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THR Knitquilt’s little bumpy recovery<

Glad you’re feeling better and are becoming the master of your domain. The NORCO always leave me with a very dry mouth. The strange thing is it only happens at night. I guess I control it during the day by having a bottle of water on the table by my recliner. I have also begun taking a bottle and leaving it on the bedside stand every night. The NORCO also leaves me drowsy and a bit disoriented, and it gives me some very weird dreams. I have decided to take it at night only. Acetominiphen works fine during the day. I’m not going to let the pain sneak up on my. I’ll go back to the NORCO if I get uncomfortable.


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Glad you’re home. I agree that is best place to be. I remember the nausea and vomiting well-luckily short term. Follow advice on here and you will be surprised how you feel soon.


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@Mscant yes, I have a love/hate relationship with NORCO. I am trying to take it before PT if I'm stiff or sore, but last night I slept well without it - only took tramadol. I would love to put the NARCO bottle aside for good, but i realize it's too soon. It also makes me sleepy and unable to concentrate. And then it makes taking Tylenol difficult because you have to factor in the acetaminophen in the NARCO.
But I must admit 2 NARCO really helps with pain and I am very grateful!!

@MammaT I agree that the advice here has been wonderful. The caring of everyone who has/will experience what I was going through made me feel less alone.
 
Yes I agree. The meds are imperative at this point, the trick is dealing with the side effects. My first weeks sound the same.
Love got this. My surgery was May 1 and I am having almost no lingering effects as if the last weeks. Except tired, but then I get PAIN free sleep now so was all so worth it.
Onward and upward. You are doing this!!!
 
Even though I really couldn’t post during my lthr due to site issues just reading experiences was so helpful-let me know I was normal!


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Hi @Knitquilt
Sounds like you're settling in and improving.
Baby steps.....lots of sleep /rest, short walks, icing and elevating.
Don't forget to drink lots of water and get some protein in your body. Great for healing!
Wishing you a great week of recovery. Keep posting.....love hearing your progress!
 
Good news! I have the PT's ok to use a cane if I want! Because we have 2 dogs, if they are active, I will use the walker if the dogs are being rambunctious. The PT also thinks that I'm moving so well, I may not have to go to outpatient PT. I know I can refuse to go, but I feel great that it will be her recommendation.

If you told me a week ago that I'd feel this good, and be able to do as much as I can (which I admit is mostly just walking from the couch to bathroom to pee every hour) I wouldn't have believed it!
 
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:goodpost: Happy you are getting along so well.
It's the little things for sure...
 
Fantastic! Just think - each week will most likely be better than the previous one. The whole recovery thing goes much faster than you probably anticipated and it is all totally amazing to me! You will soon forget to use your cane at some point and surprise yourself that you didn't use it!
 
A little independence goes a long way. Getting around a bit by yourself and doing a few little things equals progress. Remember though, you should concentrate on healing first. You’ll have the rest of your life to feel independent.

Glad the change in meds have made things more bearable. I stopped taking the Norco myself. I was sleeping 15 hours a day, and was glad I took the time to get some good sleep, but that spaced out feeling and not being able to concentrate really kind of bummed me out. I think the NORCO contributes to the dry mouth and thirst. The more water I drank the more the symptoms lessened, except that I was having to get up to pee every 40 minutes to an hour. Tylenol and ice are working well for me two weeks out.

Keep clicking those Ruby Slippers. There really is noplace like home to recover. Glad you doing well!
 
Thanks @Mscant. It's a choice I have to make every day - which drug(s) should I take today? Yesterday I felt really good - took a Tramadol before PT in the morning, then nothing until mid afternoon when I took 2 extra strength Tylenol. By evening, I was in more pain than I should have been, so took tramadol , and on and on.....
I know it's early days still, so I think I'll take pain pills for a few more days without overthinking it, but I'm with you - the sleepiness really bothers me. I don't know what big important things I could be doing, but I did think I'd get some Christmas knitting and reading accomplished.

You are so right... there really is no place like home!
 
Hi @Knitquilt
Wondering how you're doing...
Hopefully getting lots of rest, pain well managed and feeling progress.
I found it relaxing just to be on the post op side. Surgery and anxiety in the rear view.
Hope you have a relaxing weekend. Give us an update when you're able. Would love
to hear how you've progressed over the past few days.
Take Care
 
Please tell me your PT related experiences - Trying to decide!

