Question about post op

[Stanj]

Hi Hipsters
I am bored. I had a total hip replacement yesterday and I'm laying in my bed with too many tubes coming and going walk around.
After putting it off for years I finally had it done and it was pretty anti climatic.
I was gritting my teeth waiting for the pain and discomfort to kick in but I am almost pain free, except for the site of one of the injections that feels more like a large mosquito bite than anything major. The doctor has been asking if I need any medication for pain, no I have not had any or wanted any. Since the site is still draining I have not been given clearance to walk yet but he said if the flow from the drain tubes stops this morning he will pull them out and let me walk.
I do leg lifts and the "new side" feels just a little weaker than the good side but there is no soreness or weakness. The joint feels quite stable My biggest problem is boredom. I have a low tolerance for that and keep myself very busy writing, reading, Skyping and drinking gallons of water. No problem with eating or upset stomach. The catheter is still in place but it might come out this morning.It is 5:23 a.m. so I will not see the surgeon for another 3 hours.
I do have a question however, how much blood loss would considered normal. The collection vessel for the vacuum pump has drawn a total of about 1 1/2 pint. From typical experience, it that excessive?

My legs are straight for a change, my right "bad" leg used to sit in a relax state off to the right by 45degrees and had shrunk 2.5 CM but now they both feel the same and feet assume a straight ahead position if I relax them. Now, the leg length difference is about 1 cm with the bad leg longer. I was expecting more of a difference to allow for settling in. So when this all over I might have a slight difference with the bad leg a bit shorter. Yippee, no more lifts or weird looking shoes.

So all I can say is that so far this has been a pleasant experience and a noticeable improvement.
The doctors and nurses have been terrific. One nurse has adopted me( I am over twice her age) and comes in to chat, help with my Russian lessons or reads the Russian newspaper to me. There are 10 rooms on this floor, mostly private rooms with kitchens, bath and a shower, TV stereo, free use of Wi-Fi and a sitting area with work table and chairs for visitors. They gave me a smaller room than they showed to me before but it all I need and less expensive.
I guess I have to repeat that often said comment "I do not know why I waited so long" not only that but it was a bargain in price, less than the co-pay for a lot of people who have insurance.
I just tried some sets of leg lifts and found there was some muscle soreness that was not there yesterday so I guess it means the muscles are healing.
Soreness, not pain.

From the time the doctor told me to wake up while in the recovery room, there has been no grogginess or drugged feeling. Through the Internet I put in a 4 hour work day after the operation by remote access to our servers.
But I am bored and want to stand up. The surgeon said everything pulled up well into the secured socket so has no problem with removing weight bearing restrictions if I am reasonable with my new hip, as soon as he sees that I continue so well and have the tubes removed.. If there is any looseness in the joint he said he would prefer a 6 week period of improvement before lifting the restrictions.

One thing that is interesting is that each floor has a doctor, for this floor for 10 rooms, who is sort of the GP who is constantly monitoring the patients and supervises the nurses. My floor doctor is Svetlana, a really attractive 30 year old who looks a lot like a young Audrie Hepburn, both serious and friendly with a soothing voice. She checks on me regularly and makes sure everything is seen to.

So that is long winded story of since the 28th. I warned you I was bored;>)

 

[Josephine]

Fantastic, Stan! Absolutely fantastic! I hope you get your tubes out today and get going. Sounds like there'll be no holding you.

As for the drainage - I would say that's about average.

I am already looking forward to your next report.

 

[Stanj]

Thank you Josephine
A great deal of the motivation to just do it came from you and this great forum.
The other reason is that my pain and function hit a crash point suddenly last week and getting to the refrigerator might as well have been climbing K-2. I walked to the supermarket 1 long block away and I could not make it home.
The PT came to my room to test me to see where I was in capabilities. She tried to gently lift my new leg not wantin to strain it. I just lifted my leg to a 45 degree angle. Her response in English was "oh my". I told her I was doing simple exercises after an hour out of the recovery room. I tried 10 sets of altnating leg lifts and she said she wasn't really needed. She had a nurse bring a walker to my room for tomorrow. I was afraid to do wide range of motion movements but she guided my leg to side angles that I have not been able to move that leg for years. I had little strength for that however.
The cathiter came out this morning and I was embarrassed because during the withdrawl the young nurse started laughing. It turned out that she knew me, we had danced a lot in a rock club about a year ago. I could never recognize her with her pretty blonde hair in a tight French twist and wearing a starched white uniform and blue hat.

