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Staples and exercises

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Steph

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Buckingham
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I am due to have my staples removed tomorrow after 13 days. Which will be a huge relief at this point because I am sure that they are making the incision feel quite sore - would this be right? It feels as though it is getting quite tight, it is still a bit sore from the reaction to the adhesive from the dressing as well, plus I do have some swelling but not a huge amount. Will it help a bit once the staples are removed?

I have been using ice on it - didn't have anything to hand apart from a bag of frozen wedges :evil:, but have now progressed to frozen peas which are far more comfy :D. It feels good afterwards for quite a long time.

Also I am almost 2 weeks post op and am not sure how much exercise I should be doing - am I doing too much or too little? I am using a single cane in the house now, and 2 outside. I am walking about 600-700 yards a day and gradually increasing (this is outside), I do my bed exercises and standing exercises a minimum of 4 times a day and have been increasing the number of each exercise daily. I am doing about 20 of each individual exercise at the moment. Does this sound OK.

I still have no pain, just muscle ache - mainly in a band across the centre/front of my thigh which I assume is quite normal. Also a bit of aching where the implant is in my actual hip - again normal? I am still amazed at how much I can move before things start to tighten up - it is such a great feeling :wahey:.

Thanks everyone
 
Oh Steph once you get those staples out it will feel soooo much better. My swelling went down alot, really I mean that. Maybe not that day, because they just pulled them but absolutly..and when you can wash it up, ah boy dont know what to say, the best feeling...lol..You sound like you are doing fantastic....Be proud.............Please let us know how it goes.............
 
Thanks Kim - I am looking forward to them coming out - I have got hydrotherapy first so that is quite good.

As an aside I am useless at time zones in the world and can't get used to the times of day everyone is on the forum - for some reason I expect all of the States to be fast asleep at this time, lol - it is 9.38 am here in the UK.
 
Haha they are Im am still in that knee stage waking up every 2 hrs...:( but Ill get there soon...........Ill tr again in a lil bit.....so yeah your right !!!!!!!!!!!lol
 
Haha they are Im am still in that knee stage waking up every 2 hrs...:( but Ill get there soon...........Ill tr again in a lil bit.....so yeah your right !!!!!!!!!!!lol

I hope that you manage to sort the sleeping out soon then, there is nothing more tiring than waking up every couple of hours - and while the rest of the household is fast asleep. It is bad enough in my house at the mo, my hubbie is having a lie in and though I can make my self a cuppa and breakfast, I can't feed the dogs as I cannot do the 90 degree bend to put the dishes down. They are looking at me at the mo as if they have never been fed for months............
 
Haha right...like lady feed me...lol. Soon !!! I know I look over at my husband and want to hit with a pillow like ugh...If Im up you have to be...but nah I dont......lol...what kind of dogs do you have . I have a blind lab and we trip over ea other all the time...He knows his way around the house perfectly, but crashes into me all the time...and hes like 100 pounds so I move from him...lol
 
I know the feeling, ha, ha.

Got two German Shepherds (one is pedigree, one a GSD cross) - both crazy still, about 6 years old and from rescue originally. They are lovely though, but one of them sticks to me like glue at the mo - in fact I have to be careful I don't fall over her. Thing is they know when something isn't right, don't they.
 
So true. Sounds like great dogs...I love german sheps. always wanted one.....Thats sweet though, he taking care of you....that unconditional love we get from them. I alway said if my dog could talk wow he could tell some things..........lol
 
Hi Steph,
Getting those staples out is a relief! I had a tight pulling sensation at the incision area that pretty much went away soon after I had the staples removed and the steri-strips fell off. But even at 3+ months, the incision area is tender. Last week I was at a grocery store check-out line and a woman behind me hit me with her shopping cart right on the scar! Go figure, with all the 'geography' to chose from it had to hit there. It stung and felt sore that night but went away the next day.
You are doing very well with your exercises also. Everyone is different on how much they can tolerate. I was in terrible shape and didn't use those muscles for 9 months before the surgery. It took me much longer to get up to 20 of each exercise daily but now I can do them with ankle weights daily. Listen to your own body. It will surely let you know when you have done too much. And ice is your best friend.
Keep up the good work! :thmb:
 
I am due to have my staples removed tomorrow after 13 days. Which will be a huge relief at this point because I am sure that they are making the incision feel quite sore - would this be right? It feels as though it is getting quite tight, it is still a bit sore from the reaction to the adhesive from the dressing as well, plus I do have some swelling but not a huge amount. Will it help a bit once the staples are removed?

Yes it will feel much better!

