Revision THR Newbie tkr recovery thread<

[Layla]

Happy Friday!
Thanks for the explanation on why you need to stop @ approximately 50 steps.
While I hope it's comforting that Josephine found it likely that the lingering effect is due to the trauma to your knee, it doesn't take away the fact that you simply want to move forward, without pain.
You're a real trooper. I know it's taking a lot of patience and you're handling it well. Hopefully soon enough you'll be able to leave all the pain behind you.
I hope you have a beautiful weekend, not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Sounds like a nursery rhyme we all know Have a good one!
@Newbie tkr

 

[ACIM]

@SE Florida -
Are you kidding me? If I get one half of that done in a day it's a great day! I didn't realize you also work full-time, good thing it's from home at least. I truly am agape that you do so much any given day.

Truth be told SE, I haven't felt myself at all since the surgery. I realize this is probably a common thing amongst those having had major surgery. I have not been disciplined enough with my rehabbing. I have a couple of different mental health diagnosis, PTSD, ADHD, and depression all of which I'm on medication for.

But I will tell you this has been one of the most difficult times of my life because I live alone and have been very isolated since the surgery. I really have very few people I can talk to as I've been a loner much of my life. And I have been physically quite alone about 80% of the time since the surgery.

My lack of discipline has manifested in that I will sleep up to 15 hours some days, in large part because I've been so depressed and feeling so helpless and losing interest in doing anything, I'm sure.

I also need to work a couple of days a week and have had no idea how to support myself while going through this rehab. I am on my own and always have been. Other days I will be up 12 hours, get things accomplished and sleep really well at night. Today has been a really rough day for me.

I have to take Adderall for my ADHD but have pretty much stayed off of it since the surgery. I am starting to take it again because I think it will help me start to live more balanced days of maybe sleeping 8 to 9 hours and being up the rest of the time, and doing this each and every day. Indeed, since I started back on the adderal a couple of days ago it has been very very helpful. I've decided to make a chart for myself just to have it in front of me for what I need to do each day.

I want you to know that all this truth-telling from me to you was a very spontaneous, momentary act. I had no idea I was going to tell you all of this. Hope you're okay with it, I just needed to let it out.

You have been a really good and consistent source and connection for me on BoneSmart. Thank you so much SE.

 

[ACIM]

@Layla: yes, we are supposed to have a beautiful weekend here in Charleston. I hope you have a great weekend as well.
To be totally and wonderfully honest, I am pretty much pain free now, yeah!
Yes the knee does ache but it never really hurts. I like your idea of taking shorter walks more times a day which I am including into my day now. I do sometimes wish I had really specific advice from someone who knows more than I do about what I should be doing each day, how far I should walk, you know the drill. I'm pretty much winging it based on how I feel and my intuition. So there you have it. I have been doing some isometrics what's overall have been good for the hip in the leg. I also sit at the edge of a hard back chair everyday to start lifting weights again for my upper body. I really really want to go to the gym now and start walking in the pool, may try to do that next week, just one walk back and forth across the pool. I will update you

 

[SE Florida]

@Newbie tkr Thank you for sharing, I know it's hard letting some things out. I bottle everything up and pretend everything is always just "peachy". It's ok to vent here, you're words are safe. It's funny that when I was typing my first post to you this morning, I was thinking of how far you've come physically and emotionally the last few weeks and I still believe that. I'm sure that you being alone is super hard and difficult without any outside resources to share conversations with. Even though I have a husband and 2 sweet furballs, my list of friends actually consist of this forum. Working from home has actually isolated us. A lot. When you can start back to work, even part-time, maybe things will get brighter for you. I think the chart you mentioned is a good idea along with making note of how you feel emotionally that particular day. All very good thoughts. It does sound like your physical recovery is doing well and you're aware of your gait while walking. Really hoping you stay positive until you're able to reconnect at work or with your friends. You are not alone here, please remember that. I know it's not the same but I'm thankful everyday that I finally joined a forum and finally open my mouth, ok fingers, to "talk" (gasp!) I obviously am not into social networking I do hope you enjoy your weekend!

 

[ACIM]

@SE Florida
Hey there SE... thank you so much for your feedback and kind words yesterday. Today has gone significantly better and truly, I rarely find myself having days like I did yesterday. Since the surgery 11 weeks ago I've had maybe two or three days that were like yesterday. Today I got out a little bit, went to see my mom in her nursing home and briefly saw my younger sister as well, who's coming over tomorrow morning to help me repot a couple of plants. I also have two fur babies but they are both kitties and they are my heart's joy. They've been wonderful company for me even though they're tired of hearing me whine, haha!

This week will be fairly busy in that I am helping out a dear friend who has multiple medical issues, many of them quite serious, and I take her to and from her doctor appointments. So, she has two appointments this week and then I need to spend a day out at my mechanics house so he can work on my car, exciting life, huh? But at least it's something

Yes, I can imagine it would be somewhat isolating to work from home. I have had opportunities to do the same but have turned them down because I know how important it is for me to get out and see people given that I'm such a loner... do you and your husband go out much? Maybe for dinner? Maybe just for drinks? You mentioned that the friends you have are on this forum- do you have siblings and if so do they live by you? And, by the way, what part of Florida do you live in exactly? The reason I ask this is because I have been a die-hard NFL Miami Dolphin fan since 1972 when Don Shula took over the team. Are you anywhere near Miami? It's so, I'm coming to visit, haha!!

