Good morning OCC et al! I'm embarrassed to report something went awry last night in evil twin bad unoperated right hip --who kicked me in the groin ferociously while I was...standing in the hallway of the bedroom. Just. Standing. I had just finished the very cautious and gentle bed exercises, the usual quad isometrics, glutes, heel slides etc. I do them purely to keep muscle tone and some strength, but never to excess. But wow, this was like a knife! Then it came back again a few times later with basic moves, put me back in bed :(
Righty is on a Total Strike now and refuses to play. Weight bearing isn't happening. She jabs me with hard core pains so there's no arguing with her. Which sent me into a sobbing fit in my coffee today, wondering how I will do 38 more days like this.
I think this is a good lesson, caveat, to hippies about to have surgery. If both hips have OA, you should realize that the "left behind" one you don't replace is going to be under some extraordinary strains and pressures during recovery of the operated one while you naturally lean the weight over to that side. And my experience was that ---after about 3-4 weeks of having to carry that extra burden, while operated leg is still in major healing log leg mode... There was a rapid deterioration of the unoperated hip that had been left to carry the load. It's surprising how bad it got, and I've read others comment similarly.
So....I would mentally prepare yourself if both hips are severely arthritic to recognize you may well be having #2 surgery sooner than expected. And, had I known this happens, (or had I possessed more common sense!) I would have handled operated leg recovery differently by making less demands upon forgotten right leg. By not trying so hard to walk further each day and ignore the then milder protests of right hip. By accepting the load I assigned her during early recovery was too heavy, too burdensome. Alas! I've been utterly insensitive to evil twins needs!!
I hope I can save someone in same situation having to be taken by surprise by this. If I'd been warned, I would have been even MORE Overly Cautious those first weeks. Now, it's more rest and rest and counting down days. Hubby is back as key errand boy/man. Maybe it will improve with rest.
United Kingdom
