THR Teacat has arrived!

[BionicWoman2]

My surgeon added 1/4" to my operated leg - and I definitely see a difference - especially when I lay with my knees bent. I am told it will get better once I start PT on my hip abductors - which are extremely weak after years of having displasia. I'm crossing my fingers and toes - but not legs or ankles.

 

[zauberflöte]

Teacat You could try taking regular 325 tylenol, which would get you 9 pills to split up into 4 doses. I do that, now that my dr said no 4000mg/day any more. I don't think you can take ibuprofen with aspirin-- but ask!. And I was told by my OS nurse that Celebrex is an anti-inflammatory but not a blood-thinning one. Tramadol is a non-narcotic, but BarbaraR has the experience with that.... Maybe you could call your dr and see if your digestion is sufficiently woken up by now to take a little narcotic? I know you are very leery, I sure would be too. But sleep is healing-- that's very good!

 

[Josephine]

zauberflöte Please don't give such specific medication advice on this forum.

I don't think you can take ibuprofen with aspirin-- but ask!.

Correct!

And I was told by my OS nurse that Celebrex is an anti-inflammatory but not a blood-thinning one.

Totally INcorrect! All NISAIDs have the potential to be anticoagulant.

Tramadol is a non-narcotic,

Tramadol is a narcotic but it's not an opiate. It's a synthetic morphine.

 

[ByGosh]

Teacat You've been through the mill with your tummy problems, haven't you? Poor thing. If you have pain, you need to have it treated. There must be something that you can take to help you out without too much of a threat to your GI tract. Ask the doc what he recommends. Don't suffer, you've been through enough.

The sleeping sounds like just what your body needs now. You must be so depleted after a week of not eating, not keeping anything down, being back in the hospital. Rest all you can to get your energy back and heal yourself.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. I hope you feel better and get some relief soon!

 

[Poppet]

Teacat, no wonder you are exhausted and sleeping.. But this is what your body is telling you it needs right now. I spent 6 days in ICU and 5 days in Surgical... Came home and literally slept for the next six weeks. I would fall asleep in the middle of a conversation with my hubby..

Go with it honey..

 

[clifford149]

Hi Teacat.....hope you get your tummy sorted ....I know its not nice

 

[Teacat]

Hi all you lovely people! Today is a beautiful today here, low 80's. Today is my 4 week post op anniversary. I think I'm finally turning a corner. Yesterday I didn't take a nap, had energy and did some light housework and played with my kids. Still getting some good sleep at night (10pm-730am) but I have energy during the day! Yay! I'm back to the land of the living. The pain sorted itself out after 2 days. I'm taking 2 Tylenol 3 times a day. I have one more home PT visit. Today, I walk over 1000 ft in the neighborhood, without assistance and no pain. I'm beginning to feel like myself again!

 

[clifford149]

Hurrah for @tea cat......1000ft ...you will be airborne next

 

[Kim22]

Wow Teacat You are doing brilliantly. I had my op on the day before you and feel the same as you that I have turned the corner. I have started doing a few jobs around the house and although I don't sleep in the afternoon anymore I still have a lie down with the ice packs on my leg muscles. I am gradually cutting down on my pain killers on a daily basis and hope to get down to paracetamol only by next week I think it must be the same as your Tylenol

Our weather is not anywhere near the 80s and probably never will be even in the height of summer but the sun has come out and birds are nesting so I think spring has sprung at last.

 

[ByGosh]

Teacat You're doing wonderfully! Keep it up, the kids must be so happy to have you play. That's a great reward, isn't it? Children are a great motivation. I love 'em.

Kim22 You're also doing great. And if I remember correctly, you don't have PT. What a trooper you are, doing it all on your own. Congrats, ladies!

 

[Allycat]

Doing well! Awesome.

 

[Teacat]

No, no, no, no, no! I just had my 4 week post op appt. Didn't see my OS just the PA. She noticed the top half of the skin around my incision looked red & was warm to the touch. She prescribed 10 days of Bactrim she says to "nip it in the bud". I am freaking out now! My incision is closed & there is no oozing - how can I get an infection? Please Josephine tell me it will be ok! I can't believe this is happening!

 

[Josephine]

That PA is inexperienced and should have asked the surgeon to check it before scaring you like that. Red and warm to the touch is perfectly normal for 4 weeks out and indicates nothing more than healing. I could have fried an egg on my knee at 4 weeks!

 

[nessiepie]

Hi Teacat,
I have a decent amount of draining at first. My sis is a retired RN so and the visiting nurse helped me be quite diligent about keeping the incision site clean. I had a little warmth and swelling at the site still at my 4 wk visit. Just to be safe he gave me a antibiotic ( can't remember the name right now, how long does the effect of anesthesia last, lol ? ). As many of our leaders here tell us , there are layers of healing taking place. at 12 weeks I am still a little sore , and not as far as I hoped to be, but alot better than I was.
Caregivers should really be mindful of what they say or how they say it. It can be so troubling for patients and can add unnecessary stress to the healing process.

 

[sandybeach]

Teacat How are you feeling even with the news of possible infection? Do you still have your energy level and is the pain while walking staying down? Without assistance...does that mean without a cane or walker? My incision is just like Joesphine said, at times gets very hot but it's totally healed on the outside so I have never worried about. A few doctors have looked at it and said it looks good. You sounded so good and spirits up before your doctors visit, don't let that get you down when you are doing so well.

 

[ByGosh]

Teacat Try not to fret too much about it, hon. If there was a bit of a bugaboo @ the incision, the antibiotic will get rid of it quick. Plenty of patients get red swollen incisions - it's not the end of the world for them or for you. Try to keep yourself from panicking about it because that will do you no good, just get your shorts in a knot for nothing. (and that could make your hip sore! ow! LOL) Don't mean to be flip, just trying to cheer you up. Think of all the positives now - you're making great progress, you have little pain, you have good energy, you're actually sleeping - that's what really counts for hip replacements. Not a teeny tiny redness at the incision that will go away in a day or two. You're gonna keep on sailing through this recovery, no matter!

 

[Teacat]

Thank you ByGosh, sandybeach, nessiepie and Josephine for the reassurances! All sorts of crazy thoughts have been going through my mind! I was so worried with my 2nd hospital stay that I would catch an infection. The nurses took great care in monitoring my incision and changing the dressing daily. I thought once the staples were removed and the incision healed closed I would be clear. I have never had any drainage, no fever, and my energy has returned. This redness has just started in the last several days as it was not like this when my staples were removed. Yes, sandybeach, I'm walking without cane/walker/crutches and no pain except for some minor stiffness and a little soreness at the incision site after I do my PT. I'm attaching a picture of my incision as it looks today.

Josephine, will the Bactrin take care of this?

I will take my antibiotics like a good patient. Thank you so much everyone for calming me down! I'm taking deep breaths and thinking positive thoughts....

 

[Allycat]

My incision is warm to touch and has been since leaving hospital, but it looks nice and clean and has healed beautifully. I'm sure you will be fine.

Oh have just seen your pic... is the red part new? I'm still sure you will be fine. It looks nice and neat.

 

[ByGosh]

Teacat it is a little red, but nice and closed, no drainage and it doesn't seem to have swollen spots. I bet the antibiotic will start to clear it up in a day or two. Smart of you to take a pic, so we can compare how it looks in a few days! All better, I bet!

 

[ByGosh]

Teacat how are you doing today? Why not come on over for a cuppa'? I just baked some chewy walnut squares and one has your name on it, hon! How's the boo boo coming along?