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THR I'm Here!

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I'm praying you get that stomach issue handled tomorrow! I read somewhere not to take a laxative, but to stick to a stool softener only. Nice chatting with you too Sandy! :-)
 
@sandyx7 - I went through what you did: constipation, with finally being able to go every 3rd day. Then I ate something that caused bloating, stomach cramps, and somewhere in all of it, diarreah kicked in for a day. I finally resorted to peri-colace morning & evening, and prune juice with each meal. In addition, I was drinking lots of water and eating veggies and fruit with each meal. Getting off the pain meds - it all cleared up in about a day.
 
@CatLady1

Thanks so much, CatLady, I really appreciate hearing this. It's embarrassing to admit, I have big anxiety and it seems to usually be focused on my body. This past year or so I've had lots of reason to be anxious, lol. I've got major overactive bladder and I've had minor issues before the surgery with constipation. Now of course, my body's off the rails. It's day 13 and I've cut down my Percocet on my own from 2 to 1 every 5-6 hours. Yesterday I must have eaten something because I had a stomachache all day with intermittent diarrhea. Today I'm def feeling better and I'll ask the dr at my post op appt. How're you doing in your recovery? Are you walking a lot? Using a cane?
 
Hope all your digestive issues settle down and that you feel better soon! I know what you mean about being too focused on all things "body", I am trying to relax a bit too!


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR in my future.
 
@sandyx7 oh boy, opioid induced constipation is real and it is painful! I started a stool softener a day prior to surgery and asked for it in the hospital as well. I still had issues the first week post surgery. At one point I too felt that it was as bad as giving birth. I'm glad to hear that it has gotten better. I was overly paranoid about weaning myself off of Percocet but later found that as the pain subsided I naturally weaned myself off. I haven't had to take it several days now, but I'm still taking Tylenol and an anti-inflammatory.
 
Well done @sandyx7. Glad all going well so far, don't overdo it though. Looking forward to hearing about your recovery. Take care
:dancy:
 
@sandyx7 - I'm walking daily. I find I get stiff if I don't get up and walk, so I'm using a fitness tracker to inspire me to move. Unless I've got evening meetings after work, it does the job of getting me moving. Hubby has one too, so we'll compare notes of who did what during the day. I used a cane up until about week 6 (mostly when walking distances) to keep the tight hamstring from feeling it was like biting my butt. Over the past 3 weeks, I've quit using it (and once in a while still limp - hubby says he thinks it's when I'm tired, I think it might be habit? or tightness). For the most part I don't use it, but would if I felt the need.
 
@sandyx7
I'm answering your question from another thread here on your thread. As to your question about feeling you aren't recovering as fast as I did....
First, I remember leaning on the walker so hard that I thought it would break! Remember, you're just a little over two weeks out from surgery and for me, I saw much greater improvement during that third and fourth weeks. I was also taking my pain meds regularly (Percocet 10mg's) three times a day and you have cut yours way back. Had I cut my meds back as you have done, I wouldn't have been able to walk the distance I was walking starting that second or third week. I started with once around the pool (leaning ever so hard onto the walker) and once I was comfortable with that distance, I added one lap and so on. Now at a little over five weeks, I'm walking 1/2 mile or ten laps around the pool (I could walk more if it weren't for the bad hip) and I no longer need to lean heavily onto the walker. I think the secret is to take the pain meds regularly so you don't feel so much pain and just set a small walking goal and increase slowly, resting every other day (but play around with this). My recovery probably won't be as quick as others on here who have PT and don't need a second THR, but I'm fine with that. The recovery is very much an individual thing and you need to experiment and find out what works for YOU (not comparing your recovery to that of others...although I know we all have a tendency to do it). Slow and steady and if it hurts, don't do it. Hope this helps Sandy. Hugs!
 
@Cynthia777
You are so wonderful, my friend!! Thanks more than I can say. I think a bit of the post surgical blues have hit me. And I've had the pic in my head of you lapping around the pool. I think I'll walk around my pool tomorrow. I haven't before now bc I have to walk the deck and down the steps and down a kind of long walkway. We put the pool in when the kids were little and we wanted the pool as far away from the house as possible. Seemed like a good idea 20 years ago, lol. Yesterday I went out & drove for the first time. My teenager came with me and we went to Costco and he got me an electric scooter so I didn't walk too much. When we got home, we put stuff away and I cut up some veggies. I think I maybe overdid it bc I'm kind of sore today, like harder to stand up and tired. I rested today and tomorrow I plan to be in a walking mood. I hope youre feeling good.
 
@Simplieme
Yes, an ugly four legged with an apron tied on the front carrying all my paraphernalia! I will need to use it until I get my other hip replaced (hopefully come April or May). :-)

Here's a pic...
 

