THR My recovery thread: day 4 nausea and dizziness

[Eman85]

Things are different at different areas but my OS had me on an icing machine as soon as I got out of recovery and I took it home with me. I had minor swelling and little bruising. The jeans took a little while mostly as I didn't want the irritation on the incision site.

 

[Tuppence71]

@Tuppence71. Can I just say that I love your cozy lounge wear. It looks like soft, light sweater material.

I have a fondness for ‘lounge sets’ and that is one of my favourites. I can’t see me in anything smarter than joggers for a while. It is my birthday on Sunday and a couple of old friends are determined to take me out to lunch - I have warned them that it will need to be somewhere with a VERY laid back dress code.

 

[Tuppence71]

@Eman85

How long did you ice for each day? I’m going to start in earnest tomorrow. Right now I am just loving being at home.

 

[Eman85]

I iced continuously, only time I wasn't icing was when I was standing. I took it to bed with me as it would stay cold for hours. Mine was made so you could use ice and water or 4 frozen water bottles and water which is what I used. All I had to do was swap out the water bottles for the spare set we kept in the freezer and I was good for hours.

 

[Tuppence71]

I’m home, which is great, and making good progress, I think. I was sent home with:

• Paracetamol
• Dihydrocodeine - a strong opioid painkiller
• Blood thinners
• Laxitives (still no sign of any action there )

I feel pretty good on the whole - can move about ok with one crutch, am doing all my exercises, icing is brilliant - but the strong painkillers make me feel awful. About 90 minutes after taking them I feel nauseous, super-sleepy and light headed and have to retire to bed, for hours.

I’m wondering about asking if they could either switch the dihydrocodeine for basic, less strong codeine, which I do tolerate quite well. Or whether I could just stop taking the blood thinners and take a strong NSAID instead of the opioid (I know I can’t take a NSAID as long as I am on the thinners - but if I move around enough, surely I don’t need them?). Has anyone found a really good combination for pain relief that doesn’t completely wipe them out?

 

[Tuppence71]

I iced continuously, only time I wasn't icing was when I was standing. I took it to bed with me as it would stay cold for hours. Mine was made so you could use ice and water or 4 frozen water bottles and water which is what I used. All I had to do was swap out the water bottles for the spare set we kept in the freezer and I was good for hours.

This sounds so good. I really don’t like the side effects of the opioids I’m on - my ice pack gives me great pain relief without making me feel sick, drowsy or light headed. I was working on a ‘twenty minutes, four times a day’ plan, but I may get a second pack so I can wear it more or less all the time and ease back on the drugs. Thanks.

 

[Mojo333]

@Tuppence71
I started trying to substitute Tylenol for some of my pain killers during the day, and took the opiates at night.
Tylenol did nothing for me pre-op with the horrid hip pain and Ibuprofen was my go-to.
At some stage, that didn't touch it.
An NSAID, in my opinion, with the concerns with blood thinners isn't a good choice immediately following surgery. The swelling and inflammation is different than what you experienced with arthritis. It's surgical pain and it responds much better to real pain relievers like Tylenol, Tramadol, and narcotic pain medications.

Tylenol was a better choice for pain relief for me after surgery - Amazingly... Just be sure you use the Extra Strength (500mg) version. You should take 1000mg at a time at least 4 hours apart and no more than 4 of these doses in any 24 hour period. Tylenol contains acetaminophen and 4000mg is the maximum 24 hour dosage. So be sure you count in any other medications containing it into your daily total. It is frequently in over the counter allergy and cold medications, so always read the labels of anything you're taking!

 

[Mojo333]

Note* certainly check with your doctor with an concerns.
Ice was the best anti-Inflammatory and pain reliever I found too.
Healing hugs coming at you!

 

[myglasshalffull]

Opiods and I don't mesh either, took them a few days with same result, nausea and sleepiness.
Extra strength tylenol and ice worked good.

 

[Tuppence71]

@Mojo333 @myglasshalffull

Thank you!

I think paracetamol is the same thing as Tylenol, so I have a big supply of 500mg tablets. I’m going to ease off on the opioid during the day and just use it at night - if the pain gets bad, I have my trusty ice-wrap.

It’s fantastic to be able to get such instant support and advice.

 

[myglasshalffull]

This site is a lifesaver!!!
I check a couple of times a day, I know after my surgery I was completely in the dark and needed all the advice and support I could get. Now if I can help someone else in any way, even just emotional support I want to do that.
Stay well!

 

[Layla]

It is my birthday on Sunday and a couple of old friends are determined to take me out to lunch - I have warned them that it will need to be somewhere with a VERY laid back dress code

First off, An early Happy Birthday to you! You gave yourself the best present...a shiny new hip!
Please understand that those first outings can wear you out physically. Especially at only one week post op. May I suggest you bring a cushion to sit on because you'll likely find the dining seat uncomfortable and sitting in that position for any length of time confining. I'd also suggest you consider going during a less busy time in an effort to get in / out more quickly than you may be able to during peak business hours. Lastly, get dropped off at the door if possible.

I was working on a ‘twenty minutes, four times a day’ plan, but I may get a second pack so I can wear it more or less all the time and ease back on the drugs

Great idea!
Icing for up to twenty minutes only is what most of us have heard or been advised to do following an injury. Following joint replacement, ice is a critical part of pain management and should be used not only on the joint, but any surrounding areas of discomfort for as often and as long as you're comfortable doing so, always placing fabric between your skin and the ice source. Icing helps bring relief from the soft tissue trauma and internal swelling. Icing is a great natural pain reliever and best of all, it's free. While some care providers do put a maximum time on icing, others suggest you ice as often as you see fit.

