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THR Jomarie58 recovery Begins!

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@jomarie58 - my hubby told my surgeon that he was going to hire a private physiotherapist to visit as soon as I get home. Fortunately he was told that wasn't necessary as I would be given clear instructions about what I need to do to assisit in my recovery. My husband is extremely fit and I'm sure had my best interests at heart when he jumped in in this way. But reading all the best advice on here I see that walking is the best thing - and I intend to follow the rules by the letter. No point in setting myself back having gone through the process of the Operation! The problem is as the disease progresses so we become less mobile, and I often wonder if he reads this as laziness. He's a very active guy (sailing :capn:ex-mountaineer:upright::surfer: :kayak:- a bit of an outward-bound type) and I'm the dead opposite (no idea what he ever saw in me!) I refrain from grumbling as I don't want to sound like a pain in the bum (pardon the pun) and also men do sometimes think that all is required is a pragmatic response, when what we need is a spot of old fashioned sympathy. DON'T push yourself. I think we're all alarmed at the amount you bit off and I am concerned that you will jeopardise a smooth recovery. And God bless your girlfriends! :angel::praying::console2:
 
Hi @CatLady1 I am having a good day today limiting myself to just sorting old magazines! I slept four hours solid again last night. Darn, sleeping well makes such a difference! It has been AGES! Earlier this afternoon I went to lie on the bed and do my few exercises and I swear I nodded off mid glute squeeze! Grin

@Miss Muffet i do think my hubby has been thinking that I had gotten lazy. There is no way to explain to someone that burning bone pain whenever you stand or walk! I am doing better with saying that I can not do a chore right now. He is helping with some things. And "bless my girlfriends" is right! I now have meals to last me all week.
 
You are right about the good sleeping on this side of surgery. It has been ages! Although I still wake up in the night, I feel like I've slept hard (pre-surgery, it was .. well, I'm sure you all know how it was.) Some nights I felt like I woke up every hour on the hour to turn over.
 
1am freak out. I am having so much trouble with constipation I have spent a good bit of time sitting on the loo (with little success). Just now, After 40 minutes ---Leaving there I felt funny walking. Looked down and my right ankle has swollen up like a balloon. Not red just really puffed out. Walked around a bit and I do not have new pain in the leg. Hubby is upstairs asleep and has not woken up from my calls up the stairs. Called home health care nurse on call to confirm that this is not an emergency but she was not convincing or soothing. She said if I lose feeling in the leg or develop new pain then seek help. Had no suggestions for me. I am now in the recliner with legs up and have been stretching ankles. No improvement but not worse either. I don't normally experience swelling, do you think it is related to sitting on the elevated toilet seat with my leg (and incision) pressed down into the plastic?


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR in my future.
 
Sorry you have had such a rough night @jomarie58. I do think you are right to take medical advice on the swollen ankle, we do need to be careful, don't hesitate to call nurse again for advice rather than sit and fret. Elevating and ice has got to be good in the meantime. Re the bunged up issue - did you get given any stool softeners or whatever on discharge? Not sure how long those things take to work, maybe those with more experience will be along to advise. Thinking of you, the first few days are the worst, it will be better soon!


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016
 
Less clogged, still swollen. What a night! I imagine I will be sleeping a bunch today. AND eating more prunes!


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Prunes and lots of fruit and veggies are good. I've taken to drinking prune juice with each of my meals. Seems to help the colon health. As for swelling, I noticed knee swelling and bruising about 5-6 days after surgery. It now looks less swollen (at 15 days) but I can still feel the stiffness. Like Bettifloss says, ice it and elevate. And don't hesitate to check in with the health care nurse if you need medical feedback. That's what they are there for.

A couple of years ago, when I broke my arm and had surgery, I had a lot more swelling in my arm -- to the point it would make my ring finger and pinky go numb. I'd have to lay down, elevate my arm (above my heart) on pillows and ice... and then it would calm down a bit.
It's seems harder to balance the "get up and walk" with the "elevate and ice" mantra.
 
