[THR] Trenna's recovery thread

[Layla]

It's good to read you're settled in at home.
With any luck you slept well last night.
I hope you have help in all of this, sweetie, and aren't alone in these early days.
May today be a good day Happy Saturday!
@trenna

 

[trenna]

I didn't sleep too bad. A few sessions of 2 hours a piece is pretty fair for the first week. I forgot how terrible opioid dreams were and how weird and vivid they get.

OTOH, I love my health care team. I had my mom drop my post-op scripts off for me at the pharmacy (she's staying with me while I recover). My pharmacist went to fill them for me and ran into a hitch with my disability/ontario drug benefit coverage. Tylenol-covered, 60 percocet-covered, iron-covered, blood thinner- rejected.

So she called me up and chatted with me and she's like"The government is refusing to cover the blood thinners. So I'm going to call the government up to get them covered." before she asked, I said they were for my right hip which I had just had replaced on May 7, and the previous prescription had been for my left hip.

I'd hoped she'd call me back, but before I could call her the pharmacy delivery showed up with all the prescriptions. I was going to tell her that if she couldn't get it done, then I'd call my surgeon and have him rip a strip off them because he's good at doing that.

(in the time between booking my hips and getting them done, my brother broke his ankle and ended up being referred to my OS's rotation in the hospital's fracture clinic, and he took care of the nasty sick leave management company that wanted to deny my brother sick leave, despite working in a factory and wearing a cast)

 

[Mojo333]

Glad you have all your meds squared away.
Your OS sounds splendid!
Hope your brother heals quickly.
Healing hugs @trenna

 

[Carriemay60]

Your pharmacy lady rocks!! Happy to hear it all got sorted out and you have mom there helping you out!

 

[trenna]

Did anyone else get referred stem pain all the way down to their ankle? It seems to be femur pain into the knee. Straight down into my ankle. Or is it just the fact that it's my bad knee, and it's referred knee pain.

I knew to expect the knee pain from hip one, but the jaw clenching ankle pain was unaccounted for.

 

[Layla]

Greetings
I never experienced this, trenna, but possibly someone that can relate will drop by.
My guess is it's knee related. I think through a quick call to the office of your OS, a member of his care team may have advice after asking you a few questions, or at the very least offer you some reassurance. Jaw clenching pain sounds pretty intense. Possibly they'll want to schedule a visit for you....
Wishing you comfort, I hope the pain eases soon.
@trenna

 

[trenna]

Each recovery really is different. I am thankful not to have all of the bruising this time that I had last time, but I'm not a fan of the swelling I have this time.

I had to get a pair of knee high TEDs, because I'm so swollen that I can't wear the thigh high ones. They dig in and cut the circulation off.

Pain ways, it's weird. Surgical site and new hip feel about 1 to 2. My knee is about a 5,goes down to a 2 with pain meds, but goes up to a ten with shooting moments and my ankle gets involved too.

There's also the swelling in which my thigh doubles or triples in size.

I'm taking it easy resting, icing, elevating. If it keeps up I'm going to call my surgeon's office tomorrow.

I'm not doing too bad at the moment, just resting with my leg elevated. I've turned my phone off because I don't have the energy to deal with people.

I grabbed a new pair of Velcro sandles before the hip and I have to keep them on indoors, otherwise I get knee pain and stem pain if I try and walk (even with my 50% weight bearing}

I wish it were warmer so I could sit on the porch.

 

[Layla]

I've turned my phone off because I don't have the energy to deal with people.

I remember that vividly. You really can feel that drained at times. So much so that people can feel like energy suckers. Thankfully it's only temporary!
To brighter days....you know they're on the horizon

 

[Mojo333]

I'm sorry your knee and ankle are being a pain!
Perhaps you can bundle up and sit on the porch with a blanket anyway.
Early days, dear trenna...
Healing vibes coming your way.

 

[trenna]

I finally figured out why I feel like I'm weeks ahead in recovery with my right hip compared to my left hip. My surgeon corrected the leg length differential caused by the first surgery with the new hip. Since it got rid of the coxa vara femoral head that remained and corrected the angle.. He told me ahead of the surgery that he'd correct it within 2.5mm length of the other hip replacement

I think it also helps that I have a strong hip to recover with instead of a wimpy arthritis filled hip that wouldn't have lasted another year.

And all of the knee/ankle pain that was killing me disappeared with a change in the weather. So I think some of it was just a minor arthritis flare timed with surgery

 

[Layla]

All good news, trenna!
Glad things are looking up for you.
I hope you sleep well tonight and have a peaceful Thursday.
@trenna

 

[Mojo333]

So good to hear things are improving!
Only ten days out so lots of good things coming your way.
Hugs

 

[trenna]

Had to change my dressing today because I was getting contact dermatitis from the tegaderm. My old dressing looked great. No drainage, beyond maybe an 8th of a teaspoon of dried blood, and my staples look amazing. I'm glad they're coming out on Wednesday, because my skin is healing really well. I have 22 staples, which is one more than I had on my left.

