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THR The Other Side...is now My Side

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marcopollo said:
Trying to get settled in different digs tonight at my friend's. not the safe, caring environment of the hospital or the safe, long term comfort of my home. This one day in between (thoughts of purgatory come to mind) offers a challenge tonight. Ice and pain meds are my friends!
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Elevation is also a good friend!
 
I like the picture with the big smile. Looks like you are doing well. I was surprised to see the wheels on your walker and hear that so many others had wheels on theirs. Wheeled walkers were strictly forbidden by my doctor I am not sure why but I think it would have been easier if I could have used one.
All the best in your healing journey. I am at 10 weeks post op things are starting to get back to normal. :happydance:
 
marcopollo, I'm so sorry for the awkward transitional digs.... I hope you slept well, and you're trip home is easy on the hip. Tonight will be a MUCH better night! Take good care of that new hip.

Nancy
 
Warhorse and others > "Elevation" for THRs? What gets elevated? I've noticed a pillow under my operated knee feels good. But are we talking multiple pillows under entire leg?
 
So I'm a bit confused. I've read the post on elevation (https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/pain-and-swelling-control-elevation-is-the-key.7602/) that Josephine put together. I see that I should be putting the leg on my operative side up on three pillows or some kinda wedge when laying or sitting. However, the hospital had me do no such thing with my legs. I had the foam wedge between the two, slight elevation from the bed, but nothing like the pictures in the post. Nobody said anything about elevation.

Is elevation for swelling? DVT? I seem to be getting up every hour or so to walk or stretch or use the BR. Is this more for at night time? Even though last night I got up every hour on the hour to get up and pee.

When I do get out of bed, I find that my leg is stiff and takes standing up to shake that off. Is that swelling that would be prevented by the elevating stack of pillows?
 
I followed bonesmart mantra. In the hospital I had to ask for ice. It wasn't protocol. I got my knees and feet as high as comfortable and layed ice on my hip. Those first few steps are questionable, as if the new hip might not hold me up. I layed down as often and long as I could because that was my job. I sat up when I needed a break. I also went into the library here and researched as much as possible. I hope this helps you.

Nancy
 
marcopollo I think you will get some swelling no matter what because of tissue trauma however the elevation makes it easier for your body to deal with the excess fluids in your leg. You let gravity help move the fluid up and out of the leg. Ankle pumps are also your best friends and help greatly with the "cement leg" feeling in the early days. If you can rig a way to sleep part of the night with the leg, or both legs, elevated it also seems to relieve the lower back tenseness so many of us struggle with in the early weeks. I don't know why hospitals don't teach elevation...maybe because in the first few days right after surgery they use the foam wedge to keep things lined up properly so you don't dislocate. Once you are home and healing and moving around a bit elevation really helps. I also found that my recliner was comfortable...but if I rigged a pillow under my legs I could actually get the foot elevated above the hip and it felt really good. The easiest way I found to accomplish that was lean the pillow against the front of the recliner and back into the chair so when you sat down the pillow was in place and you don't have to struggle to lift the legs to get it under them with the foot rest already raised. In the early days I was all about making it easy on my poor sore leg!
Congratulations on making it to the other side and welcome to bonesmart!
 
I know why they don't let your bed elevate the legs higher because i asked. I was informed that because of the fact that they give you the ability to move your back/head up this increases the odds of allowing you to break the 90 degree rule if they let you have control over your legs and head. That is what I was told at least
 
Thanks. That makes sense and I will try this when I get home tonight.

BTW, best thing post-op...that first shampoo!!! Ahhhhh, clean hair!!! I'm a new man!
 
Safe travels, may it be pain free. DONT FORGET YOURPAIN MEDS
 
randy62, we wouldn't have left without the oxy and we almost didn't. We took the prescription in to the Palo Alto CVS and they didn't have it. They called around and none of the other CVSs nearby had it. They even called Walgreens and finally found one that had it, but they needed my ID which was back at the house. Long story short, back and forth, got there they were closed for lunch, another hour to call DOJ, etc and we finally had both oxy and roxy. Phewww. Ready to go.
 
Get home get some rest and take cat of yourself. Let your wife help as much as she can peace be with you
 
Just pulling into town. Five min away! So much easier than I thought. But, I was ready to stop after the first hour of the eight hour journey. Lots of stops, walking around, ice, and oxy on cue!
 
Laying in my own bed. Leg up on three pillows. Ice pack on hip. Pain meds just taken. I'm getting sleepy...I'm getting very sleepy... :sleep:
 
So home has turned out to be easier than I thought. As someone else said, it is quite different being somewhere where there isn't a huge staff of nurses, PT, OT, kitchen staff, doctors, housekeeping to take care of most of my needs. But damned if my wife Beth has not done so much to make this part of the journey easier. Now she has said that I am a very easy patient (really, she did) and I am so much more mobile than we thought I would be. I can get up to use the bathroom even at night (haven't used the urinal once...though I think she hid it, she says). I find it more comfortable to walk or sit than to lay in bed or the couch, so that helps. Also, she gets to stay home from work-work so she can play in the garden when not getting me something. She actually changed my bandage this morning (my ice pack leaked) which was something she said she would leave for home health. And a deer came and helped itself to much of our garden while we were gone so she even fixed a break in our deer fencing...something she had never tried before...and had fun doing it!!

Speaking of home health, I have my first intake visit tomorrow. Should be interesting to see what the game plan is and what they can/will do. I have been pretty mobile and pain free. No PRN pain meds since 2am last night...just the q12hour oxy. Every time I get up to pee (which seems to be every hour...even at night) I try to walk around some...feels really good to work out the stiffness. During the day I will go outside and walk up the walkway and down around the deck since I am up anyway. Seems walking is more comfy the sitting and definitely better than laying for long periods. I used a walker one day in the hospital but went right to crutches and been using them at home exclusively. I like it as they don't get in the way as the walker might. I do have the walker at the toilet which allows me to get on and off the riser easier. Speaking of that, I have gone #2 twice since leaving the hospital. For some reason that makes me the happiest!!!

So I am curious to see what they will do. I am sure they will provide PT to get me doing exercising to strengthen my legs and hip mobility. Tell me how much I can and cannot do, though a few people have said if it hurts too much, it is probably too early for that. Keeping an eye on the wound which looks good except for the blisters and one abrasion which probably came from when they ripped off the duct-tape-like compression bandage they had on for the first two days. I haven't gotten a hip-kit with the reacher/sock-aid/shoehorn tools. Hopefully they can get that for me.

Anyway...getting late here. Just wanted to check in and let everyone know how well I am doing. One thing I tell everyone who amazes and how well this has gone for me is that some much of it is attitude. And that attitude came from all of the information, stories and support I have gotten from this forum and all of my hippy friends. I just hope I can return some of that good joo-joo to others who have embarked on or will embark on this journey.

Be well all....Marco
 
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