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THR Readysetgo Recovery

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@DeepBreath - So much for your big storm, huh? At least you got a little snow for ambiance. Did you bake those cookies? Perfect idea!

Yes, very cold here! Woke up to -2* with -28* "Real Feel" temp! Then EEK! - hubby shouts there's no hot water. :yikes: Thank goodness pipes were just a bit frozen not cracked. He put a hair dryer on them for awhile and hot water started to run again. Close call.

I find that whenever I am reading or posting on Bonesmart, everyone wants to talk to me - daughter, hubby, cats. As soon as I say "Okay" and put my phone down, everyone loses interest in engaging with me. :chinstroke:

I'm looking forward to my brother and gang's arrival today! Hope you stay warm, my friend - and have a lovely cozy weekend!:SUNsmile:
 
Hi @Readysetgo, I just caught up with your thread. I'm glad the pipes are working. I never thought of using a hair dryer. That's a good idea.

It's wonderful that you have family support. Your sister in law sounds so caring. I hope you have a great weekend together.

p.s. I think you are going to do really well with the second surgery. My surgeon asked me if I had any allergic reactions to pain medications at my first appt. He studied my face carefully as I responded. I got the feeling that it's very common for people to get sick. I could tell he wanted to avoid that, which I appreciated. I told him that novacaine made me shake, but that it worked. I hadn't taken any opiates in my past. I had some nausea during my PT, but I think it was my body's way of getting me back into bed. My physical therapist was pushing me too hard, and it made me feel like I was going to throw up. Once she left, I was fine.

Glad to hear your ROM is so good. I like what your surgeon said about running and sitting Indian style. That makes so much sense. That's how I've felt. It must be frustrating for surgeons when they have people who want to race out and do high impact exercise on these artificial hips.
 
@Readysetgo, yikes about the cold! :yikes: That is bone chilling. I'm glad your pipes didn't crack. That is definitely no fun.
Yes, I did bake the cookies. The oven helped warm the kitchen and their yummy aroma made the house super cozy. :)
LOL, isn't it always the way that whenever you want to do something people want to talk to you?
I hope that you are busy visiting with your family right now. Enjoy! :flwrysmile:
 
Yes, we go every year in the beginning of July for a few weeks. The rest of the season we rent the home out. You can see photos of the home by googling "Kinsale by the Sea". The home has been passed down through three generations. It does have a fireplace, so maybe next year I can talk skinny bones jones (hubby) into enduring a few days of cooler weather (I'll bribe him with the "clam chowdah")! :heehee:
 
@Readysetgo - I have a friend who did Bowen therapy on me the night before my op. I am such a sceptic and didn't think it it would work but gave it a go. It was great. I went home and slept all night and was so calm pre op. When they were positioning me on the bed in the theatre I was calmly chatting away. No nerves at all !!! 10 years ago when I had a major operation I was a complete mess. Bawled my eyes out the whole way down to the theatre -I was so nervous. So I would definetly recommend Bowen therapy pre op for operation anxiety.
 
What a great update @Readysetgo. :) Glad to hear your X-rays look good that you already have your pre-op for the second surgery out of the way. It's good that your surgeon is being realistic and advising against the high impact activities. I remember hearing so-called success stories from friends and co-workers about this person or that person who had a THR and went back to running marathons or was snow-skiing 4 weeks after the surgery, things like that, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why people would go through this process and then risk it by not protecting those new hips. I was an avid runner all my life but I know my running days are behind me and I'm okay with that. I want these new hips to last as long as possible, hopefully for life.

Your avatar is beautiful and wow, I can't imagine what that's like having deer come into your yard. They are the most beautiful animals. I had to LOL about you wanting to invite them in for coffee. :snork:

I hope you are enjoying your visit with your brother and his wife. It sounds like you will be enjoying quite the feast from all those yummy foods they are bringing. Hopefully the cats and dog are getting along and providing lots of entertainment. :wink:
 
Well we had a wonderful weekend with my brother's family. Our freezer is full of soups and stews that my sister in law cooked up. Our scaredy girl cat ran and hid in a closet when they arrived with the dog. The 2 brave boy cats stayed under the living room sofa, occasionally coming out to hiss and spit at poor doggy who was whining and barking at them to 'come and play with me'. (She plays with their cat at home.)