One of the reasons I'm more isolated at this stage in my life is because, since I've moved back to Charleston, after living here before, my place of residence now is so much further out from the city then it was before. The friends that I had here are all a good 30 to 35 miles away from me. Ideally I would love to get back closer to the city and closer to my friends or I could see them. I've kind of made a commitment to try to see one friend a month, I have maybe three or four here I would like to continue seeing, but then the surgery came up so there you have it, right?

The area I'm in now is quite rural and different for me but there are many things I love about living out this far, having grown up in a big city (D.C.) for 40 years. For example, one of my favorite favorite things about living out here in the "boondocks" is that there is a pasture of cows maybe a half mile from where I live. And every night I can hear them mooing as I drift off to sleep. It's actually quite comforting to hear them, I love it! Also, living in a more rural area makes me feel like I have more space to breathe if you know what I mean.

Hey, what's up with your recovery? How's that going?
Diana

 

[SE Florida]

@Newbie tkr, love your kitties, so cute! My Mom's in a nursing home too......she made that decision last October. I was glad that it was HER decision, not mine! I have a brother that lives in St. Charles, IL but he has a busy religious life that doesn't include visits to Florida. My hubs and I don't go out, we're homebodies. I'm quite used to it after 20 years. We're about 2 hours south of Orlando, used to love the Dolphins when Shula and Marino were on board. Showing my age I suppose! It's super crazy living here: too much traffic, too many people and then there are the "snowbirds", lol. I came here from Ohio.......a more rural peaceful place. So we're looking to move about 2 hours west towards central Florida. And do loads of fishing!

My recovery has had a lot of whining involved, lol, but compared to other hipsters it's been uneventful overall. I'll be 4 months post op at the end of the month.

It sounds like you have a pretty busy week coming up. That's a good thing since it will get you out of the house for awhile. And working with plants or in the garden is a always a good way to boost the spirits, for me anyway. I hope things stay good for you too!

Edit! The pool walking is an excellent idea for you, so try it!!

 

[Josephine]

my hip only became dislocated in my hospital bed, at some point after the surgery and I was never aware of it until they got me up on the second day of my hospital stay to start walking. I have no idea how long or how many hours the hip had actually been dislocated. So my OS had to manually get the hip pulled back into place while I was in my hospital bed

Ooh that would make a difference because all that time in a dislocated state would allow and maybe even encourage the muscles and other soft tissues around the hip to become swollen, stiff and in spasm. This makes any attempt at reduction incredibly difficult and would account for the difficulties he had. Doing what we call a 'closed' reduction, i.e., not via an open incision, is almost inevitably difficult and the pulling will naturally have consequences in the knee such as you describe. It would also stretch and pull on the ligaments and muscles in and around the knee joint. I feel for you.

I assume this would make no difference as far as the problems I'm having with my knee

So now you know! And it could take quite a while to improve. Maybe even a few months.

 

[ACIM]

@Josephine:
You really clarified that beautifully. Thank you. I believe my poor OS was more upset/confounded about this than I was, as I was on some pretty heavy pain medication then and on top of that got a shot of Dilaudid before he started pulling the hip back into place, ha!

I can deal with a few months of working with the knee, or not. May be best just to leave it alone as it's not painful, just aches. Very tired now after being up 12 hours, wow! 18 hours used to be nothing for me before the surgery.

Going upstairs to my bedroom where it's quiet and will watch Netflix with a glass of wine before peacefully nodding off. Goodnight Josephine, thank you.

 

[ACIM]

@SE Florida
So crazy proud of you, SE! Almost 4 months post-op... dear, how did you do it with everything that you do each day.
I have dear friends in Kissimmee and I went to visit them about a week before my surgery. They live right on the lake, the name of the lake begins with a T and it's an Indian name which I cannot pronounce or spell, haha! Anyway, they have a beautiful home and we have been dear friends for 25 years. I actually met them when I lived in Washington DC, and then only because we found out we were all huge Miami Dolphin fans. At that time they lived in Homestead, survived Andrew and several other hurricanes before deciding to move more towards Central Florida. Whereabouts are you looking? Do you have a certain area in mind? My good friend in Kissimmee was a real estate agent for 30 years and knows the area and much more around it then practically anybody. Jus' sayin' if you ever needed some feedback she would be available to talk to you.
I know you are in southeast Florida and that I am further north than you but I must say it is so steamy and humid out today. Just got finished with my second walk for the day, some of it without the crutch.
I will tell you, happily, that I was able to actually start putting some stuff away today related to my surgery that I don't need any longer. It was quite symbolic for me even though it wasn't a huge deal to do. Plus, you might appreciate this- but if I'm going to be stuck with rehabbing my leg and doing limited activities over the next couple months I'm at least going to get out and walk everyday, the purpose being to get sun on my legs,!
I've got to get something out of this, right?
I hope you and hubby are celebrating your 4 month anniversary, and that he treats you to a pedi-mani.

