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547368 tn?1440541785

Namnam46/Sherry Surgical Update

So far so good!  :o)

As of 5:45 PM Central Daylights Saving Time Sherry's surgery was completed and she was in recovery.  

Just prior to surgery her surgeon decided he may have to perform a more complex procedure. Sherry would be in the surgical suite and possibly the recovery room a bit longer that originally planned.

Total hip joint replacement involves surgical removal of the diseased ball and socket and replacing them with a metal ball and stem inserted into the femur bone and an artificial plastic cup socket. The metallic artificial ball and stem are referred to as the "prosthesis." Upon inserting the prosthesis into the central core of the femur, it is fixed with a bony cement.

In Sherry's case they are replacing the existing artificial ball and joint as the initial hip replacement surgery was faulty.

According to my sources she did well in the actual surgery. She should be out of recovery shortly and I will update you when I have more information. Rehab may require a bit more work and her pain level may be higher with the more extensive surgery.

I know you have been anxiously awaiting an update. I know Sherry would say continued prayers are appreciated.

~Tuck
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Avatar universal
Thanks for this update, Tuck!  I'm sorry to hear you were sick last week!  It seems like a lot of us have had a rough past couple of weeks.  
Mama Sherry,  We miss you SO much!  The forum just isn't the same without you cheering it up.  I can't wait until you're back.  I hope the pain is lessening for you as you recover and build strength.  That is geat news about you hopefully going home soon!  Although I'm glad you are getting rest and doing PT there and focusing on your health.  We all knew you'd make a difference to the people at the rehab place just as you do here.
I know you'll continue to get stronger and feel better!  We love and miss you!
Bree
Helpful - 0
547368 tn?1440541785
Just talking to Sherry and the good news is she may be home late next week!!...Or by the latest, before the 16th of this month!!! YEAH!!! I am so happy for her.

She had another "fancy" breakfast. A very dry quiche. She could not eat it. So again she is very anxious to return home.

Her new chair is very comfortable and she is able to sit in it as long as necessary. The Occupational Therapist made her a custom leg wedge which supports her fracture limb and increases her ability to stay upright.

She is also making new friends.....but we knew she would. She has even recruited a new MedHelp member. Of course she has a few residents that she has taken under her wing ...no surprise right!!

She's got a lot of improvement suggestions for the new facility....another surprise right! :o)

Sherry sends love to all of you and can't wait to get back to us.  I know we'll ALL be happy to have her return.  :o)

~Tuck      
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Avatar universal
Thank you, Tuck. I'm sorry that you were sick! I didn't know that. I haven't been keeping up like I'd like to.

Please send my love to Sherry and tell her that I'm still praying for her to feel better and for her to be home as soon as possible.

Hugs,

Flower
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954005 tn?1304626605
So nice to hear an update:) Thanks Tuck:)
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547368 tn?1440541785
Hi Guys,

Sherry is making slow progress.....but is improving. Her surgeon ordered a new chair for her which allows her more mobility with less pain. The facility had it all the time but apparently could not find it until the physician's order came through. Now she is able to eat in the lovely dinning room.

As you can imagine she is getting tired of being confined to the rehab facility. She is bored and becoming a bit homesick. I think that is good news as I think it means she is feeling better and not requiring as much nursing care.

She's getting tired of the "fancy meals," as she puts it. Her surgeon says she will be able to go home in about three weeks, give or take. Her pain is decreasing and she discussed cutting back on her medications. I encouraged her to stay at her current level as long as she needs them. Rehab takes a lot out of her and they are pushing her very hard. The day she went to see her surgeon was very tiring for her and increased her pain so she refused PT. They were at her all afternoon to get in at least one session .... but you know our Sherry.....she stuck to her guns and flatly refused their repeated requests.

She is very anxious to return home. I haven't talked to her yet today so if anything has changed I will be sure to let you all know. As you know I was pretty sick much of last week and our conversations were limited for a while. I know she dearly misses all of you and our MedHelp PM Community. I will be sure to read your responses to her as soon as we chat today....she loves hearing from all of you.  :o)

Enjoy Your Sunday,
~Tuck
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Avatar universal
Hi Tuck. I wanted to just ask how Sherry is doing with her therapy and her pain?

Thanks,

Flower
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Avatar universal
Mama Sherry, I hope the surgeon gives you a great report and finds a solution to sitting for you!  It must be really hard to have to lay down or stand up all the time.  
I hope you are making friends there and making great progress in recovering!  You are such a strong lady and I know you will continue to get better daily.  
We all miss you and love you!  I can't wait until you're back but I know how important the recovery is in the process.  I hope you are feeling better every day!
Bree
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Avatar universal
Sherry,

I just now got a chance to sit and read all of this. I'm so sorry you are going through this. I don't know you well as I am new here, but from the sounds of it, you are a "rock" for everyone around here and I have no doubts that you will power through this.

I am sending you lots of prayers, positive energy and hugs. I hope you are resting comfortably today and that you are healing well.

