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Scared newbie... Hip is shot. What if it doesn't work!!??

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Vetgirl said:
One last trivial question.....how much is a pint of Ben and Jerrys in the states? They charge us $12. Can u believe that????
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:shocked: Gosh! We can get 2 pints for £6.00! My fav is Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt. Just what the doctor ordered. Yummmm!
 
Ellen, after surgery you will be dealing with an entirely different kind of pain.....the kind centered around your incision. And for this, you'll need the narcotics, plain and simple. You may need some supplementing to the narcotics....my doc had me alternating Vicodin and tramodol, and it worked very successfully for me. (Some of us do great with tramadol and some of us don't...trial and error is the only way to find out).

Later, after a month or so, the surgical pain will have receded significantly, and the arthritis pain will be gone gone gone (except for the other hip, but you might be pleasantly surprised to find that it isn't as bad), and you will wean (slowly, gradually) off the narcotics and that's when tylenol should be very effective for controlling what pain is left. Again, I alternated tramadol and tylenol for that second month, and then tapered off tramadol entirely by the end of the third month. I continued to used tylenol well into the fourth month, and only stopped because it started upsetting my stomach. At that point I switched back to Celebrex for a while. Took me 6 full months to be drug-free after my first THR. Took closer to 9 months after the second (which was because of bursitis and IT band problems). Completely drug free now.

That's me. You will have to travel your road to find out what works best for you. But be assured that there are many roads that lead to the same place...much greater mobility with a lot less pain. Soon baby soon!

Sharon
 
Thanks, @sharonslp I read your posts about meds diligently, so I'm familiar with the content of this one. What I was really asking was this: since I've been taking Tylenol 3,000 mgs for a long time (although ineffectively), will this fact make it less effective after I start tapering off on the narcotics down the road? In other words, even though the pain is different, will the Tylenol have lost its effectiveness due to long-term use? Just wondering what to expect if it can even be predicted.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Scared newbie... Hip is shot. What if it doesn't work!!??
As Jo always says, no meds are effective against bone on bone pain. So it no wonder that the Tylenol is doing nothing for that. But after surgery, you may find that once you don't need the narcotic drugs the Tylenol will take care of minor surgical pain. I found that taken along with at least 400mgs of ibuprofen, it was very effective.
 
Ellen, I have seen it stated both ways. - that you can develop a tolerance with acetaminophen and that you don't - so not sure. But I would say if it helps you now and you feel you need it then take it. If you don't think it's helping then don't take it so it can help more later
 
@bottomshollow & @sharonslp Ah, good answers! Unfortunately, I'll never be able to combine Tylenol with ibuprofen because I'm on Coumadin routinely for A-Fib. Well, it's gonna be trial-amd-error like for everybody else. Looking forward to the "new" pain. Think I was given Percocet after my knee -- 2 for a short time, then 1. Don't remember horrific knee pain, if that's any indication. Thanks!!
 
@Vetgirl Thanks for the response. It WAS frustrating to have surgery cancelled, but I worried more about what would happen if the UA came up positive again. Apparently, a UA is important to my OS: When OS' office got my pre-op results, they called & specifically asked if I had also had a UA done. I said yes; they said they hadn't gotten those results yet & they were on hold until they were received. The rest is history: pos UA, surgery delayed. Cipro 1,000 mgs for 6 days & lots of cranberry juice = neg UA! And the plot thickens...

What are you hoping to hear from the specialist on Tuesday? I do so hope it's what you want so you can move ahead. You've had an awful lot on your plate.

Regarding the ice cream in question: a pint costs about $3.89; I don't know what that is in your currency. Ooh -- just remembered I also love choc chip cookie dough! Must get some before I get sawed! Here's to a new life!!!

Ellen
 
@Vetgirl. Oops, I was wrong about ice cream. It was actually $4.59 AND worth every caloric penny AND the... um... many bathroom visits later that evening. I think I have too much time on my hands. :)
 
@MajorHeidi -- re contoured wedge pillow
Check out loungedoctor.com

Note you can order in different sizes, depending on your height! Can even get wider width if necessary. You can get it with memory foam or not. I don't think I got that. Let me know what you think.
Butterfly here told me about it.
 
I am feeling very calm today... And somewhat less pain, particularly in non-surgical leg, which REALLY makes me happy, since that was the one unknown I've been really stressing about. Figured OS would fix the bad one!!

Don't know why this sense of tranquility is floating around... Almost afraid to verbalize it for fear it'll dissipate into high anxiety!! I'll try to enjoy it while it lasts. I think it must've been the sedation that came from scarfing down Ben & Jerry's!

What do you wear on your feet in the hospital? The grippy-socks? Rubber-soled shoes? Seems likely there may be big-time foot-swelling, right? In that case, socks, I guess. 4 more good sleep nights!

Ellen
 
Ellen - I've also found that lovely calm. I think it may be the final stage after the panic, fear, etc. I hope it sticks around, it's a lot better than it was. I'm planning on bringing my composite sandals that are fastened with Velcro. that's what the nurses recommended at the SOC. It's much too cold here for sandals but I will unfashionably wear socks with them. In hospital, I'm told they give us the grippy socks. Rest well my dear.
 
@shrinkette. @grandma chris. So very glad to hear you are both calm...that's fabulous!! I just wore ordinary house slippers with rubber soles ...had no swelling in feet st all. Looking forward to hearing from you when you are new hippies. Thinking of you both. Chrissie xx


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®
 
It's 2:49 am est... Took my usual Ambien... Mind is too busy. Gotta do some equivalent of counting sheep. BAAA!
 
@shrinkette ... so sorry for the postponed operation (just catching up after an unhappy hiatus from bonesmart) and can't imagine how exasperating and jarring (to say the least) that must have been for you. Very best of luck to you for the day the curtain does go up. You will be joining the chorus (sorry for all the theater metaphors) of "it wasn't at all as bad as I thought." Like you, I was more afraid of the recovery than the operation. But you've been through KNEE surgery, and its recovery, which would terrify the bejesus out of me. The hip will be easier. I too became pretty calm right before showtime. I think I almost had a "Well, toots ... strap yourself in" attitude. Keep thinking of all of those glowing statistics. And of course read and write here on BS and you will get instant support and informative responses. Take care and good luck!
 
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