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ByGosh Thanks for the info and the encouragement. I am hanging in -- pain worse this morning. I almost cried, but that gives me a headache, so I swore a lot instead. I'm just so tired of this.

As to Poppet -- last thing I saw from her, her husband had pneumonia and she was coming down with the flu or something. I have been dropping her a note daily, but haven't heard a word. I'm starting to worry.
 
Hi butterfly sorry I havent been in for a while afraid my lap top was defunct but now back in business. from what i make out you need two hips please don't worry as I have had both done and have a better standard of life. Didn't make me a 21 year old again but back cycling doing the garden and taking the dog for walks and decorating to keep the wife happy.
We are nearly at the end of July and into August so you can soon say well next month here we go.

Billy
 
Oh dear Butterfly I really feel for you being in so much pain. I know what it's like. Please do all you can to rest and ice, and take you meds. Please call the doc for some help - that's what they're there for. They don't want to have their patients suffer. There are stronger versions of your hydrocodone pill, and even stronger meds altogether. Take care of yourself, hon, and do give that MD a call, OK? :friends:
Thanks for the info on Poppet. I hope they're ok! My goodness, if she were near me, I'd go over and take care of them, if I could. She's been terrific to us.
 
Butterfly When you are writing about your anxiety, I feel like you are writing about my own. My surgery is Aug. 12, and I am excited about getting it done, but as the days get closer, the anxiety levels go UP UP UP. :gaah: I don't know what I'm scared of, really.....just scared of the whole process. Maybe afraid of the pain levels after surgery? I'm not afraid of the actual surgery itself, I trust in my Dr. completely. But the anxiety I'm feeling is getting worse by the day. I don't know how Ill make it to Aug. 12 without loosing my mind. If you have any tips, let me know and I'll do the same for you.
 
Jojool
Butterfly
I am waiting for my first surgery appt so I don't have an appt yet but it will be a LTHR. I don't know how i will be when the date gets closer but for the time being I am telling myself a couple things which seem to help.

1. The surgery will be nothing like giving birth. Back in those days I recall walking through the parking lot wishing a helicopter would pick me up, :sos: knowing the hours of labour I was facing. However i did it :yahoo: and compared to labour, this surgery will be easy.
2. I am thankful to have found out that I am not just old and creaky with a disintegrating spine and aging fast ( this is what I had imagined in my scariest thoughts) The biggest problem is actually my hip and after I have it replaced I will be able to exercise and move in ways i couldn't before. It's a second chance and i am taking it!
2. One aspect of this IS like having a baby. I won't be doing it for naught because there is a reward at the end :happydance:

Now please remember all this and somebody remind me of it the week before I have surgery :)
 
Jojool I'm afraid of the whole process, too. I'm not sure what I am afraid of, either -- pain, or something going wrong, or what, but the whole thing scares me. Maybe it's the loss of control over my life. I am definitely better since I've been on this forum, but I'm still very goosey. IF you have any tips, I'd sure welcome them. All I've found that helps is to stay on this forum, and when the awful thoughts start creeping in I say a a big "NO"and work very hard to think about something else. I wish I could get it out of my mind for a while and just worry about it when the time comes, but unfortunately every step I take (pain) keeps in right in the forefront, and the fact that everything I do now is centered around the pain and whether or not I'll be able to walk however far I need to walk to do what I need to do. And I'm tired of being in a holding pattern and not being able to do hardly anything at all. It is just so depressing . And I have to wait all the way until September 30, and then do it again on Nov. 4 for the other side. But I just do not have any choices if I want my life back. I guess we should just be grateful that help is available -- like several have mentioned on here, in generations past, they just got worse and worse till they were bedridden or in a wheelchair. I AM grateful help is out there. I just wish the process could be a little faster, I guess, and I'm getting to be a whiner because I'm so tired of it all.

Enough whining from me. Sorry.

Love and peace to you.
 