Also I am almost 2 weeks post op and am not sure how much exercise I should be doing - am I doing too much or too little? I am using a single cane in the house now, and 2 outside. I am walking about 600-700 yards a day and gradually increasing (this is outside), I do my bed exercises and standing exercises a minimum of 4 times a day and have been increasing the number of each exercise daily. I am doing about 20 of each individual exercise at the moment. Does this sound OK.

You're doing plenty. Time enough to get stuck in when you're feeling more like it. Just gentle exercises now are quite sufficient. Give that wound time to heal ....

Also a bit of aching where the implant is in my actual hip - again normal?

It's not the implant, it's the deepest part of the wound around your hip joint. That's the part that takes longest to heal completely and what will keep reminding you what you've just had done! Ultimately it may fool you into thinking it's 'just discomfort' and therefore doesn't need any pain killers. Don't let it fool you!

I can't feed the dogs as I cannot do the 90 degree bend to put the dishes down. They are looking at me at the mo as if they have never been fed for months............

Yes you can (unless you had a bilateral did you? I can't recall). But if you only had one side done, you can bend down by putting your operated leg right back behind you and just bending on the good one, similar to a hamstring stretch. That way you'll still be obeying the 90 degree rule as your leg will be in line with your body. It helps if you hold onto the counter at the same time, just for stability. (Actually that's what the physio told my sister recently!)
[Bonesmart.org] Staples and exercises
 
Kim is our resident cheerleader/insomniac!!! She's got ALL time zones covered!!!! :)
 
Steph
You are doing amazingly well. For the first 2 weeks, I had home pt with some easy (not at the time) bed exercises, maybe a few in the kitchen holding on to the counter. The rest of the time I was napping, sleeping, or resting!!!! Did not even leave the house until my 2 week check up!! I took pain killers and stool softeners on time for months!!
I ovedid it at about 4 weeks, my warning to everyone, it was not worth it. Fortunately I haD Jo here and others to help me through that.

As far as the swelling , I had a ton in both legs. I could have given birth to triplets out of either leg (that's what I told the nurse on day 5 when I looked down):hehe:
My home therapist told me to spend a weekend in bed mostly and a lot of the swelling went down. I was glued so no staples although I see others have answered that one.

You are doing great, it is the greatest surgery ever. It has been a week over a year and I still am amazed when I think about it every day.
I am very happy for you.

Do make sure you rest a lot it is very important. I have learned that from having lots of surgery in a short time.:zzz:
judy
 
Hey, thanks everyone - some fantastic advice there and good to hear your own experiences as well.

Jo, thanks for the bending info - I will give it a try in the morning - I am sure the dogs will be pretty impressed to see that mum has fed them again. Mine was posterior I believe (side of thigh towards the bottom).

I am certainly taking notice of my body when it tells me enough is enough. In fact after lunch today I felt sleepy and went to bed for 3 hours and slept really well. I am still taking paracetomal, but only when I get up and before I go to bed, plus I am taking 3 Voltarol/Diclofenac a day as well (my sugeon told me to cut them back to 2 a day next week and see how it feels). There is no pain, but the outer edge of the wound feels sore - as you have all said though once the staples are out then it should feel a whole lot better.

Judy, I do sympathise with you and the swelling, it must have been so uncomfortable. I have been lucky in not having very much and only have one small bruise still and at 13 days tomorrow I am more than happy with that. Your reference to triplets made me chuckle.

Leosmum, I bet that so hurt when you had the shopping trolley bash into you. I know how tender scar tissue can be - I had keyhole for a gall bladder removal ten years ago and even though they were small incisions they were very tender for many months after the outside had healed. As for using the muscles, I had been doing bed exercises for many months before the surgery - just core muscle exercises that my physio had suggested for a twisted pelvis, plus a few leg exercises that I could manage too. I think this has helped quite a bit, even though I couldn't actually put standing weight on the leg for the last 6 months. And ice is the best soother ever. Sounds like you are doing really well now.

Thanks again
 
Let me tell you the story of MY staple removal. The oncologist that I work with and trust implicitly took my staples out. He started at the top and worked his way down. With each removal I said "ouch" and it bled because I was on blood thinner. When we started I was standing but by the time it was over I was flat on the table. I nearly fainted or in the medical circles I had a vasovagal response. It ended up with him putting steristrips on my incision and fanning me with a magazine because I got so. hot. So, please, when you have your staples removed it is indeed a liberating experience but please be lying down for the event! He and I still laugh about the reaction I had. Oldbones
 
You really DO, Kim!!!! :). Our good will ambassador!!! :y
 
Hi Steph, Im not sure what time it is there, but I hope you got your staples out. I remember I would rub my hand across the scar not hard but like to scatch it.....Felt so neat. Like that was the last thing to go. Please let us know. Hope everyting went well.....................Im sure you did fine..................
 
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