THR JoeKnows Recovery

Bet you're feeling great after that shower. First couple showers are a little scary. At least I thought so.
We can't advise on meds, nor should anyone else really. Hopefully the office of your OS gets back to you soon.

Post Op Blues, if it even happens, is usually fleeting so try not to pay it too much attention. Hard when you're feeling blue, but try to keep that in mind. We'll be here for you.
Hope today is a good one.
@JoeKnows
 
Welcome to recovery. First 2weeks are the toughest. Swelling, sleepiness & limited range of motion. Hang in until week 3 and all will magically be better.
 
Well, today was definitely worse than yesterday. Swelling and stiffness really ramped up. Been rotating gel ice packs all day, walking occasionally, taking meds, so it's tolerable. Taking it easy with walking, still have most of my weight on the walker - it does loosen me up though.

I did a "test run" with the elevated toilet seat, since I don't really want to figure that out when it's an emergency. I'm a pretty large person, the seat is not, and combined with the swelling... Without getting graphic, I may end up owing even more thanks to my wife.

Napped fairly well. Had a couple friends come by briefly. I'm likely to be asleep by 8 tonight, feeling that energy drain for sure.
 
I tried one of those donut raised toilet seats with handles, no way that was going to work! I found a bedside commode on Facebook Marketplace locally and sent my wife to go pick it up. That at least worked and was bearable.
 
I have the bedside commode, mostly because it doubles as a shower chair. I'm sure I'll get it figured out when the time comes; I do work well under pressure, haha.

I forgot that I tend to wake up frequently on opiates. On the bright side, it does help me remember to shift my weight around / move pillows to avoid cramping up. I feel like today is going to be a good day. My friend's wife is a physical therapist, and she's going to come by to see if she can teach me anything. I don't intend to do anything challenging still.

I'm wanting to get out of the house, just not sure where I want to go. Maybe if I don't need the Norco on Monday night I'll go to the local brewery and watch the Rams game.

I know my posts are tending to be rambling non-sequitors, but it's my thread and I'll ramble if I want! Haha.
 
Ramble away....I did:)
Doing just fine Joe...just what you have to for a bit.
Hope today is a better day.

I am constantly reading confirmations through research that NSAIDS are not a good choice for recovering hip patients.

FYI - an excerpt:

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0300060517732697
Postoperative drugs
Painkillers are frequently used by patients with hip osteoarthritis. In our experience, most of these drugs are represented by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs are the least safe of painkillers in terms of osseointegration. NSAIDs impair the osseointegration process of titanium implants by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2. This results in decreased levels of prostaglandins, which are important in promoting inflammation and supply of bone-formation cells. Therefore, we suggest choosing acetaminophen (paracetamol) for mild to moderate pain and opioids for severe pain in patients following total hip replacement.
 
I'll keep away from NSAIDs in that case - pain isn't bad so far this morning anyway, and I slept pretty well despite a few wakeups. Just waiting for my muscles to decide they want to work again - quad is getting better, but still having a hard time getting my foot more than a few inches off the ground. The feeling reminds me of when I used to run cross country, if I pushed it really hard on a trail run. But at least I could walk fairly normally this morning instead of having to start and stop with my operative leg.

Also, the stubble on my op leg is annoying! One of many reasons I'm happy to be a man, haha. My wife said she was jealous of my leg, not sure how I feel about that, haha
 
What does Joe know? The burning question.
Had to ask because I think that every time I see your thread title :heehee:
It's nice to hear you slept well. I hope today is a good day! :SUNsmile:
@JoeKnows
 
What does Joe know? The burning question.
Had to ask because I think that every time I see your thread title :heehee:
@JoeKnows

It's a play on the Bo Jackson's "Bo Knows" ads. They were before my time, but he also had his hip replaced due to AVN, and then went on to play professional baseball. So now I can tell people I have something in common with possibly the greatest athlete ever, haha. Of course, his AVN was caused by a violent dislocation during an NFL game and mine is because of medications....
 
