THR JJ Has A New Hip

[jjhipster]

Post Op, Day Four. Today has been a rough day so far. The pain is the most it has been. I have been icing and elevating. Taking pain meds as scheduled, 2 Percocet every 4 hours. Just the emotions are a little bit of a roller coaster. I have a blog so I thought blogging about it would help. I love to write, I may not be the best at it, but I enjoy it. So if you get a chance check it out.

broken link removed: https://www.grippigirl.com/?p=273

 

[jjhipster]

Josephine or Poppet I have a question. When I sleep at night I do not move my legs, I have some pillows that I prop them up on, but my heals almost feel like they are getting bed sores or something on them any suggestions?

 

[Poppet]

Hi JJ

A few suggestions that I found helped. I experienced exactly the same sensation.

I got my SO to position the pillows so that my heels were not on the pillow, sort of suspended off the end.

It started for me when I was in ICU, so the ICU nurse filled up rubber gloves with ice cold water and popped these under my heels. I continued this when I came home, it was wonderful, because my feet felt like they were soothed with the cold water and the surgical gloves were soft like a water bed... I found that I would wake up with them in the same position.. Not cold by the end of the night, but soft!

This is a very old nursing trick jjhipster

I also got SO to rub lots of cream into my feet and give them a good massage to keep the blood supply happening.

 

[jjhipster]

Thanks Poppet I will try that. Plus I am always up for a good foot massage.

 

[Poppet]

You are very welcome, if you haven't got soft rubber gloves, try some some ice packs, or even a packet of frozen peas.. With a towel underneath

 

[Josephine]

JJ, will you look carefully at your Percocet and see if there is any Tylenol or acetaminophen included in it? If there isn't, you could top up your dose with 1,000mg Tylenol each time to a max of 4,000mg per 24hrs. It's often done that way with Tramadol and just gives that extra lift to the medication that might make a difference for you. Plus you don't need a prescription for it!

Incidentally, did your surgeon say anything about them having trouble with your op? Did it take longer than expected? Because sometimes if the hip is difficult to dislocate or reduce, the knee can come in for a bit of a hammering. Likewise the thigh as the team will grip around the thigh or the knee during this process.

 

[jjhipster]

Josephine my Percocet does have 325 acetaminophen in it. Surgery did take about and hour and a half longer than thought due to some complications with scar tissue and then I was in recover for about 3 hours. My heart rate was really high due to blood loss and I ended up with 2 blood transfusions which helped me feel so much better. The extended surgery sounds like it may be why my thigh and knee hurt so bad. I have kept ice on them all day. When I take a break from the ice the pain flares right back up. I knew there was going to be pain, but this is worse than when I had my pins put in many moons ago. I really appreciate your guidance and advice. I may ask my doctor if there is anything stronger I can take.

 

[Josephine]

Thought so. Sometimes I'm so wise I impress myself!

As for the pain meds, well if you're taking them 4hrly, then you are already at your daily limit for Tylenol. In which case you certainly should contact your surgeon and explain that your pain meds aren't doing the job and can you try something else. Tramadol is a good alternative and you can take the Tylenol with it.

 

[Damn!]

JJ, I hope you are able to get something else to help you with your pain. There is no reason that you should have to suffer. Call that doctor!!!!

 

[jjhipster]

Day 5 post op. Thought I would be getting around better than I am. Swelling is still pretty intense. When should that start to decrease? I kept ice all day yesterday and have started again today. Really want to get out of the house, but doesn't seem like that's gonna happen. I go to PT on Monday so at least then I will get out. My thigh and knee are still pretty swollen and that is where the pain is. Resting and icing it is. ho, hum

 

[bottomshollow]

Oh! you young people! in such a hurry!

JJ, you have just started a trip that takes about 12 months to really complete and usually 4 months to begin to feel truly "normal" again. You've not completed even one week.

