THR JoeKnows Recovery

[Mojo333]

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)

Or not!!!
I thought you were in time out!?

 

[Layla]

I think we have to put this one on "watch", @Mojo333
Out driving already, doing shower beers, wanting to contort his op leg.
Yep, he's on the list
Hope you had the pizza you were craving, Joe. Try to behave yourself tonight.
@JoeKnows

 

[Mojo333]

On THE list!
Oh my stars

 

[JoeKnows]

Haha my wife is on your team, I've been put in my place. I actually had a turkey sandwich instead, decided to keep the healthy-ish eating going. And a friend brought steak for me tonight!

You'll be glad to know I came home from lunch and slept for 3 hours. I'll be good, don't want another episode like last night.

 

[Mojo333]

Yay for Mrs. JoeKnows.
Or we shall call her Mrs. KnowsJoe
We certainly do want this recovery time to be an investment in your future health...
You are doing very well...hope today is restful and easy.
The cabin fever and mundane "rest, ice, elevate" routine flies get old quick!
All very worth it though!

 

[wonkyhipoy]

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.

You know nothing JoeKnows ... sorry, just a bit of “Game of Thrones” humour!

I grilled up some organic smokies for the family in week 2... then spent the next day on the couch. Worth it?... maybe... maybe .

Oh, if anyone has constipation issues and all other suggestions fail... try smokies... there’s so much fat, everything just slides right out.... I am kidding... mostly.

Cheers

 

[JoeKnows]

Haha @wonkyhipoy that works pretty well with my screen name! And, you know, my stubborn behavior in the face of sound advice and basic logic.

There's not much to do with a tri tip, basically just throw it on there, flip in 30 minutes, then poke it around an hour and decide if it's done. But after I forced myself to eat most of a large steak last night (these meds really kill my appetite I guess), doesn't sound that great anymore.

If my constipation continued (it hasn't), I was going to have my wife get a chile verde chimichanga from a local restaurant... For those who may not know, it's basically spicy, fatty, slow cooked pork, rice and beans wrapped in a tortilla and then deep fried. It'll definitely get things moving in the digestive tract.

Slept a TON last night. I feel like it's a lot easier to get out of my bed. Stiff, of course, and the itching is getting worse. Looks like I did something to make the incision bleed a bit, but nothing concerning. Swelling is starting to improve. Still takes me a minute to stand up straight, since the muscles in front of my hip don't want to relax. But overall, a definite improvement from the last week.

 

[Layla]

Great news. Sleep sure helps.
That Chimichanga sounds awful! Turned my stomach
Glad you're noticing improvement, it's a good feeling.
Enjoy the day!
@JoeKnows

 

[SurreyGirl]

Prunes and figs worked for me! Glad you have skirted around the perimeters of the ODIC but not fallen in yet! Beware the wrath of the Admin-Injas!

Just starting my 8th week and sleep so much better. Slept until 10 this morning and it was my back not hip that was the issue as got stuck in one position...not much pain now which is such a relief.

Try the bed excercise before getting up. I found they did help. I am still very stiff when I get out of bed but five minutes of gentle meandering about usually sorts it!

 

[Mojo333]

Bean soup!
And those first square it up stutter steps before the leg decided to get with the program...yes, I remember.
I had two that weren't sure what to do upon first rising.
Hope you take it easy this weekend...Slow...Joe Knows!

 

[JoeKnows]

@Layla The chimichanga is soooo good (if you like spicy). The stomach turning usually kicks in about an hour after consumption, haha. Didn't have to resort to that though, digestion is moving along nicely lately.

All is well this morning. So far so good on just 50mg tramadol and cutting out the Norco. I ended up briefly laying on my non op side with pillows between the legs, no problem and relieved some lower back discomfort. Swelling seems to be decreasing. Still can't raise my knee from a seated position - those muscles in front of the hip don't want to work. But my quad is working better, which helps immensely getting in and out of bed.

Did a little computer work this morning (mostly just cleaning out emails I don't need to read), but that didn't last long.

 

[Layla]

I used to like spicy....a lot! Not so much anymore.
Stomach turning...Ugh, it would be difficult to eat other than for medicinal purposes
Great news you didn't "need" to eat it.

