THR PA Gal is Totally Flipping!

[PA Gal]

Couldn't get a good internet connection for updating these past few days at home. The ride home wiped me out & took pain levels up to 4-5, but my friends got me situated with ice, pillows, water to drink, and pain meds, and I slept and slept and SLEPT. Walking enough to work the stiffness out, swelling's not bad, incision area looks good, a little drainage but not too red or hot. It feels weird to ahave both hips level. Hospital has called a few times to check progress. Home nurse is coming Sat a.m. to change dressing and Home PT Sat p.m. I'm sleeping a lot, and very well. A little nausea from pain meds but tolerable, and pain is very well controlled. I appreciate my little helper staying here. It would be exhausting and stressful to have to attend to all the little things she does for me.

 

[allahere]

@PA Gal - joining everyone"s congrats with your surgery! Wow, you"re doing more and faster than I did/do. And I'm ahead of you by almost 2 weeks.


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[PA Gal]

I can't believe I did this, but I sent my helper home today (Saturday)! I am walking really well with the walker, have my house well organized with reachers and pillows and other aids, and I am feeling comfortable and confident enough to stay on my own. I will have various friends stop in at some point every day, and now my Home Nurse & Home PT schedule is set up, so they will be here also. This morning was really a turning point with reduced swelling, ease of getting in & out of bed, and confidence level. My pain levels are really good, so meds are minimal (but by the clock!), thus any side effects are also minimal. The dogs are being really low-key and keeping out from underfoot. The Home Health Nurse changed the dressing today, said everything looks good. Very little redness and moderate swelling, and they used internal stitches & glue w/ steri-strips, so it should be a beautiful scar ;) Home PT was pleased with my smooooooth walking and kept me on my "introductory" exercises so far, which I am happy with. So the doggies & I enjoyed a nice home-cooked meal dropped off by a friend, my hip enjoyed an ice-pack in the recliner, and with some "alone" time in the bathroom, all is VERY well! I just took my evening meds, so will soon be off to dreamland. I am very careful and cautious and focused moving around the house. Anything that I cannot do with complete comfort just won't get done until someone stops by.

 

[Elsie Foust]

PA Gal, how refreshing to hear about your recovery! Thank you for sharing it. I am having bilateral THR in about two weeks (7/3/14), so it really helps to hear that there can be such positive results. I'm new to the forum but if I'm looking correctly at your posts, I see that you have fibromyalgia. I have it also, along with Lupus. I am a little nervous that the shock of the surgery could put me into a flare. So glad to hear about your early success!!

 

[NewlyHip]

I can't believe I did this, but I sent my helper home today (Saturday)!

Hello, congratulations, and good for you that you are going it on your own!

I have family members wanting to help out all the time but realized that I had to escape from that dependency mind-set to start really improving! My home OT fellow told me that I should not be accepting offers to help with things that I can do on my own, and I realized that I could do almost everything on my own.

Best wishes to you as you get better day-by-day!

 

[PA Gal]

@Elsie Foust, I was very surprised that the surgery didn't send me into a full-blown relapse of my CFS/Fibro. I must say my surgical team was SO attentive to my concerns beforehand, and I feel that the way the anesthesia was handled made a huge difference. It still took me a LONG time to come out of the anesthesia initially - about 11 hours, and then several more hours of in&out grogginess - but by the next morning, I was alert and have had minimal nausea and weakness. I actually think that my pre-surgical sleeping habits have helped me, as it is normal for me to have wake/sleep cycles of 2-6 hours. This fits in perfectly with the med-induced drowsiness, and I have not had insomnia or other trouble adjusting. Thus my body is getting a lot of much-needed, healing rest. Also, since I am accustomed to measuring my life in very small incremental progress, it has given me tremendous patience and focus. So all those little teeny tiny PT exercises don't make me crazy, or make me want to overdo - I understand the value of the little things in life! And having a good balance between doing what you can and letting someone else do what you can't (or what will take you over the edge from tiredness into exhaustion) is very important, too. I'll be praying for you - stay in touch and let us know of your progress.

