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THR second time easier (so far)

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LeeApril26 @zauberflöte @Kim22 @Peaches @Elosarabrab@ByGosh sandybeach and all
I have to report on my mom's cardiologist appointment today. First, the bottom line: as far as I understand, he's putting her on some slight doses of a few medications to keep her heart from going wonky because of the COPD, but basically she's ok. (except, hmmm, her B/P was 92/58....?)
I drove her because it would cost an unreasonable amount to go by medical van. ($70 for the van owned by the nursing home, somewhere $250 - $300 for another medical service transport.) She told me she could walk to my car with a walker. She needed her handbag so we would have her insurance cards and her handicap sign to hang from the car's rear view mirror.
So..... the rehab folks hooked her to a portable oxygen tank (they are hoping to wean her off completely before she goes home.) She walked, using the walker. I slung the strap of the tank on my shoulder, and walked along just behind her, with our two handbags and my cane - we were connected by the oxygen hose. We came to a door! We stared at it for a minute, then I put down the oxygen tank and went to push an "automatic open" button, ran back to grab the tank and follow Mom through... you get the idea. I can't decide if it was hysterical or incredibly sad! But - the trip was exhausting for both of us! Had to share...!
 
@ Songlady. A combination of both emotions, I think. My old friend from high school/college has COPD and uses a tank. We and our spouses have been going out to dinner most Saturday nights since 1968. For the last several months it's been her with the tank and me with the cane, and our husbands helping us. We laugh but it is really sad, especially since my hip is improving but not likely her breathing will.
You are a wonderful daughter. I hope your mom is stabilized soon.
 
Hi Songlady, Wow you did have a stressful day transporting your mum and her O2 tank +2 bags with her using a walker and you on a cane ! Incredible as well as exhausting ! You are amazing. So glad your mum has had some treatment for her heart and hope its not too long before she is off the O2.Its the sort of incident which is dreadful at the time but sometime in the future you will both have a good laugh over it. Take it easy and relax for a few days now
 
LeeApril26 @zauberflöte @Kim22 @Peaches @Elosarabrab@ByGosh sandybeach @Liveringer @Littlejem
OK, I have to add a P.S for yesterday, which was, obviously, a trying and tiring day.
I needed to go to our local high school's "awards night" to be "presenter" for a scholarship given by an organization I chair. (I really wanted to go, because the school had notified me of the recipients and I knew one of them personally.) The event was scheduled for 6:30, I figured I'd leave after my part, so I wouldn't have to sit there too long and hurt from that, and we could eat when I got home.
Songboy was at work.
I mentioned to Songman that I was going to put on a skirt to go over to the school. We had agreed that he would be in charge of dinner. Apparently we were in need of a few ingredients he needed, so as I went to change, he called, "lock the door! I'm headed to the grocery store!"
So.... skirt on, I went out the back door, locked it, turned to the driveway - the EMPTY driveway: :groan: DUH, it had not occurred to me (or to him) that I NEEDED TO GET TO THE SCHOOL! :headbang:
I have a wonderful friend who is incredibly reliable in emergencies. I called her, explained the situation quickly, :sos: and she was in front of my house to pick me up by the time I'd wandered out there with my cane! She dropped me at the school, and the embarrassed and chagrined Songman picked me up after (I left after my part was done, as was my plan: the auditorium seating was NOT comfortable.) WHAT a day.....!
 
Songlady, thank goodness for good friends when you're in a fix. That's a funny yet typical story. You did have an exciting day. Sometimes don't you feel that you could write a comical book about your daily life? Take a relaxing shower and read a good book and get ready for tomorrow:heehee: or today.
 
Hi Songlady What a day you had and followed by a busy evening.I hope you are ok today and have taken it nice and easy. It was great that you managed to get to the awards ceremony thanks to your lovely friend I bet your husband was embarrassed LOL
 
LeeApril26 zauberflöte kim Peaches Songlady
Sheesh, I just cannot keep UP! I'm onthis computer almmost all day every day and i still fall behinder and behinder.
Meg, I'm glad to hear that despite spasms and drugs, Sunday went well. I want to know bout this "Stump the Organist"-- do they start singing and you have to find the key? or are you allowed to drag them into a good key? I think I'd love to be there for that!
Oh your mom and the outing. It sounds like the two of you together are quite a pair. My m-i-l is going down that kind of road, and my mom is considerately holding off for a while. And the Songman/car incident-- laugh-out-loud cute. your friend is a life-saver!
I'm trying to figure out what kind of activity I'd be willing to "pay the price" for afterwards. The only one I can think of involves driving 100 miles (being driven, but still, one must sit), church, Sunday school (we seem to have a lot of sitting going on here....) lunch at Granny's,and....drive 100 miles. I think the payback period on that would be prohibitive just now. I'm going to follow the advice Allycat was given by her employer: When you think you're ready to come back to work, wait ONE MORE WEEK. She did, and it has been very good for her at work! Any other activity? hey! I'm just past 2 weeks, why should I be doing activities? LOL Getting the mail is an accomplishment i can burst with pride over:rotfl:
 
