THR Kay9s Recovery

[Kay9]

Thankyou @Jaycey .

@zauberflöte your story made me laugh. I was 11 when Mum had my sister....I well remember not liking anyone handling her except me. She was Mine!!

The paracetomol are 500mg. Not that it helps me understand any better when I should take them and the others. My brain seems to have been surgically removed along with my old hip.

 

[zauberflöte]

@Kay9 wow this is so much easier on the laptop keyboard! I think Josephine has a stock photo of a beautifully typed up chart that she used for herself on her first knee. I didn't see it till well after I was off drugs, but I was tickled that I used the same method. When the kids were little and both were sick, I had to do charts like that for each kid or I would end up giving the 2-yr-old the 5-yr-old's antibiotic, etc!

I really do know that "brain removed" feeling-- for me it has to do with the GA, but you didn't have that, did you? Hmmm. Not to mention the narco-fog... My eyes were wonky as well. I could only read short entertaining stories, and posts on here. Nothing demanding. And the thing with my eyes was very annoying, because I wear readers, but they werent' working right. Frustrating!

Here's to a successful trip to the loo pronto!

 

[Sullivand]

Oh Kay9 I am sorry about the turmoil between your mom and daughter. I like the idea of assigning tasks to each of them I hope that can bring peace to your recovery. I am an educator and understand the struggles with Aspergers/Autism that can affect families. Does your daughter like routine? Maybe once your mom leaves you could write up something together. Walk, rest, meals etc. I will keep you in my prayers.
As for your meds~one of my daughters is an RN and she wrote all of the medicine on an index card and wrote how many times a day I was supposed to take them. I kept it in a basket with the medicine and I kept it w me wherever I moved in the house. I was confused too and it was very helpful!
Call your OS about changing to Tramadol. It never touched my pain until past post op at 2 weeks but everyone is different . Hang in there!

 

[zauberflöte]

@Kay9 I have forgotten this three times! You mentioned the incision stinging-- I remember that, and I expect it's all part of the healing, as can be itching and "crawling" sensations. Had 'em all!


My phone sent this using BoneSmart Forum, clever phone!

 

[Kay9]

Im already having some breakthrough pain tonight, Ive obviously "over-done" it, what with coming home, and the fact Im up every ten minutes going to the loo with tummy cramps ( have been!!! But took a looong time and very very painful! Stool softeners needed, me thinks!)
im in a right knot with these tablets! I do have cognitive problems due to M.S ( thats my excuse anyway . Maybe Im just not very bright) so Im struggling with the meds. I took 2 paracetomol at around 7 pm I think, and 2 Tramadol and a CoCodomal at 9pm. Can I take anything else or do I have to wait? I have Ibuprofen but I worry about taking them after reading a link on here? I also have Hydrocodeine but I dont think I can take them now Ive taken Tramadol, is that right?
Im in bed but have pain not only in my groin but in my calve and thigh muscles, and my incision is sore. Im sooo tired too, was so looking forward to sleeping in my own bedNow I wish I was back in the hospital where nobody is fighting and my meds are all sorted for me.

 

[Kay9]

I cant even Ice. My Mum cant pull open my freezer drawer, I had placed all my icepacks in the TOP drawer thats easy to open, but my sister put some shopping away and moved it all around...now the icepacks are in the BOTTOM drawer, its very stiff and hard to open, I cant bend to get it, my Daughter wont get come out of her room.... Oooh, I can grab a ready-meal and use that!. Please @Josephine can you help with the meds? Thankyou SO much. I feel things are conspiring to make things as hard as possible at the moment.

 

[Josephine]

Dihydrcodeine- 1-2 ,4 times a day.
Paracetomol- 1-2, 4 times a day
Ibuprofen, 1, 3 times a day.
I also have my own Tramadol and co-codamol that I use when needed for muscle pains, and may prefer to use, if possible?
I do get on well with Tramadol, im used to it, Im wondering if I can just substitute the codeine for it?

