THR Frustrated

Hi @BeBe I have the brain fog too, it’s maddening. I attribute it to not sleeping well. Even when I get 6-7 hrs in a night it’s not a solid sleep, I’m up every 2 hrs usually. I do nap when I can during the day and recommend it if you can. Occasionally I’ll sleep solid for a bit and it makes a world of difference.

@anny i agree with keeping the crutches for a bit longer. Even though I’m mostly on the cane now, I will sometimes revert to the crutches if my groin is especially cranky. There’s no rule that says once you try one you can’t go back. I like the cane because it frees up one hand, but then I’ve also made use of backpacks and aprons with large pockets.

We’re getting there!
 
Hi AJ.....have asked my husband to dig out his cane tomorrow, thought I'd try it round the house. Is it much different from using one crutch> Do you still use it on the opposite side? I'm wondering what the advantage is over a crutch, apart from looking slightly less 'clinical'.

This sleep thing is maddening isn't.....I've been taking half a zopiclone (sleeping tablet) to help me sleep, but from tomorrow I'm going to see how I am without it, in case it's the cause of the 'sleep like the dead, then awake amd counting sheep' scenario
 
Hi anny. I couldn't sleep before surgery and was beginning to wonder if I would ever get a normal sleep pattern as it still seemed elusive months after surgery.
Annoying:gaah:
Am sleeping like a baby now though!
Hope you have a Good Day...I finally resigned myself that naps were the only way to get some rest though worried that was affecting my night sleep:shrug:
Sometimes we just do the best we can:skep:
 
Last edited:
@anny - difference for me cane vs. one crutch is I put more weight on my operated leg with cane. Cane wasn’t as sturdy and at the beginning of the switch I continued to use crutch for stairs until I felt more confident. I use cane on left side, operated leg is right side.
 
Yes @anny , the cane goes in opposite hand from the surgery just like @hikejunkie said. As far as the sleep, it will come. I read of many who sleep in their recliner for a while as they just can’t get comfortable in bed. It’s a big adjustment since we know we can’t move and lie like we normally would. I sometimes think some of it is mental but who knows. It’s best just to nap when you can and do your best to sleep at night but don’t stress yourself over it. You just have to take it a little easier on the days you feel more tired. You’ll get there before you know it. They don’t tell you in the literature that THR also requires a large dose of patience :yes!::roseshwr:
 
Hi @anny to answer your question re the cane, the advantage is for me, once you are strong enough and stable, the cane allows for a much more normal, straighter and longer stride. Also, as you progress with the cane you will find yourself putting less pressure into it and needing the support less. I’ve felt a faster progression to normal with the cane. And yes, everyone is correct, you use it on the opposite side from your new hip (so it would be on your left side) and swing the cane forward at the same time that you take a step forward with your right foot. There are loads of YouTube videos out there that demonstrate how to use it. I am definitely walking taller with a better posture with the cane. You may need to go back and forth a bit at first while you adjust.

If I could get one night of a truly deep sleep I would be a happy hippie. I’ve been revisited by hot flashes again, so that has added another layer to the sleepless nights. I went through menopause rather late, 58, and hadn’t quite finished with the flashes, but for some reason they’ve kicked it up a few notches since surgery. I’m napping when I can meanwhile, and that’s keeping me functional.

We’re progressing a bit every day, despite these annoyances. Hang in there!
 
@AJinNH - I can keep the temp low in the house but sleep hot. I actually got a new mattress and it’s made a world of difference. Has “cooling layers” and “ventilation”. It wasn’t cheap but not crazy priced either. Just a thought if your bed is older to perhaps look at something new.

@anny - did you try the cane?
 
@hikejunkie thanks for the tip, I did get a new mattress a few years ago that is also supposed to be cooling. Plus I have a ceiling fan over the bed that helps. I swing from one extreme to the other, so I’m frequently either kicking the blankets off or wrapping myself up in them.

@anny how’d your sleep experiment go? Did cutting out the zopiclone help? I slept a bit better last night but haven’t figured out why that is yet.
 
