THR Getting mixed messages on PT after THR<

@desertrat ---I live about 35-40 minutes due east of Estes. We spend a fair amount of time up there, as it is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains". Most likely you went through Loveland, or Longmont to get there? It is a delightful area! How nice that you are so familiar with Colorado. Look online for the annual Sculpture Fair held every August in Loveland. It's a pretty big deal nationally.

I think you are so correct in terms of not only looking forward to "being retired, and not working", but also to having ideas about what you would want to do with your time and energy. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself that I haven't done enough of those things I initially thought I would---never too late, but as I said, this hip "surprise", really threw me, and made me aware of how much each day/year really count!
 
@GrannyC : Actually I live in the foothills, between the plains and the mountains. Kind of similar to Golden, actually. Do you travel to Golden often? I am in Loveland, less than an hour north of Denver. And you are correct---Colorado is infamous for the fluctuations---as you said:
Somehow I don’t think of CO as getting very cold so you must live in the mountains there. One of my sons lives in Golden with his family so I often check their weather. They do get snow and cold but it never seems to last. It can be 10 degrees one day and 50 the next in the winter.

It is those fluctuations in the barometric pressure that really affect those with inflammation, from arthritis, or from tissue still recovering from surgery. And then for awhile, we did have more sustained cold and wet conditions as well. Now we are back in the "regular Colorado" winter weather cycle---I recently saw a funny thing on Facebook that showed Colorado's 11 seasons (as opposed to 4--:heehee:) Very true!!

The sustained cold and snow you have in the Northeast sounds overwhelming to me. However,I imagine we can get used to wherever we live. When your hip was "new", did you worry a lot about falls? Have any?

How cool that you are selling on Etsy---one of my weaknesses----buying things on Etsy!:) I am settled enough into retirement that I might start thinking of possible ways to pick up a little extra $$$ to add to my "travel fund", or "gardening fund", or "wine fund"---all very important you know---haha!
 
Sometimes I get frustrated with myself that I haven't done enough of those things I initially thought I would---never too late, but as I said, this hip "surprise", really threw me, and made me aware of how much each day/year really count!

My Newer mantra

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@Barbaraj--What type of consulting do you do? How long have you done it? I originally thought I would do some educational consulting/professional development, maybe even some writing. But the truth is, I have been so happy, and so busy just catching up with friends, watching grand babies, hanging out with my kids, traveling, and dabbling in some of my hobbies that I haven't gotten around to it. But now I am thinking that it might not be a bad idea if I want to beef up my various funds!

(Of course, just as I say that, I have started some more serious genealogy, so......maybe later on the employment:heehee:)

I need to try your getting up from the floor technique:) I agree that our bodies seem to find a way that works for us!
 
@vern748--I too am always adding to my mantra/mantras:) I think things like hips falling apart and needing replaced are blessings in disguise for this very reason. They remind us to appreciate and live our lives fully---right where we are now, as well as looking forward to when we are fully recovered and all of the things our future holds.
 
@Debru4 Yes, I was concerned about falling but not obsessed with it. I had my surgery late April and that first winter I did fall out in the back yard. Luckily there was quite a bit of snow (reason I fell in first place as I couldn’t see contours/ditch on ground) so I didn’t hurt myself. It gave me a scare at first but once I realized I was ok, I gave a sigh of relief. I think these new hips are more durable than we give them credit for.

I’ll have to look up Loveland on the map. I guess it must be north of Boulder? My son teaches at Univ of CO in Boulder.

If nothing else, it seems like you might be able to tutor kids for a little extra $$. That way you could set your own schedule and still do all the things you want to do. Just a thought.
 
Hi, @Debru4. I was an HR person when I worked a "real" job, so when I stopped that I began doing HR consulting on the side, HR investigations for employers (misconduct, discrimination/harassment complaints). I also had a 10 year old son at home when I stopped fulltime work so for the first time in my life, I was a stay at home mom and was able to devote more time to him. I have to say that working full time was in many ways so much easier than fulltime stay at home mom work! I enjoyed consulting for a number of years and, in fact, just shuttered my business at the end of 2017. Work was drying up a bit (my clients were also starting to retire!) and my husband said he was going to retire in 2018 as well. His retirement hasn't happened fully, but I feel I had a good run of working and now I'm quite content to do nothing for the most part. And, of course, just after I stopped working I got the osteoarthritis diagnosis in the spring of 2018, and then hip replacement in September. So, it's all worked out for me.
 
