Gosh - must seem like forever since you were home!

 

[SurreyGirl]

I extended my stay and blew some holiday money so in for fourteen days. I need it. Hip is fine though and very little pain now meds sorted. As it should have been all along. Bit of a faff with an inexperienced aide today and the ice machine as physios don’t work Sundays. But I realised hercwrror and we stopped before the machine went on. Bye for now. Desperately tiredZ

 

[SurreyGirl]

04:32 and rather awake. Some thoughts on progress to date.

. I am 58 and feel too young to have had a hip op (I know I know) but 10 days post op, and despite some ups and downs have now turned the corner and can’t wait to waltz into life with my new hip “Hermione”!

Last night when preparing for bed, Hermione forcefully reminded me she was a baby and not to be messed with. Despite badly swollen ankle due to listening to a PT and obeying the “just one more” falsity, I am very cheerful. I have settled in to the Hotel for Hippies and have made some friends. People here are in the whole very nice and help each other and the staff are amazing.

I feel like I am at a good 4 star all inclusive with the 24 hour medical care added. Yes, it has cost me the next years holiday but a small price to pay for a lifetimes piece of mind. And. I am very lucky to have got in and be able to afford it - within limitations.


I sleep fitfully through the night so wake up, blog a bit until get sleepy enough the words start bluring, go back to sleep again. But during those lucid moments I have another moment fixed in my brain and I always go back to it to make sure it IS fixed.

. Driving to the hospital with my husband and in 26th July , feeling apprehensive, but shrieking with pain every time we went over a pothole.

It had got that bad. Life in the past year has been hard. Tired all the time and a 58 year old face etched in pain.life the year before before not much better. Switch to April 2018 when I was running a course which was taking place a steep uphill climb to a venue up the hill.
Remembering having to go to the loo, cry with the pain, redo makeup and greet the delegates with smiles. Sitting through organisation dinners with a smile knowing that any minute an electric shock type of pain would run through my leg making me jump up and yell with pain..

The start of my Recovery was rough due to a hospital error but now, every day I see small changes. And all for the better.

Please please do not hesitate. Get it done!

 

[SurreyGirl]

Baby Hermione reminds me she is the boss!

Just to relate this whilst fresh in my mind.

Last night I was preparing for bed. Had lots of water so a clear head. Start around the tom tidying this. Yes I know the staff would happily do this for me but I am a fiercely independent old cow.
And that was my undoing.

I had a lot of unread newspapers piling up. What I SHOUKD have done was use the grabber to take them off the table and put into the magazine rack.
What I DID was to tuck one under my left arm, stand with the rh crutch , remove crutch from left hand and LEAN FORWARD slightly and quickly to lower the papers into the rack.

BaNG!
My left buttock gives a ping and is sore. Nothing like the searing white hot pain of the “Rotunder Incident” but bad enough.

My loud shrirk bought staff nurse running. She made me walk up and down the room and to squeeze the muscles. All ok if sore.

I go to bed sheepishly.

I now have ice packs on my ankle, side of thigh woundside and a sore bottom. Of course some of the muscles were pulled during the Rotunda incident so may have been aggravated by this. But. A lesson on how careful I have to be!

 

[Apricot]

Sleepless in Bonesmart Land. Completely relate to your before memoirs.. The potholes jarring, the face etched in pain..the hesitation - largely due to gaslighting..the delays...the waiting..Agree totally get it done sooner rather than later.

 

[SurreyGirl]

Ah. Gaslighting. :-((

 

[Mojo333]

Good morning (for me)

. I am 58 and feel too young to have had a hip op (I know I know) but 10 days post op, and despite some ups and downs have now turned the corner and can’t wait to waltz into life with my new hip “Hermione”!

Glad you've turned that corner.
I felt the same way about being too young...but we are way too young to live life with horrid hip pain, right?
Hope you and all the denizens of the Hippy Hotel have a lovely day.
I know you are getting great care, but once you get home and out of such a clinical atmosphere... you will be able to see your future with Hermione more clearly AND with more excitement!
You are doing very well...just be careful...she is a baby!

 

[Mojo333]

Hope all is well with you @SurreyGirl .
Hope you are fine getting around a bit easier.
These are the tough parts...keep the faith!
Hope you sleep well tonight.

 

[SurreyGirl]

Hello everyone!
Yesterday was the two week anniversary of the bonding of Hermione and I. On the whole she is behaving herself.

I have settled into a good routine here. The reco very hotel only takes a maximum of 30 patients. Many are here just for the minimum of five days. Some firckinger so there is a revolving door of people and stories. I had initially booked in for 10 days but after a rather rough start immediately after the operation signed up for 14. So next years holiday money, gone...but no work, 3 good meals a day, physio on request, hairdressing, pedicures, manicures, the company of interesting people, a nice private room with shower, roof terrace with garden and, wait for it, air conditioning in one of Britain’s hottest years yet, I am set up for a peaceful and proper recovery

I opted for one PT session a day. Most people here are doing 2 a day and I don’t know how they do it. They rest a lot in their rooms and appear or not at mealtimes. Breakfast is around 8, physio scheduled in the morning followed by 20 minutes on an ice machine with compression cuffs. I have named the machine “Clint” as it is cool, chilled and (mostly) silent.

The first time I had the treatment I was very apprehensive as scared of anything new (like a rotunda for example!)

All the staff here are brilliant and this was no exception. My legs were raise on a blue wedgie thing. The wetsuits-like material was gently wrapped around my thigh, a bit passed under my bottom (minor bridging exercise there), pulled out to the other side and wrapped tound. When asked what pressure I would like I say “minimum”)

The machine is switched on and the most beautiful ice cold sensation flows around the wrapped parts of my body. There is a trickling sensation near my bottom that makes me feel like I am producing iced water. It is rather weird but wonderful. And then the cuff starts to squeeze and exert gentle, but firmish pressure on the wound. I start to get nervous. Thanks to last week I am now terrified of any pain. But the cuff releases at the right time, the iced water is doing its job and I relax and shut my eyes.

I feel something squeeze and wake with a start! It is the cuff attempting round two. I am so relaxed I had drifted off!

At the end of the 20- minute session the physio asks if I enjoyed the experience. I did!
Sleepily I ask if I can marry the machine (“Hermione” is going to be a fickle flighty implant it seems)! I can’t think why the Physio thinks I’m “that” funny as she is giggling.,

As I walk with my crutches back down the long carpeted corridor with a weak g and t, kind fellow guests and lunch to look forward to, Revelation strikes.

There is NO PAIN! May I repeat: There is NO PAIN!

And I can’t renember when was the last time I felt like that

tbc.

 

[Mojo333]

No pain!
Live to read your posts about Life at the Hippy Hotel.
It truly sounds that you are being well taken care of.
Hope today is a great day...
Onward....

 

[Apricot]

Fantastic. All is going brilliantly now. @SurreyGirl Sounds a fab place. You might fancy your own ice machine at home. Not too expensive compared to everything else we get into.

 

[Windsong]

So happy for you that everything is working out so well at your hippie hotel - sounds like a great place! I'm looking forward to the day when I too can say no more of that awful hip pain!