THR A Bionic Octopus!

[ByGosh]

octopus I'm sorry to hear that you pulled a muscle in your backside, which is what it sounds like. It's smart to stop the PT exercises that aggravate it. I'll bet it subsides in a few days if you baby it.
How discouraging that when we do a small motion that seems normal and fine, we've somehow hurt ourselves!

I feel as though my whole body is different now, not just my hips. Do you ever feel like that? It doesn't seem to be my body anymore. I'm not used to having to move so cautiously and carefully with everything I do. I feel it's aged about 20 years, and my mind hasn't caught up to that yet. I can't quite grasp what's safe and what isn't, really. I know for sure what hurts my groins - weight bearing, like walking and standing - and flexion, like bending over. But there's other parts that complain now, too, that never did before!

I hope you feel better really soon octopus. Maybe if you massaged it, and alternated heat with ice, it would calm it down for you? Good luck, and let us know how it's going.

 

[octopus]

Thanks ByGosh, Surgery has eliminated pain in other parts of my body. It's only my knees and they are not really painful but click when I walk, a bit of a yucky feeling. But I can imagine it must feel different having two hips done at the same time, your whole body will be needing to adapt. Hopefully you'll feel 20 years younger very soon. I felt really old before surgery and I'm feeling a bit better, but obviously not as good as I thought! I hadn't thought of icing or anything, I might try some anti inflammatory cream.

 

[ByGosh]

octopus The cream sounds like a really good idea. I have an arsenal here for pain - ice packs, moist heat, dry heat, Arnica gel, Tylenol, massage, rest - Most days, I use a combination of all of them, and then some. They sure seem to help, thank goodness.
I'm glad your surgery has made a difference for you. I'm still waiting to turn that corner where I'm better than I was pre-op. Not quite there yet, but I'm sure I will be. "Tincture of time" is what I need. I'll have to be sure to include that in the arsenal, too!
Feel better.

 

[octopus]

I feel for you ByGosh. You will probably take a bit longer than those of us who have just had one done. You don't have the benefit of one good hip to take up the slack of the operated one. We are all waiting to celebrate with you when the day comes and you know things are improving.

 

[zauberflöte]

octopus oh oops, I forgot you're in winter now, or nearly there. How's the house-sitting coming?
ByGosh I'm not sure about my whole body changing, but give it time, give it time LOL. My "good" hip is very miffed these days-- apparently the ibuprofen I was taking pre-op was really agreeable to that hip, and the aspirin and Celebrex are not up to snuff! Not to mention the remaining percocet and tylenol. We want real anti-inflammatores, it seems to be saying. Op hip= hardly any "pain", just sometimes stiff, and 'good hip"="I'll show you!"

 

[ByGosh]

Thanks octopus ! That's sweet of you. And yeah, I guess I 'didn't have a leg to stand on' post-op, as the saying goes.
zauberflöte Your poor good hip must be taking the brunt for the op hip now. Hopefully it will improve as your op hip gets stronger, and when you can go back on the Advil. I didn't find Celebrex to be very helpful to me, either.
But I'm glad your new hip is happy. That's great news for you! It's only a matter of time, like you said, before it can take the load off of the other one.

 

[octopus]

zauberflöte house sitting is going well. It's nice being so close to work. But I've relented and let the cat sleep with me. I'm staying is a single bed which is bad enough but also sharing it with a 6 kg feline. After having a bad nights sleep, he's just woken me at 6 am to go outside. Oh well, I can catch up on my Bonesmart friends.

 

[zauberflöte]

octopus That's a lot of cat on the bed, I agree. As for this going out, I have the same thing with one of mine-- if she spends the night in, she will want to go out at about 5 or 5:30. If she spends the night out, I have to leave the window open a bit to hear her scratch to come in. But you will be able to say bye-bye to this cat soon, and your friend will know that the cat's been loved to pieces

 

[octopus]

zauberflöte, I am actually enjoying having a cat around. I don't have one myself at the moment, and really miss that. Although this one is not very cuddly.

Well during the week I developed sharp stabbing pains in the back of my thigh, and my knee has been constantly sore today. Finally I could bear it no more (stopping the exercises didn't help), and went to see the Osteo I was seeing before surgery, my next hospital physio is not until next week. I was getting to the point where I dreaded standing up (or even moving in my chair) and when I stood, I didn't want to sit again! He said it is a muscle in my derrière that is irritated and causing the stabbing nerve pain in my thigh. He's treated that along with a spasming muscle in my back. I've been advised to stretch my back by laying over a Swiss ball or rolled up towel and to sit on a tennis ball! I've used the rolled up towel for my back and it does feel like it helps, and used the edge of the same towel to sit on and massage bum muscle in the absence of a tennis ball. At least it's nothing serious.

 

[zauberflöte]

octopus sitting on a tennis ball...ouch! This sounds like the "butt massage" that was all the rage over by ByGosh and Songlady and some others a week or so ago. Do you lie on your back or your belly over the towel? I have a PT for my thoracic spine which involves a face towel rolled up under my spine, horizontal and vertical. Maybe that's more like what you're doing?
I am very glad it's not too serious, and hope it will continue to respond. Do you warm it up before and ice after, too? It just occurred to me, maybe this is from your hill-climbing? That would not be nice.
I have pain in my outer hip FAT. How do we treat that??

