THR Trouble sleeping on my back

[Dive17]

4 weeks post op today!!! Thanks for the idea on the memory foam pad @jaydub63. My 9 hole putting and chipping experience went well yesterday. I was even able to "chip" with a hybrid club over water from 90-100 yards. I was very careful to keep the swing short and not take a full turn. I wanted to pull out the driver at the tees so badly! My mind kept saying "you can do it" and then I would remember my BS friends "take it easy".
I brought the cane for balance going up and down the sides of the greens and did not really need it. I used the cane and the putter kind of like ski poles to go down elevated green sides. I found out that the biggest issue was knee and thigh pain on the downhill walking. Going uphill was easy and my hubby says that I am walking much better after the surgery- almost no waddle now. My whole leg was sore when I got home. Icing for an hour moving the ice pack up and down from the hip to the knee took care of most of pain. And I was in good enough shape to cook a lovely shepherds pie from scratch for dinner. It was a very good day.

 

[jaydub63]

@Dive17 I'm jealous that you were able to do something outside! And it feels so good to get back to familiar activities. Temps where I live will be warmer this week, but we got more snow so the outdoor walking is hazardous again. More time at the mall or on a treadmill for me.

 

[Dive17]

@jaydub63 We pay for the lovely mild winters with stifling summers. Yesterday the temperature got all the way up to 70 for a very short while and then back in the 60s. We do have another cool front pushing through, so 30s to 50s for next weekend, which is our normal in January. Be very careful walking in bad weather.
I am still scared to go on the treadmill. My balance is lousy and I am sick of doing the flamingo stands at PT to improve it. Other than making my leg hurt, I am not sure that they do any good. If the good Lord meant for us to walk on one leg, He would not have given us two. As I explained to the very skinny physiotherapist, when you are a big girl you need both legs to carry your weight. Of course, this is the same sweet girl that asked me to do steps up with my operated side- no go right now. I will go good leg up bad leg down for the rest of my life if I have to but step exercises are not my friend. I guess pain makes me grumpy. The therapists mean well but sometimes they forget that some of us heal a little slower. Off my grumpy chair now.

 

[jaydub63]

Sounds like I've been lucky to not have been referred for any formal PT sessions outside of the at-home exercises I was given. I would guess a large percentage of PTs have not been through a surgery like this as well.

Don't be afraid of trying a treadmill, as long as it has rails or a bar you can hold while walking. I found it helpful since I could focus on the mechanics of walking heel-toe and not worry about balance, and you can control the speed.

 

[MammaT]

I think physical therapists should have actually had the surgery before telling us what is what!

 

[Layla]

You sound great for 4 weeks post op @Dive17
Assuming you're using the memory foam pad as you ride in the golf cart for shock absorption?
I thought about riding along with my husband as he golfed late last Summer but was afraid to try
in case I got uncomfortable in the cart, or it was bumpy. Then what.....Wah, Wah can you take me back to the car to sit it out. I figure by this Summer I'll easily be able to handle it.
Your weather sounds heavenly to me. We're 27 degrees now. A high of 1 degree on Sat and Sunday

 

[Dive17]

My memory foam pad has not arrived yet, so I placed a folded up blanket on the golf car seat. I folded the right side against the arm rest so that my incision did not hit the arm rest as the cart bounced. Hubby is a bit of a wild driver of the golf cart. I feel really good today, but I had to rest yesterday as the walking up and down small hills got to me. I am trying to build my daily steps, but have only managed a bit under 5000 steps on my best day, with a 2500 step average. Can't wait to lose the cane, but I am scared to fall. The bad news is that my golf buddy invited me to play a scramble on January 20 and I had to say no.
@Layla I hope that Spring comes soon and warm weather with it. By this summer, you will be walking the miles and riding around the golf course with no worries!

 

[Jackie222]

Hi @Dive17, sorry that you’ve had to say no to your friend your hip will thank you. I think an average of 2500 steps a day is brilliant at this stage in your recovery

 

[Dive17]

It is cold again, and I am feeling it on the incision. Yesterday was hibernation day- did not leave the house all day. I am mustering the will to go to church this morning, and make a short foray into the grocery store.
Have not posted for a few days because at home work has ramped up in earnest. I go back to the office next week and have all day meetings on Monday thru Thursday. The plan is to bring my cane and my new chair pad and get up as often as possible. I will go outside the meeting room and march in place for a couple of minutes at every break.
The Steri strip on my incision is finally starting to shred. That is one stubborn glue. I am so close to just yanking it off! I am cutting the stray fibers on a daily basis because they get stuck on my clothing- yuk.