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@sandyx7
You made me laugh about putting the pool so far away from the house...well, it was a good idea...then! Lol!
Omg! You got the blues just about the exact time that they hit me! Fortunately, mine only lasted for a few days. Once in awhile they hit now, but nothing like I experienced that second week. You are doing SO well! I'm so happy for you. The resting every other day after pushing a bit with walking has really worked out so well for me (but then again, I still need my other hip done or I wouldn't need that resting day so often). Be VERY, VERY careful going down those stairs! I'd make sure you have someone holding your arm just in case. I made spaghetti today and really enjoyed it (I've kind of taken advantage of hubby and haven't cooked in five weeks :heehee:)! Keep up your great recovery...isn't it a miracle? Hugs!!! :friends:
 
@Cynthia777
I never realized how stubborn I really am. I decided to get off the Percocet bc of my bathroom issues and I convinced myself that I didn't need them anymore. I've only taken Tylenol. After listening to you, I finally took a Percocet at 7 and I'm feeling much better. Btw, my walker looks like yours. I carry everything around with me!
 
Hopefully the other suggestions for the bm issue will work for you. After awhile, while still taking the Percocet, the bm issue disappeared.
 
Hi @Cynthia777 , I'm pretty good. I think I'm impatient that I'm not all better. Tomorrow is 3 weeks since my surgery and I'm still tired and not myself yet. I went to outpatient pt yesterday for the first time and they just did an evaluation and then my friend took me to lunch and when I got home I was so tired. Then today I cooked a few things and cleaned the kitchen and I've been exhausted since then. I can walk some without the walker but I'm slow and halting. My right hip that hasn't been fixed is hurting so I don't know how much is that and how much is the left hip recovering. My bathroom issues are much better and I've been able to cut way back on the Percocet which helped a lot. I want my energy back; I get up a lot during the night. I'm trying to sleep upstairs tonight because the recliners getting to me. I think I've been complaining and I really have no reason to. My surgery went well and I'm able to be home recovering. I'm just done with sitting and I want to be out and doing.
How about you?
 
Yes, this surgery does drain you! I think much of your gait problems are probably coming from your bad hip. I'm experiencing the same thing. I feel a bit frustrated because I want to get back to "normal", but can't until my other hip is done. I'm sure you are experiencing this same frustration. I try and focus on how blessed I've been, not to have the complications others on here are going through. Remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint. Hang in there, you'll get there. Hugs!
 
Hi to my fellow hip journey friends:) I haven't been on in awhile but I've been thinking of you all. I had my lthr done almost 2 months ago and I think it's great. I knew my right hip was bone on bone also but I hoped with the left one done, I'd have a respite before having it done also. It seemed that way at first but while doing pt, my right hip got very painful so at my 6 week visit my dr. told me to stop pt. I also scheduled my rthp for end of July because I've got graduations and a wedding. Well, I'm waiting to hear back from surgeon if they can do it sooner because I can barely walk now with my right hip. I'd like to get some opinions of my exercise program. I started going to a health club to do the water classes. I've done in the heated therapy pool arthritis classes and mild movement classes. These include walking in the water sideways and backward, bicycling on a 'noodle' and leg lifts and rotation among other exercises. It does hurt when I do it and I wonder if this is making my hip worse. I've been overweight for a long time and although I run around a lot, I don't exercise so I thought this was a good way to begin getting healthy. If the pool classes are making my unoperated hip worse, I wonder if I should wait until my recovery from the 2nd surgery. Thoughts?
 
Hi @sandyx7, I've missed you here in BS my fiend!!!!
I haven't done any PT or exercising (other than walking) and my op hip feels great. For the past few weeks I've had to forego even the walking, as it really started increasing the pain in my un-op hip. I'm sure we've had to baby the op-hip which in turn has placed more strain on the un-op hip. Just seems to make sense. Hopefully you can get your surgery date moved up. If I can get my clearance (I need my WBC count to go down) I'll be getting my second THR done a week from today. I can't wait to get it behind me! Who knows, if I end up having to reschedule and you can get your date moved up, we may end up having our surgeries close together again. Great to see you Sandy! Hugs!
 
@sandyx7, so happy for you that your very recent THR is doing so well in recovery! Too bad about the other hip giving you so much pain, and I hope you can get the sooner date for an op on that one. As far as the pain when you do the pool stuff, if it were me, I wouldn't do it, but only because I wouldn't want to have that pain. Probably anything you do with your unoperated hip, even just necessary walking, will be causing the damage to get incrementally worse, although your surgery will be done in about 3 months, at the latest, so there is an end in sight. It's amazing how bad things can get so quickly, like with your right hip, although I do understand the extra demands put on an unoperated leg after THR. May you get relief soon!
 
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