Butterfly I hear you girl! The depression is the worst. I get up to do something like cook dinner, and my hip reminds me that I can't. I get up to go to the potty, and my hip reminds me that it's gonna hurt all the way to the bathroom. I just can't seem to get out of this dark hole, and I've decided I need some help. I made an appt. with a therapist. I figured maybe she can give me some coping skills to use before surgery, and after. I'll let you know if she has any tips. I go see her on the 1st.

Hang in there.....we'll help support each other!
 
@Jojool That's such sensible advice! It's absolutely right, too. It's good that you can look at it that way, because it's so true. I got to the point where I knew I needed the surgery, I couldn't live like I was living - in pain - and I just had to do it. I was nervous, but I just kept going, knowing it was my only option.​
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@Jojool I spent my pre-op time getting my equipment and preparing my house for post-op. I know it's so hard to do things, and even think of anything else when you're in such pain, as Butterfly and you are! The only thing I can say is that calling your doctor and getting better pain control is about the only option when the pain absolutely overwhelms your life.​
In this day and age, with the meds they have availble, there's no reason to suffer.​
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@Butterfly You can take tramadol with Lexapro - I know patients who do it. You just have to go easy on the Tramadol and keep in touch with the doc, if necessary.​
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I feel that being in pain is very negative for us, as we secret stress hormones, our muscles get tight and all of this promotes more pain. Plus it's impossible NOT to focus on it when we're in pain - it makes us worry and feel tense and depressed.​
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My heart goes out to you Butterfly :friends: but many of us were in your shoes - I was - and my advice would be to make that phone call today and tell the doc you can't take the pain anymore and get something to help you, hon. Don't suffer through another day - there's no need to.​
 
Jojool Sounds like a good idea -- perhaps I should see about making an appointment with a therapist. I'm already on an antidepressant, have been for years, but it doesn't seem to help much with this issue. The last few days I've been in a spell of feeling sorry for myself and I need to get out of it. Doesn't help and just makes me more miserable. Sitting around the house doing nothing just isn't my idea of a great time, but I'm sure that is true of everyone. Funny -- back in the days when I was working full time and raising kids -- in that chaotic time I would have been SOOO glad to have time to just lay around, but now that that time has come I don't want it at all.

Anyway, I am working hard on acceptance, which is something I have never been too great at. I do wish I could get this over sooner, but it is what it is.

Love and peace to you. Please let me know what the therapist suggests.
 
ByGosh I asked the OS if I could have a stronger pain med and he said I should just keep taking the hydrocodone 5/500 every 8 hours that my PC doc had prescribed. He said they don't like to give stronger stuff pre-op because it can make the meds less effective post op. I am taking ibuprofen every 6 hours also to bump it up a little, and it seems to help some, but the hydrocodone wears off long before it is time to take another. Perhaps I could ask my PC if I could take it more often or something? I don't want to get into a battle of the docs about this, and I don't want to look like a "drug seeker," but this is awful and it can be clearly seen from my x-rays that I must be in a lot of pain (basically bone on bone, both hips, with misshapen femoral heads; one reminds me of a cauliflower). And I'm not seeking drugs, as such, I am seeking pain relief.

Thanks for your advice.

Peace and love to you
 
cornishhedge How are you doing? Has your ear cleared up -- I'm hoping you can get an appointment soon. How is your mother holding up? I read in your post that she has fallen three times recently. I know that must put a lot of additional stress on you and it must be very hard to deal with.

You're in my thoughts and prayers.
 
ByGosh Have you heard anything from Poppet? I am starting to worry about her and her husband. Last I heard from her they were both ill. I've been tagging her daily, but have had no response.
 
Butterfly said:
And I'm not seeking drugs, as such, I am seeking pain relief.
Click to expand...
Sadly I can tell you that all the drugs in the world won't give you the relief you are seeking. It's like dental pain - nothing touches it. It's just the nature of the beast, I'm afraid.

