0

Thu

07/01/2016

07:30 Arrived at hospital for operation to correct my misplaced ceramic insert.

Filled in admission Question & Answer sheet, and a menu for today

I put on a hospital gown, and tight knee-high elastic TED socks to prevent blood clots

Met the surgeon and the anaesthetist who checked for allergies sedation options etc.

9:30 Walked to the operating theatre

The anaesthetist asked me to sit on a trolley, inserted a cannula into my hand, and injected a solution into my spinal cavity. I go totally numb below the waist.

10:00 Wheeled into the operating theatre once again, and many hands lift me onto the operating table.

I hear the operation again, but feel nothing.

11:00 The operation is all over, I was wheeled to recovery.

The surgeon came to see me, and informed me that he and another surgeon together had failed to move the ceramic insert in or out - the operation has failed!

I was pushed up to my room where my wife was waiting for me.

This is a different room from last time, I have a balcony and view of woods and playing field

I have a wound drain with a bottle to collect the blood.

I am connected to a pair of electric 'socks' that pump and grind throughout the night to help prevent blood clots.

The nursing staff take my blood pressure and temperature regularly through the day

12:00 Lunch of Tuna sandwiches and coffee

15:30 Getting feeling back in legs, with intense itching

17:00 Blood taken from drain is transfused back into me

18:00 Dinner; Tomato soup, roll, cheese omelette & chips, yoghurt.

18:10 Paul the hospital manager arrived to see if I was OK. I informed him that the operation had failed.

18:45 The blood transfused into me finished

19:40 Coffee

22:00 The first night passes, but I have to ask for a catheter to relieve the pressure in my bladder, nurses administer painkillers

The nurses check on me regularly through the night.

1

Fri

08/01/2016

01:30 Blood pressure checks

06:30 Blood pressure checks, paracetamol and a welcome coffee

08:00 Blood sample taken from cannula

08:30 Drugs and laxatives (to counteract the effect morphine has on your system) administered

08:35 Breakfast of apple juice, bran flakes, toast, marmalade

09:00 My consultant apologised for his mistake and inability to repair the misplaced ceramic insert, and we discussed the impact of this. I requested a list of the parts he had used in case I am ever abroad and find myself needing medical treatment on the new hip.

09:30 Parts list arrived from my consultant, had a wash.

12:00 My wife arrived with some fruit

12:45 Dinner of Broccoli and Cauliflower soup, bread roll, fish goujons, chips, yoghurt, coffee.

14:30 Walking in my room with my physio using a walking frame

15:50 Xray taken

17:00 Managed to get to the toilet using two sticks.

18:00 Dinner (Soup, roll, cheese omelette, potatoes. Orange juice, fruit salad, coffee. I had to leave some due to severe wind in my stomach

18:20 Paul the hospital manager arrived to see how I was doing.

19:30 Into bed to sleep - I was very tired

21:00 Blood pressure checks, and painkillers

2

Sat

09/01/2016

02:00 Toilet break

05:45 Toilet break

06:30 Blood pressure checks

08:10 Breakfast arrived, water jug topped up with fresh water

10:10 My consultant arrived, and says he believes that having actually seen the insert that it will be fine now. He will check with the manufacturer of the hip prosthesis.

10:40 Oxycontin painkillers administered, also a large shiny pink ibuprofen and small pink rivaroxaban blood anticoagulant.

11:00 Wound drain removed, waterproof dressing put over the top of the main dressing so that I can shower

11:45 Showered and got into my pyjamas

12:00 Physiotherapist arrived, I did all the standing exercises, and tried walking with sticks up and down the ward

12:40 Dinner - Soup, Pork chop, fresh vegetables, yoghurt, coffee

18:00 Tea, with tuna sandwiches

19:45 Coffee

20:00 Wash

21:30 Toilet break

22:00 Went to sleep, very tired again

22:15 Blood pressure checks and painkillers administered

23:00 Toilet break

3

Sun

10/01/2016

00:15 Toilet break

02:30 Toilet break

03:45 Toilet break

06:00 Toilet break

06:30 Lights on in the ward

06:55 Blood pressure checks, painkillers and laxatives administered

08:30 Breakfast arrived

10:00 Stairs test with the physiotherapist

12:55 My wife and son arrived to take me away

13:50 Discharged with a goodie bag of painkillers, anticoagulants, laxatives, large dressings, spare TED stockings.

14:00 Went to a local restaurant for a lovely dinner

15:00 Home at last

4

Mon

11/01/2016

Had a very bad night, had to take paracetamol and codeine painkillers

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends..

