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THR Linette333 is in recovery<

I am so happy you are finally free of the tramadol. It is incredibly difficult to withdraw and it can feel totally overwhelming. Wonderful it is now out of your life. I find that if I am stiff or sore, the more I walk the better it feels. I think it might be getting blood circulating round the muscles healing them and loosening them up? Just my little theory though. They say that full healing can take a year but as long as you are seeing periods of normality it seems as if you are on your way!
 
Hello,
It's great to read you're noticing progress. Increased enthusiasm, energy and walking without an assistive device are all positives and steps in the right direction. I only wish you weren't struggling with left leg issues.

Thankfully you made it through the Tramadol withdrawal. I'm sorry it was rough. It sounds pretty awful.

It's interesting that you handled slopes and flights of stairs without suffering any discomfort with your left leg, but relief instead. Do you think by slowly increasing your walking distance it may improve? Either that or some other type of gentle exercise daily...

I believe the stiffness upon rising can last for awhile. I read about it often on the forum. I'm sure it will slowly ease until one day you realize it is gone. Hang in there, you're doing well and with healing still to happen there's room for improvement. A great week to you!
@linette333
 
Great progress! Stiffness still plagues me even at 11 weeks, not so much in mornings but always after sitting for any length of time. As @Fiona444 and layla say, simply moving seems to get the joints lubricated. Good news and keep on keeping on! :egypdance:
 
Hi linette 333 . I have experienced similar things you are encountering. When I walked 15 blocks went to 7 stores carried stuff the next day I felt like I was run over by a semi and slid down that slope for several days so much so I thought I wouldn't recover. I think it is overuse and you have to take it slow--rich coming from me.I too had sciatica and piriformis syndrome but prior to surgery. I have a wonderful PT who is also an osteopath and she worked her magic and got rid of the problem--yours will too. It is an awful pain to be sure and you don,t need this. I am 10 weeks post-op and walking without assistance inside and can do several blocks outside. The stiffness abates and I find when I have been sitting for a bit I stand up and count to 20 and the stiffness subsides.
 
Thank you for your encouragement @mikeycat - it really helps. Especially kind of you when you have so many of your own issues going on right now.
I just want to be back in the real world now (as do we all, of course!) and it is so frustrating when I have to recognise that I still have so many limitations. My husband is the type who believes in pushing yourself to the limit, so he is always encouraging me to do things which I know would land me in the ODIC - not helpful! :chinstroke:
 
The limitations are temporary-think next year. Tell your hubby pushing yourself will backfire and you and he will be the worse off for it. My hubby says the reverse which all the moderators at bonesmart would love. I'm the nut. Here's the thing I was doing less and less ,not going outside or walking even, due to that blasted carpal tunnel(soon to be corrected) and I was oblivious to my hips when lo and behold I found I was walking correctly with minimal stiffness etc. because I was so focused on the other more pressing problem. So essentially the less I did for the hips the better off they were--funny,huh? Also when I had the PT come to my home 2x a week (gov. issued) she said there was an OS who did not believe in PT and she was asked to assess and they were doing great-so....
 
Hey, @linette333, seems like you're doing really well. Congratulations on weaning yourself off the Tramadol. It is a helpful drug (my narcotic of choice, too) but getting off of it is important for full recovery and despite a couple of tough nights, sounds like you're done--hurray for you! And congratulations on the outing to the local park for the plant display. Even though it sounds like you were a bit sore the day after, this will fade, I think. I took a long walk yesterday with my husband and I'm feeling stiffer this morning as well. But coffee, and ice pack and moving around will help the extra ache dissipate, I'm sure. If I recall from my hip #1, this will be our "new normal" for several months--or at least it was for me. But while it was a bit concerning how stiff and achy I felt in the mornings after a particularly active event the day before, I found that it went away pretty quickly, sometimes helped by extra icing, a slower pace to the following day and maybe even some Tylenol. The good news is that as time goes by, this will fade and sooner than you know you'll realize that despite a busy day, the following morning you don't feel bad at all. Have a great "week 10"!
 
Hi, @linette333 Hope all's going well in your world today, the usual stiffness and discomfort (regrettably, even as we all continue to improve that is going to be a fact of life for a good while) but not incapacitating. I agree that getting up and moving frequently is key to fending off that added stiffness. Mornings can be tough for me, but it's definitely when I need to just grit my teeth and get my tush up and moving! I'd say mid-mornings are the best time for me, morning stiffness worked out and the energy drain of late afternoon hasn't set in yet. You are doing well, remind yourself of that frequently, and you're moving forward. That's all any of us can ask of ourselves. Cheers1
 
Yes, I can live with being stiff and achey in the mornings! It does soon loosen up, so ....
@Barbaraj my best time of day is definitely early afternoon - which is the time I chose to go pool walking today for the first time. I took it very easy, walked 6 lengths of the pool. My hamstring on the operated leg felt incredibly tight at first, so maybe it will be beneficial. I came home and iced immediately of course! I plan to go 2 or 3 times a week if possible.
 
I was very tight at the beginning--thighs of steel now it is great regular thighs. Your thighs will soften and return to normal and it seems like you are doing good things for yourself. Water offers buoyancy and less stress on the body. I will be doing aqua aerobics for arthritics.
 
I was doing aqua aerobics pre-op and I am looking forward to being able to get back to that eventually. I am certainly not ready for all the jumps and twists involved just yet though, so meanwhile I will keep on walking and stretching in the pool.
 
Our local aquatics center has a therapy pool and an arthritis oriented class. Most instructors would expect you to modify anything you feel might be unhelpful.
Hope you find the pool therapy fun and be careful not to overdo!
 
If you were doing water aerobics prior to surgery, @linette333, then it seems that pool walking is a great start to getting back into the water and working your way back to aerobics when you're able. I'm betting that will happen sooner rather than later. Hope you have a great day!
 
@linette333 definitely agree about the achy and stuff feelings in the morning. I'm getting ready to start some pool walking myself, figure I'll wait until tomorrow since I have PT today.
:swim:
 
Hi @linette
You seem to be in good company with pool walking.
Many seem to love it. Take it slow and enjoy.
Hope today is a good one! :SUNsmile:
 
Week 10: This week has seen me begin pool walking and attend the first physio session. I am building up the exercises and walking in the pool gradually. The physio session was an initial consultation - lots of questions and background to start with. Straight away she told me that I was not standing up straight (I thought I was!) and was over-compensating on the left side. As I already knew, I am very tight and stiff, so that's what we are focusing on first. She gave me a couple of gentle exercises to do - the main one is a pelvic tilt "to find neutral", which is a kind of mini version of a bridge. Not sure I am doing it right, but I will persevere.... ! Going back in 2 weeks.
Sleep has been very poor this week. I realise now how much the Tramodol was helping me to sleep.
A couple of outings with friends have lifted my spirits. Despite all the aches and pains I still have ( especially on the left side), it feels good to be able to take myself off out into the world again.
 
Hurray for you, @linette333, taking yourself out in the world has got to be a mood booster. Sure, you're still tight and stiff but sounds like your therapist has identified some issues and will help you work on those to bring some relief. I am sorry that sleep has proved so elusive, and you're struggling. I agree that Tramadol helped me sleep quite well, but I really hated that hungover drugged feeling I had in the morning, which really started out my day on a down note. Sleep is always something I read about, the fact that for so many the quality and quantity is just terrible--so tough for you and others. My sleep isn't perfect by any means, especially since back sleeping continues to be a challenge, but I find if I'm tired enough that this promotes better sleep. Keep moving along, my friend, you will get there! Have a good day.
 
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