THR My hopefully quick, painless recovery!!!!

[Hoppy Nanny]

@allegra I forgot hope you have got some assistance.....drinking plenty of fluids will help your BP.....I've always suffered from high BP but mine was very low for some days after my op...it gradually came up....I was also lightheaded and nauseous.
I wonder if you are over anxious as I get palpitations when I'm nervous....do talk to the nurses so they can reassure you. I'm sure the aspirin will do you fine for blood clots....I expect you will have the hated TED stockings too.
I found a great app called 'Headspace' which helped me to calm down after my THR.....as every little pain spooked me out!
Stay on BoneSmart....you will find that most of us are the same! It's a great comfort....do let us know how you are...love Chrissie xx


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum

 

[allegra]

Well it is day 3( almost halfway through first week!!) I hope to go home today. My hemoglobin was stable at 7.9 so doctor did not want to transfuse any blood. He still said I could go home though. I do feel a little dizzy at times but not too bad. I don't really have any pain. Leg just feels very stiff and heavy. I can actually put full weight on it. I did have the anterior replacement. I am not looking forward to 2 hour drive home in our little car but can't wait to be home with my kids. I also can't wait to get this IV out as they are pumping me full of fluid and I have to pee every 2 hours or so , which is a big task now because I have to unhook myself from so much and then drag the IV behind.

I think they are sending me home with baby aspirin instead of the lovenox. They also do not have me wear any TED hose. I plan on spending the next 4 or 5 days in my bedroom for the most part. I have a lift chair in there, TV, bed, and bathroom. We have a split level home so once I get up there, I will probably stay there. I might come down a couple times a day. My first Outpatient PT appointment is Wednesday so I guess I will see how I am doing then!

 

[Legin]

You are sounding a lot better. Yup rest at start following ethos of smart bones. Good luck with car mine was only 45 mins

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Was_86]

Relax and rest. No one said the recovery phase was easy but the good news is everyday things better. I am surprised you don't have a home therapy. I am assuming you're head of the curve in regards to walking. Almost all of us here were stuck with home a home therapist. Are you using a walker? There are bumps But promise a month from now. You will probably forget all the struggles. Heads up for ride home. Make sure your seat is backed up. Have plenty of space to spread your legs. Also ask your hubby to drive slow. Curves and bumps hurt.

 

[Jaycey]

Safe journey home @allegra !

 

[allegra]

Day 4 - Well my 2 hour drive home was easy-no problems at all. I can get around quite well with walker and even feel like I could walk without it (I won't). No pain at all yet. I was wondering if it is normal to be lightheaded yet though? I lost a good amount of blood during surgery - my hemoglobin went from 13.9 presurgery to 7.9 postsurgery - so my guess is that might be why. But I also have noticed blood when I blow my nose. The PA said it will take a month or so to build my blood back up so they wanted me to take a prenatal vitamin.

 

[craftdee]

Hi @allegra. Glad you're settled in at home, it's definitely easier in a lot of ways, in your own space - in my opinion at least. You're going to be light headed with low blood pressure and a low hemoglobin count; plenty of fluids and an iron (prenatal) supplement will build your blood up quite quickly - it may take the better part of a month to get back to your normal levels... but you're not going to feel like you do now for anything like that long. Iron can constipate you too... so even more reason to keep those prunes at the ready:cool:
Don't expect pain, you probably won't get much if you haven't got it already, yay! DO expect to get tired... that old Energy Drain... it just happens, and you can't seem to predict when it will hit. So just don't overdo it and I reckon you'll be sailing along any day

 

[Carriemay60]

@allegra Congratulations on you new hip; I am sorry you had a tough start but I'm confident you will start to see the benefits by Christmas. Despite a recent history of DVT and PE, I did not have Teds (so thankful for that!) Just be sure to get up and do a little lap every 60-90 minutes when awake.

My biggest concern for you is the children and trying to do too much. Even if you are feeling pretty good (or think you are) don't try to do for them, other than movie or story time leave their care to someone else for a good 2 weeks. The minute you lift a finger to make lunches or other tasks will be the minute others around you will deem you capable of being "mom of all trades again". Your personal care, to a degree and sometimes with supervision and help should be all you concern yourself with for some time yet. Stay away from the stove and laundry without exception! Sleep and ice as much as possible and stay on a strict schedule for pain meds for this next week at least - set your alarm for night pain meds - it pays off in the long run.

 

[Jaycey]

I was wondering if it is normal to be lightheaded

Very common - move around very slowly. Be very careful - you don't want a fall. Are you taking any blood thinning medication by any chance? I was very dizzy from them after my first THR. Discuss this with your family doc if you are the least bit worried.

 

[allegra]

Thank you. I am taking aspirin for blood clots instead of lovenox. I have also been taking 1 oxycodone/acetaminaphin every 4 hours. They gave me tramadol too but I haven't really needed it yet. One of my concerns right now is constipation. I have not had a bowel movement since wed presurgery (tmi, I know) despite having a good appetite. I feel fine but I know I have heard others say how awful it is. Doctor gave me a prescription for 2 tablets senna 2x/day. I have been eating prunes and drinking plenty of water. I feel pretty good too so I will try to move more. But what else can I do? How long do I need to stay on the oxycodone/acetamin because I am pretty sure that is the problem? I am passing gas (tmi again) so does that indicate things are working? How many days should I wait?

 

[Jaycey]

Here's a thread about Constipation and stool softeners . Use stool softeners as they won't make you cramp. It's very common to have this issue post op. Don't worry and don't stop taking your pain meds. You need them to get more mobile. It can take a few days for your system to get back to normal.

