Wearing anti embolism stockings

mjking

I have been discharged from hip resurface done on 28/6/10 and been told I must wear these stockings for at least 6 weeks. Problem is they are driving me mad! Too hot and tight! I've spoken with my Dr and we've gone up a size but still no good.

Can't sleep at night & keeping my wife awake too.

Any help would be very much appreciated - thanks!

:P

valval

hi can not help as can not even stand normal tights this weather it must be awfull feel for you hope some one has some advice for you val

mjking

[Thanks Val. Hope someone can help!

elnafinn

Hi there

It is a difficult one isn't it? We are having exceptionally hot weather and I know what you mean about the stockings. I wore them after my TKR's but that was much earlier on in the year thank goodness.

It is very early days for you only having had the op at the end of June. You could perhaps take them off for night time as 2 weeks have just about passed..... if you take them off completely, there is always that risk, isn't there? I really do sympathise with you. They are horrid to wear even in cool weather. I am not sure that there are any answers, except try to keep cool with icepacks and cold drinks. Are the "stockings" up to the knee?

I am sorry that I have no answers for you.

I wish you well with your post op recovery.

Elna x

frogmorton

Hi

have you seen speedy's thread - destined to wear teds stockings for ever!!!!

Vile thinhs arent they?

I guess recent evidence must say they reduce the risk of DVTs and the like?

Poor you - all my sympathy to you.

Love

Toni xx

woodbon

Hello, It must be horrible this hot weather, wearing those tight stockings. I really don't know what to suggest about the heat. Do you have a fan? That might help, but I'm not sure by how much.

I hope that you don't have to wear them for much longer!
Love Sue

lavenderlady

I had to wear these things last October when I had a hysterectomy they are awlful luckly it was cool then but in this weather I really feel for you, would keeping your legs cool help try ice packs in a towel on them so they dont get wet, take them off and get soemone to massage your legs before putting them back on again ( if you can ) I'm waiting for a total wrist replacement and am hoping it happens in cooler weather, if I have to wear them good luck, try to massage with something cooling like peppermint foot cream etc

mjking

elnafinn wrote:

Hi there

Thanks Elena

Yep they are thigh ones. My wife thinks it may be harder for men as we aren't used to weaing any kind of stocking!

mjking

Thanks - the peppermint foot cream is a good idea! I'll give it a go!

mjking

Thanks Sue

I do have a fan but don't find it helps much but then again, it is very hot just now!

Looks as though I'm Ok with them on during the day but sleeping is the problem.

Mike

mjking

Thanks Toni

Yep I saw Speedy's post but not sure of what he has decided to do?

Mike :?:

marion1952

Hi Mike

Have you been given the 'blood thinning' injections?

I had a total hip replacement 9 weeks ago and was given 28 days of Heparin injections (to thin the blood and prevent a DVT). I wasn't given the antiembolism stockings - just the inejctions ..

BW

Marion

mjking

Hi Marion

I have been given 14 days blood thining injections. Apparrently replacement need 28 days but as I had a resurface I only needed 14 days.

I must say apart from these stockings, I seem to be doing OK. No arthritic pain at all (not even in my un-operated on leg!) and not too much pain anywhere.

How about you?

Mike

speedalong

Hi Mike - your post made me laugh ... sorry ... it only made me laugh because I have been wearing and hating these items of torture in the heat too!!

Marion's question would be mine as well. Are the stockings your only defence against clots or are you having injections too? ... (I had both stockings and clexane jabs ....)

There seems to be very little consensus of opinion on the stockings - some consultants use them, some don't, some say you can take them off at night, some say leave them off in the day ... a lot say to wear them for 6 weeks. (Unless you are unlucky enough to have my consultant who wanted me to wear them for 14 weeks ... !!)

Why don't you see if you can switch to the knee high ones - which aren't quite so bad.

I wore mine day and night for the first 5 weeks, then started leaving them off at night (my decision) and at the week 7 decided my consultant was nuts and discarded them for ever!

The NICE guidelines say;
"The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that you wear compression (anti-embolism) stockings:

•both day and night after your operation
•until your ability to move (mobility) is no longer significantly reduced
NICE defines mobility as being significantly reduced if:

•you are bed-bound
•you are unable to walk without help or
•you spend most of the day in bed or in a chair
Your surgeon, or one of the healthcare professionals treating you, will confirm how long you should wear your anti-embolism stockings after your operation.

You can remove your stockings to have a bath or shower.

Clots are truly dreadful things and so if the stockings are your only form of defense against them I would be inclined to carry on suffering a few more weeks ... if you also have jabs and have been doing them regularly then you are less at risk.

How active are you now? How is the swelling? These are influencing factors...

Speedy (who should be wearing TEDS to 14 weeks and isn't!)

mjking

Hi Speedy

It was seeing you having to wear them for 14 weeks made me sign up for this forum!

I've been given 14 days of injections, rather than 28 as I had a resurface.

The swelling is getting less each day and is quite slight.

I'm doing all my exercises every hour and walking about on my crutches.

