THR Noxus recovery thread

[Noxus]

@Noxus if you’re still in need of a walker, I found that buying a tray to fit between the walker handles allowed me to put all kinds of stuff on it and wheel around easily. It’s also a good way to avoid carry anything heavy.

If I didn't have my wonderful wife to help out, I would probably invest in that just for the ease of transporting things like my ice machine and food. She brings those things for me, but I'm sure she's looking forward to at least dropping one crutch as much as I am

 

[Noxus]

Question for all the hippies. Been doing a little reading about pji and I'm wondering what kind of precautions or how have you all changed your daily living in an attempt to avoid any kind of infection. Reading shows the threshold for infection with bacteria in your blood is significantly lower to infect the joint. Is this the type of thing where from now on knick my hand in the garage, immediately go clean, antibiotic ointment and Band-Aid versus where I'd just wash it eventually and let it scab up and heal.

Second question, I'm not a huge drinker, but like to have a beer or two socially. Would having a beer now during recovery impact me in any way? Been avoiding it.

 

[myglasshalffull]

I was fortunate no infections but I know some OS want you to use antibiotics before going for any dental work (even a cleaning). I had to do (4) 500 mg of amoxicillin prior to dental work for first two years.
A small cut I'd just be sure to clean with antibacterial cream.
I think as long as you aren't on any opioids a beer would be fine. I had a glass of wine several weeks after my surgery. I don't remember exactly when that was but I did enjoy it.
As always check with your doctor.

 

[mendogal]

I have always been good about cleaning my cuts (gardening and accidents with kitties; rarely a kitchen slip up).
My go to with open ones is soap and water; with thin cuts like cat claws or plant thorns, I then scrub into the small open area with hydrogen peroxide on a q-tip to remove any debris and assure a very clean wound bed. Then a thin layer of bacitracin antibiotic ointment and a bandaid.

Once you're off opioid pain meds, a drink will be fine. (I still laugh to recall that in 1976 while in the hospital overnight following minor surgery I was served a glass of wine on my dinner tray despite being on (fairly lightweight) oral pain meds. We won't discuss the smoking policy!)

 

[Layla]

Personally...I use a probiotic in an effort to increase the supply of friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract to fight off the less friendly and boost Immunity against infection. There are foods loaded with these cultures of good bacteria such as plain greek yogurt, kefir, fermented veggies such as sauerkraut. In regard to cuts a beloved former staffer that was a nurse said this -

"You shouldn't use antibiotic cream prophylactically for cuts and scrapes. It's not only one of the easiest ways to develop an allergy to that antibiotic, but it's also one of the factors that help to create antibiotic resistance.
Antiseptic cream is all right, but not antibiotic cream".

Having a beer or two shouldn't hurt as long as you don't fall down and go...BOOM!
Like (myglasshalffull ) I also had a glass of wine with dinner a few weeks post op.

 

[Noxus]

4 weeks..... I have to say, though I was hoping to be the "head of my class" recovery it's seeming like I'll be slow and behind. The leg feels fine, incision looks fine, I don't have pain or difficulty getting around with my crutches but early this week while making myself breakfast I tried one step on the leg without an aid in my right hand, hand the counter in my left. My leg felt so weak like it was going to buckle. So that concerned me. During my walks I have been making sure to try to engage all the muscles in the leg, in particular the ones that I felt were giving out. Seems successful, and the leg muscles feel "sore" kind of but like they're waking up. My leg just seems so weak still and even though with something in my right hand I feel good the second there's no assistance my leg feels like it's going to collapse. I'm thankful I have great strength in my non op leg and upper body but the idea of being off crutches or even off an aid feels hopeless right now, and I am aware of how dramatic that sounds only 4 weeks in. I'm trying to do everything right and I just feel behind where I should be, especially compared to my peers who had surgery around the same time or shortly after. At this point I feel like I'm going to need PT just to walk again and this morning surgery is feeling like a mistake. That's where my head is at, hope you all have a good day and good recovering.

 

[Eman85]

4 weeks, don't get excited still healing. if you dislocated your shoulder you wouldn't want to start building the muscles back in 4 weeks or expect full strength.
I drink an occasional beer with a meal and it was probably a couple of months in before I drank one.
I do a lot of physical labor and get a lot of nicks and cuts, I don't get overly worked up about them, probably should be a little better about cleaning and disinfecting them.

 

[cold_brew]

only 4 weeks in

It’s early, and there’s a long road ahead (in a good way, hopefully). Let yourself heal, do whatever PT helps you heal, and in time you’ll get to a place where your body is ready to work on strength and you’ll get the strength back. It’ll get better!

At 4 weeks out I think I’d just gone upstairs in my own house for the first time. Now (coming up on 2 years) I feel like I’ve “de aged” to 5 years before the surgery. Hope you’re on a similar path!