We had trouble finding a place to have dinner at the last moment on Valentine's Day, so settled on eating at the restaurant at the hotel where they were staying. It turned out great! We had a big room to ourselves by a roaring fireplace and the food was surprisingly excellent. They're a big place for weddings, business conferences, etc. - right on the marina. We had fun watching people sneak out of a wedding that was going on to hit the bar. They would slink by our table sheepishly and we'd all wave.

Next day we had to hair dry the frozen pipes at our house again. Got home late and forgot to leave the hot water dripping. :bignono:Even the hotel had a pipe burst overnight and they were clanging around early in the morning to fix it. My brother got a discount because of all the racket. We went swimming in the hotel's pool and jacuzzi that morning. (OS had given me the okay.) It felt great!

@Hip Hip Hooray! - Your surgeon sounds so detail oriented and considerate. I feel I have to keep pushing everyone to find a way to help with the pain without making me sick next time.
Thanks for the encouragement about my 2nd surgery. The OS for that surgery is not as pushy about getting patients to leave the hospital so just that fact is more comforting to me that I won't go home sick again. I'm glad the opiates worked so well for you and others. I wish my body liked them...
Keep going with that book! So excited for you!

@DeepBreath - Yes I had a fun time with the family visit. We had a good time laughing at the cats hissing at the poor doggy who just wanted to play.
My hips did well with all the activity. We did a lot of walking around (sometimes in the cold air - brrrr..... ). Swimming was fine. Stairs are still a challenge for me. I definitely like those railings.
Hope you're enjoying your Wednesday. You've inspired me to make cookies soon.

@Cynthia777 - What a gorgeous house in Maine! I looked it up. Since it does have a fireplace you might enjoy early autumn there. I had to laugh at "skinny bones jones"! :heehee:
Hope you get good news on your bloodwork soon.

@Hipster Coley - Thanks for the Bowen therapy recommendation! I looked it up online and think I might have had it years ago when I lived in New York City, not sure. Anyway, it sounds wonderful! The closest practitioner to me is about 45 minutes away. One of these days I will definitely try it out! Meanwhile, you have encouraged me to get some good massage work in before the 2nd surgery, as well as keep up the acupuncture. I was going to put it off until after the 2nd surgery, but I think I need it now.
Thanks again for the suggestion. By the way, I'm so glad you pushed to get 8 weeks before going back to work. My surgeon is estimating 10 weeks after 2nd surgery before I go back to my relatively active job.

@Hipster Girl - I'm glad you are okay with not running anymore. I know people who really love their running. Must be hard to give it up. But sounds like you're determined, like me, to keep these new hips in the best shape possible. Snow skiing 4 weeks after surgery sounds crazy to me!
Glad you enjoyed my avatar. It really is beautiful in our yard after the snow falls.
I had a fun time with the family visit. I ended up walking a lot, and that was okay. (yay!) The dog and cats were very entertaining. I think the cats knew the dog was just trying to play and wouldn't harm them. The 2 boy cats seemed to actually miss her when she left. They got some exercise anyway.
Looking forward to hearing more about your job hunt. Sounds quite promising!
 
Hi @Readysetgo, Yes, my surgeon is very exact. He has a wealth of experience, and he's also the director of the Hip and Pelvic Institute. I am very fortunate to not react negatively to the opiates. I hope they find the right combination for you this time. Some people are able to do it with just Tylenol. I can understand why you want to have a plan set up before the surgery.

I'm glad you enjoyed the visit. It's great that you were able to swim and use the jacuzzi. Keep up the great work!
 
Thanks for the well wishes on my lab work @Readysetgo, appreciate it!
My "skinny bones jones" guy doesn't care much for the cold (I've got to put some meat on that man)! I'm really going to consider the possibility of two trips to Kinsale next year (during July and again in September). You talked me into it. :-)
 
Thanks for checking in, @cynthia!
Sorry for such a belated update here.

I'm in my 9th week of recovery from hip#1 and 1 week away from surgery for hip#2.

