Guest viewing is limited

THR The flip side

@Eman85 it's not dependence issues that make me avoid the opiods. They make me feel really ill and that's worse than the pain itself. Generally the tylenol arthritis does a sufficient job with pain management. Last night was just an exception .

I usually sleep on the right side of bed also. But I switched prior to surgery. I scoot just like you mentioned. It's just tiring. I am getting better at it, though.

Yesterday I did not ice as much because my caregiver had to be out and I can't walk up and down the stairs multiple times a day. I am back to frequent icing today.
 
Hey Honey :)

Just caught up with your recovery thread. (My surgery was afternoon of 16 May). Despite having the Spinal anaesthesia, I also had terrible nausea/sickness issues, which they think was due to the morphine. Still get nauseous and a bit dizzy, and not really got my appetite back. However, from what I can see reading your thread, we are both right on track with where we are.

Good and bad moments, but we'll get there.

Take care Hippy Sista.
 
My day 6 sounds a lot like yours. I was weepy and frustrated about feeling so much pain and difficulty getting up and down. Opioids, for me, were not an option due to severe side effects with low dosage but I maxed the Tylenol and learned ice, all the time was my friend. I put ice packs in a cooler during one of the early days that I wanted to be in bed and hubby had to run some errands. This worked well and I didn't have to go up and down.
 
Ok, wasn't sure about the reasoning about the pain killers. Making you sick is a very good reason not to use. Hydro's seemed to work for me at a low dosage. I would have suffered if I had to depend on ice as I was home alone quite a bit. The polar pack machine I had would last a long time on 4 frozen water bottles. When my wife came home she would just swap out bottles and I was good to go continuously. New set of frozen bottles and I was good all night in bed.
 
It will get better. It takes patience. I'm sorry you're struggling.
Remember how you're feeling this weekend, mobility and pain wise, and I bet by next weekend
you'll realize progress on all fronts. It takes a lot of patience but you'll get there.
Consider a small cooler with some frozen gel packs in it to have within reach when you are spending hours alone.

Hope you can enjoy this holiday weekend!
@honeybeast
 
@Layla that's a good idea. This morning I inadvertently left an ice pack on my bed and there was a huge wet spot when I went to lie down. Oops. A cooler would also be good to put spent ice packs in so they don't leak.

Had some company last night and took a short car ride. It felt good just getting out; although the car seats felt like they were tugging on my backside. I slept relatively well too. Took a walk w PT, she said I still have a slight limp, so i'm trying to be conscious of that, slow down and correct it.

The pain has been totally manageable and I've found a chair that works for me. It's our high backed wicker patio chair. Just the right height and support without being too stiff and a matching table that is perfect for elevating.

The nurse is coming today. I'm unreasonably nervous about tha,t cause I know she's gonna change the dressing. All that dried blood..

I think I've turned a corner in my recovery and I'm starting to feel back to my old self again. :happydance:
 
Happy you're beginning to feel the return to some normalcy. Just think....you'll be a better version too :yay:
I thought car rides were brutal early on. I couldn't sit comfortably in the car for long.
Thirty- Forty Five minute car rides felt miserable for a couple months actually. I experienced posterior
approach and the seat belt seemed to land close to my incision. I took a frozen gel pack with me and placed it between the seatbelt and myself which helped. Not so much for the return trip when it was warm blue gel :heehee:

As for the limping....my PT suggested heel-toe walking. It helped me immensely but took concentration as I was walking like a slob in my pain. Let your heel strike the ground first, followed by toes. Try it!

You'll be happy once the dressing is changed. I know I always was. Hope your day is good!
@honeybeast
 
The nurse just left. She said everything looks good.

Small rant incoming... she says "you'e awfully young for a hip replacement." 1) yes, I know that. I didn't ask to develop OA in my 40's and 50's.. 2) is that really an encouraging thing to say? If your intention was to make me doubt my decision, you succeeded.

I mean.. I know she wasn't being intentionally malicious, but I was slightly insulted.

Yes, I'm on the younger side of the spectrum, but I'm not going to waste years of my life in pain?
 
Ignore it. It was an ignorant comment. Maybe if she walked in your shoes she'd understand.
Before my surgery, I had a PT comment to me that I was too young for THR at 60!
I figured she must not have many THR clients and the ones she's dealt with were all antiques.
Some people are just missing a sensitivity chip. Take what you want from her and leave the rest.

The worthwhile news is everything looks good! Yay! :happydance::yay: :yes!:
@honeybeast
 
when I first saw my surgeon last year he said I was quite young for a THR.....I was 66! Going on that, you're a mere infant, Honeybeast :heehee: wonder what he says to the 30's and 40's! And if your car seat is pulling on your bum, don't forget the plastic on the seat to make it slippy....at 9wks I won't give mine up, it makes it so much easier to get in and out and to fidget into a comfortable position.

Glad to see you're doing well, and don't let anyone make you doubt your decision....no one else can walk in your shoes (sorry, bit too near the mark! :))
 
Honeybeast, just catching up with your posts. If you are still experienced backaches when you sleep, it helps immensely to put a pillow under your knees. I was always a side sleeper before my THRs. But for a good three months after the first surgery, I had to stay on my back. The pillow saved me. Even after I could comfortably resume side sleeping, I keep that pillow between my legs. And it amuses me that even now, seven years later, while I start out on my side, I often wake up in the morning and find that I am on my back.

And just ten years ago, it was harder to get a THR approved while in your 50s. A lot of surgeons would insist on waiting for fear that you'd need to redo it in 15 years or so. But the implants and the techniques have been addressing this concern at a rapid pace. We see many more 40-somethings and even younger now, finally getting the pain relief that a THR brings, and being able to live with far more quality of life. I had my first surgery at 63, and with hindsight I waited five years too long. You are really right on track.
 
I'm 53 and I get that comment all the time. The sweet spot is becoming younger, more patients between 45 and 55 for joint surgery. We were the aerobics, marathon generation and in my case anatomy was against me. I didn't wait because I didn't want to change my life style. I didn't question the decision (until 4 days after the surgery when I was feeling bored and in pain :loll:) and my surgeon didn't discourage at all. Hopefully, I will be back to full strength. Technology has come a long way in the last 5 -10 years.

I agree with the knee pillow for sleeping. My lower back has been yelling since I've been more active. I take an icepack to bed, pillow my knee read for 30 minutes and then take the icepack out. For some relief, side sleeping with pillows between my legs has helped.
 
It's day 9 for me. The last 2 days have been challenging. As I'm becoming more mobile I'm noticing more pain elsewhere, especially my knee on my 'good' side - which is the next most painful joint. My non op leg is doing a lot of work in my recovery and starting to ache a lot. And that ever present lower back ache..

Has anyone noticed a lot of bruising on your inner thigh? I'm wondering if there was some sort of metal instrument clamped there that caused some bruising. Or some overzealous assistant in the OR held my leg in a vise grip. Owee.

I'm struggling a lot w the blues. I know I'll need multiple joint surgeries (other hip, bad knees and lower back) and I just get so down. I just don't know if I can endure it all.

Today is a holiday in the US and we are having a few family members over to our house for a cookout. That way, I can excuse myself to go rest when I feel tired and the others can still be together. Which might be a lot, as I'm tired already... I'm fortunate to have a very understanding family (sister in law is administrator of rehab center)
 
Last edited:
:hi:
I know it's easier said than done but try not to worry about other surgeries you may need.
Especially now when you're in pain, tired and feeling a little blue. Having company today may be just what the doctored ordered. A healthy distraction. It's good you feel comfortable retreating to your room should you tire or become bored while they're visiting.

I think the pain moves around as can bruising. I got some serious bruising around my knee area which didn't even show up until I was over two weeks post op.
I hope you enjoy your time with family today. Prayers for your comfort and peace of mind.
@honeybeast
 
@honeybeast I'm so sorry you are having to deal with the blues. I had c-sections for both my kids and got the blues something fierce for both of them, so I understand how things can feel so overwhelming like that. Try to just think about getting through this recuperation, thinking about other surgeries is like borrowing trouble for the day. I know, easier said than done with all the aches and pains you are dealing with. One day at a time. The weather doesn't seem to want to cooperate either, with all the gloomy days lately. Hoping for sunny days for the rest of the week for you, and that you will turn a corner soon. Thinking happy thoughts for you. :friends:
 
Hi honeybeast

I hope your recovery starts to get better and that you feel better soon
 
@honeybeast The bruising on your inner thigh may have originated somewhere else. A bruise will follow gravity (since it's just blood trapped below your skin surface), so it can show up on your leg some distance from where the bleeding took place.

Enjoy your gathering today and don't worry about taking time for yourself!
 
So my sister in law's boyfriend told me I should try walking without a cane. (I'm 10 days post op). When I replied that I can't yet because it hurts, he said "pain is good.."

...

...

:unsure:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel
Corganics CBD

Members online

Total: 965 (members: 1, guests: 964)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom