New Hip Day

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  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740
    edited 16. May 2021, 22:24

    Thankfully Mr LM set straight to earplug retrieval duties, and the cat is forgiven - I’m surprised it took him (the cat) so long to discover the recreational possibilities of chasing them round the bedroom.

    I have also discovered Radio 2 to accompany exercise, or something suitably trashy on the telly. Does seem to make it go a bit faster. I have managed zero formal exercise today, I awoke very late and felt a long way below par all day after two consecutive nights of poor sleep. However, as we are having our first house guests in over a year (lunch only, probably with open windows) tomorrow, we have had 14 months worth of lockdown dust and detritus to clear around the house, which has kept me active and put me into some unusual positions.

    Our guests are also gardeners, so I looked at my garden through their eyes this morning and was somewhat horrified. It was my garden that got me through the lockdowns and the anxiety caused by my hip, and I find my inability to do anything other than tweaking the few accessible edges profoundly frustrating. The wild flowers (I hate the term weeds) are sprouting in all the wrong places, the many fatalities from the recent hard frosts need clearing out, and a general spring tidy up is urgently required. So silly me tried to do too much and nearly ended up face down in the rose bed when my hip said “nope, not doing that!” and my crutch sank into the soft ground. There was a rather panic stricken set of micro-manoeuvres from me, which nearly didn’t work, trying to reverse out of the flower bed back up to terra firma, and once again, I have learnt the hard way. 🙄

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,336

    Ah there you are Stickywicket! Good to see you and hear you ongoing support for Lilymary 😊 Now i would have said the same about using 'props' to exercise with, but Lucy was given similar props (a broom handle in both hands) to exercise her shoulder post op so i suppose they do use them. Probably any movement is better than none?

    My preferred nocturnal 'entertainment' has always been an audiobook and so far haven't resorted to earplugs in spite of the decibels of Mr Frog's 😴 snoring 🙄

    Lilymary you really are doing well I think. Imagine helping with housework pre real-life visitors today!! I bet you are so excited. Please don't worry about the house or garden i think everyone is in a mess inside. There has been not much reason to do more than enough for hygiene purposes has there?!!!😳

    As for our gardens I have a feeling all of us were fabulous gardeners this time last year, but very few still are now! Mine is being ignored as the raised beds are due to go in early June so there is very little point. I am expecting anything up to 12 weeks of total mess. Imagine getting stuck in a flower bed! A lesson learned now I'm sure!

    Well done to Mr LM for locating the missing earplug! Good lad😉

    Keep on keeping going!

  • Cazbaz
    Cazbaz Member Posts: 71

    Well done Lilymary you seem to be doing really well, glad you have your ear plugs back, don’t worry about dust or the garden I bet your visitors won’t even notice just enjoy the company and your lunch

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697

    "Lucy was given similar props (a broom handle in both hands) to exercise her shoulder post op so i suppose they do use them."

    Lilymary, please forgive me if I go off at a tangent here because I think I know the exercise that frogmorton is referring to, having done it once, and it's fascinating. Almost like magic.

    I was given a stick about half the size of a broom handle. (Cuts?😄) You hold it in both hands and raise them as high as you can. Then either(! Can't remember which) you press down on it while the physio holding from beneath, prevents you. Or, maybe, vice versa. You then raise your arms again and, this time, you gain inches.

    It's something to do with two different lots of muscles which aid and abet each other and I think, without other exercises, it would just remain a 'magic trick'. But it does get your arms higher than you thought possible and gives you real incentive to persevere with the less attractive ones.

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,336

    Yes I think you are right @stickywicket about how it works. Good isn't it? Fabulous to see how much difference it made.

    Sorry @Lilymary 😳

    @Cazbaz is quite right your visitors probably far more interested in how YOU are doing after your surgery!

    Hope you had a great time

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740
    edited 18. May 2021, 09:08

    No problem @frogmorton @stickywicket , it’s always good to hear about things that work.

    our day was wonderful thanks, so good to see old friends, Mr and Mrs B, our first indoor guests in over a year. Mr LM took them out for a walk in the afternoon, which gave me a chance to rest and do my own exercises. I’m afraid Mrs B and I may have overdone the sharing of surgery stories though, but it was interesting to compare notes. I managed a short walk into the village with Mr LM in the evening, so got that box ticked as well.

    I’m reaping some of the benefits of living in a tourist destination during travel restrictions (few as they may be) in that old friends are all heading this way, so I get to catch up with them without having to travel myself. Two more are on their way in the next few weeks.

