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THR Lerwick8 Begins the Road to Recovery

@1hipwonder .. So good to hear from you!! :hi:I was wondering how you were doing as your surgery was yesterday..

I hope that everything went well! I cannot believe that you are messaging already..I was so spaced out the first few days I couldn't even contemplate it :loll:

Sending you my best thoughts and wishes for a comfortable day! Being on the other side of the pond, I am just about to make a valiant effort at going to bed. It was a record-setting 41C here today and still too hot for sleeping..whew:hairpulling:
 
Just thought I'd say a quick Hi!
I hope you're doing well today, getting the rest you need and your pain is under control.....
I did read about that crazy heat in San Fran yesterday. I'll bet because the temps are pretty moderate
there year round and it's not often too hot, that a lot of people don't have AC?

Hopefully the log leg is lightening and you are moving around comfortably enough. If you haven't already you're going to be dying for that first shower. It took me until day five and I was frightened!! Plz don't attempt it alone. Not yet anyway. I think I had my husband within shouting distance and my walker along with me for the first few times. So that probably took me to about two weeks out. After the five day wait, I showered every other day for a couple times until I felt safe getting back to my daily routine. To feel better, I'd blow dry my hair, throw a couple hot rollers in and apply minimal makeup. It did wonders for my mood. Plus I got sick of looking at myself in the bathroom mirror and wanting to SCREAM! Bed head and pony tails get old!

When you're ready I'd love to hear how you felt about Dr Cowboy's performance through all. I've been amused by some of your references where's he's concerned. Hopefully you were impressed!

Wishing you a good day and a restful evening!
@Lerwick8
 
Another record-setting scorching hot day for San Francisco today..It was 106 degrees yesterday and miserable. Same today and @Layla , you are right, Nobody has air conditioning!

HUGE SETBACK TODAY...THR LEG swelled so much overnight, that the on-call doctor thought I might have a clot. The leg is about 3x it's normal size and my knee looks like a bruised watermelon.

Spent 5 hours at the ER today, but ultrasound revealed nothing. Told to elevate and stay still for up to a week until swelling completely goes down. Despite my previous attempts at elevation, etc. the swelling still persisted/increased:hissy:

So depressed by this setback...don't know when I will get back to the place in my recovery where I was only two days ago, but it will be a long time!

Funny, my OS does not prescribe TED stockings at all, neither in the hospital or at home. I did use the massaging foot cuffs while in the hospital, but that was it. I actually requested a pair of TEDS to take home and they obliged, so I have been wearing them since leaving the hospital, but the swelling/bruising still increased!

Certainly hope that everyone is having a better Labor Day weekend than I:yahoo:

PS @Layla ... took my first shower in the hospital with the help of of the occupational therapist.
 
I found BoneSmart a bit late so I'm just catching up.
Congrats on making it home:yay: and taking good care of yourself by making sure the swelling was ok.
Oh the heat must really catch you off guard. I lived in SF and know the cool summer fog so what a shocker. I hope it passes soon along with your swelling. Hopefully ice can help with both the heat and the hip. Hang in there!
 
Hi @Lerwick8
I'm sorry you're dealing with this setback and feeling down about it. Recovery is enough in itself when all goes smoothly.

Thankfully it's not a blood clot. We've compared notes on this forum of different protocol used for blood clot prevention. It certainly varies. I had significant bruising of my knee also but it didn't show up until 2½ weeks post op. Still have a bit of residual swelling (knee area) at 9 1/2 weeks out.

I've heard the knee takes quite a beating during dislocation of the hip. I intend to ask my OS to elaborate on the subject at my appt later this month.

Hopefully this will resolve itself soon so you feel back on track. Maybe after the holiday your OS or a physician assistant can offer you some reassurance in the midst of this. Until then, rest, ice and elevation will most likely help.

It's nice you were able to shower before leaving the hospital. I left 24 hours post surgery and there was no way I would have considered it. I didn't have it in me.

You sounded well prepared before surgery as to how you'd spend your time post op. Hopefully all you've prepared will help pass time and keep you from feeling trapped during this mini detour. My main source of entertainment was the tv and my iPad. I bought an adult coloring book also and some nice colored pencils. I find coloring easy to get lost in for a time. Wanting to see the finished product always spurs me on.

I wish for you a restful evening and hope the swelling goes down a bit so you're more comfortable.

Please keep us posted....
Hugs
 
@Layla .. how interesting. My knee is probably the most red/bruised area, although my entire leg from my toes to my thigh are huge!

I am seeing the OS for a two week follow up this coming Friday, however; I may leave a message for his PA on Tuesday as the pain, which was manageable after leaving hospital, is much worse.

I love those coloring books! I have several, but have nor had the concentration to work on them since surgery. I started working on them when my Father was last in hospital. With all of the upcoming downtime, it may well be time to work on them again.
 
