THR The fun part

[Layla]

So happy to hear from you and know that you're okay.
Things sound good. Bone-obo just out living life.
That's what this is all about but we still miss you and worry when you're not around for days.
Hope this week is a good one!
@Bone-obo

 

[SurreyGirl]

@Bone-obo your last post had me laughing out loud. How dare the restaurant change to become a pretentious brand of nothingness!

As for being sent a “knee Mail”.... I keep getting those too and, like you, am exercising the little swine as it is impinging my walking of my new hip. I swear they bicker at each other through twinges etc. But generally all good.

Please keep posting so we know you are not in the Lair of the ODIC!

 

[Mojo333]

You never get old, friend.
I'm glad you are seeing improvement..you are going to be oh so good before oh so long...
Hope today is a Good Day!

 

[Barbaraj]

Well, good morning, @Bone-obo--good to hear that all's right in your world, as right as it gets for a recovering hipster. Sounds like quite a busy weekend for you, and activity is a great antidote for pity parties. And nice work on taking it upon yourself to look up exercises and then, even more importantly, actually do them AND get some relief! That's fabulous! I hope your knee continues to be less achy than that recovering hip and that this week is a good one. Keep on truckin' and I'm betting that with every week that passes you'll walk a bit further and feel a bit more comfortable. Sure, there will be setbacks as you venture into doing too much (uh...did that perhaps a bit yesterday afternoon myself) but with rest and a mental smack upside the head, I'm betting you'll be back on course quickly. Onwards!

 

[Bone-obo]

Aw, @Layla, @SurreyGirl, @Mojo333, and @Barbaraj - you guys spoil me! (Don't stop...)

Thing is, while I know that I shouldn't compare hip recoveries with anybody else's, I've been sneaking looks back at how my right hip did this summer, and for a while, the pattern was similar enough to be predictive, more or less. But where the right hip was full of dramatic ups and downs - sore one day, pain-free the next, energy spikes and mood fluctuations aplenty - the left hip has been like adolescence: slow growth that'll surely add up to something spectacular after a while, but not much to talk about day to day. That's why it's hard to find something to post about. And my normal day is boooooorrrrrrriiiiiinnnngggg:

I get up and fix a cup of tea. (Earl gray with milk.) Make coffee for Bone-obo Wife. Work a little bit. Have lunch. Work some more. Optional nap. Shopping center walk. Work. Dinner. Another shopping center walk culminating in frozen custard. TV. Sleep. Repeat.

Gains are measured in little ways:
- I've self-certified myself to drive. (I did that last week.)
- I've ditched the elevated potty seat. (This started out as an accident, but since there were no ill effects I've made it a thing.)
- I can do more consecutive shopping center laps without resting - 2 on a good day. (Today was a good day.)

Anyhoo, I'll keep posting along the way as the improvements start to pile up. The big moment'll be when I get final clearance to go nuts - that's when I'll start cranking away on the trike, and on that day, I'll serve cake.

 

[Layla]

Happy Wednesday!
What a great update. You're doing so well. I'll bet you're feeling blessed.
You'll be able to crank up the trike before you know it.
Please just a smidge longer before you "go nuts." Don't want to visit you in the ODIC.
I have selfish reasons too for wanting you to take it slow. We'll miss you're quick wit and
uplifting posts to others. But...as they say...all good things come to an end.

Enjoy the day @Bone-obo no matter how hum-drum it may feel.
Hey, you have frozen custard to look forward to at the end of the day!

 

[Barbaraj]

Oh, @Bone-obo. I think just getting back to boring is what most of us aspire to, so reading about you getting to that sweet spot, although it may seem a bit tame as you're writing it down, is very satisfying to read. Folks who are struggling want to read that at some point, sooner rather than later, everything will be so much easier and more simple, and those things we all take for granted, like making yourself a cup of tea, driving yourself to the library, rising with ease from the toilet seat (!!) will actually be a reality! So, while I understand that you might not post as frequently, when there were bigger changes every day, I hope you'll continue to check in periodically so we can all sigh contentedly to read about someone's normal, and deeply satisfying, return to real life. Happy Friday!

 

[Harryn1]

And lo! Friday morning the knee hurteth not, nor the hip, nor any of its family, and I walked the carpeted halls of mine abode unaided, abjuring the hated company of the Devilstick.

And. It. Was. Pretty darn good.

This paragraph here, is as masterful as it is biblical, as it is hysterical. It must be indelibly chiseled into the lore of Bonesmart for all of eternity.

I think the good Lord gave you 2 messed up hips just so you would come and entertain the rest of us hippy lemmings with your creative brilliance.

Still, dude, I am real glad to see you on the mend.