5

Tue

12/01/2016

Had another bad night, had to take paracetamol and codeine painkillers

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

6

Wed

13/01/2016

Had another bad night, had to take paracetamol and codeine painkillers

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

7

Thu

14/01/2016

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

8

Fri

15/01/2016

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

9

Sat

16/01/2016

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

Went to the supermarket for a walk around using the trolley as a walker

10

Sun

17/01/2016

My wife cooked a special dinner to celebrate my homecoming and the whole family came

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

11

Mon

18/01/2016

I found it almost impossible to get to sleep, but finally managed to drop off at 03:00 with the help of my iPod and some calming music

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

12

Tue

19/01/2016

10:30 Back to the hospital to have the staples taken out

Saw my consultant, he has not yet heard back from the prosthesis manufacturer

11:00. Physiotherapy one-to-one session.

13:00 Walked just under 0.5 mile, but found it very draining.

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

13

Wed

20/01/2016

Had a 0.6 mile morning walk, and a 0.75 mile afternoon walk

Performing the usual exercises, squats, calf raises, knee and hip bends

14

Thu

21/01/2016

Walked 0.8 miles around the local town centre, but I was finding this tiring again.

15

Fri

22/01/2016

Raining, so no outside walk. Performing the usual exercises.

16

Sat

23/01/2016

Raining, so no outside walk. Performing the usual exercises.

17

Sun

24/01/2016

Walked 2.5 miles to and from a local village pub for Sunday lunch.

Performing the usual exercises.

18

Mon

25/01/2016

Walked1.6 miles to the local hospice to see my cousin.

Performing the usual exercises.

Rang my consultant's secretary to find out if there was any news from the manufacturer, left answerphone message

19

Tue

26/01/2016

Performing the usual exercises.

Rang my consultant's secretary again, left answerphone message again

20

Wed

27/01/2016

Train ride and 0.75 mile walk to John Lewis store.

Saw my GP who had not realised that the surgeon's notes that said it was an 'attempted revision' actually meant that the operation had failed. He is referring me to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore for a second opinion.

Performing the usual exercises.

21

Thu

28/01/2016

Went to local town to have a look around, walked about 1.5 miles.

Performing the usual exercises.

22

Fri

29/01/2016

Consultant's secretary rang, but she does not know where he is.

HR from work rang me to check I was still OK

Physiotherapy from work rang to ask about my recovery and offer extra physio exercises

Went to my local surgery for a weight check

Walked 2.8 miles around the local town.

Performing the usual exercises.

23

Sat

30/01/2016

Walked 2 miles around the local town.

Performing the usual exercises.

24

Sun

31/01/2016

Had a bad night with my 'walking stick shoulder' hurting most of the night

Performing the usual exercises.

25

Mon

01/02/2016

Storm Henry

Performing the usual exercises.

26

Tue

02/02/2016

Woke to find I could walk without sticks and hardly any limp!

10:00 1 hour physiotherapy session. Cross trainer and cycle added. Met someone else who had a misplaced ceramic shell that had shattered.

27

Wed

03/02/2016

My consultant phoned me. He does not think he will need to operate again. He hopes to get some spare BioMet parts to check on seating. He says that travel insurance should be no problem.

Performing the usual exercises.

Friends came around to have tea

28

Thu

04/02/2016

Four weeks since my second operation.

Walked 0.5 miles without sticks. This is the first time without a walking aid for 99 days.

Went to a talk on World War 2

Performing the usual exercises.

29

Fri

05/02/2016

Raining, so no walk, performing the usual exercises.

30

Sat

06/02/2016

Raining, so no walk, performing the usual exercises.

31

Sun

07/02/2016

0.6 mile walk outside with no stick before the rain returned.

32

Mon

08/02/2016

Storm Imogen, 52mph winds recorded at Luton Airport.

33

Tue

09/02/2016

Shrove Tuesday

10:00 1 hour physiotherapy session - I was absolutely whacked out.

1.0 mile around town with a stick as I was so exhausted.

34

Wed

10/02/2016

Ash Wednesday

1.2 miles without a stick around the local estate.

35

Thu

11/02/2016

Five weeks since my second operation.

End of Rivaroxaban blood anticoagulant pills.

Went to see my private physiotherapist about my shoulder which was in pain due to the use of one stick for walking. She suggested getting walking poles with anti-shock feature.