@Lerwick8 good that you had the swelling checked out, better safe than sorry when it comes to dvt.

Agree with @Layla, the procedure can be tough on knees and also when OS checks for stability :yikes:

Heat seems to make swelling worse and noticed my hips were a tad swollen yesterday. Had some swelling with the second thr and my nice pt lady suggested cranberry juice, vita B6 and to take regular short walks, said the pumping action from walking will help resolve it -which it did- along with icing and elevating.
Never thought I'd say this but I miss the fog we had a couple of weeks ago :ice:
 
@Horseshoe ..Boy do I miss the fog too!!!

Hopefully, the return of the fog will help to decrease the swelling a bit. I would love to take regular short walks around the apartment; however, the doc in the ER said to elevate day/night and not to move at all except to go to the bathroom (and similar small activities):gaah:

The pain is so much worse with the swelling too, so it makes it more difficult to walk as 'freely' as I was a few days ago. So bummed because only Thursday, I thought for sure I would be ready for the cane (per the PT) next week I was doing so well, now I wouldn't even dream of contemplating it for quite a long time.
 
You don't mention icing. If you're not icing your hip and leg, please give that a try. As long as you keep a kitchen towel between you and the ice source so that your skin is not damaged, you can ice any time you are not up and about. Also be sure that you are taking adequate pain medication on a regular schedule. Sometimes it can take a while to get pain and swelling under control once it rears its ugly head. You'll get there.
 
These first few weeks are the worst. AND record heat. Hate that for you...meds and heat did not do me good and I'm used to 100 degrees. Be really careful as it could spur dizziness when I got up too quickly, tried to walk outside much, etc.
Well it will be an interesting beginning of a recovery story for you...
It was the summer of '17, when I began to get my life back with Hip Replacement Surgery....the hottest summer on record...
Please don't get too anxious about 'progressing'. It will make you do too much and you well lose these first precious week of letting your body get over this trauma. I know you had concerns before surgery, but believe me if you don't give it time to heal before making it perform...you will only be going backwards.
You definitely have had a rough start so try try to rest, ice, and , elevate all you can. Sometimes that's the plus on the pain med side...helps you zone out and relax.
Hope today is better!!!!:SUNsmile:
 
Lerwick8 said:
swelling is off the charts! Also have that 'log leg' feeling which is really strange (and painful too when trying to move the left leg)..PT thinks it will resolve in about 2 weeks max.
Click to expand...
Lerwick8 said:
.THR LEG swelled so much overnight, that the on-call doctor thought I might have a clot. The leg is about 3x it's normal size and my knee looks like a bruised watermelon.
Click to expand...
Lerwick8 said:
however; I may leave a message for his PA on Tuesday as the pain, which was manageable after leaving hospital, is much worse.
Click to expand...
Please do remember that swelling is a form of pain and also indicates that you are doing too much - far too much! Also that you are not yet one week out. That has to be taken into account. End of 'lecture'! :wink:
 
Hi @Lerwick8
So sorry you're having to deal with all that swelling, I can only imagine that the heat is just making it worse. Try to rest it will get better. I hope they get your pain under control they kind of cut me off on pain meds after I was home for about a week. I had to tough it out but I did not have all that swelling to deal with. Thinking of you it'll get better every day! Keep us posted…


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
@Lerwick8 - sorry for the rough start. I had a similar experience at the very beginning of my recovery. I was in bad pain on Days 1 and 2, which I expected. Then I woke up on day 3 and felt almost normal. Rolled over, got up out of bed and walked around and said to myself "I'm cured!". Then I went outside, led my horses into the barn, picked their feet, and generally completely overdid it. Set myself back at least a week! I did not experience the severe swelling you have, but I was in a world of hurt for the next 4-5 days, and extremely depressed. Don't minimize what your body has been through - my husband kept telling me "would you be doing that if you had just been hit by a car?" But I had to learn the hard way. I don't know if you did anything in particular to trigger the swelling, you don't mention any burst of activity, but just thought I would mention it. Don't become the newest member of the ODIC (OverDid It Club)! The other thing is, don't expect a linear progression where you just get a little better each day. Having bad days or even very bad days after a few good days is normal. At least it was for me. Hang in there, we are all rooting for you! Do keep us posted!
 
@Mojo333 ...thank you for the sage advice! No, I definitely don't want to go too far backwards, although the stabbing pain in my groin is like going backwards, as this is how it felt pre-surgery.

Yay! it is finally cooling down and I was able to change from @zauberflöte 's dreaded boxer shorts back to sweat pants:) Took off TEDs too as they seem to be making things worse..perhaps my OS doesn't use them for a reason!

Yes, I went back to the oxy dose I was given in hospital and it really has helped with relaxing/zoning out!
 
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