THR My recovery thread: day 4 nausea and dizziness

[Tuppence71]

Here's an insider tip -- continue to carry that crutch, even though you don't need it. It ensure that other people will be careful not to bump into you!

Quite aside from anything else, I feel
I have earned my crutch. But you are right, to the casual observer, I may look fairly normal walking, but in reality I am very fragile and the slightest knock would be disastrous.

 

[SweetV]

@Tuppence71 I had an allergic reaction to my pain meds. By day 3 I was not only itching, but my blood pressure was super low, I was sweating and felt faint, and I had migraine symptoms like the auras and squiggly lines in my vision. It was the Hydrocodone. I stopped taking it and went on Tylenol only. After a few days, I was able to get a prescription for Tramadol, however I didn't take it much. I find myself taking it more now at almost 5 weeks post op.
I hope you are feeling well and progress smoothly!

 

[Layla]

Dan took a photo of my wound for me, as I can’t see it myself without twisting. It is a vivid, swollen palette of purple, blue, green and yellow - a truly alarming sight. I have very much enjoyed showing it to people and seeing the horror on their faces. Although maybe that is because a fifty year old woman is making them look at a photo of her bum.

Have a great weekend, flasher

 

[Tuppence71]

This time last week I was in surgery! And now I am lying on my sofa at home, wearing my ice-pack and eating an eclair. All in all, a far better Saturday.

One question: at the moment, I am keeping my leg perfectly in line with my hip as much as possible. I have very little abduction / abduction and an absolutely not pushing it. Will things remain this restricted for the foreseeable future or can I expect to get a little more range of motion back? I don’t expect to be doing lateral lunges any time soon, but would quite like to be able to roll over in bed without it being an enormous performance. (I have a full-length body pillow so can lie on my ‘good’ side with my operated leg resting on that. It’s nice and comfy once I am in position, but a right faff getting there….)

(I had a posterior replacement, so know I have to observe all precautions at least until my 6 week review).

 

[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.

Update: I have cancelled the outing. The idea of trying to sit and eat in a pub is not at all appealing. So my friends are coming round here instead for ‘drinks and nibbles’ (hooray for Marks and Spencer food. And for my mum for doing the shopping!). I have imposed a 90 minute ‘sociability window’ and I have also set a ‘sweats and trainers’ dress code - the scruffier the better. It is my birthday, and I refuse to be the slobbiest person in the room.

 

[Tuppence71]

I had an allergic reaction to my pain meds. By day 3 I was not only itching, but my blood pressure was super low, I was sweating and felt faint, and I had migraine symptoms like the auras and squiggly lines in my vision.

Yes - I was prepared for pain and discomfort after the operation, but not for feeling so damned ill due to the meds. They’re out of my system now though, and I am feeling much perkier.

I hope things are getting easier for you @SweetV . There are a lot of us here climbing the same mountain - we’ll all get to the top in our own time. And the view will be amazing!

 

[Layla]

Update: I have cancelled the outing

I think that's a wise decision.

I have imposed a 90 minute ‘sociability window’ and I have also set a ‘sweats and trainers’ dress code

Genius! I hope you have a lovely time...just enough fun and distraction that you're not worn out afterward.

 

[djklaugh]

@Tuppence71 The lack of flexibility in your leg should subside as the swelling goes away. Did your surgeon or hospital give you any exercises to do ? When I had my BTHR I was told to do heel slides (lie on back, bend knee and slowly slide heel up towards butt) and also sliding legs side ways - slowly and gently. My surgeon also imposed hip precautions (no bending past 90 degrees, no crossing my legs, etc) but those were only in place for 6 weeks ... after that any motion was OK though I did each new motion slowly and would stop if it felt painful or seemed to stretch things too much. It did take several months before I could sleep on either hip but eventually that too was comfortable .... though changing from side to side without feeling like a rolling whale took longer

 

[Tuppence71]

Thanks for the response @djklaugh

Yes, I have the exercises, and the precautions. I’m seeing my physio twice a week, and have now progressed to slightly more advanced versions of the exercises - targeting the same muscles, but just a little bit more challenging. I did a lot of prehab with her before going in for my operation, and was fairly fit (despite the inevitable degeneration due to the fairly dire state of my hip) so was prepared.

I’m VERY conscious of the risks of dislocation - in fact, I just spent hours this evening googling them (BAD IDEA) and have pretty well terrified myself. So I don’t want to contravene my precautions. But it is that ‘rolling whale’ feeling you describe that is depressing me……

(I wasn’t sure how long I would have to live with the precautions, so thanks for the clarification. I suppose that there is less chance of my forgetting them while I have pain and immobility to remind me. So there’s an upside!)

 

[Kanne]

I am 13 days out from my surgery and haven't felt comfortable enough to roll ro side to sleep and I am definitely a side sleeper. I ordered a bed cane today after reading about it on someone else's thread. I hope it will make rolling over with pillow between legs easier, I really need to sleep without waking to pain in my back! I need to get body pillow like yours in the order as well!

 

[Eman85]

Being conscious of the precautions can be a good thing. Post-op I could just move my legs out to the sides and see I had increased ROM. It takes time but you'll get all of your expected ROM.