Kat
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Avatar universal
Sherry,

I'm so sorry that you're in so much pain. I'm glad that they're doing things your way in therapy. You are still in my thoughts and prayers.

Hugs,

Flower
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Avatar universal
Thank you, Tuck, for keeping us posted on how Sherry is doing - you're wonderful! :)

Sherry, I hope they find a way for you to be able to sit comfortably SOON!!!  I know how dedicated you are to have a speedy, full recovery and I know how difficult these set-backs must be for you.  I admire your "toughness" and stamina, as well as your ability to remain in a positive attitude throughout this whole thing.

Stick to your guns as far as doing transfers, etc., in a way that is not only safe, but as comfortable as possible for YOU.  YOU are the patient and the one that suffers if things are not done the way that is best for your body and while the staff does have things that they HAVE to get done with you, it's also part of their job to make sure that whatever they are doing is not having a detrimental affect on your recovery.  I'm so glad that you've spoken with the nursing staff so they are aware of the problem that you had and hopefully they will continue to take the steps necessary to avoid this in the future.

I continue to send healing thoughts and prayers your way and look forward to the day when you can do a post by yourself telling us that you are once again back home and resting comfortably!  (don't get me wrong - we all LOVE Tuck's updates and appreciate them soooo much - but we all want you to be able to get home as soon as possible - but NOT sooner than is healthy!)
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547368 tn?1440541785
Hello from Sherry.
The following are her words.

START
"Allison, I got your MESSAGE and I promise I NEVER go without taking my meds on time again. My nurses and Tuck said VERBATIM what you have said about needing pain medicine to heal.  You are RIGHT ON!!  The love and concern comes through for me in everything you say and it means so VERY much."

"Jaybay, I PROMISE you this T.O.B. will behave. I have talked to the nursing staff and it was an aid that didn't do it my way. Everything is worked out now and the nurses agreed that it will be done MY WAY. I have taken everything you said about your Mom to heart. I remember every single day the GREAT advice you gave in your journals that I have read MANY times as well as the advice you have given me."
END

Sherry sees her surgeon on Monday in part to try and find a solution to her sitting challenge. They have yet to find something that allows her to sit comfortably. She goes straight to a pain level 10 in seconds after getting into a chair. She can lay down without any increased pain but cannot sit. Nothing has worked.

We are hopeful her surgeon can order a device or chair that will ease the pressure off the fractured femur.  She has not been able to visit or dine with others. She is up for PT 3-4 hours a day but not actually sitting in a chair.

Sherry misses all of you and says, "PLEASE keep looking after one another."  

Unfortunately this is going to be a much longer recovery than we had anticipated. I'll update you after her consult on Monday.

~Tuck
Helpful - 0
82861 tn?1333453911
Sherry - Now look you T.O.B., that's enough!  All I want to hear from now on is that you're improving every day.  No more, "I'll do it my way" and no more "I can wait a while longer for pain meds."  Nobody is going to give you a medal for waiting and suffering.  Besides, everyone here will seriously kick your posterior if you keep trying to hold off, which makes you outnumbered and outgunned young lady.  LOL!

On a more serious note, I remember the place where my Mom was at had a noticeable difference in nursing (ha ha) staff and rehab staff.  The nurses were clueless about transferring patients to and from beds and chairs, and that's when accidents happened.  The rehab staff actually listened to what the patient had to say, and got the painful stuff over as soon as humanly possible, and always in a completely safe manner.  The nurses relied on bullying, while the rehab folks were friendly but firm about getting done what needed to be done.  They always explained exactly what they were going to do, and how they were going to do it.  They did not proceed until the patient understood and agreed to do it.

Don't think we're not paying attention!  You can't sneak by us that easily, so consider yourself warned.  LOL!  :-D
Helpful - 0
954005 tn?1304626605
Mama Sherry! You cannot worry about bothering or complaining and holding out for meds! Get them as scheduled, or as needed, or as much as possible!!! You are a wonderful, strong and caring woman...and you need to only worry about yourself right now! Plus, I'm so sure they all love you so much just like we all do!!!!

I'm sure I'll have this confirmed by many of our MH members, and I'll try to find some literature on it, but your body NEEDS pain relief to be able to heal properly--as much as it needs the rest that somehow always eludes us!!! By waiting until the last minute, or even longer, you are prolonging your recovery!! You need the meds for therapy, for sleep, and for the extreme pain from your surgery!!! Don't wait it out! I know that this is such a stressful time already, so please take the meds so that you get the best results:

Now, sit, or lay, and relax---and let us worry about you for once!! But you have to let us over-worry....we are working hard to take care of each other while you are gone, but it's up to you to manage things on your end:)
xoxo Love, Alison:
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547368 tn?1440541785
Sherry says, "How SWEET!"  She wants me to tell you that she goofed this morning. She almost fell over by listening to an aide instead of following her own good instincts. She was forced to put weight on the surgical leg to stop her fall. She is not to bear any weight on that leg. Sherry has now made it clear that she will transfer and do cares in the way that is most comfortable for her.  