 

[tyorke1]

Nice update, as a competitive golfer , I have been putting in basement, taking limited backswings and working on forearms. I have a rm booked to try and qualify for the 2018 British senior open in July at ST ANDREWS !! . Doc thinks I might be ready . With a bad hip I managed to almost make it into the 2016 US SENIOR open in COLUMBUS JACK'S course but I was an alternate and unfortunately the last person not to get into the tournament. I did practice next to Tom Watson he has a THR could have had a nice hip talk!!. My 6 weeks is Tuesday, Getting stronger everyday.

 

[MammaT]

Getting up and moving during meetings is excellent @tyorke1. I have gotten into the habit of sitting in back of room if I can, and if I am not running the meeting I let the person in charge know I have hip issues and may need to get up and move during non-scheduled break times. If I am in charge, I let the group know the same thing. People don’t seem to have a problem if we have a reason beside boredom!

 

[Layla]

Hi @Dive17
Hibernation days are good once in awhile this early into recovery. A short grocery store outing
should bring you a sense of satisfaction in accomplishing a simple task and feeling a part of the world again.

Sounds like you have a sensible plan for your return to work. Ones position in an office setting shouldn't need to be a consideration upon returning from a major surgery. Common sense would suggest that you will not be functioning at full capacity allowing for a gradual re-entry. Extra breaks, sitting, standing, walking, marching in place if you choose should all be acceptable given the circumstances.

Best of luck as you continue to heal and jump back into life! Well.....maybe not jump

 

[Mojo333]

Yay for getting back to life!
Happy for you

 

[Dive17]

@tyorke1 I am a bad hacker but love to chase the little white ball. I think that it is amazing that you will brave the British Senior Open in July with a hip replacement. I will be looking at the tournament on television and wondering which golfer you are! I will be back to putting and chipping this weekend, weather permitting, maybe half swings with hybrids.
Back to work this week has been challenging. I had to pick the week when Houston got iced over! It was hard to walk on icy sidewalks and drive on icy roads for two days. I walked very slowly and drove even slower. Today it is raining and warmer, thank goodness. I am still being very careful on the slippery surfaces.
The biggest issue has been that the outside of the thigh on the operated leg gets swollen and achy at the end of the work day. I also tend to limp when I get tired, so am still using the cane outside the house.
The hip seems OK and I finally got tired of the big fraying Steri-strip and ripped it off on Monday. The scar is healing well, no wet spots even if it is not the prettiest scar in the World, looks like a poorly installed zipper. We won't tell my OS this, he is very proud of his handiwork. One side effect of going back to work is that I am falling asleep at 7:30 P. M. to get up at 5 AM and I even gave up the Tylenol. That is a lot of sleep for me. Also, I get very cold at night except for my hot hip and thigh. Anyone getting chills? Seems that all the circulation is going to healing. This is small stuff and I am very pleased to be getting back to life. Now awaiting the next OS appointment

 

[jaydub63]

@Dive17 Glad to hear that back to work has been ok - if you can survive the snow you'll do fine! That's everyday for me in Michigan. I've had the opposite problem of being too hot at night. I think it's the sleeping with the pillow between my knees. I've gotten quite used to that while sleeping on my sides, but it seems to generate extra heat and I wake up a little sweaty sometimes.

My sister lives in TX, on 50 acres in between Houston and Austin. She's a "hippy" too.

 

[tyorke1]

Dive17 I get the chills, bad chills or DT'S when I stopped the perks. I should have said I will try to qualify for the OPEN. Hip surgery is interesting, some exercises my new hip seems stronger doing certain things than the other. Also the new day ache's, Our bodies are adjusting to the new hip, new walking, new posture all aggravate other areas. I'm lucky DR wrote me a note for 6months and I won't go bk 1 day early.