 

[ACIM]

@Layla
@SE Florida
HA HA HA HA, starting to get those hospital bills in, oh boy oh boy oh boy-
My surgery apparently cost about $50,000, I'm chuckling here because it's funny, not as in Ha-Ha funny but funny as in how do people afford medical coverage?Fortunately I have it and my medical coverage has covered everything but about $500 of the surgery.

 

[ACIM]

@Carriemay60
I haven't heard from you for a while and was wondering how you were doing? You are such an inspiration to so many people on this website. I hope all is well, please tell me what's going on as I've checked your BS thread and all I can see is that it looks like you last posted a response to someone around the end of April. But I know you have responded to me since then, do tell...

 

[SE Florida]

Hey @Newbie tkr, just read your post on Carriemay. She's on a vacation to visit her family and grandkids. She may not be back yet; can't remember the dates. Yeah, I miss seeing her on here too. She's such a bright light to us on the forum! Ok, back to the Father's Day cooking. Nope, nothing special!

 

[ACIM]

@SE Florida:
Thanks for the update. Hope you had a great Father's Day with hubby
2 and all that good stuff!

 

[ACIM]

@SE Florida
@Carriemay60
@Layla

Hello again BONESMART family!
Just checking in again to let you know that I am now, amazingly, starting to walk without crutches all together, yay yay!
I truly thought this day would never come- of course I've been a big cry baby but I think that's all behind me now. I am actually going to start back at the gym sometime this week. I want to walk once and back across the pool. Also just getting to the gym and doing some isometrics will help me feel better as I don't have enough to do at home and way too much time on my hands.
Would love to hear from you hey, what's going on?

 

[ACIM]

@Mojo333
I wanted to see how you are...I feel like I'm at probably 70% strength now...hard to tell since I've forgotten what it's like to be at 100%
I will be 3 months post-op as of July 1st. I think you are about a month ahead of me, right? Mojo, when did you stop using crutches all together? Just curious to know. I can now walk without my crutches, not a long long distance but probably about 75 yards before I feel it. I have some concerns about my knee which was replaced 3 years ago on the same leg that I had my hip revision done. Josephine indicated that it might be an issue for a few months given that my OS had to manipulate the hip back into its proper place about a day after surgery.
Hope you're doing well Miss Georgia.

 

[Mojo333]

Just checking in again to let you know that I am now, amazingly, starting to walk without crutches all together, yay yay!

So happy to hear how well you sound.
I'm a bit more ahead of you than one month...
My double hip replacement was May 1, 2017!
I think you are doing splendidly and it is very inspiring to hear such a hopeful update.

 

[ACIM]

@Mojo333
Oh yeah, I think it was CarrieMay60 that was a month ahead of me-
Well, I've overdone it the last few days as I woke up this morning and my leg is hurting and sore and doesn't want to move. I think maybe I've been trying to walk too much without the crutch so I'll go back to the crutch more.
My knee is continuing to be an issue from the time my OS had to manually manipulate my hip socket back into place after it became dislocated. Other than that, Mojo, another day here in Charleston with a heat index of 104. Is it any cooler your way?

 

[Mojo333]

Yep, only heat index of 102.
I have been helping my sister break corn, and shuck and silt it in the evenings so that she can cream it.
RIDULOUSLY hot. But, that fresh silver queen corn..Oh My stars

I hate to hear you may have overdone it....are you running 5Ks and waterskiing already?
Even a bit too much walking, or not enough icing can cause some achiness so I do hope you take it easy today.

 

[ACIM]

@Mojo333
Ha! Not only am I taking it easy oh, I'm not doing a damn thing! Keeping my leg up, reading a good book and sleeping a lot, it's a great day for me
Yeah, is your sisters silver corn homegrown? It sounds like it is. There's nothing like fresh vegetables to make you never want to go to the grocery store again. We're growing tomato, corn, peppers and one other thing I can't remember now.
The cats are upset that they cannot go outside today as I usually leave a window open for them to enter an exit a screened- off porch area. But then I'd have to turn off the air conditioning and that ain't going to happen today. Stay cool.

 

[ACIM]

OMGOSH, just finished reading the entire post from Zinfandel and I feel like the luckiest person in the world given my own situation. I will keep her in my prayers and hope that she finds a resolution to everything that is happening with her.
I'm now heading to the for the first time since last summer. I want to try to do a little walking with my leg and maybe some very simple water exercises. Was in bed all day yesterday because I had overdone it way too much on my leg the day before, but have already walked once today, the leg feels great and I really need to start moving- it's driving me crazy that I'm not moving more. I've gained about 7 lb since the surgery, not funny, really not funny at all, LOL.
Has anyone else gained weight because of the surgery? If so, how much? I promise I won't tell anyone