I*ve got my new hip

krisbe

Well I had my op late Wednesday afternoon and was back at home Saturday. Feeling very tired and my leg is very swollen and red. Got the feeling they wanted me out for the weekend and I would have preferred to stay another day. Don't know why I was worried about the stairs as they are quite easy really. It was my birthday today so the family came round and I had a sponge in the freezer, and I put together a birthday cake with stuff I ordered from Tesco.

I had a bit more energy today than yesterday but my excercises are more difficult because of the swelling.

Had some very nasty painkillers preop and then again post op which I refused to take again after I fainted twice.

stickywicket

It's good that you could spend your birthday at home, krisbe. I don't think they normally let people out over the weekend. I think it's either Friday or Monday but I'm not sure of that.

Of course you're tired and will be for some time yet. A lot of violence has been done to that leg and the anaesthetic alone lingers in the system. I'm a bit worried when you write

krisbe wrote:

I had a sponge in the freezer, and I put together a birthday cake with stuff I ordered from Tesco.

I do hope that's not true but, if so, get back on the chair with your leg elevated right now :roll: I am serious. You should be exercising, resting, elevating and icing if necessary and nothing else. What you do, and don't do, now will play a big part in how good the outcome is. There are no prizes for housework. Just give your body what it needs.

OK, lecture over and HAPPY BIRTHDAY

dreamdaisy

I am very pleased to read that you are 'done and dusted' op-wise but, like Sticky, somewhat disconcerted by the cake malarkey. You have had major surgery and 'normal' life should be put on hold until things are healed etc. This takes time but it is time well-spent, especially if you want a good outcome. You thought life was hard before? Now it's convalescence time - that IS hard!

From my experience of three major ops in two years or so (but nowt involving new joints) it takes time for the anaesthetic to leave the body, for swelling to reduce, for pain levels to ease, for sleeping to become easier - it's not an easy path to tread but, if you tread it sensibly, things will get better sooner. Good luck - I envy you! DD

Boomer13

Hi;

I am envious too as my hips are horribly painful and this, as you know, makes life very difficult.

I had to chime in about being careful not too overdo things :shock: Please be careful, even if you are feeling good. You don't want to have a problem that will set back your recovery.

Take care, Anna

hileena111

Hi
I agree with everyone else.
About the sponge cake etc.......take it easy let everyone else look after you
Exercise, rest .......I
know DD and probably Sticky :oops: will be reading this and thinking why doesn't she practice was she says
I have a mobility scooter from years back and used that quite a bit....Hubby taking me out and getting the scooter out of the car and I would have a quick drive around on it then we would go for coffee. That saved my sanity but I still consider I was resting
Love
Hileena

krisbe

Thank you I think I did do too much yesterday so will take it easy today. The sponge cake was already made and my son put it on too plates and I spread the jam on one slice. And then I got some of that frosting in a tub and sandwiched it together and spread some more on top.Then I put the wafer flowers on top. I was sat down on my perching stool doing it.

I have learnt from the weekend what I have to have at hand, ie I now have a flask of coffee and a cup by my chair so I don't have to get up. And I got my son to make me a sandwich and put it in a plastic bag in the freezer. I have also asked him to put everything I need on the kitchen top so I can get at it. My son is at college ALL day and so I have to do things for myself if they are not going to give me any help. My sister changed my surgical stockings yesterday and she had a real job getting them on, I am going to keep ringing the community nurses until they jolly well help me out with them.

Also I've got a real bruise coming out. The swelling round the knee is getting worse. The hospital told me this is perfectly normal and said it would take 6 months to go down - I hope not. At least the pain is not too bad only taking paracatamol! Worse part is having to sleep on my back all the time, get real backache.

hileena111

Morning
Glad you have got things sorted out and close at hand.

Ring your occupational therapist and ask if its possible to have a trolley. I got one both times....this time isn't as bad because my husband is retired but he wasn't the last time. It was great to push back and forward from the living room to the kitchen, to make coffee or a sandwich {even though he left me things}The one good thing is that the weather isn't really hot so that if you leave the milk out its going to go off That had to be left on the bench all the time.