 

[MsCat62]

Hey Stan,

Sounds like your doing awesome! Congratulations! I wish you all the best and will keep you in my prayers. I do hope that you speedy recovery continues and your back to enjoying a normal life soon! :-D

 

[Stanj]

Thank you MsCat62
I was a little concerned before the operation in that although I had pain and limited mobility, it was a known factor that I thought I could adjust to versus a major operation with known results and surprises awaiting me. Maybe I've been lucky or maybe my normal optimism has played a part in it "becoming no big deal" for me. I was allowed off my bed for the first time today!! The surgeon wanted to see me put weight on my leg before he went for a 2 day break. The upper femur felt sore, what felt like the bone itself instead of muscles but I was able to walk around the room, with the walker for several minutes and felt balanced and straight for the first time in years with both feet pointed in the same ahead direction. He told me to only point 1/2 weight on it and that was hard to do, by standing straight up the impulse is to walk balanced with equal weight. I got the feeling that even though there was no sensation of the joint being loose, I did feel what I imaged to be the stem pushing down into the bone and causing a little pain.
The therapist came by to start range of motion exercises and I fould out quickly that ther muscles that control side extension were very weak from years of non-use. With her help I could stretch them but had a very hard time doing it unaided. Using the major muscles used in leg lifts were no problem however.

I've almost forgotten what "normal" life is, since continued to do many pain limited things but to do them I developed movements that minimized pain, for example I still danced a lot in discos and rock clubs but my evolved style was very low impact and hurt less than normal walking. I could ride a bike and swim but very little else.

When I figure out what movements are least dangerous to the new hip I think there will be a lot of energetic activities I can resume.
Thank you for your encouragement!

 

[westexas]

Hello Stanj,
Love Reading Your Blogs. You Sound Like A Very Active Guy Before Surgery And That Is Why You Seem To Be Healing So Quickly. Would Love To Know When You Hit The Disco And Rock Clubs Again. Bet You Will Soon Be The Best Dancer On The Floor...lol...westexas....

 

[Stanj]

Hi Westexas
Thanks for the positive comments. I live in a city where walking is the prime activity and even if it hurts one would need to walk to live here. There is good and cheap public transportation but except on main streets getting to the metro(deep subway) or buses takes some walking. So sometimes I was active when if back in California, I would have driven or stayed home.
I am not a great dancer but surely up there in enthusiasm. I used to be pretty good 15 years ago but as long as 8 years ago, my then girlfriend and current best friend would not dance with me because I would get her timing off when she was trying to be competitive ball-room dancer. She was good but not world class, so she eventually gave up that dream. She often competition on Europe with her team from a dance/training club here called the Tequila Dance Club. The city took an old ballet school and gave it to the club and it became the center for training for a series of world champion couples.
I was member but really did not care that much for ballroom dancing. I might have liked it more if I had any talent for it. My GF could win regions but never made it to the international level with a win. My style of dance is just fun, mostly rock and dance oriented pop. I was in the music industry for 25 years and have partied like for 40 years.
Most of the musicians here know me, they all have at least one record done at my studio (you might also)and I am not a stranger in the clubs either despite being at least twice as old as the next oldest one there. I had 3 visitors who just left 20 minutes ago who have been dance buddies for several years, the oldest was 27 and the youngest just turned 24. The last one is an accomplished actress, singer and dancer in a prestigious drama theater here. They are in production now for a musical based on Shakespeare that has gotten great reviews that she wanted me to see.
I've retired twice and not creating something new drove me crazy so I resigned myself to never retiring. The longest retirement was 3 months. That activity level, not as a sportmen or athlete, but just phyiscally active in hiking (backpacked the entire Pacific Crest Trail when I was 50), long distance bike rides, 4-6 hours at a time nonstop energetic dancing 2-3 times a week until 6 a.m.
I have come to the conclusion that fittness and the goals of it are misplaced in the US. Driving 45 minutes to a health club 3 days a week does not equate daly life of doing things actively such as walking to shop or work. The meal portions served are way too big for any human need. Here it is assumed people are fit and seeing a fat person is unusual, a fat child is unheard of. The average dress size is 6 for those under 40. Any you've seen such pretty or feminine legs here due daily walking miles in high heels. Dieting is not much of an industry here, but since the western fast food industry came, there is an yearly increase average weight. 6 years ago the average dress size was 4. But the average height of young women and men keeps increasing. Many of those size 6 young ladies are 5'10" or taller. When people lose a lot of weight or strive for low body fat they do not look natural or healthy in the US, not so here, no one tries to lose weight, they are just active and not worrying about it. There are clear signs that its all backwards in the US.

 

[JudyS]

Hi Stanj,
Wow I love hearing about where you are in Russia. I would love that life style. I live in a small town, Sierra Madre, near Pasadena Ca.
I love it for many reasons, but walking or riding my bike into town to do banking, get coffee, go to the pharmacy. I love weekends when I never get in my car. We also have the mount wilson trail in town. I have hiked and run on that trail hundreds of times. For the last ffew weeks I have been hiking as much as I can (on vicodin) to make up for the time I will loose after surgery.
One of my life long goals is to backpack the Pacific Crest Trail. Last weekend I was on a stretch of it and met a few groups of through hikers. We gave 2 guys a ride to Newcoms Ranch and bought them beer and a meal. I grew up in Rhode Island and wouldn't you know one of the guys was from RI.
My youngest is 13, when she gets a little older I am off to backpack it. Over the next few years I may do some stretches of it as I am highly motivated.
Your last post to me is another sign to do it.
Thanks,
Hope my recovery goes like yours!!
Judy in So. Cal

 

[kittykat]

looks like we had the same surgery date -- may 28th. I am bored too. I hate how limited I am in regards to movement, and the boring, repetitious exercises, and being in pain.

but for some reason I keep noticing more than usual the news stories that show people with awful, permanent troubles -- like being in prison, or earthquakes wrecking their whole community --and I know that my troubles are only temporary and I am lucky to have had this surgery with no complications. so that helps bring things back into perspective.

hang in there...

 

[Stanj]

Hi KittKat
Actually I am 8-11 hours ahead so on the calendar my operation was the 29th but the message appeared in the US up to 11 hours earlier or the 28th.
I am out of the hospital and walked 1.5 km today in 3 rounds, resting between each segment. The leg is fine but I do get tired using the crutches. I did not prepare my apartment, thinking I was going to stay in the hospital longer. But found that even the low chairs were usable if being mindful of leg position and using a one legged pushup to rise from even the lowest. I cooked dinner for my GF tonight and did fine but needed a little help bring food out to the diningroom table. Before she left she revealed she got us tickets for tomorrow night for the Ballet.
Overall, I get am impression that everything is so much easier and faster than my wildest most optimistic dreams could have hoped for.

Earlier I posted a question about sock tools since they cannot be found here...nor reachers...but I figured out a simple way to do it, just sit on the side of a chair and bring my affected leg's ankle sharply backwards at the knee while keeping my hip straight down and slip the sock on. I could even do it standing up bracing myself with the opposite hand steadying myself against a wall. My goal tomorrow is to walk across the river to my GF's apartment 2.5 km with stops along the way to rest in outdoor cafes. Already, my balance and sureness of footing is vastly superior to that before the operation. Even on loose gravel and cobble stone roads feel more sure under foot than before.
Overall, my week post op has been more pain free, and with a wider range of movement than any week in the last year.;>) After reading many posts, my experience might be not the norm but nothing else in my life has been "normal" either..both good and bad.

 

[Josephine]

There's no such thing as a 'norm', Stan! Everyone's experience is unique.

I am truly glad to hear that your's is going so well.