Happy to hear you're having a good day.

Just noticed your credentials in your signature
Hope you and Mrs Joe have a lovely weekend!
@JoeKnows

 

[JoeKnows]

This won't surprise anyone who's either had a replacement or just read this forum for a while, but here's a timeline of my energy today:

Wake up.
Good.
Good.
Good.
Good.
Good.
Exhausted.
Nap.
Good.
Good.
Good.
Exhausted.

Currently trying to stay awake to kiss the girls goodnight and probably eat something.

We have a 1 year olds bday party tomorrow afternoon, so the exhausted stage will probably hit early. I'd back out, but socializing sounds nice (with the parents, the 1 year old isn't much of a conversationalist yet).

 

[Mojo333]

Love talking to a one year old...before they learn to be ugly to you.
Hope tomorrow is a good
Good
Good
Day.......then
Rest.
This is how we do it!

 

[Small1014]

@JoeKnows , you're hilarious! No doubt your surgeon caused the femur fracture- might be worth taking a closer look at your pre-surgery xrays to see if there's any sign of anything. Be glad you did the mini-posterior, because otherwise, he would have had to do a second incision to fix the break- can't do that from the anterior approach. And OMG, driving at one week post- you are a brave soul. I think I did it at 3 weeks, and made sure I didn't do it right after taking pain meds. But I used Oxy regularly for the first 3 weeks.... and you stopped taking that soooner. And my daily routine that first week or two pretty much went like this:

Wake Up in Pain
Take Meds and drink coffee
ICe/Elevate- Good
Watch morning news shows/ do PT or walk
Nap/Ice
Wake Up in Pain
Take Meds and have lunch
Ice/Elevate- Good
Nap and Dream
Wake Up and wonder why I'm not at work
Take Meds and Ice and have dinner - Good
Snuggle with my ice pad and contour pillow in bed (with lots of tossing and turning during the night.)

And I also used one of those ice machines for the first 2-3 weeks, which was great. I would lay a gel ice pad on top of the ice maching pad to hold it in place, and make it extra cold. Really think that helped me heal quickly. Happy healing to you!!

 

[JoeKnows]

Last night was weird - slept like a rock for about 4-5 hours, then could not get back to sleep. It wasn't even necessarily that the hip was bothering me, although it was a bit uncomfortable of course. I think this was just my normal inability to sleep, which is... good I guess? I also ate a bit closer to bedtime than I prefer, maybe that had something to do with it.

Apparently some friends are bringing their kids over this morning. I was not consulted about this, and still don't understand why everyone's coming here (we all live in the same neighborhood)... for some reason it feels less anti-social for me not to go to someone else's house, as opposed to disappearing to a bedroom in my own house with company. And since I've been sleeping in our kids' playroom, I suppose I'll have to hide the bedside urinal I love so much, haha.

Just remembered the 1 year old's party this afternoon too! Yikes. Going to be an early night again.

Oh, and the recliner! I think I posted about this earlier somewhere, but shortly after learning I'd need a THR I decided to get a very nice recliner (the one I have is old and cheap). So I went and ordered a custom made leather recliner. Long story short, I got a surgery date WAY earlier than I expected, and the recliner wasn't supposed to be ready until mid-October. But now I got a call that it'll be ready on 9/25! My birthday is 9/23, so I'll consider this a present to myself. And just in time to plant myself in it for the Ryder Cup.

Alright, that's my stream of tired consciousness for the morning. Going to shower, get caffeinated, and listen to some pump-up music before people come over and I have to act like an actual human being.

EDIT: Oh yeah, my hip. It's alright. I wish I could soak it in a hot tub, getting very tired of the muscle soreness. I keep trying to balance on the operated leg, still not luck. Figure I'll just give it a shot a few times a day until it clicks. Had some groin pain when I stubbed my toe and kind of flinched, but it was fleeting. Other than that it's really just discomfort, soreness, and the incision itching right now. Swelling's okay - the muscle I'd call the upper glute (right at the top of the incision and toward the spine) is definitely inflamed, much easier to tell now that the general swelling decreased. Time and ice, time and ice...

