THR Rosalita's Recovery Thread

Rosalita

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So I am home and hurting pretty badly. I do not want to take the oxy because of side effects, but the tylenol is just not working.
My biggest concern is that the replaced hip has made that leg longer than the other hip. This is really freaking me out. I hope I am just dillusional but fear that it is true. What can be done?????
I am here alone which I do not recommend. Surgery was wed afternoon and it is Friday morning but it feels like months ago.
 
Good morning @Rosalita . I’m sorry about the pain. The first thing you need to do is contact your doctors office and ask about getting the pain under control. I believe there are other things they can prescribe besides the oxy that will help the pain. Then you need to ice, ice and do more icing. That is a natural pain remedy and should help. I kept ice on the area almost all day long those first few days. Then I took an ice pack to bed but I didn’t replace it during the night as my pain was pretty much under control. Also, elevate your operated leg as much as you can. That will help reduce any swelling and again, help with the pain.

I’m sorry you have to be there alone but hopefully someone is checking on you each day by phone at least. Also, if you don’t see your post here,one of the advisors or admin may come along and move it to the recovery side for you so look there.

So, immediately get in touch with your doctors office and tell them what is going on and ask for their advice. Don’t worry that you might be bothering them. That is what they are there for and why we pay them for their services. Almost all of us had to call them at least once and I know I had to call at least 3 or 4 times and at least once was on a weekend but they got right back to me and were a big help.

Hang in there. Things will improve quickly as long as you follow the right steps. Don’t try to walk much these first days. Trips to the bathroom and to the kitchen for nourishment are all the exercise you need right now. Keep posting on here to let us know how things are going. I found the forum a huge help both before and after my surgery. Everyone was so supportive and full of helpful suggestions. Take care and contact your doctor right now!!!
 
:goodpost: @GrannyC Thank you!

Welcome to recovery @Rosalita
I‘m sorry you‘re in pain. All great advice from GrannyC above and I’ll echo that you really need to contact your OS for an alternative to the Oxy if it’s an issue for you. As far as feeling as though one leg is longer than the other, it’s a common sensation and that most likely will ease with time, so please don’t worry. Following is an article on Leg Length Differential - http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/leg-length-differential-lld.6173/

I will also leave the Recovery Guidelines and encourage you to start a new thread on the Recovery side now that you’re post op. You will receive a lot of support and encouragement over there from those who are also in recovery. Hope to see you there soon.
Wishing you comfort as you begin healing!

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask the at each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
@Rosalita, I am sorry you are hurting and scared. You said you did not take the oxy because of side effects. Are you personally not able to take oxy? If you personally have not had any side effects from oxy you might want to consider taking it especially at night. Please, please check with your doctor and express your concerns and they might help allay your fears and you can take the pain medicine which most of us needed for a few days and often for weeks or maybe they can give you something else that will help and not make you wary of taking it.
 
@Rosalita - Welcome to recovery!
I've moved some of the posts from your pre-op thread and started a recovery thread for you.
Please continue to post on this thread about your recovery from now on.
 
Great to hear you're home. Did you tell your OS or the hospital about your problem with Oxy? I would think they could provide a suitable substitute. Suffering in pain isn't good and you should get some assistance from them.
I wouldn't get worked up over leg length just yet. Everything about the op leg is going to feel very different for a while. Many have experienced the same and over time it all settles and it's fine.
Are you icing? The ice will make the pain better and ice according to the guidelines as often as you can. Keep walking to the minimum and just try and try and relax. I know it's easy for us to tell you but being calm will help your recovery. This will all pass in time and the early days it's slow but you will feel better.
 
Yes, those first several days can be rough. I can only echo what others have said and add my encouragement. I found that I had a lot of pain from quite a bit of swelling which was helped by all the icing and elevating that BoneSmart advocates. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the forum until about 3 weeks after surgery but I had realized what the problem and solution was from a very bad ankle injury I had had previously. I’m sure the good folks would have encouraged me to call my OS to help me find the right pain med solution as the oxy was not really working well for me. Please be kind to and take good care of yourself. Don’t be shy about advocating for yourself especially since you are by yourself. We’re here for you. Keep us posted as often as you need. ❤️
 