 

[Dive17]

@jaydub63 ,we finally got back to our normal 40s to 60s temps in Texas. This is a lot better for us hippies. If it stopped raining for a while, it would be perfect. It stormed last night and the "flowering" phones woke us up with a flood warning at 4 AM. In our neighborhood we did not flood for Hurricane Harvey, so a few inches of rain won't hurt us. Those alerts are set for people that live in low areas, so they go off after 2-3inches of rain, which is just a sprinkle in this part of the state. Wish I knew how to turn them off, those and the silver alerts. Let poor grandpa escape! Grumpy.
Have not posted for a while because I have been working long hours and sleeping like a sloth. Saw my primary care for a routine appointment and found why I have been sleeping 10 hours per night, which is not normal for me. The iron is low after the surgery- was pretty low at the hospital and is recovering, still below the normal range now. This is the first time in my life that I have that problem because I am a big girl that enjoys her red meats. My hemoglobin is usually at the top end of the range for women. The plan forward is to increase leafy greens and red meat intake. I am blessed with low cholesterol and low blood pressure, so my assignment is to eat more steak, Yeehaw! I will throw in a little spinach with my steak.
The OS and the primary both want me to finish the PT appointments, so 3 more weeks of torture. I am now able to do single step ups and half squats without screaming at the therapist, which is progress. Just kidding, I don't scream, just moan and whine. I have not been walking as much as I should due to the lousy weather and lack of energy. It does not help that I get home at 7 PM exhausted. Maybe once the iron comes up I can start walking miles again. Right now it is get up, go to work, get home, eat, shower, sleep, repeat. The weekends are for hibernating mostly horizontally, with a little chipping and putting weather permitting.
I would like to give up my cane and grabber but the OS appointment was postponed another week and I am too scared of the dislocation risk. I am on week 7 and feeling OK other than swelling at the end of a long work day. The nurse at work scared me saying that if I do not follow instructions and dislocate the insurance may not cover hospital costs. That sounds wrong but better safe than sorry- I am still fighting the insurance to get them to pay for the surgery costs, so do not want more charges.
I know that this is very long, but I need moral support. Hugs y'all!

 

[jaydub63]

@Dive17 Good to hear an update from you! Sounds like things are going pretty well, and may be even better after you get your iron sorted out. It does sound like you had to go from 0-60 for work pretty quickly which could certainly bring on some energy issues as well. I know eating a lot of good steak would make me feel better too!

I get you on the insurance issues. I've been tracking my claim on my insurance website to get an idea of what I will be billed. First ALL the hospital and surgery costs showed up as my responsibility, with a note that they hadn't been approved (although I have a letter from them before surgery that it had been approved). Then the whole claim disappeared from my account! It came back a few days later showing that they were paying the whole thing. I'm not sure that is correct either, as I was expecting some co-insurance for the hospital stay and other stuff, but it's a lot better than owing the whole thing! As of today I've only gotten a bill for $13 as a co-pay on an x-ray done the day of surgery and there is one other charge for $130 from my OS's PA that I haven't received a bill for yet. All the charges just show as "hip replacement", so I can't tell what they are for exactly either. So frustrating.

My "6 week" appt isn't until next week, which will be almost 8 weeks. I did stop following the hip precautions to the letter at 6 weeks, and have been trying increase my range of motion a little, but I'm holding back until I see my OS. Will be glad to get the official sign off!

 

[MammaT]

Low iron will wear you down @Dive17. I especially like the part of your plan that involves more streak!

Use the cane if you are more comfortable. In terms of grabber, I use it all the time. It is a wonderful device and not just for surgery!

 

[Dive17]

Thank you @MammaT . I just ordered me another grabber, red to match my car, I will be styling. Those things are awesome. Q1 is always a bear for work, and this year there are two additional big projects. No rest for the healing.

@jaydub63 I am fighting the insurance because they got the copays right for the hospital and surgeon (all paid off), but the surgical assistant is showing out of network and that is almost an additional $1k. Anesthesia has not billed yet, so I will have to check that too. I hate how they all bill separately and you have to fight one by one. And this is with very expensive "good" surgery. I hope that your insurance does pay all your expenses. I would be very grateful if I could keep the total under $2k out of pocket. And that is why I work so hard.