The operated hip is making great progress. I can feel (and see!) the muscles in my legs that had atrophied with the hip arthritis getting stronger now. When the op hip and leg feel sore, it doesn't feel "bad" sore, but rather a healthy working out kind of sore. The other leg waiting for op is also getting stronger with the PT but still feels like a squeaky crunchy ache with the increased activity. So I am looking forward to having 2 shiny hips at last!

On the other hand, I am not looking forward to going back to decreased energy and movement. And I am nervous about controlling the pain this time without the opiates which made me so sick last time.

Okay. Venting time. Met with my OS yesterday. He is not the one who did the other hip. (That surgeon resigned after doing me. :rotfl: He didn't want to work with patients anymore, just consult and stuff.) Anyway, this new doc I do trust with the surgery but he sometimes says things that rub me the wrong way. I asked to see my old pre-op x-ray. He put it up then didn't say anything. I said "Well I don't know how to interpret this..." hoping he'd tell me a little info himself. But he just said, "Well why should you know?" and then didn't say anything. I don't know why I didn't ask him to explain what was up there for me. I started to feel like he was getting hungry for lunch because it was after 12. My appt. was for 11:30, I got there at 11:15 and he saw me at 12:00. He did answer my written list of questions but it was like pulling teeth to get him to tell me what we were going to use for pain since I can't tolerate the opiates. Again, I stepped in and said, "What about toradol at first? That worked for me when I went to the ER. And tylenol? Will that be enough?" He kind of shrugged and said we could do that..... He uses a different prosthesis than the one I have for the other hip. I am assuming this will make no difference. Same approach as before - anterior lateral.

I went there feeling kind of excited but left feeling kind of down. Maybe the reality of it all hit me. I have such respect for those in the medical field (well most of them, trying to help others.) I want to thank them before I'm even operated on - all the nurses, attendants, etc.! But then I have to balance it out and still get my questions answered (always written down - I can feel the eyes rolling when they see my list.) Plus it is such a BIG thing for me and for them it is their everyday ho hum yet still important job. And yes, they are human and may get cranky and hungry if it's past lunchtime.

Okay. End of rant.

I actually feel okay today. It always helps me to go on Bonesmart and read about everyone's wonderful progress as well as the handling of their struggles. I don't know ANYONE personally who has a joint replacement (except the woman I used to have a dance company with many years ago who lives out west and we are only in touch by Facebook distantly.) And nobody in my family has had one. When I realized I was really going to have to do this at this age, I felt very isolated. So finding Bonesmart helped me to feel more at peace about it all. And in some very good company! :yes:

Preparing is going well. I'm less panicked about things definitely. I'm sleeping better than the last pre-op time. It is not such a BIG unknown about what will occur (except the pain/nausea dilemma.) At times I am actually looking forward to NOT doing chores again - "Honey, it's time to scoop the cat poop", etc.. There is also something nice about just having to take care of oneself and heal, just be, not do.

But it's still no picnic....

Hope everyone's doing great whatever stage of this journey they are in! :loveshwr:
 
I read your post while sitting in a doctor's office and started laughing, only to look up and see all bewildered eyes on me! You absolutely described my surgeon to a tee! In fact, I had to double check to make sure you hadn't moved to my neck of the woods. :heehee:

I'm happy you're soon to be done with this journey, but I feel for you as far as the pain med issue goes. Not a nice predicament to be in!

This site is truly a blessing and I can't imagine going through this journey without it. Oh, and btw, I'm milking the recovery as much as I can...no cleaning cat boxes for me and I don't even have the 90 degree rule...shhhh! ;-)
 
I think I had toradol after they wheeled me up into my room. It gave me immediate relief. That sounds like a good idea. They have a whole pharmacy of drugs. Hopefully they can find something that doesn't make you sick. I would be very worried about that, too. My friend had just Tylenol, and she was okay. What about sleeping pills? Can you take those? That might give you relief and help you sleep.

I think that many surgeons are task oriented, and they're not comfortable conversing or teaching people things like how to read an xray. I taught for thirty years, so I kind of have empathy for them. To me, the most important thing is that they are a good surgeon.

