h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It must be tough...all I can say is hang on in there Doc.

Hi everyone

An update on my progress - well, five weeks ago the scar on my newly replaced hip burst open. Infection had apparently found its way in, and I have spent the past three weeks in hospital having it all re-opened, infection removed and I now find myself on high powered antibiotics for the next two months.

The bottom line? Well, I found out today that the infection has not cleared, the wound is now seeping again and I am told that the hip will have to be removed, the wound treated for a couple of months and then the hip put back in again. All in all since the beginning of this mess, I will probably end up having to take a year off work, half of that unpaid.

Add to that, the events of today. My mother who I loved dearly died today at 11:50 of Pancreatic Cancer, aged 73. Her days are now gone, but my concerns now are for my father who I have real worries for.
He has lost almost two stone in the last two months and has told us that he has no idea how he will live with the pain.

This is a poem that I will be using at her funeral next week. She will be desperatley missed by us all and her loss has hammered home just how minor my artheritis pain is. We love you mum. Sleep well.

SHE HAS GONE

You can shed tears that she is gone
or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her
or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she's gone
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what she'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

What more can I say!?

turvy

Very gentle

What a beautiful poem, where did you find it?

So sorry to hear of your loss Doc and s for your family.

Hope all goes well for you, too and soon.

My thoughts are with you and yours at this time Doc.

Oh you poor soul & poor papa. Very very difficult for you to take on the role of "i am the strong one" when you have massive health problems of your own.(i know this, believe me!)

Do come on here & weep or rant or simply talk about stuff; we all understand & if we can't do more than simply be here thinking of you....well, that's better than suffering in silence.

zdt

I'm so sorry Doc

I'm not sure I can say anything to help Doc, But I can only wish that this rough patch you're going through gets clearer

I think it would be rude to read this thread and then just b*gger off as though nothing had happened.
Doc, there is absolutely nothing I can say that can help, but I'd just like you to know that everything you have written has really touched me and that a complete stranger to you is sending their heartfelt and warmest thoughts.
Everyone else here has made me feel very humble too.

Doc, I really feel for you and your father

Words don't always mean a great deal at a time like this,but knowing how much everyone cares can help.

Sincere sympathy to you doc,and your dad too.

Thankyou everyone for all the kind thoughts and wishes - it really helped and bless you all. However, I now have another issue with the infection which has now surfaced again with a vengeance.

It looks like after a second "debridement" (sp?) it is back to stay and the next step is to take the hip out, bombard it with antibiotics for two months then put the whole lot back in again. It will mean another 6 months off work with (of course) no guarantee that I will not then go on to get further infection after that..........

Problem is, if that happens my compnay have a policy of not paying you after 6 months off on long term sick - so when I go in, one month later the money dries up. I have no idea how we will be affected re mortage, etc, etc but we are contacting everyone to re-schedule payments.

This whole sorry mess on top of the funeral, my father going to pieces and my wife taking care of the whole family thing while I am inside is tearing us all up quite badly.

I truly have never been so depressed in all my life which is really saying something, as I usually am very strong and positive. Right now though, the drugs and antibiotics I am on are making me feel awful and there is no end in sight for this cursed infection. The worst part is that I cannot even have the odd beer to salve things as alcohol is a definate no no on the high strength drugs (Ironic smiley)

Has anyone got knowledge of anyone else who has had an op and then gone on to get the wound infected? I would be really interested to know how they coped, did it clear up and how they dealt with it.

I have a friend who had a hip replacement (his second). He had the artificial joint removed after an infection took hold. The infection was apparently introduced when the hip was replaced and was not detected until much later as it was all internal. He had the joint removed and was without the hip and in a wheelchair for 6 months.

He has since had another artificial hip put in and is moving well - this was all done at the hospital's expense as they were responsible for the infection.

I have heard that hospitals are the most dangerous place for picking up infections.

My friend has since been diagnosed with prostate cancer but seems to be doing ok - they have it "under control" (whatever that means) and he is on hormones. The hormones are causing him to have hot flushes (much to his wife's amusement - she keeps telling him to be grateful that he hasn't had to suffer from PMT for years prior to the "whore-moans" (her spelling) kicking in )

Sorry to hear about your friend and the wheelchair side which frankly fills me with horror.

I have been told that when mine comes back out, they will put in a "Blank" hip that will enable limited movement on sticks, but I should avoid the wheelchair...........at least I hope so. The nightmare is what happens if re-infections occurs?

Wow, Doc, I don't know what to say except that you will get through this. It may not seem like it now, but you will.