Icing after therapy, exercises, or prolonged activity that challenge ROM and endurance should help ease any discomfort, or preventively keep pain at bay. You may find relief through icing for weeks to months post op.

Happy Icing!

 

[Eman85]

I iced continuously, only time I wasn't icing was when I was standing. I took it to bed with me as it would stay cold for hours. Mine was made so you could use ice and water or 4 frozen water bottles and water which is what I used. All I had to do was swap out the water bottles for the spare set we kept in the freezer and I was good for hours.

This sounds so good. I really don’t like the side effects of the opioids I’m on - my ice pack gives me great pain relief without making me feel sick, drowsy or light headed. I was working on a ‘twenty minutes, four times a day’ plan, but I may get a second pack so I can wear it more or less all the time and ease back on the drugs. Thanks.

I was fortunate that the pain pills didn't bother me but didn't need much as the ice worked wonders. As soon as I was back from surgery they had some Miralax for me and I was regular right away.

 

[cold_brew]

Definitely check the other pills for acetaminophen if you are loading up on it. I was on Percocet which is mainly opioid but also contains some acetaminophen too that you have to count towards that daily max.

 

[Boofit]

I think paracetamol is the same thing as Tylenol, so I have a big supply of 500mg tablets. I’m going to ease off on the opioid during the day and just use it at night - if the pain gets bad, I have my trusty ice-wrap.

Hi @Tuppence71 , yes Paracetamol is the same as Tylenol. And the post at #27 from @Mojo333 describes what I did for my pain. The NSAIDs I was prescribed (Tramadol and then Arcoxia) did not agree with me post surgery, the Arcoxia kept giving me gastric pain, and Tramadol gave me panic attacks in the middle of the night! So I switched to Paracetamol 1g four times a day plus lots of icing.

I am at the 3.5 month post op point and have been gradually cutting down on my Paracetamol since a few weeks ago. I now only need it every now and then. I have not felt the need to ice daily because the pain I do get is rather low level pain and not constant. Recovery is a wondrous thing, but for me it is also a lesson about accepting what I am!

Hugs from Hong Kong

 

[DK63]

Hello @Tuppence71 up in the north from DK down in the south. Paracetamol I found to be good...for more of a hit I was OK with Tramadol. Keeping on top of it is indeed the key. As far as ice, I found during my first hip op (form of music and replacement) that icing is brill. More is good. I am finding that icing is good as I start my recovery for my second one. But even better, I found that ice was brilliant in a drink after I had recovered from my first before the second one gave me grief. Ice in a long tall glass of Pastis with no pain...looking forward to it again. Are you by any chance the Tuppence in Tommy and Tuppence?

 

[Tuppence71]

First off, An early Happy Birthday to you! You gave yourself the best present...a shiny new hip!
Please understand that those first outings can wear you out physically. Especially at only one week post op. May I suggest you bring a cushion to sit on because you'll likely find the dining seat uncomfortable and sitting in that position for any length of time confining. I'd also suggest you consider going during a less busy time in an effort to get in / out more quickly than you may be able to during peak business hours. Lastly, get dropped off at the door if possible.

I am trying my best to manage expectations - one of the things I’m finding most difficult to deal with is deflecting friends and family who are really just trying to be kind. People keep showing up with food (when I feel constantly nauseous), or flowers (I have no vases) or to keep me company (when I just want to do my physio exercises, walk around a bit, and sleep).

I definitely won’t be staying long, if I even make it out at all….

 

[Tuppence71]

Hello @Tuppence71 up in the north from DK down in the south. Paracetamol I found to be good...for more of a hit I was OK with Tramadol. Keeping on top of it is indeed the key. As far as ice, I found during my first hip op (form of music and replacement) that icing is brill. More is good. I am finding that icing is good as I start my recovery for my second one. But even better, I found that ice was brilliant in a drink after I had recovered from my first before the second one gave me grief. Ice in a long tall glass of Pastis with no pain...looking forward to it again. Are you by any chance the Tuppence in Tommy and Tuppence?

I am sure that Tuppence from Tommy and Tuppence wouldn’t be seen dead in the types of saggy loungewear I have been sporting for the last week, and will be wearing for some time to come, I think. She would be chic, even in this grotty post-op period. Damn, she would probably have been chic even during the op, bantering wittily with the surgeon as he sawed away. I am struggling to find the glamour in hip replacement right now, frankly.

 

[DK63]

She would have kept her hat on, make up impeccable and not forgetting 4 foot long cigarette holder....."are we all going to the Farquar Farquars when you have sewn up that tiny wound Trevor darling, oh what larks"....

 

[Tuppence71]

Day five and I’m still feeling grotty, though I’ve knocked the opiates on the head and am now paracetamol only, so am hoping for an ending to the nausea and light-headedness.

Todays big news (and I apologise for this being too much information - but I want a full record for the future) - everything is finally functioning normally digestion-wise, if you get my drift. I think it was the thought of having to ask my husband to help me with a suppository that jolted everything back into action.

Hip-wise, I’m doing well. Obviously I’m stiff and sore, still mostly using a crutch, and easing myself up and down to/from a chair or bed is a monumental effort, but I think I’m doing OK. I just need to shake this pukey feeling, and the dizziness.