LeeApril26 @zauberflöte @Kim22 @Peaches @Elosarabrab@ByGosh sandybeach @Liveringer @Littlejem and all,
hi, everyone (sorry, it's just easier to tag everyone this way.....)
zauberflöte, it's much easier than that: a leader calls upon folks in the congregation who have their hand raised, and they shout out a number from the hymnal. I'm good, as long as I remember to look at the key signature before I start playing! lol
My m-i-l is 90 and my f-i-l will be 96 this Sept, and they are 800 miles away from us....wonderful people. We need to go see them; we are hoping to, mid-July.
Kim22, sandybeach, LeeApril26, the funny thing, as I reflect, is that I didn't think about the car situation, either!! I could have easily called, "Honey, wait a minute and drop me off at the school....?" But it NEVER occurred to me! lol
Family is wondering if brain matter was removed along with arthritic joint.
So, here's a question, and I've been perusing the forum some, and I see, ByGosh, that you've been in conversation with some others about some issues.... I have decided that, given the OS' permission, I would live dangerously (ha!) and try to sleep on my side as I've always done. Well, even on the NON op side, it hurts like #^#$%^ when I try.
Bursitis would seem to be indicated. Although.... mild. The op side hurts in the same place, but that's near the incision, so I would expect that.
I had serious, "off my feet all day, ice, pain to the point of shedding tears to get into bed" bursitis about 5 or 6 years ago after a fall on ice outdoors (fetching the morning paper off the sidewalk.) That was finally taken care of with a steroid shot. This is NOTHING like that, but I sure don't want it to develop to that point. So.. lesson learned (I hope) and I will stop being Superwoman?!
Any wisdom any of you can give me?
 
Hello Songlady my dear. Just a little tech FYI so I won't miss your messages - when you do mass tags, it seems that you need to leave a space after the persons' name before the next persons' @, or they don't get underlined in blue and then aren't alerted. See mine and Elosarabrab up in the previous post? I've done that many times myself...

Your trip with your Mom to her doc's was a little tricky, I'd say. What a sweetheart of a daughter you are. She's so lucky to have you to depend on. I'm glad you were able to manage it all successfully. And how nice that you could get to your awards ceremony and present that award. Those are the things that make life good, aren't they?

Your poor side. So you think it is bursitis, which is somewhat common with arthritic hips and THRs. Poppet had it very badly and it's just getting better now. She, and I think it was sharonslp, both gave some good advice on @luluohio's thread - I think it's titled THR Jan 14th - something like that. And I believe it was Joesphine who has a little informational article, maybe in the library, how she uses a warm wet compress on hers and gets instant relief. I had it pre-op and it's still lingering, not nearly as bad as the groin issue, and I can say that the warmth does feel soothing. I use it myself, alternating with ice. I've also been applying the Arnica cream there, too, to the outer trochanter area, no massaging. Oh yes, a helpful tip from my PT was a small pillow or nice soft pillow roll to put at your waist when side lying so the pressure of lying on the bed is taken off of the bursae, because the pillow sort of raises you up just a little. If you can position it correctly, it does relieve the pressure. I'm sure there's many others who can tell you their recommendations, too. And you can always tag one of our advisors or moderators, or Jo.

Good luck - I hope it improves quickly for you so that you can sleep in a more comfortable position. You've been a busy lady lately!:friends:
 
Hi ByGosh - thanks for the technical tip! I'm new at this tagging thing, so... oops! Now I know!
And thanks for the tips - I will tag the mods or Jo after I figure out the questions to ask! I'll check out the thread you refer to.
I can't quite figure out how the NON op hip would be protesting, but..... ho well. :groan: It's a "whole body" thing, as we keep saying to each other!
 
Songlady ByGosh. I have not been able to get comfy on my non-op side and too frightened to try the operated side. I am going to try the rolled up towel tonight. I think a heating pad that offers moist heat might be worth trying for the bursitis.
 
