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THR Jomarie58 recovery Begins!

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I had a catheter in the first night but they took that out 1/16/16 in the afternoon so since then I have been to the commode three times. Third time was the charm and I definitely felt more steady and able to manage getting up and down better. ( do wish I could get more than just urine to pass the system!). I think I will be able to get there on my own at home. I was stressing earlier today wondering what I was going to do because Hubby sleeps upstairs while I will be down in the recliner. I am going to ask him to keep his phone nearby in case and I will keep mine in a pocket. I was hitting my swollen hip with the walker so the nurse tonight brought me a wider one that is much less painful to use. Going to try to fall back asleep since it is just 2:30 am.


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR in my future.
 
@jomarie58 please don't stress about going home. You won't be discharged until you can get around on your own including up and down stairs.

Hope you are getting some rest!
 
Thanks @Jaycey I did fall back to sleep and had another successful commode run around 4:30 am. Still waiting for bowel action, going to try some prune juice today! Not sure what the plan is for today. My hemoglobin was at 9 post surgery so I have been taking vit C and iron (etc) and today they drew blood to check on that. I know I will see PT just not sure when.

Yesterday my husband told me about his ordeal while I was in recovery on 1/15. Apparently after having the surgeon telling him he should see me in the room within an hour, they left him there for three hours with no updates. I was not allowed to leave because my heart monitor kept going off ---my heart rate would go down to low 40's high 30's and if I remember correctly they wanted it to stay above 50. He had no idea what was going on and when he asked the nurses just said they had not heard anything. So he was pretty upset by the time I got to the room at 6:30.

Have a good Sunday everyone.


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR in my future.
 
Oh your poor hubby must have been so worried! Shame on those nurses. They certainly could have checked on you for him!

Prune juice, lots of fluids and things like dried apricots. They may even give you something while you are still in the hospital. Here's a thread everyone usually needs access to post op Constipation and stool softeners.
 
@jomarie58 Goodness, so sorry to hear about your husband's experience- sounds like oversight/ protocol had a meet up and it didn't have a good outcome. I am already planning & shopping for my pre-op/post-op my foods with the issues in mind, plus I've got a nice arsenal of goodies from the drugstore to get things going at home. For me, it will be one less thing to worry about performing in the hospital. If you don't already have them, maybe your husband could go to the store & pick some things up (regarding @Jaycey 's link) before you go home. Getting those key movements down, vitals under control and rest (in a hospital!) is already alot to take on.
 
@jomarie58 I've found that every day brings progress and sometimes mini setbacks. I'm able to do so much more each day but frustration because I get so tired. Sometimes it is like a light switch turns off and I announce "I have to go sleep NOW". As my right leg has begun it's awakening the skin area feel weird and my right knee ( which has never given me a minute's problem in my life) is bruised way more than my anterior incision area and has demanded it's own ice pack. I met a woman in therapy who had had both hips and both knees replaced in the past year. I immediately thought this was going to happen to me because I need both hips done and if my knees have to be destroyed in the process then I'll be lower limb robotic in no time.

My constipation was remedied within a few days of going home. So much stress on the body I guess and no food or drink for about 24 hours, it took a few days to wake up the colon. I cannot imagine having to sit on a low toilet and being comfortable. When I had my pre op class, we were told that knee replacements would have to have the raised seat with handles and that hips, not so much so not to worry if you didn't have one or didn't want to get one. NOT! I really cannot imagine not having the higher toilet with side handles. Ouch. Relaxing at home with your own food and a routine should get you all straightened out.

Hard to understand why the nurses didn't check on your progress and update your DH at least every 30 minutes. It doesn't help the trust in the healthcare team. I found so many little things that I was told would happen during my stay but did not happen and I began to focus on wondering if the nurses even communicated with each other. Luckily, I get to take a survey about my experience. ;)
Congratulations on moving forward. --julie
 
@jomarie58
I'm in the same boat as you are. I will be recovering in a guest room which is located on the opposit side of the house. I purchased a pager system (I think it was around $30). It can be worn around the neck (which is good if anything should happen on the way to the bathroom etc.). It sounds like a doorbell, but also has a setting that sounds like a fire alarm. I've threatened hubby with the fire alarm if he doesn't respond to the doorbell! :heehee:

I just can't understand people who have no consideration for others! If I were your hubby, I would have been climbing the walls with worry! Shame on them!
 
