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New here and terrified

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Butterfly BeckyR You expressed your worries very well. Some I had, some not. Please please believe us who tell you the waiting is the worst part. A good number of people express concern their pain won't be managed. It will!
 
Butterfly Regarding the recliner: I sleep in the recliner (our couch reclines on both ends). I cannot get comfortable lying on my back in bed. I imagine electric ones are costly. The new manual ones have levers that are very easy to operate. I push the footrest in with my cane lol.
 
Hi Butterfly! I hope you are feeling a bit better about surgery. Waiting is the most difficult. Don't get me wrong - recovery is not a walk in the park, but I am 10-days post op and feeling great. Moving toward maneuvering on one crutch - not all the time - or if I am tired. Still following the bonesmart mantra, ice, rest, elevation with particular attention to the rest part!! :egypdance: Keep the faith!
 
Butterfly and Jojool I am so sorry to read about your pain and anxiety. I was absolutely terrified.
A friend introduced me to the work of Peggy Huddleston. She has a book and CD about preparing for surgery that was enormously helpful. Available at: https://www.healfaster.com/. I am not all touchy-feely or new wave, and have never meditated in my life, but the book and CD surgery preparation and affirmations helped. I also found Belleruth Naperstek's CDs on Amazon-she has many. I used and still use the pain relief CD, and the surgery prep was also good. My hip deteriorated very badly and fairly quickly, so I was basically home lying on my chaise for almost three months before surgery. I did some household stuff but was really depressed and frightened. The CDs and finding BS made all the difference.
 
Butterfly and Jojool, try to focus on your new bone on bone free life and regaining your quality of life. This is the toughest time leading up to the surgery, we understand, we have walked in your shoes :) :)
 
Butterfly, I love the avatar. We will help you get thru this. Being afraid is so alive and so real. Every time you think of it and get scared just remember all of us who are writing to you have had a hip done if not two. We did get it done and now have a life we wanted by being able to do things like walking without pain, sitting without pain and many more. My hip surgrey wasn't as bad as my knees. I didn't have the 90 degree rule. Please read our Social Room when you get scared or nerves it will help. Having a new hip is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Please keep us informed on how you are doing and we can help you as I said before. Take care and do remember to take deep breaths when you are nerves. Tashia
 
Hi Butterfly,

Gosh someone who thinks the same as me !!!! I have all the same thoughts that you have.

The one about the femur.... Well.... That did actually happen to my mum. They wrapped wire around the femur. Her recovery was normal. The hip is great and it's 32 years old.!!!!! Yes that's right lol.

So there's one of your worries gone ha ha .

I have been waking at 3am same as you. Been trying a new thought process.
I put myself up above the earth as if I am in a space ship. Then my worries seem very small.

Any good???????

Good luck to you and me

I'm not done yet either tut !!!!

Angie
 
LeeApril26 thanks for the advice on the book/cd. I ordered both, they should be here this next week. Anything I can do to help with this terrifying anxiety, I will do.
 
Jojool Good for you! At first I resisted it, but my friend who used it for cancer surgery kept pushing and I am so glad she did. I listened to it every day, after reading the book, and I even copied it onto my phone and got permission from my surgeon to bring the phone into the operating room, with big headphones that did not fall off. (I cleaned it all with alcohol ahead of time.) I wanted to be sure my subconscious was thinking positive thoughts, and that I didn't hear anything negative from anyone in the room. (Like Ooops!! or Get the size of her hip!) It was fine. And, when I woke up I switched to the Rolling Stones and did heel slides. I really felt it helped.
 
nmscienceteacher

Hi -- I'm pretty new here and am post-op (no date yet set). I am in Albuquerque, NM also.

Did you have your surgery at Presbyterian? I will, because I am on the Pres Senior Plan -- I have an appointment with the surgeon, Dr. Tripuraneni, at NM Orthopedics, on the 18th of July. I'm pretty scared, but he came highly recommended. Have you heard anything about him? Two of my friends have had surgery by him (anterior approach) and have been very pleased with their outcomes, and with him as a physician.

