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THR Red Shoe is Singing on the Other Side

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Butterfly Bletch thanks peeps, I'm doing better over past few days. I'm going to start a new post as well about things I've found out whilst recovering, think it may amuse you :) xx
 
Well I'm into my third week post op of TRHR and here's what I've learned so far

1 Sleeping on your back comes easy by week two but you get too laid back and can roll ( keep the pillow devider up)
2 Cats make a good leg devider in bed but they can make your legs itch so I suggest one cat or dog is sufficient
3 It's easier to reach for a chocolate cookie than prepare a sandwich or ask someone to make one for you ( check waist line everyday)
3 Washing yourself becomes slightly easier each day but beware. The sponge on the stick goes very cold in the water very quickly, so if your washing all regions down south then it can come as a shock :shocked:
4 I've managed to learn how to wash my hair by doing the golfers pose over the bath, watch out for running water that goes down your back and floods the bath room
5 A surgical ice pack is far better in bed than grabbing something from the freezer. Frozen peas under the sheets is not amusing and tends to make husbands cross
6 injections in the tummy get worse as the days go on, learn how to scream not so loud
7 Do not venture outside if its been raining and there are slugs and snails on the ground ( they make a horrible crunching sound under your sticks)
8 Be prepared to show your backside to the whole world as every visitor wants to see your scar and tell you how brave you are
9 Shave legs well before op as you will turn into a Hobbit and there's nothing you can do about it
10 Have a good sense of humour remind yourself what the pain was like before :)
 
Hi Red Shoe, what a fantastic set of lessons learnt.... Three weeks where has that time gone. You are doing very well. Did I read on one of your pre op threads that you have a singing gig in October? Also how did your US interview go?

I have merged your recovery threads into this one, this is your primary thread.

We prefer to keep your recovery journey in the one thread for context. :)

[Bonesmart.org] Red Shoe is Singing on the Other Side
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Poppet cheers lovely, didn't realise we had to keep it to one thread so sorry about that. I have my first concert on October 12 th and I think they may have to lower me down on stage like a scene from "Spinal Tap" :happydance: The interview went well thank you, hoping to get across the pond next year x
 
No problem, most member do the same thing :)

I am so pleased the interview went well.. Breaking into the US scene will be fantastic for you, so deserved :)
 
Poppet looking good and likely that one of your singers called EmmyLou may do one of our songs :ok:
 
How exciting.. Life is good isn't it and it just keeps getting better Red Shoe ... Hugs from down under...
 
Hi Red Shoe Great to see you are doing so well. I was also very anaemic after the op (down to 7.1!) and needed 4 units of blood to get up to 9 over the next week. I suspect I was only sent home then with iron tablets as the hospital was desperate for the bed. The snow/ice had hit and the orthpedics ward was overflowing with broken bones.
Your things-I-now-know list is familiar, but as for number 9, I lost all the hairs on my legs! Josephine said people say this can happen after surgery, no-one knows why. I only realised when reading tips on here about fixing razors to sticks, looked at my (usually Hobbit-like) legs - wow! Unfortunately, they are now re-growing and are as thick and black as ever, unlike the hair on my head :sad:!
And 10, it is only now that I realise how much of my life was lost to pain pre-op. Summer 2012 was a bit of a blur but watch out folks, I am starting to get back to normal (as much as I ever was!). How lucky we are that medical science has made it possible for us to live again!
And everyone waiting for their new joints - see you on the other side, it's good here :friends::cheers:!!!!!
Best wishes to all
Anne
 
Red Shoe Loved your lists of lessons learned, especially the one about the cats as leg spacers. Since I have very large dogs (labrador retrievers) who tend to wiggle about, kick their legs and make snurfing noises when they sleep (they also shed), I don't thing that will be practical for me, though. My big Emily (near 100 pounds) likes to get upon the bed and "spoon" with me, which is very comforting except I end up being covered with black dog hairs, which itch like mad. She is such a big 'ol sweet girl I haven't told her that, though, it would offend her sensibilities.

I had to take my Harold (the male lab-pitbull cross) to the vet today for his checkup. It was way overdue. I had to get my neighbor to get him in the car for me (no way I could handle him on his leash in the walker) and then the kind ladies at my vet's office came out and get him out of the car and led him in for me. It was a major undertaking but I got it done. I truly and from the bottom of my heart wish my own medical providers were as kind and compassionate as my vet and her staff are.

Glad you are doing well and have your sense of humor! I sure hope I do as well as you are.

I'm only a little over a week away, and am anxious, but fighting the anxiety. I just have to quit fussing and get through it. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

Love to you, and I am SO glad you are doing well.
 
