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THR The marvels of recovery

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@JulieJF congrats on your new bling. You sound strong and ready for your journey. I had to laugh at things in common. Fell in love with ginger ale too. Only thing that I could tolerate in the hospital and at home for awhile. I do agree with the sleeping thing at night. Three weeks out and I get four hours to start but then it is mostly dozing until morning. Sounds like your views preop were outstanding, looking forward to reading about your recovery journey. Ice ice and more ice.
 
So true we ARE lucky. When I do basic things like walking down the lane or standing straight without pain I feel that sense of luckyness again.

Just reread my post and you are very privileged that by little post turned ib to a little poem!!
 
Yes, Julie, we should count our blessings and realize the recovery is just but a bump in the road of life and the reward is a great and new beginning for many years to come! If we focus on how thankful we are that we GET to have our hips replaced and at this moment in time, it should help us get through our recovery with at least a positive outlook (Now keep in mind, this is coming from someone who isn't and has never experienced the miserable moments one will most likely face post-op, so it's easy for me to say, huh).
I can relate to your account of your grandfather, as my father was told by his company's physicians, at the age of 52, that his osteoarthritis in his back was so bad, that his X-Rays looked like they were taken of a 90 year old man! As I sit here reflecting back, I am saddened that I really didn't understand the kind of pain he was going through. Upon wakening, he would be bent over at the waist (almost to 90 degrees) and wouldn't be able to straighten up for about an hour or so later. If we were all out to some type of event requiring much walking, he would stop (always smiling), lean on whatever was close by for a few minutes and pretend he was just stopping to look around at everything. Not once did I ever hear him make any sort of comment or gesture that he was actually in tremendous pain and the poor guy suffered with it for over 20 years...how sad! I sure wish I knew then what I know now (as the old saying goes), so I could have helped out a bit more. :cry:
 
Today, we took the pain meds up to 15mg oxycodone after pain broke through the first 10mg dose. Tried that for two doses - I'm timing the pain meds by the clock and not letting the pain catch me as is the BoneSmart way. Alas, 15mg was still not good. I ended up nauseous, dry mouthed, a little light-headed, and searching for words to complete a simple sentence. Back to 10mg we went, and this time - perhaps because I was already ahead of the pain? - it's seems to be keeping me comfortable.

In the world of walking, I made it outside my room today. Did a loop from my room to the parallel corridor and back through the PT room. I also learned how to step up and down on a curb and practiced walking with the crutches. I'll be discharged with both a walker and crutches.

We took a picture of my incision today after the dressing came off. The surgical resident said it looked perfect, and I have all internal stiches, so nothing to remove. Yay! The bruising up my back and down my leg is huge. I was prepared with the hippies scars here on BoneSmart, but when it's your own, it looks bigger and badder, don't it? I'm sll shades of red and violet now. Can't wait for the greens and yellows to appear!

Food in this hospital is really good. I'm thankful. I'm amazed though that a few bites into a meal, I'm suddenly full, even when I was stomach rumbling hungry. My mother in law had told me to expect that, but wow - half of a portion controlled meal, and I can't eat any more. The other thing she had warned me about was the sleepies. I feel asleep while my husband was here, slept for about 40 minutes, woke really alert, and started to feel as though I could fall asleep again about 20 minutes later.

Back at home, my husband unpacked the last box of stuff that I had preordered and discovered that the grabber will come in handy as a cat toy! :)



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LTRH 2015 May 8
Hospital for Special Surgery
Dr. Thomas K. Sculco
 
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We've really been wrestling with the pain meds. Last night within 30 minutes of the end of my pain dosage of 10 mg oxycodone, I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I engaged my gag reflex and coughed. Almost threw up and had to breathe deliberately through a wave of nausea.

I brought this up with the night nurse. The night before, she had switched me to oxy because I had maxed out on acetaminophen and she couldn't give me more Norco. The Norco had been holding my pain except for one dose cycle and that was immediately after coming off of the epidural), I didn't have any nausea, and I was feeling mentally alert. The Oxy also gives me brain fog.

So - we decided that my best bet was to switch back to Norco. She called down to the PA and apparently he got a little testy with her. Why would she want to put her patient back on a medicine that hadn't been completely effective for her? She apparently pointed out that I was feeling generally better. Remember that day 1 post op was rather difficult for me. He insisted that the oxy was making me feel better and further insisted that I stay on the oxy with something for nausea.

I don't want my narcotic reaction / dosage to keep me in hospital for another day.

I took 5mg doses if oxy overnight. Now, about 20 minutes before my next scheduled dose, I can tell it's not enough.

Should I try to go back to the Norco or struggle with and/or adjust to the oxy? I'm not feeling charitable toward that night PA.




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Hope you get your pain meds sorted. Only you know YOUR pain! Wonder how my day 2 will go pain-wise?
Had a laugh at your new "cat toy". One of our cats likes to chew the plastic handle of mine, and 18 month old
grandson thinks it's the coolest toy ever!
 
@JulieJF what a headache to
Have to sort that out! What does your gut tell you to do?
The PA that was on our floor was an energetic really happy woman. She works there every single day and just finished med school! The nurse said 'it will be a dark day when she leaves this unit.' Too bad they can't all be like that!
 
@Gummy Bears

Too bad, indeed. The night nurse was definitely not happy with his reaction. She could see how nauseous I was, and she was empathizing. She commented that if the PA had ever had a period, he would be more empathetic to nausea. :)

She brought the situation up with the charge nurse and they were going to follow up with the day shift PA.

I won't complain too much though. Absolutely everyone else I've seen here has been wonderful.


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That's good! Hope your pain meds get regulated and you get to go home soon! Ill be thinking of you today.
 
It all sounds dreadful @JulieJF I do hope you get it sorted soon. Some people are just jobs worths., its a good job the nursing staff are more sympathetic and are fighting your corner with you.

Good luck, hope you manage to get home soon xx
 
JulieJF I hope you get the meds sorted out. Adequate pain control is so vital, especially early on.
 
Home at last. It's a relief but I see what Josephine meant about the ripples it produces when you leave the security of the hospital.

Pain meds continue to be an issue, now of a completely different kind. Husband went to our usual pharmacy with four scripts, one of which was for oxycodone. Pharmacy doesn't carry it because so much abuse and can't tell him which other pharmacies do - even within the same chain. He drives randomly around the borough waiting for a call back from my surgeons office. 2.5 hours later (and two hours after I was scheduled for a next dose, the hospital was able to direct him to a pharmacy.

Why must this be so difficult?


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They mentioned in our hip journey class we took ahead of time that it can be difficult to find narcotic pills and if you call ahead they won't tell you bc people used to call and then would rob the pharmacy. Mercifully, the first pharmacy we went to had it. Even the mainstream pharmacies in your area aren't carrying it? I would think if he walks into a pharmacy with a prescription that the pharmacist could figure out who has it. Hope you get some good sleep tonight!
 
@Gummy Bears

We didn't think it would be THIS hard to find. He said last pharmacy he went in to before the hospital told him where to go was looking at him suspiciously. He's stressed now too because he's feeling the burden of being my caretaker at home.

He's got it though. Now he's back to the original pharmacy (a Walgreens - so even the chain wasn't being helpful) to pick up the other three scrips. Relief coming soon.


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