THR Spring in my step

[Kim22]

Hi Poppet What do you recommend for a mouth ulcer ? Thanks Kim

 

[Poppet]

Hi there Kim, I would suggest the following that I mentioned regarding sore throats.. Good old salt water...

Here is the article, I posted previously.. But salt water is good for mouth ulcers.

I have also used, a 1:15 dilution of Tea Tree oil and filtered water on a cotton tip, applying it directly to the ulcer and not the surrounding mucosal tissue. Be careful though with that it will sting and you don't want to ingest any of it

"Overall, gargling in general can help with a sore throat because it flushes the area of the throat.

The salt is a good component to mix into the warm water because the salt draws moisture out of any bacteria in your throat and draws moisture out of your own swollen tissues, therefore reducing inflammation. This is because the salt attracts the moisture and promotes osmosis. Also, the salt not only destroys the bacteria it also prevents it from growing!

Gargling with the salt water often provides temporary relief right away (though not always), but the real relief comes as your body's own immune system more quickly heals the throat because you have simplified its job by using the gargle.

The gargle also helps to remove plaque on your teeth (which causes gum disease) and helps heal mouth sores, all while being isotonic and therefore not irritating to your tissues. A salt water rinse before bed is helpful if you do not have a tooth brush or toothpaste.

I use 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt (I prefer the 3/4 tsp. Saltier water seems more effective at washing away thick mucus.) One cup of pure water, (Warm water may be more soothing, and dissolves the salt a little faster.) Chlorinated water may irritate your throat. Instead use water from a water filter. Chlorine may weaken the immune system.

It has been reported that you can dechlorinate tap water, if you leave chlorinated water out in a wide mouth container, in 24 hours the chlorine will have evaporated away, leaving chlorine-free water. I have never tried this, I have a water filter on my tap, but even a water filter jug is just as good providing the filter is not too old."

Bottled water, use it only if you must, since the plastic bottles (like all plastic) has been reported that they may contain hormone-disrupting and carcinogenic chemicals that migrate into the water. The very thin plastic bottles are the worst, try to avoid these, especially don't reuse those thin bottles.

Mix, Stir. Take as often as you wish, even every half hour. When sick, every three hours probably gives you the maximum benefit, though when I feel unwell, this is about as frequent as I can tolerate. You can use it daily as a preventative, and especially when you feel a cold coming in, or if you think you might be catching something.

How to gargle: Put a little of the gargle in your mouth, tilt your head back and extend your tongue as you softly blow air up to agitate the gargle so it washes away the mucus. I gargle for about 30 seconds (if I can). Eventually, by doing it multiple times, I stop spitting out mucus (sorry for the graphic description ) try to repeat every few hours.

It is the gentle bubbling agitation of the salt water in your throat that is removing the mucus.

 

[Elosarabrab]

I cant do laces so I am still avoiding shoes that use them Opting instead for close fastening (velcro) Another option is elastic replacing the laces but you still have the problem of stretching it out and getting it on your foot.

 

[clifford149]

Hi...I can now ease restrictions.....have you tried sitting sideways on the edge of your bed with op leg on the floor then bending your knee....you can reach your foot from behind and keep within 90....did that make sense?

 

[clifford149]

Hi Kim22 success with sleeping on op leg....I haven't been able to do...after about 15 minutes it feels like a junk of iron...well a slight exaggeration

 

[Kim22]

Thank you Poppet I will follow your instructions

 

[Kim22]

I cant do laces so I am still avoiding shoes that use them Opting instead for close fastening (velcro) Another option is elastic replacing the laces but you still have the problem of stretching it out and getting it on your foot.

I tried to tie the laces loosely and ease my foot in with the grabber and pull them on to my foot by threading the small magnetic device of the grabber through the loop at the back of my trainer Where's there's a will there's a way So far so good but if the laces become undone I am in trouble !

 

[Kim22]

Hi...I can now ease restrictions.....have you tried sitting sideways on the edge of your bed with op leg on the floor then bending your knee....you can reach your foot from behind and keep within 90....did that make sense?

Sounds like a good idea I will give it a try Clifford. You are doing amazingly well by the way and you still have a few weeks before you have to go back to work

 

[octopus]

Hi Kim, I've just caught up on your thread after a few days. You sound like you are doing well! Everyone is right, every hip is different, and we all recover at different paces, but I wouldn't say you're slow by any means. I have just hit the eight week mark, and it's only been this week that I've been able to walk unassisted. My toilet seat goes tomorrow, after I requested a further two weeks. Those two weeks have made all the difference.

 

[Kim22]

Hi octopus You are making very good progress and have achieved 2 great milestones this week ; walking unaided and saying goodbye to the old toilet seat. Well done to you .I do feel I am making good progress overall but still have setbacks Today has been a good day as the weather has been lovely for a change and we have managed 2 good walks however my muscles are objecting now. Are you taking any pain meds are have you finished with them now ?

