THR My Hip Trip - Second Verse
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craftdee
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HollyB
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I am done and dusted!!!
Surgery took place around 8am this past Tuesday (June 9) and I was in my room by Noon. I had GA with no complications. I remember nothing about the surgery ; but, I do remember waking up in the Recovery Room and having some sort of conversation with one of the Nurses -- bet that was hysterical. I don't remember the Recovery Room from the January surgery nor do I remember being taken to my hospital room. This time I do remember that part. A real plus for the surgery was that the Anestheiologist "pulled up" what was done in January via the Hospital's computer system. Nice to have that information readily available. Also different this time was that I was given an anti-nausea patch that fit behind my ear. It must have done the job, along with some other anti-nausea Meds that I received. So, yeah!!! By the way, I was told that these patches are over-the-counter purchases so my husband plans to buy some of them tomorrow just "in case"....I was discharged with an anti- nausea script but so far so good -- no nausea.
This time I was put in a private room and it was s-o-o-o nice and amazingly quiet. I was actually able to sleep. My husband stayed with me and slept on a cot which he said was comfortable. I had done a write-up re the nausea I had had with the first THR. The culprit was thought to be the oxy so I was switched to dialaudid which I've tolerated nicely so far.
PT arrived around 4pm. I had a slight case of "Log Leg" but I wasn't troubled by it since It has been explained here on BoneSmart. I was able to stand and walk a bit (using a Walker) and then sat in a chair for about an hour.
The next day PT arrived and wheeled me to the Recovery Gym where I worked on stairs, seated foot pumps, proper sitting. There was a discussion of the movement restrictions ( I had posterior). I was seen by an Orthopedic Resident who said that the incision looked good. Later in the day my OS came to see me and told me that I could be discharged that day if I wanted to be. I was completely surprised but happy to think that I was progressing so well. I decided to stay one more night to make sure that I would be going home with the right Meds ( at this point the Pill Cocktail was not finalized).
I was discharged the next day at Noon. I will be using the Home Monitoring System again --I really liked having the extra eyes looking out for me. We arrived at home around 3pm and I navigated the two small steps into the house, walked down the hallway without stopping to rest, cleaned up a little, and then got into bed and slept! So nice to be home!
Today the Health Nurse visited at 10:30am. Her visit lasted about an hour as she checked my vitals (all good), filled out an initial information form, and talked about scheduling the medicines. I will have in-home PT again but not in-home OT. The Nurse will be back on Tuesday (June 16) to remove the hospital bandage from my incision. I don't have staples -- the outside of my incision was glued.
I had a small BM in the Hospital on Discharge Day but nothing since so I'm eating lots of prunes, drinking loads of water, taking Colace, trying to walk as much as I can, and attempting to add fiber in my diet. Hopefully the constipation will end soon.
I do have a question for @Josephine. My OS told me that the surgery had gone "fine" but that I had "soft bones". He told me he could feel the softness during the surgery. I told him that I had tried Fosamax for about 5 years but that my Personal Physician had recommended a break from the drug and I have taken nothing for the past 3-4 years. I did have a Dexa Scan prior to the January surgery which showed Osteoporosis in the Left Hip and Osteopenia in the Spine. My OS said that calcium, vitamin d, and walking could be helpful. I suspect I may need to do more (e.g. find a medicine that might help). It's more than a little alarming to me to think that my new hips might not be supported well by my "soft bones". Do you any suggestions on how to approach this?
Finally, thank you BoneSmarties for being so kind and supportive to me. I'll be back with more details as the healing continues.
Surgery took place around 8am this past Tuesday (June 9) and I was in my room by Noon. I had GA with no complications. I remember nothing about the surgery ; but, I do remember waking up in the Recovery Room and having some sort of conversation with one of the Nurses -- bet that was hysterical. I don't remember the Recovery Room from the January surgery nor do I remember being taken to my hospital room. This time I do remember that part. A real plus for the surgery was that the Anestheiologist "pulled up" what was done in January via the Hospital's computer system. Nice to have that information readily available. Also different this time was that I was given an anti-nausea patch that fit behind my ear. It must have done the job, along with some other anti-nausea Meds that I received. So, yeah!!! By the way, I was told that these patches are over-the-counter purchases so my husband plans to buy some of them tomorrow just "in case"....I was discharged with an anti- nausea script but so far so good -- no nausea.This time I was put in a private room and it was s-o-o-o nice and amazingly quiet. I was actually able to sleep. My husband stayed with me and slept on a cot which he said was comfortable. I had done a write-up re the nausea I had had with the first THR. The culprit was thought to be the oxy so I was switched to dialaudid which I've tolerated nicely so far.
