THR Loving recovery....said no one ever

[sharonslp]

Swelling anywhere on the leg is terribly common, and yes you probably just overdid. But if anyone in ER thought you were having a blood clot, I can't imagine they would have sent you home!! But I'm tagging Josephine for you just to get an expert opinion.

Sharon

 

[Josephine]

my ankle and foot were swollen on the operative side

Small tip, signs of DVT are painful swelling in the calf not the foot and ankle!

 

[Poppet]

Did you end up having an ultrasound?

 

[acbelmar]

Congrats on your new hip!!! My Dr. has me taking aspirin twice a day to prevent clotting. I'm so glad I didn't have to do the shots!!!Swelling is common after working your leg more than usual...we all worry about blood clots but you're taking all the necessary precautions so I wouldn't worry. Elevate and ice! Kudos to hubby for taking good care of you!!

 

[momof3]

Thanks everyone, the swelling is just about gone. So it must of been from overdoing it. I did not go back for the ultrasound cause I felt the ER drs were very uneducated with hip replacements. Everyone in the er wanted me to turn my leg in or break the 90 degree rule. I had to keep teeling them it was against the hip percautions. Anyways just glad the swelling is gone, and know I have to remember that just cause theres not really any pain i still need to rest and ice more. 2 more days till the staples come out im pretty excited about that so I can take a real shower again. Now if only these muscles in my leg would work right again id feel like new, but i know patience patience patience.

 

[Jaycey]

Hi momof3, glad your swelling is easing. Very common as Sharon says.

You said in your first post that you put this off for quite awhile. It will take some time to get those muscles toned again. You may benefit from some physiotherapy - ask your surgeon when you see him for a followup.

 

[momof3]

Glad to see swelling is gone.

On another note I had my os appt. today to remove staples and xrays. Glad the staples are out, and he said everything looks good. But then wanted to know why i wasnt walking without a walker, when i told him the muscle was still weak, he was like you need to transition to a cane. ugg pt hasnt even tried one yet. And also told me i should stop taking the pain meds perscribed and go with tylenol, consider i only take oxycotin once in morning and one at night i didnt think it was that ,uch. tonight i will try to not take it and sub a txlenol to see how it goes.

Atleast I can shower now!

 

[BarbaraR]

momof3, it might be uncomfortable to go cold turkey off the OxyContin. Why don't you try one at night for a few days and then stop it. I stopped my painkillers at once and went through 3 days of withdrawal-- not fun. Are you in PT? A physical therapist should be able to help you transition to a cane. Enjoy your shower-- it's the best!!

 

[acbelmar]

Hi Mom!
I can understand him questioning the walker, but I am still taking Oxycodone 2 times a day! In my opinion you need the stronger meds to get through PT!! I have Tramadol too but the nurse told me its like Tylenol and neither does anything for me! One of the important things about getting better is controling the pain, and you aren't even 4 weeks yet. Good luck!!

 

[Jaycey]

But then wanted to know why i wasnt walking without a walker, when i told him the muscle was still weak, he was like you need to transition to a cane.

The reason you are not transitioning is you are not ready! I get very impatient with surgeons trying put everyone on a recovery treadmill. Every recovery is different! Frankly, a cane is far less stable. Please continue to use your walker until you feel confident enough to move to a cane. Or maybe try an elbow crutch?

And also told me i should stop taking the pain meds perscribed and go with tylenol, consider i only take oxycotin once in morning and one at night

Why is this guy in such a hurry? You will naturally wean off you meds. It starts when you realize you forgot a dose (usually in the middle of the day). Right now you need pain medication to get moving and build that confidence to move around.

You are not even a month out of major surgery momof3! Please take things slow and steady. Any transition will come naturally.

 

[momof3]

Used a cane with pt today it went pretty well, also walked up and down my stairs with pt all 14 of them which was also pretty good. And now I know my teenage daughter def needs to clean her room before going anywhere this weekend. She will be so happy to learn I went up the stairs today, the first time in over 2 weeks.

Today is day2 of only usong tylenol for pain, which really is a mild discomfort and not to often.

