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THR 19 Months Out - Weak muscles causing problems

I saw all the tomatoes you harvested and it reminded of an issue I had. When I was 3 weeks out I went out to my garden and it was down a hill and I fell but luckily it was into a bush that was a soft fall. I then used this tool that I have to go out into the garden that grabbed the soil and i could use as a crutch.
[Bonesmart.org] 19 Months Out - Weak muscles causing problems
 
That's pretty smart, @lanstan. Good for you!

My neck pain is much better, so it definitely was related to the cane adjustment. I've been trying not to put as much pressure on the cane too as well as walk some without it completely. I was able to go down into the garage today to work for a couple of hours unpacking boxes of stuff I brought back home when I sold my lake house. I just go slow and use the cane when I need to and it seems to work. It's going to take some time to get those muscles back to normal again. Perhaps some targeted therapy might get me there faster, but honestly I don't mind if it takes a little longer this way. The hassle of going to a therapist a couple of times a week just doesn't fit into my schedule these days. I'm better off working on this on my own at my own pace. I just need some patience pills to take!

I have a trip coming up to Texas for a week around Thanksgiving, so my goal is to be able to negotiate the airport and my luggage. I can arrange for help if needed and will make that decision as the trip gets closer. I always go to stay at an airport hotel the day before my trips so there is less hassle. My hubbie and I learned that trick years ago....that it's much more pleasant not to be rushed to get to the airport, park, and check in all in the same day. So that will help as well. Marriott has a Park and Fly arrangement where you can leave your car in their parking lot. I really like that because it's super easy to get picked up and dropped off at your vehicle when you get home. The cost is not that much greater than if you just park in one of the airport lots. Airport parking is pretty expensive these days.
 
@Jamie Thank goodness your neck/shoulder is feeling better! Your upcoming trip sounds wonderful. I hope (unlike myself) you have the "pack light" gene so can take a small suitcase ... and that said suitcase has really good wheels! If you still feel a bit unsteady nearer the departure date do ask for ground transport -- saying "just had a hip replacement" should be all you would need to say. And those little carts are a fun and comfortable way to get around big airports.
 
Yes, DFW (if that's airport you are flying into) is enormous.
I did manage the airport with my cane and rolling suitcase at 4 months post op.
After we had checked in they moved our departure gate and it was quite a walk from original spot but I was fine.
Enjoy the trip, I adore Texas.
 
I'm flying into Austin, so it's definitely not as large as DFW. But it's still a bit of a hike. I'm going to try and pack as light as possible, but it's still going to be one checked suitcase and one carry-on of some type for the "necessary" items that can't be checked like meds and my tablet. The checked suitcase is one of the lightweight aluminum ones with four sets of rollers, so it's pretty easy to handle. The pickup area is not very far from where you get your baggage, so that's good. I think Southwest has curbside baggage check-in now and that always helps.
 
My hip was a bit sore today. I'm sure it's a result of activity yesterday. I tried to spend most of the day walking without the cane around the house and outside. At least my neck and shoulder is finally getting better. I actually believe I somehow caused one of the muscles to go into a spasm. The thing that has seemed to help the most is trying to do some deep massage on myself. That's quite a trick! In doing so, it felt like one of the muscles was hard like a knot. All the massage over a couple of days has softened it up a bit and the pain is significantly less. So strange how something like that could just happen out of the blue.
 
Morning Jamie, hoping you enjoy your time away.
Can you tell me how I find the article on Cane Adjustment please?
I've been searching but can't find it.
TIA.
 
@Shadowstar1951!
You can find the article HERE.
I think you are doing very well, @Jamie.
I'm definitely a flip flop girl most of the year and I purchase them from Crocs because they have arch support and a decent footbed. Takes a lot to wear them out too!
 
Thanks, @Mojo333 ....

@Shadowstar1951! ... let me know if you have any questions about getting your cane adjusted properly. It does make a BIG difference.
 
Hip was doing pretty well today after a good night's sleep. I was able to do a fair amount of walking around the house with no cane. I find that I am stiff whenever I start to walk, even after just a short time sitting or lying in bed. It's frustrating to me, because I'd like not to limp at all. But I do take a few "limpy" steps at first as I start walking, but if I focus on my gait, it usually levels out. It seems odd because the limp feels more like habit or doubt than real pain or weakness. I'm trying hard to will myself to walk correctly and as often as possible without the cane to build up strength and balance.