PT arrived around 4pm. I had a slight case of "Log Leg" but I wasn't troubled by it since It has been explained here on BoneSmart. I was able to stand and walk a bit (using a Walker) and then sat in a chair for about an hour.
The next day PT arrived and wheeled me to the Recovery Gym where I worked on stairs, seated foot pumps, proper sitting. There was a discussion of the movement restrictions ( I had posterior). I was seen by an Orthopedic Resident who said that the incision looked good. Later in the day my OS came to see me and told me that I could be discharged that day if I wanted to be. I was completely surprised but happy to think that I was progressing so well. I decided to stay one more night to make sure that I would be going home with the right Meds ( at this point the Pill Cocktail was not finalized).
I was discharged the next day at Noon. I will be using the Home Monitoring System again --I really liked having the extra eyes looking out for me. We arrived at home around 3pm and I navigated the two small steps into the house, walked down the hallway without stopping to rest, cleaned up a little, and then got into bed and slept! So nice to be home!
Today the Health Nurse visited at 10:30am. Her visit lasted about an hour as she checked my vitals (all good), filled out an initial information form, and talked about scheduling the medicines. I will have in-home PT again but not in-home OT. The Nurse will be back on Tuesday (June 16) to remove the hospital bandage from my incision. I don't have staples -- the outside of my incision was glued.
I had a small BM in the Hospital on Discharge Day but nothing since so I'm eating lots of prunes, drinking loads of water, taking Colace, trying to walk as much as I can, and attempting to add fiber in my diet. Hopefully the constipation will end soon.
I do have a question for @Josephine. My OS told me that the surgery had gone "fine" but that I had "soft bones". He told me he could feel the softness during the surgery. I told him that I had tried Fosamax for about 5 years but that my Personal Physician had recommended a break from the drug and I have taken nothing for the past 3-4 years. I did have a Dexa Scan prior to the January surgery which showed Osteoporosis in the Left Hip and Osteopenia in the Spine. My OS said that calcium, vitamin d, and walking could be helpful. I suspect I may need to do more (e.g. find a medicine that might help). It's more than a little alarming to me to think that my new hips might not be supported well by my "soft bones". Do you any suggestions on how to approach this?
Finally, thank you BoneSmarties for being so kind and supportive to me. I'll be back with more details as the healing continues.
NuMe2014
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sunbunny
graduate
Congrats @HollyB you are doing great with your new hip. Proud of you! I don't know much about soft bones but someone here will. I do know about letting a question for the OS fester without me asking and depending a lot of time fretting over it. So I would suggest asking how did the soft bones effect the surgery and/ or outcome with PT. are there extra precautions I need to take? Hugs and keep us posted.
copsham
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@HollyB I will be watching this too for bone smarties replies. Congratulations! I was told I need to address my osteoporosis but need three full months recovery before taking and meds. I can't to the Fosamax meds as they really gave me third degree gerd. My endo doc is thinking Prolia. My surgeon said nothing about my bones so for sure I will ask him. I was worried about it going in. So happy you are done....keep taking the poop drugs!!!!! That is my biggest suggestion! !! 
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HollyB
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Hello Everyone. Today marks the one week anniversary of my LTHR and I agree with @copsham, it seems like it has been much longer than a week. The Meds I am taking are Dilaudid 2 mg - 4mg every 3 hours (I've only taken 2 mg every 3 hours), Tramadol 50 mg every 6 hours, 1000 mg Tylenol every 8 hours, and 2 baby aspirin. The pain is controlled in the range of 1 - 3 and it feels like a super sore muscle. I have very little swelling and very little bruising -- the most bruising is on the inside of the operated leg. The Home Health Nurse guesses that the brushing was a result of the way I was positioned on the OR Table. No matter really because it doesn't hurt -- just looks yucky.