 

[Layla]

I think 4-5 hrs of solid sleep sounds great at this point. Especially if you're napping during the day?
I routinely slept in two solid blocks of 3-4 hrs with a bathroom break in between but never napped once!
Never been a napper and was really hoping to find out what it was like. No. Such. Luck.
I can't complain though and you shouldn't either because many find sleep elusive for many reasons from pain to the inability to find a comfortable position. That would be the worst in my opinion.

You're going to love that recliner. What a nice surprise and birthday present that it's coming earlier than expected.

Good luck with all the social activity today. Hope you enjoy it!
@JoeKnows

 

[JoeKnows]

Oddly, I've been sleeping more (not really better, but more total) than normal since the surgery. Well, not so odd considering the medications, I suppose - plus my doctor recommended something extra to help with sleep, but I can't tell you what it is because, while legal in my jurisdiction, that's not the case for everyone. Now that I've stopped with both the Norco and the "extra help," I suppose it makes sense I'd sleep less.

 

[luvsibes]

Welcome to the healing side! I agree that the younger, more active, and fit persons seem to have greater challenges with pacing themselves during recovery! At least that's what I've seen over the past months on Bsmart. I'm not the younger group, but used to being active psychically and have found the pacing challenging. Be mindful of your movements, honor the energy drain, and get support here! I see @wonkyhipoy - has reached out to you ad from my readings I believe he'll be good support to you!

 

[wonkyhipoy]

And my daily routine that first week or two pretty much went like this:

Wake Up in Pain
Take Meds and drink coffee
ICe/Elevate- Good
Watch morning news shows/ do PT or walk
Nap/Ice
Wake Up in Pain
Take Meds and have lunch
Ice/Elevate- Good
Nap and Dream
Wake Up and wonder why I'm not at work
Take Meds and Ice and have dinner - Good
Snuggle with my ice pad and contour pillow in bed (with lots of tossing and turning during the night.)

LOL... you all are much better patients than I. My daily routine was more like:
Wake up
Whine
Whine
Complain
Moan
Have Coffee
Complain about the government and how kids are these days
Moan
Cry a little
Walk Dog...
Wash, Rinse, Repeat

And that was before the hip replacement

And I also used one of those ice machines for the first 2-3 weeks, which was great. I would lay a gel ice pad on top of the ice maching pad to hold it in place, and make it extra cold. Really think that helped me heal quickly. Happy healing to you!!

Used one after my scope seven years ago... for seven years... was great after any intense activity. Bought a new one (as I said before, old one sprung a leak) and spend the mornings and evenings hooked up to it. I love it!!! Took it to work with me last surgery, going to do the same this Tuesday when I go back!

I keep trying to balance on the operated leg, still not luck.

My friend, you need to stop this ASAP. The muscles they cut are responsible for balancing. You risk doing some real damage here. Your hip muscles need support right now. Instead of balancing, stand on both legs and slowly shift your weight to your operated leg while holding on to a counter. Your goal is to get to 1o0% on bad leg, 0% on good leg while holding on to something for balance... but start at around 70%/30%. Also, make sure your legs are underneath you (shoulder width apart is too far apart... it will engage your groin too much... so have your feet about 1 foot apart). This will slowly strengthen your stabilizer muscles without taxing them too much. Also, remember that the inflammation/swelling will prevent your stabilizer muscles from engaging quickly... so shift your weight slowly.

Just a little advice.. take it or leave it.

Oddly, I've been sleeping more (not really better, but more total) than normal since the surgery. Well, not so odd considering the medications, I suppose - plus my doctor recommended something extra to help with sleep, but I can't tell you what it is because, while legal in my jurisdiction, that's not the case for everyone. Now that I've stopped with both the Norco and the "extra help," I suppose it makes sense I'd sleep less.

Apparently opioids effect deep sleep... so you sleep longer while actually feeling less rested (thank you Netflix documentary).

Also, loved you "but I can't tell you what it is"... lol. I am in Canada... it is legal on the 17th of October.,, though medicinally has been legal for about 10 years... assuming we are talking about the same thing. Sadly, like most opioids, it has little if any effect on me... though with my family history of addiction, maybe that is a good thing.

Cheers