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THR Readysetgo Recovery

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@Readysetgo I've popped in a bit late to the party and see that you've BEEN THERE DONE THAT already. I'm so excited to see your take on #2. We had #1 on the same day and I've still got a month to go to be where you are. I'm so hoping you don't get the dizzies or nausea. I threw up the first time they had me get up to go to the bathroom and had to stay in the bed. I was really glad to have the catheter because I could just stay in the bed and let the pee flow to the jar. Up and walking, Yes! I hope to hear that you have some energy left from the first so that this one will heal quickly. I'm glad to know that the exited feeling that It's Done is there. I'll be checking on you every day. WhooHoo. You're all finished. Be glad your not an octopus. :ice: Ice Ice Baby. --julie
 
I wasn't thrilled at the thought of having a catheter but I found I was glad to have it. I was able to rehydrate myself so well drinking as much water as I wished! I think I probably would have limited my water intake a little if I was having to get up to pee every 45 minutes. Plus I was numb from the spinal for about 5 hours after waking up from sedation, so I don't know how that would have worked without the catheter. The nurses were so happy with my urine output! LOL

I will say that the catheter hurt terribly coming out (not to scare you or anything, I'm sure you'll be fine). The nurse woke me up around 3 or 4 in the morning to take it out and it was very painful for about 10 minutes afterward.
 
@Readysetgo sorry to hear the catheter was painful coming out but that is great that you were able to drink as much water as you wanted and stay hydrated and not having to get up to use the restroom. Being well hydrated is very important especially when taking all the medications they give in the hospital.
Well done on getting hip #2 taken care of! :flwrysmile:
 
THR #2 Day 4 Recovery

Thank you ALL so much for your lovely posts and support! I so much appreciate it!

Day #1 in hospital went great. But - oh there's always a BUT in hip surgery (no pun intended) - Day 2 was a bit rough. I was so hoping for smooth sailing this time. I got up to walk with PT and felt dizzy, thought I was going to faint. They put me back in bed. BP was slightly low and felt woozy but not nauseous. Then I suddenly instinctively grabbed a nearby bucket and vomited. A lot. I didn't get sick again or feel nauseous afterwards but felt kind of weak. Actually felt better to be up with walker. Nurse thinks I was reacting to anesthesia stuff (versed? other?) I eliminated the opiates so I thought I'd do fine this time. Guess not. Who knows.

The hospital floor was at max capacity the 2nd night of my stay with a few contaminated room signs so the nurses were slammed and busy. The ice machine was down so no ice for anyone. They locked my hospital bed so I couldn't elevate my feet ("the doctors will get mad if they see your feet up after hip replacement".) I had to ask nurses to help me stack pillows to get them up a little. The head night nurse had also been on duty with my last hip surgery. We were happy to see each other again, had made a nice connection last time. She offered to go on a special hunt for me -and was able to scoop up the last dregs of ice so I'd have at least one bag of ice for the night.

Day 3 I started to feel better but had lost my appetite after getting sick. PT went well.

But the pain this surgery is more extensive than last. OS had talked to me the morning after surgery saying something about the sciatic nerve but I was groggy and didn't get exactly what it was. Day 2 and 3 I really felt lots of pain down the sciatic nerve. I'd never (gratefully!) had that pain before. That scared me. I know surgery can stir things up. I remember how anxious you were @Squirrellymom when you had knee pain that you'd never had before and I thought that must've been scarey for you. I hope that knee pain has gone away now!

So I know every THR is different and that I had an incredibly good surgical result with my last THR. I shouldn't compare, but I will. This is Day 4 with tylenol and ibuprofen and the pain is much worse than Day 4 of my last surgery when I didn't have ANY meds at all because I thought I'd get sick again. The hip hardly hurt at all then (0 when resting.) I just hope that this sciatic pain isn't something permanent. There is a lot more swelling and itching at incision site as well. Head PT at hospital thought the sciatic stuff would probably go away once inflammation subsides and told me not to worry.

I am icing a lot and elevating. I need to calm down.

When I asked OS the 2nd morning why my sciatic area was so painful this time he just gave his usual answer- a shrug.:shrug: But he did make me laugh when he told me how the surgery patient right before me outweighed me by more than 100 pounds but he had to give me a much bigger sized prosthesis because of my big bones! I have a smallish frame but big bones - he said it was genetics.

I am just today feeling up to posting and updating. I look forward to responding more to everyone very soon! I'm a bit pooped after rambling here so long.

It's good to be in my own home (with lots of available ice packs!) We live right near the sea so the smell of the ocean welcomed me home as I got out of the car. Nice after all those hospital smells.