This forum has been a Godsend to me -- I have calmed down considerably since my initial blind panic when I learned my his were both shot and needed to be replaced. I've been trying to convince myself for several years that it would get better on its own, but of course it has not and is really bad now.

Nice to see there's another person from this neck of the woods on here. Randy 62 is in Albuquerque also.

Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.
 
LeeApril26 -- Don't mean to horn in on your discussion with JoJool, but what is the name and author of that book/CD you guys have been talking about? Maybe it would help me, too. Is it one of Bernie Siegel's books? He is great!
 
No worries, Butterfly the book/CD. By Peggy Huddleston on preparing for surgery was very helpful. If you google her name you'll find her site-heal faster, I think, and can read about it. also used the surgery and pain CDs by Belleruth Naperstak, available on Amazon. I even listened to them during the surgery, though I was asleep at the time!
 
I live alone (well, with my two very spoiled black labs), so I am trying to be proactive in planning for post op, even tho I don't have a date yet.

Assuming all goes well and I have a normal recovery, at age 67, and in generally very good health, how long after surgery might it be till I can pretty much take care of myself at home? I don't mean full recovery, or heavy housework or anything like that -- I just mean be able to safely do things like cook a simple meal, shower, get to the bathroom, feed my dogs, etc Fortunately the dogs have a dog door so they can go out as they wish, so I don't worry about letting them in out. They are sort of elderly for their breed, about 11 years old each (don't know exactly, they were rescued as adults) and are pretty sedentary. My grandsons come and walk them once every so often, and they do not require daily walks because they can chase one another around the yard at will. They stay home by themselves while I am at work, and have free run of the house and yard. Someone suggested I put them in boarding, but that would break their little hearts. I am trying to coordinate with my daughter-in-law and son, who are planning to help me, along with a kind neighbor. Any idea how long you need someone to stay overnight, etc? Both hips are presently very bad and I'm not even sure which one is really the worst -- one looks worse on X-ray, but it doesn't hurt as much as the other one.

I am also wondering whether to consider the possibility of doing both at once, or only one at a time? I know it is up to the surgeon, but can't decide what I would think if he suggests such a thing, or whether I should ask about it. I really can't imagine it being much worse after surgery than before -- I have a lot of pain and can only get around with two canes and only for brief periods. i am having an awful time even with the two steps up into my house. The less painful hip is not going to be much help in the recovery process for the other one.

I'd appreciate advice .
 
We all heal differently and at different rates so obviously we can only tell you how we've been in our own recovery. I've had both of mine done and whereas the second I found harder I also found that I was slightly more blaise about certain things. With my first, I came home on day 4 and my husband had to go to work the next day but I didn't do very much and my daughter popped in to see me during the day. In my case I would have been ok from about 2 weeks to cope on my own totally, getting a shower, cooking etc although there are some on here that live on their own and have coped very well. I'm tagging Peaches for you as she got through this on her own and she may have some tips for you.
 
[Bonesmart.org] New here and terrified
Butterfly, With one hip, barring any unforeseen complications, you should be okay on your own after your first week home alone. With two hips, barring any unforeseen complications, two weeks at least and possibly three.
 
Butterfly I had one hip done, and by two weeks I felt quite able to make my meals, but not much more. Could not bend to put dishes in a dishwasher, but could wash a couple of dishes. A lot will depend on the kind of incision you have and how many restrictions your surgeon imposes. I had a lateral incision so could not bend, lift, twist, etc. for six weeks. I mention that because of feeding the dogs. If you have restrictions, or precautions, you will not be able to bend more than 90 degrees. My late dog was really greedy, so I could not have had left out dry food for several days. Also, how soon you can shower depends on how the incision is closed. I had stitches so could take a shower the day I got home. If it is closed with staples, it will be two weeks. It also depends on whether you have an easily accessible shower.
I guess what I'm suggesting is that you find a surgeon soon, and find out what his/her restrictions will be. That will help you in your planning.
You will feel so much better after the surgery that you will want to do all this, you will just be tired.
 