 

[Nini]

@Noxus one Thing I’ve learned is not to compare what everyone else is doing and something else also. I set goals for myself and when the day would come and go and I wasn’t where I thought I should be I was disappointed and depressed. At 13 weeks I can finally say things are getting better. I just posted an update this morning. Rest and take your time.

 

[Freyagirl]

After my Saturday ER visit, I was supposed to check in with my ortho team on Monday. They pretty much told me that I belonged to the ODIC. The extra redness and swelling around my incision was overly enthusiastic, physical therapy, and time spent with three of the grand children. I have put myself in a time out in my recliner with my feet up and some ice. I used the day to catch up on phone calls and socializing with friends. I think it’s about the same time with the first hip that I overdid it. I am mostly off painkillers and feeling really good, but obviously not recovered. Well, no permanent damage done. I have physical therapy again tomorrow, and will strive to take it easy.

 

[Layla]

Happy One Month Anniversary!
I hope you have a nice week!
@Noxus

 

[Noxus]

Thanks for the comments and updates anyone who posted. I took a week off the from the internet, honestly reading about how great people are doing in their recoveries just made me feel bad about where I'm at. I know it's all relative as there are those that are experiencing complications, but it just makes me feel down.

Week 5

Well aside from the fact that I feel like I'm living in a time dilation and have experienced 2 years of my life in the past 5 weeks, things are going okay. I think I'm settled into a groove and am accepting of my path and will continue to just plug along.
After my last week update I took two days off everything. No walking outside, no exercises. Just relaxed and I noticed some good improvement to be honest. I'm definitely able to limp around with no walking aids though I only do short distances as I still "mostly" following doctors orders and using my crutches. That's a big improvement and gives me hope for ditching the walking aids. My outdoor walks are definitely easier, I do my 750 meters (1/2 mile for the yanks) and its fairly easy, just plug along and the leg is getting stronger for sure. Swelling is down more around the joint, there's just a group of muscles that are still bothering me near the joint.
Other things of note, I have been able to sit into normal chairs and toilets without the risers without pain or difficulty so that's been awesome. I've also been able to take a more active role with my kids and get up with my son now and do his morning needs as well as put him to bed by myself as of yesterday so my wife can just focus on the little one. I'm mostly self sufficient and don't need her help for anything anymore which makes me feel like less of a burden.
The back and forth nature of my posts is just telling to me at least how hard this recovery has been mentally. I'm a very even keeled and logical guy and to see myself go from elation to despair through my posts is sobering. I think I'm on the right track now though and think I will just slowly improve until I'm better than fine again. Cheers.

 

[Noxus]

Oh another item of note was that I noticed my truck had a flat tire, must've gotten a small leak before I parked it. So I waited until my wife left with the kids as I knew she would not approve, I snuck out to the garage and got the air compressor out and filled the tire then put everything away again. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big task but I did it without any pain or strain so felt good to do something useful.

 

[Layla]

You lil sneaker...you. Woohoo for doing something that made you feel useful.
Cheers to completing more mundane tasks soon!
Happy Saturday!
@Noxus

 

[proffrench]

It's the little things, right? You learn to appreciate small victories-- a real life lesson for those of us A Types. Are you based in England? "Oh, to be in England now that spring is here!" I'm a bit of an Anglophile, so I'd gladly be convelescing there rather than Illinois.

 

[Noxus]

I couldn't be further from England, I'm a Canadian eh! I know the metric system is not exclusive to us so it's an easy mistake.
But you're definitely right about the little things. I read a while ago about looking at the whole week instead of the day and that seems to be a more positive way to gauge progress.

 

[Noxus]

6 weeks post op

So today is the 6 week anniversary of my first surgery. We'll it's been a week, postive for sure. About 4 days ago I was bringing a coffee to my seat in the living room and while pinching my left crutch under my arm to basically drag it along and crutch with my right, they got tangled up in a sea of my kids toys because apparently dumping them all over the floor is more fun than playing with them, I ended up basically limping to the chair while trying not to fall and spilled coffee everywhere.... In a moment of suppressed rage and barely contained curse words I said "THAT'S ENOUGH". I placed my cup with what was left of my bad coffee (wife has been doing all the shopping and doesn't seem to have taste buds when it comes to coffee) on the table, crutches upstairs and threw those infernal things in a heap in the corner and grabbed my cane. Good riddance. I made it 5.5/6 weeks, I think that's plenty.