The initial swelling can last for 2 to 3 weeks. Your poor hip and leg have been seriously traumatized by MAJOR surgery---it needs TIME to heal. You need to be taking your pain meds

on a schedule--do not let the pain get ahead of you. You need to be resting a lot all day and night

while elevating toes above nose and icing, icing, and icing

some more. You should be restricting your activity to walks to and from the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and your day time nesting spot. No PT for the first couple of weeks is best.

Swelling will continue to plague you off and on for a while---and particularly when you do TOO MUCH! Please keep in mind that recovery is something that happens to you NOT something you do. Your hip will be in charge all the way--not you, your OS, your PT, or your friends and family---your hip will dictate all the terms of this recovery. Listen to it and heed what it tells you--it will make the hip much happier and consequently you will be much happier too.

The key here is TIME and PATIENCE---it will takes lots of both to get you through this. So

 

[jjhipster]

Thanks bottomshollow. I am stubborn and I guess my expectations are too high. I read all these stories where people are doing so great, but I know everyone is different. I am very glad the hip pain is gone and I look forward to a pain free time. This summer will be great with my son. He is only 7 and I hate that I can't run and play with him like I want. I will be bike riding and hiking this summer with him, hopefully.

 

[bottomshollow]

I certainly think that by summer you'll be up and running with the best of them---in the meantime, patience.

 

[sissy46]

Summer is way off, and I bet you'll be biking and hiking with him before then.

Please don't get discouraged, these are very early days for you. I found a good book or video and some Haagen Daas made a lot of difference. Take this rare opportunity to be really lazy and doze off whenever you can.

 

[DebB.]

The icing and elevating the leg really help me. Each day is getting better...hang in there!

 

[jjhipster]

Today is not a good day. Pain is peaking and muscle spasms. I know it's the healing process but this sucks. Icing, elevating and pain meds, I know.

 

[C Mac]

As for the pain meds, well if you're taking them 4hrly, then you are already at your daily limit for Tylenol. In which case you certainly should contact your surgeon and explain that your pain meds aren't doing the job and can you try something else. Tramadol is a good alternative and you can take the Tylenol with it.

Hi JJ,

Did you call for a medication change, like Josephine; mentioned above?? I also used tramadol/ultracet when I came home and it was successful for me. We want you to be really comfy these first few weeks out from your surgery while you are resting and healing and it just doesn't sound like it is happening that way for you right now. You can probably get an on-call OS this weekend that can make some medication changes and/or additions, now.

Just my opinion, but maybe starting PT on Monday should be postponed for a bit... You'll get there, but it's awful hard to move around and exercise if your pain isn't managed, you're having spasms and swelling.

We've all hit those spots where the expectations had to be changed a bit. Keep the high expectations for the summer months but for now just take it one day at a time and get yourself to a more comfortable place so the necessary healing can occur.

Take care,
Cardie

 

[jjhipster]

Hey Cardie thanks for the support. The doctor said since I am allergic to Ultram there really isn't anything stronger they can give me. It was a covering doctor, so I am going to call my doctor's nurse tomorrow morning. I shouldn't be such a complainer, it could be worse. I was just venting. I know the pain will go away, just this is the part that really stinks. I will say my puppy must know that I hurt worse today he is all snuggled up with me and keeps giving me kisses. That is sort of the best medicine I can ask for. He doesn't leave my side.

 

[Josephine]

Yes there is - there is codeine/paracetamol, and Percocet, also Fentanyl patches, though that might be a bit OTT. And you'll only need them for a week or two anyway.

 

[Vida]

Congrats on coming through JJ, we all tend to have unrealistic expectations and often push ourselves too hard. I think its natural after being in pain for so long. I won't reiterate the great advice you've already had here about rest, ice, pain meds and PATIENCE...the latter being the toughest as the weeks go by. I had problems with tramadol, it didn't work and left me spacey. I have done well on percocet and extra tylenol. Like so many, I tried following my OS's standard written orders to stop narcotics after 2 weeks but I couldn't. When I told him I needed to stick with something strong, he was fine with it. I suggested he might want to change an instruction sheet that lumped everyone together as vulnerable new hippies tend to do what we're told. In this recovery story, the old cliche 'no pain, no gain' is a downright lie! Take care..