I've worn them (below knee) for 12 days and nights now (since my op) and all day today.

I'm thinking of leaving them off at night though my wife is a bit concerned.

Mike

speedalong

Hi Mike,



My op was a resurface too - A Birmingham hip BHR, which they are now calling a resurface-replacement. Evidently if they "smooth" off the head of the femur and the socket it is a true resurface, but with the BHR they then put a metal cap on the femur head and a cup in the pelvis socket - hence it being called a resurface-replacement ...

I was in hospital for 9 days (as I had no one at home to be with me ) and on top of the 9 days of clexane in hospital I had Clexane to inject for 25 days ... needless to say I didn't do all of them either, as felt it was too excessive ....

Well done you for keeping the exercises going, how much walking are you doing?

I think it has to be your decision ... good luck!!

Let us know what you decide and how your recovery progresses.

Speedy

mjking

Hi Speedy

I had the Bham Hip op - was in Bham too - ended up a the Edgbaston Hosp. under Mr Pearson.

I'm doing about 15 mins a day walking outside my house and about 10 mins in my garden. Only been doing this for about 4 days mind.

Going to try sleeping without the stocking tonight - I've had it on from about 5 am this morning.

Mike

elnafinn

mjking wrote:

elnafinn wrote:

Yep they are thigh ones. My wife thinks it may be harder for men as we aren't used to weaing any kind of stocking!

Hi again Mike

Quite honestly I think it is this hot weather that will be making it hell for you with these "things" more than you are not used to wearing them, if you know what I mean I think if your wife wore them for a day in this extreme heat, she would well understand and commiserate with you. I can also understand her being worried though too if you leave them off too long.

I tend to agree, it would be a good idea to sleep without them tonight! Both of you have a decent night's sleep You are doing very well with your walking about during the day which is good news. Keep moving around but don't overdo it! Perhaps you will not need to wear them for so long then.

Wishing you all the best,
Elna x

mjking

Thanks to everyone for their help & support over this - wearing these things at night.

Left them off last night and managed to sleep from 9-11, 11.15 - 3 and 3.20 - 5.15. So nearly 8 hours!

Best sleep since my op.

Each time I woke up I did 3 leg exercises, which I'm hoping helped.

Mike

frogmorton

Well done mike

The exercises certainly will have helped.

Worst thing about ops is how they naff up yor sleep for sure

Keep up the good work

Love

Toni xx

marion1952

Hi Mike

Glad you had a better sleep!

It's a good idea to do your exercises every time you wake up - I was really obsessed with that 'foot paddling' exercise - I'm sure I was doing it in my sleep and I still do it subconsciously/all the time now!

Funnily enough there is an article in the health section of the Mail on Sunday today about blood clots following surgery. It was a big concern of mine, because I know several people who had either had a DVT or pulmonary embolism after hip or ankle surgery..

Glad to hear that you are recovering well .. It is a brilliant operation.. so wonderful not to have that knife-like pain in your hip anymore!!

Marion

mjking

Thanks Marion

I'll have a look at the article in the Mail!

Mike

mjking

Cooler weather is making wearing them MUCH easier. Wore them all day & then slept in them last night from 10.30 until about 2 AM. Quite hot then, so took them off and did a few leg/foot exercises and slept with them off until I got up at about 5.30.

District nurse came today to remove my stitches. She said unless the surgeon specifically told me to, most people she deals with don't sleep with them on once the op is a couple of weeks ago.

My surgeon didn't specifically say I had to and the op is 14 days ago today, so think I'll continue with them during the day and part of the night.

Thanks again to everyone for your help with this ...

speedalong

Hi Mike,

sounds a fair compromise. I think that was how I started not wearing them at night - I'd wake up and end up struggling out of them ... and then by the end I was taking them off before I went to bed.

So that is two better nights you have had then.

Is the scar nicely healed?

Much cooler here too.

Speedy

I looked online for that article, Marion, but couldn't find it...

mjking

Hi Speedy

Scar healed very well, thanks. Tiny amount of bleeding when one of the stitches came out so she put new dressing on & will be back on Thursday.

I couldn't find the article either, but maybe the on line version is not the same as the actual paper?

Mike

marion1952

Hi Folks

Sorry that article doesn't appear to have been put on-line!

Essentially it said that DVts cause more deaths each year than breast cancer, AIDs and traffic accidents combined. Highest risk group is hospital inpatients, and even higher risk are those who have had hip relacements or pelvic surgery.. In the last 12 months English hospitals have been asked to risk-assess all adult patients coming in for their chances of developing DVT and those at high risk are given a prevention plan - which may involved blood thinning medicines and compression stockings... It's not just adults - it also affects the young..

(The article then went on to describe symptoms and diagnosis - which are well publicised on the internet, so I won't repeat them here..)

Your compromise with the stockings seems a good solution Mike..
Glad that the district nurse is keeping an eye on your wound.. I had to keep my staples in for 20 days because I am on a drug which slows down the healing process.. so they were well and truly embedded by the time the nurse cut them out!!

Best wishes

Marion