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THR Looking for input from those who are 1 yr+ post op

You made it! So glad to see you here on the recovery side. Sounds like you're doing great. Sleeping is GOOD and is great for healing. Enjoy the rest and look forward to hearing more from you when you're up to it. Wish I was right there and could give you a proper hug to say "Well done", but I'll have to make do with a virtual one! :friends:
 
@DizzyBlond I have been away from the forum for a few days. So glad to see you on the other side. I'll post your recovery articles here for you to refer to during this journey - remember the mantras!
First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery
Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Activity progression for THRs
Home physio (PT)
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
 
WELCOME HOME!!!! ~ You had your cheering squad champing at the bit waiting to hear from you. ~ You've read enough on this board to know what to do today and a few tomorrows.....rest, elevate, manage meds, ice - repeat! I hope each hour finds you a bit stronger. We will be patient in waiting to hear from you....as you can. xxoo
 
@Tweetybrd - thank you so much for your well wishes! I think all the meds have been sorted out, and I've got my anti-nausea pills (to take along with the pain pills), so all is well! Not too many nausea episodes since I've been home.

@Cynthia777 - I SO wish you lived down the mountain and on this side of the Calif desert! It would be so wonderful to be living close enough to get together, wouldn't it? I was thinking about so many of the things you'd said to me as I was taken back to the OR! (I didn't end up singing Silent Night to myself :), but I gave my sweet grandson the job of singing to me Sunday night. I told him I wanted to take his favorite song with me as I was being taken into the operating room! He thought that sounded like an important task, so with all the seriousness and sincerity of a sweet 7 year old, he sang away... "I know Who goes before me, I know Who stands behind...." It was a moment to be treasured, for sure!)

@canoewoman - I had PTs coming to visit me the day of surgery, and they were all kind and did not push. (I was having such a problem with nausea that I couldn't do more than stand, so that was fine with them.) I remember reading one of the all-important "to dos" here on BS (and @Jaycey was so kind to send them all to me again); never let anyone do anything to you that hurts! It's one thing to push and stretch, but a far different thing to allow pain to be inflicted upon you! I'll be having PTs here at the house several times a week for the next few weeks, and then will go in for appointments at the PT clinic.

@MetEish - Thank you so much!!! Now just a few more weeks for you, and you, too, will be on the other side! Oh, will you ever be glad to be rid of the pain!!! And we'll all be here, cheering you on!!!

@Wrknitout - Yes, yes, yes!!!!! You perfectly captured my sentiments!!!! Blue skies ahead, but first a little hard work!!! :) The payoff will be SO worth every ounce of blood, sweat and tears when I have the ability to move without joint pain - and that's not that far off on the horizon!!:SUNsmile: I am SO happy that you're on the fast-track to getting your THR, too!!! Just a few more weeks, girl, and you're on your way!!!!!:yahoo:
 
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@Nana2-8 - THANK YOU!!!! I felt like I had the kindest crowd of loving, understanding people welcoming me through the finish gates once I got home!! There was my BS cheering squad waiting for me, pom-poms in hand!!! :happydance: See, look how ready we are for every step of this journey, Kathy!! We know exactly what to expect in these first few rough days (and have made darn good preparations for all the icing, elevation and resting) - so we're in good shape!! I can't WAIT for you to be joining me on this side, girl!!! Till then, I've gotta hold of you.... not letting go! We're gonna do this thing!!!! :cool:

@Cynthia777 - And a wonderful Thursday to you, sweet CC! Yes, I need the reminder that this first week out is not all fun and games, that's for sure! It does help to have someone who sees you everyday be able to tell you what progress is evident... This morning at 5 a.m. I HAD to get out of bed (with the exception of trips to the bathroom, I'd been in bed since 3 pm yesterday, and my entire body was begging for a change in position) - so John and I sat in the living room (me all "pillowed up" with hips above knees), sipping coffee and chatting about the fact that I'd just been wheeled in for major surgery 72 hours earlier! He says I look stronger and stronger; in fact, what was much harder yesterday, is becoming noticeably, though in incrementally small ways, easier day by day! You remember how being able to do one new thing, or something with more ease than you could yesterday was like the biggest gold star on your "I DID IT!" chart, right?!?! Love you, friend!!! :friends:
 
