THR I Have a Winner.

Hi, my friend.
I only had an in person mini pre-op "class", also.
Love to hear what your takeaway is from your webinar.
Hope things warm up soon....:friends:
 
I can't believe it's March 1st already. That's a month an a half to go till surgery. I'm getting nervous, but there is no turning back.

I got approved for short term leave from work. Preop appointments and webinar appointments are in place for the 29th and the 31st of March. I feel like it's going so fast now.

Sorry just had to rant for a minute.
 
What does short term leave mean for you @Mersada? It can vary greatly from employer to employer, and state to state.
 
It’s getting real! I hope the month of March flies by for you. All the sooner to be on recovery road, happy with the results and living without that horrid pain. With any luck you were able to get the amount of time you’d hoped for off of work.

Sadly that anxiety you mention seems hard to escape. Try to focus on all of the things you want to do this Summer, that you were unable to do last year due to pain. It’s now within reach. I’m super excited for you, Mersada! :happydance:
@Mersada
 
It is kinda strange when it finally hits us that the surgery date is "real." I guess this realization hit me in stages, but oddly enough, it really hit me hard in the final week.

Here's an ace in the hole if you ever need it. Surgeon's staffs are experts at handling fears and doubts. Not that you need to, but know you can put in a call and explain all your fears, and they will reassure you. When I had that period of fear in the week before my surgery, a staffer at my surgeon's office reminded me of how cool my surgeon was. Just hearing the words out of another person's mouth did it.

But ... this is all part of the good news of your upcoming surgery.
 
What does short term leave mean for you @Mersada? It can vary greatly from employer to employer, and state to state.
It means about 12 weeks I believe. That is what I requested and had my os write on my fmla paperwork.


@Layla thanks for your kind thoughts but. I don’t want March to fly lol. I still need time to get a dog sitter situated. Probably have a cleaning lady come in every two weeks while in recovery.

I am also going to order the little boost platform for my recliner. The risers i ordered don’t work for my recliner. Trying to get everything situated. I ordered these rubber things you put under the wheels of your bed too so the bed doesn’t move. So many little details to get done.

I am looking forward to possibly taking a cruise with my friends in October that they are going on. It’s a Halloween cruise. I don’t know how well healed I will be by then but I’ll see by August how well I’m doing. Thank you @Layla for reminding me to think of these things so I don’t just focus on the surgery but beyond it. I forget sometimes.
 
12 weeks is awesome @Mersada, if you feel like you can go back sooner I'm sure no one will complain!
 
Ok, I hope March doesn’t fly, doesn’t drag, but the timing feels just right so you can accomplish all you’re hoping to before your big day. :wink:

I see a cruise in your future. I’m betting you’ll be on that big boat in October, pain free and enjoying time with friends. :yes:

A great rest of the week to you!
@Mersada
 
This month may start off slow, but the final week will be upon you quickly.

Anyway, expect some nerves, but you'll be fine.
 
Hi Mersada,
The count down begins. I know it’s an anxious time, but each day you’re one day closer to being on the healing side, recovering and relaxing at home and on your way to enjoying all you love without pain. My best advice, stay as busy as you’re able. You're going to be in experienced hands receiving excellent care and we’ll be supporting you all the way.
Wishing you comfort and peace as you wait. :)
@Mersada
 
Thanks you @Going4fun and @Layla
I'm stressing over the extra incision the surgeon said he would have to do on my inner thigh area/groin....will I need extra gel packs for icing the inner thigh...how is that even possible. I wonder if he will use staples to stitch up and how that's going to feel while I attempt walking. Is it going to hinder recovery.

I wonder if I should send him an email asking these questions. In fact, I'm going to see if I can email him through their website now.

Thanks for being here for me.
 
You got a top-notch surgeon. He knows what he's doing. No need to imagine pain ahead of time. Surgery is complicated: 1 + 1 does not always equal 2.

My surgeon cut from the side and I felt tingles in the knee, thigh and down the feet. You'll have nothing worse than me. You'll be fine. Trust that the top-notch surgeon knows exactly what he's doing. And part of what he knows is how to cut in a way that is effective and that limits patient pain afterwards.

BTW: his nurse or PA could tell you exactly what to expect and why he cuts as he does. Put in a call to them if you wanna get the story.
 
I never got an answer from the surgeons office. Oh well not like I can change anything now.

I have my preop tests and X-ray on wed. Also my pt webinar on Wednesday. My total hip webinar is on Monday. Getting closer.
I got my covid vaccine on the 13th. I got the Johnson and Johnson one shot and done. I feel a bit relieved about that too.

Also trying to plan how much and what kinds of foods to buy. I want to be well stocked so I don’t have to rely on family for a while as far as coming by and putting the deliveries away for me. Any suggestions?

There is so many details to cover before the date. I got my cushions to elevate my legs. I also got the three inch platform to raise my recliner. I need to get my nephews to come over and put the risers on the recliner and futon. I hope they end up being two inches above my knee like was advised.

I have to take out my grabbers and practice lol.
 