    My latest achievement is I can now lift my leg high enough to give an appearance of walking upstairs normally. It’s slow, and I can’t put too much weight on it yet, but it’s a start.

  • duffer
    duffer Member Posts: 46

    look forward to an update Lilymary and hope most sincerely that your are just doing fine! I hobbled 500 steps (my usual) but then I have an old useless hip - I assume there's still one there! Helen.

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Thanks @duffer . Where are you on the new/old hip journey?

  • duffer
    duffer Member Posts: 46

    Hi Lilymary - ok - first diagnosed with needing hip replacement 9 years ago - but I'm honest - so be patient - after my husband died I lost my home, had to move house and my best friend was my dog. Nothing would persuade me to put her into kennels so thanks to a wonderful osteopath I was kept going. Once my dog died (6 yrs ago) I moved from Devon to Dorset to be near to my daughter and had limited osteopathy. Eventually the local GP put me down for hip replacement and the Consultant (or a guy who was actually a 'stand in') was totally negative about my chances of success or even survival.....this sent my blood pressure over the limit and I was refused surgery. So - that was in 2019 and I've heard nothing since not realising that you had to actually request elective surgery yourself. By 2020 the virus had stopped normal life and here we are - how urgent is my osteo/panic attacks in comparison to people with terminal diseases and needing heart surgery Lilymary? It isn't so I manage but sometimes being alone and housebound it isn't easy. I am not complaining - I'm lucky - independent, no commitments and coping but i never want to see that 'stand in' Consultant again - we all need to be given hope Lilymary! Reading your latest post after so much suffering on your part it really lifted my spirits to read that you are on the mend - brilliant! thank you so much for caring. Helen.

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    @duffer , Helen, you need to change your online name, you’re not a duffer at all. You’ve survived an awful lot that life has thrown at you. How about “survivor”?

    You can ask to see a different surgeon. I changed mine half way through the preliminary stages, like yours, he left me desperately depressed after each consultation, as he was so dismissive. He just saw me as an X-ray image, not a person. After the steroid injection (which was a waste of time as I was already bone on bone, so had no effect at all) I was reviewed by a junior doctor who was the first person who even asked me any questions, let alone listened. I could have hugged him. As it turned out I could have chosen which surgeon to go with when I was first referred for THR (which I hadn’t realised) and it turned out the surgeon I was allocated only did a particular method of THR that wasn’t strictly appropriate to my circumstances, ie I suspect that for some people his method was clinically necessary, but wasn’t for me. The junior doc therefore “asked” whether I wanted to switch to another surgeon, and if so, which one, As it happened THR friends had sung the praises of two other surgeons, so I said either would do for me, and the junior doc without hesitation made that selection for me. The new surgeon was a breath of fresh air and I finally came out with a sense of hope. I don't doubt that the first surgeon was clinically brilliant, which the junior doc confirmed, but his patient handling skills needed brushing up!

    obviously I can’t respond on the comments your doc made, but there are ways of giving bad news that are helpful rather than hurtful. Do consider getting a second opinion, if only to better explain to you what your options are for the future. Get yourself back on the waiting list for a consultation, (the sooner you’re on the list, the sooner you’ll get seen). If there is a long waiting list, this gives you the opportunity to deal with any other health issues that may compromise successful surgery.

  • duffer
    duffer Member Posts: 46

    You are a dear Lilymary - I've taken your advice on board and you're the second person this week to tell me to seek a second opinion. In this funny old world I'm quite scared of upsetting anyone for fear of getting a 'bad name' - this applies very much to my local surgery. The only gp I have seen - like the guy you saw - listened and was totally sympathetic - he diagnosed me with PTSD and advised I approach 'Cruse' which I immediately did but they responded by telling me the waiting list is 3 months long so I sought CBT therapy privately but the cost was a bit inhibiting - £40 a session. At present hoping to calm down once I can get out and socialise a bit and control the panic attacks I will start again. The last conversation I had with the surgery said they could do nothing without 5 consecutive days bp readings - not much good when you have panic attacks every other day! Added to that the wonderful GP. when I requested him, was referred as 'he''s only a locum' - only! well he's a flippin good one! All for now Lilymary and thank you so much for listening and understanding. One day, before too long you may even race your hubby on one of his runs - go for it! Helen.

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    @duffer , Helen, can you not get hold of a bp machine and do the tests at home? I seem to remember getting one quite cheaply from Boots. The go may be happy to let you do it - less surgery contact etc. I know what you mean about locums, even trainee GPs, some that I’ve come across have been amazing, and I was sad when they left.

