Tomorrow is D-Day

Sarah01

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone is well today

Well tomorrow is my appointment with the surgeon. I'm hoping that the knee and hip has gone down enough for him to agree to physio. It's now nearly 8 weeks since the THR and I am down to 1 crutch in the house and 2 crutches outside.

I'm keeping fingers crossed that he doesn't say to leave it another 2 weeks to see how it goes as I will scream. I still have no strength in the leg to walk without any aids (I tried it and managed one step before the pain in my hip became intense) and I still suffer with pain in the groin and knee. I can do some exercises but not all of them and I still cannot sleep in my own bed, I have slept on the sofa since I came out of hospital, it's the only place I can be comfy and get a good night's sleep.

Starting to feel like I am a prisoner in my own home, just wish I could get about more, be able to start driving again and get back to normality. I'm keeping fingers crossed I get good news tomorrow night when I see him

Sarah x

bridesmum

So sorry to hear that you're struggling. Fingers crossed for you tomorrow that your appointment goes well. Take care, Deb

hileena111

Hi Sarah
Fingers crossed for tomorrow.......do you want pocket duties?
I only have the nurse coming tomorrow to change the dressing.
The following day is 6 weeks post op and I have an appointment with my ortho.
Love
Hileena

Sarah01

Hi Deb and Hileena

Thank you

Hileena, what is pocket duties??? I've never heard of it before :oops:

Good luck tomorrow with the nurse, I can't believe how time has flown by for both of us since the ops.

How is the hip doing?

Sarah x

hileena111

Hi Sarah
Pocket duties.......that's if you want us to come along {cyber like} in your pocket and give you some encouragement etc

My hip isn't bad but I still have to walk on 2 crutches and I'm on oromorph now instead of codeine.......that wasn't touching the pain {not the fracture} and when the nurse was in changing the dressing last Fri she said ring the doc.
I did and he said oromorph......codeine was what the sent me out with for pain relief for a THR....not a THR AND a fracture as well.
I cant walk very far on 2 crutches yet Am using the scooter a lot but the crutches for shortish journeys.
Love
Hileena

Sarah01

Hi Hileena,

Thank you for clarifying pocket duties

I would love to have "pocket duties" Hope the oromorph is working for you. Sorry to hear you are still struggling, you have had so much happen to you since your THR.

It was my cousin's birthday today, she invited me to a country pub to have lunch with her and her husband, her daughter and my aunt. I jumped at the chance to get out of the house for a while, she has been so good to me, my puppy has been sick these past few days and she has been on hand to ferry us both to the vets. I could not say no to her especially as she really wanted me there. I enjoyed my steak pie and the company. I was a little sore when I got home but I was so glad to be able to share in her special day

Sarah x

Loulou77

Good luck for tomorrow Sarah, hope it all goes well xx

kentishlady

Hope all goes well for you tomorrow. Will be in your pocket. Beryl. x

stickywicket

I hope it goes well, Sarah. Please let us know the outcome.

dreamdaisy

I hope you receive some good news. I too have been confined to quarters for the past six weeks, apart from exciting trips to the hospital and a couple of meals out. 'Tis a dull life. DD

Sarah01

Hi everyone,

Thank you all so much for the good luck and the pocket duties

Only another 8 hours until I see the surgeon, will be glad to get there and get everything sorted. Woke up this morning with a very swollen knee and the side of my hip is twice its size I am in hope that even with the swelling he will agree to physio or something else that will assist me. I have a ton of questions for him, so I am glad I have a late appointment as it may take a while

Sorry to hear you have been confined to quarters DD, I hope you will soon be out and about

Take care everyone and I will keep you all posted

Sarah x

hileena111

Hi Sarah
Hope it goes well for you tomorrow
Last night my leg and foot started to swell badly.
Nurse {this morning} says its lack of walking about
Love
Hileena

Sarah01

Hi Hileena,

Thanks for your PM, I have replied with a novel

Sorry to hear you are having swelling too. I hope it isn't too bad for you.

How was everything with the nurse??

Sarah x

hileena111

Hi Sarah
I replied with another novel
Don't expect to hear from you by pm or on the furm until late tomorrow.....I know how late your appointment is and how far away it is

Love
Hileena

barbara12

Hello Sarah
I do feel for you, its hard when you are stuck at home, Im still on two crutches when I go out, but we think its more to do with my back and my other hip..
I hope your appointment went well for you,I will have everything crossed..xx

Sarah01

Morning everyone,

Sorry I didn't update you all last night, by the time I got home it was 10.30pm and after eating a cheeky McDonalds (the boys choice) I was exhausted and ready for bed.

