THR NyLiz's Recovery

[nanamac]

Nice going Liz ! Hopefully your back issue will soon be a non issue! I wish you all the best and hope that you continue on your excellent road to complete recovey!

Please keep us posted!

 

[Nana Abbey]

HI Liz,
I found your post this morning and was wondering how you are doing now. I am now a week and 3 days post THR. Been having swelling in the foot and ankle on that side and trouble sleeping. Just wondered if you had any of these problems.
Nana Abbey

 

[Nana Abbey]

Thanks for the encouraging post. Sleep and the swelling in my foot and ankle seem to be my biggest issue right now. Any suggestions?

 

[Juliep]

Hi Liz,

So happy to hear about your check up!! Great news and back to work, yea!! I go next week.

I'm sure your thrilled to get back on your medicine for your back. Hopefully some good results with it and all with feel better soon. Just think walking without pain. Wow, how nice is it?

Best of luck with getting on with life !!

 

[NYLiz]

Thanks for the encouraging post. Sleep and the swelling in my foot and ankle seem to be my biggest issue right now. Any suggestions?

Nana Abbey - I had swelling in the ankle and foot as well starting around day 8 and elevating it with ice helped some, but the swelling only really went down significantly during the night. It wasn't until week 3 that the swelling started to be less and less each day.

As for sleeping issues, I can relate and lack of sleep can really make everything feel ten times worse. My sleep issue started after I went off the 12 hr Oxycontin at the 2 week mark and then sleep became elusive. I also had severe back pain that flared up at the same time. After 5 nights of very little sleep and trying Tylenol PM, which only worked for 2 hours, I called my OS and he prescribed Ambien and said to up the Oxycodone. This did help, but I had to take two 5mg tabs of Ambien to sleep at least 5 hours. If you are not sleeping at all or for so few hours that you are exhausted and it is affecting you mentally and physically, I reccomend calling either your surgeon or primary doctor. You could also try Tylenol PM, but I'd make sure it doesn't interfere with other meds you are taking.

Hang in there - it does get better!

Liz

 

[NYLiz]

Hey Julie! Walking without pain is a dream come true :yes 4: but if I work another 11 hour day like I did today, it may be short lived. Good news is the Meloxicam is starting to work and the back was less painful today.

Janet - thank you for the well wishes. I have been following your thread and all I can say is I admire you and your perseverance. You are a true inspiration to all of us here on Bonesmart. I have been saying prayers :prayer1:that this vicious cycle you are in ends soon, that the doctors find what is wrong and can provide relief for all that you have been suffering with.

Liz

 

[Juliep]

Ugh, 11 hours, that's far too much. You better be careful. They just couldn't do without you, could they? I'm glad to hear the Meloxicam is starting to work.

Question for you. Do you have any side affects from Ambien? Lunesta never worked for me, up after 2 hours, Restoril is the other one I've taken and will try again tonight but same thing, but I hear people talk about Ambien and say they dream a lot and very vivid. I have very very vivid dreams to begin with and really don't need anymore. Lol.

 

[NYLiz]

Question for you. Do you have any side affects from Ambien? Lunesta never worked for me, up after 2 hours, Restoril is the other one I've taken and will try again tonight but same thing, but I hear people talk about Ambien and say they dream a lot and very vivid. I have very very vivid dreams to begin with and really don't need anymore. Lol.

Julie - I had no side affects from taking Ambien. I know several people personally who have taken Ambien as well and only one had experienced side affects and that was sleep walking, or in his case, sleep calling - he'd call people up in the middle of the night, have a conversation and not remember a thing in the morning - his taking of Ambien was short lived. The lowest dose of Ambien is 5 mg, so if you can get your doctor to prescribe it, I'd try the 5mg first, but if you're like me where 5mg lasts only 3 hours, you may need to take 10 mg.

Liz

 

[Josephine]

An 11hr day at only six weeks? Are your employers slave drivers or what?

 

[Juliep]

Thanks Liz, I'm ready to try anything. The Restoril again didn't do too much and yes I woke from dreaming. I liked reading about helping also with restless legs. I don't have it (at least don't think) but it feels like that when I go to bed. I get all twitchy in the legs and feet and they just won't settle down.

I think I just need a new body.

 

[NYLiz]

An 11hr day at only six weeks? Are your employers slave drivers or what?

Actually the company I work for is wonderful and it wasn't even my boss who kept me that long (he knows better), it was the head of our project management office who decided he needed to 'pick my brain' at 4pm in the afternoon about items for a major project and that meeting took over 2 hours. I told him next time he needs to pick my brain, he has to do it when I first get in at 7:15am.

Working 10+ hours was normal for me before my hip gave me major problems in April. Considering that the last month before surgery I barely made it for 8 hours a day, lasting 11 hours at 6 weeks shows how much better I am now than before surgery.

Not to worry though - I won't make it a habit of 11 hour days and for next week I scheduled my PT sessions so I'd have to leave work early on 3 days.

Liz

 

[Josephine]

Okay - I'll let you off that one then! :th_heehee:

Actually I think you are doing amazingly well.