What a precious grandson who couldn't have come up with a more perfect song! God love his sweet soul!
Yes, the first week can be a doozy, but it passes quickly. It's those small steps you need to keep track of because everything is such a blur in the beginning of recovery. AND remember not to get discouraged when you take that small step backwards after making those two steps forward. Just think how much better it is today than it was that first post-op day. I got such a lovely picture in my mind of you and John sipping coffee at 5:00 a.m. this morning! I LOVE that time of day. Sleep away as many of these early days as you can. John sounds like such a wonderful hubby! xoxoxo
 
@belweav - How very often I have though about you as you've been 3 days ahead of me in this whole adventure! How are you holding up? What's been your greatest challenge so far? Interesting journey, indeed!!!! As I read someone here on this forum say, a joint replacement "ain't no going in for a nail clipping," that's for sure!!! :eyebrows:

@WendyP648 - It's such a joy to have this group of lovely, wonderful people to make this trek with, isn't it? Your countdown is coming to close quickly, isn't it?! I can't wait for you to be on the healing side of things! I'd have to add, I think that though there is the inevitable post-op pain, the knowledge that it's pain that is bringing us back to life is what enables us to embrace and accept it! I keep holding on to what I've heard in other places, but was reminded once again by @Cynthia777 just this morning:
Cynthia777 said:
Yes, the first week can be a doozy, but it passes quickly. It's those small steps you need to keep track of because everything is such a blur in the beginning of recovery. AND remember not to get discouraged when you take that small step backwards after making those two steps forward.
Click to expand...
:flwrysmile:
 
Welcome to the other side! So glad your recovery is going well.
[Bonesmart.org] Looking for input from those who are 1 yr+ post op
 
Aw, thank you so much, @GIMPY GAL! I will indeed take your advice and take good care (or at least let others do that for me! ;-) ) Hoping to have one of my daughters-in-law over to wash my hair this weekend; although I have to admit, all the small vanity issues I was worried about prior to surgery just sort of melted away and lost their importance once I was into the thick of post-op recovery!!! (But a clean head of hair sure would be a treat... :yes:)
 
@DizzyBlond think my challenge has been slowing down and trying to not over do. Plus remembering that the doctor prescribed the pain medicine for a reason as I am lying down on an ice pack because I went too long between the pain meds and was doing I exercises when I should have waited.
I would really like to go out but haven't been given approval to do so.

I am glad I have home health care coming in though because it helps my husband and I to keep what I am going through in perspective.
 
@DizzyBlond - Hope day 5 (or is it still day 4 with you?) is a good one. Sometimes it's a bit up and down, but most days bring a little reward in being able to do something a bit extra. Before you know it you're doing something you haven't been able to do for a long time. I have lived in slip-on shoes for months (and often had to have help putting them on!) I treated myself to some ankle boots with a little side zipper and yesterday I did them up - all by myself! Not much, and I think it will be a long time before I can do shoelaces, but I was happy.
 
Checking in on you girlfriend. I remember being so drained that first week that I really didn't have the umph to write much, but I did stop in and read everyone's messages. Rest in the moment and just and go with what is (if this makes sense). xoxoxoxo!
 
DAY 5 Post-op
Did someone say this was typically a tough post-op day? Or does these just occur, depending on how much you've done (or overdone) the day before? The house has been a buzz with home health care people, daily lab techs, and sweet friends dropping off dinners. (Do NOT, I am learning, under ANY circumstances, feel that you need to be up to visiting with these kind friends when they stop by with flowers or food! My energy capacity is at an all time low, so just the effort it takes to be engaged in a phone call can wipe me out! Face-to-face company? Too much for me at this point. Kids and grands want to come by tomorrow - I'm scared! This is a darling bunch of precious and fun-loving kiddos who won't understand that right now Grammy's needing a quiet house! :-) We'll see how that goes!