Squirrellymom said:
Sometimes it is like a light switch turns off and I announce "I have to go sleep NOW".
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This is so true, Julie. Yesterday I was outside hobbling back into the house -- then the sleep wave hit me, and I had to lie down and take a nap - not so much from tiredness, but just flat out sleepy. It wasn't even immediately after a meal, either.

@jomarie58 -- I didn't get over constipation until after I got home, and even now, it still isn't as often as presurgery, but I'm eating / drinking all the good fiber suggested food, juice and water. I will probably add Jaycey's apricots to our grocery list.
 
Hi @jomarie58 and :welome: to the other side. Sounds like you are doing quite well. I'm happy to hear that you are not suffering with any nausea. That makes such a huge difference in the early days of recovery. I was sorry to hear what your hubby went through while waiting for you to get to your room. It would have been so easy for one of the nurses to call the recovery area to check on your status for him. The "log leg" will soon e a thing of the past and the suggestion for using a belt loop or strap is a great one for moving and lifting it out of bed. I also found that if I scooted down to the foot of the bed, it was so much easier to get in and out. Just make sure you have your walker close by. Best wishes on a smooth and quick recovery.
 
@jomarie58 - 3 hours waiting to hear about you and no updates?! Your husband must have been worried sick! Poor guy!
I hope your PT went well today. I also hope you can go to your home sweet home as soon as you are ready to do so.
Take good care of YOU and rest up. :sleep: :)
 
Glad you are onto the other side! I just now can at day nine or ten post surgery kick out my operated leg all on it's own before lowering onto the elevated toilet seat. Every time I'd go to sit down then go "oh yeah gotta lift this leg out so I can sit back." And I'd have to do this with either my hands under my lower thigh & kick my heel out. Leg muscles are strong enough now to do it all on their own on that op leg. Not sure at what point sitting lower on a regular toilet will be doable. My bath room is looking pretty medical with that chair in there & the walker permanently in the shower.
 
Thanks for the replies to the last post. I realized from earlier events today that my emotions are still close to the surface. The man came to deliver my bed side commode and walker and even from across the room I could tell they were too small (butt width). The delivery man said the commode was rated to 300 pounds and I weigh 40 pounds less so I should be fine. And I just started balling! I tried to explain that I thought my incision would be tightly pressed against the handles, and offered to show him. The nurse assistant helped me over there and it was immediately clear there was no way I could sit. He said he could not do anything without Doctor order's and luckily the one doctor here today wrote me one for a bariatric chair with a wider seat. I hope to goodness that will work. I am a pear shape girl, I can't believe I got this far and no one thought to order the larger size for me. The wider walker won't go through the doors of my house but I am guessing I can try a sideways step to get into rooms. Hubby is aggravated we have to pay so much for these larger models that I may not need for long but I just want to avoid hurting myself! Plus I will need them when the other hip is done.

Also around 5 they drew blood to see if my hemoglobin was low still, it was and the night nurse told me before she left at 7 am they would order an iron IV to give me before I left. That was 7 am. At 10:30 I asked an assistant about that IV and she left to ask the nurse at 11:30 I asked the PT assistant to see if she could find anything out. because my nurse had never come by. When the IV finally arrived I learned that it had not been ordered till 11:30! Thanks goodness I asked the PT girl or who knows when I would have gotten it! It has to drop in for about 2 hours and then I go home!

Never dull!


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR in my future.
 