She was unable to make it to the wonderful dinning room with stemmed glasses and linen tablecloths because had such extreme pain after the almost fall and two PT sessions. She is unable to sit comfortably in her wheel chair due to the fractured femur. Her fracture is very near the top of the bone. They have tried everything and nothing seems to help her yet. We did some brainstorming and I've offered some suggestions that she will relay to the staff tomorrow. Hopefully a few changes will help.

She never wants to complain or be any trouble so she sometimes waits too long to request her pain meds. This was apparent today and she really had a tough painful day. I told her this evening that she simply cannot wait for her meds again.....she must ask.  She said, "Yes ma'am, I've learned my lesson." :o)

She loves hearing all you have written....You are all "the SWEETEST ppl." And of course continues to miss you all and misses being able to communicate on the board.

Peace,
Tuck
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Avatar universal
Hi Mama Sherry. I'm happy that they're treating you well and that you're making friends. We miss you so much here!

Hugs and prayers,

Flower
Helpful - 0
1324871 tn?1288981706
I agree Mama Sherry will have loads of friends by the time she leaves ! I am so glad she is doing so well .We miss her like crazy here .We will have to have a forum party when Mama Sherry returns to us .She will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers .Thank you so much for the update Tuck .
Melissa
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Avatar universal
I hope she can get up to the dining room.  I imagine by the time Mama Sherry leaves there she will have a whole bunch of new friends!!!  I'm sure she is going to be a big benefit to everyone there with her positive attitude.  

Mama Sherry, is there anything you'd like that I could send?  A book or some magazines or anything???  Some real New England maple syrup if they're serving you pancakes there???

Be good and rest as much as you can.  I can't wait until you're back posting!  It's not the same without you here!  Prayers and hugs.  XOX

Tuck, thanks again for the update!!
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Avatar universal
I'm so glad to hear she is continuing to improve!  Please tell her that we miss her terribly here!  I dont' want to rush her recovery at all so we will hold down the fort until she is ready.  
I hope she enjoys dinner in the dining room and gets lots of rest!  We love you and can't wait to have you back here, Mama Sherry!
Bree
Helpful - 0
547368 tn?1440541785
Sherry continues to improve in strength and endurance. She attends physical therapy twice a day. Understandable she still has a lot of pain with motion in her surgical and fractured limb. The staff is very attentive. It is there goal to keep her a pain free as possible. She says they are terrific.

She was excited to learn that another patients mother was a MedHelp member. She was going to hunt her down and try to find out more information. You know our Sherry!

This evening she will attempt to eat her supper meal in the beautiful general dinning room. Of course she misses all of you.....but every post you make is read to her. I will probably talk to her later this evening and provide more updates for you all.

~Tuck
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
Mellie how right you are about Tuck, you said exactly whats been in my thoughts for a long while...thx you for expressing the words so well.
I don't post often, but I log on and read and learn from others, and yes Tuck is here for everyone everyday....we all owe her a huge thank you!!!
♥Opus
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547368 tn?1440541785
I'm speechless. Thank you so very much for the kind words. You made my day!!!

Blessings,
~Tuck
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Avatar universal
I'm so glad it's a nice place and the staff is attentive!  I have been praying for her every day and will continue to.  The rehab place sounds really great and she deserves the best!  I hope it helps to lift her mood and keep her positive as we all know how much our mood has to do with pain and recovery.  
We all appreciate you giving us these updates SO much.  I know we all miss Mama Sherry terribly, too but it is so encouraging to know she is getting great treatment and recovering well.  
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Avatar universal
Great to hear she's being treated so well.  I wish they could bring her home computer to her ... or if they could get her a laptop!  (I think her recovery would go quicker if she could be logging on and seeing how much we miss and love her!!!)

Tuck, you've been great keeping us updated.  You do so much for this board.  I hope you know how appreciated you are.  It's easy for the rest of us to log in and out and I think most of us at least TRY to give as much as we get.  But sometimes we don't get on for whatever reason ... life gets busy or a pain flare-up, but you are here day in and day out always lifting us up but never really looking for much yourself.

Keeping us all updated on Sherry is just another one of the responsibilities you take on. Because you are always so supportive of everyone here, the newcomers as well as people who've been here a long time, it's easy to sometimes forget that you, too, are a CP patient.  You give and give and I just hope you know how much you really are appreciated and that you're in my prayers for the struggles you have.

Say hi and hugs to Mama Sherry when you talk with her next!
Helpful - 0
82861 tn?1333453911
A whole MONTH?!  Someone get that "tough old broad" a laptop computer!  :-D

Seriously though, I'm so glad to hear some good news finally.  This place just isn't the same without our Sherry and I hope she knows how much she is missed around here.  Many thanks for the update!
Helpful - 0
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