I was quite encouraged by my progress yesterday, and thought maybe I'd turned a corner. (I know realize that proverbial corner is most likely a few "blocks" away!) I woke up ready to tackle an entire head to toe sponge bath - no showers for me till Aug 2. Managed that with some effort, and then got dressed! Then it was time to address my hair - I couldn't stand it for one more second! I then dragged myself into the kitchen and was able to dunk my head into the kitchen sink, operated leg stretched behind me, for an extremely quick shampoo. THEN it was time to collapse. Back in bed for a few hours, then up for several hours to enjoy a dinner a friend had dropped off. (Felt so good to sit up and eat!) Stayed up in the PT-approved chair for several hours, and then got up to head towards the bedroom, when things just suddenly "felt" different. Once in the bathroom I could see in the full-length mirror that my incision site was swollen, warm, and red. The thigh was tight and swollen, as was my knee. I was shocked!!! I'd had no issue with swelling up to this point, so just figure I'd be by-passing that possible side-effect. :shrug: Nope!!! Got the operated leg elevated immediately, and iced through the night. This morning while walking down the hall, more discomfort and tightness than I've had up to this point post-op. I look like a well-stuffed sausage from the thigh to the knee! (So far ankle remains thin, normal and unscathed by all the "activity" going on up to the north!)

Well, I'm comfortable in bed, and well taken care of, so I'm trusting that this, too, shall pass! (And hopefully the "plumbing issues" will be resolved at some near point in the future! Sent husband to the store with with this list: stewed prunes, prune juice, figs, applesauce, milk of magnesia. He took one look at it and said, "You take all this, and you're gonna blow up!" To which I quickly retorted, "If I DON'T start taking all that, I WILL blow up!!!!:heehee: YIKES!!!! What's bringing about results for any of you on this side of the forum? :what:)

@BizzyLizzy - It is SO hard to realize that improvement and strength come in such tiny strides! I realized today, as I was pointing out to poor husband quite a few household things that suddenly were bothering me (papers piling up, dust bunnies gathering in the corners, etc.), that 2 days ago I didn't have the energy to care about a single thing! But as I notice things I now want taken care of, I realize that's strength returning to me, millimeter by tiny millimeter! Maybe, just maybe, "normal" isn't just once long ago, but is actually a place I'll soon be revisiting!!! (And congratulations on your side zippered boot accomplishment!!! That must have felt amazingly good!!!)

@MommaCatt - Oh, how right you are, Catt... this is a roller coaster rider! I'm strapped in and hanging on right beside you, friend! I can't wait to go read your update and see what new things are going on in your neck of the recovery woods!!!

@belweav - Wow! I'm glad you're doing so well that you have to be reminded to slow down! Between intermittent nausea, low, low blood pressure and then the added on exhaustion from the surgery itself, I've not having ANY trouble whatsoever laying low!!!!!!

@Medfordart - Thank you so much! It's hard to believe I'm now 5 days on this side!! The focus is on so many things - figuring out the pain meds, controlling the nausea, watching my precautions, keeping my leg iced and elevated, etc., that it's sometimes easy to forget that there is indeed a reason for all the madness! The ability to do the simple things of life, like walk without pain, take a gentle hike, run a day of errands, etc - all the "luxuries" I have been without for the past year - all will soon become my reality! THAT'S why I'm going this! :-) How are things for you, now that you're 1 year past your THR?
 
@Cynthia777 - I was thinking of emailing you! Miss talking with you, and last night/today have been rough. Remind me, please remind me - THIS IS TO BE EXPECTED!!!! Good days, not-so good days, and outright bad ones - all par for the course, right???? I'm so exhausted!!! Me, the NON-nap taker, took 2 2-hour naps yesterday, a 2 hour nap this morning, and feeling ready for yet another one right now!!!! Think I'll take your advice and go take a quick snooze.... but I'll be baaaaaack...... xoxoxox
:friends:
 
Hang in there. I remember those days so well...progress, then backwards. Emotions and definitely the plumbing issues. This is the greatest site. Everyone is here to help. You will get through this. The progress will will soon begin to be steady. Listen to your body and rest. You are the important one right now!
 
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