I can just about see the bright light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[BarbaraR]

momof3, this is great news, and if you make your teenage daughter clean her room, she will know that you are getting back to normal!

 

[bottomshollow]

Well, look at you and all you've accomplished today!!! See, things do just get better and better. Don't really know if your daughter will be happy to hear you went upstairs since she'll be having to clean her room up . But maybe now, she'll keep it cleaned up since you can easily check on her. The nicest thing about teenagers is that eventually they turn out to be pretty great adults. Keep up the good work---and soon you'll be completely out of the tunnel.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[acbelmar]

So glad to hear you are coming along!!! Since I had this little setback I have been feeling sorry for myself..and was complaining to my friend who is a PT that I am back to square one. She pointed out to me all the things I couldn't do the first 2 weeks that I can do now...leg lifts, walking without a cane, driving, etc. She was absolutely right and I had to agree. When you start "coasting" a little , you tend to forget all the healing going on and you get surprised if you have a bad day here and there. And DON'T compare yourself to anyone else! My biggest mistake was thinking I was going to have the same recovery as my sister. She had NO pain and did not need any pain medicine!!Of course I thought that was the norm...Ha on me!! She took care of me the first few days home and she was shocked when she saw my bruising! She said she had very little..which shows you everyone is different! This forum is wonderful because when you feel you are alone in your recovery you find so many wonderful people willing to share their stories with us all..and it makes things so much better!! Have a great weekend and Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

 

[sandybeach]

I had my surgery a day after you so we're pretty close in the healing game and I can't walk without a cane right now. My operated leg isn't ready for that. I would love to get rid of it, in time I will. As far as getting rid of pain killers, I'm not ready for that either. I have cut way back. I went to see my OS last Monday and asked him for more Oxycodon and he wrote a new prescription out without any questions. Doctors treat their patients differently. I am taking Norco during the day and Oxycodon at night to sleep. You need to do what is right for you. Take care.

 

[momof3]

I'm actually doing very well with the tylenol only, my pain level only goes to a 2-3 and thats during pt when we try straight leg raises. But I love my lady who comes for pt shes so understanding and gives so much praise. I think i'll be on a cane for awhile so I guess i'll have to get over my shollowness and suck it up to go places while I need it.

The nicest thing about teenagers is that eventually they turn out to be pretty great adults. Keep up the good work---and soon you'll be completely out of the tunnel.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

I have to say I do agree, but I also was very blessed with a great teenager. Shes 17 and has never given me any problems and has been a big help during my recovery.

sandybeach

 

[momof3]

last post was suppose to say at sandy beach, i give you alot of praise also for having a 2nd thr so soon. you are one brave lady.

 

[Arcee]

Hi momof3. I am about 2 weeks ahead of you (Had my surgery on 2/13). I read your post the other night and woke up last night thinking of you. I too am a mom have 2 boys ages 8 & 4. I am glad to see that you have successfully started to work with the cane and that you have ventured upstairs. Prior to my surgery I was terrified of the thought of climbing stairs with my new hip. I found great comfort from many of the regulars here on bone smart. I was relieved and surprised when I tackled the stairs for the first time. It was nice to be able to look at a different 4 walls

One of the biggest things I have struggled with the past few weeks was coming to terms with letting others do things for me and being ok with letting other do things we as moms feel obligated to do like dishes, laundry and keeping the house picked up and clean. I wanted Togo go go and do it all but my hip reminded me very quickly that I could not do everything I did even right up to my surgery just yet. I did manage to do a load of laundry my husband brought downstairs yesterday and wipe down one of the bathroom counters this week. A mini accomplishment but I was tired after and needed to rest and ice.

Keep up the good work with your PT every little bit helps and each week you will notice little things that you could not do the week before appear. Best wishes for a healthy recovery!

Alysia

 

[Arcee]

Just saw tour cane comment. Make it fun. I got some of the cool new duct tape from the craft store (purple zebra print) and gave it a style makeover. Made it more fun and more of an accessory!

 

[momof3]

totally off subject...watching jon bon jovi on katie for an hour has made my day! Love JBJ