 

[PA Gal]

Today was the one-week post-op mark, and I am doing great so far! Except for the bandage, you'd almost never know I'd had surgery on that leg, it is healing so well. No redness, just a small bruise at the drain site, swelling is very minimal. Of course, I'm following Josephine's advice: rest, ice, elevation, stay ahead of the pain - and it's working like a charm. PT, OT and home nurse are very pleased. Every day is a significant improvement. Various hospital departments have called to check on my progress, which makes me feel very well cared for. Today was the pharmacist, who wanted to make sure meds were effective, no side effects, good compliance, etc. I just can't say enough good things about my experience with OSS (York, PA). Living alone has not been an issue - enough friends stop by that I am well supplied, and have them throw in a load of laundry in the basement while they're here, lol. I am enjoying this nice relaxing break from my normal routines. Sat out on the deck this afternoon, enjoying the summer breeze. I am hoping the heat & humidity will stay away, as my doc requires 6 weeks of TEDS stockings, but so far they are not too uncomfortable.

 

[frieds]

PA Gal - your post made me smile. I am so glad things are going well for you! I know I for one, feared all the negatives and hyped it in my head only to learn it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared! Keep up the great progress!

Tee (LTHR 5/28/14)


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[PA Gal]

I'm just so thankful that I didn't have a CFS/fibro flare-up, as my recovery would be a much different story regardless of how well the actual incision was healing. It would be like trying to recover while dragging a 100-pound cinder block chained to one ankle AND having the worst flu imaginable at the same time.

 

[beachgal]

@PA Gal, I am constantly amazed at how recovery can be...you are a shining example! It gives me hope that perhaps mine will be "not so bad" but I'm still preparing myself for a week of yuck. Keep posting your progress as I need a leader down this path!!

 

[PA Gal]

@beachgal, I don't know about being a leader - I'm just gimpin' along as best I can, LOL! My philosophy is, hope for the best but prepare for the worst. The beach view in your avatar is lovely - that in itself would be refreshing and healing. About a month til you are scheduled - yay! I didn't believe them when they said my pain levels could be 2, I didn't think that was even possible! I could not even IMAGINE a 2. Now, about a week later, 2 is the new O, and O is deleriously happy!!

 

[PA Gal]

Yesterday was 10 days post-op, and walking around the kitchen without a cane (albiet carefully). I use the cane in the rest of the house due to the dogs and other obstacles, just in case of any imbalance, but am not really using it for support any more. Still use the walker when I first get up from bed or recliner, till I work the stiffness out with several steps. Nurse changed dressing for 2nd time, looked great, very little drainage, no redness, swelling is nearly gone. I finally started to get some color back in my face - I had been quite pale since the op.

I went downstairs to the basement yesterday (abt 10 stairs) to throw some laundry in, as my expected visitor was not able to stop by to do it. Two trips up & down was enough for one day. Took an extra pain med and an extra-long nap in the afternoon. I appreciate the ability to sleep mid-day, and thus heal.

This morning, I am a little more tired and sore than usual, so am going to really take it easy for a few days, and probably take a little extra pain meds. Also, I'm not sure if it was the way I was sleeping or what, but for the first time I felt some bone pain. I was sleeping in bed on my back with my legs propped on pillows, and the pain woke me up. Maybe my leg had skewed to one side or something. I'd say it was about a 6, so the highest since the surgery. Got up, moved around, and took some tramadol. I think I will stay on the cane & walker today to give my leg a break!

I did have a little scare the other day - an area of drainage about the size of the tip of my little finger looked greenish, and I was concerned, especially after having read Vetgirl's story of her infection. I put in a call to the Home Health Nurse and also to my case manager at OSS. Turns out the bandage is treated with silver, and that causes the drainage to turn odd colors! Whew! Still, I would rather over-react than under-react. Things can go south too quickly. Nobody minded, and OSS even called back later just to check if there was anything else unusual.

I have a friend whose son owns a butcher shop. I'm going to have her get some good fresh beef bones and make a nutritious bone broth as posted by @Mercy1 in another thread.

 

[PA Gal]

Today was 2 weeks post-op. I spent a lot of time today without my cane, and didn't even think about it. PT said strength and ROM are coming along well, so we worked on gait to keep movement smooth. Also walked on lawn and driveway (with cane) to practice on uneven surfaces and inclines/declines. That went well, no significant pain. So happy! This is the second day in a row that I am using only 1000mg Tylenol for afternoon/evening pain meds instead oxy or tramadol.

 

[PA Gal]

I was doing really well at 2 weeks+ post-op - mostly walking without cane, rarely needing prescription pain pills, sleeping well, eating healthy and feeling really good (although tire somewhat easily).

