Hi guys sorry I did not reply earlier, yesterday was a bad day for me. Anyways, Lopsided yes they did put that on me. The nurse called it a special sock that will help with the circulation in my legs. I had two of them on also but I don't think I got them until the following day, can't be sure I was so drugged.

Luanna, that oxycodone or whatever it is was the worst! I would have these strange fevers where I would heat up and then wake up like I came out of the shower and jumped into bed without drying. Then I would get the chills and then back in the fever. I would hear voices or talk to people in my head. Watch people walk by and then suddenly notice that the door was closed so there was no way to even see that. It was wild. I also had no appetite as I would constantly want to throw up. I can tell you though that oxycodone has got my vicodine beat in the pain relief department! The Vicodin kicks in after a long while and does not last too long or put too much of a dent on my pain. I almost took the oxycodone again but logic won that battle (yay mr spock).

Hernanu, I was told not to cross my legs. I have some limitations right now: no 90 degree angles with the hip and no outward angles, no crossing of the legs (they told me that crossing either leg through my centerline was a no no. I have to tell you though that I may have broken some of these rules unintentionally for at least a second then fixed myself as best I could. Those are hard resitictions when trying to relieve yourself of the pain or just plain getting in and out of bed. I hope I did not damage the placement of the device because I really just want all this behind me now.

Hope you have a better day today.

Yep, the voices seemed so real. I honestly was sure that a guy was jumping out of the 7th floor window of the hospital (he did it 2 nights in a row).  :o  I knew that couldn't be right because there are only 6 floors in the building. That stuff sure messes with your head if you are allergic to it. Glad you at least have something so that you can tolerate the pain now. I also heard people arguing outside my door - very distinct. I asked the nurse to tell those folks to either come into the room or go somewhere else to gossip.  At least the conversation they were having was entertaining.

The nurse smiled and said....."you are reacting to your pain medication....let's take you off it right now."  And she did....Ouch.........................

Luanna

KAJUBONES,

How are you feeling? 

Look forward to reading that you are recovering easier, and that your blood clot is not a concern.

Ok - you gotta follow the doc's instructions, but other folks did the same thing with a crutch instead. Give a hippy a lever and he / she can move the world.

hi guys,

I was really out of it for a while there. I had an appointment (friday)for blood to be drawn at 12:00 noon and an appointment to follow up with the coagulation department so i tried sitting around to wait for it. The first thing I did wrong was listen to Mr Spock. I got some less aggressive pain killer that shot my pain through the roof. The other thing I did wrong was just try to sit any way that would not give me pain, which was darn near impossible! I think I should have just stood the whole time. Anyway, to make my long story short I ended up in emergency with this horrible pain that left be sweating and twisted and exhausted. They gave me four shots of some strong pain killer then send me home at 5 in the morning. Ever since then Oxycodone and I became good friends. Oh, almost forgot they xrayed me to make sure that the device did not become dislocated.

This morning though the pain was very noticeable. I think I might have to ask for a higher dosage. Also my hip seems so tight that I cannot stand nor sit down. Is that Normal? I just feel so uncomfortable, I cannot sit in any good position or lay down in any good position. this is torture.

 

By this time you should be beginning to get comfortable and be well off pain medication.

Are you icing the hip during all this ? I assume your surgeon knows all of the stuff that's going on.

Hey guys,

Lopsided, I am still a lot of pain. Yesterday I got a chance to see my doctor and talk to hip about what was going on (staples removed yesterday). He said that he suspects that cumidin (the pills that I am taking for the blood clot is causing the swelling. The doctor told me that We could do one of two things: 1) manage the pain and try icing and other methods to get rid of the swelling, or 2) have them install something that will remove the fluid. HE said he did not feel comfortable about the second option because the cumidin will just make me bleed :(. I opted for the icing. Iced in yesterday for twenty minutes once and twice today so far. Still struggling to feel normal.

Hernanu, I just started icing yesterday. I don't even know how that really works like how long I should ice for and for what period of time to get results. Good news is that I do not have to take lovenox shots anymore YAY.

If you're just starting icing, you'll get a lot of relief from that. I did this:

• Apply ice for 15 minutes over a thin towel or cloth
• Let the area warm up again for about 30 minutes
• Re apply

I used my own handy dandy ice pack - a zip lock bag with a strong zip, took a hand towel, got it wet (not dripping), folded it to fit within the baggie (as flat as possible), seal then freeze. You never have to re-add water, it melts in about the right time (10-15 minutes), it's flat and can be bent so if fits better and very light. I also used when I started driving under the leg. I still have it, for those times when I get sore.

