Mild hypothermia and recovery

[Dayton96]

I spent a couple of hours last night watching my son's baseball team practice.  It started out at 50 degrees, but then the wind came up and got rather cold.  By the time I got home my leg had stiffened up and my wife had to help me climb into bed.  I had uncontrollable shivering, including up and down my operated leg.  This took me completely by surprise and it hurt like heck.  I was covered by lots of covers but the pain went from my lower back and down my leg.  I'm assuming it was mild hypothermia.  It took about two hours before I began to feel normal.  This morning I feel a little stiff, but otherwise OK.  Has anyone else experienced this? 

Mac 

[Lopsided]

Mac, look after yourself!

[phillwad]

I am 3 weeks post op and sometimes if I wake up roll over and straighten my leg it spasms and shakes like crazy, if I bend it a little it will go away - never thought it might be because I was cold - I will put an extra blanket on the bed.

[Dayton96]

For a few hours last night, it was like I was back two weeks ago, only it hurt worse than it had right after surgery.  I'm assuming the cold and shivering locked up the already bruised muscles, tendons, etc., and it was pure pain until my body warmed up.

[newdog]

Mac,
I'm no doc, but it sounds like what you said in your last post. I would think the shivering and tightening from the cold would do that. I never thought about that, just another example of things we don't know about that may bite us in our already "bitten" behinds if we are not careful.

When I wake up during the night, I will straighten my legs and stretch. My legs will shake and shiver as they never did before surgery. It feels really good but at the same time it's a little freaky thinking about the implants while this is happening. It only lasts a few seconds.

Take care.

Steve

[FlbrkMike]

I would occasionally get chills for a couple of weeks after both surgeries.  It seemed like I was just more sensitive to temperature change.  We usually keep the thermostat set at 66 to 68 during the winter, but I had to raise it to 71 for a while.  Would often have to put on sweaters or wrap myself in a blanket to stay warm but then, sometimes, I would get too warm and have to start throwing things off.  I think a lot of it has to do with being inactive.  The internal thermostat is back to normal now.

[obxpelican]

If you were just a few days post-op I would say the meds have not been removed from your system, but since you're a March hippy I am sure the meds are gone.

I could see that happening though, hope you're doing well now.


Chuck

I spent a couple of hours last night watching my son's baseball team practice.  It started out at 50 degrees, but then the wind came up and got rather cold.  By the time I got home my leg had stiffened up and my wife had to help me climb into bed.  I had uncontrollable shivering, including up and down my operated leg.  This took me completely by surprise and it hurt like heck.  I was covered by lots of covers but the pain went from my lower back and down my leg.  I'm assuming it was mild hypothermia.  It took about two hours before I began to feel normal.  This morning I feel a little stiff, but otherwise OK.  Has anyone else experienced this? 

Mac 

[hipnhop]

I also had shivers a week out from surgery.  No fever just the shivers. A big blanket and some warm tea took care of them each time. Hope you heal well.

[Dayton96]

Thanks for all the responses.  There hasn't been a repeat. Of course our temps here in Ohio went into the 80s yesterday so it has been nice and warm.  The temps are supposed to get cooler this week and there is another baseball practice scheduled for Tuesday night.

[hernanu]

I also had this, but before the operations. I was moving into an apartment, and spent the day moving things into a truck in early February. I was sweaty and the cab in the truck was cold, then the truck broke down as I was returning it. I had to wait in the truck for close to an hour until the rental company got to me, and my core temp dropped considerably.

I recuperated at a steak place ( ) which was nearby and spent most of the two hours I was there shaking. I felt better towards the end, both the food, heat and coffee helping. The real help came when I slept and woke up warm.

It was a grueling experience, and a real showcase of the limitations of the body. I think we tend to forget that we are still healing up until a year. The successes are excellent, but when the body is challenged (as yours was), I would think the areas that are still healing will complain.

I've heard a lot of good advice from people who ski, cross country ski and other winter sports, that the best thing to do is to keep your core (thorax, chest... ) well insulated, since that will help prevent Hypothermia. I defer to more experienced hands at this, but I do think that's what you had.

[katekosar]

I had uncontrollable shivering, including up and down my operated leg.  This took me completely by surprise and it hurt like heck.  Mac 

Interesting.  My black labbie, Rosie, had titanium plates put in both her knees -- ruptured ACLs.  We had her out in the back yard for a while a couple of years ago in a Cleveland winter, and when she came inside she lost all control of her rear legs, shaking uncontrollably, spasmodic-like.  We warmed her and she was eventually fine, tho scared.  I always thought that the cold metal had somehow short-circuited her muscular firing.  Maybe that's what happened to you, too?

Anyway, bottom line ... we try to keep our Rosie warm these days, even outside.

Kate

[obxpelican]

Thanks for all the responses.  There hasn't been a repeat. Of course our temps here in Ohio went into the 80s yesterday so it has been nice and warm.  The temps are supposed to get cooler this week and there is another baseball practice scheduled for Tuesday night.

Want me to send you some hand warmers?


Chuck

[jhall_3rd]

I'm having occaisional chills and night sweats as well - it's day 4 post-op for me. The sweats were significant and i felt a big increase in overall pain level - as if coming down with the flue. So far, the symptoms have passed and i don;t have a fever. I'm reassured to see here that i'm not the only one. Obviously lots going on post-surgery...

[newdog]

jhall,

It sounds like some of the post op symptoms that I have read about before on this forum. I didn't have flu like symptoms but I felt very tired and wanted to just lay around like a slug. You're only 4 days post op so it's really early in your recovery. A lot of "stuff" has happened to your body. The surgery is a major trauma and there are drugs that have to filter out of you.

You are so right, you are not the only one. We all have been there and know what it's like. Come back and let us know how you are doing. Hang in there, it gets better.

[jhall_3rd]

Still having night sweats - often intense, but not every night. I'm 3 weeks now. All else is great. I've had night chills in the past unrelated to the hip so... it could be anything. But i think it's somehow connected to what's going on inside me.

[hernanu]

I had night sweats until the third or fourth week. They stopped around that time, whether because I stopped taking the tylenol or because I got more active or I had a reaction to the anesthesia or ? 

It stopped about that time, and did not return. This happened with both surgeries; apparently that's the way I react to resurfacing, glad I only have two hips.

[jhall_3rd]

My night sweats have disappeared completely - i'm at 4 months now.

[hernanu]

Good stuff. It seems like some of us have to deal with it, some don't.