@Mersada It sounds like you've got things well organized :flwrysmile: As for food .... easy to fix things and comfort food! Think of things that you like when you are not feeling well. For me it is chicken noodle soup, cinnamon toast and ginger ale. Also any favorites that can be popped into the microwave to heat up. For the first couple of weeks you probably won't feel much like standing up and doing a lot of cooking/meal prep.
 
Hi Mersada,
Good luck with your pre-op exam tomorrow. I hope both webinars are informative and as a result you feel more relaxed about the whole process. You will be in good hands.

As for meals, it you like to cook you could make and freeze some favorite soups or chili type meals, or buy some frozen meals to make it easy on yourself. Make a list of simple breakfast lunch and dinner favorites, the less prep the better because you will not feel like being on your feet for any length of time to cook and it’s unlikely you’ll have the energy to do so. I didn’t lose my appetite post op as some do, but didn’t want big meals. At times a Protein Fruit Smoothie was enough for me. Protein is important for healing and the following list includes some protein ideas that may appeal to you as snacks, or even a light meal if you’re appetite isn’t that great.
Nuts
Trail Mix
Turkey roll ups (cheese or veggies rolled inside the turkey)
Greek Yogurt
Cottage Cheese
Hard Boiled Eggs
Tuna
Veggies & Hummus
Peanut Butter and Apple
Peanut Butter on Celery
Cheese Slices
Beef Sticks
Protein Bars
Protein Shakes
Canned Salmon on Crackers
Edamame
Chicken Salad
No Bake Energy Bites (many online recipes)

I have to take out my grabbers and practice lol.
This is funny :heehee: If you’re like many, the grabber will be your favorite recovery aid. It was definitely mine. There is a thread in the Community / Social area on grabber stories. You can check it out while in recovery if you haven’t already read it.

Not long now and your long awaited trip to the recovery side will be here. You’re going to love it! :yes!:
@Mersada
 
Thanks for the tips, guys....I will be making my shopping list from it.

@Layla , My preop appt. is next wed. My total joint webinar is on Monday. Only 2 weekends left to prepare. I wake up every morning with it on my mind. All I keep thinking about is wow, too late to turn back...but when I stand up to walk somewhere, I realize it is indeed time.

I was going through my aids like my two grabbers, shoe horn, gel packs and I even got a leg lifter thing from amazon just in case of leg log.
Debating on what shoes to bring/wear--should they be totally flat? What did you wear.

I will check out the grabber stories, I haven't been to that section, yet.
 
Debating on what shoes to bring/wear--should they be totally flat?
Should be flat and very supportive. Slip on shoes as well since you probably won't be able to reach down to tie any shoe for awhile.

It's a good idea to buy yourself new walking shoes to wear post op. Shoes with a pre-op wearing pattern can cause all kinds of aches and pains.
 
Hello Mersada, Happy Friday!
The thought of surgery does weigh on your mind as your date gets closer. It seems there is no avoiding it, but staying busy does help.

Most likely you will experience Log Leg and the Leg Lifter should come in handy.

As for shoes, for ease and safety I wore closed toe, flat, slip ons. For the ride home, I used the garbage bag trick on the car seat making it easier to swivel forward (windshield) facing once in a seated position. It worked great. After the drive home from my surgery site, I didn’t get into the car again until my first post op at three weeks at which point it wasn’t necessary. It’s not really necessary at any point, but I found it allowed me to get into position with relative ease.

Wishing you lots of comfort as you wait out these last couple weeks. Something that seemed to help me toward the end of my wait for surgery was a heating pad. I looked forward to laying in bed at night with the heating pad to watch tv, just to get off my feet! I’m sure you know the feeling by now. Try it if you haven’t and see if it brings you any comfort.

A nice weekend to you. :) :-) (:
@Mersada
 
Hey. Thanks for the shoe advice. I just ordered an orthodic type slip on sneaker kind of shoe. And another pair of ryka slip on because they were on sale lol. I got the orthodic because they come with inserts that can be removed which is good in case of swelling. I got the information from the total hip webinar summary. They say wear a shoe half a size bigger in case of swelling.

I am concerned about the ride home. I can barely get in my sister’s suv now it’s so high. I wonder if I should request another family member to bring their car instead. Will that be too low? Also I will put a garbage bag in my hospital carryon. Thanks for the tip.

As for heating pad. That wouldn’t work for me. I get night sweats still. Lol. I don’t feel any pain lying down really. Not looking forward to the post op pain. Now sitting and laying are ok for me.

this weekend more prep. I have to put together the shower chair I purchased. I hope it’s not too complicated. That can be frustrating. It might end up in the trash if too complicated.

I have a cleaning lady coming in on Tuesday for a thorough cleaning which I haven’t really been able to do.

I already started putting together my food list with a lot of the suggestions you all made.

My surgeon got my email with my concerns he scheduled me for a virtual appointment on the 12th. The Monday before surgery. Watch I get a loss when I have him in front of me.

Well. I will be here lurking for any other tips I can pick up before surgery.

have a great weekend. Thanks again.
 

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