Here's a good site for it:

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/ht/iceinjury.htm

thanks hernanu,

I am going to try that...not feeling good again. on my way back to bed...:(

Hi guys,

I felt so miserable, my ears were ringing, temperature going up and down, Hallucinating, weak, and in constant pain. My doctor decided to put me on oxycotin 1 every 12 hours, Neurantin (not sure of spelling but it is supposed to b,lock pain in this nerve that is being presurred by the swelling in my hip) 1 before bed and oxycodon 7.5 mg two tabs every 4 hours. Luckily one of my wife's friends was over the house visiting and noticed that the two bottles of oxycodone that I had were two different dosages. Seemed strange to me as the doctor said that she was just giving me some extras and did not mention the dosage change. So I tried to use the new one at 5.5 mg 2 every 4 hours and guess what my head cleared!

After another day I started feeling sick in the head again. even my ears were feeling strange and people talking made my head pound. so I reduced the oxycodon 5.5 to 1 tab every 4 hours and I am feeling good again! the pain right now is some pressure from a region that is swelling inside my hip. I can sit somewhat with a little pain I can stand and walk with a walker with a little pain as well.

I am having this fever problem though and I do not know if it is anything to worry about. Both the doctor and I feel that it has something to do with the oxycodone. But even he said that if it is over a hundred derrees then it is something to look into. I tracked it for the last couple of days and the temp danced around at a low 99.9 (once) and the rest of the time went as high as 101.5 and as low as 100.0. not sure but it is worrying me.   

I had a really terrible reaction to oxycodone and oxycontin as I wrote above - fever, ill, disoriented, and miserable. I worked with a pain management specialist to have a compounding pharmacist create an oral ketamine med that worked great when the pain became really too much. They use it with combat soldiers in Afganistan. It causes no cognitive dulling so the injured soldier can work with the medic and help get out of harms way. Not like morphine where the person is out of it. It's an amazing medication but has a bad rap because people have abused it by taking large doses for recreational purposes.

I wonder if you might try an alternative pain medication?

Luanna

I agree with Luanna, maybe try something different? Don't give up, there has to be something that will be O.K. for you.

Hi you guys thanks for the info and the kind words. The doctor email back and said that the reason why I am having the fevers is because of the Warfarin (cumidin). He said that it is because of the bleeding around the area of the surgery that is caused my the blood thinner. That and with Oxycodone and I am having fevers here and there.

Yes that oxycodone is the worst.

I am hanging in there. It helps a lot to know that there are people out there that know what I am going through!

I hope you are feeling better kajubones and that you and your surgeon have figured out what is going on. Do you still have fevers? Has he checked for infection? Please keep us updated and take care.

Hi jjmclain,

I changed up some of my medications again: oxycotin 1 every 12 hours, neurontin before sleep, Oxycodone 5.5 mg 1 every 6 hours. I feel loads better but I can still feel some effects such as ringing and sensitivity in hearing, some sensitivity in sight (I can see a little bit better now). The hallucinations are also gone.

after this my last four readings of my temp was 99.2, 99.1, 99.3, and 99.3. and yes I have kept them up to date as to what was going on with me.


As far as other things I am having trouble standing up straight probably because I have not done it in a while. I get tired really easily, almost past out in the shower this morning. my operated leg is still prone to swelling. The fluid goes down to my feet and I have to get in bed and elevated that leg to alleviate the swelling. I am still icing and it does help a lot.

Seems like a lot of things for just one procedure. The blood clot is still being worked on and monitored by the doctors as I am still taking Cumidin and I believe this is supposed to be a 3 month therapy.

The procedure was originally to give me lovenox (another blood thinner) when I got out of the hospital to prevent blood clots. They started on it while I was still there and it had to be delivered via needle into the stomach muscles. Unfortunately when I was diagnosed with the blood clot I had to keep up the lovenox until my INR levels were good enough to stop the shots. I now am healing also from massive bruising at the stomach and it is really uncomfortable.

Kajubones,

I was on coumadin for the first 4 weeks (in order to prevent blood clots) and it gave me some strange symptoms. Sometimes I would just get shooting pains down both legs and I swore everything was due to the blood thinner. As soon as I had an ultrasound at my first post-op at 4 weeks and they determined there were no clots, I was allowed to go off of it and I have to tell you that things were great after that. I sure hope things improve for you.

June

How's things going, kajubones? hope the fever is lowering and you're in less pain.

Hi guys,

I had a really "fun" day yesterday. I went to UCSF early in the morning to get my INR levels for my coumadin and then in the afternoon I had an appointment set up with my Ortho but on the way home as I was talking to my brother in law about stuff when I suddenly noticed how dizzy I was. I just thought that I might be tired but suddenly I could not catch my breathe. Then I started getting tunnel vision and had cold sweats. I told my brother in law that there was something wrong and that I might have to go back to the hospital. He took me into ER were they took me in and ran all sorts of tests. hours and hours later they concluded that I was anemic so I was admitted to the hospital over night and was given a transfusion. My fever is now gone, my hip pain level is tolerable, the swelling has gone down a tad bit, my heart rate is still elevated at rest but they assure me that it will work itself out soon, my anemia is a little bit better (normal is 15, when I went into surgery it was 10, when I was admitted yesterday it was 7 and now it is 9.)

Too many complications. I am so tired. I am back home right now and for that I am happy.