THR Take a deep breath! Jump in!

[SwimGirl]

@gertie and @Krista Hello and hope all is well. I am doing okay I think. I reported that I was out Christmas
shopping and getting lots of walking in there. Working Salvation Army took some energy as I was lifting bags
of toys and pushing carts out to cars for delivery. I managed just fine. Will be returning for final eval with
the PT that saw me in the hospital. He will clear me for being at work on my feet for a full day. I am certain
I will pass the test. I will not be going for outpatient PT at this time as I am currently without insurance.
Thank goodness again for Josephine letting us know that we will survive without it.

By the way, Happy New Year to everyone! Now it will be a fantastic year for all of us!

 

[Krista]

@SwimGirl, I am thrilled for you that you are feeling great while doing so much! Best of luck with your return to work. I am hanging in and doing a little bit better every day. Still limping and not strong enough, but I will get there, I'm sure. I worry about you not having health insurance, and hope you can get it soon. I would be an anxious wreck if I weren't covered. Take good care...

 

[baclectic]

How wonderful that we're all in this together. Not that we have to go through Recovery
but that , in sharing, there's understanding that we're not alone, our trials are not unique, and all will be well one day. Boy I can't wait for that day. Read this thread cause I can't fall asleep. Now my Meds are due in a few minutes so I'm just waiting, then will try again to sleep. Hope you're all having a restful night.


Sent from my iPhone using broken link removed: https://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=75543

 

[SwimGirl]

@Krista So proud of you for what you have accomplished.
A day at a time! Now that surgery is over I am not so concerned regarding insurance. God is good. I was able to get surgery before it ended. Haven't been to work for a very long time as I was raising kids, homeschooling and then taking care of my ailing mother. Now I am writing resumes, cover letters and learning that everything is done online. No personal contact. Bummer! On another note the PT that I saw while I was in the hospital was able to do one last evaluation and said I was doing well. Gave me a couple simple exercises to do to strengthen left leg muscles. I was pleased to hear the report.

Thanks for checking in. Keep up the good work!

 

[gertie]

@SwimGirl Resumes, cover letters, ugh! It does all seem to be online these days--do you have a LinkedIn page?

Good news about the PT eval--sounds like things are going well for you.

 

[gertie]

Just met with the outpatient PT person and I liked her a lot. She repeatedly said to stop any movements/exercises that caused pain and if anything causes pain later to back off of it. Everything she did was gentle--some gentle stretches and gentle strengthening exercises. She thought in general I was doing well for 10 weeks out. I have a list of things to do at home and won't go back to see her for about 10 days because of scheduling problems--but she thought I only needed to come in once a week and probably for only a few sessions.

 

[SwimGirl]

@gertie Thanks for checking in. Glad PT went well. Sounds like you are making great progress as well. Just a few visits! No I do not have a linked in page. A little old fashioned I am.
Have Tele interview Monday. So...we will see. Keep up the good work and positive attitude!

 

[gertie]

@SwimGirl Good luck on the interview!

 

[Tweetybrd]

Good luck with the job hunting! So glad you are doing well.

 

[SwimGirl]

Thanks @gertie and @Tweetybrd I am taking a day at a time. The phone call was just a preliminary
screening. I have been out of work a while so it may not come to fruition. If anyone knows of a fun job
for a 60 year old who has been out of work for awhile let me know. I need insurance benefits also so I
am looking for full time! Hope PT is still going well for you @gertie.

@Tweetybrd I am thinking of you everyday now and praying that you are getting your home and
family ready for your postop recovery. I had my elevated bed, a raised toilet seat (could not live without it),
and my walker all ready to go. Don't forget to put your apron with pockets on the walker so you can go to
the freezer yourself to get new ice packs! I had 3 pockets. One pocket was for ice packs, one for the cell
phone and one was for the coffee cup with secure lid so I could fill it and it wouldn't spill. And a firm pillow
in the recliner so that it wasn't so far down. It worked! Keep us posted on your progress!!!

 

[gertie]

@SwimGirl Job searching is such a pain! I'm wishing you the best of luck. PT is fine--the routine I do at home takes about 5 minutes if I string everything together but I tend to break it up during the day--do a few side leg lifts while I'm standing at the sink doing dishes, sidestep around the kitchen while I'm waiting for something in the microwave, etc.

I ditto the advice about the raised toilet seat. I seem to remember that you are tall @Tweetybrd-- me too and I loved my raised toilet seat--even though my toilet is a higher, ADA compliant toilet it seems like a long way down! And I seem to remember that you were looking for a recliner. Did you find something comfortable?