@jomarie58 am cross on your behalf. If you needed iron IV you needed it and they should be on the ball. So sorry about Commodegate - stuff like that is upsetting . Are they sorting that out now? Reading other posts and talking to others in person I understand that it is perfectly normal (and understandable) to be emotional. I absolutely guarantee I will need shares in Kleenex. I'll cry for anyone at the drop of the hat. I had an out of the blue boo yesterday in the middle of granddaughter's riding lesson. Hubby was lost for words. Sending a big hug and thinking of you all the time :flwrysmile::chillpill::angel::console2:
 
jomarie58 said:
The wider walker won't go through the doors of my house but I am guessing I can try a sideways step to get into rooms.
Click to expand...
It probably will. That's what I had to do. Once inside our bathroom, there were enough surfaces to support me, I didn't need the walker right in front of me at all times, but when getting up from the toilet, it helped me stabilize. Everywhere I've read said 'don't put the walker wheels on the inside of the walker', but if could have done that, the walker would have fit through all our doorways just fine.
 
Unfortunately, emotions running high are one of the downsides to this surgery. Most all of us have suffered with it, but it is only short lived and you will get through it. But, if it gets too bad for you, give your GP a call for some kind of medicine assistance. I did, and it worked wonders. Fortunately, I only needed to take it a couple of times. Just a suggestion, have your PT person practice with you about how to do the sidestep with the walker. It might be a bit tricky for those of us who had the posterior approach done, as far as remembering not to twist to maneuver the stepping sideways. Just a thought that may make life a little easier once you get home.
 
Yikes. So much to endure. As I've mentioned, I was fortunate to have all sorts of disability stuff from my mother's leftovers. I'm not a pack rat in any sense of the word. In fact, my family is afraid to even leave something sitting for a day because I throw away/give away everything. Not used - gone! But I put all the disabled stuff away in a corner of the basement and I'm so glad I did. Now, after I get left hip replaced, I'll get a ceiling rack and just keep it forever. I've also rolled up all the area rugs in the house and I like them gone too. ;). Feels cleaner and my wild dog pack don't run and slide and scrunch them up now.

@CatLady1 I missed the inside/outside wheels opinions and put my wheels inside specifically so I could maneuver through the bathrooms and in the kitchen around the pet bowls and recycling cans. I've not had any adverse experiences. Did they say why inside might not be advisable? Guess I was better off not knowing.

My thoughts have now started looking to the replacement of left hip. I'm getting comfortable with recovery and I don't want to lose sight of my goal, to have both hips refurbished and be all ready to enjoy summer walks and the outdoors and be finished as soon as possible with healing.
Today, one day from my 2-week milestone, has felt very good. No cane indoors. Up and moving a lot. Incision all closed up. Only iced once. No meds needed. Swiffered the kitchen floor. Great progress. WhooHoo. --julie
 
@jomarie58 - i second the 'cross on your behalf', you have enough to contend with without getting obviously inadequate equipment. Hope you will be all sorted soon and home where you can be a bit more in control. All the best.


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016
 
@Squirrellymom - I guess I won't take over JoMarie's thread and will move my reply back to mine..
@jomarie58 -- I hope today is working out better for you, and everyone is doing what's needed now. Hang in there!! :bow:
 
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Good morning! Happy to see chatting in my thread, no worries all!

I did get the larger size commode and the wider walker. The walker won't go through the door to the bedroom where the toilet is located so we have the narrower one in the hallway and I trade off to go in there. Just have to be careful not to smack my incision. Can't walk as upright with that one. Did clear a path so I can make a short loop with the wider one, tv room through kitchen through front room back to tv room. That sounds farther than it is! But I have been trying to walk that loop periodically.

PT is coming today at 9:30. Will be interested to see what the want me to do.

Definitely in more pain here at home, am icing right now and took 2 oxycodone HCl. 5 mg hoping that helps. Learned last night that it is hard to explain to a chihuahua why he can not sit in his usual spot on your lap!

Guess I will call a pharmacist later to see which meds can be taken with my thyroid pill, I have another that is supposed to be empty stomach.

Have a good Monday.


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR in my future.
 
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