Guess what? Those "waves of nausea" hit me again just like the January surgery. I had GA with no bad reaction (yeah, @craftdee ), Meds were switched in the Hospital from oxy to Dilaudid which I seemed to tolerate well. Got home and the waves started rolling! This time I had an anti nausea med and took it immediately ... It worked like a champ! The OS's Nurse and the Home Health Nurse have agreed that I should remain on the Dilaudid, Tramadol, and Tylenol for pain ( the aspirin is my blood thiner) and take anti nausea med as needed. However, they have already started a slow reduction on the Dilaudid -- instead of Dilaudid every 3 hours I take it every 6 hours alternating with the Tramadol. So, I'm getting "something" every 3 hours and so far the reduction seems to be working. My pain is controlled pretty well. The nausea has backed off,too. According to the OS's Nurse, pain should start decreasing in the second and third weeks -- don't we all hope she's right!
I've had some difficulty with constipation this time. @Poppet I'm using some of your good dietary suggestions to combat the problem -- fiber with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans. The home Health Nurse told me today to continue taking Colace as long as I was on the Dilaudid.
Speaking of the Home Health Nurse, she made her second visit today and removed the bandage over my incision. I have steri-strips this time and the incision is about two inches longer than the January incision. She told me everything looked good. I will be changing the bandage every other day or sooner if I shower. She told me to call her immediately if there is any sort of discharge -- red, pink, yellow, green, clear. Husband took a nice baseline picture.
I want to thank the rest of you for keeping a check on me. It means so much! Hope everyone is having an uneventful recovery!!!
Guess what? Those "waves of nausea" hit me again just like the January surgery. I had GA with no bad reaction (yeah, @craftdee ), Meds were switched in the Hospital from oxy to Dilaudid which I seemed to tolerate well. Got home and the waves started rolling! This time I had an anti nausea med and took it immediately ... It worked like a champ! The OS's Nurse and the Home Health Nurse have agreed that I should remain on the Dilaudid, Tramadol, and Tylenol for pain ( the aspirin is my blood thiner) and take anti nausea med as needed. However, they have already started a slow reduction on the Dilaudid -- instead of Dilaudid every 3 hours I take it every 6 hours alternating with the Tramadol. So, I'm getting "something" every 3 hours and so far the reduction seems to be working. My pain is controlled pretty well. The nausea has backed off,too. According to the OS's Nurse, pain should start decreasing in the second and third weeks -- don't we all hope she's right!
I've had some difficulty with constipation this time. @Poppet I'm using some of your good dietary suggestions to combat the problem -- fiber with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans. The home Health Nurse told me today to continue taking Colace as long as I was on the Dilaudid.
Speaking of the Home Health Nurse, she made her second visit today and removed the bandage over my incision. I have steri-strips this time and the incision is about two inches longer than the January incision. She told me everything looked good. I will be changing the bandage every other day or sooner if I shower. She told me to call her immediately if there is any sort of discharge -- red, pink, yellow, green, clear. Husband took a nice baseline picture.
I want to thank the rest of you for keeping a check on me. It means so much! Hope everyone is having an uneventful recovery!!!
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HollyB
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Thanks @Poppet . And now I have a question for you or @Jamie or @Jaycey: the calf on my operated leg has been a little sore since my surgery. the soreness is on the inside of the calf about midway down the calf -- definitely not behind the knee. I would rate the pain at a 1 -2. I told the Attending Resident at the Hospital about the soreness and he checked it by applying slight pressure to my calf (no pain) and bending my foot forward (no pain). He didn't think I had a problem. I was discharged with baby aspirin twice a day for blood thinner. The soreness has remained ( I'm only a week out so haven't been worried about it) but I did tell my Home Health Nurse today and she checked my calf for swelling (very little), heat (none), redness (none). She didn't think I had a problem but was glad that I had told her.
I have not been doing any exercises except foot pumps (10) when I think about them which isn't often -- maybe 3 or 4 times during the day and ankle turns (5) 3 or 4 times during the day. I get up to use the bathroom several times during the day and night and for the past couple of days I've walked to the kitchen and back to the bedroom twice a day.