    Put yourself on the list for Cruse, 3 months will pass before you know it. I wish my CBT counsellor had only been £40 per session! But then, it’s still a lot, I can see why you’re reluctant. I hope getting out a bit more will help you feel more settled. X

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Woohoo! I just sat down at the dining table, then stood up again, and sat down again without:

    a) pushing up off the table

    b) grabbing onto anything for stability

    c) grunting or yelping

    and most of all,

    d) even noticing!

    Small victories...😃

    i mayhave to hug my physio through her PPE.

  • Cazbaz
    Cazbaz Member Posts: 71

    Well done, bet you can’t believe you did that you will be up and down all night now, doesn’t it make you feel good when you achieve something, onwards and upwards

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    Good on you hun 👍😁

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,336

    Wahay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    It's coming together @Lilymary I am so very pleased 🙂 So glad the first visit went well and two more planned in the coming weeks. Plenty of time in future for you to return the compliment,

    @duffer I am a panicker too l totally understand your attacks. I am so glad you are talking to Lilymary because she speaks sense. Definitely change your consultant l did the same for my daughter who needed her shoulder replaced at 18.

    She also had hypnotherapy for needle phobia and anxiety (she was going through leukaemia treatment at the time so needles were essential) which has worked and now has bloods tests without a thought. While this was going on I was having panic attacks (menopause induced l think) daily. they have now settled down to a rarity, but i need nose surgery and so far haven't braved pushing for it even though it needs doing desperately.

    Finally Lilymary's advice about the BP. Get your own monitor they cost less than £30. Money well-spent methinks.

  • duffer
    duffer Member Posts: 46

    Hello each - appreciate your encouragement - I do have a bp machine - ok I admit it - I'm afraid to use it! Ok what an idiot. Time and building confidence when life gets back to normal and I forget about myself and start seeing the bigger picture.........bet you think I'm a total twit - it's just being alone. Bear with me folk. Helen.

  • Loggiemod
    Loggiemod Member Posts: 218

    I used to have a needle phobia as well to the extent that when i lived on my own I used to have the number of sewing needles written on the packet and I used to count them before I took one out and then when I put it back.

    Then I got married and got a wife and two teenage girls who are not the tidiest people in the world so I had to come to terms with the phobia!!

    Still worry about blood tests/dentists but not inoculations strangely enough

    Peter

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697

    You can stand up without grunting😮 Please explain how that is done. I can't even sit down without grunting😊 Well done. You're getting there. I was thinking of you this morning as I was doing my own exercises. I didn't manage the sit/stand/sit/stand ones without several grunts😉

    Helen, please don't be put off by one rogue registrar. I had one once. I just asked to see his boss next time. The latter had done excellent work on me before and subsequently did the same again.

    I wonder if they're actually worried about your BP or if they think it's the panic attacks that might be raising it. That would certainly not be good but, I guess, would be better than permanently raised BP. If your BP is high it does need help in the shape of medication as no amount of ignoring it will change that. I've always been told to take it three times, with pauses, and take the best as my reading. Preferably, first thing in the morning and around 8pm when I've been sitting and relaxing for a while.

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740
    edited 19. May 2021, 18:23

    @duffer , good advice from @stickywicket there. Have a few practice sessions with the bp machine before you do it “for real”, no one’s going to know, and it won’t bite.

    @Loggiemod , if I’m honest I hate needles too, but I survive them by (a) looking brave 😂, (b) not watching, and (c) digging my nails hard into the palm of my hand so that I’m so busy reacting to that pain that I don’t notice the needle, which probably hurts much less. How daft is that?!

    Well, I did my first trip into town today, Mr LM driving. The nurse at the GP surgery has changed the dressing (a tiny area STILL hasn’t healed, 1/10 to my body for self-healing skills), then a few minutes in my office nearby to make sure it hadn’t burnt down in my absence, (sadly it hadn’t). Then a carefully planned choice of car park to deposit me as close as poss to Boots to treat myself to some lush sulfate free shampoo while Mr LM stocked up on groceries. (The liquid soap they gave me for the MRSA cleanse was so much nicer than my regular shampoo that I researched it and realised the key missing ingredient is sulfates, which just make shampoo foam up but allegedly do awful things to your hair. Sulfate-free is all the rage now). Anyway, Boots failed to deliver, which meant more than doubling my trek to get to Superdrug. Mindful that Superdrug is in a shopping mall, from where Mr LM couldn’t swoop in to pick me up in the car, I did so with some trepidation. I was also doing so with just one crutch, as I couldn’t work out how to carry the shopping otherwise. Double jeopardy.