 

[Was_86]

Oxycodone are no good. The side effects are horrible. The second day home. I had hives due to oxycodone. I switched to 1000mg of tylenol 3 times a day for about a week.. It did the job. My vowel system worked after 5 days. It's normal. Use the walker until you see a Therapist. Let them decide if you're okay for a cane. For me switching to tylonel helped with constipation. Don't suffer with pain but if you think oxy are too strong or not needed. Take tylenol instead.

 

[Josephine]

Then it's likely they haven't heard anything either.

I just walked 2 laps around the unit, but ended up with blood dripping down my leg from where they just took out drain.

This blood has nothing to do with your BP. It's already drained out of your system and is just static. It often happens that nurses fail to put an adequate pressure dressing on a drain wound to stop it leaking. But please don't worry about it. Apart from being messy, it's of little consequence.

However, blood clots scare me the most about this whole thing. I hear of perfectly healthy people dying from that and wonder if baby aspirin is enough?

Baby aspirin is more than enough. Don't be scared. there are several stages of clot, most of which are not life threatening. And in any case, clots are actually pretty rare, especially after surgery, for the simple reason that we are usually proactive in regards to anticoagulants.

 

[Josephine]

I do feel a little dizzy at times but not too bad.
I was wondering if it is normal to be light headed yet though?

It can also be caused by anxiety.

I don't really have any pain. Leg just feels very stiff and heavy.

"Stiff and heavy" are also forms of pain as are soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching and swelling.

I think they are sending me home with baby aspirin instead of the lovenox. They also do not have me wear any TED hose.

Evidence is that TEDS don't actually do much good, so don't worry about that!

But I also have noticed blood when I blow my nose.

That may be because the hospital atmosphere was dry. But do mention it to your GP sometime soon. It may just be it needs a a bit of Bactroban cream to make it better. I get it often for some reason or another!

I have not had a bowel movement since wed pre-surgery (tmi, I know) I am passing gas (tmi again) so does that indicate things are working?

Don't worry about TMI! We discuss this all the time on here! Passing gas probably means you are not just constipated but impacted as well. This can suggest that a small enema from the pharmacist might be in order.

How long do I need to stay on the oxycodone/acetamin because I am pretty sure that is the problem?

Well, of course it is! And you may like to have a trial on just Tylenol for a time. Use 1,000mg 4 times a day. You will soon know if it's enough and if it isn't you'll have to start taking the oxycodone again.

 

[allegra]

Thanks josephine. Ok my belly is really starting to cramp up now. I am not having luck with having a BM. My husband got a laxative suppository instead of an enema. Would that be ok or should I send him back to get an enema?

 

[allegra]

I also just threw up but I have been tolerating my pain meds really well so far. I wonder if the food just had nowhere else to go?

 

[Carriemay60]

@allegra Took me ages to finally vomit, but when I did I felt so much more better. Personally, I think some of the anesthetic lingers in my tummy.

 

[allegra]

I gave myself the suppository and went like what was about the size and shape of a golf ball. But stomach is still crampy and I'm sure there is a lot in there yet. Do I just wait it out or is this ER worthy? I definitely need to get my pain meds changed. I would think Tylenol would be adequate as my leg doesn't bother me too much. But this stomach cramping is HORRIBLE!!!!!! My next dose of oxycodone is due at 6, and I don't want to take it!!!

 

[craftdee]

Hi @allegra I can of course only speak from personal experience, but my overall feeling of well being improved out of sight once I went off Oxycodone! The light headed, fuzzy feeling disappeared immediately, the constipation became a non issue and my pain level didn't rise at all: I took Paracetemol (Tylenol), at the right dose - don't under medicate, especially the first few days - and it was certainly enough. I took Tramadol (I think I read here that you have some) at night for a few nights, then just swapped that out for Paracetemol and realized I could have gone to it at the same time as I changed the day time meds - the thing about Tylenol type meds is they are relatively "safe", you can take them more frequently if you need to... but I honestly didn't need to.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of drinking water.. LOTS of water; it means you'll be peeing more but it will also hydrate your bowel and hopefully help soften up your stools. My son had a serious accident last year, (he ended up losing his Great Toe and next toe to necrosis) as his twins were only ten weeks old when it happened he insisted on being sent home three days after his first surgery - he was in such a state a few days later he was readmitted (vomiting, almost delirious) he had an infection... but that wasn't what was causing him to feel so unwell; it was the constipation!! He was given an enema, or suppository (can't remember which) and as soon as it worked (properly) he was so much better it was as if he'd been given some miracle drug. That's why I'm always putting it near the top of my "things to take care of" when people ask for hints post op.
Once you "go" you'll feel so much better. I don't think four days out is ER worthy, unfortunately what you said is about right... if the food's not going "down" it's gonna come "up" so the sooner you pooh the better for you! A Laxative isn't what you need, you really need a stool softener. Some fibre will bulk it up and give your bowel the right message, laxatives just say "get rid of it NOW" not "get rid of all of it". I think after my hysterectomy (which was before Matt's accident and I knew the importance of such things!) I ended up using a glycerine based suppository and that first good BM was like winning the lottery ... canvas options with your pharmacist, if you're not comfortable with that or are still feeling worried about it contact your regular Dr - they deal with this sort of thing all the time, so no big deal.
Hope you go soon I'm sure you will, and then along with the change of meds you'll feel so much better all round

 

[CanukTriMom]

Definitely a stool softener......I found the best natural softener was Senokot. You can buy it at Walmart. I tok that at night as it was an overnight med...AND TONS OF WATER.