Sleeping on your back is awful isn't it.......I'm just over the 6 weeks and tried my side but the wound is so sore I ended up on my back again
Take care
Love
Hileena

tkachev

I'm glad you got out for your birthday surrounding by family and friends ad familiar things.
It is 5 years since I had my hip done, stayed in hosp a week but that was because I needed a blood transfusion so had an extra day in bed-rest.

Best thing is rest and movement so a fair share of each. Remember the trick with the stairs bad leg leads down (to hell) and good leg leads up (to heaven) if I remember rightly.

Hope you have a speedy recovery and enjoy life with the new hip.


Elizabeth x

hileena111

Hi Elizabeth
Glad someone else does it the same way as me
Good leg to Heaven and bad leg to hell
I had mine done 4 years ago.......I had my second one done 6 weeks ago.....and was told George Bernard Shaw!!!!!!! Apparently that is Good, Bad, Stick......I mentioned the other one to her.....she said Oh we used to do that but it offended a few people so we had to stop it :shock: Easily offended aren't they
I still did it the old way

Love
Hileena

barbara12

Hello krisbe
So glad that is over with for you, before and after my THR I was told to take arnica by quite a few people, and had very little swelling just a bit on my knee..so I will be taking it for the next one..we were told good leg to heaven bad to hell...you just take it easy and do a little more each day and I mean a little, you will get there..I remember the tiredness well..but slowly but surely it goes..hope you continue to do well..and keep us updated...x

krisbe

Got very weepy this morning when I phoned community nursing office and they said they don't come out to change stockings. My sister had a problem doing them on Sunday as they are very tight to get on. Rang gp surgery and they said they had asked district nursing to visit but if they wont there is nothing they can do about it. rang social care and they said unless I had another need ie dressing they wouldn't come either. My dad had a visit from his gp (not mine but in the area) and she said as long as you are mobile and still having blood thinning injections then a week should be enough. I have got tablets not injections so I think I will have to check with my gp. She said you must be mobile though. My dads gp also said you don't have to change them every day.

Any way a friend came round a cheered me up and then another friend later in the afternoon so I am feeling a bit better now. Yes I am doing the good leg to heaven thing, it is really useful

Sarah01

Hi Krisbe,

It's good to hear that your THR went well

Sorry to hear the trouble you have been having trying to get someone to change your stockings. I was lucky that my son could change them for me, it's a shame your GP couldn't have been more helpful. I hope you manage to get some help with them.

I had blood thinning tablets too and I think they are just as effective as the injections. I'm just over 8 weeks post op and I still can't sleep on my side or in my bed. Have turned the sofa into a bed and been there every night since I left hospital. Hopefully after having some physio I will be back to sleeping in my bed:)

Good to see you are feeling a bit better now

Take care
Sarah x

hileena111

Hi Krisbe
I had my stockings on for 4 weeks then fractured the hip {doing one of their exercises} and had to go into hospital. The nurse said you've had these on for 4 weeks {not the same ones } you don't need them any more.
I got out after 3 days and after a while my ankles and legs started to swell....I had an appointment 6 weeks post op with the ortho and he sent me for a scan in case it was DVT ...it wasn't.....oedema ......but he said the stockings had to go back on again :shock: until I saw him again.....4 weeks time!!!!!! Not a happy little bunny
I had injections after I came out.
I think they do need to be worn for a reasonable length of time ....mobile or not
They don't need to be changed every day.
I'm sorry you are having so many problems with that.....My hubby changes mine and he finds it really difficult because they are so tight.
Hope you get that problem sorted out
Love
Hileena

newbygran

Hi there, l am 3 weeks post hip op, my other half puts on my stockings (teds)on me , they are tough but he was shown how to put a plastic bag over the foot and slip the stocking over the top and then pull the bag out of the toe hole, please rest up and be gentle with your excersizes moderation in all things, l have just started getting my appetite back, plenty of fluids gets me to the toilet and back subtle excersize, take care Jacky