I'd go with the Tramadol and paracetamol like this

Have to say that though this worked a treat for my first knee, it never worked at all for my second so I changed it to 100 or 50mg Tramadol and 2 paracetamol every 6 hours regardless. Sometime had to grit my teeth for the last 1-1½ hrs but what the heck!

The trick is to play around with it and see what works for you.

Im worried about taking the codeine as Im already struggling with the constipation. Stool softeners needed, me thinks!

Then be proactive about that! Constipation and stool softeners

 

[Josephine]

btw, dihydrocodeine is rubbish for this kind of pain!

 

[Kay9]

Thankyou @Josephine , so much!! You are a life saver!. I will follow that religiously. ( of course, tweek it around to suit if needed) Off to read the constipation articles again. Thankyou very very much!

 

[Cherie]

@Kay9 My pharmacy's paperwork on Tramadol says it must be taken with a stimulant laxative. I refused to sign off on my pick up until they told me what to do. It was over the counter stuff. If you can call, your doc or pharmacist they will surely be able to tell you what's right for you.

For me they said take a stool softener once per day for as long as I take Tramadol or nacrotic pain meds and stressed that this is very important. They gave me Docusate Calcium 240 mg.

They also gave me Senna 8.6 mg. They said to start by taking 1 in evening and 1 in the morning until things start moving. After things are moving stop taking it but expect that things will eventually slow down again. When I feel like it is too slow I should take one daily - in the evening. If that doesn't help after 3 days I should start over with 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening again.

I did as the pharmacist said. It took a few days and things did get a little overactive / crampy on day 3 but it came on and cleared up in about 3 hours.

Hope that might provide a bit of help.

 

[Kay9]

Thankyou @Cherie . Thats all very clear. Ive been taking fybo-gel and milk of magnesia, in the night I passed what felt like one of the stones from Stone Henge but turned out to be a grape-sized stone

Ive been sick twice today, which means my pain pills are not working as they should. Even moving my head makes me feel nauseous . That along with my sore HUGE tummy and post-op pains means I feel pretty rough right now. I didnt have any nausea in hospital, Im wondering if the fibo-Gel is causing it, its truly vile to drink and made me gag.


I was so looking forward to my own bed.
I thought I would be comfortable in my own bed....not so! I tried pillows, here, pillows there, led flat, led flat with pillows under knees, sat up with cushions behind mel? Everything. Nothing works. I found an old sleeping tablet in my drawer and took that eveNtually and finally drifted off for 4 hours till the pain woke me. I doubt docs will prescribe them.

All in all, my euphoria from a day or two ago has well diminished. I feel BAD I feel at the moment that i wish Id never had this done.

 

[Sullivand]

@Kay9 I know how you feel! Post op is not easy to go through but the good part is that it is temporary and the preop pain would have been forever. It is normal not to be able to get comfortable to fall asleep~ that is why the naps and resting are important during the day. It helps to try and stay calm about it and realize you can catch up on sleep throughout the day. A couple of things that helped me was to read books and magazines and of course talk to other hippies and read on this forum. The members are from all over time zonesand someone is bound to be awake too! Each day you make through is a day closer to pain free days. I keep you in my prayers! You can do it~ you are amazing and strong for having suffered through preop pain and for getting through each day postop with the challenges of your family. I am proud of you!

