Son is 11 weeks LTHR postop & tells me that since the surgery, he often has trouble thinking clearly. Whether this is because the brain is healing in addition to the body - even the surgeon was no help with this.
This is an aside, but surgeons are the mechanics of medicine & orthopedic surgeons the jocks ( this from a nurse friend). THEY have not had total hip replacement themselves & only know how to take apart & put together. So their answers about recovery are textbook & general.
Back to the main point -
1) Have you experienced this mental fog/cloudiness?
2) If yes, how did you combat it?
When I'm with him (right now I'm in Hawaii & he's in the MidWest) son will state points of concern, I'll write them on a whiteboard, we'll discuss, cross out or add to. I'm not always clear myself, whether from a sleep deficit or aging.
Mahalo for your insights on this.
Aloha, Soos
Hhhmmm ... I certainly lacked concentration skills for 4-5 weeks (post anaesthetic and/or morphine and/or fatigue from lack of sleep).
And there was some foggiest but seemed to clear up earlier.
Is this foggiest clearing up at all or remaining constant?
I hope the nurses chime in - I bet they have insights on this.
I wish I could help and I really hope this clears up for him.
Big hugs for both of you.
L
Soos - i can soooo relate to brain fog, depression, post surgery.
I have come to the conculsion that it is partially our body adjusting to the foreign object in our body, Dr's would deny it of course.
Also having been in pain for sooo long prior to that THR surgery, the affects of the sugery itself, the painkillers, the shock of the assault to our body, cutting, blood loss, broken bones even if deliberaty to dooo the surgery.
All of this adds up to our body taking its time to recover, as it does evetually, my specialist told me 12 months, I scoffed at him, he was right I'm afraid somwhere about 8 - 9 months, I relized that my right hip replacement was finally as though it had never been a problem, 35 years of problems, physio visits, and as usual nobody listening to me, my left, well thats another story over a year later.
Also Soos I fear you son may have been overdoing, I can see he is impatient to get well, but his body does not agree I think, he has to learn to beee still and listen, his body will tell him what it needs.
Have been following you posts from the beginning, and cam sympathize with where you are coming from.
Super post Lyn. I can really relate to your history and admire your advice.
Aloha Linda - he has to caffeinate himself heavily to get out of the fog. I've suggested stopping caffeine by 5 pm, but that suggestion wasn't taken. So he's up til later, wakes up late, etc.
So, not a great sleep pattern either.
Yes, I'd be interested in whether the nurses have anything to share.
What motivated me to start this thread is 6Rocketman SG6UK's comment to Cindy in her Mental Status thread - "now I forget things at work that I was expert in before" - and I wondered if ways of thinking, memory, concentration are affected by THR & the painkillers. And what therapies might help improve them.
Yeah, thinking too much apparently runs in the family, Linda. Mahalo for weighing in.
Hello Soos
Did he have a GA ? As it can take months to properly clear your system . I don't feel mentally foggy myself but I still tire very easily 😞- I am sure just the trauma of it all is enough to reduce mental alertness , it certainly wears you out physically so I'm not surprised it can do so mentally as well! Xxxxx
Aloha Lyn - you are so kind to share your thoughts on this. There is nothing like insight that comes out of experience!
Son had no energy to do anything one day of the conference so definitely overdid it another day. He'll be drained after an appointment & it may take him until the next day to recover.
There are things related to school that he feels he must get done, so yes, Lyn, he is frustrated. And it is so hard for me to tell him it will take 6 months to recover, much less a year.
Mahalo, Lyn for keeping an eye on us. I am trying not to be a sMother.
Wishing the best for, especially with your left hip!
Aloha, Soos
Yes, Bini, he did have GA. I could tell the charge nurse was kind of alarmed by how he couldn't stay conscious enough to use the restroom & get ready for transport.
Mahalo, we will have to find ways to increase alertness & clarity that don't involve caffeine. I appreciate your thoughts on this.
Aloha, Soos
Hi again
I would suggest the brain training games you can do online can really help the brain focus again as can crosswords/ soduko etc but also some supplements like ginseng can be good - although I'm a nurse I am very respectful of Chinese medicine as an alternative option - it was around 5000 years before ours !xxxx
My memory flew out of the window, I can't remember some of the names of people who work where I do. I sometimes can't find the words to things I want to say either. Maybe it's connected partly to the op.
Has he been checked for anemia, I have had it and it was like my head was in a fishbowl, surrounded by loads of cotton wool and just looking out, but taking nothing in.
As I said to you earlier - in case anyone wasn't following - yes.
Both myself, and my wife - ever since we were told that the initial operation had not gone as it should have. Bring told that was like a hammer blow, as bad as any concussion from a road accident or similar.
Right now, my memory has gone - I was 'the' expert at work in certain areas of work, now I can't remember the first thing about them. Work concentration is poor, and fatige really sets in by the end of the week..
I know this is a roller coaster ride, both emotionally and physically. I just hope I get my 'marbles' back soon!
Graham
Aloha Bini - I so appreciate these suggestions. We will look for some brain training games & ginseng.
You're in my thoughts & prayers for your own recovery.
Mahalo, Soos
Aloha Lynn - I'm so sorry you are experiencing this memory fog, too. I'm waiting to hear whether he spoke to his GP about anemia.
Lynn, did iron supplements help with your anemia? Mahalo for your thoughts on this discussion.
Best, Soos
Yes Linda, Lyn1951 has helped put things into perspective.
Aloha Graham - I appreciate your honesty. I can't imagine your crushing disappointment. But thank you for relating the real effects of THR to work.
Like you, son is frustrated by the cognitive difficulties.
For both of you, and any other hippies, I sincerely wish you get your "marbles" - memory, knowledge, thought processes - back soon.
Yours & everyone here in this forum - your contributions have all been invaluable.
Mahalo, Soos
That is the real benefit of this forum, the selfless sharing of experiences and ideas to overcome difficulties.
I think it was Bini who said about mind puzzles - I have used the newspaper sudoku and crosswords on the train in to work for ages now, and I am sure they help to wake the brain up during my 5am commute.
Graham
Yes they did, took a while, ferrous sulphate three or four times a day, can't remember the exact dose. Took them three months, then when it was settled,had to take them for another three month and not allowed to give blood obviously. there were two readings they took.
Hope your son soon gets sorted Soos. x
I played sudoku on my phone on all those nights that I could not sleep after the operation. Helped me survive along with this forum.
Hi Soos yes, I am 4 weeks post op and I have this too. I think it's probably a big combination of everything. Trauma to the body, medication, lack of restorative sleep, mood shifts, etc. I think time is the best healer but when you're through the other side of this, it's so easy to want to go and do and just be, pain free! Think about it, we're all trying to make up for lost time.... Living in so much pain every day prior to the surgery! Who has patience when you've been handed a new lease on life. Best wishes to your son's speedy recovery!