Hi, everyone!
I'm just about 1 week post-op. I came home on Friday, 1/25/08, afternoon. The
first 2 days after my surgery, I was really wandering why the heck I did this!
And mostly because I couldn't move! And any little movement caused some major
pain! Having to go to the bathroom was the only reason I would need to get up,
but I had to do it. Getting back in bed was just as hard. They had me doing
physical therapy starting Wed.
My first therapy was just getting up into the wheelchair and washing up, etc.
Then in the afternoon, they took me down to their gym, and I had to get up and
walk with the walker and then with crutches. The next day, they had me go up and
down the stairs with my crutches.
By Thursday, my attitude was much better as I was starting to move without the
extreme pain, plus I had figured out how to get in and out of bed. It was very
frustrating for me to have to be helped each and every time I had to use the
bathroom. They had a bedside commode for me to use, so I didn't have to go very
far, but it was still the hardest thing to do. I have had a couple of moments of
crying because of the pain and frustration. Then I got home.
My husband was trying real hard to be helpful, but he's just not as gentle as
the nurses are. I tried to sleep flat on our couch in the living room, but it
was too uncomfortable and too close to the window so I was freezing. I ended up
moving to the loveseat which has the built-in recliner chair in it. I slept
great in it reclined. It's still an effort to get up out of it, because it is
soft and low and doesn't have two arms to push up out of it. We were able to
find a loaner bedside commode.
My husband made some phone calls and The Lion's Club loans out medical equipment
for free! We have that downstairs for me to use, but I will take the stairs and
use the bathroom for other "stuff". I will be setting up my physical therapy
this morning. I will have to go 3 times a week for 3 weeks. I have to take a
prescription blood thinner for 2 weeks so I don't get blood clots.
My incision is not pretty. It's probably a good 8 inches long with staples. They
will remove them at my 10 day check up with the doctor. Right now, I think the
majority of the pain is from the incision. My thigh and cheek is pretty swollen.
I ice my incision 4 times a day. I am using frozen peas as my ice pack and it
works great!
As I read before someone describing the pain, it feels like they've been kicked
in the a** end by an elephant! I would have to agree! This is when you really
find out about your marriage, in good times and in bad....for better or for
worse. The first few days, I looked like a ghost, I had hospital hair, my thigh
and rear-end looks like Frankenstein's, he has to change my dressing for me and
I get cranky pretty easy PLUS the husband has to do ALL the household chores
that I usually do.
So far, so good! I'm going up and down the stairs pretty well, now, but I do get
easily tired. Whenever I get up, I do a couple of "laps", as my husband calls
them, around the house to stretch out. And it's true, when you start to ache,
get up and move (do laps) and you will feel better. After sitting too long, you
get real stiff and achy. Sitting and standing up still seems to be the biggest
challenge for me along with sitting on the potty. Challenging and uncomfortable,
sometimes painful.
It is real easy to forget your "hip rules/precautions". The discomfort will
usually stop you but habits are hard to break! I've been taking sponge baths so
far. I may try to take an actual shower today now that I can lift my leg
backwards at the knee (to get into the bathtub). I will continue to update my
posts!
I am looking forward to see how things are once I heal up; to see if the surgery
was successful without anymore hip pain!
I guess I need to add the hip info now.........
Marni
Right side BHR, Dr. Jeffrey Butler, 1/22/2008
