THR Laura's THR - Tight Knee on Op Side

[mendogal]

Is it possible you're dehydrated after losing a lot of excess fluid immediately post op? A little extra fluid in any form (water, yogurt, broth, juice) would help that.

If you start feeling dizzy or short of breath, please do seek medical attention.

 

[Law]

Yeah I'm not dizzy or short of breath.

i've been trying to drink more water and I just had some regular soup. (As opposed to lower sodium soup I mean, which is what I usually have all the time because of my normally high blood pressure!.)

 

[mendogal]

Yes! My concern in listing some fluid options was to make sure your sodium and potassium wouldn't go too low being flushed out by plain water.

 

[Law]

Ohh, ok, I see, thanks!

 

[Law]

My cardio said to stop the hydrochlorathiazide and if my bp goes above 140 to start it again. It's a really low dosage anyway. So I'll just keep an eye on it.

 

[Law]

So last week, I took a shower and faced away from the water. I wrapped Saran wrap around my upper thigh (bikini incision - near crease). They had told me that the Mepilex was waterproof and just not to get water directly on it from the shower. But it still felt like water got onto it somehow by the time I was done because the saran wrap didn't exactly stick because it's in such an awkward spot. I called the office and the lady took a very long time to call me back and said it was probably fine. I've had no fever, there doesn't seem to be any discharge coming out around the sides of the dressing or anything but, really, what do I know? I'm just wondering what's happening under there right now. I don't go back for my first follow-up till next week.
so I guess I'm trying to figure out is there any information that says how quickly it heals and even if water had gotten under there last week, would it be a problem? It looks like a lot of people on here are already pulling off the bandage at two weeks and I have another week to go.

 

[Layla]

I understand your concern, but try not to worry. When you say "the lady" was it a member of your surgeon's care team as in a PA, or nurse that you spoke with? Did she give you any signs to watch for? While it likely is fine, It's understandable that you're feeling a bit anxious about it. Is there any way you can move your appointment up to this week, so it can be checked and re-dressed if necessary? It may be worth the peace of mind. We heal at different rates and wound care varies from surgeon to surgeon it seems. As an example - I was instructed to care for my incision in a way that BoneSmart's forum Nurse Emeritus, Josephine, did not agree with. I'll list common signs of infection just as a FYI -
Fever
Unusual or increasing pain
The incision is hot to the touch
A change in the size of the incision
A change in the odor of the discharge
A yellow or green discharge that is increasing
Redness or hardening of the surrounding area
Excessive bleeding that has soaked through the incision

 

[Law]

She is nurse practitioner at the ortho office.
The bandage is still over it, so I haven't seen the incision at all.
I guess I've watched too much TV when they peel off the bandage or the dressing or whatever and it's some horror show under there and the person had no idea.

 

[Layla]

I think it's normal to feel anxious about the "big reveal". You want to follow instructions, but you want to see what's going on also. I'm betting there's no horror show going on underneath it all, so hopefully you can either relax and wait for your appointment, or ask to be seen earlier. I hope your night is a peaceful one, Law.
@Law

 

[Law]

Thank you so much.

 

[mendogal]

It's scary but without any symptoms it's probably safe and dry.
Do aim for an earlier appointment if it will ease your mind.

 

[Eman85]

All I had was a clear tape so I could see the incision through it. I showered with mine on the first day home didn't protect it at all. my tape was really stuck on there as I showered every day and did my best to have it come off and it never budged. Tape was removed at 2 weeks and the incision was just a fine line with a couple of scabby spots. I can barely see the scars now as they are faint thin pink lines.

 

[Law]

Interesting. Everybody seems to get different kinds of dressings and bandages. I can't see through mine at all so I have no idea what's happening under there which is what is a bit disconcerting. I called the office and they had me take a picture of it and send it to them and said it was fine because if the pad had gotten completely soaked it would have blew up like a sponge and it wasn't like that. So I guess it's OK.

 

[Layla]

My experience was pretty much the same as Eman's. The clear tape and I could shower right away, but not have the water directed at the incision. I was instructed to let it dry afterward and cover with fresh gauze each time I showered. My mom had a big bandage on her incision post THR and her OS wrote on with black Sharpie
DO NOT REMOVE! This was a OS from the same practice as mine...so they are all different.
I am glad you called the office of your surgeon and forwarded a photo. I hope it gives you peace of mind.
@Law

 

[Law]

My first follow up is on Tuesday and I hope that the incisons are ok and they put something smaller over both of them. (Site and robotic assistance pin site).

i know I'm getting better, but the past day or so I feel like there's no way I'm ever going to be good enough to get back to any of the things I do or get back to how I was before the problems began 2 yrs ago.

i guess I'm just depressed and already tired of this and it's not even three full weeks yet. (Though it doesn't help that I've been of work since last April, either.)

 

[mendogal]

Yes, it feels unrelenting sometimes. I'm sorry stress over your job situation is contributing...

Post op blues is a real thing - here's an article about it.

One approach many of us find helpful is to note and share every single little milestone - first time doing anything for the first time after surgery. And as you heal you'll start realizing your milestones are things you hadn't been able to do in a long time.

 

[Law]

Well here's a surprisingly good thing. Like 5 days ago I had hideous bruising, like 2" w x 5" l, on the side of my butt, and poof it's practically vanished! It's the weirdest thing. Vitamin C at work? I've no idea. Now just hoping the incisions are doing well also, I'll find out tomorrow. I can not WAIT to lose these awful dressings. even if they still have to put something else on, it can't be worse than these.

 

[cold_brew]

not even three full weeks yet

It’s early times, you have months and months of improvement ahead of you. 3 weeks is not the time to be thinking about “how do I get back to how I was before”…that’s a 6 month to a year thing. Slow n steady wins the race!

 

[djklaugh]

@Law When I had my hips replaced I had awful "bruising" on my right leg and not much on the left. My surgeon explained to me that he had done the right hip first then I was "flipped" over so he could do the left one. Because of the down position of the right leg so soon after hip replacement gravity caused blood (the actually small amount that seeped during the surgery) to pool in that leg. It took a couple of days for the whole bruised look to show up ... and a few more for it to fade away. Surgeon said the blood was reabsorbed and was not a problem. Later on I had some bruise-looking places on one foot and the speculation was that one of my hefty Maine Coon cats had been sleeping on my foot while I slept .... that being the only logical reason anyone could come up with for why that bruising appeared

 

[Layla]

Good luck with your appointment today. I'm sure you'll love having the dressing removed and I'm guessing you'll also feel reassured about your progress after the visit. Please let us know how it goes.
@Law