Hi everyone. I at home recovering from thp left leg from 3 December 2015 operation under epidural while being awake (cementless ceramic on ceramic).
My thr right leg was done 10 years ago (large metal on metal cemented)
Been doing slow steady progress at home but at night finding it very hard to sleep due to pain. Currently take 10mg 5ml Morphine Oral solution every 4 hours (4 times a day 2.5ml spoon) plus 2 paracetamol 500mg tablets at same time.
I stopped Tramadol 150 mg due to severe constipation and also the di-Morphine tablet (strong) which hospital gave me each night in hospital (which they never prescribed for home use).
Can anyone suggest sleeping tips or medication advice etc. I also find my heels get tender/sensation during the night also.
I have just removed compression socks as they were cuting into my toes and also demolishing my skin. I am continuing to keep taking the blood thinner tablets I was sent home with.
Also do most people sit during the day with bad leg bent or straight out in front of them? Or a mixture of both as and when appropriate?
My outer thigh muscle/skin etc on operated leg from knee to scar is very tight and numb in parts and painful. How long will this last? Do people use any hot water bottles/ice treatment on this area at all or is ths frowned upon or useless etc??
My surgeon is due to check wound tomorrow.
On a seperate note, I phoned the number that my hospital ward gave me on discharge, for me to ring some local specialist nurse clinics to have my clips removed at latest by 17 December 2015 but when they answered they said there service was already booked up until at least 22 December 2015 and all they could suggest was for me to try the NHS walk in centres at my convenience????
I know it is early days yet but any specific and/or general tips would be a Godsend for me, as my head is confused and my spirits are dropping at present.
Is it okay to sit up in bed with headboard and pillow behind me, to generally relax and/or sleep?
Anyway, many thanks
Cuchillo
Sorry i cant give you any tips, i havent had mine yet but im waiting. How long did it take for you to get your op once you went on the waiting list? Also i noticed you said you werent sedated during the op so you were fully concious and able to hear everything? Is that better than being sedated altogether?
I rang the district nurse clinic at the local walk in centre to arrange to have my stitches out and had them done on the date suggested by the hospital. If you have any problem ask your GP practice to help. They shouldn't be left in too long.
i also removed the TED stockings as they were digging into my legs which can be more dangerous than not wearing them.
My anterior ceramic with titanium stem was done Dec4.
I am curious as to the bent vs straight leg thing too. I personally have mine straight 90% of the time. Sometimes w a little bend and sometimes I try to sit in a chair that gives my leg more bend. I was having severe thigh /quadriceps area pain. Hurt really bad to just barely touch it so it was extremely difficult for me to bend that leg. My follow up w doc is wed so hope to get more answers then.
I take norco - seems to help me the best w my pain so far. Tremadol I took b4 surgery and helped me some. I took Percocet too but it made me itch like crazy so switched to norco (Vicadin)
the only reason I am able to sleep is bc of the drugs. I take the norco every 4hrs and take a flexeril at night. I wake up a lot but I do get some rest albeit fitful. I alternate ice from the incision sight to the thigh muscle and then give them both a break and repeat.
Anterior vs posterior procedures have very different guidance for dos and donts. Not sure which you had so not sure what to tell you about positions.
Best set of healing to you.
Personally im getting very impatient and want this over width. Breathe - accept - be grateful and continue on is what I'm telling myself.
I still use a recliner chair, so vary the leg position when sitting.
Medication - I kept a spreadsheet of what I was taking to stop me taking too much/too little. Used the mobile phone alarm to remind me.
Scar was tight until the clips came out (ouch) - and they need to come out on time, otherwise they could infect, or be very difficult to remove I think.
Sit up in bed - yes, I did in hospital - just observe the 90 degree rule.
And keep asking questions on here - this place is wonderful for help and reassurance.
All the best
Graham
Ohhhh i love the medication spreadsheet idea. How much meds did you come home from hospital with and how exactly did you do the spreadsheet. It sounds like something i would need to keep me on track and stop me from freaking out with
Hi Cuchillo, I am only on post op day 5, discharged yesterday and can't settle for more than 30 mins in the same spot without significant pain. I sat propped up in bed at times in hospital and was shown how to lie on my unoperated leg but can't find any comfy position. Spent most of the night awake. Pain meds I've been sent home with are dihydrocodeine and paracetamol. Not helping much though.
We are more or less the same in terms of time after having our thp so I sympathise with everything you are saying. It is so slow going! And fustrstion sets in as we are still not quite ready to get on with life as normal.
I sit up in bed with pillows, and I also spend most of the time with my leg straight but I do bend and change position a lot. I also sit on a chair with knees bent as normal making sure my knees are below my hip.
I think you have to make sure your clips come out on time - call GP and they can do it for you.
I don't have stockings my consultant doesn't believe in them - I move enough and take the DVT tablets and all fine so far.
Sleep ! Well I manage about 5 hours max but that's it. I take paracetamol. I think being stuck in one place wakes me and then it is inpossible to go back to sleep. At some point I am sure it will get better. I was tired before I had my operation because I couldn't sleep with the pain, so maybe got used to being exhausted.
I would love to know how you put on a pair of trousers!! And is washing machine level okay to load with washing? Also is it safe to carry bags on crutches? I can't easily tidy up and have two young children!
I can understand everything you say, and I have moments of being completely sick of this, but then I get a breakthrough and feel much better. Tomorrow I am going outside for the first time, I have found setting targets daily - small ones has really helped! And acceptance as you say, it is what it is for now but has a finishing line thank heavens!
I put the dates and times down the left side, pills across the top.
Just put a Y in the square when I took them. For those without a spreadsheet, just use squared paper.
Also keep a log of what I do, how far I walk, exercise time and type etc - great when you are recovering to see how far you have come.
Graham
That is a fantastic idea. I will deffo be doing that i think. What meds did you bring home with you?
It's not an easy ride - a real roller coaster physically and emotionally.
Tramadol 50mg - horrid stuff, affected me badly
Rivaroxaban 10mg - blood thinner (5 weeks supply)
Paracetamol 500mg - same as over the counter ones
Diclofenac 75mg - anti inflamatories, affected my stomach.
I came off the Tramadol as soon as possible, i had 'withdrawl symptoms' just before each dose was due. Made me constipated, whereas Diclofenac had the opposite effect !!!
Im currently on tramadol. I kept reading that some people had to inject the blood thinners into their stomach or is that only in hospital? Or did i get the wrong end onlf the stick
Tramadol is for pain relief - nothing to do with blood thinners.
Warfarin, Heparin and Rivaroxaban are for blood thinning - and some are sometimes injected - I had one Rivaroxaban pill per day for 5 weeks.
Graham
Hahaha yeah i know the tramadol are pain killers im on them now. But yeah i was just wondering about the injections haha. Are they common?
seem to be fairly common, don't know why - perhaps easier on the stomach ?
Do they only do the injections in hospital or do you think you have to carry on doing them at home?
both in hospital and at home, i believe
Ohhm so i assume you have to learn to inject yourself?
if you need to do it, they teach you