I had one hip done and it was the anterior replacement so had no restrictions. After a week at home my hubby left for a few days and I got along fine. I had frozen meals (both self prepared and bought) so could handle meals. I didn't attempt a shower until there were reinforcements handy, though, for the first time. I found I needed no help, but it was nice to have someone there in case. I had a stool in the shower and a grab bar, both of which I needed. After a week and a half, I was doing the stairs (old house and steep stairs) without anyone standing behind me, again just in case! I did have an extra walker borrowed from my MIL which I kept upstairs so I didn't have to get mine up and down. The stairs themselves were no problem once I worked up the courage.

I think the courage part is the catch. I felt uncertain about things until I had done them and found I could do it. And I admit to milking it a bit -- asking for help with meals, etc when I didn't really need it -- just wanted it!
 
New Question:

I went to see my primary care provider yesterday to get blood work results (all good, except D-3 is very low) and pickup my referral for my appointment with OS next week.

Because I was so clearly in pain and distress (couldn't even get on the table) he prescribed Hydrocodone 5/500 for me to take for now. It makes me feel fuzzy and sleepy, and doesn't get rid of the pain, but it does take the worst edge off of it (meaning I'm not screaming), which is good, but I don't like the fuzzy part. I guess that is to be expected? Does anyone take anything else that doesn't make them fuzzy? If so, perhaps I could suggest that to my PC. He was actually kind and caring yesterday; usually he is a total grouch. I can't take tramadol because the antidepressant I am taking doesn't mix with it. He suggested Miralax if it stops me up -- is Miralax one of the real strong ones that gives you terrible cramps, etc. I need a gentle one, especially since I can't make any mad dashes to the bathroom.

PC was pleased with my choice of surgeons. He said in his opinion, OS was one of the best in town. He is younger than some, but is sort of the "golden child" of THR here.

Any advice on the pain med?
 
Cookie42 What kinds of meals did you prepare and freeze? Soups or stews or something like that? I just can't seem to think of much I could cook ahead. When my kids were still at home, I used to pre-prepare things like spaghetti sauce by the gallon and portion it out and freeze, or a giant pot of chicken noodle soup (without the noodles 'cause I discovered they get mushy, so I'd add those at the time I was going to use the soup) but I can't seem to think of other things. My brain isn't working too well now, both from the pain and from the pain med I got from my PCP on Friday.

Any and all suggestions or hints would be greatly appreciated. I hesitate to use a lot of bought prepared meals, because they are frequently loaded with sodium and fat. What kinds did you buy?

Thank you for your help.
 
Mostly just soup. I made beef and barley with veggies last time. This round I made chicken with kale, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots and garlic (and whatever else I had in the refrigerator). I make my soup very thick with lots of meat and veggies -- that's the way my mama made it and I do too. As for bought, I think it's the Healthy Choice brand. I'm extremely picky about what I like -- no onions or peppers and that's pretty hard to find. Plus I'm diabetic, so I read labels for carbs.

Speaking of carbs, hospitals seem to have a funny idea about diabetic diets -- lots of bread and potatoes, but no sugar at all. I cannot stand any sort of artificial sugar and I've tried all of them. I'm going to take my small bottle of agave nectar along with me for my tea and oatmeal.

Hydrocodone didn't work for me but Percocet did. Can you take that? It seems they all do a number on bowels, so I'm also stocked up with prune juice and probiotics. And stool softeners. That's one battle I don't want to fight again! I'm thinking I saw here and the hospital also said to avoid laxatives -- not sure why.

I think it would be very helpful if every one would post what sorts of health giving food they make for recovery. We can all use any help we can get. I don't remember seeing anything about that in the library.
 
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