 

[walkagainV]

Kim22 so glad to catch up with your thread and find out your doing so well!! I am very happy

For me, life has changed for the better. It will be 3 weeks on Monday and I'm already walking with a walking stick. The walker is gone!! But the best part is that awful pain before surgery is gone. My outlook is so much brighter. In fact, I have an interview tomorrow. My husband is driving me...and the person interviewing me knows that I have just had surgery!

Are you off pain meds completely yet?

Take care,
Valarie

 

[octopus]

Thanks Kim. I think setbacks are part of the recovery process. We just have to ride whatever wave it is and we will get through it. I have been really lucky with my pain levels, I basically only used panadol since about day three, because I was so sick in the hospital they suggested I try it and see what happened. I have not taken any for a couple of weeks, except a few times for fever.

Congratulations walkagainV, you are doing really well. Good luck for your interview! I could not have done that at three weeks.

 

[Vida]

Ha Kim... I kept the toilet seat for at least six weeks more than you.. even then I hated parting with it as my loo is modern and way too low! Sounds like you are doing really well.. . that's such good news. Its funny how so many of us are hit with little 'infections/viruses' post-op. octopus had a toe problem, I had eye issues, you had a mouth ulcer.. and I've seen others. I guess our immune systems need time to recover! Poppet is there anything you can do to help boost yourself up prior to surgery?

 

[Kim22]

walkagainV Nice to catch up with you Valarie You are doing brilliantly at only 3 weeks so well done you. It's great that you are having less pain than you did Preop which helps you confirm that you have done the right thing in having the surgery. I suppose with me it was different in that sometimes my arthritis pain was bearable if I didn't move very far It was only really bad when I tried to walk more than a very short distance. Hence I didn't get that initial pain relief soon into surgery that you and many others have experienced. Now of course I can walk a lot further free of pain and I am beginning to love my new hip.

I am just taking Paracetamol 4 times a day and only 1 Naproxen instead of 2 My plan is to try and stop the Naproxen totally next week.

I hope the interview goes well today Best of luck.

 

[Kim22]

octopus I am so glad that your toe is better Diane and that you are now totally off the panadols. I plan to stop my Naproxen next week and then slowly reduce my paracetamols over the next couple of weeks I also use a topical Ibuprofen gel now and again for muscle aches in both sides. I read on your own thread that walk has gone well which is great but try not to do too much

 

[Kim22]

Hi Vida you are so right about so many of us having minor infections in the early post op period. It must be linked to our immune systems. Mind you I had 2 colds in the pre op period as well I just got over one when another came along and this one lasted until the day before my op.I count myself so lucky not to have it cancelled. My ulcer is still there though slightly better I am gargling with salt water 3-4 times a day

 

[Firebrand]

I agree about the immune system. I had a cold for about five weeks post op, and it has left me with fluid in my middle ear, so I've been deaf for a few weeks. I could really do with something to boost my immune system, and am taking multi vitamins to try and get back to normal.

 

[Kim22]

I agree about the immune system. I had a cold for about five weeks post op, and it has left me with fluid in my middle ear, so I've been deaf for a few weeks. I could really do with something to boost my immune system, and am taking multi vitamins to try and get back to normal.

I am also taking a multivitamin daily My Hb after surgery was down to 9.6 so I had a course of iron and it came up to 12.3 but I still feel like I am fighting off flu Luckily the ulcer is now healed.I think you will benefit from not having to go to work for a few weeks which will take the pressure off.

 

[Kim22]

Josephine I am in need of some advice. I did a lot of walking this afternoon probably more than I have done so as I felt quite well We had travelled about 25 miles from home and by the time I got home I was tired and my muscles of the operated leg were aching so I lay down with my legs elevated and iced. I removed the packs about 20 minutes before I got up but they still felt achey When getting up from the loo I turned around and felt a pain in the groin area which over the last 2 hours has got worse. There is a lot of soreness of the inner thigh as well as the front of the thigh and groin I am having difficulty flexing the right hip and had difficulty getting back on the bed. I have had to go back to using 2 sticks to get around the house. Obviously I am very worried and will see my GP first thing tomorrow. Any advice would be appreciated

 

[Josephine]

It just sounds like you have strained a muscle in your groin and hip, that's it. You are only 7 weeks and shouldn't be doing long walks yet. In this article Activity progression for THRs it says
Weeks 6 and onward
Start taking car trips to the shops but keep them short and sweet at the start, no longer than 15-20 minutes
Take at least one 5 minute rest while you are out.

Follow the instructions and you won't do damage to yourself like this. But don't worry, you've not done anything serious. Just take some pain killers and rest for the next 24hrs at least or until it starts to ease off. If you try such a thing again, the danger is that these sprains and strains can become very difficult to get rid of.