Fionabee

Hi krisbe
Have just read Newby grans tip about the plastic bag, sounds like a good idea, I know sitting on a carrier bag in the car helped me get in and out.
I only had knee highs afrer my TKR, they were a struggle the first couple of weeks. When Mum had her hip done a few yrs ago she could only take her stockings off when she has someone to help, consequently she kept them on for several days at times, she didn't suffer though, just got very dry legs, clouds of dry skin like dust when we did get them off.
If you leave them off for any time, make sure you do plenty of ankle bending, foot rotating exercises to keep the circulation going, set a timer to remind u to do them!
Above all REST, do your exercises and let the family take care of you. I wish I had rested more! There's a wealth of hip advice here.
Good luck.
Fionabee

krisbe

Thanks for the tip about the plastic bag. Yes another friend came round and it took her about 45 minutes to get them on. Hopefully I can get someone to do them now and again. I was told to change my own dressing. It is a waterproof one so I am allowed to shower once a week. I think I will see if I can get a district nurse to come and do that for me (they will probably say no) or else I will have to get a taxi to the Doctors surgery. How they think you can put two plasters over a 12 inch cut which is on the back of your leg, I don't know.

krisbe

My surgery is battling it out with the district nurse service now. They don't want to come out and change my dressing. I don't see I should go to the surgery and pay for a taxi and have all that trauma of how I am going to get into the surgery and open the door etc. My wound was still weeping a bit when I left hospital and I was told that if I wanted to I could change the dressing myself. No way am I doing that as I don't know what I am going to find underneath and wont know what is normal.

I rang the hospital and they told me to elevate my leg something I was not told before. They also told me to put an ice pack on it to reduce the swelling. The bruising is coming out in places I didn't expect and I was told it can go right down to your ankles.

barbara12

You stick to your guns has they say, I know there are cutback and was shocked they sent me home with dressing for my husband to change..there is no way he could have done it..luck was I didn't need it changing till the nurse came to take the staples out..I know they are busy but they will have to come out and change it for you..its rotten they are putting you through all this..I do feel for you...xx

krisbe

I got a phone call from DN service saying they will now come out and change the dressing when I want. Result! Now all I have to do is get my sick certificate which still hasn't arrived as it wasn't signed on Saturday when I left.

hileena111

Fantastic news........and so they should !!!!

Love
Hileena

krisbe

Went over to the bank today by myself. It is located on my road about 3 minutes walk (normally) but involves going over a pelican crossing. The bank staff opened the door for me so I could get to the cash point located inside. Felt quite proud of myself. I was amazed how many potholes are on the pavement and the pavements are very slanted in places. I have got my first (2 week post physio appt today followed by follow up appt). My goal is to go the hairdressers to get my hair washed by next wednesday. Hairdressers located about 5 minutes (normal walk). Have a neighbour who goes every week so I might walk with her. Must admit I felt much better yesterday as I think some of the swelling has gone down.

barbara12

Imso glad they are doing the stockings for you, its not much to ask it wont be long before you can do without them.. and good on you for getting out on your own...see little steps has they say and you will get there ..take care...xx

krisbe

Went to my first physio appt yesterday. Got some more exercises to do now. Then saw the nurse who looked at my wound, she said I can leave the dressing off now and can have a shower in a couple of days. The sister had a look at the scar and said it was brilliant and I wont have hardly any mark there at all, just a very thin line (dissolvable stitches). Thats good I can get my bikini out this summer. The physio also said I can try walking with only one crutch at home so I can carry a cup of tea. I didnt think I would be able to do it but I can!!! Hurts a bit though so will take it slowly.

stickywicket

You are making good, steady progress, krisbe, and that's surely the best way to go. I think it's a good idea to go to the hairdresser's with a friend. Remember you have to do the journey both there and back but at least with a sit down in the middle