 

[Tuppence71]

Nine days out, and I am amazed how quickly I have reached the point where I’m able to potter about quite easily. I’m walking unaided indoors, and just carry a crutch when walking outside as a precaution. Coping with day to day life hasn’t been anywhere near as difficult as I had anticipated, and so many of the things of which I had been frightened pre-surgery haven’t happened. Obviously, I am still some way from being able to do anything at all challenging, and I am very conscious of my continued physical fragility, but I know I have to trust the process.

Question for any swimmers out there - how long before you were able to get back in the pool? I appreciate no breaststroke for a while, and would happily swim with a pullbuoy if necessary (ie. no legs at all) but would love to get back in the water once my dressing is off and the wound healed (a week today, if all on schedule).

 

[cold_brew]

Get back in there as soon as doc says it’s OK! (For me that was 6 weeks)

Yeah no breast stroke and you might have to take it easy at first on any kind of kicking. Also pushing off the wall might need to be gentle for a while and similarly flip turns if that is your thing. Definitely get your hands on a pull buoy. Get in there, it felt great!

Don’t overdo it, go real easy the first day and see how it feels after.

Depending how tight you are it might or might not feel good to extend your legs all the way straight but you’ll get there.

Just Keep Swimming!

 

[Tuppence71]

Just Keep Swimming!

Thanks @cold_brew - I am desperate to get back in the pool. I couldn’t kick at all for months before my op - breaststroke legs were the first to go, but by the end I couldn’t even flutter kick. So I was swimming a couple of miles a day, arms only, with my trusty pull-buoy. I’d feel amazing, moving easily through the water, then as soon as I climbed out and was back on dry land, I was a limping mess again. You are right, I’ll need to take care on turns, but I had got into the habit of a one-legged push-off, so hopefully I still have that muscle memory.

I actually can extend my leg - for the first time in about 2 years , so hopefully that won’t be a problem.

I’m a firm believer in the miraculous power of swimming to heal all things - I know that first arms-only , very careful length is going to feel brilliant!

See you in the pool!

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @Tuppence71
I've been a bit scarce on the forum as of late but was tickled to see your improvements over the last week!
Swimming will depend on how your wound heals. The wound needs to be completely closed so as to avoid and nasty bugs getting into it...
I was told 8 weeks, but I think it was closer to 12 before I actually began going back to the pool.

Not sure when your next follow-up appointment is, but your care team should be able to advise you how things are looking.

I actually can extend my leg - for the first time in about 2 years

Isn't it grand!
Just keeps getting better and better!

 

[Tuppence71]

Not sure when your next follow-up appointment is, but your care team should be able to advise you how things are looking.

I don’t seem to get much access to my consultant / the hospital care team, especially given how much I paid for the operation. My follow-up appointment is at 6 weeks post-op, and all I have to work from is some very generic information that basically says ‘don’t do anything until 3 months’. It’s pretty frustrating, especially given that another surgeon on the same team is far less cautious - I couldn’t get on his list simply due to timing.

I can take my dressings off on Sunday, so I’ll see how things look, and will try to get an appointment with a nurse to check the wound out. A friend of mine started hydrotherapy two weeks after her hip replacement, and that seems like fairly standard timing, so I will look into that, too, if actually swimming has to be off limits for a while yet…

 

[Jaycey]

@Tuppence71 You should not do anything immersed in water until your surgical wound is fully healed. There is a significant risk of infection. As Mojo says, around the 12 week mark.

A friend of mine started hydrotherapy two weeks after her hip replacement, and that seems like fairly standard timing

No this is not fairly standard. You still have a healing wound at only 2 weeks out. I hope your friend is OK. This was a very risky move.

 

[Tuppence71]

@Tuppence71 You should not do anything immersed in water until your surgical wound is fully healed. There is a significant risk of infection. As Mojo says, around the 12 week mark.

A friend of mine started hydrotherapy two weeks after her hip replacement, and that seems like fairly standard timing

No this is not fairly standard. You still have a healing wound at only 2 weeks out. I hope your friend is OK. This was a very risky move.

It was 15 years ago, so she seems to have got away with it! I imagine the therapists put a waterproof dressing on her wound (and it was all under the supervision of her surgical team, not something she did off her own bat). It’s not that unusual here for the big private hospitals to have pools and offer hydrotherapy services - so there is presumably a way to minimise the risk.

But I will wait until I get the go ahead from my doctor. This rehab business is so not much fun, so the last thing I want to do is prolong it with an infection! In the meantime, I have asked a friend to go to the gym and get multiple pictures of herself on a recumbent exercise bike, so I can check the leg/hip angles!

 

[Layla]

I have asked a friend to go to the gym and get multiple pictures of herself on a recumbent exercise bike, so I can check the leg/hip angles!

Live vicariously through your friend.

I don't know what your surgeon will advise in regard to swimming, but mine was a stickler. No bath tubs, hot tubs, pools, lakes...or any body of water until I was three months post op. Seemed like overkill, but I behaved. I knew if I didn't and something happened, I'd be kicking myself.
Have a good week!

 

[Tuppence71]

Seemed like overkill, but I behaved. I knew if I didn't and something happened, I'd be kicking myself.

This exactly! And if I kicked myself right now, I would fall over.