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THR The Deed is Done - Becky Joins the Hipstas/Hipsters

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marcopollo, Hi, Marco, So glad you are doing well. Yes, the pain meds do help. Today, the nurse gave me some very good advice on weaning myself, which doesn't involve not taking the pain meds! She suggested trying 5 hours rather than 4 hours between doses, and substituting Tylenol for some of the doses to see if just the Tylenol is effective. She said the most important doses for the oxy are at night, and first thing in the morning, and also an hour before PT (which, for me, is the morning dose). I find I need it all through the night -- not just at bedtime, but in the middle of the night, too. I'm going to try to stretch it by an hour for some of the daytime doses as a first step, and work from there.

I am on the walker, transitioning to a cane. Couldn't take a single step with crutches -- they don't work for me -- although I didn't try them this time. I can walk a little bit without any supports, but I don't want to fool around with that because it seems that it's better to be safe than sorry right now. When I'm tired, I need the walker. I don't mind using the walker, although some people really resist it -- something to do with the image, I guess.

I do get stiff from sitting and reading. The PT today told me it would be good for me to do seated toe lifts/ankle pumps while seated, to keep the blood flowing and help control the stiffness. When I stand up, if I just stand for a minute to let things stretch out, it helps. Understanding that there is nothing wrong -- that the stiffness is normal -- helps a lot. Taking naps helps HUGELY.

Keep on keeping on -- have a great weekend -- you are making so much progress!
 
marcopollo -- forgot two questions! #1 -- yes, I find the abductions to be the hardest, as well as lifting the operated leg while lying down. Cement leg! #2 -- I didn't need OT. They came to see me in the hospital and "discharged" me from OT then and there. I can really do what I need to, especially since I have so much help at home through my husband.
 
BeckyR How wonderful for you!!! You are doing so well! I am so happy for you! I'm also envious that you were in the hospital in DELRAY!!!! Delray beach is where I hope to retire someday! No wonder you are doing so well! Who couldn't recovery in FL? Let alone DELRAY!!!
 
sandpiper, Yes, Florida is a good place to recover. You will love Delray Beach when you move here. Thanks for the good thoughts.
 
BeckyR. You must be very excited to be back to school next month. I'm a little worried since I work with Kindergartners and our desks and chairs are teeny weeny! When I work with the students at their tables I usually have to sit on a chair their height, kneel next to them , or sit on the floor. I'm constantly bending/ squatting to tie a shoe or put a bandaid on a knee or give a consoling hug ( my favorite part!) When I need to use the bathroom and can't leave the room I use the one in the classroom which is about 18 " off the floor!!! Why is that???? After all.... All of these kindergarteners use their normal size toilets at home! Lol oh well....I have to stop worrying for now and know it will all come in due time! I'm excited for you that you will be starting the school yr. off with your students! I agree that it's important to be there from the start! Good luck and keep me posted!!!
 
sandpiper, I'm HOPING I can start on time, but don't know yet whether that will be possible. I have to take it one day at a time, and have to be willing to wait until my body is ready. I'll see my doctor this Thursday and should have a better sense of what the recovery timeline will be like. Right now, I certainly can't imagine putting in a full day. Everything takes so much energy -- even basic activities of daily living. Of course I'm only 10 days out now, and the recovery process may speed up. I've come a long way so far. My Principal told me not to rush things and put my recovery in danger. It is funny that you have the 18" toilet in the classroom, but it's great for your current needs! We'll keep each other posted.
 
BeckyR I hope you will be back to work but if not don't push it. As much as I fully understand how you feel about starting WITH your kids, most important right now is YOU and your recovery. After all, wouldn't it be far worse to start if you aren't ready and have to go back out? I hope you can make your goal but if you need more time then that's ok too!
 
Wow, you guys amaze me...I am sweating starting back to school at 9 weeks and my surgeon hasn't committed to signing off by then yet. I had a posterior approach though and my incision is huge cause he ran into trouble when my leg dislocated in testing at the end of surgery and he had to change out components.
I am worried about the energy drain and making it through the whole day without a nap...I am sure my new 6 th graders will be helpful but I am not sure my surgery flabby brain will do very well memorizing names of 140 or so kids!
 
Wow! Happy to think that I am only going back to work with 50+ adults and their computers and a dozen servers. No shoe tying or wiping noses...well, actually it is like that. But the desks and toilets are full size!

BeckyR, how have your visits to Paris been going? Parlez-vous Français, yet? I have made it to about New York (Starting in Calif)...about half way down our road to our rural mailbox and newspaper tube.
 
BeckyR

Hello there, I have been reading your posts becky, you are doing sooo very well.

Such a positive attitude and also at the same time you seem to have a little humour with it. Just wonderful to read your posts.

I'm so pleased everything went so well for you.

I wish you well in the future.

You have made me feel less anxious Bucky, bless you for that.