With the cane, I do really well and can walk distances and a bit faster. But I don't want to rely on it any longer than I absolutely have to, so I am trying to only use it on errands or when I feel my leg is getting tired (which causes limping).

I have to admit that I think the recovery from my hip replacement in many ways is more challenging than my knees. The knees had more pain and there was the time and stretching to get a good ROM, but they were strong and gait wasn't ever an issue. It's a different story with my hip. My muscles need to get stronger and that's probably only going to come with additional walking....at least that's what my surgeon told me!
 
My progress walking without the cane in around the house has been so slow. Today I decided to try harder to do without it. I know that goes against everything we tell people, but I just feel that my body needs to experience full weight bearing on my surgery leg and that doesn’t happen with the cane. Try as I may, I end up putting some weight on the cane and then it feels like my leg doesn’t get the strengthening exercise it needs. I do find that the more I‘m walking without the cane, the better my leg feels and the better my gait is. So far, this seems to be okay and not cause any pain.
 
I did the same, @Jamie
Never did quite get the cane/crutch vibe going with 2fer.
 
After all the no-cane walking yesterday, I did notice a slight increase in pain today. This was errand day, so I used the cane when I was out for about 4 hours and everything was fine. I just moved a little slower.

I have a lot of arthritis in my feet and it was acting up today too as our weather has turned very cold all of a sudden and a front went through. I should have taken an Aleve for that early in the day, but didn't. I took one when I got home this evening and it helped a lot. I plan to keep working on the cane-free walking. But I am resigning myself to the idea that I probably should call Southwest Airlines and arrange for wheelchair help with my upcoming trip to Texas for Thanksgiving. I was hoping to be able to navigate the airport and my luggage by myself, but don't think it would be wise to put myself in the position of hurting when it could all be avoided with this assistance. Sigh......patience, Jamie.....patience.
 
Please do get help travelling...
Hope your weekend is Sweet!
 
Ankle is better today and I'm taking things a bit easier plus using the cane around the house for the most part. Hip feels fine. So that is good news. It's so cold here today that I'm really hunkered down inside the house. I'm not ready for winter quite yet and days where the highs barely reach the mid-30's are awful. Whine, whine, whine!!!

Think I need to go clean a closet or something to feel better! I've defrosted some vegetable beef soup for dinner and know that will help. Tomorrow I plan to make some potato soup - my favorite. No warm-up in sight for at least a week, so I guess I better get used to winter.
 
Jamie said:
Tomorrow I plan to make some potato soup
Click to expand...
It's cold here too, Jamie, and potato soup sounds good on a chilly day. My friend, Mojo, shared a tip with me when I was making it once, crumbled bacon! I really liked it and it's my new way of making it, which doesn't happen often, but thanks for the idea. :wink: It might be on the menu this week. Glad to read your ankle is feeling better and that your hip is good. Have a nice week!
 
I often put bacon and cheese in my soup and it's wonderful.
 
:hi:
It's been three months already since your THR. Happy Three Month Anniversary, Jamie.
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
@Jamie
 
Thanks….I took my new hip to Texas for Thanksgiving and it’s working just fine. I’m finally starting to be able to walk more without really needing the cane. I still take it for safety and to use if I get tired when I leave the house. But I get around the house without it most of the day. This was a long time coming for me, but the progress is good. I don’t get any twinges of pain in the muscles of my upper leg like I used to and I can feel the muscles getting stronger in that area. The apartment where I’m staying has a big flight of stairs to get inside and so I get good exercise there going up and down. I don’t have to go one foot at a time as the steps are not real steep. It is a bit of a challenge to get into Paul’s truck, though. I have to put my good foot up on the running board and then pull myself up to get both feet on the running board. Then I kind of maneuver around to be able to sit down. Not pretty, but it works. My surgery leg isn’t strong enough yet to put it up first like I would normally do. Plus I’m getting a good workout with a really low toilet. All this is great for my recovery. And we’re on the go a lot more than I am at home, so all is good.

Maybe I could write off the trip costs as “medical therapy” expenses! :rotfl:
 
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