Hi GrannyC--
Yes, Loveland is northeast of Boulder a bit---less than a 40 minute drive from there. Right between Longmont and Fort Collins, just off of the interstate. CU is an outstanding university---cool that your son works there. Do you ever visit?

I had to smile at your description of your fall after your surgery. I was expressing concern to my surgeon at my 6 week final appointment, and he said the same thing---that once the hip has set, it is incredibly strong, and it would take a direct blow, or terrible fall to cause damage. Even so, I don't want to test it:)

As I mentioned, while I should perhaps think about some paid work to replenish my "fun funds", I haven't been highly motivated yet. In terms of making a bit of money, tutoring is definitely an option, as it substitute teaching. I loved having my own classroom, building relationships with kids and families, etc. and I'm not sure I'd be a happy fit for subbing. And right now I am volunteering in my granddaughter's kindergarten classroom weekly, so I do get a "kid fix". What's nice is having options, isn't it?!?! Just like your Etsy sales!
 
@Barbaraj--isn't it amazing how life does tend to work out.....if we roll with it, and let it? Your situation with how you were able to shift from full time, to part time, to consulting, to taking a break sounds perfect. It's so nice to have all those options. When I taught I was able to job share, and then work part time while my 4 kids (including a set of triplets) were young, which was both life saving, and career saving. I know most occupations (or employers) don't offer that level of flexibility and I can only imagine the toll it takes on people. Especially when undergoing something like a hip replacement or health issues.

I also wonder sometimes, if more employers might be willing to be flexible if people asked and could make a case? I don't know that. But a friend went through chemo recently and she read the work leave policy and assumed certain things. After lots of encouragement to ask about working part time, or from home, some friends helped her come up with some options/a proposal. She shared it, and her employer was happy to give it a try, rather than make her make some more drastic choices.

You must be pretty overwhelmed, to have had such a fast start and now be bumping into some roadblocks, with the other hip being so whiny as well. I also have some ongoing back issues that tend to cloud things, and while not needing surgery, they still are hard to ignore at times. Even so, nothing compares to the nightmare of the pains from my damaged hip. Do you have a plan yet for the 2nd hip?
 
Good morning, @Debru4, a rainy start to my day. I agree with you that unless you ask, you never know what might be possible in terms of a modified work schedule. I was lucky in my professional life to have (mostly) good and thoughtful supervisors who realized that allowing some scheduling flexibility means that an employee stays engaged and works hard to prove that they "deserve" the flexibility they've been granted.

I am trying hard not to let hips take over my life, but acknowledge that stiffness and achiness are part of my life and will be moving forward. I have a one year check up in September this year with my surgeon, and at that time I will be asking about a plan for hip #2. This assumes, of course, that things don't get so bad that I'll be forced in earlier than that. Plan for now is to just keep trudging along, doing what I can to stay fit and learning, to some extent, to live a certain amount of discomfort now and probably in the future as well. It's not a fun prospect, but realistic unfortunately.
 
"I am trying hard not to let hips take over my life, but acknowledge that stiffness and achiness are part of my life and will be moving forward"

Hopefully not for ever… Just a thought - do you think all the exercise you do might be affecting your bad hip negatively - did cutting back a bit help? I must admit that swimming where I am weightless is doing me a lot of good although I know it is not your thing…
 
..... I have a one year check up in September this year with my surgeon, and at that time I will be asking about a plan for hip #2. This assumes, of course, that things don't get so bad that I'll be forced in earlier than that. ...

@Barbaraj , how long a wait will you have for surgery once you decide to go ahead with hip # 2? And you can “ fast track” it if you want the surgery earlier? I too am facing THR for my left side at some point. The surgeon told me it would be a 6 month wait ( better than the 23 months for hip # 1). It will be tricky to calculate my rate of disintegration, in order to book at the optimum time, so as to get as much “ living” in before the next round .
 
