General Chat

Good for you Scozz you know it makes sense :-)

I have to sit to have a shower and that drives me
bonkers as I can't stand for long, but needs must :-D

Take care, three months is not a long time after what you
have gone through :-)

The physio was easy...... he showed me a couple of exercises, but they're the ones Ive been doing already, the physio at the hospital showed me.

But.... I thought I was doing well, managing to stand, especially in the shower. I'm not supposed to stand on both feet for another three weeks! So it's back to sitting-down-showers again. The most weight I should put on my right leg is about 20%, and after three weeks I'll have to use the crutches for balance.

I'll do what's right, as I don't want to tear the stitches and have to go through all this again. I keep telling myself that I've put up with this for years, so three months of frustration is nothing.

TeenyWeenyBabySteps :-)

Good luck with the physio. You tell that chap to go easy on you, you know your own body best.

Keep on taking those small steps and you will be more and more comfortable as time goes on.

Lizxx

My first physiotherapist appointment this morning.

With the same guy who tried to get me to stretch much more than I was comfortable with! I DO know the difference between a slight stretch of a muscle and pain, but he obviously thought I was being lazy :-(

Wish me luck!

btw...... I had to go through my knickers drawer to find a pair that don't rub on the incision! I might have to go shopping for some granny bloomers.

Most of it would be free if I didn't have insurance, same as the NHS in the UK.

But I'd have to go on a waiting list...... and that can take years.

A friend waited five years to get his knee fixed.

The more I read about medical costs in other countries, the more I appreciate the NHS, even with its shortcomings. All the above would be free.

Get well soon, Lady Scozz.

oh dear :-(


The way it works over here is that all specialist costs, hospital stay including all tests such as x-rays, all operations, medications, etc are covered by our provincial health scheme as long as you had been originally referred to the specialist by a GP ........

.............. we pay a monthly premium of $130.50 to the Medical Services Plan to cover all GP visits and the above.

Physiotherapy would be covered to a maximum of $250 by our Extended Health Plan (another $126 a month premium) ............... that's about 4½ sessions with my physio, so I hardly ever bother claiming it back from them. It's more trouble than it's worth! I do claim back as much of my prescription drug costs as I can

I'm not sure about the crutches, as I've never had to have them ............ touch wood!

The accounts are arriving :-( ouch!

I didn't have to pay for the hospital, because I've been there already this year.

The xrays (they had to take equipment into the theatre) cost about $200 (that's after the medicare rebate & private insurance).

Got the anaesthetist's bill this morning..... $1.094.50.... I have to pay $200 of that.

Don't have the surgeon's account yet, but at least he doesn't charge for after-op appointments.

I'm renting crutches, $10 a week, and will have to pay for physiotherapist appointments.

Geez. Looks like we'll be having mince for Christmas dinner. :-( :-(

I hope you heal well Scozz and are pain free after all you have been through. Take care xx

Hi all <3 many thanks for the good wishes

For those who don't know, I had an arthroscopy done on my hip; it was supposed to be keyhole surgery to see why I was having so much pain (going on for about 13 years, getting worse, and was told it was trochanteric (spelling?) bursitis. Arthroscopy?..... Sending in teenyweeny cameras to have a look.

As I said earlier, the surgeon found that the glut (the big bum muscle) had torn away from the bone, so he stitched it back (to what, I have no idea). There's a small hole in my hip, probably where the original "keyhole" was made, and he obviously had to look further, so there's quite a large Y shape scar going down my thigh, it's about 8 inches long.

This is on top of having two colonoscopies! Three hospital visits in the timeframe of 4 weeks.

Yesterday I had to hobble to the specialist, the physio (to make an appointment) then later to the GP. That just about wore me out... I slept like a log last night for 11 hours!

I'm still very sore (not horrible pain, just very uncomfortable) and really bruised, but getting a wee bit better every day. I had a shower this morning while standing up (YAY!), but I was a bit wobbly afterwards. The thigh is still very swollen, and wearing undies is very uncomfortable, so I'm going commando!!!!

Dancing? I might manage a one-legged soft shoe shuffle! I can hardly wait for this to be healed completely...... get back to walking (on the beach again!) and to pilates; I haven't been able to do either for ages.

Baby steps.

:-D

Hi Scozz.
I to was on holiday so missed what has happened to you but so pleased to hear you are healing at home.

Take care

Sylvia xx

Good to hear you are improving Scozz. x

Hi Scozz,
Ive been in holiday so I'm not sure why you had an op but, I'm glad to hear that you are on the mend.

Use the Bio-Oil!
It does work
My middle daughter had a fairly deep scar on her forehead ( happened when she was 4yrs old) which was really noticeable, especially in the summer when it turned bright red.
She had it for years but, in her late teens she started using Bio-Oil
After a few months the scar vanished completely and all that's left is a small patch of freckles !

Take Care and you'll soon be ready for a good old Orcadian Strip The Willow
((( HUGS))) XX

Pleased to see it is all progressing well. Not heard of that problem/op before. Just don't try to run before you can walk :-D As if!!

You make sure you use that bio-oil, it really does help. I used rosehip oil on my face when a cancer was removed, the cancer was about as round as the top of a drawing pin head.. but the scar went away down my face, he seemed to be digging for ages.

I have been looking at glute muscles on the internet. Trying to envisage what they have done. Decided I didn't really know what I was looking at.

You could be ballet dancing by the end of February. Just no highland flings or the schottische in the meantime.

I saw the specialist this morning.

Dressing off, stitches out. A lovely multi-coloured leg! Still a bit swollen, but that will go down in time.

The glut muscle had torn away from the bone....... no wonder I was in pain.

Physiotherapist session next Monday, not looking forward to that!

I'll have to use the crutches for the next 6 - 8 weeks.

Have an appointment with my GP this afternoon, to get a temporary "disabled" sticker, to make life a wee bit easier.

Not sure if I'll be dancing at Christmas

:-D

My sleeping still isn't great.

Right leg elevated on a pillow doesn't help, and I can't lie on my side.

To gain access to the hip, they have to put you in traction........ I saw the enormous boots at the end of the table, just before they jabbed me with anasthetic. Great big things, a cross between Herman Munster boots & ski boots :-D ...... then they dislocate the hip joint so they can get the cameras in. By the size of the scar on my leg, I think they used a wide angle lens.

It's not going to last forever, so I'll have to be patient. Getting cabin fever!!

I'm really looking forward to a walk on the beach........ maybe by the end of October? I haven't been able to get to the beach for ages......... and I have my niece's engagement party to go to (in Adelaide) in December.. hopefully I'll be able to get in and out of a plane seat with no problems.

So glad the swellings going and hope the discomfort goes quickly. Hope you can now sleep better than before the op. :-) <3

The swelling is going........ hooray!

My right knee is almost the same size as the left........ but the thigh where the incision is, is (as to be expected) still a wee bit swollen. Everything must be healing well, because the dressing is driving me nuts......... it feels too tight. Might 'phone the local surgery tomorrow, ask if it's possible to change the dressing (it's a see-through, slightly padded thing, never seen the like before).

Good to know that you are feeling a little comfortable today. I have used Bio oil after surgery and it does help the scar so it's worth giving it a try yourself. Take it easy. xx