Thanks again to all of you. :loveshwr: Just reading all your posts and threads kept me uplifted even if I didn't have the energy to respond or post myself. I still hold onto that first wonderful positive thought when I woke up from surgery that it's all done and the healing can really go forth now. :yes!:
 
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Oooooh @Readysetgo so good you have managed to alert all the smarties here that you do exist! I guess each surgery is different just like each pregnancy is different. I was hoping for the exact same or better. :mcoffee: Scary stuff not having ICE! I'm packing ginger chews, saltines and ginger ale because of nausea before too. Now, I'll have to think about taking an ice chest with my ice packs. :ice:

My knee is truly so much better now. I still feel a soreness and tightness above it but no more burning or pain. I don't want that to happen again on the other side but if it does I know I can live with it and get through it. Don't think I'll be relaxed with something like you are talking about with the sciatic nerve thing. I'm pretty sure I'll be going home again after only one night and there is no sea near middle TN. :bawl:We are on a lake but it usually just smells like mud and by mid April there will probably be mosquitoes.

Hope this is the beginning of the end of all things painful and that you are walking perfectly with the next few weeks! WhooHoo girl! You are DONE. :cheers: --julie
 
@Readysetgo, well, it's wonderful that you didn't have the prolonged nausea and dizziness like last time, but my goodness about the ice! How lovely of your nurse to go hunt some down for you.
I am sending out tons of good vibes that the sciatic issue resolves quickly. So much is stirred up during surgery, but ends up healing as time goes on. Argh about your surgeon and the shrug!
How interesting about your bones. I just read something on Facebook from one of my friends, who is currently constantly advertising this weight loss program, about how there 'is no such thing as being big boned'. I respectfully disagree with that!

Anyway, I am sending out tons of good vibes for you that the pain lessens soon and that you experience a smooth recovery. Enjoy that lovely sea air, friend. :flwrysmile:
 
Day 5 Recovery hip #2 -

I'm having so much more swelling and pain with this surgery. I was very lucky last time. Really only had stiffness and some ache. But with this hip there's pain radiating down from the butt to the back of leg to feet, sometimes stinging. I still prefer the pain to the nausea from meds. This recovery may take longer than last. The hip had more damage than the other one and had bothered me for much longer. I do feel a tiny bit of improvement today so that's good. Appetite is very slowly returning.

PT came to my home yesterday to do an assessment. She has worked as a PT for 36 years. Interesting woman. I told her how hard it was to dive back down into recovery mode after making strides with the first surgery and feeling my energy back. She told me about a local dr. (didn't say if he was an OS) who went through bilateral hip replacement surgery and was totally shocked by how his world got changed by it. He told her he was not prepared for how deep, emotional and profound his experience was. She said it gave him more empathy for his patients. She told me he had more compassion for his patients after that. And then she said "You know, that's something he was definitely lacking before." She said his hips are doing great now. A changed man!

So, see how brave we are fellow smarties? :thumb:
 
@Readysetgo can you ask your OS or family doctor for anti-inflammatory medication? I can't take the opiates for the same issues as you have experienced. But post both THRs I was discharged with anti-inflammatory and Tylenol. Worked great!
 
Oh thank you @Squirrellymom for making me laugh after a few tough days! You are smart to bring all your snacks to the hospital. People told me not to do that because they have that all there. Right - how long would it take to get a nurse to get you peanut butter and crackers everytime you took your meds? But the vision of you hauling an ice chest in there, too was hilarious! Believe me, when they told me there was NO ice I really did envision the same thing. Funny thing also was reading your nice post with ":ice: Ice Ice Baby!" after they'd informed me there was no more ice. Gotta love it.

So glad your knee is much better! I'm hoping this new back of the leg/butt pain goes away when the inflammation subsides. It may take time. I can't believe you go home after just one night at your hospital. You sound comfortable with that so that's good.

Thanks so much for your good wishes and for making me laugh! Soon you will join me and be a double hippie, too! :egypdance:
 
@Jaycey - I am taking Ibuprofen 200 mg every 8 hrs. Tylenol 1,000 mg every 6 hours. I did ask OS what else could I take and he shrugged as usual. I suggested diclofenac and he said 'that's for inflammation, not really pain reducing which is what you need now.' I disagreed but wasn't going to argue. He told me he takes diclofenac himself.