Great to hear you're home. Did you tell your OS or the hospital about your problem with Oxy? I would think they could provide a suitable substitute. Suffering in pain isn't good and you should get some assistance from them.
I wouldn't get worked up over leg length just yet. Everything about the op leg is going to feel very different for a while. Many have experienced the same and over time it all settles and it's fine.
Are you icing? The ice will make the pain better and ice according to the guidelines as often as you can. Keep walking to the minimum and just try and try and relax. I know it's easy for us to tell you but being calm will help your recovery. This will all pass in time and the early days it's slow but you will feel better.
Thanks for your encouragement. I am trying not to freak out here. Called dr office about the pain and they basically said you NEED the opiods, but if you won't take them, ok to increase tylenol to about 1500mg/day. So that is my plan for now. Working on icing although even that has been a challenge because when the ice gets warm, the thought of the pain involved to get to the freezer discourages me. Whew. This is harder than I thought! Your input is much appreciated.
 
Please try to relax, no need to freak out. Trust us, we’ve been there. The odds are in your favor that you’ll do just fine.

You haven’t mentioned exactly why you don’t want to take the opioids. Is it due to the way it makes you feel mentally / physically, or due to a fear of constipation? If it’s constipation, there are meds to help and also some dietary options you can try.

If your OS’s recommendation of 1500 mg daily fails to bring you relief, which might be the case, you may want to consider Extra Strength Tylenol at 1000 mg every 6 hours, not to exceed 4000 mg in any 24 hr period. You would need to calculate anything else you're taking that contains Acetaminophen into that safe 4000 mg / per 24 hr limit.

Most meds only remain fully effective in the system for 4-5 hours, no matter what the dose. So by taking it every 8 hours, you go at least 4 hours with no medication in your system at all. That gives the pain time to build up so the next dose takes longer to get effective. Just an option to consider and talk over with your OS if you begin to become dissatisfied with your current dosing schedule.

Working on icing although even that has been a challenge because when the ice gets warm, the thought of the pain involved to get to the freezer discourages me.

Do you have help....or someone at least checking in on you daily? If you can get someone to get you a small cooler, you could put some extra gel packs inside of it and keep it next to your chair or bed for easy access day, or night. I’m sure both could be ordered through Amazon with quick delivery if you’re totally on your own.

Wishing you comfort and we’ll managed pain. We’re here if you need us.
@Rosalita
 
I wish you were closer I'd give you my Polar Pack to use, ice lasts 4 hours. Any chance you could get someone to make you some more ice packs, I think there is a recipe on here or pick up a couple from the store. This way you could rotate them and stay on ice.
Most Oxy and Hydro have acetaminophen(Tylenol) combined with them, just be aware in case you do take the Oxy. I am very fortunate and didn't have any side effects and Miralax kept me regular.
 
Following is the article and instructions (Eman85) mentioned above.

Do you have family, a neighbor, friend or church family member that could check in on you daily? Please try to reach out to someone. They could help you get set up for the day, or the next day and their company, even if brief, will help ease your anxiety and lift your spirits.
@Rosalita
 
Agree with pretty much everything you've been told so far. Those early days had us all second guessing ourselves. I'm also wondering why you're not taking the pain meds, they really do serve a purpose. Could you ask the OS to switch to another med, I had mine switch me to Norco as I don't do well in Oxy. The Oxy makes me foggy as all get out but does nothing for my pain. Just make sure you're double checking to make sure there isn't any acetaminophen/Tylenol in it so you don't overdo.

If you don't have enough ice packs you can always use packs of frozen peas, corn, etc. Just remember to wrap a towel around them.
 
Thanks for your encouragement. I am trying not to freak out here. Called dr office about the pain and they basically said you NEED the opiods, but if you won't take them, ok to increase tylenol to about 1500mg/day. So that is my plan for now.
It's perfectly safe to take a larger dose of Tylenol than 1,500 mg a day.

The most effective way to take Tylenol is 2 x 500 mg tablets (Tylenol Extra Strength) 6-hourly, to a total of 4,000 mg (4 doses) in 24 hours. You need to take it regularly, to keep up the levels in your bloodstream. If you just take the odd dose now and then, it's far less effective.

Check all other medications you're taking, to make sure there is no Tylenol/Acetaminophen/Paracetamol in them. If there is, scale back one or two of your regular doses, so you stay within that safe 24 hour limit of 4,000 mg.
 
