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THR The Other Side...is now My Side

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BTW, congrat to you Brits and Chris Froome in the Tour de France. He even took Mount Ventoux on Bastille Day yet. You might get the whole Tour two years in a row! :bicycle1:
 
Glad to hear you're doing so well marcopollo, rest well. Do not over do it, the pain meds make you feel more healed, than what you really are at first. Rest often (whenever possible), elevate, ice, and take your pain meds on schedule.
 
Congrats on making it home after your marathon trip Marco.. Let the healing begin :)
 
marcopollo, I worried about your long drive home. I'm so glad your doing so well! I'm just waking up and I didn't get an alert of your post I looked for an update from you. Your post has put a "pre-coffee" smile on my face... No small feat! Thank you for sharing how well your recovering and how special your wife, Beth is. It's a common theme with most of the hippies I follow here. You are all very lucky and NEVER take it for granted! I'm so glad that long ride is behind you and you handled it well. Also... The urinal SHOULD be hidden. If you can travel that long to get home, you can walk to the bathroom ... Just sayin'!!! :groan: :whistle: :no-fin:

Nancy
 
marcopollo, So great to hear how well you are doing. Yes, we have many similarities in our recovery journey. Nights are hardest, and it really does help to elevate the leg and also (as you've said) to take short walks throughout the night to stretch out the leg. What you said about attitude is SOOO true. Here's something cute I use with my students:

How much of a difference does attitude make? I let them guess different percentages, and then show them the following... If each of the 26 letters in the alphabet has a number value (A=1, Z=26), provide the number values for the following letters and then add them up:

A = 1
T = 20
T = 20
I = 9
T = 20
U = 21
D = 4
E = 5

So!!! It all adds up to 100%. Attitude is EVERYTHING, and you can prove it mathematically. I've provided the numbers, because we are all in recovery, but I let my students count on their fingers by themselves. They are always so amazed that it adds up to 100%

Love and hugs!!
 
Wow, it has been a long while since I posted to my thread. Mostly reading/posting to others.

I continue to do so well in my recovery/rehab. Everyday, in everyday, it's getting better and better! Though, I did have my first "over-did-it" day on Friday evening. Friend came over to bring us ice. We go through a lot with that wonderful ice machine which is my new best friend...next to Beth that is. Anyway, she came over around 5:30pm and we talked and walked down to the garden, and talked and I stood and sat up the entire time. Then around 7pm her hubby called and was coming back into town so he came over. Oh, why not stay for dinner. More sitting and talking and me not paying attention to my body. No, I can't lay on the couch then I would have to turn my neck...that would be uncomfortable. Come dinner served and I was over the edge. Had to take a roxy. The chills started. I lost it and had to go to bed with a couple of warm wraps (those are so wonderful) around my neck and tummy and soon enough I was in my special place. Missed dinner, but oh we'll...leftovers were good the next day. Good thing my friend was a retired nurse...she saw it when I crashed.

Lesson learned (reminded): LISTEN TO MY BODY! Act before things get out of hand rather than after they already have.
 
Overall, I think I am doing fantastic. Getting around gets easier and easier and I hope to move to cane next week with PT. Especially around the house. Already using just one crutch as it is easier and I can carry things in my other hand. Made it halfway down our road to our mailbox...an excuse to walk in the sunshine. We lose the sun later in the day...when we have the sun (coastal Northern California).

Pain has been minimal and very maintainable. Mostly eliminated the roxy and hope to start cutting the oxy down to once a day sometime this week. Wound is staying clean and dry with no redness or significant oozing. Get my staples out Wednesday. That means shower on Friday! TGIF!

Ice and movement seem to be my best friends. I get stiff when I lay around too much so getting up to pee, walk, pet my puppy dogs, do my PT, whatever, every hour or so seems to do the trick. Sitting or laying on the couch with the ice machine running seems to be my best pain management as it keeps any swelling down.

Kudos to Dr. Huddleston and the crew at Stanford University Hospital for doing such a great job on me and heading me in the right direction for recovery. And to Mad River Home Health for keeping me on that path with wound care and PT.
 
marcopollo, Marco, your description of "going over the edge" was so exactly what it feels like. I've had that happen, too. Sounds as though you are doing great. I'm making progress, too. Small amounts of walking outside, no more dressing on the incision (it is totally closed and clean now), and was even able to lie on the operated side for a while yesterday. Can't do that for long stretches of time, but it felt great to have an alternate position. Lying just on my back or left side gets pretty old. I'd have to say that recovery is more of a gigantic inconvenience than anything else. I'm hoping that my energy and stamina start building soon. I know I can't do anything to make it happen, though I can slow it down by pushing too hard. Stay in touch!
 
