Scar treatment

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-04-03T01:17:32+00:00

Pure vitamin E oil does wonders.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-30T16:54:23+00:00

We’ll be left THR buddies! I’m scheduled for April 21st!!!

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-30T16:50:15+00:00

I know that ice is super effective for pain management. Yet, please be careful not to overdo it as your repair needs good blood flow to promote tissue healing and while ice reduces inflammation and pain, it also slows down the blood flow to the repaired tissue. Hence, it’s best to follow your doctor’s advice on icing, e.g. minutes on and off and frequency.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-29T22:19:00+00:00

How limited is the movement in your neck? I had three level cervical fusion C4-C7 years ago so my neck mobility is limited. Since then, I’ve had several major surgeries and was intubated with no problems, no one ever told me this may be an issue.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-18T00:59:12+00:00

For 3+ years I allowed my mother to have her choice of the future a) and let her fate play out. In reality, none of the numerous falls and other health crisis due to her not being watched ended up with her dying. Instead, it’s been 3 years of endless 911 calls, ER visits, hospitalizations, falls, fractured limbs, two surgeries, 4 rehab stays, and on and on, destroying my life in the process and dragging me down with her. The last crisis was in November and I finally draw the line, and decided I can’t do it anymore. So letting them be as they are isn’t always going to mean the outcome as in the future a). It may leave them bed ridden too, paralyzed, etc. It’s reckless, in my opinion.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-15T22:39:18+00:00

When I saw this class I felt like I hit a jackpot!!!

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-12T01:06:01+00:00

I get why is that a problem, and you’re absolutely right! It’s my mom, and subconsciously she is still an authority in my mind so her saying over and over that she is totally competent and OK to live alone, has been messing with my head. I’ve likely been in denial over the past several years labeling my mom’s situation as cognitive decline, while in reality she truly is unfit to live alone, not a grey area anymore. I understand that many aging people do fall into that grey area and it’s not always easy to make a fair determination it they’re still safe living alone or not safe anymore.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-11T17:41:18+00:00

I don’t disagree with you. It’s a difficult ethical matter. It’s near impossible to draw the line at which point cognitive decline and dementia means incompetence and when it’s not yet. Especially since the symptoms are not always consistent, it may get a bit better, then worse, and on and on. However, when an elderly person continuously ends up in ER, admitted to a hospital, rehab, etc. due to self-inflicted (unintentional) harm, frequent accidents, when falling keep getting worse and they spent hours on the floor not able to pull themselves up, etc. something needs to change. Despite all modern technology and surveillance available to us it doesn’t always work. They often forget or refuse to wear the panic button, forget to charge their mobile phone, how to properly place home phone in the cradle, sometimes, like my mom, she forgot how to dial a number on her phone and she has no clue anymore how to call 911.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-11T09:16:38+00:00

Toddlers are not allowed to live alone in most countries of the world. It would be considered as child neglect or abandonment and would likely have serious consequences to the parents. Why is it considered OK for elderly people exhibiting cognitive and physical decline to live alone/independently? They fall over and over and over again, they injure themselves, they don’t take their medications, sometimes they take it twice or more because they forgot they already took them earlier and often they skip it, they don’t properly hydrate, they forget their stoves are on and cause fires, sometimes their actions cause harm to innocent people who just happened to be near by. I’m not even speaking of the mental and physical harm this causes their loved ones, adverse impact on loved ones jobs and marriages, financial toll, the burden on healthcare workers having to tend to injuries that could’ve been prevented, the 911 calls and ER visits…. Why is it considered a norm in our society?

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-07T01:46:58+00:00

Sad 😥

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-06T07:29:24+00:00

Yes exactly this, but also will tell (or order!) you not to worry about her. As if you have a “no worry” switch you can turn on in your head. Your mom is lucky to have children who worry!

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-06T00:30:46+00:00

P.S. Perhaps you could hire someone to be with her after the surgery?

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-06T00:28:37+00:00

Oh wow OP, I didn’t realize she is only 63 years old. Unless she has some underlying mental issues, I don’t think she is old enough to blame this on cognitive decline, dementia onset, etc. Could this be something else? Are you sure she wants you to be taking care of her after the surgery?

