THR Wcgirl again painting rainbows

[Layla]

Hi again,
Something that works well for the car ride too is a large plastic garbage bag on the seat.
You sit on it and it makes it easy to swivel your legs around to front facing (windshield)
Best wishes for all!
@wcgirl

 

[wcgirl]

One more nite. Nice to be able to look forward -- my warm house, my own bed, my own bathroom. And in all I'm improving leaps & bounds! Amazing!

 

[wcgirl]

Im pagued w quad spasms when I lie down to get some sleep. I found @Horseshoe had the same issue and had good results drinking gatorade.
I just love bonesmart...

 

[Layla]

Aww, I'm sorry. That's awful!

Look into Magnesium -
Magnesium supports the following:
Bone health
Healthy blood sugar
Cardiovascular health
Muscle relaxation and nerves
Promotes healthy sleep (falling asleep and staying asleep)

An article on Magnesium -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/magnesium-is-a-star.20301/

I've also heard of drinking 4-6 oz of Q-Tonic before bed which is a water that contains quinine.
Read the label as some of the waters do not contain quinine, but quinine flavoring instead.

Hope you can get comfortable tonight and sleep well Just watch this guy > I usually yawn if I look at him long enough
@wcgirl

 

[wcgirl]

Gatorade helped immensely for quad spasms. Slept in this morning. Hooray!

 

[Layla]

Great news....good for you!
Hope you have a repeat performance.
A great weekend to,you!
@wcgirl

 

[wcgirl]

PT brought me a crutch! I was dragging my wheeled seated walker all over, never really walking correctly, couldn’t really reach anything, always maneuvering it out of the way and it was heavy! It seemed to hinder more than help. @Barbaraj is absolutely right! I had my walking stick at the ready but not yet.
I’m 2 weeks out and chomping at the bit when I read updates by hipsters 4 weeks out! I’m still working to back off in meds but got caught up in stomach issues - not fun. But I’m already happy being able to move around more comfortably and that can only help. Looking forward to saying goodbye to Log Leg!

 

[Mojo333]

Tiny Tim rides again.
I'm glad thou are feeling encouraged.
Still early days...keep the faith!

 

[Barbaraj]

Sounds like you're doing great, @wcgirl! I can absolutely appreciate the frustration with the walker (hated it, was so glad to ditch it for the walking stick) but take your time. And certainly a walking stick doesn't work for everyone, and there are crutches and canes and maybe other devices I'm not aware of that you can transition to when your body says you're ready. And I get wanting to ease off the pain medications but as with everything else with recovery, it's not a contest--do it slowly and on your body's schedule, not some foolish notion that you must do it now. If there ever was a time when we need to listen carefully and thoughtfully to our bodies, that time is NOW. Very early days for you, so take a deep breath--tomorrow is one day closer to recovery and you're doing a fabulous job so far! Keep up the good work!

 

[wcgirl]

On Wed I started cutting ($5 pill cutter at pharmacy) pain pills in half. Also my visiting nurse suggested Tylenol slow release Arthritis taken 1 1/2 pills every 8 hrs. (I was told regular Tylenol wears off in 6 hrs.) this way I will keep Tylenol at a steady level and I’ve found to my surprise that it works better than the pain med! I have to say that I have been very conservative w activities and paced myself so that I don’t have the fatigue. It’s only for a few days and I’m hoping to be fine w Tylenol only.

 

[Barbaraj]

Yay for you, @wcgirl, figuring out "the plan" so successfully with medication and appropriate activity! You're doing great--slow and steady wins the race. Have a good day!

 

[Layla]

It sounds like you're doing really well at only 2 weeks post op.
Taking it easy and keeping Energy Drain at bay. Good for you!
I hope you have a relaxing rest of the week.
@wcgirl

 

[wcgirl]

Totally off pain meds 2 days ago. Only Tylenol. Have to stay with fairly bland meals or my digestive system goes haywire. Doing more to help myself around the house w no pain. Need my 30 min of bed rest at least 3 times a day to ‘open’ my hips and fit in a few exercises. Need to be fit to watch World Series! Go Red Sox! 1000 piece Halloween puzzle tonight!

 

[alexthecat]

What a great update! It's nice to know that you're doing so well. Keep it up!

Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

 

[Layla]

Great update @wcgirl
I hope you enjoy the World Series and your Halloween puzzle.
Keep up the good work....you're on your way?

 

[Mojo333]

Better and better.
Glad to know you are doing so well.

 

[Barbaraj]

Glad it is all going so well, @wcgirl! Must be nice to be off all the heavy duty stuff. I weaned off 'em fairly early, too, although did take the extra strength Tylenol for another week or so, then eased off that to only occasionally and haven't now taken any for a week or so. Hope your digestive issues ease up for you--that doesn't sound fun! Take it easy, and have a great day!

 

[wcgirl]

It is so nice to be able to visit bonesmart friends like @Ginny12 and @Barbaraj and see how they are doing. There is such good info here. I go back & reread the recovery guidelines when I get stumped. So much good information tucked in there. The 90 degree rule is a gem - reminding to protect myself early on especially, no deep sofas that are a killer to get out of. No bending too deeply or stretching that disturbs all the tendon & soft tissue healing. But yes, eventually as my swelling subsides I am getting better range of motion. I’ve been playing musical chairs! BTW @Barbaraj when did log leg end for you? I forget from my 1st hip replacement. I can’t wait as I want to be able to drive by week 5.

 

[Barbaraj]

Good morning, @wcgirl! Hope it's a good start to the day for you--minimal pain, a wee bit more energy, and good attitude. My "log leg" ended within a week and a half, I think, but I'm still not driving. I was told (albeit in tones of great reluctance) that I "could" drive now but that unless I was 100% positive that I could quickly move my right leg/foot to the brake in the event of a quick stop, I should really hold off (it's my right hip) until 6 weeks. Rather than chance it, I've opted to wait until my 6 week check-in next week and then I'll feel comfortable resuming driving which will be HUGE. At this point I'm really feeling pretty good but the inability to get out and about (my husband is good about chauffeuring but I hate having him run small errands for me, which I'd normally do to get myself out of the house daily) is maddening! Regaining full independence definitely means a return to driving for me, and sounds like you, too. I am lucky that I have no real restrictions (maybe because of anterior approach?) and really it's only "if it hurts, don't do it" although I really want to get back to regularly exercising and waiting for clearance, next week I'm hoping. Cheers, and happy Tuesday!

 

[Layla]

Hi @wcgirl
I'll bet you're able to drive by week five as long as you're off the heavy meds.
With your right leg, as long as your comfortable hitting the brake you should be good at even three weeks,
if you're released. Think of somewhere you can do a test run before hitting heavy traffic.
I hope today is a good one!