I'm having a hard time trying not to break my hip restrictions. I keep wanting to cross my ankles this time. I'm having to tie a cushion to my leg even when I sit at the table.

I've started tapering the percocet since I've pretty much been on it for 2 months and want to be able to be off of it when this prescription runs out. And I know that my OS expects me off of it except bedtime by the time my staples are removed.

I honestly can't wait to be off of my xarelto so I can get back on my meloxicam. My knees, ankles and elbows are all flaring.
I'm avoiding anti-inflammatories because one of the doctors told me that they inhibit bone growth and based on my personal experience with a joint fusion where I took nsaids as pain relief and the fact that it took 12 weeks to make fibrous but not boney connection when it should have been bone in 6...

Otherwise Mom and I had a lovely day. We went uptown in my neighbourhood and window shopped a but, and I took her out for lunch as a minimal thank you, for basically moving into my house in the city while leaving my dad and the cats for 2 months to help me out.

(We picked up an old push wheelchair at a thrift store in between hip replacements because we both got really stir crazy last time. Its been a life saver allowing us to go out, since neither of us drive and walking further than the street corner is too much at this point.}

I hope everyone has a good weekend.

 

[Mojo333]

trenna
How wonderful to read your post...you sound very well!
Two new hips in three months

I'm avoiding anti-inflammatories because one of the doctors told me that they inhibit bone growth and based on my personal experience with a joint fusion where I took nsaids as pain relief and the fact that it took 12 weeks to make fibrous but not boney connection when it should have been bone in 6...

I avoided NSAIDs also...had read that it can inhibit bone growth and we want these new hips to get a good hold...

I hope your weekend is sweet!

 

[Carriemay60]

You sound like you are doing very well overall though I do hope all the swelling settles down for you. I really get you on the wish to get back on arthritis medications. I have RA and without my injections and all this crazy rain we've been getting, I am having my worst flare in years.

 

[trenna]

@Carriemay60 I sympathize with you over the weather related flares, they're absolutely nasty. I curled up with a blanket and slept an hour on the couch because I was stiff and sore, woke up moved to my bed and slept for another 4 hours.


I hate sitting right now. My hips immediately let me know when I'm too close to 90°. My tailbone and pelvis are miserable. My back dislikes the "lounging" position that makes my hips feel good. I have about 5 pillows out and about in the various chairs I sit in and on the end of the couch.
Any time I sit for half an hour, I then have to lay out for an hour to get rid of the pain.

My sleep is still a mess because I'm dealing with night pain and crashing from fatigue during the day. I'm hoping to sleep better tomorrow night because I picked up a new to me mattress that is only 4 years old and hasn't been slept on in 3 years compared to my idk how old it is mattress from the last time I moved and had to leave my bed behind and this was provided free of charge.

The swelling has finally gone down!That has lowered my average daily pain down a lot. I
wish I would have measured my leg at the various points of swelling. I ended up taking one 250mg ibuprofen tab, 2 days in a row on top of endless ice, and elevation. I also didn't eat any salt heavy foods. I think it was a combination of all of the above that helped.

I'm at the weird stage of trying to balance activities with fatigue.

I have started washing dishes again. My mom sorts them all out and opens the cupboard under the sink, and pulls up the backed barstools. I sit on the stool, put my legs in the cupboard and pull up to the sink. Then I wash all of the light dishes and set them on the counter for someone else to dry and put away.

 

[Carriemay60]

That is a decent amount of improvement in just a few days! Fingers crossed that swelling stays down for you. I also wish I had been more regular about measuring my leg just out of curiosity sake. I find sitting on a cool but not frozen gel pack the best for my tailbone but that doesn't work forever either. My tailbone is much more annoying now than my hip in some ways. The weather is not looking too inspiring today but hopefully you have a nice holiday Monday just the same.

 

[trenna]

Tomorrow is staple removal day! Hooray!

 

[Layla]

Wonderful! Let us know how it goes....and looks Hopefully nice and not creepy, lol.
Maybe even better than the first
Have a great day!
@trenna

 

[trenna]

My staples are out! They were so ready to come out that they were all pushing out of my skin. The incision looks fantastic. My surgeon said that the implant is fixing well to the bone. Another 2 weeks of 50% weight bearing, and then a week 75% before going to 100%.

Then he said physio after June 4th for muscle strengthening and gait training, down to using no walking aids. I see him again in 6 weeks.

My mom took me to the country to her and dad's place. I've got a few more stairs to climb but it's a nice break from the city. My Aunt called and said her and Gramma were going to visit me tonight (they were going to drive 2hrs to the city and were super pleased to find out they only had to drive half an hour to mom's place.)

Everyone was actually surprised that I was visibly taller when I stood next to mom. And that my posture looks better because the hyperlordosis caused by my old hips is starting to self-correct and it doesn't look like I have a shelf at the bottom of my lower back.

I also got to cuddle the cats because they both ambushed me before I got in the house.