And yes, the use of opioid drugs pre-operatively does have a very detrimental effect on their effectiveness post-op. Read this Opioids: chronic opioid use prior to total knee arthroplasty JBJS


As for Poppet, I spoke with her yesterday, or rather tried to, and she could hardly utter a single word without coughing. She is really in the throes of it, poor lass. Apparently John isn't much better but has had to return to work!
 
Is the hydrocodone helping you at all butterfly? It has helped my back pain but never my hip. Have you tried a heating pad or hot bath? Heat has always helped me somewhat. My OS was not happy that I was taking Norco and said it would make it harder to treat the surgery pain so I only took it 2-3 times since May 9th and probably not at all this month. I hope you get some relief from that awful pain soon, try the heat, maybe it will help.
 
jojool, I am doing my very best not to think about the surgery. I am keeping busy trying to get everything done before then. Planning, planning, planning, making lists, making appointments trying to save as much money as I can on the things I'll need, and doing everything I possibly can. I think the anxiety will get worse as the date approaches. As I tell myself when stressful things happen "This too shall pass", we just have to accept what life throws at us and move along, another thing I tell myself is "It could be worse". Unfortunately when I am in the throes of an axiety attack not much helps.
 
Butterfly hello.

I see your the same as i am. !!! Worried and full of anxiety !!!

Well...... I've had a letter from OS with an appointment to see him on the 14 th August. I ave already seen him and he said I needed full THR but the pre op assessment refused me cos of infection in my groin.
They said it wasn't a refusal just a postponement .
So I'm not sure what's going on really.

I think maybe he did take me off his list. Now he has to see me gain to put me back on it. Not sure.
I still have the bad ear !!!!! Can't believe it.

I am seeing a hypnotherapist for my anxiety about the operation. I don't know if its helping or not.

It's darned expensive so I'm hoping it will help.

Se said today whenever I have the scary thoughts say ..... Stop..... Then replace it with a positive thought of being without pain. Or doing the garden etc. sooooooo let's se shall we.


My mum is a little better thank you. It turned out to be a water infection. Not good when your91.

Even though I called the doctor three times in one day, they didn't think to take her temp. The paramedic did that and then called the doc again. Anyway she has improved thank you fr asking.

So butterfly I think I will work on replacing my ugly thoughts see if that helps.

Good luck to you and keep positive. ( says she who is the worst negative thinker lol)

Angie
 
cornishhedge Let me know if the hypnotherapist helps. I tried it once for anxiety, but it didn't help me much then. That was many years ago. Maybe it didn't help because I was so anxiious and could not relax.

When I get those awful thoughts I say a big NO, and try to switch to thinking about how much better I will feel after I get both of these hips done. I try to picture myself doing some of the things I love, like riding my bike, cooking, bending down to pet my dogs, etc. I'm the same age as you and I just can't imagine living the rest of my life (and I hope there's a lot of it) like I am now.

If you are the worst negative thinker, I am right up there one step behind you. Very hard for me to keep focused on the positive but I'm struggling to do it as much as I can. I've always been that way, and have had a lot of anxiety and panic, and I've struggled with it all my life. I wish I could just turn off the switch.

I'm glad you've got an appointment to see the doc. Sorry your ear wont get better, but maybe it is something that won't matter. Are they doing antibiotics for that? And I'm glad your mother is a bit better. I know its a strain on you.

Peace and love,

Milli
 
Josephine Thank you for letting me know about Poppet. I miss her here on the forum popping up everywhere!

Thanks also for your comments about the pain meds. I am sure I will make it through, it is just hard to wait once you've made up your mind to go forward. BUT, I am not nearly as scared as I was at first. This forum, and you, have helped me a lot.

Gratitude, peace and love.
 
Poppet SOOO glad to see you back here on the forums. How are you? Feeling better? And your husband, how is he?

I missed you popping up all over with your good advice and different avatars!

Love and peace to you.
 
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