 

[Songlady]

Hi octopus! As zauberflöte mentioned, I have had back spasms on and off. Mine go from mid-lower back across the bum and into the thigh. Oddly, when they happen, they happen in the morning after my morning shower, getting dressed, and coming down the stairs to start the day! I've just done a little manual massage myself, and when the spasms happen I stretch out in my trusty recliner. Usually they clear up pretty well, and if not, a Percoset gets me through the issue.

 

[zauberflöte]

Songlady hmmmmm I wonder if it's not the shower etc but... The Bed! You are sleeping funny somehow and your back doesn't appreciate it. ?

 

[Songlady]

Actually, zauberflöte, I think I isolated my issue to a few funny moves I was making in getting dressed! I think I was tensing something in trying to get on the undies and slacks in the "correct" fashion! At this point I'm not being so conscious of every move, and I haven't had the spasm since!
But, who knows, could well have been some way I was sleeping (notice I am optimistically using the past tense, since the spasm hasn't occurred in a week....)

 

[octopus]

octopus sitting on a tennis ball...ouch! This sounds like the "butt massage" that was all the rage over by ByGosh and Songlady and some others a week or so ago. Do you lie on your back or your belly over the towel? I have a PT for my thoracic spine which involves a face towel rolled up under my spine, horizontal and vertical. Maybe that's more like what you're doing?
I am very glad it's not too serious, and hope it will continue to respond. Do you warm it up before and ice after, too? It just occurred to me, maybe this is from your hill-climbing? That would not be nice.
I have pain in my outer hip FAT. How do we treat that??

Lol! You're so funny, I'm glad you come by to post. I use the towel horizontal and lay on my back. It's a substitute for massage because I can quite reach the spot. The tennis ball idea is the same, sitting on the sore spot and moving slightly so it massages the sore spot. Hmmm could be from the hill climb, hope not.

Hi octopus! As zauberflöte mentioned, I have had back spasms on and off. Mine go from mid-lower back across the bum and into the thigh. Oddly, when they happen, they happen in the morning after my morning shower, getting dressed, and coming down the stairs to start the day! I've just done a little manual massage myself, and when the spasms happen I stretch out in my trusty recliner. Usually they clear up pretty well, and if not, a Percoset gets me through the issue.

Thanks Songlady, I've been resorting to a little medicating myself, which reminds me I'd better take some more. I'm pleased that yours is gone. (She says in a whisper!).

I need to get some things from the supermarket, but thought I'd treat myself to a walk on the beach first. I have no idea what the weather is like as its still pitch black out there (7am), but it's not screaming wind or rain so there's hope. I'd better check some other threads and then get out of bed! Oh, and disappointingly the Osteo said I didn't need to stop exercises just maybe the ones that aggravate the muscle.

 

[zauberflöte]

octopus there is quite the cognitive dissonance reading you say "pitch black at 7:00am" when here it is broad daylight at 5:30am. Of course! You're in winter! Duh...
Didn't they tell you? You will have lifetime restrictions that you MUST do your exercises every day...

 

[octopus]

octopus
Didn't they tell you? You will have lifetime restrictions that you MUST do your exercises every day...

 

[Songlady]

octopus - I had the same double-take reaction that zauberflöte had, since the spring is just turning toward summer here! Do you live on the beach? I grew up a few houses from the beach in the US Northeast, and I played on the beaches and walked them most days until I moved away from home in my 20s. Sigh, I miss those beaches! Now we are only a few miles from some beaches, but when I could walk there I was more likely to go a lot.
My OS told me to walk and not worry about the other things (and told me NOT to lunge, forgive me if I'm repeating myself) and I wondered if he'd taken his training from Josephine!
Really, ZF? A lifetime sentence of exercises? But, I must say, my mother, when she's at home, spends a few hours every morning on her exercises, and her doctor can't believe how good her health is, considering her COPD! (Some of the exercises are "breathing exercises" and I would likely classify them as a kind of meditation....)

 

[zauberflöte]

Songlady how should I know about lifetime exercises I make things up alllllll the time,,,,,,
Wht does your mom do for her breathing-- I'd love to have something to fall back on if I ever go down that road from my asthma. I count playing as good therapy right now, but one hears that oboe is the right instrument for asthma. Too bad it would wreck my embouchure. And the neighborhood....

 

[Poppet]

Hey there fun group! I did my exercises for the day.. Wiggled my toes! still in bed, freezing cold...

Hi octopus, I love stretching my back by laying over my Swiss ball and we also have a back stretching machine.. Come to think of it I haven't been on that in a while..

Two steps forward, one step back but you will improve.. Sorry you hurt yourself moving furniture.. Easy to do

 

[Songlady]

Oh, goodness, Poppet... and I am dreading the heat coming our way in the upcoming season! Yes, furniture moving is dangerous.... that's why I let my husband and son do it today! They moved the furniture around in the living room - it had been against the walls for the concert we hosted Monday evening.
zauberflöte, in the next few days, when I'm at her apartment, I'll look at the name of the DVD she uses. She really noticeably benefits from these breathing exercises. Um.... my college roommate was an oboe player. "It's an ill woodwind that blows no good...."