THR JoeKnows Recovery

[Eman85]

The dreaded itching, my incision had clear tape that drove me wild. I scrubbed it in the shower every day and it never gave an inch. At week 2 they removed the tape and life was good.

 

[wonkyhipoy]

Ah... the infection worry. I remember this well. It's funny, I watched a couple of surgeons discussing this on a You Tube video. They said "It's tricky because one the signs of an infection are skin that's read, hot and swollen; but guess what, after surgery it's red hot and swollen". This certainly put my mind at ease... though, so did Josephine.


at the 9:50 mark if you are inclined to watch it

I also remember the itchiness. I actually kept a breathable bandage on my incision until the four week mark (two weeks after getting the staples out), just to avoid scratching it unconsciously when asleep.

Cheers

 

[TripleF100]

Dang! My incision sure never looked like that. If it were me I would send the two pictures to my OS . . . Hope it's nothing!

 

[JoeKnows]

It's nothing, thanks everyone for the concern. After my posts I took a shower, and noticed that the "waterproof" dressing had gotten a bit wet where the plastic pulled off the skin. Called the OS, and his medical assistant said I could swing by to have it changed. The doc poked his head in while she was doing that, said it was doing well. He put on a different kind of dressing that feels way more secure (my surgery was not at his usual hospital because he squeezed me in on a day he normally doesn't operate).

Apparently I have the clear film under there too, which I didn't realize. Some of the original dressing stuck to the film, but he wasn't worried about that (only noting it to explain why it looks like there's styrafoam stuck on my incision, haha).

 

[Layla]

Great news! I'm glad you had it checked.
On the latest photo, it looks more like it could be bruising (red areas)
Red, yellow, green, tape residue, marker lines, tape wrinkles. Ugh, I remember that mess all to well.
Post it in the "hippie scars" if you haven't yet, then maybe again once the tape is off.

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads...-of-honor-here-no-chit-chat-here-please.2457/

A great evening to you!

 

[JoeKnows]

Me after taking 5 minutes to adjust pillows in bed: "This is perfect. I'm never moving again."

Me 45 seconds later: "How could I ever have thought this was comfortable?!"

All I want to do is stretch, but I know the stretches I want to do are exactly the motions that will make my leg fall off (okay I know it's not quite so dramatic, just reminding myself how seriously I should take it).

 

[Mojo333]

Me after taking 5 minutes to adjust pillows in bed: "This is perfect. I'm never moving again."

Me 45 seconds later: "How could I ever have thought this was comfortable?!"

No that was Me.
And my legs DID NOT like to stay in one place for long.
Poor Joe. Been there done that.
I had to live in my recliner...nap on and off when possible.

Incision looks fine to me...medically.
That being said...wow...and oowweee !
That's what I thought when I looked at mine also so
Ice it up my friend...
All you need to do along with some short walking right now.
All temporary, thank goodness

 

[JoeKnows]

Last night was pretty good, pain is getting better so today I'm just taking tramadol (50mg) and skipping the Norco. Doing just fine so far.

I'll admit that I did sneak out of the house and drove myself to get my allergy shots.* My doc didn't specifically clear me to drive, but I'm familiar with how tramadol affects me and felt fine. Getting out of the house by myself felt GRRAT. Now back in the recliner icing and elevating. My wife was going to drive me, but is stuck on a work phone call for a few hours - based on her facial expression, guessing she doesn't approve of my decision to go solo... Oops! Still worth it.

*Side rant on the allergy shots - I should have done this and my sinus surgery a long time ago; it probably would have saved my hip. I had bad allergies, combined with sinus polyps and a deviated septum, which resulted in frequent sinus, ear, and upper respiratory infections. To make matters worse, I had my impacted wisdom teeth removed, which caused an oroantral communication and even more infections. While I put off surgery, my GP prescribed Medrol packs (methylprednisolone) about twice a month for a couple years every time an infection would occur. This, presumably, caused the avascular necrosis in my hip. Since sinus surgery and starting the shots, my allergies are vastly reduced and the few infections I've had clear up on their own within a week. I was skeptical of the shots, but I saw a noticeable difference within 6 months and haven't even reached my maintenance dose yet. Ah, hindsight.