Songlady for 20 years or more i've had some what's been dx as bursitis in both hips. I can only lie on a side for a couple of hours before I have to give it up and move. I had laser treatment last fall on both hips and both groins) and the relief was marvelous! Right now the "good" hip is complaining about lack of sufficient anti-inflammatories, and feels bursitis-y again, which is too bad b/c I'm not quite ready to sleep on the op hip.
probably the non-op hip protests b/c, as you say, you're being SuperSongLady!
Would you care to relate your steroid shot experience? i am terrified of them, have heard nightmare stories....
800 miles... why do I hear Peter, Paul, and Mary in the background LOL? Your kids are going to live to be 130! What longevity in your family/fam-i-l!
 
zauberflöte Poppet posted a link on luluohio's thread about bursitis and a link about steriod injections. It's post #191 on Just had my hip replacement on Jan 14th...something along those lines. It may be helpful to you.
 
Songlady Sorry to hear that you are having problems with bursitis which as the others have said seems very common after a THR I hope you have found the relevant threads recommended by Bygosh .I have been lying on my operated side for 6 weeks now and initially it is ok but after a while I experience discomfort and have to turn on to my back. I was advised not to lie on my none operated side for 12 weeks believe it or not so haven't done it yet but as 12 months on Monday will give it a go then.
 
ByGosh, Peaches, sandybeach, Elosarabrab, Kim22
LeeApril26 - Ah, so I'm not the only one with new "side sleeping" issues! How's it going? And zauberflöte - wow, for 20 years!? Goodness!
What I have going on is not bad at all, but I am watching it in hopes that it doesn't get worse.
I've done the steroid injection for several things. For that bursitis... I had fallen on the ice, landing smack on the left hip joint. I basically dusted myself off and went on with life. About 10 days later the pain became so bad I was literally in tears (which does not happen to me normally - I'm a tough bird!) I went to an urgent care center and had X rays; they saw no fractures. They sent me to an orthopedist, and the PA there diagnosed the bursitis. I tried resting and icing for some days....maybe a week. Finally I went in and requested the injection. The PA felt the spot, numbed it, injected a little numbing agent and then the steroid.... and I left. By the time I'd driven home I could dance from the car to the house! And it was solved!
I went to PT for that (LEFT) hip after, and.... although some of it was good, I went for a long time, and was eventually assigned walking exercises that looked very much like the Monty Python Ministry of Silly Walks.... and within 2 weeks my OTHER hip started to hurt. That's when I return to the orthopedist and started on the path to getting my RIGHT hip replaced.
I also had steroid injections into the right hip joint to help defer surgery, and they helped. Those injections were guided by xray imaging and that whole process was a little more complicated (and that's what Songman will have this coming week for his neck/disc issue.)
Laser treatment?! Wow!! I had not heard of that - sounds great!! Again, my bursas are not THAT bad; if I push on the non-op hip at the bursa, it hurts, or if I lie on it, but it's not interfering with my life as happened that one time. I just don't want to it get worse!
 
Songlady Tried to sleep on my side again last night-too anxious. I guess I am afraid that the operated leg will slip off the pillow. I went onto my operated side this afternoon to pull my leg up behind me into a stretch for 45 seconds. That was okay, but I wouldn't try to sleep on that side.
 
Interesting Songlady - It's great that the steroid shots helped both the bursitis and then the hip joint. They are supposed to be able to target the bursae quite easily for a shot, as it's superficial, right by the trochanter. I've read that the bursae injection is best done by an ortho or an ortho person (like a PA) because they have the best knowledge of the anatomy to get it right and be successful - rather than a GP.
I had the hip joint steroid injection under xray, too. It helped for 1 day and then WOW, everything went downhill very quickly after that. Too bad, I was hoping for some relief!
 
Songlady, I am so far behind this week... I can't believe that day you had with your mother and the oxygen tank and what all you had to soldier on and do. It humbled me when I have complained about my little bus rides. You are one strong lady. I'm sure you must have felt hysterical inside, wondering how you were to maneuver all of these things. You did it, though. I am inspired by you. Am so glad you could present the award. And you have been pumping that organ all along. You are a very tough lady. So sorry about the bursa pain! I hope the tips from the others help and it doesn't escalate like it did when you fell on the ice. I was given the go-to to sleep on either side for several weeks now, but only tried to sleep on the op side last night. I got too scared, so I stopped. I also am not yet comfortable sleeping on the side without a pillow in between my legs. I found myself sleeping on my stomach the other night and then stopped and thought, "What am I doing?" Though I gather it's okay. Still, the old habits in our "new normal" post-op-restriction days are hard to die.
 
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