 

[Klassy]

But where the right hip was full of dramatic ups and downs - sore one day, pain-free the next, energy spikes and mood fluctuations aplenty - the left hip has been like adolescence: slow growth that'll surely add up to something spectacular after a while, but not much to talk about day to day.

My day has been even more boring than yours, but boring is good, agreed?

On the other hand, MY adolescence was pretty much as you describe your RIGHT hip.

 

[Bone-obo]

The most dramatic pain this week was sitting thru a really bad production of Measure for Measure last night. The bard bored, and no flights of angels sang anything anywhere good. Good Shakespeare can be bliss, but bad Shakespeare is a 3 hour dental appointment.

Milestones:
Walking mileage now at 1.25/day, taken in .3 mile laps. Still on flat ground until I can get a chance to start spinning or doing something to firm up my poor rubbery legs.

Hey, you have frozen custard to look forward to at the end of the day!

Dang right - it's why I live! Frozen custard flavor du jour: chocolate chip cookie dough.

I think just getting back to boring is what most of us aspire to, so reading about you getting to that sweet spot, although it may seem a bit tame as you're writing it down, is very satisfying to read.

Very kind! When I was prepping for surgery I'd read diaries and observed that as most people got better, they simply stopped posting, and there's far more to recovery than the first 3 weeks. It's important to have people chiming in 3,6, 9 months after surgery with reports of how they're doing!

This paragraph here, is as masterful as it is biblical, as it is hysterical. It must be indelibly chiseled into the lore of Bonesmart for all of eternity.

I think the good Lord gave you 2 messed up hips just so you would come and entertain the rest of us hippy lemmings with your creative brilliance.

Oh wow - high praise indeed! I'm gonna add this to my list of things to look at when I'm feeling blue!

On the other hand, MY adolescence was pretty much as you describe your RIGHT hip.

Well said, Ms. K - brava!

 

[Mojo333]

One Month Down.
Happy hipversary for lefty!
When spring has sprung...my guess is you will be finer than frog hair!my double hippy compadre!
Hope today is a Good Day.

 

[Layla]

Hi Bone-obo
Happy One Month Anniversary!
Hope you have a good one today.
You'll have to celebrate the day with some frozen custard, naturally.
Enjoy the weekend!
@Bone-obo

 

[Bone-obo]

Did the gym today for the first time, just to say howdy and try out the toys, and I'll have to say it was completely successful! My focus at the gym's going to be the muscles supporting the knee and the hip - lite weights and low reps at first!! No pain, some gain, and I tried to keep in mind that the gym is a certified recruiter for the ODIC. Happily, my wonky knees act as fuses by blowing before my hips.

It's becoming clear that the recovery process is about forgetting. Bopping up and down the stairs in my split-level this morning, I forgot that stairs were ever a challenge. Rolling over on my side last night, I forgot that side-sleeping is supposed to be a problem. From day to day, I make incremental advances in endurance or flexibility in the cause of some errand I'm running, and I forget to note or celebrate them because it all seems so "normal". Eventually, the only record of this process I'll have will be two butt scars, my diary, and this blog.

Which is probably the way it's supposed to be.

I started working on a set of recovery milestones going forward, cuz I'm a total geek and it'll give me an excuse to post throughout the next year, plus it's kinda fun. The rule is that nothing counts as an accomplishment if it's accompanied by or followed by pain of any kind.

Errand/task based stuff: (level 1: I'll probably check these off in the next week or two)
- use blower outside for 1/2 hour
- yard work for 1+ hours

Basic stuff - easy: (difficulty level 2: the right leg was capable of all this prior to the recent surging)
- putting on socks
- tying shoes
- clip toenails

Basic stuff - advanced: (level 3: I haven't done these for over a decade)
- get up from the floor without handholds or help
- step up on a standard chair seat (18”)

Revenge stuff (level 5: things I failed at years ago because of arthritis)
- ride a bicycle (last tried on a bike tour of Key West in 2000 - I couldn't get my leg over the bike!)
- 5 mile trail at Raven Rock (last tried in 2001 - got 4 miles in before having to hobble back to the car)

Basic exercise stuff: (level 2: just a matter of time...)
- 1 mile neighborhood walk
- 2 mile neighborhood walk
- 20 mile trike ride

Expedition-level exercise stuff: (level 5: this might take a while...!)
- 50 mile trike ride
- 100 mile trike ride

------------------------------

SHORT VERSION OF POST IN CASE TL:DR -
I can't remember having surgery.
I went to the gym and didn't hurt myself. This time.
I want to do some stuff.
The end.

When spring has sprung...my guess is you will be finer than frog hair!

Or possibly violin dust.

You'll have to celebrate the day with some frozen custard, naturally.

Tonight's flavor is burgundy cherry with an optional side of cold rain.