36

Fri

12/02/2016

37

Sat

13/02/2016

Went to London for a wonderful Polish meal with survivors and families of those imprisoned in Siberia by the Russians in World War Two.

38

Sun

14/02/2016

Valentine's Day

39

Mon

15/02/2016

40

Tue

16/02/2016

Went to the crematorium for the funeral of my cousin. This really puts my problems into perspective.

41

Wed

17/02/2016

Welfare lady from work rang to see how I was.

Had a sore throat - the beginnings of a 3-day cold.

42

Thu

18/02/2016

Six weeks since my second operation.

Took my TEDs compression stockings off - what a relief.

Called my boss at work to keep him up to date with my progress.

Physio from work called me to ask how I was doing.

43

Fri

19/02/2016

Still have that cold.

44

Sat

20/02/2016

Walked 1.8 Miles around the town with a single walking pole.

45

Sun

21/02/2016

Walked 2.0 Miles to the village pub and back with two poles (winds of over 40 mph)

46

Mon

22/02/2016

47

Tue

23/02/2016

New dishwasher arrived

48

Wed

24/02/2016

49

Thu

25/02/2016

Seven weeks

10:00 Six week appointment with my consultant.

I walked in without sticks.

End of driving ban. First time I have driven for 3 months!

16:00 See my private physio for my shoulder pain.

Celebrated my progress with a bottle of prosecco.

50

Fri

26/02/2016

To the supermarket without sticks.

Spoke to welfare at work and let them know of my progress

51

Sat

27/02/2016

Country walk for 3.5 miles with hiking poles. Probably about twice as much as I would like to do over such rough paths.

52

Sun

28/02/2016

One mile walk to our favourite country pub for lunch. Had to be picked up by car as I was so exhausted.

53

Mon

29/02/2016

A rest day

54

Tue

01/03/2016

St.David's day

10:00 One hour physiotherapy session, absolutely whacked out.

Discharged from the physio department.

55

Wed

02/03/2016

Shorter one mile walk, first 100 yards without sticks.

Lunch with my wife in a Thai restaurant.

56

Thu

03/03/2016

Eight Weeks

57

Fri

04/03/2016

Leisurely 1.3 mile walk around my hospital.

58

Sat

05/03/2016

Snow and rain, so no walking. Start of a terrible cough.

59

Sun

06/03/2016

Mother's day.

60

Mon

07/03/2016

61

Tue

08/03/2016

Car in for rear brake pads

62

Wed

09/03/2016

Saw my GP for the cough - no chest infection.

63

Thu

10/03/2016

Nine weeks

Went with some good friends for lunch at a restaurant

64

Fri

11/03/2016

65

Sat

12/03/2016

66

Sun

13/03/2016

Drove 12 miles to pick up our son for a celebration dinner

67

Mon

14/03/2016

One mile walk in the countryside just carrying my sticks.

Went to see my private physiotherapist about my shoulder again. Much better now.

My personalised 'THR' tee shirt arrived from Zazzle

68

Tue

15/03/2016

Called work colleagues, as I am

preparing to go back.

Did some very light gardening

69

Wed

16/03/2016

Letter dated February 25 arrived from my consultant, discharging me from his care

Went out for a curry

70

Thu

17/03/2016

10 Weeks.

St Patrick's day

Did some more light gardening

71

Fri

18/03/2016

Still got a terrible cough

72

Sat

19/03/2016

Still got a terrible cough

73

Sun

20/03/2016

Palm Sunday

Lunch with friends and family.

74

Mon

21/03/2016

Still got a terrible cough

75

Tue

22/03/2016

Still got a terrible cough

2 Mile walk around town.

76

Wed

23/03/2016

Still got a terrible cough

77

Thu

24/03/2016

11 Weeks

Maundy Thursday

My boss called me.

78

Fri

25/03/2016

Good Friday

4 mile country walk on country paths and beside fields. Shattered afterwards!

79

Sat

26/03/2016

Still shattered

Friends came around and we enjoyed a Chinese takeaway together

80

Sun

27/03/2016

Easter Sunday

1.5 mile walk over very muddy tracks and paths

81

Mon

28/03/2016

Bank Holiday

Storm Katie struck with 50 mph gusts locally.

82

Tue

29/03/2016

Called work to settle a phased return to work schedule

1.2 mile walk to surgery for blood test

83

Wed

30/03/2016

1.1 mile walk to garage to pick up car

84

Thu

31/03/2016

12 Weeks

Went out to a local zoo

85

Fri

01/04/2016

Back to work.

All fool's day