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THR Jumping over a little prematurely, but...

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:flwrysmile: I'm so glad to hear you are home! Sure hope your doctor can adjust the meds so that you can get some rest! The first few weeks will be awkward given that the leg will be stiff and feel swollen. But the ice and elevation do help a lot with that .... and it does go away. :ice:
 
Southernbelle said:
Thank you so much for the info on the leg. It's helpful to have someone else' frame of reference to go by. Was it also very painful when someone else moves it for you? I'm putting off getting up, moving, going to the bathroom because of the pain.

When I visit the site, I just can't find my thread, but maybe it will be easier after I maneuver around a bit. I appreciate you all so much!
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It sounds like being on the meds for the nerve damage did make you build up a tolerance. I didn't have pain moving by the second day. The first day and night I had to lay still. I had a catheter. (But, I hadn't been on any pain killers before the surgery, so I think they worked really well on me.) Are you using a walker? That usually helps. You can put the weight on it. It helped me to use my arms and hold on to furniture as I walked. I would go very slowly.
 
@Southernbelle Hi, I used a yoga strap to sling over my foot to pull my left leg on the bed, then switched to right or to move them. I did my recovery alone so if i had to move i had to be quite inventive. Every day you will get better. I hope that old pain you had is long gone, now you'll have just surgery pain that can be managed. I was up to 50 plus pills a day pre-op and weaned myself off in about 6 weeks to none. Good Luck!
 
Wow, what a great idea, @Michegon! And, thank you for the ideas for improvisations, @Hip Hip Hooray! I'll have to see what I can manage. I can't imagine doing your recovery alone! That would terrify me! You are so brave! My son has been lifting my leg for me and he's very gentle, so it works ok, but it's also nice to be able on your own, and at inconvenient times, like in the middle of the night. I just hate waking him up then, although he says it doesn't bother him, that he goes right back to sleep.

New problem, anyone know what the excruciating, very sharp pain is, that I have about 2" inside my incision, in my abdomen. Seems very close to where the absessed hemotoma was when I had a hysterectomy (endometrial cancer) about 11 yrs. ago. It is horrible when I move at all. So bad, that I'm avoiding drinking so I won't have to move to get to the bathroom often. I know that's not good, but you wouldn't believe how badly this pain is when it hits! And, holding that spot when I move doesn't help. Anyone have any ideas? Is it normal, how long does it last? I could manage the rest of the pain if that would go away. I keep ice on it, but doesn't seem to make it less once I have to get up. Thanks!
 
With the risk of sounding too woo woo, I believe this surgery activates cellular memory. It's a very traumatic event, and I think old injury sites wake up and react. To me it feels like it's almost like a protective defense. I felt things I had totally forgotten about...an old sprained ankle from when I was 17, and torn ligaments in a knee from around the same time. For me it really helped to cry and release any repressed negative emotions. My Russian ballet teacher used to tell me, "It's just energy."

Sorry to hear you are in pain. It should subside with time. I hope you are getting enough to eat and drink. I'm glad you have help. Your son sounds very sweet and sensitive.
 
@Southernbelle i had a sharp pain below my rib cage area for about a week after surgery. I think it was maybe that I pulled a muscle with some of the dry heaving I did when I was nauseated or from trying to pull myself up after surgery. I remember having to hold the area when I was trying to get out of bed and that helped. All of a sudden one morning the pain wasn't there! Good luck!
 
I have no problem grasping that, for some reason, @Hip Hip Hooray! Makes sense to me, given how our bodies, minds, and soul are connected to our emotions. How could that energy not be! Well, it's the sharpest, most excruciating pain I've experienced so far. Takes my breath away! I'll just try to breathe into it and hope it subsides quickly. Thank you for sharing that, not too woo woo for me. After all, you're a California girl. ; ) (Lived for 10 yrs in Pasadena, moved back to my hometown this past Spring.)That may also be related to the pain in my knee, had an injury there @ 25 yrs. ago. I believe you may be on to something.
 
Thank you, @Skatie, for your input, there's no telling, but at least I'm not alone with this odd pain. I hope mine is short-lived as well.
 