Rosalita,

I used no narcotics after the first night in the hospital ... I was not avoiding them, but I was finding tylenol to be sufficient to control my pain.

However, I started at 4000 mg/day and kept using that level for over a week. 1000 mg every six hours.

I also elevated and iced, nearly continually ... for several weeks. Every silicon cold pack change, I walked for several minutes, bathroom breaks, etc ...

Over a few days you will feel waaaay better ...
 
Agree with pretty much everything you've been told so far. Those early days had us all second guessing ourselves. I'm also wondering why you're not taking the pain meds, they really do serve a purpose. Could you ask the OS to switch to another med, I had mine switch me to Norco as I don't do well in Oxy. The Oxy makes me foggy as all get out but does nothing for my pain. Just make sure you're double checking to make sure there isn't any acetaminophen/Tylenol in it so you don't overdo.

If you don't have enough ice packs you can always use packs of frozen peas, corn, etc. Just remember to wrap a towel around them.
At 5am this morning I gave up and took an oxy (5 mg) along with a 500 mg tylenol. The pain was just unbearable. It helped enough so that I was able to do the exercises. I did some walking back and forth in the living room today but I know that my "form" isn't as good as it was in the hospital (using the walker as a sort of crutch). Now, 12 hours later took the 5mg oxy and the 500 mg tylenol and when that kicks in, I will do the exercises again. I will call dr office on Monday and ask about taking 4,000 tylenol per day and maybe I can cut out the oxy. Theonly other hting thy perscribed was 325 mg asprin for a blood thinner.
 
Agree with pretty much everything you've been told so far. Those early days had us all second guessing ourselves. I'm also wondering why you're not taking the pain meds, they really do serve a purpose. Could you ask the OS to switch to another med, I had mine switch me to Norco as I don't do well in Oxy. The Oxy makes me foggy as all get out but does nothing for my pain. Just make sure you're double checking to make sure there isn't any acetaminophen/Tylenol in it so you don't overdo.

If you don't have enough ice packs you can always use packs of frozen peas, corn, etc. Just remember to wrap a towel around them.
At 5am this morning I gave up and took an oxy (5 mg) along with a 500 mg tylenol. The pain was just unbearable. It helped enough so that I was able to do the exercises. I did some walking back and forth in the living room today but I know that my "form" isn't as good as it was in the hospital (using the walker as a sort of crutch). Now, 12 hours later took the 5mg oxy and the 500 mg tylenol and when that kicks in, I will do the exercises again. I will call dr office on Monday and ask about taking 4,000 tylenol per day and maybe I can cut out the oxy. Theonly other hting thy perscribed was 325 mg asprin for a blood thinner.
Sorry about all the typos....it wouldn't let me correct them.
 
I wish you were closer I'd give you my Polar Pack to use, ice lasts 4 hours. Any chance you could get someone to make you some more ice packs, I think there is a recipe on here or pick up a couple from the store. This way you could rotate them and stay on ice.
Most Oxy and Hydro have acetaminophen(Tylenol) combined with them, just be aware in case you do take the Oxy. I am very fortunate and didn't have any side effects and Miralax kept me regular.
@Rosalita I would stop doing the exercises completely right now. They are unnecessary and are adding to your pain.
I like that idea, but dr office told me that they are very important. Wonder why?
 
Great to hear you're home. Did you tell your OS or the hospital about your problem with Oxy? I would think they could provide a suitable substitute. Suffering in pain isn't good and you should get some assistance from them.
I wouldn't get worked up over leg length just yet. Everything about the op leg is going to feel very different for a while. Many have experienced the same and over time it all settles and it's fine.
Are you icing? The ice will make the pain better and ice according to the guidelines as often as you can. Keep walking to the minimum and just try and try and relax. I know it's easy for us to tell you but being calm will help your recovery. This will all pass in time and the early days it's slow but you will feel better.
I think I could do better with the ice packs. They gave me a bag at the hospital that you are supposed to fill with chopped ice. So I emptied an an ice cube tray and chopped it up with a hammer. Worked ok. I also have 2 bags of peas I can use. And yes, I need to relax. This was not the ideal time to have this surgery with the corona virus!
 

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