Great to hear things are going well for you!! I hear you about over doing things. Sometimes it kind of sneaks up. You are doing fine . . . Then ok . . Then NOT! Started back to work part time today and that felt good to have some normal routine . . . Keep up the good work!
 
Shadow09, back to work! That's great. How far post-op are you?

Friend brought over a reclining chair that worts with the 90 degree rule and I am reading and sunning myself this afternoon. Enjoying the rehab time off work!
 
Two week anniversary today! Had my staples out today. Less painful than I thought that might be. She put steri-strips over incision and she said they would start dropping off in a few days, then boom, I'm good. Can start showering in three days...oh yeah!

PT also released me today. Am completely on cane and he had me climb the rock steps we have up to our driveway...that was a big hurdle.

Off the oxy today (weaned down over last couple of days). Tylenol only now. So that means we can go to our favorite winery tomorrow night for weekly tasting!

Best thing was the UPS truck pulled up with a box and said "somebody loves you." It was a box from Lou Malrati's Tastes of Chicago....two frozen Chicago-style pizzas!! My wife's cousin does love us! Bon Apetit!
 
Yo, Marco! I'm done too! Only 24 hours post op they were talking about sending me home and I did not feel ready, just not confident enough, so the nice PT person did not pass me and I got my full insurance-approved second night. I just finished my second night at home and am glad I waited. I am taking my oxycodone about every four hours whether I feel the need or not. The day after the surgery was the most pain but it never got beyond a 5 or 6 and it was not joint pain, just muscle where they retracted the middle in front of my joint. I have some numbness on the top and outside of my right thigh from stress on the nerve during surgery, the doctor said my joint is small so he didn't have tons of space to work in, and that will gradually go away. I have home nurse and therapy today.
 
About getting off the pain meds - how did you do it, did you just decide you were done or did the nurse encourage it? I would like to finish with them as soon as possible so I can be cleared to drive etc.
 
marcopollo, Hey, buddy, how are you doing? It has been a while since I heard from you. Hope all is well.
 
marcopollo.. I so smiled at this... "Lesson learned (reminded): LISTEN TO MY BODY! Act before things get out of hand rather than after they already have"... You got that one right :) .. We all do it!
 
Hi all! It has been a while since I've checked in, so here goes. Three week anniversary today and all is going so well. Been off of the pain meds for a week now, with just an occasional Tylenol after extra activity. fiddletwist, I hadn't been needing the Roxy (oxycoden) at all so I just decided I would try going to one OxyContin a day and see how that was. Really wasn't feeling much pain so I thought I'd try. Did one a day for a couple of days...no change...so eliminated on my two week anniversary. Here I am three weeks out with no pain. Stiffness (mostly in the morning) yes, but no pain.

I have been discharged for home health and am waiting for the outpatient PT. to come thru. Doing my exercises...walking some each day (made it to Paris and back today...about a 1/4 mile). Have been going out and about some with a driver. Farmers market, men's group, visit to work, wine tasting. All went well. Walking feels so good!

I know everyone is different. Age, health, diet, surgeon, luck...all plays into one's experience through this process. But I am so pleased with how well this has gone for me. I truly could not have hoped for a better experience. Three weeks out and I am walking without a cane (don't tell anyone), feeling no pain. I am a lucky one, I guess.

I don't have my post-op OS visit for another three weeks, but I am seriously considering seeing about going back to work (IT manager) earlier than later. My OS said usually 6 weeks, but as early as four. I'm thinking five might be good. I don't want to rush it, but I also don't want to stretch it. We shall see.

I've been touting the wonderful value of this forum to anyone I talk to about my experience. A dear friend is telling one of his friends about me and hoping to put us together to talk. You all have been a key factor to my positive experience. This forum has been invaluable. Thank you one and all!!
 
Great report marcopollo, when you return to work, just be conscious if the energy drain if you intend going full time immediately. It is insidious and creeps up on all of us. Also, stiffness is considered pain, so do keep an eyes on that progress. :)
 
Thanks, Poppet, will do. Stiffness is pain, eh? Well, it isn't enough to take meds for, but I will monitor. Seems to be worse when I lay around or sit much and don't move around...especially in the knees. And I think half days would be best at first...I've heard of the fatigue creep.
 
Very wise :) you are so correct, try to move every hour to assist the circulation, stiffness and any breakthrough pain we often feel from sitting too long :)
 
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