Southernbelle said:
I have no problem grasping that, for some reason, @Hip Hip Hooray! Makes sense to me, given how our bodies, minds, and soul are connected to our emotions. How could that energy not be! Well, it's the sharpest, most excruciating pain I've experienced so far. Takes my breath away! I'll just try to breathe into it and hope it subsides quickly. Thank you for sharing that, not too woo woo for me. After all, you're a California girl. ; ) (Lived for 10 yrs in Pasadena, moved back to my hometown this past Spring.)That may also be related to the pain in my knee, had an injury there @ 25 yrs. ago. I believe you may be on to something.
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Yeah, that's what I mean. When I listen to people, it always seems to correlate to an old injury. They do a lot of hammering with this surgery. The knee is very close to the femur. I can imagine it wanting it to protect itself. This surgery is really wonderful, but to me, the dark side of it is that it's really like an assault on the body. We're not awake and aware at the time, but I think it does register on subconscious levels.
 
Hi @Southernbelle and welcome to Bonesmart! Congratulations for receiving a shiny new hip! I am sorry to hear about the pain you are having. Hopefully, you can get the surgery pain under control, soon. I'm curious, though, about your tummy pain. Have you had a BM yet? If not, that may be what is causing your tummy pain.
When I came home, I experimented a lot, to see what I could do to make things easier getting in and out of bed. One thing was that I used one of my bathrobe belts with a loop to grab my foot to help lift and slide my op leg on the bed. Also, I found that if I scooted down to the foot of the bed to get up, that proved to be the best and easiest. I also did that to get back in bed. Of course, you gotta have strong arms, but it is doable, even if you don't, because you can still use your non-op leg to help.
I'm happy to hear you have your son to help you out.
You are only days into your recovery, and it is going to take a lot of patience on your part. But, icing, keeping your leg elevated, sleeping whenever the urge strikes and keeping ahead of your pain (instead of waiting until the pain hits) is the general BS mantra. You will begin to see improvement each day. Take it slow and easy and eventually you will see results. Have a wonderful day and let the healing begin!
 
Hi @Nana757, The pain is not IN my belly. It's in the soft tissue to the left of the incision, a very different place from the GI area. And, the pain is only tied to movement, not there randomly. And, yes, bathroom habits are just as regular as before surgery, never been a problem, and I count my blessings there.
I may try the bathrobe tie, but I have very weak upper body strength due to the nerve damage done inside my neck years ago. I also have a high, 4-poster bed that requires 2 steps for me to get into it and out of it, so some of the approach, etc. has to be different to allow for all that. Home Health Care was very helpful with that. My bed is adjustable, so I'm trying to work with whether it's easier to have it flat or the head raised when getting in and out. In the meantime, my son is holding the weight of my right leg when I get in and out and that's working okay. The Home Health Care therapist showed him how to properly do that so that he's only supporting the weight and I'm doing the moving (ouch!).
Sure do appreciate your input! I keep the ice on most all the time and want to be sure you can't overdo that, because it's probably 20 hrs. out of 24. It does seem to help. Needless to say, since the pain is correlated to movement, I'm not moving any more than is absolutely necessary. Since my dr. refuses to give any more for pain than he does with those who are not dealing with chronic pain anyway, and I'm using the hydrophone left over from when my wrist was broken this past July, I do find myself trying to go longer and catching up after that is miserable. Guess I'll just give in for another 18-24 hrs. before I try that again. I feel abandoned by my surgeon and his team and find the only support I have is the very dear Home Health Care lady who has seen me and sees what I'm actually dealing with, and, thus, understands. She has been in touch with the triage people at his office and hopes to get some attention on Monday am. It just makes me very sad.
 
I'm so sorry...I misread your post when you said your pain was in your abdomen. I must have misunderstood what you were saying. I do hope your home health care person gets some results and gets your pain under control, so you can start feeling better. In the meantime, I'll be sending prayers and happy thoughts your way.
 
Don't give it a thought, @Nana757, it's so hard to "hear" and "speak" online, isn't it? I appreciate your input more than you could know, and your thoughts and prayers. I know this is going to run its course and everything will be better sooner rather than later. Just so frustrating when in the midst of an unempathetic dr. Thank you for caring!!!
 