@jomarie58 be sure you elevate that ankle. Put it up on a pillow. Do your foot pumps frequently to get everything circulating. Oh my I hope it goes down. I didn't stay on pain meds more than two days but had been warned at pre-op about constipation. I use Sunsweet SupraFiber supplement. Pretry natural ingredients -prune, apple, blueberry, pomegranate etc. And I take a stool softener. Lots of water throughout the day and cups of herbal tea. Try to relax. Maybe read on toilet to relax your mind as well as your colon :martini: pay attention to what you are eating. Good fiber! I am eating oatmeal, bananas, apples, figs. I bought big bags of frozen fruit at Costco and I have a serving every day. My 2-cents. It works for me but may not be what your doctor ordered. --julie
 
@jomarie58
I hope, by now, you are finding relief with your clogged plumbing. If not, I found Colace (or any other stool softener) works well. Just make sure it's a stool softener and not a laxative. But, if you spent a long time on the toilet, that's not good for circulation. If nothing is happening in a few minutes, give up and try again later. Also, keep that leg elevated (use a pillow or 2 to raise it higher) and iced. You should see improvement with the swelling. Good luck today and I wish you well.
 
Home health care nurse just left. Reassured me that swelling of the leg is normal as is clogging due to pain meds. Sigh. She said I need to elevate my foot higher and do that for 15 minutes 4 or 5 times a day. Since I had no swelling Monday to Wednesday she suspected that more standing and sitting with legs down contributed.

She had me walk around a bit with just a cane and I was just fine! Told me to keep using the walker for now though. She moved the walker to a higher height to encourage me not to lean into it for weight support but more rest hands on it for balance. Walking that way feels more normal but sure is tiring. Haven't used some of those muscles for a while. Added two more simple exercises (slide leg out on bed and bend knee up moving heel toward bottom) to my routine.

I was told to give the fleet enema a try since it had been 7 days now of no response, even with all the softener and miralax --- then voila! Success! I shall be sure I have plenty of fiber and water in the coming days! I will share how surprised I was at 2 am at how many possible Google sentences popped up when I typed in"help, my poop.....", it was crazy! And then the stories I read!?! At least I knew I was not alone in my discomfort! Grin

Did not one darn other productive thing today other than call to ask for second week of pain meds prescription. It is supposed to snow here and hubby wanted to take care of that today. Hope none of you are in the path of really bad weather!


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR in my future.
 
Glad to hear your pipes are now cleared @jomarie58! You gotta feel so much better now. And, yes, keep that leg elevated whenever you are sitting. It helps tremendously. Have a great night!
 
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jomarie58 said:
She moved the walker to a higher height to encourage me not to lean into it for weight support but more rest hands on it for balance.
Click to expand...
You go girl! At the end of my walker use, I was just pushing it along out in front of me for balance (and I did it on purpose like that so I wasn't putting my weight on it - mostly to see if I could do it).
 
HA!! @jomarie58 those google answers -- can ONLY imagine! That reminds me, I'm going to get a couple of fleets treats just in case- better to be safe than sorry :) Glad to hear you are able to practice with the cane already! YAY! Sounds like the east coast is in for a wallop- it will good to be inside all cozy :)
 
MUCH better night last night! Woke to torrential rain, thankfully it is not cold enough to be snow, but they say it will ice over later as the temperature drops. Planning a pj day today

Today I am one week out from surgery. Really amazed at how far I have come from pre op conditions! Most pain right now is from the area of my incision where she had trouble changing the dressing yesterday, thought she had pulled it open from the pain ! Now just super sensitive

A friend brought quiche over so I believe I will heat that for breakfast!! Yum


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
@jomarie58 So glad things are easing for you. Yes, a PJ day is in order. You do need to pamper yourself through this journey. Ice that swollen ankle - it may help reduce the swelling. You are doing great!
 
Looks like today is definitely a recharging day. I just keep nodding off. Walked around a bit after my quiche, sat down and fell asleep for 15. Got on the bed to elevate foot for a while and fell asleep there for 20! Someone on another thread said something about "just being" and that is striking a cord with me especially on a day like today.


RTHR 1/15/2016. Posterior approach. Due to AVN. LTHR in my future.
 
One of the best things I ever did for myself, during recovery, was to let myself sleep whenever I felt like it. Even if it was 15-20 minutes at a time, it wold rejuvenate me. And then there were days, when I would just stay in bed and sleep, sleep and sleep some more. It was wonderful and I felt great the next day....ready to tackle whatever came my way. So, when it strikes @jomarie58, let it happen and never ever feel guilty about it. It's your body letting you know that you need it. Happy recovery day to you and keep all snuggled up...I sure am today!
 
@Nana757 has it nailed! I'm not sure why the sleep urge hits you like that, but I had days (and still do) where I slept well at night, but had to take lots of mini naps all day the next day. Enjoy it while you got it... You will feel better for it (I'm pretty sure when you finally go back to work, you won't let you keep taking those naps, ha ha. ):heehee:
 
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