Then just before the 4th of July holiday, one of my dogs became very ill - a friend took her to vet for me as I am not driving yet. Turns out she has severe diabetes and an infected mammary gland. Due to the holiday, it was difficult both to get her treated and to get her transported back & forth a few times. She's home now, but it's very stressful as she has lost weight and is not interested in food, but I have to get her to eat in order to give her the insulin shot. She's also on liquid antibiotic, which she hates, and a dissolvable pain pill, which she spits out. She's a smallish dog, and I can't get down to her level, so I rigged a way of draping a sheet under her with my reacher, making a sling, and picking her up that way so I can administer her meds and try to feed her. But I am still bending too much, lifting too much (she's about 20+ pounds) and generally exhausting myself. I have to get up several times in the night to let her out or check on her. And the other dog - her daughter - is very worried about her mama, and so is very needy right now.

My hip, which was doing so well, is hurting all the time now. I think it's mainly just from "overuse" and straining due to the lifting etc. and all the extra walking around, and standing in the kitchen trying to fix something the dog will eat. Also, it's already cost me over $600 in vet bills, and probably several hundred more to come. I'm just stressing out about this, and as a result, I've really regressed in my own healing. I am just exhausted and sore. I have my follow-up OS appointment this Thursday, and was looking forward to giving him a good report, but I fear I will be a real mess by then.

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

Sorry that your doggy has been poorly @PA Gal and that it is impacting on your own recovery......it must be quite stressful for you.....and your body to have to keep lifting your poor little doggy. Do try to take it easy ....stress is not good for healing. Hope you both feel better soon xx


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[wannabebrave]

Sorry to hear you aren't doing as well in your recovery @PA Gal, as well as the news about your baby dog. I had a poodle several years ago that had diabetes and I had to fix her special food and give her insulin shots so I know how difficult that can be for you. We love our fur babies and will do everything we can for them. Just don't forget to be kind to yourself during this time and try to get plenty of rest. Remember to ice and elevate.


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[insexec]

@PA Gal, I'm so sorry to hear about your recovery regression and your dog. Hang in there and please stay positive. We are rooting for you. Sending my very best wishes to you.

 

[PA Gal]

Things have calmed down a little the last few days. My little doggie is starting to eat again, and I am so relieved. Her insulin injection and other med administration is going better. Her eyes are bright again, and the infection is nearly gone. Now I need to concentrate on resting and doing my PT so I can have a good follow-up with my OS on Thursday.

Dog goes back to the vet Thurs also to check her glucose curve. Once that settles and she gains some weight, they will have to address the mammary tumor and some other issues. But by that time, I will be driving, which will make everything easier. I practiced getting into my car the other day, but the gas-to-brake movement is still too painful & slow, so maybe another week or so.

 

[beachgal]

@PA Gal, man, when it rains, it pours, right? There is nothing that would get me up and out of a "sick bed" like taking care of my dog. Glad that has simmered down a bit and you can concentrate on your healing now. Reread your earlier posts to remind yourself of how easy you should be taking life...rest, ice, elevate....I know, it's tough when there are things that demand your attention but please, be good to yourself...your pup will need you even more as time passes...be in good shape for the future!! I'm sending lots of positive energy your way today!

 

[PA Gal]

@Hoppy Nanny, @beachgal, @wannabebrave, @insexec - thanks for your concern and good wishes. My dog had her checkup today and her blood glucose curves were pretty stable. She is eating really well now, starting to gain weight, and her fur is getting nice and shiny again. So I am much calmer about the whole thing. I really tried to concentrate on my own recovery the past few days - but then we had a big storm move through and the electricity was out for over 2 days! Talk about "when it rains, it pours!" My handyman/friend came over, bless him, and got my generator going, filled up my gas can, cleaned up the yard debris, brought up some water jugs, and did some other things to make my life easier while riding out the storm's aftermath. He even stopped and picked up coffee and a breakfast biscuit for me!

I had to go to a friend's house for a shower this morning before my first follow-up with the OS. OS was really pleased with how things are going and removed the dressing, so now the steri-strips can start falling off. I'm anxious to see how the scar looks. I went out to lunch with the friend who drove me, so had a busy day, my first day out of the house in 3-1/2 weeks! Very tired and a little sore by the time I got home, but the electricity is back on, thank the Lord! The ice pack really feels good, as I haven't had ice for almost 3 days now. I am just going to take it very easy the next few days. Then, barring any other natural disasters or other calamities, maybe I can get back on track with the healing & recovery!