 

[Alitm]

Happy Anniversary @Bone-obo! I'm chiming in a bit late here on the west coast, but the sentiment is the same - whoop whoop on progress! Great news on your gym visit today too

I second @Barbaraj and @Harryn1 in post #610! I can't keep up with your frozen custard flavours!

Have a great Sunday!

 

[Barbaraj]

Happy Sunday, @Bone-obo, as well as happy one month anniversary--hurray for you, just chugging along merrily. It's a beautiful day in my neck of the woods, as sunshine is such a mood booster. Congrats on making it back to the gym. I have seldom found that the gym is responsible for overdoing it, as I'm fairly disciplined there. I am far more apt to be stupid when out with friends for overly long walks (ouch...) or doing chores around the house without taking breaks (just one more trip up the stairs...). But if you feel you could mess up, just be very careful. You are doing great so far.

 

[dogchick]

Hello @Bone-obo ! So glad to hear you are doing so well. Did I read that you are able to put your socks on now? And clip your toenails? Wow! I'm 6-1/2 months out and still need to use the sock assistant and I can cut the toenails on my non-surgical side toes, but it is REALLY difficult to reach my toenails on the surgical side. Not that I'm comparing or anything. I love how analytical you are with your recovery. How you categorize everything makes it seem so simple and easy to understand. I appreciate that you do that, I don't think I could even figure out where to put what, to be honest. Glad to see you are still plugging along and progressing well.

 

[Bone-obo]

I can't keep up with your frozen custard flavours!

http://www.goodberrys.com/flavor-of-the-day/
Granted, I don't go every day - today is probably going to be a wee bit too chilly for frozen anything. (According to my wife, who is wise.)

It's a beautiful day in my neck of the woods, as sunshine is such a mood booster.

Absolutely! Agree agree agree! I love it when it's sunny - sometimes even cold days are palatable when the sun hits you and warms you up just that little bit!

Did I read that you are able to put your socks on now? And clip your toenails? Wow!

Sadly, no. So far that's just something I aspire to, as a milestone of sorts, or a millstone if I obsess over it. I don't "celebrate" week 6 until Wednesday, so I'm still in the tentative stage of acting "normal" and trying not to let exuberance overtake caution. (As it will.) The biggest thing is the persistent feeling that my newest op leg is shorter than my other leg! What the what?! I thought the op leg would feel longer?

I love how analytical you are with your recovery. How you categorize everything makes it seem so simple and easy to understand.

Awww! And here I thought I was being pedantic and obsessive! (I am, probably....) I try to treat everything as a problem to be solved, a series of variables to be isolated and tested, and while I always hope for a solution, remember that sometimes you just have to live with stuff.

Been a busy week. Caught a cold (which I initially thought was ODIC, except ODIC usually doesn't make my nose run), and then the persistent rain flooded my basement, so we had to do an emergency KonMarie on it, unloading all the soggy cardboard to drier turf, going thru the sodden remains to see if anything dry enough remained to give us joy, and taking multiple trips to the dump with car-fulls of detritus that we'd somehow hauled around with us for 30 years or more, long past any expiration date of possible use. (I actually thanked one 35 year old piece of tech for its service before heaving it into the crusher.) And somehow, my little blue hip parts performed like champs - the only soreness I felt by Friday was muscular.

Next week: all restrictions get lifted! Party at my place!

 

[Jaycey]

@Bone-obo Great update! I laughed at your description of clearing your flooded basement. It is as if by fate nature does what we just can't. We can't throw away disused "stuff" for years, so nature gives it a shove! Glad those shiny new hips are serving you well!

 

[Barbaraj]

Great report, @Bone-obo, and glad to hear your hips held up for the big clean-up. Despite the immense (I'm assuming) irritation of having to deal with a flood basement and the work than ensued, I am betting it felt great to throw all that stuff away and be left with a cleaner, tidier and more spacious basement. It's too bad it took flooding to force this to happen, but if it had to happen then it sounds like an excellent outcome. Our garage is well overdue for a cleanout, but that is my husband's territory so he'll have to get motivated to get out there and deal with stuff. But, we're still able to park both cars in our garage so maybe it's not too bad.

And restrictions about to be lifted--you must be feeling pretty pumped up as you start this week. My restrictions are lifted (other than the usual, "if it hurts, stop") but I'm slowly resigning myself to the fact that I still have a lot of work ahead of me to rebuild strength and agility. I am impatient, like many of us, I'm sure, but my body is in charge of this recovery, not my impatience. Anyway, happy Monday!

 

[Layla]

Happy Monday!
You never fail to provide a laugh....thanks!
Sorry about the flood, been there, done that and it does force us to get rid of stuff that we've held onto waaay too long, for no good reason. A whole lotta junk that sparks feelings that you're a lazy procrastinator each time gaze upon it. At least that's how I felt.

You're doing well, @Bone-obo
I hope your cold eases soon and your week feels sunny and bright