I did a "test run" with the elevated toilet seat, since I don't really want to figure that out when it's an emergency. I'm a pretty large person, the seat is not, and combined with the swelling... Without getting graphic, I may end up owing even more thanks to my wife.

I had to laugh at this. Take a spin by my recovery thread... I had a bit of a rant about going number 2. Some tidbits of advice in there that, as a man, I think you will appreciate.

It's a play on the Bo Jackson's "Bo Knows" ads. They were before my time, but he also had his hip replaced due to AVN, and then went on to play professional baseball.

Just don't follow in Bo's footsteps and attempt to return to football :)

Oh, and I see you are a RAMS fan... sigh, we may not be able to be friends after all... go Seahawks. LOL.. just kidding of course... about being friends... but still.. Go Seahawks!

Cheers
 
I had to laugh at this. Take a spin by my recovery thread... I had a bit of a rant about going number 2. Some tidbits of advice in there that, as a man, I think you will appreciate.

Sounds like you and I are of similar builds. The problem I did not anticipate was the swelling to cause certain things to be aimed in a very different direction than normal. Edit: I mean when in a seated position, not all the time... Swelling isn't THAT bad. So I ended up cleaning urine off the floor (I considered blaming it on one of the kids, but decided against it), and didn't even get the benefit of #2.
 
That is the correct approach @dlp, just caught me by surprise the first time.

In any event, not getting a lot of sleep tonight. I've cycled through every pillow configuration I can find, muscles are still protesting. Lots more swelling, rubbing my thigh I feel like I can hear it squishing around .

Think I'll get ice, then try getting back to sleep for 20 more minutes before I give it up.
 
Sincerest sympathy...no way to get comfortable for sure.:bored:
I tried everything...and was lucky to get an hour or so before getting up..trying to clunk walker quietly down the hall...re-up on ice, and doze in recliner.:yawn:
Things will get better Joe.
Huge payoff, so all worth the journey.
Hang in there!:friends:
 
Can I offer a solution? Take care of #1 before sitting down to take care of #2.

@dip
@JoeKnows
@wonkyhipoy

Hahahaha! Must be a guy thing . . . this was a surprise thing for me too!!

Several times I tried the @dip plan but there always seems to be a little bit hiding in the ol' bladder. Only when I stand up does it decide to escape! I've learned to have a piece of toilet paper there to thwart the escape!!! Chalk up a win for TripleF100!!!
 
:bored: Guy talk :yawn:
Glad you boys have one another
Hope you have a great day, Joe :)
@JoeKnows
 
Kinda funny - a highly trained surgeon replaced part of our skeletons with high tech parts in a complicated operation, and I can't even figure out how effectively go to the bathroom! Haha. No luck so far, I'll make one of those recipes later if I have to.

Sleep was a problem, and I woke up pretty cranky. A business contact invited me to go dove hunting this morning, so I had to explain why I'm missing the season. If one more person tells me I'm too young for a hip replacement...

Hopefully between coffee, ice, more ice, and some positive thinking, hopefully I'll have my mind right before my girls wake up.

Physically, still suffering from log leg. I know it just takes time, and I'm trying to remain patient, but that runs against my nature. When I stand up, I have to kind of relax the bad leg for a few moments to let everything loosen up. I swear I can feel things clunking around when I first get going, but I remember reading it's normal (though I sent a message to the doc anyway). I figure if I still have the log leg when swelling starts going down, I'll follow up.

For today, I'm hoping my wonderful wife will take our girls to a friend's so I can rest up and ride out my grumpiness (if it sticks around post coffee).
 
Please know that all you're experiencing right now is normal.
No fun but normal. Even the Constipation...sadly.
This process does take a lot of patience initially.
Finding things to do to occupy your mind as a distraction seems to help.
I gauged my progress by weekends, not days. It's difficult to notice change day by day.
So....I'll bet grumpy, constipated Joe will not be complaining of the same things next Sunday, as you are today.
Just take this week, one day at a time. Then look back here (your journal of sorts) next Sunday morning and I bet you'll see your progress. In a couple weeks you'll be amazed at how far you've come. Hang in there.
@JoeKnows
 

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