THR My Mom’s Journey

[djklaugh]

@87Hip It is totally normal to feel very tired after hip replacement. And for a person your Mom's age even more so. Healing takes a lot of energy and taking a nap in the afternoon (or morning) may be a necessity. I was 64 when I had my hips replaced and did need daily naps for several months. It is good to hear that she is making progress in her recuperation. Thank you for letting us know.

 

[dnordo220]

It’s wonderful that you are there for your mom. She is getting great care.

 

[Kritterkiddo]

Hi @87Hip
Gee you all are terrific. My mom broke her hip at 91, it was pinned and all healed up and she made it for many more years.
I pray that your Mother has success too.
I know that you are doing a lot for her now, and have help. Be sure to have some quality time for yourself!
All the best!

 

[Elf1]

@87Hip such a good update on your Mom. Also glad to see you're going home at night and leaving her care to your Dad and the care giver as you need rest as well. The healing definitely takes a lot of energy and we don't tend to have a lot left over for other things. I agree that an afternoon nap might be helpful, I know I took them for quite a while after my THR. And we do our best healing when we're sleeping so I would encourage her to nap and maybe you could even get a few minutes of shut eye at the same time.

 

[myglasshalffull]

It's very normal to be tired for you & Mom, also difficulty falling asleep at night is something most of us hip replacement folks have in common.
At 87 she should recover on her own time and she will, this is a fairly long recovery and at 87 the fact she's up and walking and able to get to bathroom is amazing.
You are wise to head home in evenings and rest, being a caretaker can really take a toll on you. Be sure you are eating properly as well.
I wish you well, you are a wonderful daughter, bless you.

 

[Mojo333]

So glad to hear your mother is doing well.... She is blessed to have you to look after her during this recovery.

The only time it hurts is when she is doing leg lifts in bed as part of her PT exercises. It is just going to take some time to build muscle and endurance.

I really don't know if I would worry too much about this....I couldn't do leg lifts at 3 weeks... things are traumatized and other muscles have to compensate which can strain the groin.
I kept up my ankle pumps and walking really is the best PT.

She has a hard time going to sleep some nights but I guess we all have trouble with that sometimes.

Oh my, my sleep didn't get straightened out for quite some time.
Glad she is able to get up and get to the toilet... That should help that circulation.
I know you must be tired so do look after yourself.

 

[benne68]

Thank you for the update on your Mom, @87Hip.

That fatigue is to be expected at this early stage of recovery. Our bodies direct most of our energy into healing, which doesn't leave much for other activity.

Difficulty sleeping is also very common during the early months. The best strategy is to encourage her to sleep whenever and wherever she can -- naps are in order!

You are a blessing to your Mom. I'm sure she is grateful for all you do.

 

[87Hip]

Update Week 4 after surgery:

What a hard week that was. It seamed like the swelling was coming back, the wheezing was taking off again and my mom just kept going down hill all week. She was so tired and weak. I took her back to the primary care dr on Wednesday who said that her lungs were clear but gave her an inhaler. I watched her vitals like a hawk. Friday was the worst, I was so worried about her. Her blood pressure was low 95/55 and if her oxygen had dropped I was going to take her to the ER. Fortunately her oxygen held steady. Finally on Friday morning I found a 2in x 3in rash on her non surgical hip and it all clicked into place. She was reacting to the IV antibiotics! I got on the phone with the infectious disease dr and he told me to take her off the antibiotics for 48 hours. She starting bouncing back the next morning. Her color looked better, her blood pressure came back up, and the rash was already fading. I couldn't belive how fast she was turning around. So the Dr started her on an oral antibiotic and she had the IV line taken out of her port. Yea!

This morning (4 days post antibiotic) I would say she is 80% back as far as strength and endurance go. I will be so glad when we can get off all of these antibiotics. She is walking steady and even sat down and got up off the couch for the first time today. She can now do the bent knee exercises in bed without using a strap to pull her foot. PT was very excited about her progress even with some regression from the antibiotics.

My mom is ready to dimiss the home health aids. She feels like they are doing too much for her now. They want to help and do things for her but she needs to struggle a little bit in order to gain her independence back.

Hopefully we won't have any more big set backs for a while. My stress levels can't take much more!
Have a good week everyone and thank you for the kind words and encouragement!

 

[djklaugh]

@87Hip Bless you for the excellent care you are giving your Mom! Picking up that rash and getting to the right doctor quickly I'm sure was a life saving intervention. Reactions to medications can be devastating and in some cases life threatening. It is wonderful to hear that she is getting better and is moving about with more confidence. And yes there is a fine line between being helpful and doing too much - if she still needs some help perhaps she can identify one of the aides who is supportive with out over doing the helpfulness and have that person stay on a while longer.

 

[mendogal]

You did great detective work today!!!!!
I agree with @djklaugh re perhaps keeping one aide on at reduced hours - as much for your respite as for help to your mom!

 

[Hotchocolate]

You poor thing (both of you), you must be exhausted after that scare. I'm really happy that it sounds like she's progressing again.

 

[myglasshalffull]

You did a great job discovering that rash and realizing what was causing it as well as your Mom's failing health.
Caretaking is tough work for sure.
Hope her health continues to improve.
Stay well...both of you!

 

[87Hip]

Update: Week 5 after surgery (More antibiotics and Afib)

So last week the Infectious Disease Dr. started my mom on an oral antibiotic Doxicyclene. She did fine on it for several days so he increased the dose to twice a day. My mom is tolerating it so far but I am on Antibiotic watch! I am scared to death she will develop diarrhea and I do not want her to end up in the ER. She is eating yogurt and ground flax seed everyday to help her gut biome cope with everything. She has 3 more weeks of oral antibiotics.

Also, the physical therapist noticed her pulse rate going too high after exercise (6 min walk) so we worked with her cardiologist to see what was going on. It turns out her Afib was acting up. The Dr. said that was not totally unexpected after all she has been through. So the Dr. increased her Metoprolol and that seams to be helping. My moms heart rate is not going as high and she doesn't feel like her heart is racing as much now. It will still take a couple more days for the medication to fully kick in.

So life without the home heath aid is going well. I was a little nervous letting them go but my mom was ready. She can go to the bathroom on her own and my dad helps her go to bed at night and get up in the morning. She doesn't need much help - just getting her pants and socks on. I'm here most of the day monitoring her and helping with the cooking and cleaning. I also do her PT exercises with her. The physical therapist started working with my mom to walk more upright and keep the walker moving consistently. My mom was pretty sore after that session so she had more of a rest day yesterday. As far as the hip goes she is making great progress.

Have a good week and Happy Holidays!