FYI, i'll copy/paste my comments on my recent hip surgery here too that nadina requested saving me precious time.

Hip surgery only took 1 hr. Vs. 1.5 hrs.; 1 hr. Recovery room vs. 2 hrs. So that was positive! Those darn hard surgery tables; I had a lifelong dislocated tailbone, and it hurt so bad being on there for the length of time that I was! Never felt any pain from hip surgery; only constant 24/7 pain from LEFT KNEE and eventually right knee areas going down to the toes!

MD found I have SOFT BONES like a woman 20 yrs. OLDER than my 58 yr. Old body. So I’m to have an osteoporosis bone density test and get on fosanmax med in future. I had this around 8 yrs. Ago and it was osteopenia then; they NEVER suggested I take a med to build it up vs. leaving it alone as is.

Next afternoon, we started the twice a day joint camp where we worked on our joint exercises together. They gave us no time to ourselves until 3 pm.

1st night I slept in the bed until they would roll me over and it was pure hellish pain that would radiate for hours afterward, so began sleeping in my recliner there which really did help me.

Mercy hospital staff were outstanding! Really teamwork players. Excellent food; we ordered our own food; I’d keep forgetting to do that. LOST WEIGHT but have no idea since the entire 5th floor did NOT have a scale on the floor! Plus gained the hardware of 8-12 lbs. Of hip put in.

Was supposed to go HOME Thurs. But after we had camp exercises; physical therapist finally took us to do the step exercises; ONCE only. We have 2 outside steps with no railing; so I had to pretend that’s what I had there! She didn’t like how it went in the 5-minute process plus I had not walked the entire hallway like she wanted; so she DENIED my going home after MD said yes!

So during the night, I worked on increasing length of walk; I met her goal plus.

Our neighbors brought me down to hospital, and would call or come down daily to see how I was doing. They have sure been our LIFESAVERS! Getting me here/there buying groceries, running errands, etc.

Friday I was to be dismissed but I pointed out to MD’s physician asst. That my knee was so SWOLLEN, RED, AND RUNNING TEMPERATURE most of week. So he took that huge needle withdrawing fluids from it WITHOUT GIVING ME A DEADENING SHOT FIRST! So painful. Neighbors asked how long it would take to get results; 1 hr. We couldn’t get them to bring baggies to take my stuff home in since neighbors took my suitcase home night before.

Then ran 4 tests on fluid in knee; last took 30 minutes. NO BACTERIA INFECTION THANK YOU GOD!

They told us they would have me OUT of there in 5 minutes, and they did considering I was still in bed!! Never seen folks moving that fast in my lifetime.

That weekend my knee got worse so I called homeward to ask to talk to their RN. She eventually came over to our home from 10-15 through 10-45 to check it out. We both feel it IS A BLOOD CLOT. So dr. Office called me and set me up for appt. he looked at my knee, but things were much worse. He asked if anyone did an ultrasound on this while I was in hospital; NO! so he sent me there for that, but it was far to painful for me continue with their pushing on veins in my body. I couldn’t take 20 minutes of this pushing/hurting me.

I have home health care, HOMEWARD; what a beautiful program it is !! 4 people coming in weekly to help me. 1 woman comes twice weekly to give me a 1 hr. sponge bath. RN comes twice a week, and physical and occupational therapists each come once a week!

I do not feel this is the same for others: get 1 hr. Physical and 1 hr. Occupational therapy per week, FREE since I’m on Medicare to getting my SS disability insurance benefits.

4-10-07, Drs. Office had me go there about my red, swollen knee still running high temps. RN removed my 29 staples! Yippee. Physician’s asst. Looked my knee over good. They NEVER did figure out what was going on with my knee, swollen, & high temps.

Whatever visits I make to them in the next 3 months are covered by their MD surgery fee. PA did write an order for me to get my right leg worked on .... painful bursitis, etc.

Today, 4-15, I finally was in bed for 1.5 hrs. Resting since I got home 16 days ago! I was able to raise up my surgery leg getting in by myself! Shocked me/hubby! He had to help me getting me back up since my mattress/spring are now on the floor since they were HIGH before!! Been sleeping in hubby’s air lift recliner, and so thankful for that!

Most of swelling is gone in my left knee, leg, and foot. It’s just swollen across the end of the foot area of 3”! so I’m making progress slowly but surely.

Many of you have sent me private emails or letters; thank you so much for them! I don’t have time to write individual responses back to each of you; so please accept this as my reply to you ok!

This latest surgery was a huge wake-up call on what friendship means to me! All the support I received from you lymenet friends, my 3 “classic” classmates, and special friends, Joyce and Bob Davis who’ve taken me to Des Moines for all appts. And checking up on me plus running countless errands: groceries, etc.!

Another thing after this surgery, I'm having really bad problems with cognitive skills! I can't type and my fingers don't cooperate with what my brain is saying to them. When I get tired which is every day on here; NOTHING I type makes sense! so if you got anything from me and it was "spacy", that's why! just can't finish thoughts i've started. Take care my friends!

Our HEARTFELT thank you goes to each of you during our times of need; YOU were there for us! God bless each of you for this!.

BG

every day I AM MAKING SLOW PROGRESS! was able to get into bed all by myself, BUT can NOT get up to sit along side of the bed to raise myself up by myself! i need hubby's hand to do that. so until i can get UP by myself, i will NOT attempt sleeping in my bed!

hubby is deaf in 1 ear; lost majority of it in other, and i yell at full volume to get him to come to the bedroom, and he can NOT hear me most of time! so then i start my panic attacks.

many things to work out. occupational therapist had me start today on cooking tips. next wk. we will do cooking on top of the stove or use the oven.

my swelling is going down now so able to get around better than before.

one thing i haven't mentioned is now i have been having 24/7 PEEING since my surgery! talk about an expensive adventure in depends/poise pads, etc! a whole new experience for me! oh how i hate this! if i even THINK about getting to bathroom to pee, it's GONE!

i had my pcp prescribe my VESICARE 5 mg pills to help with incontinence ... so FAR NOT WORKED AT ALL TO DATE!