Thanks for asking @Layla! I haven't updated because my recovery so far has been so very uneventful (thank goodness!) that I'm afraid I'll bore everyone. In fact, that's what I'm dealing with right now. I knit, quilt, read, plus a myriad of other hobbies, but right now I really don't feel much like doing any of them. I think of the saying, "only boring people are bored" and that's me right now.

On my actual recovery: I'm 10 days out and have very little pain. I rarely take tramadol - just before bedtime. I am still icing and elavating because there is a bit of swelling and it feels good.

The BIG question I'm grappling with is my inhome PT is stopping and is giving me a referral to outpatient PT which is part of my OS office. I think my surgeon did an incredible job and is very thoughtful in his approach. He is, in fact, the director of the small orthopedic wing of the hospital which has one of the lowest infection rates in the country. I have read lots on this site for not needing PT - just walking, which I have been doing.

Will it affect my range of motion if I don't do PT? I also, don't want to have a problem later, and have the OS say, well you didn't do PT. If I don't get the range of motion I'd like, will going to PT in a few months help?

Sorry for being long-winded, but I have LOTS of time of my hands!
 
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Hi @Knitquilt
Great news you have minimal pain. That always makes recovery easier.
My PT consisted of the exercises I was sent home from the hospital with.
I went to three outpatient PT sessions and quit because I didn't like the exercises
she had me doing. You will read on BS over and over that walking is the only exercise
we need after THR. As far as ROM, I don't know that it will be affected if you don't do PT.
I also don't think there's a "point of no return" if you hold off on PT for a time.
You may see progress on your own and decide against it, OR pick up a few sessions at a later date.
Best wishes for a restful weekend of recovery!
 
I waited almost 6 weeks before I returned to a PT after obvious discrepancies between what they thought i needed to be doing vs what my body was telling me. Didn't suffer one iota as I stayed active walking, stretching, not overdoing. I know it is confusing, I also wanted to be a good patient but at my six week OS appt, I told him I hadn't gone back to PT and he saw my progress and didn't admonish me, and when I complained about his organizations PT attitudes and protocol, he wrote me prescription to go wherever I preferred, which was a PT group I had gone to pre-op and Pre diagnosis who were way less aggressive.
 
Also, the easy PT at the hospital, practicing steps, ankle pumps, etc, we're all things I was able to do at home at the times and amounts consistent with how I was actually feeling...I didn't need a coach.
 
I have the list of exercises PT gave me last year after my LTHR. Most of those exercises are on the list of what seems to cause problems. I think I shall do the ones that don’t cause me pain and skip the rest. I only went 6 times last year and then stopped. My left hip is fine and I can do the things I need to do without having gone back. I will make the decision in 3 more weeks.


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I had a week of in home PT which consisted mostly of her telling me things I could do on my own but very little actual PT when she was here. My OS said I wouldn’t need any PT to recover although he did still give me a script. I went as an outpatient a few times and then stopped as I didn’t think it was doing anything for me. Early on in my recovery I asked Josephine about PT and range of motion and she assured me I would get my ROM back without PT. Now st 6 months postop I am very happy with my progress. I can get my shoes and socks on much easier than I could before surgery and I can go up and down stairs normally again. My leg still feels a little weak going up but I think it is getting better slowly. I’m not concerned though. I am totally content with the way things are right now. It is so wonderful not to have that terrible OA pain and stiffness any more! Not a day goes by that I don’t think about how amazing this whole thing has been! Also, another benefit of the surgery has been that I have so much more energy now than I did prior to surgery. I hadn’t realized how draining that pain was.

You will gradually find you can spend more time knitting , quilting or reading as time goes on. I think it was close to 2 weeks postop before I could get into reading a book. It is hard to explain but after reading on BS, I think it is a side effect of the anesthesia.

It sounds like you are doing great and your recovery going well. Just hang in there and muster up all your patience. You will find you are soon moving around more and before you know it, you’ll be walking with no aid!! Sending positive healing thoughts your way this evening :flwrysmile:
 
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