Butterfly the week will fly by dear lady. Will DIL look after your dogs whilst your in hospital ? and do you have any good neighbours that could pop in and see you when you get out. I found the week before my op that I started to become more calm, my body just relaxed and I realised I had to go ahead with it. I'm glad Harold had his check up and hope he got a clean bill of health :puppysmooze: I shall be thinking of you this next week and checking if your ok, much love my hippy friend xxxx
 
Loved the list of leassons learned! A razor duck taped to the other end of the back brush workes well too!

Butterfly I would be willing to bet that your furry giants will turn into gentle giants when you come home from the hospital. Bubba, who only weighs 24 pounds but can knock you over if you're not paying attention became the most gentle little lap dog. He would get up on the couch, step over to the arm of my chair and gentle touch my arm. Normally he would have taken a flying leap from the hall onto my lap! As I got more active/moble he got more active. But a word of warning...my PT put tennis balls on the bottom of my walker because of the hard wood floors in the house. Bubba was petrified of the walker from the day I brought it home but when it grew tennis balls it became much more interesting. The only way he learned his lesson was the day he tried to grab a tennis ball and run with it...now he just looks at the walker!
 
Red Shoe I hope I do settle down. My grandson is going to stay here while I'm in the hospital and take care of the doggies, etc. When I come home, my DIL is going to stay with me a few days. We were going to do a bunch of stuff this last week to get ready, but she came down with pneumonia and so of course we couldn't do as planned. She is feeling much better and is not supposed to be contagious any more, so I'll probably see her tomorrow. I hope so, I've been a bit lonely, and ruminating too much. Big problem with me -- I think about everything too much and imagine things that can go wrong. Not good to do!

So glad you are still doing so well.

Love from across the pond, and please keep me in your thoughts for LOWER blood pressure.

Milli
 
Love your list @redshoe

It great you are doing so well
 
Butterfly sorry for the delay in responding dear chum, I've been a bit washed out over past couple of days. I tried walking on one stick for the day but my hip told me off. I'm glad you have the pooches covered whilst your in hospital and that DIL will be staying with you for awhile. Hope your feeling a bit more relaxed and don't get over doing it before your op. Poor DIL having pneumonia, that must have been a dreadful worry for you. My sis Suzy sends her regards and asks me every day how your doing. Not long sweetheart and all that bone pain will be gone. Make a bucket list of the things you want to do when your back on your feet :puppysmooze:
 
Redshoe,
You seemed to be doing really well !! toast and tea on the first day !! Congrats ! Tell us about the walking tomorrow! Will be looking forward reading your posting.

Lumiere
 
Hi folks, hope everyone's doing well that had hips done in September. I'm four weeks in and feel as if I've slowed down a bit now. I'm still using two sticks but can manage with one around the house. My swelling has gone down really well but I still have groin pain. People who have met me think I'm doing really well but I feel as if I should be doing more. I can't wait until I'm allowed to sleep on my side, it's really getting me down now having to sleep on my back. Gosh, I sound like a real moaner :shocked: I've finished my blood thinning injections though, whoopee and thank goodness :) can anyone tell me when they started to put cream or oil on their scar? Mines really neat but the skins very dry. Anyway folks, have a fab week and fingers crossed dear Butterfly will soon be posting xxx
 
Hi, @RedShoe ... you sound like you're doing great. I think I remember from other people posting there seems to be an informal "Four Week Syndrome" where you feel kinda stalled. That's how I remember it. I know what you mean about people proclaiming you look like you're doing so well, but they have no clue how you really feel. That's great you have no more injections! (I was lucky to escape that one.) That must feel like a big milestone. You're not a moaner: sleeping on one's back is a big pain, literally and in other ways. My OS was pretty liberal about letting me sleep on my side after about 4 weeks, I think. It could not come soon enough. As for the scar, I know several people were rubbing stuff on theirs; hopefully they will see this and chime in. I remember reading about people using coconut oil. Maybe Poppet can advise you when she has a minute, as she is very savvy about such things.
I left my scar alone and I also didn't let my PT rub it, either. Hands off! I just felt it was not safe to have anyone massage my scar unless it'd be an OS. But maybe that's just me being crazy. My scar is ugly and has not faded, but it isn't dry and isn't too lumpy. So I don't know.

Hang in there. Four weeks down the hatch is good and it will get better!
 
Hi Red Shoe,
Peaches is right-at four weeks I was tired of being in recovery! But it is too soon to do too much. I think I began rubbing an non-fragrant, lubricating cream after my six week check up, and my PT massaged the incision at about the same time "to prevent scar tissue" though many on BS said scar tissue didn't happen without the massage.

I also avoided the injections, happily. I did have some groin pain and iced it regularly. It went away.
 
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