THR philau43's recovery thread<

[phillau43]

Thanks everyone. Question on icing please? Do I ice just the wound area, over the waterproof dressing or should I be icing further down the thigh or anywhere else for that matter? The swelling has spread as far as my knee, albeit it isn’t painful.
Any tips on shifting the lovely iodine tan?

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

I iced whatever hurt or had swelling... as long as you cover the ice with a tea towel or pillowcase... sometimes I had ice on the wound area, my back & knee!!! Brrrr chilly!!!

The iodine tan washed off gradually [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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[HertsHippy]

My iodine washed off in the shower

 

[Mojo333]

I iced whatever hurt or had swelling... as long as you cover the ice with a tea towel or pillowcase...

Agreed. Wherever and whenever you can.
Also take Jo's advice to heart and elevate when you are at rest. Keep that fluid from pooling at your knee.

 

[phillau43]

Thanks again. Leg re-elevated.

 

[Mojo333]

Having lots of Bonesmarties on your side can seem, at times, like being pecked to death by ducks
That new hip is going to serve you well...your positive attitude will get you to healthy and happy very soon.
Keep the faith!

 

[Carriemay60]

Considering how early out you are, that is a pretty good report. You will start to notice the ice & elevation working. With the swelling in your leg, you might notice it feels quite stiff and tight? The ice will help that too. Your wife sounds like she is planning on taking very good care of you. Our caregivers are a godsend early in recovery for sure. For back sleeping, try a small pillow under your knees, it relieves some stress on your back and makes it easier.

 

[mollymum]

Hi @ phillau43- last week when it was sooo cold here in the UK, I had ice on my butt and thigh and a hot water bottle to hug - only way I could keep warm! Looking back from almost 6 weeks out, it seems that lots of symptoms (shivery-ness, constipation, fatigue,etc) have happened on and off for the first 4 weeks, then 'the blues' took over!! Now, suddenly all of these things have resolved for me and I feel almost yes! back to normal.
Slow and steady wins the race..... and all things in recovery are temporary and will pass...........

 

[phillau43]

It must be the masochist in me - growing up with two older sisters I got used to being told what to do by women- most of the time

 

[phillau43]

Friendly neighbours just called round to
A. see me
B. collect some spare tomato, pepper and chilli seedlings my wife has grown
I’m now reflecting on my decision to accompany them down the garden to the veg plot, stand chatting for 1/2 an hour and then wander back. The leg has swollen more, feels stiff and sore and generally tired. I wonder if this is what is meant by ‘doing too much’? Mind you - it is beautiful outside today.

 

[Carriemay60]

Wonder no more! That is doing too much, especially the standing
If you have trouble counting I can help you...... you are only on your 5th day out of surgery!!

 

[SE Florida]

Yes, that might mean "doing too much". The standing for a half hour takes more of a toll than you realize especially in the early days. And by doing too much, the swelling means stop, elevate and ice, probably for a good portion of the day.

 

[phillau43]

Yep - thought that might be the case! I shall try and behave myself in future

 

[Josephine]

Just read the notes on elevation - I might need a suitable raising device.

Will try more icing today and arrange a pillow stack to get some elevation whilst settling down to watch the latest Game of Thrones episode.

Absolutely! No need for any special pillows. You'll not need them after a few more weeks.

beautiful day in Staffordshire to watch the latest Game of Thrones episode.

Oh my - you're a GoT fan? Me too! It's just awful to think that in a couple of weeks it will all be over. Who do you think will be sitting in the Iron Throne? My money's on Jon Snow. GOT to be Jon!

BTW, I was born in Wolverhampton - not far from you, I think?

And a small note for you - you don't have to quote a post to reply to it. Just run down to the bottom of the page, find this box and start writing!

However, if you want to quote snippets like I often do, read this How to use the quote feature

 

[phillau43]

Thanks again for the advice Josephine.
GoT is building to, what we all hope, will be a brilliant climax. I agree JS is the likely candidate for the IT (seems to obvious though?) but many twists and turns yet to come I think. The Dragon Queen is on the back foot now (down to just one dragon) and others are needed to rush to her aid if Kings Landing is to be won. Perhaps Ned Stark didn’t actually die in series one after all...? Who knows.

 

[phillau43]

Yep - Wolverhampton is about a half hour drive. We live in Upper Longdon, a tiny village on Cannock Chase, about 6 miles from Lichfield, with its beautiful Gothic cathedral.

 

[phillau43]

Day 6 post-op:
A little late reporting in today but only because this must be the unmarked day when it’s okay to telephone to ask after me - so lots of similar conversations but all nice to hear from. Several callers have had new hips and love to share their experiences albeit I am surprised they can still remember in some cases! Still getting the ‘you’re a bit young for a new hip aren’t you?’ comment, but I’ve got used to that now.
Anyway, last night was a slight improvement on the previous, without the Sainted Senna reaction being quite so frequent, but still awake and uncomfortable for big chunks of the night. Back sleeping really sucks...
Leg is still swollen, down to and including the knee, but I’ve been icing and elevating this morning. It all feels quite stiff also but pleasingly little or no pain. Walked a little around the house, bathroom and kitchen mainly, and consciously trying to walk as normally as possible, just using the crutches for support but I’m don’t think I’m nailing that yet. Plan another quiet day. I’ve ordered a ‘fitbit watch’ to monitor my steps and get some sort of measure on improvement. Not sure if it will work?
Thanks for your interest.

 

[Mojo333]

but still awake and uncomfortable for big chunks of the night. Back sleeping really sucks...

I do remember and yes it did.
All I can say is nap when you can.
I had a beloved recliner where I could catch a power nap but won't depress you with the length of time it took me to be able to roll on my side so I could really sleep. Of course with bilateral, back sleeping (not sleeping) was the only option.
Early days friend, so vent and we shall send virtual sympathies!
All temporary recovery business!

 

[Carriemay60]

It might take the icing & elevation a bit of time to get ahead of the swelling but do persist. Sounds like you have done better with activity today, yay! I just got an 'Activity Tracker'; decided to go with a cheaper option because I am not sure I will use it beyond about 6 months. I have yet to use it outside the house because it has been raining & raining & raining but quite excited to check it out and then slowly increase my targets.

 

[Layla]

Hello
It sounds like you're doing really well for only six days post op.
The Activity Progression for THR is a good guide to target for activity.
I referred to it often in my early weeks of recovery -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/activity-progression-for-thrs.13187/

It's only a rough guideline but gives you an idea of what you may be capable of doing, or serves to keep you in check if you're getting too carried away.
Have a great week!
@phillau43