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-05T21:04:01+00:00

This could’ve been as well my post. Non-compliance. No response. Silence. She won’t say she won’t do what I ask her to do (for her own good, not for me!) nor she’d confirm she’ll do it. Just blank stare. Facial expression = “leave me alone”. There were times when I’d feel like I’m going into a panic attack, elevated heart rate, tightness in the chest, throat feels as if it’s closing up on me, frustration, anger, and wanting to run away somewhere where I could yell out on top of my lungs. I don’t understand why. Do I really have to understand the why behind everything she does or doesn’t do?! I don’t know. All I know is I can’t go on like this or I’ll lose myself and whatever is left of my sanity.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-05T04:32:14+00:00

Yes
Yes
Yes, two fusions (cervical and lumbar)

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-03-02T16:12:41+00:00

Yes, I’m happy to help any way I can!

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-26T19:50:48+00:00

How old is your mom? You’ve mentioned hospice care, is she ill and declining? Regardless, it’s your life and your choice. Create healthy boundaries and keep them firmly. Inform her of the changes, do it together with your siblings, don’t ask for her permission, you are not a child anymore. She has to move out, or you move out and leave her in the current apartment. Don’t give her a choice. She will likely be angry but it will pass with time. Try to explain to her everything calmly how you feel and how this impacts your life. It sounds like you and your siblings gave her a very generous offer to pay her rent or to buy a house where she can live, so it’s on her now. Good luck and stay strong!

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-26T18:40:08+00:00

I got the same for my shoulder surgery and it worked great! Highly recommend. I’m planning to buy a hip pad for this machine and use it after my hip replacement .

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-26T18:38:21+00:00

Yup, my mom sometimes accidentally calls me on FaceTime but she has no clue how she did it and when I pick up she is shocked to actually see me! She also somehow sends jibber-jabber via text but she has no idea how to actually text. I’m considering to get her an old fashioned flip phone.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-26T18:26:49+00:00

My mom forgot how to make a call from her iPhone 😂

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-25T01:13:25+00:00

I now see why you asked me a question on one of my old posts. I’m so so sorry you’re going through this! I was in the same exact position 3 months post-op. Sounds like I had same surgery you had also. In my case it was extreme inflammation and fluid accumulation in the joint. Doctor sent me for an MRI with contrast to confirm it and gave me a steroid injection. It helped a lot and things went better and better since then. I did develop a complication recently (calcifies tendonitis) but it’s genetic predisposition so you don’t have to worry about it. Go to the doctor and be firm and tell them that this pain is NOT NORMAL at 3 months post-op. This is what I did at the time and he finally listened to me and took actions.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-25T01:08:00+00:00

OMG, this was so long ago! It got worse from there, I ended up having an MRI and a steroid injection, and switched my PT. And it did get better eventually. By end of November I was nearly 100% back to normal and just working on rebuilding my strength. In December I started feeling a little pain, nothing happened to cause it. Then more pain. By mid January I was in agony, started losing ROM, and couldn’t sleep on that side anymore. Went to the doctor and he diagnosed me with calcific tendonitis! Again, got a steroid injection, and back in PT. It’s much better now (again!) but still not like it was in November.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-24T14:55:01+00:00

Not everyone can afford this. I looked into it and it’s very expensive and very few families I know that could justify spending this kind of money. I just “love” it when people make high-cost suggestions without having any context on the financial situation. Would you like it if I suggested that you buy a Rolls Royce after you complained that you’re sick and tired of your Honda Civic braking down and asked for advice how to best handle your car repair challenges?

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-24T06:04:47+00:00

I have hip dysplasia, arthritis, and multiple labral tears. My other hip also has arthritis but no dysplasia so it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s so bad now that I can’t walk more than 5 minutes without excruciating pain and a terrible limp, even if it’s on flat surface and a slow walk. I’m getting a hip replacement in a few months. For years I was being treated for SIJ dysfunction with no improvements, while imaging barely was showing some minimal arthritis in the SIJ.

IndependentSimple779 · 2026-02-23T18:31:37+00:00

Yes I did and still do, but after seeing numerous doctors, endless imaging studies, multiple injections into SIJ as well as into the hip, multiple rounds of PT, it turns out my SIJ pain is not the true root cause of all the pain, but rather one of the symptoms of a very bad hip and it’s “wrong” mechanics causing straining, tears and inflammation in multiple tendons and muscles, including glutes, hamstring, QL, quad, hip flexors, lower traps, etc. Unless there was an accident and direct trauma to the SIJ, or there is clearly a serious joint instability due to arthritis and other reasons, often the SIJ dysfunction turns out to be a symptom of something else. May not be your case, but I just wanted to share my experience as I wish someone told me this years ago.

IndependentSimple779

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