Since my switch to the cane I've felt so much more free getting around and have noticed quite an improvement in my walking. I still have a pretty gnarly limp when no using aids but I don't really push it there as bad walking is help to no one. With even a slight bit of pressure on the cane my gait evens out so I definitely feel it will go away with some good km's under my belt in the coming weeks as my leg strengthens. Pain has still been minimal, get some muscle pains under the incision area when walking around a bit, some hip flexor tightness and pain but all goes away at rest so I'm really not concerned as I'm sure they'll all strengthen up and get back to work sooner or later. With the cane I've been able to go up and down stairs foot over foot which feels like light speed compared to single step, together, single step, together. I'm definitely feeling like more of a normal human again and looking forward to continued progress. Lifestyle wise I don't use any toilet raisers or chair cushions anymore as getting down and up is not even that bad and I can still do it without breaking 90. I hopped on my echo bike (aka the devils tricycle, if you know you know) the other day just to see and the revolutions felt painless and loose on the hip and I probably would have kept going if my wife wasn't there and made me stop. But looking forward to getting back on that thing and ramping up my conditioning in the hopefully near future.

I have my 6 week follow up on Monday with the surgeon where I expect I'll get my official honorable discharge papers and be sent on my way to drive, bend, walk, workout and do whatever I want. I have my first physio Appt booked for the day after with a physio I trust who has gotten me through some nasty injuries over the years. She's gentle and listens so I know I'm in good hands and looking forward to getting my life back plus more. It's been a good, hopeful week. Going into the surgery I thought I'd be walking aid free at this point due to my age and fitness level, but it was not to be and that's okay, I'll get there and in hindsight this will be but a short period of time for me as I enjoy my new hip and get back to playing hockey, working and playing with my kids fully. Happy healing everyone.

 

[benne68]

I still have a pretty gnarly limp when no using aids but I don't really push it there as bad walking is help to no one.

Exactly. It's better to walk correctly for a short distance with an aid, that to limp a long distance without.

You might want to try heel-toe walking when you notice that you are limping. This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe. Here is a visual

It's important to slow down and concentrate through the entire step. It can feel awkward at first, but with practice, will become more natural. After a week or two, you'll notice a difference.

 

[Noxus]

7 weeks post op

It's been an eventful week again. On Monday I had my 6 week follow up with the surgeon and their in house physio. My range of motion was better post surgery and even better now, still improving! They went over some new exercises to get started with to help strengthen the area around the hip to stabilize which will in turn help me walk unaided and lose the limp, sounds good to me. My surgeon, who is not known for his bedside manner, strolled in wearing shorts and a tee shirt and basically tossed his clipboard face down on his chest and asked me how my other hip was feeling as radiologically speaking its pretty rough. He asked if I have any questions and I brought up my list of questions I had written down and compiled over the past 6 weeks. His non chalant answers to pretty much anything was "as you feel comfortable, go for it". Then came the big one for me at least, can I play hockey again. His answer to me was "there's only two sports I don't love after hip replacement, extreme yoga and running. You simply don't need to be THAT flexible". Great! I hate running and don't do yoga! So hockey is a go, weightlifting is a go, anything I currently enjoy is a go as I get back to it. Awesome.

The next day I had my physio assessment at my physio and after doing a bunch of tests and going over some other exercises they were pretty happy with my strength and form, I just have a lot of weakness where they cut and need to get that up to snuff. Great, first real session is on Tuesday and I'm very excited for it.

In the days since I've been alternating a workout day, where I do one upper body exercise combined with leg movement and strengthening as well as riding my echo air bike, with a day where I just walk and do some light stretching. I'm slooooowly increasing time and intensity with both the workouts and walking and so far nothing I've done has caused me any grief minus some light doms in the muscles. I'm getting very excited about getting fully healed and the hardest part is easing myself into stuff as I'm ready to go, but being smart. It does feel amazing to be back in the gym though and getting my routine back.

On a social note, I got cleared to drive and one evening got invited to the fire hall for supper and the hockey game which was such a good time. The next night had a few buddies finishing their probation and went out for a few beers, also such a great time. I feel like a human again.

Overall I am feeling stronger each and every day, mentally well, hip feels pain free and I'm extremely happy with how its going now. Here's hoping it all continues and I'll be back to my life but better before I know it. That's all, happy healing anyone who reads this.

 

[Noxus]

8 weeks post op

Everything is going smoothly for me now. I did my first real physio workout on Tuesday and holy moley did they work me hard! I definitely have been babying the hip and movements a lot more than what they did in that class. It was great and my glutes were sore like I had done a big leg day with squats. Been keeping up with the exercises and the strength gains I'm making in my leg in just the 4 days since physio have been huge. Still use a cane most of the time but I can walk around without it. Makes sense I guess with both the surgery itself as well as 6 weeks on crutches. Still a bit of a limp but it's significantly less than last week at this time. Today I was half way down the stairs to the basement when I realized I forgot the cane and had to go look for it lol. That's a nice feeling for sure.

Been doing my exercises and yesterday hit the air bike almost as hard as I was pre surgery, just not as long and it felt fine, no problems my new hip feels great. Muscles have been pretty sore this week with what I've been doing for strengthening but seems totally worth it, no pain or discomfort though and I'm very happy with how it's going. The joint mobility keeps getting better and my lateral movement in particular blows my mind every time I exercise. Dreaming of playing hockey again and the day my weight lifting routine is fully back to normal.