I'm still struggling and will be for a while yet !!!! :sad:

Anyway look forward to your posts Becky

Angie
 
cornishhedge, Hi, Angie, Thanks so much for your great comments. When did you have your surgery done? Is your recovery going well? What is happening?

nmscienceteacher, My comments about returning to school on time are just fantasy and hopes at this point. I should have a better sense once I see the doctor on Thursday. His nurse-practitioner said (when I was still at the hospital) that she thought the timeframe was realistic, especially because I was doing so well, but I don't know. With my energy the way it is now, it isn't even close. But maybe the remaining 4 weeks will make a huge difference. I've looked at the charts on BoneSmart about the recovery timetable, and they say it takes much longer, but my surgery used a different technique and maybe the results will be quicker. At this point, every day is a journey into the unknown, but positive things are happening every day.

marcopollo, Oui, mon ami! Je parle Francais tres mal! I'm taking short walks, and feel more "solid" much of the time, but still take naps throughout the day. The transformation seems to happen in subtle ways, and then you notice you've made a lot of progress!
 
Hi BeckyR just thought I'd happen along to your thread to see how you're getting on. I'm not feeling so good today. I've got a pain in my left knee and groin (unoperated side) and my lower back is stiff. I know I have OA in that hip but my OS said he thought it would last out for 3-4 years. I did some mild pilate exercises ( clams and bridges) this morning and they seemed to relieve it a bit. I'm not on any painkillers - I'm 5 months out now so didn't expect to be - but I'm feeling a bit concerned. You are doing so well. One of the things I did, and recommended to Kim22 was to make a list of all the things I couldn't do last week but can do this week. You'll be surprised how far you've come. Very best wishes for your continuing recovery :flwrysmile: :flwrysmile: :flwrysmile: Rosx
 
Nylsor, Hi, Ros, So nice to get a special note. I am sorry you are having pain on your unoperated side. I hope it settles down and is not a sign of significant problems. I was surprised to learn that the clamshells and bridges are part of Pilates. I do them both (not clamshells just yet!) but always thought of Pilates as something exotic. Your suggestion of making a list of things you couldn't do last week but can do now is one of the best I've received. It is so easy not to give credit for the progress we are making, because we start to take it for granted.

sandybeach B4goldie Just saw the PT, and she told me something very interesting. She said that patients usually feel their best -- and most mobile -- right after surgery, and that it's because the swelling is acting as a kind of cushion that makes us feel more comfortable. Then, a week or two later, we feel the pain more, because the swelling has gone down, and we think we are regressing. She said she had a patient recently -- a man in his late 80s -- who HAD to go up and down a long flight of stairs twice a day because he was living in a waterfront house he built. Right after surgery, he was zooming up and down the stairs without even a cane, using "reciprocating" steps -- e.g., one foot after the other, not baby steps. Last week, he was depressed and questioning whether he should have had the surgery, because he was back to the walker and could barely navigate the steps. It was hard for her to get him to see that what he was experiencing was a sign of forward progress, not of decline. I could definitely relate to that, because I felt like an Olympian in the hospital, and now I'm working harder in some ways. But I do experience that I'm making progress, in so many ways.

Thank you for visiting my thread and staying in touch!
 
BeckyR Thank you thank you thank you. You have no idea how much I needed the information in that post. I just finished telling my friend I felt like I'd regressed. Because for the week after surgery I was doing so well. Now I have this uncomfortable and indescribable pain that the painkillers only take the edge off. I am resting and icing. Wow, this site conrinutes to blow my mind. Everyone here is AmAZinG XO
.
 
B4goldie. My goodness! What happened? Were you in an automobile accident? You must be incredibly brave to have been through so much!
 
sandpiper and yes everyone says I am the strongest bravest girl they know. While it hasn't been easy ... it's made me who I am. :)
 
BeckyR
Hello Becky,

Sorry I didn't make it plain in my post to you.
No not had surgery yet.!!!!

My ear infection is still with me, the groin is healing well.

So my next action is to contact doctor about my ear.hopefully it will be passable for the pre op assessment.

I have to contact them when the doctor has cleared me.

I don't know what happens after that, I'm assuming I will get a surgery date. (Yikkkkkks)

Your post today was very interesting . Thank you.

At the moment my mind won't allow me to think any further than surgery. None the less its really good to be informed about the other side.

I'm still very tied up with taking care of my 91 year old mum who keeps having falls.
Very upsetting and very stressful. She won't entertain the idea of a nursing home. I have tried. Many times.!!!
Problem is as I can't walk or bend my poor husband has to do such a lot for her, all the things I usually do.
Shopping, washing etc.

Oh dear I'm going on here sorry will stop.

So pleased all is well Becky, keep up the good work .

Angie
 
Sorry BeckyR I just realized I was rambling on your thread :)I my apologies.
 
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