 

[Layla]

A word of warning to readers, Joe. Thanks for sharing that bit of info in the last paragraph.
If you only knew, Joe. "Joe Didn't Know". It's too bad...but all you can do is move forward. Which you are doing.

Please don't get carried away with driving until you're cleared. You're worrying me a bit. And it's not even my job to worry about you. I have my own dare devil hubs to worry about
Hope you have a good rest of the day!

By the way....I like those two docs above in video. I watched them pre-op!
@JoeKnows

 

[JoeKnows]

Okay, my body sent me a clear message to slow down (and drink more water). I was about to sit down to dinner when my entire hip area, particularly the upper glute area just above the incision decided to spasm. I've never had a worse muscle spasm, nor have I had pain that severe since the surgery. Took about an hour to get the spasm to calm down.

Soooo, yeah, gonna stick to the walker (I was using a cane around the house).

 

[SurreyGirl]

Ooooh take care Joe! Thanks for showing the picture of your scar, mine is a similar length. Hardly bothers me now and a long red line slightly bumpy. I think all the icing, particularly at night, helped.
I know we are not supposed to compare recoveries but wish the information re Rhtr or lhtr also included posterior, anterior or lateral approach. Sometimes it seems posteriors do take longer althoughbthe outcome seems just as good but it would help when following recoveries to know.

Best of luck with your continuing recovery and do post a photo of that scar one month in. I bet it will look very different!

 

[Mojo333]

Do not get ahead of yourself Mr.
I Do Not want to have to admonish you but sounds like you're aware that you are doing too much at less than one week out.
You have alot of support here, friend...but you can get a what-for if you need one.
Sloooooowwww and be patient.
And NO DRIVING yet.

I had allergy shots in my early teens for three years...had horrible allergies too grass, pollen, dancer, etc.
Worked wonderfully and still have few problems!
Behave today, sir!

 

[JoeKnows]

Yes, I know, and it would be a well deserved what-for. Lesson learned.

I ended up calling the doc during the muscle spasm just to be on the safe side. He said he could prescribe something if it didn't go away. It's still quite sore this morning, but hasn't spasmed... Debating whether to go in, or just take it easy and wait for the scheduled follow up. I think I'll wait and see - if it happens again, despite taking it easier, then I'll call him.

I wish I had a freezer next to my bed - nobody is awake yet, and I don't want to get up, but I'd love some ice (and an ice water).

Overall, consider me humbled. I submit to the fact that my brain wants to do things my body isn't ready for. A friend is bringing over a few multi-thousand piece puzzles today, maybe that will distract the brain.

@SurreyGirl I'll for sure keep updating the scar photo. My wife nearly passed out trying to take the picture, so I'll have to do it in the mirror next time, haha. The dressing should come off next week, at which point I'll try to take weekly pictures from the same angle with the same lighting (I'm curious to scroll through them and watch healing like a time lapse). It would be interesting to compare curious scar-healing products, like emu oil or something natural on one half and a drug store lotion on the other... Hmm...

I also can't wait to scrub all the tape / marker off, but I don't want to de-waterproof this bandage too.

 

[Layla]

Consider a small bedside cooler (temporarily) for fresh ice packs or bottled water.

Magnesium is great for muscle cramping.
Magnesium supports the following:
Bone health
Healthy blood sugar
Cardiovascular health
Muscle relaxation and nerves
Promotes healthy sleep (falling asleep and staying asleep)

An article on Magnesium -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/magnesium-is-a-star.20301/

I've also heard of drinking 4-6 oz of Q-Tonic before bed which is a water that contains quinine.
Read the label as some of the waters do not contain quinine, but quinine flavoring instead.

Hope today is a good one!