Hi guys....yes I did try the cane last week, and was a bit dismayed that I was a lot more wobbly than with the single crutch. I realised I needed a lot more weight-bearing support than I thought I did, so gave up for a few days. But I tried again today (just in case, didn't actually feel any stronger) and yippee I'm not nearly as wobbly....will stick to round the house at the moment, no 10 mile hikes, but I can work with that. My other 'milestone' is that I can almost go upstairs 'normally' ie instead of crutch and good leg, crutch and good leg etc I can do alternate legs (still using the crutch) so that also points to op leg being a bit stronger. My next goal is to use the loo without the looframe around it (my dad is coming over in about 10 days and will be sharing my bathroom....but he's fitter than I am and might not want to share the frame!) At the moment I could do with something to push down on with my right arm(op side) and can't think of anything I could use temporarily between the loo and the wall (about 12" gap) so if anyone has a bright idea? :idea: The obvious thing is to strengthen my right thigh and bum muscles, but, as we know, you can't do these things to order :bawl:

AJ....does your mattress have a memory foam top? My daughter's OT told her to avoid mf as it makes you hot and she has difficulty regulating her body temperature. I bought a new bed 6 mths ago, not realising it has a built-in mf topper, and I do find it pretty warm. Not sure what you can do about it tho :sad:. I stopped taking the zopiclone (sleeping tablet) about 4 nights ago and all went well, so I got a bit carried away and decided to drop one of the 2 tramadols too, as I'm not having much pain. I didn't have the tramadol last night and had a miserable sleepless night...not because of my hip but for some reason, my back was aching like mad no matter how high/low my pillows were, and where the pillows further down the bed were.....made me wonder if the tramadol was also dealing with the achey back thing too, so tonight will take the tramadol and maybe see how I go without the morning one instead. Wouldn't it be good if there was one blueprint for everyone, so that we didn't have to do all this guesswork

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and everyone's recovery is still going well......can't believe it's 4 weeks today since I was lying on that extremely narrow operating table and wondering if I could make a run for it....doesn't time fly when you're enjoying yourself :wink::heehee:
 
Happy one month @anny.
Agree we all have to find our own blueprint for managing recovery.
You really are doing great.
Keep on keeping on.
We are rooting for you:friends:
 
Hi @anny when I watched the JRAD webcast one of the OS said that people often make the mistake of discontinuing the bedtime pain med first, when in fact it should be the last to go. I thought that was helpful.

My bed does have mf, but one of those cooling layers is on top of that. Generally it doesn’t bother me, so I’m pretty sure it’s my hormones acting up. I had the ceiling fan going on high speed last night, felt like I was in a wind storm. Fortunately my husband sleeps through everything.

I can go down stairs normally, but up still requires the ‘up with the good’ routine. I’ve tried taking a few steps normally, with the cane assisting, and it really hurt my hip too much. Every once in a while I practice stepping up a half-step height to hopefully make those muscles a little stronger. Last night I was awake frequently with spasms, so perhaps I’ll stop those and take it easy for a day or two.

Yes, time is flying by (except during the night)! I’m all done with the anticoagulant injections, yesterday was my last one, so that was a significant milestone for me. We’ll celebrate all of those milestones until one day we’ll turn around and realize we did them all! :yahoo:
 
Hi @anny !
For the bathroom, you can call a plumber and have them install a handicapped bar.
I did that for my first hip four years ago; its still there, of course; and I am glad I have it.
Its a standard ADA handicapped bar.
 
No more shots for AJ . Yay!:egypdance:
Anny,
Hope you have a Good weekend
 
I’m all done with the anticoagulant injections

truly a milestone to celebrate :yes!:. I'm so glad I didn't have to do those, I'm really squeamish about injections! I've still got about 2 weeks of baby aspirin left, so I suppose I just take those till they're finished... much easier than a needle

Thanks for reminding me about coming off bedtime pain meds last.....in my overthinking brain it seemed to make sense to take them in the morning in preparation for all the exercise during the day......totally overlooking the fact that if you don't sleep at night you won't have the energy to do anything the next day anyway! Hoping for a better, tramadol-aided sleep tonight :zzz:
 
I use this around one of the toilets, it aids getting up and down, plus you can put it away when you don’t need it anymore. It looks like a walker, but fits behind the toilet seat cover and is very sturdy. I’ve even used it behind an armless chair occasionally.

9A087942-D0B6-4421-993B-73BBEB738A3D.jpg
 
Both the toilet donut and the bedside toilet I replaced it with had handles on both sides. One of the pre-op exercises was to practice raising up from an armed chair to help build strength to raise up from chairs and toilets.
I used a foot long piece of 2x6 wood to practice stepping up. then screwed another on top once it became easy. Finally have 3 screwed together to practice the step up. Still practice step ups 40-60 times a day.
 
Oh AJinNH I am allergic to dressings so they gave me hypoallergenic ones- even allergic to the tape they use to hold on cotton wool!
 
How do you know when to go from two crutches to one. Crutches to canes and canes to no support?
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jaycey
    ADMINISTRATOR Staff member since February 2011

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,181
Messages
1,597,065
BoneSmarties
39,365
Latest member
Dave4562
Recent bookmarks
0

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom