THR Hiptopia!

I am the same as @Barbaraj in that i read too many posts with difficult recovery and it was terrifying. It is understandable not to post when things are ticking along nicely as it feels as if nothing much is happening or useful. But they really are the posts that are so encouraging to read for us newbies

Enjoy the ice pack :ice:
 
Hi @Calgal — I’m a couple days ahead of you and can relate to people asking me if I am “still” on a cane — got it from my coworkers and my mom at 3 weeks. Sheesh!!
 
Geez is right. Two months out...not even from Hip REPLACEMENT...

REPLACEMENT people...as in cut mine out and put in a new prosthetic hip....what do they expect??:oyvey:
 
Who "woulda thunk it", that boring is so good to read about? All of us have started tedious novels or TV shows or whatever, and found them boring and tossed 'em away--but in Bonesmart land, many of us really craved learning about the uneventful, no drama, day to day trudge towards full recovering. Keep on posting, @Calgal, so many are relieved, encouraged and inspired by your journey.
 
Big night last night! First adventure out to a restaurant with our dear neighbors. Had a great meal, BUT oh my, were all the chairs SO uncomfortable!! First we had drinks on the terrace of a local hotel, overlooking the river. Lovely venue but the chairs were wrought iron with no chair pads. Ugh! After squirming and having to stand up every so often we finally decamped to restaurant where the chairs were at least padded but after awhile they too felt like concrete! :groan: I did manage to ease myself down onto restaurant toilet with no problems. However with all the sitting and walking I was pretty uncomfortable by the time I got home 5 hours later! So it was paracetamol again and ice pack to bed. Sigh. Great to get out and socialize but at a price. I think it's my 2 month hipaversay this week and realising that this is truly a long haul - but still so grateful to be out of the grinding constant preop pain. Step by step.
 
Ohhh, I hope it was still an enjoyable evening, many of us can so relate to this! Hopefully the Paracetamol and ice pack helped and you will be looking for your next outing--- with comfortable seating!
 
@CricketHip I think next time I'm going to carry my little memory foam seat cushion with me! I don't care how weird I look, last night taught me a lesson - my hip is now a full fledged Princess and I sat on too many peas. :dead:
 
Aww, that's too bad. I'm sure you were relishing your time out socializing, but pre-occupied with the discomfort you were battling at the same time. Was it that old "feel like I'm sitting in a golf ball" thing, or just a general achiness? I used to get like that in the car early on, well actually for a few months post op. Those confined spaces where you feel somewhat trapped, just don't jive with early recovery. Siting on a wrought iron chair does sound rather torturous. Wishing you comfort as you continue the journey. Hope today is a good one!
@Calgal
 
No golf balls, just general ache. My mom used to say her 'sitbone' hurts. .I laughed then but I'm not laughing now! :groan:Ice and and paracetamol work wonders. The dinner was worth it though. Moules, frites, and calamari. NUM.
 
Oh, sorry that the pleasure of a lovely restaurant meal out (no cooking and cleaning!) was marred somewhat by discomfort. I remember my first meal out after surgery, about 1 - 1/2 weeks into recovery, as I recall. We went to a local restaurant with hard wooden seats but I brought a foam cushion to sit on and, as they had benches, I simply allowed myself to spread out my leg as well. Still, it wasn't terribly comfortable and we had an early dinner so we were able to get out of there quickly before the Friday night dinner crowd arrived. Still, it was lovely to get out and about like a "normal" person. I even skipped a nighttime narcotic dose so I could have a delicious cocktail. It is going to get better, @Calgal, and more--and more comfortable--dinners out in your future!
 
Feeling kinda 'meh' today. Not exactly ready for the 'post op blues' thread, but tomorrow is 8 weeks. 2 months! Funny how 2 months sounds so much longer than 8 weeks. And saying 'months' seems to come pre-loaded with more expectations. I spent my career managing customer expectations to achieve a good outcome - guess I need to manage mine a bit more! Early on I was SO amazed with my progress - far exceeded my expectations - but I think I'm in one of those backward recovery 'squiggles' on the reality recovery diagram that @Mojo333 and @Layla post.

At the moment, I feel too good to be bad, but too bad to feel good. It's like getting over a headcold. You're out of bed and doing things, but every time you try to really do something you feel tired and cranky again. I do recall my GP nurse, at my dressing check, saying there would be recovery plateaus, where you feel like you aren't making any progress. Guess I've hit one of those. I'm still using one crutch, on the one hand very ok with it (see above posts) but on the other hand reading about some folks just zooming around without any aids makes me feel a little inadequate. Most of these folks were anterior approach. Seems they do really walk sooner. Yeah yeah, I know, everyone is different and tomorrow may be a different day. But I'm trying to walk a bit indoors without crutch just to see if I have just been lazy relying on it too much. I'm supposed to have been doing strengthening exercises PT gave me 2 weeks ago, but to be honest, haven't done them much; a couple of times at most. A bit worried my PT appointment Monday won't be as stellar as the previous 2?

On the other (positive) hand, the past few days I've driven several times, done shopping, took the dog for 2 walks in the park by myself, and been out to drinks and dinner with friends. So I've definitely been more active and doing new things. (And not feeling bad that I needed to ice and pop a few paracetamol to take care of the after effects) But today I'm kinda down. :sigh:


Just wanted to log the feeling for those following my boring recovery. Uneventful doesn't mean faster than a speeding bullet. :shrug:
 
@CricketHip I think next time I'm going to carry my little memory foam seat cushion with me! I don't care how weird I look, last night taught me a lesson - my hip is now a full fledged Princess and I sat on too many peas. :dead:

@Calgal I just spit my hot tea, reading this! :rotfl:
 
I'm sorry you're feeling down. :console2: So many of us seem to have hours, or days, of the blues during early recovery. Thankfully it's only temporary. If you feel like getting out and about again today, that may help.

We all have the temptation to compare our recovery to that of others, but in doing so we're always going to find those zooming past us and those lagging behind. You're right where you should be, for you. It's still early days in the whole scheme of things, considering how long the implant will most likely be in place. So please try not to be hard on yourself. You're doing well.

Wishing you the best at your attempts to practice walking unassisted around the house. Concentrate on heel-toe if your still limping. It truly helps.

Hope you have a pleasant afternoon and evening!
@Calgal
 
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I get that feeling of inadequacy @Calgal. I have just read a post on Facebook from a guy who is 10 days out, walking a mile with no loving sticks :loll:. I am pleased for him really but secretly jealous that that isnt me. In a later post he admitted he wa a marathon runner pre surgery so i felt better :)It is so easy to compare ourselves to others but we really musnt. I do know how you feel though
 
At the moment, I feel too good to be bad, but too bad to feel good. It's like getting over a headcold. You're out of bed and doing things, but every time you try to really do something you feel tired and cranky again.
Great analogy...I remember well.

Hurry up and wait...it does seem this way a lot
Well worth it however...
Hope things turnabout soon.
 
Advice on elliptical trainer machines anyone? Been looking at them. Do you all use the handles that move back and forth when you first start or do yours also have the stationary handles? I know I'm supposed to use zero resistance at first but wondering about the arm movements. Much appreciated.
 
@Calgal I was searching for answers to why it hurts to sit, and found your description of your meal out. It won’t help you, but it made me feel better! At four weeks now I was puzzling over how normal it is. Now I know we are BOTH NORMAL! I find if it’s a hard wooden surface, even two memory foam pillows won’t do it for me. If it’s a padded booth, a cushion might be enough, but not for long. Tip- I have a canvas tote with a pretty fern printed on it that just fits my cushion. So I feel more discreet and I can just sit on the pillow, leaving it in the tote.
Now I’m wishing there were a web site listing restaurants with padded seats! I’ve been checking photos on Facebook on restaurant’s pages when I can’t remember. I was bemoaning my slow progress this morning and my husband said maybe it’s because I’m using my cane too much. I didn’t take a swing at him but later I explained how judged I felt, and explained what I’d learned on BS (contradicting one of my PTs). He was very understanding and declared I’m the only one who knows my needs. I’m going to remember your post when I feel this way in the future. We will put one foot in front of the other. Even with a cane, crutch or stick!
 
@Calgal. I don't have any answer to your elliptical question but would wonder about the arm movements placing a little twist to your torso and your hip? I'm not really sure but when I used to do a lot of hours on ellipticals and used the handles it gave me quite the torso workout, too. But then again that was with resistance and a high speed. I would guess that would give you some discomfort initially. There should be a handle bar in front of you on the machine where you could hold on lightly for balance and avoid the handles, yes?
 

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