 

[zauberflöte]

@Kay9 oh I hate to say it but your Stonehenge reference made me laugh. It is no laughing matter, is it.
I would bet all my prunes that your fibo-gel stuff is causing your internal misery. If you are not accustomed to eating a very large amount of high fiber food, this stuff can give you quite the bellyache!
Do you enjoy raw carrots? They are a great source of large and soft end product. :teehee: have your mum or beg a neighbor to pick up several pounds of the "mini carrots" if you have those over your way. No hassle, just munch away. Bran flakes cereal, whole grain breads, no meat or dairy products, no coffee, tea, or chocolate-- all those are things that work for me. Cooked quinoa, brown rice, real corn chips, all fresh or frozen fruits and veggies-- all good for what ails you. Gallons of water! Well, lots anyway.
Your down period now is VERY normal! We all get the post op blues in our own way. There is an article in the library here about it. My own form was drive-by temper tantrums and crabby fits. Some have weepy fits, others just feel blue. It comes and goes for a few weeks, and then (in my case) lets you think it has gone-- until whammo! Out of nowhere I yelled at hubby and son!! Faded quickly and I said sorry and all was well.
Your bed will get better, if you don't throw it out the window first!
We are with you all the way!!!


My phone sent this using BoneSmart Forum, clever phone!

 

[copsham]

Oh @Kay9 it is hard. We have all been there in our own, different ways.
First I must tell you re constipation - nothing worked for me, tried stool softeners, prunes, water, senekot and then I tried a glycerin suppository. It was like magic thank goodness on day 8!. Constipation is the most horrible experience affects everything. I hated the nights for a while, pillows here, pillows there, couldn't turn over, hated being on my back but it did get better.

My post op blues were tearfulness. I cried because I was tired, cried because by body ached from constipation, cried because op was over, cried because the sunset was beautiful. It did all fade away though I think in week three.I felt traumatised by it all and it felt it would never end. It does get better though... it really does... just takes a little time to get there. Wishing you well in the days to come.

 

[Cherie]

@Kay9 I'm so sorry to hear you've hit a post op rough spot. Trouble sleeping can really amplify aches and make it terribly difficult to get comfortable enough to sleep. It is incredibly frustrating when insomnia increases pain and pain increases insomnia! Hopefully you will be able to catch a few naps a day while your body heals itself (every little bit will help). This isn't easy but it will pass. You will be back in your bed and will be able to get comfortable.

@zauberflöte is absolutely right about the water! I forgot to include that. It is very important to drink enough water. I tend to unconsciously not drink enough and dehydrate myself when my mobility is poor and just getting to the restroom is difficult. I hope you are able to find a good balance of water / not getting up too frequently.

Nausea can be a symptom of constipation. It is a way for your body to signal that it doesn't want anything else to digest because your digestive tract is more full than it ought to be. There are different types of laxatives and Fibo-Gel has bulking fiber. Fiber can definitely trigger nausea if things aren't moving very well. Your level of hydration can help your doc or pharmacist suggest something to help.

You can get do this! It is only temporary and it will get better. If you hadn't gotten your hip done it would only continue to get worse. Right now you're waiting for your body to heal. Try to be patient with it, you're actually doing a ton of work under the surface. Probably more work than you've ever done before.

 

[Sagefemme]

@Kay9 this bit about "removing part of the pelvis" seems not descriptive enough to tell exactly what he did. One thing that helps is to ask for a copy of the operative report when you go for a post op visit. It's a helpful thing to have in a file drawer if there's any question in the future about what exactly was done. It will be written in the lingo of orthopedic surgeons but it is comprehensible to any other orthopedic surgeon. Just say something firm like, "I need a copy of the op report for my records." They are your records and you have every right to a copy.

 

[copsham]

I agree with @Sagefemme. I would suggest get a copy of all of your notes. It makes fascinating reading and potentially useful for the future.

I was shocked at the nursing notes continually commenting about me being tearful, for three days but No analysis at all. Nothing about the giddiness for three days, nothing about the reaction to medications which to me is as important than the fact I was tearful!!

Hope today is a little less stressful for you. x

 

[Kay9]

Ive just spoken to a doctor and he thinks I have a secondary infection, so I have to go to the hospital. My sisters taking me. Will hopefully be home later today with something to help x

 

[donor]

@Kay9 will be sending good vibes and waiting for your next post. Good you will get some answers. Be strong. Xx

 

[Sullivand]

@Kay9 Sending healthy thoughts your way.