 

[JoeKnows]

Am I allowed to put gin in the tonic? Haha

My four year old came in this morning (I'm sleeping in the bright pink bed in the playroom since (a) it's easier to get in and out than our master, and (b) I snore like a bear sleeping on my back). She asked to watch a video I took of her and Grandpa last night. I groggily handed her the phone, she opened the gallery, then squealed, dropped the phone, and ran to her mom. She saw the picture of the scar and got freaked out, poor thing. I reassured her that daddy's fine - glad she didn't see me during the muscle spasm episode, I was more or less crying (okay fine, I was definitely crying until it went away).

My partner (law partner... see above references to wife) is coming by to take me to lunch today. Hopefully there's not too much work talk, but I am curious for an update on some drama that's been going on between partners (I'm just a lowly associate for the time being). Could be a good distraction, and if the drama isn't resolved I'll have motivation to stay away longer, haha.

 

[wonkyhipoy]

The dreaded muscle spasm... I had that too... in my hamstring. In my case, it was not caused by over doing it (as I am wont to do); rather, from all the bruising in the hamstring (not sure how to explain the mechanics here). Was sore for a could of days... still sore really, but not from the spasm.

As for ice... Get your self an Cryotherapy unit... they are about $250...I have the Ossur Cold Therapy Cold Rush device, which is the second one I have owned. Not just because it is really effective for icing... but also because it is essentially a pump inside an ice cooler. So, if you fill it (with ice and a bit of water as per instructions) before you go to bed, the ice will last up to eight hours... meaning you can still ice yourself when everyone else is still sleeping. It also makes the icing sessions more effective (consistent cold rather than really cold at the beginning, and not very cold at the end)... and makes it easier to ice "hard to ice" areas. like the groin on the hamstring. You can also stick a beer or pop can in there (or water bottle if you are of the more "healthy minded"), and it comes out nice and cold in about 10 minutes, though reduces how long the ice lasts .

LOL... I have suggested this device so much on this forum in the last couple of weeks, you'd think I have stock in the company . So, to out your mind at ease, there are many competitor products available on Amazon... I just recommend the Ossur product because it was what was prescribed by my OS after my scope.

Cheers

 

[JoeKnows]

I forgot to ask my father in law if he still has his ice machine from his knee - my understanding is that I could just get a different sleeve for it (or even just use his knee sleeve and make it work). I'll definitely do that. He's coming over to do a bunch of yard work today - not because my yard particularly needs it, he's just a perfectionist and can't stand that I let my trees grow naturally, haha. I'll ask him to bring it over if he still has it.

I've decided that I'm going to eat junk food today. We've been lucky enough to have someone bring dinner 4 of the last 5 nights (coincidentally, all from the same place, but different meals). However, they've all been some combination of chicken, vegetables, and a starch. Which is great and much appreciated, but sometimes a man just needs a pizza. Now that I think about it, I could probably grill a tri-tip without overdoing it (not on my smoker or wood grill though, just on the propane). In case you can't tell, I'm quite hungry, haha.

 

[JoeKnows]

The dreaded muscle spasm... I had that too... in my hamstring. In my case, it was not caused by over doing it (as I am wont to do); rather, from all the bruising in the hamstring (not sure how to explain the mechanics here). Was sore for a could of days... still sore really, but not from the spasm.

I know what you mean - my hamstring was totally fine for a day or two, but then it started swelling and bruising. I really, really wish I could stretch it properly without violating the 90 degree rule. The only thing I could compare my spasm to is what we used to call "butt-lock" in track - usually during the last 200m of the 800m race, when you start sprinting, the top of the glute just clenches involuntarily. Of course, in this case, the muscle that was clenching had also just been through some serious trauma. Again, I wish I could stretch it, but that would entail crossing my left leg over my right knee and pulling both legs to my chest - even if that didn't dislocate the hip, I suspect @Layla would fly to California and smack me!

 

[Jaycey]

If you do a hamstring stretch from a seated position you will not violate the 90 degree rule. I found these stretches eased my piriformis issues post LTHR and have been doing them ever since for sciatic pain. It's basically raising the leg straight out to the level of the chair seat and pulling toes toward the nose. Start very gently as your hamstring is probably very tight.

 

[Alitm]

@JoeKnows Yes she would!!! Sorry you are having hamstring discomfort....Jaycey's suggestion sounds great.