 

[forbesy]

Liz great news to hear after your six week period that things are moving along nicely but I have to echo Jo's concerns about the 11 hour day.
Don't let any of the guys keep you back any longer than a normal shift having said that 10 hours isn't much shorter.
I have lower back pain when I sit to long at my computer so if you spend a lot of time at the computer it may be a good idea to get a form of back support to help you.

Billy

 

[Jamie]

Great report, Liz!!! I'm so happy to hear how well you're progressing.

 

[NYLiz]

Hi Everyone! It's been awhile since I posted an update, but have been keeping up with everyone's threads.

It'll be 11 weeks in a few days and here's where I'm at:

• PT is still 3x a week. Muscle strength in left hip and leg is coming along. Still have some weakness in the muscle on the side of the hip, but my front thigh muscle is stronger now than it was before surgery.
• No cane used in last 3 weeks, even though I could have used it at the mall today when the muscles got really tired and sore.
• No limp - My PT worked hard with me on this and I also followed advice I read somewhere on this board about walking heal-toe starting day one when they first got me up walking.
• Lower back pain - this is my biggest issue right now. I have seen others posting about lower back pain occurring either right after surgery or weeks/months after surgery and I so feel for them. As I posted previously, my back was an issue before surgery and became worse afterwards. I was diagnosed with isthmic spondylolisthesis and I'm currently taking meloxicam 15mg once a day and then two Extra Strength Tylenol 2 - 3 times a day. My PT is also working with me on core strengthening and I'm seeing the Chiropractor at my PT's office. Two weeks ago, my primary doctor prescribed Lidocaine Patch 5% and I have been putting one on my lower back where the pain is the worse at night (I was told I can only where a patch 12 hours a day, so I had to pick night or day). Good news is, it takes the 'wake you up sleeping' kind of pain away, so I am sleeping much better, but it still aches and and at times bending forward is almost impossible due to pain during the day. I go back to my primary doctor on the 17th and if the back does not improve, she wants to send me to a pain management specialist and get an injection done.
• Right Hip - I was forewarned my right hip will need to be replaced at some point and that there was a high probability that once my left hip was done and I started to be more active, the right could deteriorate more quickly. Well.... I was hoping for at least a year, but it is already starting to give me issues. Unlike my left hip, where the worst pain radiated from the groin to the knee, the pain this time is more on the outside of the hip with some groin pain. Also, I can feel and hear the joint catching. One time when I went to stand up from my desk, I heard and felt a 'pop' in my right hip, scared the heck out of me, but it didn't too hurt much, thank goodness. So far the pain is not constant, but when it does get to that point, I'll be sure to call my OS.

Well, that is all I have for now, and while it may be a while before I post another full update on my thread, I'll still be following along on the board and everyone's recoveries.

Liz

 

[Jamie]

You're doing just fine, Liz! Thanks for the update. Keep up the excellent work.

 

[Juliep]

Glad to hear the new hip is doing well. Sorry to hear about the other one. Time will tell. I sure hope you get some time before you need the next one done.

Keep us informed and best of luck Liz!

 

[The Cappuccino Kid]

Hi Liz, look how far you've come in 11 weeks. Well done.

Thanks for the update. It sounds as if the physio's all worthwhile. Don't leave the other hip too long - why suffer?

 

[NYLiz]

Hi Everyone!

Went to the OS this week and while the new hip looks perfect, the right hip is now mainly bone on bone and the rest of the joint has very little cartilage left. He told me it needs to be replaced and it's up to me when to do it. While the pain is bearable if I take it easy, I'm now finding there is less and less I can do before it starts really hurting. So.... I'm going to just get it done before it gets to the point of barely being able to walk on it, like my left hip was before it was replaced. I haven't picked a date for surgery, but the last week of December is looking like a possibility.

One thing my OS did offer, was a choice of approach for this one. Either Lateral Anterior, like was done for my left hip, or the Anterior approach. Majority of the surgeries he does is using the Lateral Anterior approach, but he is now doing more with the Anterior approach. Since I know what to expect with the Lateral Anterior, I may just stick with that, but in the meantime, I'm going to do some research on this board and elsewhere to learn more about the Anterior approach. Anyone out there with some advice on the Anterior approach, I'd love to hear it.

Liz

 

[Juliep]

Good morning Liz,

You've been doing so great with you new hip so I'msure you'll do great with the next. I'm glad you are going to do it sooner than later. Hopefully if you get done by year end it helps insurance wise as well. I was hoping I could do that with my knees next,but I can't.

Af far as the Anterior Approach, I have nothing really negative to say about it. I was able to really do everything from day one. It was uncemented, full weight bearing, able to drive when staples came out, but on a right side like you'll be looking at it was just a tiny bit longer for driving only because of getting into the car from the right side.

The one issue I only had from it was on my right side, I still suffer from nerve loss in that leg. It started with almost the entire thigh and that's been since April but now it's about a 4" x 2" area that is still numb. It's very annoying, but I have faith it will all be restored in time.

I'll be looking forward to hearing what you decide and when you do it.