 

[Tweetybrd]

Thanks you two! @SwimGirl and @gertie
I will be having others get my ice packs as my freezer is the kind on the bottom of the fridge. Never thought that it would be a problem bending over to get things out. I am all most ready, just have to get the house clean and do a bit more freezer stuff. Mostly taking it easy the next three days.
Yes, Lynn I am tall. (5 foot 9) and no I never did find a recliner that was tall enough that was NOT a rocker. It was kind of amazing that they make most of them rock anymore. I had even gone to Lazy boy and I did find one there but was not going to pay over $1000 for it as I would only need it for recovery and don't really have room for it after. I can just make do with my recliner in the sofa or sit long ways on it. I have bought a few new pillows to have on hand for raising and elevating.
I do have the toilet seat ready and even though my doctor didn't specifically say to get one I did anyway just in case.

 

[Krista]

@Tweetybrd, you are doing well getting ready! I'm sure you'll be very happy about the raised toilet seat. I am very short, only 5'1", and sitting on a regular height toilet caused me to break the 90 degree restriction, and would have been very difficult for me to manage post surgery, with or without a restriction. I imagine it would be worse for someone tall, like you.

You might try sitting down on your current sofa and seeing how much you have to bend to get down into it. Getting out can be a real problem, too, if a seat is too low. I couldn't use my sofa after my THR, as it was way too low. So I did all of my sitting until restrictions were lifted and beyond sitting on dining room chairs and in my bed, propped up with pillows. I didn't like it at all, as I could never sit in my living room. I got a La-Z-Boy electric lift recliner before my second surgery, and I used it all the time before the op and continue to use it, gratefully. It has a permanent spot in my very small living room! But then, I am much older than you, and I can easily see why you might not want one in your house!

Only a few more days for you. Wishing you all the best with your surgery and recovery!

 

[gertie]

@Tweetybrd Oh, yes, the bottom freezer set up. Mine too. Works well most of the time but does make it hard when bending is an issue. I put the freezer packs in the shelf on the door and am able to reach them w/o bending too far. I also have put foods I might want to use regularly in plastic bags so I can grab the handle of the bag with my grabber and lift them out. My couch is soft and was hard to get up from initially, even raised up, so I was glad I had rented a recliner--and also glad to send it back to the rental company since it took up a lot of space. Now I live on the couch.

 

[Tweetybrd]

Oh that is a great idea Krista! @Krista Thanks! I will try that on my couch. I am planning on spending the first few days just in my bedroom with lots of pillows.
Thanks for the tips on the freezer @gertie I forget about the grabbers. LOL Not used to using them yet.

Sorry if we hijacked your thread. hehe

 

[gertie]

@Tweetybrd Not a problem! I still use my grabbers a lot--in fact, I just brought one into the office with me today.

 

[gertie]

I am now 4 months out and just had my 3 month follow up with the surgeon. All is well. He said I can do anything my hip lets me do but advises against running, jumping, and singles tennis--all pretty standard stuff. The hip feels fine--some slight soreness as I get more active but it's muscle soreness, just like what I'd expect as I work muscles that haven't been worked in a while. I'm back at work full time--still get sleepy in the early afternoon but the feeling passes--and I've always had an energy dip at that point. I saw the PT yesterday and she did some ROM assessments, all of which showed improvement. I graduated from the yellow theraband to the green one. I'm doing some strength work, some balance work, some ROM work--nothing aggressive. She echoes the OS--if the hip protests, don't do it.

All in all this has been an easy and smooth recovery so far. Minimal pain (no need for opiates after day 4), no bruising, 4 inch long glued incision that healed well, no TEDS, 2 weeks with a walker, 2 to 3 weeks with a cane and then nothing. The hardest part of the recovery was the energy drain, which I think was more pronounced because they used general anesthesia.

The not so good news is that my other hip (right side) is showing significant OA. So far, it's not painful moment to moment but does start to protest when I walk more than 1/2 mile. And my right knee also has significant OA. So I know I'll be seeing the surgeon sooner than the 2 year follow up for my left hip! I'm not ready to plunge back into surgery and recovery right away--and need to figure some things out with work before taking another extended medical leave--but I suspect that I'll be dealing with the right hip in the next six months or so and then the knee.

 

[Jaycey]

The not so good news is that my other hip (right side) is showing significant OA.

Bad news! But at least you know not to wait too long. I agree, get this recovery behind you and then plan. I know the feeling of having to face another surgery is not the best (been there, done that). But hey - you will have a match pair of shiny new hips and be able to join the double hippie club!

 

[Krista]

@gertie, I am thrilled that you are doing so well with the new hip! Glad that you are handling work well. It's too bad, though, about your other hip and knee. Like you, I am experiencing OA and other problems in joints other than the operative hip, and it is difficult to be slowed down by them. You'll know what to do in future when it becomes obvious that the conditions in your other hip and knee need to be addressed.

 

[gertie]

@Krista How are you doing 4 months out?