4 weeks - good and bad news

Dear Graham

Funny how some people really hate them whilst others me included do not mind wearing them!

Hope you are doing well. Just replied to a post but it has been stopped for moderation and for the life if me I have no idea why so expecting this one to be moderated too!

All the best, Richard

Richard,

Nice to hear from you again, I hope you are doing well.

I didn't mind wearing them too much, it was getting them on that was the problem.

Moderation usually occurs when a full stop/period is not followed by a space or new-line but by a letter - it assumes it's a website address.

Oh, and I'm still waiting for the medical company to respond to my claim.

Best wishes

Graham

Dear Graham

Thanks for asking. I had the old ankle prosthesis out on February 26th and more bone cutting and drilling and a special revision prosthesis put in.

A huge amount of planning had been required much of it in the US and many visits by me to the hospital. The surgery took six hours which is nearly three times that usually needed for a primary. I was kept in hospital under observation for bone infection for ten days during which I was on an antibiotic dip for several sessions day and night.

As you might imagine this all had a big impact on my body and to top it off I came out with a horribly chesty cold and diarrhoea which persisted for over a week after getting home and drained me of energy and destroyed my appetite.

Moving from the kitchen to the living room if this tiny house required me to sit for quite a time before I wanted to even make a phone call.

Tomorrow I'm going back to the hospital which is a 3.5hr journey to have the stitches out...three incisions, had had to be made, X Rays, checking and a one month cast put on.

This surgery has been a multitude of times more demanding to this point than my hip revision surgery of last year and I will not know how successful it is likely to have been until about the end of May at the earliest so I ill just have to try to be patient and positive.

All the best, Richard

I don’t mind wearing the stockings too much as I got used to them, as long as I could take them off for a while each day and shower. My daughter was really good and came round every day to help me. But she won’t be able to do this with her new job. I can’t put them on myself and don’t like the idea of wearing them several days at a time and not being able to shower.

Dear Melody

I bought a very cheap and basic so laid and did not have any real difficulty in putting the stockings on. Perhaps there is just a knack to it..

cheers Richard

Yes, possibly I just don’t have the knack! I’ve also got a cheap thing that works okay for normal socks, but isn’t any good for the tighter surgical ones.

There was one time when I wanted a shower but had no-one to help, so I had the shower with the stockings on, and dried them off gently with a hair dryer.  Not ideal, but do-able.

Richard,

Wow, you have been through a lot, as you say, much more demanding than a THR.

Knowing you, you are such a positive person, and will do all the right exercises and be so positive in your recovery.

Best wishes

Graham

Dear Graham.

Thanks for that. I've been to have my stitches out today (twenty) and had the wounds checked and a one month plaster cast put on. It has been an exhausting day as it involved a long journey starting at ten this morning and my return at about eight tonight.

I understand that it is likely that this plaster cast will be replaced in a month and at the end of the day I'm going to be in a cast for at least ten weeks. UGH! A major loss of independence but worth it if the new ankle is successful.

I would love to have exercises to do but none given so far so I'm just doing leg lifts and wiggling my toes for the moment!

Best wishes, Richard

Richard,

Hope you are doing well.

I just noticed that it's nearly a week since I have visited the forum, which has to be good news for me as I an thinking less and less about my hip. I do still dabble on Facebook "Totally Hip Support Group" occasionally, usually pointing them to this forum.

Take it steady, but being a seasoned THR patient you know that already. For exercises I'd look at RNOH Stanmore website, they are the experts in the UK on all orthopedic surgery.

Best wishes

Graham

Dear Graham

As always good to hear from you and excellent that you are feeling so positive. Today as I look out the snow has gone apart from on my car and the SUN IS SHINING here so it feels a bit like spring!

I'm progressing well with this revision to my total ankle replacement, with no pain killers for a week and only an occasional twinging which I'm putting down to nerves self repairing.

Although my strength is returning it is slow progress and I easily get exhausted which is rather frustrating as you will understand.

There has been the odd emergency occasion when I've had to inadvertently put weight on the foot with the ankle prosthesis but it does not seem to have caused any issues but it is quite worrying as I am not to weight bear for at least three more weeks and then it has to be carefully controlled and progressive.

I find waiting for my independence to be very difficult to deal with especially as I have quite a bit going on in my life at the moment!

Best wishes, Richard

Richard

I well remember the frustration of slow recovery. It's always so much slower than we want it to be.

Take care

Graham

Thanks Graham. Cheers Richard