My appointment went well, he wanted to talk about the knee first,after examining it he confirmed there was some OA, how much OA I have we don't know. He hasn't scanned or xrayed the knee as his main concern at the moment is the hip and getting me mobile. I guess he will also want to see how the physio helps. He did tell me the swelling in the knee and groin has put my recovery back by 4-5 weeks, so my intention to return to work at the beginning of April is now a no-no and it is looking likely to be May which will make it 16 weeks post op. He was surprised that I was as bad as I was, he expected me at my age to make a very quick recovery and be mobile and living a normal pain free life. He said the lady before me who I saw in the waiting room had her THR 2 days after me, she is cycling and going to the gym and has no need for walking aids. Like he said, if it wasn't for the knee I would be up and about. He also told me that my THR wasn't an easy one to do because of my sockets and the FAI which he had to sort out during the operation. So I guess that all this may have slowed down a faster recovery.

He is going to speak to my GP to get me emergency physio to get the hip, knee and leg muscles strengthened. I'm also going to have some blood taken to rule out any deep infection. He has started me on anti-inflammatory tablets to help with the inflammation. I will be seeing him again 3 weeks today to see how the physio has gone and to look at the knee and hip. If the knee is still inflamed and the bloods have come back normal then he will inject steroids into the knee.

He did say that he could see slight improvement in how I was walking with the crutches from 2 weeks ago which I guess is a bonus

Well that's it for now, it's just a matter of waiting for my first physio appointment and taking it from there

Sarah x

Sarah01

Hi Barbara,

The appointment went very well. I was just typing my update as you replied

It is a nightmare still being on both crutches outside but I can walk a little with one around the house, not far before the pain hits but I can get from the living room to the kitchen so that is a bonus. I don't want to overdo it at the moment until I see the physio and start my treatment with them.

How are you getting on?

Take care
Sarah x

hileena111

Hi Sarah
So pleased to hear from you.....I'll check you pm in a few mins.
It sounds a lot better than you thought it might be :?
It is so annoying when people tell you that their friend/sister etc is doing so much better......especially a doctor.
FAI ????? sorry whats that? :?
Glad you are getting a physio appointment soon

Love
Hileena

Sarah01

Hi Hileena,

It was great to finally get all the answers, however, I wasn't as shocked to hear that I had OA in my knee as well. Am I normal not being shocked or have I resigned myself to the fact that I have it knowing I have OA in both hips, well only one now that I have had 1 THR

It was annoying being told that someone who was older than me and had her THR 2 days after me was going to the gym etc, but I guess he was trying to make a point that I will be the same once I start the physio and they sort my knee out

FAI is femoralacetabular impingement. Basically I have extra bone on my hip sockets, which is shaped a bit like a lobster claw, I think it's why they call it a pincer impingement. I was born with this and it's this extra bone that has caused the OA in my hips. As I got older I found I was more restricted in my movement and I could not lift my leg high enough, for instance if I wanted to climb over a fence when out walking or get onto my motorbike

I've included a link which explains FAI - hope you can open it

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00571

Sarah x

barbara12

Hello Sarah
Thanks for the link,it is very interesting...its something I have never heard of.
Has for the THR you have had , you must take it at your own pace,not easy I know..I have a lady that lives up the rd from and at 86 had her THR 5 weeks ago...and I have to watch her walking past my house without any stick....I am 63 and still on crutches :shock: ...at the beginning it really got to me, but now I ignore anything people say to me, and just get on with it in my own little way.I am waiting to see a rheumy..my GP says he wants me checked over again because of all the stiffness and pain in my other joints ..but alas there is a long waiting list..
I am sorry you have all the other stuff to deal with, but you believe in yourself and hopefully the physio will be a big help to you.
Keep us updated...xx

stickywicket

It sounds as if it was a good appt. He's taking it all seriously and doing the right things. I hope you'll see some improvement soon.

Sarah01

Hi Barbara and SW,

I'm feeling more positive this afternoon. Managed to see my GP this morning to get my prescription. I told him what the surgeon said last night and that a letter was winging its way to him. He said we don't need to wait for the letter, I will call the physio department this afternoon and get something in place for you

You can imagine how happy I was to hear him say that. I have been so lucky having great GPs and a great surgeon

I'm sorry to hear that you are still having problems and you have to wait to see the rheumy. Hopefully everything will be sorted soon

I spoke to HR at work this morning and informed them that I won't be returning to work in April. They completely understood and told me to take it easy and concentrate on getting better. I'm pleased as I was worried what they might say knowing that it could be as early as May before I return. One less thing for me to worry about

Sarah x

stickywicket

Indeed it is. Pressure is one thing you don't need and I'm glad everyone seems to be helpful

hileena111

Hi Sarah
Everything is going well at the minute.....that's grat
Have answered your pm

Love
Hileena