I am not needing anything done on my 2nd hip, but having read what a lot of others have said on this forum, have you considered moving up that 2nd hip replacement? I understand that the longer you try to compensate with a bad hip, the greater the toll on your body and the harder recovery is. Since you started off so well following your first hip replacement, maybe that 2nd bad hip is affecting your new one? I have told myself that if my other hip acts up, I will have the replacement as soon as I can, and not wait too long.

Similar to what @SurreyGirl asked, have you ever stopped all exercise and activity beyond what you do in your home on a daily basis for a few days? Seems like that bad hip, and your back arthritis might be messing with your new one. Not sure how you'd figure that out without more tests/x-rays.

I have to believe that once you get everything "fixed" you will not have to settle for as much ongoing pain as you seem to think you might! Always fun chatting with you @Barbaraj and @SurreyGirl!
 
Well, @Debru4, I have occasionally thought about slinking back to my surgeon's office and whining that "it's time--like now" but if I'm honest, I don't think I'm ready yet. Sure, I do a fair amount of whining (isn't that what the forum is all about, a certain amount of whining without repercussions?!) but I really and truly do want to give PT a chance and see how long I can go. The fact that I was bone-on-bone before Hip #1 suggests I might have a slightly higher pain threshold than some, and while my life was definitely impacted--narrowed since the ability to walk more than a block was severely limited--I did manage to exercise daily (PT daily and still some elliptical for brief amounts of time) and had a pretty good life overall. I just rested a lot!

It's certainly not as bad now as it was before my previous surgery--I think I just had unrealistic expectations that following #1 I'd have no pain or stiffness (why did I think this?!) so I'm annoyed and frustrated that things aren't "great" at this point, at almost 6 months out. My goal right now is to stop whining so much, be more accepting and learn to embrace the ache and stiffness a bit more graciously. But, I am no martyr and if/when it gets too be too much I will be heading back to my surgeon, and will certainly be checking in with him in September, one year from hip surgery #1.

Stopping all exercise and activity, as @SurreyGirl (and I suspect a few others) have suggested, probably isn't going to work for me emotionally as it just depresses me no end not to do anything and I think, for me (and me only) a balance of activity and rest is what I need for good physical AND mental health. Anyway, thanks for your kind thoughts, I do appreciate the concern.
 
I don't think you are a "whiner"---so keep on sharing!:friends: I think the ability to "vent" a little and be able to share how you really are feeling is very healing. It sure helps me in general, in life, to be able to get things out. Probably is the secret to my low blood pressure.:heehee: The whole process can make you feel so helpless at times----and for many of us (my hand is going up here) it is so frustrating not to be able to DO anything to make things go more quickly, or smoothly! :gaah:
I think your plan sounds well thought out and the fact that you aren't afraid to cry, "UNCLE!" is good. I have been a victim of myself on too many occasions where my high pain tolerance level coupled with my tendency to procrastinate got me in trouble. (As you can see, I am very good at reminding others not to wait too long--haha!)

Here's hoping you find that balance that enables you to squeak out some more, relatively pain free time with your left hip while the right one heals!
 
I have a general question about follow up visits. I have noticed many people talking about their 6 month follow up. Since I wasn't having any problems at my second appointment at 6 weeks, and the x ray looked good, my surgeon said to come back in a year, unless I was having problems. I'm not, but being a bit of a worrier, I am wondering if it is a good idea to wait until 1 year? As I said, not having pain or issues, but maybe a bit insecure after reading all the reports of the 6 month check up on the forum.:unsure:
 
Each surgeon determines his follow up protocol. If you're concerned about something and don't want to wait a year, I suggest you call and schedule an appt. Otherwise follow your surgeon's recommendations.
 
Thanks, Layla. I just wondered if there were any standardized protocols. Sounds like I will be fine waiting.
 
I didn't have a 6-month follow up. I agree with Layla that it's best to follow your own surgeon's protocol.

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Thanks, Alex---my inclination is to follow his advice---I have no reason not to. But as I said, I started worrying a bit that I might miss something. Appreciate the feedback.:flwrysmile:
 

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