    Having made it by the shortest possible route to the mall, I had three choices to get to the first floor. The first was a long uphill detour that would see me not making it back to the car, a similar long detour into the adjoining multi-storey car park to use their lift, or to negotiate the escalators in front of me. The latter won, it was nearest. Except it wasn’t working. I stared at it for a while sizing up the challenge - ever noticed how high each step is compared to a normal staircase? I gritted my teeth, told myself this counted as one set of exercises and hauled myself up it. Success!, except now the muscles in my good hip were whinging about doing all the work like a belligerent teenager. I simultaneously ignored it while making mental calculations about whether I was gong to make it back.

    Posh new shampoo hunt completed, I now had to work out how to get back down to the ground floor. The “down” escalator was working, but I had to size up whether I was nimble enough to both hop on, and off, without ending up flat on my face. Given that the alternatives involved walks my hips were unlikely to take kindly to, I hopped on with a “here goes nothing” resolve. Having alighted, I had a little more confidence about the dismount, but it was more brisk than I would have liked. And I noted with some irritation that the up-escalator was now working...

    Next the long trudge back to the car (3 minutes for a fully functioning pair of legs). I didn’t time it, but my operation has elevated me from having The Best Limp In Town, to The Slowest Shuffle In Town. I swear I was overtaken by people a good 20 years older than me, who looked on with sympathy.

    Anyway, mission accomplished, but it was an oddly surreal experience. We dropped round to visit my fabulous 92 year old mum, who while her legs are now wobbly to the point of keeping her housebound, they are at least all her own, unlike her two daughters who rely on surgically implanted spare parts.

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    There are of course consequences for overdoing it - my entire body went into full on tango mode as soon as I went to bed, and at 2am I admitted defeat and went down for a cup of tea and pain killers. I eventually dozed off in the chair half way through a recording of Sewing Bee. I awoke before the end and went to bed, where I had to sleep propped up on 3 pillows and now feel like someone pulled my plug out, with various bits of me grumbling in the background 🙄

  • Janieh20
    Janieh20 Member Posts: 2

    Hi everyone,

    I'm new to the group and have just been reading about your op @Lilymary. I know you are in pain, but you and @stickywicket have had me in stiches laughing 😂. I am so glad I logged on tonight, because you have definitely cheered me up. 😁 Can I ask how old you are? Also, I know it sounds really strange but I suffer with restless legs and codeine is really good for it. I take a 30mg before bed and it really stops it. Hope you are recovering at a good pace, but don't do too much too fast.

  • Tom
    Tom Member Posts: 522

    Hello, @Janieh20 and welcome to the forum. We are to provide help and information and hopefully make you smile.

    I must confess to never having heard of Restless Legs, but one of my colleagues pointed me to this link:


    If you scroll down the headings on the left, you will find a section on restless legs.

    Good luck and let us know how you get on.

    Tom

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Thanks for that link @Tom, i’ve Had occasional bouts of restless legs pre-arthritis drama, but it usually just meant I needed to go to bed and simply lying down stopped it. These night time episodes only started when the OA kicked off. Post op my meds have changed completely, but the “jumpy legs” (as we call them) have continued, so not sure it’s the drugs doing it. Nor does it always relate to me overdoing it during the day. Someone told me magnesium supplements can be helpful, but can cause tummy upsets. Given that my bowels think it’s time for a party now I’m off codiene, I wasn’t sure if it was the supplements adding to that so I came off them. Dashes to the loo are much less frequent, I’m pleased to report (like you really needed to hear that) so I’m going to give them another go and see what happens. Having said that, I was still doing the horizontal tango when I was on them before, so I’m not convinced it’s connected.

    Hi @Janieh20 , I’m glad we’ve given you a giggle. Life is absurd sometimes, it helps to recognise it. I’m 61, but very active before being hobbled by OA. I was getting restless legs when I was taking handfuls of cocodamol pre-op (just on paracetamol now), up to an equivalent of 120-240mg of codeine a day, so I don’t think that’s going to work for me. Last night I did resort to taking an emergency codiene the hospital provided as I was also getting some general unpleasant pains all over, but that had no effect even after an hour, when I resorted to Sewing Bee and digestive biscuits. When it gets really bad just walking around a bit and sitting/lying in a different position helps. But I can only lay on my back at the moment, which is unnatural for me, and may be part of the problem.

  • Cazbaz
    Cazbaz Member Posts: 71

    @Lilymary good afternoon, sorry to hear you are suffering today after your brilliant day yesterday which put me to shame, I hope you are taking it easy today, lots of rest and chocolates are in order I think 🙂