2 firsts yesterday:

1. i was able to roll over and used my cane propped there by the bed, had it up against my dresser for stability and was able to get OUT of bed all by myself! wow, did i feel like a little kid who had mastered going to the toilet all by myself! lol

i won't attempt sleeping it bed all night until i get more strength in my hands again. my palms are RAW from using my walker and that's with FLEECE material being over the padded hand rests on them!

2. i was able to get BOTH white tent hose socks off ALONE using my special socks remover!!! especially over my swollen ankle/upper feet area! that was a MAJOR thing; those darn things are so tight and my swelling is bigger than the sock in that area...

will be calling my surgeon's office to talk to pa about socks, my 24/7 incontinence, etc. today.

hope they say i can discontinue the socks since they are NOT helping me, and i'm practicing all the exercises in my recliner, etc.

surgeon's RN said incontinence comes along with surgery; asked me to have a urinary tract infection urine test done ... going in 2 hrs. for that. hope they find something that WILL stop this 24/7 nuisance

TWO FIRSTS FOR ME!

3 days ago i was able to get in/out of my BED alone with NO assistance whatsoever! YES!

I was able to remove the TOO SMALL TEN WHITE HOSE without assistance going over my swollen knees/legs/feet!

today i was able to sleep in my bed for 4 hours with several pee calls IF i made them; readd newspaper briefly, and fell asleep in air-lift recliner. then slept 2 SOLID HOURS WITH NO PEE CALL! YIPPEE.

FORGOT TO MENTION: mercy hospita mis-measured me, so my TEN WHITE HOSE have been TOO SMALL thereby causing me all this extra pain and discomfort! amazing they are around $30 per pair. i've got to get them back on today but enjoying the swelling going down when i don't have them on.

today the occupational therapist used a gel rubbing it in by ultrasound on my right thigh in the BURSITIS area. We'll see how that does with the 24/7 pain there.

last friday i was out for 3 hrs.: to drs. office where they found 2 types of bacteria in my urine. it was cultured and dr. called yesterday saying it was NEGATIVE for anything else.

he plans on sending me to urologist for my 24/7 urinary incontinence. i had him check the chart; was there in 95 and 03 but it WASN'T 24/7 then as it has been since my surgery!

my pain meds MAY be causing it plus the surgery, and who knows what else; but what an expensive downer ... $25 - $50/week!

i got a larger size TEN hose on friday since the other was cutting into my swollen foot so bad.

also while at choice medical, i picked out a air-lift recliner for myself getting all the critical info to pursue this. BUT our SMALL living room will be a challenge what we're going to give up in order to have TWO air-lift recliners in there!

i've really been pleased with my 4 homeward staff: RN, bather, occupational & physical therapists!

Again, Tori, i plan on finding a wall or a door to hang my ROCKETTES on to enjoy the efforts of your family!

by the way, how old are you kids who helped in this project? would you thank them and give them an extra hug and kiss from me? thanks!

yes, each day i'm beginning to feel better and my body is accomplishing more of the things i took for granted! walking, doing the side step to get my walker in/out of small bathroom door entrance; getting in/out of bed myself with anyone or assistance device.

so i've started trying to read the backlog of 3-4 weeks of posts i missed when in the hospital and home recuperating.

it's very hard to get seated at my pc, and my hard WOOD chairs covered with 3 different SOFT pillows.

i have a beautifully padded DRAFTING CHAIR HEIGHT SWIVEL CHAIR in basement, but it's too tall to put in where we placed the pc.

i have a lot of fatigue, and the internet puts me to sleep faster than anything. many times i've caught myself falling OFF my chair since i fall solidly asleep in my pc chair

pain meds causing urinary 24/7 incontinence. called pcp today and they transferred me to urologist; can't believe it, but i can get in next TUESDAY am!! how we can find PERMANENT relief from this.. too expensive $25 - $50 weekly! been home 4 weeks tomorrow...

i've made significant progress and my home care help have all told me that too.

tori, you take care and get your needed rest; my best to all of you.

the home care supr. went turkey hunting last weekend and was bitten by 2-3 or more DEER TICKS! i told the RN to tell her to get on doxy for 2 full months, and then followed that up with a phone call leaving message on her machine

last night in the almost 80 degree weather, i went outside to sit and read for 1 hr! it was like old times enjoying the fresh air, and viewing the luscious green grass and flowers sprouting up everywhere.

then i took 3 long walks down our long driveway with my walker getting much needed exercise. i was so proud of myself!

then last night, i came on lymenet like i used to for a limited 2 hrs. to read things i've not had the time to and reply limitedly.

yes, i'm beginning to feel like my old, ornery self again! look out lymenet world; here I come!

also, can get in/out of bed with NO effort and getting easier to roll on my right side onto the pillow adjacent.

this will probably be my last week of home health care provided FREE by medicare since i've been confined to home! can't wait to drive in town again.

thursday, there is 9-3 pm seniors expo here in town with all types of subjects, and they have 50+ vendors dealing with senior issues! always something good to learn about.

windy Bettyg!

I just can't believe all you've been through. I am concerned for all the edema you are still having... have they rechecked for blood clots?

Have they checked your heart?

I do hope you are feeling better these days

j