Tonight I was walking to the kitchen and the calf on my operated leg felt strange in the same area that I described above. It felt almost like it wanted to cramp but maybe it was just additional soreness (level 2-3). My husband looked at the calf -- no swelling, no redness -- and when he felt it there was no heat. I've been sitting in bed for about an hour and the soreness has gone away. I just walked to the bathroom and the calf felt o.k. Now, back in bed, the calf just feels ...fragile is the best word I can think to describe it.
I'm not looking for trouble but I am thinking about blood clots. I'm hoping that this is so early that I'm just feeling where I was "roughed up" during surgery. What should I be looking for? Thanks in advance and also would appreciate anyone else who would like to weigh in on this. I've never had a blood clot so I don't know the signs.
I have not been doing any exercises except foot pumps (10) when I think about them which isn't often -- maybe 3 or 4 times during the day and ankle turns (5) 3 or 4 times during the day. I get up to use the bathroom several times during the day and night and for the past couple of days I've walked to the kitchen and back to the bedroom twice a day.
Tonight I was walking to the kitchen and the calf on my operated leg felt strange in the same area that I described above. It felt almost like it wanted to cramp but maybe it was just additional soreness (level 2-3). My husband looked at the calf -- no swelling, no redness -- and when he felt it there was no heat. I've been sitting in bed for about an hour and the soreness has gone away. I just walked to the bathroom and the calf felt o.k. Now, back in bed, the calf just feels ...fragile is the best word I can think to describe it.
I'm not looking for trouble but I am thinking about blood clots. I'm hoping that this is so early that I'm just feeling where I was "roughed up" during surgery. What should I be looking for? Thanks in advance and also would appreciate anyone else who would like to weigh in on this. I've never had a blood clot so I don't know the signs.
Legin
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I have had DVT after tearing my calf muscle and the symptoms that brought about being checked out were swelling and red colouring to the area. Also with my #CRPS symptoms were similar well except this time massive pain. I was sent for a scan both times and it showed the clot the first time. If you are worrried I would see your gp. Sorry for butting in btw
Legin THR Sep 14
Legin THR Sep 14
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Just post op pain. You are right, you get pretty man handled during THR. I had more pain down the inner side of my knee to my ankle than I did at the incision sight. In my case my surgeon evened up my leg length difference. All the stretching of muscles and soft tissue was pretty dramatic.
Are you icing that area? Taking your pain meds as prescribed around the clock?
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HollyB
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@Jaycey I am taking Meds by the clock and icing the upper leg but not the lower leg. However I have developed a real problem and am currently having a really rough go of it. Last night I did not sleep well -- dreaming but not bad dreams just long ones -- and woke up this morning feeling somewhere between anxious and nauseous. My husband has commented that I am a lot more troubled by this surgery than the last one and that I seem to be looking for problems-- blood clots, have the "soft bones" fractured, was the new hip placed correctly? He's right. I'm worried about all of this and it's causing me problems. Yes, I've been nauseous and have taken anti- nausea pills which helped. But, what's going on right now is different. I'm shakes and want to jump out of my skin. I want to cry or scream or
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HollyB
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Opps -- guess I hit the wrong key. To continue, I'm feeling just horrible and don't know what to do about it. We have a call into the Home Health Nurse but haven't heard back yet. I continue with my Meds plus anti-nausea. I can call my OS's nurse but haven't done that yet. Then, of course, there is my Personal Physician. But, I'm not sure what to tell them. Something is wrong but I don't know what. Please help me if you can I would be so grateful for some insight. Frankly I'm scared right now.
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HollyB
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BY the way, my vitals are all good -- temp 98f, Oxygen Level 98 -- but BP is starting to go up at 140/80. BP is usually around 120/75.
agileHippie
senior
@HollyB I'm certainly no expert (I'm at day 2 after surgery) but this sounds like you might have post-op blues. I'm not dismissing your feelings! They are real, but I think a bit of anxiety--rational or not--is to be expected.
I know that probably doesn't help too much but maybe just a little??
I know that probably doesn't help too much but maybe just a little??
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