I'm so happy to see you are keeping an optimistic outlook. That in itself will help you deal with this. It's so unfortunate that your OS is being obstinate about pain meds. He obviously has never had a hip replaced. Otherwise, he'd be passing out the pain meds like candy. Just a thought here...have you tried reaching out to your GP? Maybe he/she will be more receptive to your dilemma. I hope you get it all worked out tomorrow. It certainly is difficult to recover when you're in so much pain. I feel so bad for you. Lots of hugs to you.
 
Hi @Southernbelle :) I'm peeking in to see how you are doing. I'm sorry you're experiencing that pain and that your doctor is so hard headed about pain meds. That's really awful, in my opinion. Most of the post op posts you read here will mention folks on Oxycodone or Vicodon or Tramadol. I cannot imagine trying to navigate these early days/weeks without a decent pain med plan in place.
I am wondering if your pain is due to you clenching up the muscles....kind of a vicious cycle sort of thing. Your op pain is not well managed so your body reacts to that by stiffening up and causing yet more pain.
Is there anybody else you could possibly talk to about getting some pain relief?
I hate to think about you suffering through this without the proper tools to deal with your early recovery.
As far as icing goes, as long as you have a dish towel between your ice pack and the area you're icing, you should be fine.
Take care and know that good thoughts are flowing your way. :flwrysmile:
 
Thanks so much for your kind words and concern! I hate to admit this, but I took matters into my own hands. I discussed the high tolerance to pain meds that I have with my dr. before the surgery b/c it was an issue when I broke my wrist. (He assured me he would see to it that I had the pain managed before leaving the hospital, then the 5 mg. of oxycodone and tramodol that he prescribed was like taking water and he simply bowed out of the problem) I had left over hydromophone from the broken wrist episode in July and I started taking that. The pain level is now tolerable with that on board, put the oxy and tramadol aside, of course. I did message my dr (his team, I guess) and let them know I was taking it, just so they are informed. I also made the Home Health therapist aware when she came over. She was very concerned about my being left in the lurch this way! Clearly, I'm not drug seeking or I wouldn't have drugs left since July, but I had to have some relief and the only other option was to go to the ER and, from what a nurse/friend tells me, that's probably what they would give me. If I hadn't had that, I would definitely be on the phone with my internist or at the ER for help. I'm sure in a day or so I will be able to back off this and onto the oxycodone, even if it's a higher dosage. I saw how this worked out with the broken wrist and I'm sure I'll manage gradually decreasing the dose over time this time as well. It's just so disappointing to have your surgeon say one thing and then, do another! Makes me sad and it made me cry initially. But, I need to get better, with or without his support. At least I was able to concentrate enough to read the BS material on recovery. : )
Have you all found that the ability to move your leg comes back gradually, or does it come back all at once? I feel like I can move it a little today, but not much. Michael had to help me get back into bed after I got up early this am. I so want that leg to function normally! It feels so strange, kinda like it doesn't belong to me. I'm sure all the numbness is from the surgery and some of that will stay and some will subside, right? Hope all of you are doing well! Especially all the October Feisties! Saying prayers for smooth recoveries!
 
Hi ! The movement in my leg came back gradually. I kept tightening my thigh muscles to "wake them up". It is a slow process but with improvement every day. My husband was helping me with my leg until I figured out that I could lift it to the side board which cut down on the big lift into bed. You will also figure stuff out and then be so proud of yourself as you become more independent! Good luck!


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Thank you so much for the encouragement, @Debdi! I will keep up the quad exercises and hope that makes it come back faster. Thanks!
 
@Southernbelle, the full use of the op leg does come back gradually, but I did notice that one day I could finally move it by myself and getting in and out of bed on my own became doable, if not graceful. :wink:
I also noticed a rather large 'leap' during the 3+ week mark. I just felt all over better and was able to do more things independently. At 5+ plus weeks, I am starting to have to be very conscious of my restrictions because I'm feeling more and more normal. I *almost* crossed my ankles the other evening totally without thinking and then brought myself up short thinking, "What are you doing?!"
Each day will bring more progess, even if it's tiny, and some days will see surprisingly measurable changes. Just keep up with the icing and pain meds (glad you found those pills that work for you!) and you will start to surprise yourself with your recovery.
Take care and I hope you have a great day. :)
 
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