surgery and Diabetes

Hi Crumblecookie here
Again I would like some advice. I have to go into hospital for a hip replacement and now being diagnosed woth diabetes ( diet only at present) i would like to know if any one in the community has had this op and what should I look out for and is there anything I can do before I go in for the op ( apart from losing weight that is, Ha Ha ) I am also worried after being told that the "new" op where they only use a 3" cut is not now used and it will be anywhere from 10" - 15" long. My previous hip replacement 7 years ago used the little cut and it was great. Surely the longer the cut the more risk of infection. Please can anyone give me some advice

Hi Judith
Thank you so much for your advice. Everything you are saying sounds really good and I will put it into practice straight away. I am going to try to lose some weight before my op so hopefully that will help. The coconut oil sounds interesting do you drink it or use it in cooking? I must confess I have only heard of it being used as a skin oil. I drink a lot of fruit teas never tried the green but will give it a try.I hope I can eat as low a carb diet as I can, my downfall is bread and butter. I refuse to eat margarine knowing it is a by product of petroleum so I tend to put butter on one side of sandwich if possible.
I am glad you are recovering well from your unexpected operation and I hope that you keep well in the future.
I will let you know how I go on I believe the waiting times for hip replacement here are approx 136 days so I may have a long wait.
My average reading at the moment is 7.8 so I do need to get it down before I go in.
Thanks again Judith
Marjorie

HI
Thanks for all your help --you make me feel as though I can control this dratted diabetes. My DN doesn't seem to be bothered much and says that the average 7.8 glucose level is "fine with me for now" I am afraid I do not agree with her so will really try to get it down before I go into hospital. Hopefully the waiting list time will give me a chance!
I do love brown/wholemeal/seeded bread but dare not eat it as I have diverticultis and a couple of slices of any kind causes terrible problems LOL I do not seem to have the same problems if I eat Ryvita (rye) would that be an acceptable substitute?
I have looked at the recipes on the website and am hoping to find a white bread on it that does not use a breadmaker.
I have already sent my son down to Holland & Barratt to get me the stuff you recommend. I have it in hand then. I am looking forward to trying the coconut oil it actually sounds delicious.
Thanks again and take care of yourself
Marjorie

Hi everyone
I am now post op2 weeks and feeling ok. Have had most of my staples removed by district nurse Have small infection on part of wound so still having visits for dressings to be changed and just today noticed another 2 staples that have been missed.I lost 4lbs while in hospital. Hot food was disgusting so existed on salads and sandwiches.Had my blood glucose level checked 4 times a day ( mostly in the 5,8 to 9.1 but nobody seemed to be worried.) I am back to checking it once a day or maybe twice if feeling "off". The nursing staff were fantastic and all the ancillary staff like cleaners, catering staff etc were friendly and helpful. God Bless our NHS. My only complaint was that I waited 6 days post op for my x-ray ( the one you are supposed to have on post op day 1)
I ended up having a G A because the anaesthetist could not get a spinal into my back because of my crumbling spine. I would not have a G A by choice because I have this fear of not waking up.He was very crafty and said I'm just going to give you a light sedative to see if you will relax more, the next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery! :roll:
I have a lot less pain now and that is mostly because of my spine but I have noticed when I am walking ( using my sticks of course) that something is "clicking" on the left side --not sure if the spine or the hip. I am hoping it is just the muscles that are still knitting together and needing to get their strength back. BTW has anyone suffered with terrible muscle spasms after an operation.? My leg was spasming so much their was a danger of me dislocating the new hip joint and they had to give me diazepam. It has stopped now but the pain was so bad I was sweating and cursing( under my breath of course)

Hi Sarah
Thanks for your reply. My daughters' father in law had internal stitches and external glue when he had his hip done in January, I have had 39 staples so have a lovely long scar from top of buttock down to lower hip area. Different hospitals, different methods, especially as my last hip replacement was done micro surgery by robots, hardly any scar at all.I am still having district nurses 2 x a week because of a blister on the wound which insists on weeping!I would not wish the muscle spasms on anybody and I am glad I only suffered them 3 nights then they disappeared. No one seemed to know why I had them, nobody else had, they said. Must have been my body just being awkward.The best thing about this new hip replacement is having a much better nights sleep. No waking up 4/5 times a night with the pain. I just need to feel up to tackling the stairs to get out of my flat then I can start walking a little more than just up and down the communal landing :lol:
Best of luck with your recovery too.