Which inflammatory did you take with Tylenol? This surgery feels so different, more painful than the last one. I know they're all different but it still took me by surprise a bit. I find I really really need to rest, elevate and ice right now. By last night the op side was swollen and very warm and painful, especially at incision area and from the butt down the back of the leg to foot. Husband thought I'd been up and walking a bit too much and that had increased the swelling (inflammation!) by the evening. I'm really resting today.

Thank you so much for your input. Much appreciated!
 
@DeepBreath - Thank you for your good vibes that this sciatic type pain goes away! And also for the reminder that things get stirred up with this surgery but can eventually subside with healing. The different pain and greater amount of it just took me by surprise.

Yes that nurse was a sweetheart to find and scarf up the last ice cubes for me! I am so impressed with how hard nurses work! (most of them.) She is going back to school in Sept. to become a nurse practitioner.

Hope scaling back on the PT is working well for you right now. And hope your weekend is beautiful and relaxing. :)
 
@Readysetgo, thanks, friend. :) I hope the weird sensation goes away completely too. It isn't like this on the other side, so I think it's just unfamiliar movements a little too early in the process.
Regarding your sciatic pain: after my second surgery when I got up to use the bathroom early the second morning (first time out of bed) I had a searing pain jolt down the back of my op thigh. It actually took my breath away. It persisted for a couple of days, but did gradually fade away. I was so thankful because I hadn't had that after my first surgery and it really worried me. It's easy to be concerned as we go through this because it's all new to us.
I hope you have a terrific weekend as well and that Monday sees more evidence of healing. You're on your way! :)
 
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Readysetgo said:
Which inflammatory did you take with Tylenol?
Click to expand...
I was discharged taking only Diclofenac and Tylenol. Worked great for me. Can you ask your family doctor for a prescription? It's the inflammation that is causing pain.
 
Uh oh, I'm wondering if I may experience the same issue (2nd THR more difficult recovery) because the hip yet to be done has had problems longer than my post-op hip (although X-Rays revealed my op-hip was in worse condition). I'm actually happy you have prepared me for the possibility of a more difficult recovery second time around (I'm not one for surprises).
Hopefully your issues this time around are very short lived! Looking at the bright side...A, you had a bucket at hand and B, you're 3/4's of the way towards a pain free life! Sending you hugs, well wishes and most importantly prayers to you today. :console2:
 
@Jaycey - I am definitely going to call my GP on Monday to ask for Diclofenac! There is so much swelling. It seems to increase each day and is worse by evening. I had very little swelling last time.

I do get worried because I have some off and on burning sensations in my stomach area like I had last time after vomiting so much post op. (Those went away eventually and I regained my appetite.) So I worry that the NSAIDS, Tylenol and aspirin that I'm prescribed now could irritate stomach more. I'm trying to eat something before any meds. I don't know. I never had any trouble taking NSAIDS as needed pre THR's. I have no digestive issues at all. So I'm hoping this will subside as stomach and appetite return to normal like last time. But I know I don't have an effective med cocktail right now. So I'm going to try for that Diclofenac.

Thanks so much for your help! Hope you're having a good weekend!
 
@Readysetgo sorry to hear you're having a more difficult time with this surgery than the first. I guess it's true what they say about no two recoveries being alike, even on the same person. I hope you get relief from your sciatic pain soon. I too was laughing at @Squirrellymom 's post.
Hope you are enjoying that fresh ocean air - that sounds so invigorating!
 
@DeepBreath - I'm glad your back of the leg pain faded in a few days after your hip #2 op. Hopefully mine will, too. It is worrisome when a totally new thing comes up! I've been meaning to read up on your #2 recovery. Think that will help me get perspective even if our journeys were a bit different.

It really is helpful having our threads as history. I looked back on my thread to see when I started to feel better and it was on Day 10. May not be the same this time, but it gives me a rough idea of my body's progression with healing.

Hope you are soaking in this spring warmth and your pain from the new PT is lessening. :flwrysmile:
 
@Readysetgo - I agree. I was asked to keep a pain diary both before and after I had my diagnostic hip injection. I add to it from time to time and it's a useful reminder of just how much things have deteriorated and why I'm going to have life changing surgery, not once but twice. The information sharing on here is invaluable - we help one another with our fears and with personal experience and advice.
Love Bonesmart! :loveshwr::roseshwr::happydance::yay:
 
Leave it to @Cynthia777 to look on the bright side! I had that bucket right next to the bed. Wasn't taking any chances.

I know I had joint pain longer in this #2 hip but honestly don't know which hip was in worse shape. You will probably be fine no matter the outcome with #2 because you can take the percoset, etc. to adequately cope with pain.

Thanks for your well wishes and prayers. Hope you're having a fun weekend! :SUNsmile:
 
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