Hiya Doc

Boy you're going thru the wars arn't you?

I haven't got any words of wisdom about operations and sucsess rates, but I can make a couple of practical suggestions regarding warding off infections and boosting your own immume system if that'll help atall.

Right. I don't have to tell you extra stress equals extra pain and extra pain equals a run down immune system, so the first thing to do is relax as much as you can

- stop worrying that your wife's doing all the stuff you think *you* ought to be doing; she's your wife, she loves you, and your familly is her familly sort of thing. It's what people who love other people do for the people they love.

(And no, I'm not even going to *try* and repeat that last sentence. Life's complicated enough, without fretting about lousy grammar)

So first and foremost, try and relax; how the hell to do that? That's not an easy one. For acute fits of ohgoawdblimies try Bach Flower Rescue Remedy. Me, I've found hypnosis has been a great help, and like you I'm stiff necked, proud and irrascible; until I tried it I thought it would be a load of old twiddle - but its working for me, possibly it might work for you. I'm still in pain, but I'm not in agony any more, simply thru learning to relax.

Second off - the worry about infection, reinfection
and so on.

Again, can't help you with any hospital info, but I'll tell you what I do when I know I'm due an op.

I put myself on a course of Echinaca tablets, and once a week rub teatree oil over all the bits I can reach (especially the bendy bits, like elbows, armpits and groin -if you can reach the backs of your knees, they're a prime site,too) 10 drops diluted in an eggcupfull carrier(vegetable) oil. Its not an unpleasant smell, and around an hour after you've done that, get into a warmish (preferably hot) bath or shower and wallow a bit. No soap though, or any perfumed body washes. The heat encourages the oil to get into the bloodstream and lymphatic system sharpish.

As regards internally, a pro biotic (not that daffy yoghurty stuff that's advertised as the panacea for all ills, btw, a proper herbal course of the things) calms the bowel down a bit, and repairs the ravages of the antibiotics and other coventional medicines you've been prescribed and (in my case anyway) doesn't interfere with their function.

The medication, that is. My bowels are no one's business but my own.

Infact, none of the stuff I've used and suggested to you has any contra indications with conventional medicine, as far as I'm aware. I'm not setting myself up as guru here, you understand, but I'm quite happy to share what little knowledge I have. It might be a good idea to log into the Healthspan site and have a look at their range; I've always found them to be a good company to work with, and I use their stuff myself without detriment. When I was aromatheraping and needed to recommend them to my clients, they too had no complaint - though of course, it might be as well to check with your Doctors, etc, to just make sure. Cover all bases.

this to a bloke, who, like me, has been known on occasion to mix painkillers with liquid painkiller to make them a little more effective. Yeah, right

Seriously tho it wouldn't hurt to check the ideas out, and if you think they might help, have a try.

In the meantime, hang on in there Doc and holler if you need us. There's no shame in being low or depressed here. We've all been there, and got the tee shirt and looks to me like you've a lot of support on site

My friend who had the hip replacement said that the wheelchair was a pain in the you-know but, because he knew that it wasn't permanent he coped. He's walking now and, all things considered, is doing well.

I wish you luck - there's lots of good advice here - keep as positive as you can.

With kind permission of fur_balls I am responding to 'How do you personally deal with crippling illness'. I was sorry to read about your run in with an articulated vehicle. Losing eyesight is hard, the adjustments that you have to come to terms with.
I am the surrogate mother of fur_balls. I was born in 1974 when the conditon from which I suffer was ignored, a hyperchondriac, growing pains as you get older it will go away. HA HA HA!!!
I have a chronic disease, benign joint hypermobility and fybromyalgia. Never heard of it. Nor had I. Pain is a constant from ok liveable with, ignorable to puking your guts up because it hurts so much.
My life philosophy is 'it has me I don't have it'. I try not to let it dominate, sometimes that is very hard when you spend most of your time asleep!! On the whole I get on with my life, laugh and joke about the condition. Sometimes, just sometimes, I curl up alone in bed and cry my guts out, this happens four or five times a year. Get it out of my system, emerge from my duvet cocoon and carry on. I am married and my husband is marvellous, he is registered as a carer, seven years younger than I and a real sweetie. Not phased about having no offspring and a big part of how I cope day to day.
I will not and refuse to let this take over and dominate my life as I have seen it do to many people faced with adversity, I am alive and I am going to live that life. I have done various courses much to my detriment as I am considered by some to be too highly qualified and think I would be wasting my time working for them, I can be utilised better!! That is all very well but it does not pay the council tax.
I hope to hear from you and how you are getting on.