pikesan
new member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2018
- Messages
- 19
- Age
- 54
- Country
United States
- Gender
- Male
I feel like I need to give back to this forum. The support and success stories I read here, especially younger or same age folks doing MORE activities than I wanted to do. Plus, I needed to change the page in my life. 8 years of pain was enough.
My surgery was on 2/4, today is 3/4. This is my second week back to work. I wanted to keep a video log of my recovery, but then I felt like I'd be jinxing myself. LOL. So I didn't.
At the hospital: I am a HUGE fan of Dr. Chow. Everything was done a particular way because, "that's the way Dr. Chow likes it." Wow - what a confidence booster. I stayed overnight because I had some trouble peeing. The next day, no problem and I left using a walker. Top form... lol
Week 1: My Mom came to stay with me and I posted up on the couch. Oxy, Tylenol and Celebrex (alergic to meloxicam) were my friends, along with baby aspirin and a host of anti-constipation stuff (needed). I set an alarm to walk about every hour. Just enough to get things moving. I felt cramps in my operative calf for a while and even called because I was afraid it was another DVT (clot) since I had one before. It passed. I slept like a baby and ate Mom's cooking and cookies!
Week 2: More of the same, but Mom had to leave. My 1 week follow-up went fine, I drove myself to the appointment. By then I had stopped the Oxy and I'm glad I did. While Dr. Chow urged me to take the pain meds to help with the moving around needed to stay healthy, I had had enough. After only 12 days taking the Oxy, I had what I think were some withdrawal symptoms. Cold sweats and feeling generally terrible. That passed. I had my first work meeting on the phone and started checking email and stuff. By the end of the week, I was using a crutch. I used that crutch walking into my first PT appointment. Erin at Center for Athletic Performance evaluated me and said if I could walk without it to go for it. That was the last time I used a crutch, but I walked SLOWLY and used it a couple times late at night.
Week 3: By my Monday PT appointment, I could feel myself getting better every day. The exercises and stretching pointed out how very WEAK I was in the joint, especially hip flexor (front of the leg up high). I've read that "no Physical Therapy is needed, just walking." I have to totally disagree with that and urge you to find another therapist. I feel like ALL of the exercises and stretching are helping and not causing any additional pain. It's all fatigue and it's all getting better by repeating the exercises as prescribed. Do the PT. Erin kinda laughed when I asked how my Dr. Chow recovery patients she'd seen. ALOT. That was great news to me!
By then end of week 3, I was walking very well, at least as good as I was before surgery. I was ready to go back to work on Monday. Before that, on Saturday, I ended up at a country bar standing, walking too much and even swaying to the music which felt great on my tired hip. No 2 stepping yet!
Week 4: Back to work after my Monday morning PT. (I'm going Mon and Fri). Great to see everyone and to see them surprised how well I'm getting along. I'm an engineer and work with alot of mechanical people. They know, HEY! You've got new things moving inside you and look at you! I'm very happy with my recovery and yea, I'll say it... Should have done this sooner. I sleep like a baby now (sleep time was my hip's favorite time to hurt) and I feel like my limp is all but gone - at times. More work yet, but it's only been a month! Saturday I started installing a stereo on my car. I think the contorted moves I had to do helped my hip! Sunday I felt amazing - best yet! So I finished the stereo and panted my garden. Yep - I'm back!
Week 5: I'm just getting started, but I feel great. Now's my time to get to work on my "life journey". I'm focusing on being grateful and appreciating the things and people in my life as much as possible. If you haven't heard of it, please check out Sam Harris's book, "Waking Up" about meditation and just plain being happy, I think. I'm all in.
Good luck to everyone! Thanks again for all the support!
My surgery was on 2/4, today is 3/4. This is my second week back to work. I wanted to keep a video log of my recovery, but then I felt like I'd be jinxing myself. LOL. So I didn't.
At the hospital: I am a HUGE fan of Dr. Chow. Everything was done a particular way because, "that's the way Dr. Chow likes it." Wow - what a confidence booster. I stayed overnight because I had some trouble peeing. The next day, no problem and I left using a walker. Top form... lol
Week 1: My Mom came to stay with me and I posted up on the couch. Oxy, Tylenol and Celebrex (alergic to meloxicam) were my friends, along with baby aspirin and a host of anti-constipation stuff (needed). I set an alarm to walk about every hour. Just enough to get things moving. I felt cramps in my operative calf for a while and even called because I was afraid it was another DVT (clot) since I had one before. It passed. I slept like a baby and ate Mom's cooking and cookies!
Week 2: More of the same, but Mom had to leave. My 1 week follow-up went fine, I drove myself to the appointment. By then I had stopped the Oxy and I'm glad I did. While Dr. Chow urged me to take the pain meds to help with the moving around needed to stay healthy, I had had enough. After only 12 days taking the Oxy, I had what I think were some withdrawal symptoms. Cold sweats and feeling generally terrible. That passed. I had my first work meeting on the phone and started checking email and stuff. By the end of the week, I was using a crutch. I used that crutch walking into my first PT appointment. Erin at Center for Athletic Performance evaluated me and said if I could walk without it to go for it. That was the last time I used a crutch, but I walked SLOWLY and used it a couple times late at night.
Week 3: By my Monday PT appointment, I could feel myself getting better every day. The exercises and stretching pointed out how very WEAK I was in the joint, especially hip flexor (front of the leg up high). I've read that "no Physical Therapy is needed, just walking." I have to totally disagree with that and urge you to find another therapist. I feel like ALL of the exercises and stretching are helping and not causing any additional pain. It's all fatigue and it's all getting better by repeating the exercises as prescribed. Do the PT. Erin kinda laughed when I asked how my Dr. Chow recovery patients she'd seen. ALOT. That was great news to me!
By then end of week 3, I was walking very well, at least as good as I was before surgery. I was ready to go back to work on Monday. Before that, on Saturday, I ended up at a country bar standing, walking too much and even swaying to the music which felt great on my tired hip. No 2 stepping yet!
Week 4: Back to work after my Monday morning PT. (I'm going Mon and Fri). Great to see everyone and to see them surprised how well I'm getting along. I'm an engineer and work with alot of mechanical people. They know, HEY! You've got new things moving inside you and look at you! I'm very happy with my recovery and yea, I'll say it... Should have done this sooner. I sleep like a baby now (sleep time was my hip's favorite time to hurt) and I feel like my limp is all but gone - at times. More work yet, but it's only been a month! Saturday I started installing a stereo on my car. I think the contorted moves I had to do helped my hip! Sunday I felt amazing - best yet! So I finished the stereo and panted my garden. Yep - I'm back!
Week 5: I'm just getting started, but I feel great. Now's my time to get to work on my "life journey". I'm focusing on being grateful and appreciating the things and people in my life as much as possible. If you haven't heard of it, please check out Sam Harris's book, "Waking Up" about meditation and just plain being happy, I think. I'm all in.
Good luck to everyone! Thanks again for all the support!