I didn't bring a list of questions until my six week post op appt. My surgeon was running very late, because they had all of these people doing xrays. Even so, he was kind, patient, and answered my questions. I think that he's a rare gem, though. I also have a really good mental connection with him, so I was fortunate. For some reason I get along extremely well with my doctors and my dentist. I wonder if it's because I teach yoga, and I have also studied the body in depth. I'm not sure, but I just feel a kinship with them. It seems to be mutual.

I hope this surgery goes well for you, and that the pain medication is effective.
 
Yaay for the progress on your first op hip, @Readysetgo! Just imagine that by this time next week you're going to have all the surgery stuff behind you. :)
I'm sorry that your surgeon deflated your mood. I understand that doctors are, of course, human but perhaps he could rework his schedule so that he can give patients the time and attention they deserve.
Okay...I'm done. I think you have every right to rant about that though.
I'm winging tons of good thoughts your way as your day approaches, friend. Before you know it all of the surgery/recovery stuff will begin to be a distant memory. It happens more quickly than would expect it to.
You're going to ace this. :flwrysmile:
 
You had me in stitches laughing after reading your recent post about your new surgeon! It was the perfect comedy act being played out between you, with abundant personality and your new surgeon with zero bedside manners! :snork: And, your previously surgeon resigned after your last surgery? Was it something you said/did? :heehee: Sometimes I wonder who makes for a better patient, females or males!

Just wanted to wish you an uneventful surgery and speedy recovery! Hope you find the right med recipe that will work for you!:flwrysmile:
 
@Readysetgo your big day is almost here so I just wanted to pop in and wish you a successful and uneventful surgery - you are going to do great! The 2nd one seems go go easier for most since we know what to expect, and hey, not scooping the litter box is definitely something to look forward to! :yes:
 
I have officially joined the " I overdid it" club today. Walked a lot all day yesterday doing errands and trying to stay busy and keep my mind off Tuesday's surgery. Today achey and slight limp. My husband said he noticed I've been compensating more lately as I've been moving more quickly and more often. It's hard to get the gait correct when one hip is way overdue. @Cynthia777 - you are right not to push it at this point. Loved the image of you laughing while reading about how similar our surgeons are in your doctor's office!

@Hip Hip Hooray! - Thanks for telling me again how your friend did well with just the tylenol for pain after surgery. Nice reminder that helped ease my anxiety a bit! Interesting that you had toradol after surgery. It did wonders for my headache when I went to the ER. Good idea about a sleeping pill. It would be incredible to get some good sleep right away! I will ask them for something easy on the stomach. By the way, I bet you are a wonderful teacher and probably would have made an excellent doctor, too!

@DeepBreath - Thanks for your encouraging perspective that this "surgery stuff " will be a distant memory soon. Yes, I am thankful I won't be in pre-op purgatory the rest of my life! :badspidy:Yay for that.

@keepmovin - Well now you have me laughing about that frustrating meeting with my new surgeon! And yes indeed, I think my former surgeon met me and promptly decided to quit working with patients anymore! Just kidding, but it was shocking that soon after I arranged my first surgery date, he called me to explain he was resigning and wouldn't be able to do the 2nd one as planned. It was nice that he contacted me personally but it was still upsetting.
Thanks for wishing me an uneventful surgery this time. Yes please!

@Hipster Girl - Thanks for popping in and wishing me a successful surgery! And it's also soothing to be reminded that most 2nd surgeries are easier than the first.

Thank you everyone for your encouraging and thoughtful words. Sincerely comforting. You guys are the best. :loveshwr:
 
Hi @Readysetgo, Yes, that toradol was like a miracle drug for me. I told the nurse, and she agreed. She said that's what they gave her for her c section. She said it was an anti- inflammatory.

Thank you for the compliment. I loved teaching. It came very naturally. It's funny what you said about being a doctor. My students always told me that I had diagnostic abilities. I think it was from all of the yoga. I have strong intuition.

It really helps to feel safe and prepared before this surgery. I was very anxious the pain, too. I even put in writing that my biggest fear was the pain getting out of control. They kept an extra eye on me, and on the nurses. My surgeon's asst. told me to be sure to use the call button for the nurse if I needed anything. They were really good. Once I was in a routine with the meds, I relaxed.

The friend I mentioned didn't have any pain, just stiffness. I was impressed that the Tylenol worked so well for her. You're going to be great!
 
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