THR Anniepops THR Recovery

[Josephine]

You are kidding me! I think orthopaedic surgery is the most interesting and satisfying surgery by far!

 

[Vida]

Josephine Agreed but a bit brutal for patients to watch. Ouch.

 

[Anniepops]

According to Josephine, it's the nature of the surgery---requires a certain amount of physical strength on the part of the surgeon that many women do not have.

Oo how very sexist....I'm sure a female OS could have a muscular assistant on hand to do the yanking stuff if necessary.

 

[Anniepops]

Wow, interesting occupation Vicki and it gave you a birds eye insight into the type of personalities different Doctors can have. Kudos to you for going into that operating theatre during the heart surgery.....I wouldn't have been able to even watch through the OR litle window. No siree.

 

[Nannyannie]

The senior physiotherapist watched my procedure (his first THR) having been warned by the surgeon that it was brutal - he was still surprised that it was so physical! I think all the ortho surgeons at Medway are male but the majority of the younger doctors (it is a teaching hospital) were female. I don't know how many will carry on with orthopaedics as their speciality, but it's interesting that my OS is a very slim, fairly short man - not a muscle man at all and smaller than some of the ladies!
Josephine - 6 years ago, a different surgeon was appalled when I asked for an epidural so I could watch the arthroscopy on my right knee. He told me in no uncertain terms that he liked his patients asleep!

 

[Anniepops]

Well thats just it Anne, I guess not many OS' are musclemen.lol. I suppose it has a lot to do with technique too. Interesting about the female doctors, it would be interesting how become OS' in the end

 

[Josephine]

I'm sure a female OS could have a muscular assistant on hand to do the yanking stuff if necessary

It's not just the 'yanking'. I used to dislocate and reduce hip joints all the time - there's more technique involved in that than brute strength. I could invariably manage it when the big, rugby playing surgeons couldn't! But actually doing the surgery itself - that's the bit that requires muscle and stamina.

Josephine - 6 years ago, a different surgeon was appalled when I asked for an epidural so I could watch the arthroscopy on my right knee. He told me in no uncertain terms that he liked his patients asleep!

and quite right too! Did you know that Michael Douglas insisted on staying awake during his TKR and then had to have counselling for traumatic stress afterwards because he kept having flash backs and nightmares?

 

[C Mac]

Well, if I were smart enough to be a doctor I'd like to be an OS as they make the big money here in the states.
It would easily pay for the personal trainer that would help me be strong and have stamina to do my surgeries!!

Ann, I'm sorry you had that spike through your shin - UGH that must have been like a medieval torture! I got diagnosed before walking age as my lines and creases on my chubby little baby legs didn't line up symmetrically and some doctor noticed it and look a bit more deeply into the problem. At one point someone told my parents I might have a "hollow hip" which they took to mean I had no hip socket at all. They were very traumatized by my problem and I can only imagine how traumatized I must have been by the hospitalization and separation from my mother at such a young and tender age...

How's your venturing into that gym you mentioned going?????
Take care,
Cardie

 

[Audball]

C mac, my mum only found out that i had a problem with my legs when every time they picked me up, a different leg was longer each time. Doctors said she was overanxious until finally our doctor listened and got me xrayed. She said i could pull myself up in the cot but could not walk, it was the muscles in my legs doing all the work. Pmsl. Aud

 

[Vida]

Aw, it seems to me us CDHers were a sad little bunch to start out. But look how strong we've become! I wonder where the men are? I know it was mostly girls, mostly left hips but there were some boys around as I went through the system. Maybe men don't talk about it?

 

[Audball]

Vida, that's because if men had to go through what we have went through, they would be rocking in a corner of a dark room. lol

 

[Anniepops]

Aww Cardie, yes, it must have been very traumatic for you being seperated from your Mam whilst still just a baby, you just can't imagine how sad that must have been for both you and your parents. My Dad told me that my Mam really struggled with visiting time when I had the blood transfusion drip going. She couldn't cope with seeing me like that but it must have been even worse for your Mam seeing her little baby girl lying in that bed. Talking of blood transfusions, I regularly donated blood when I was younger and then they brought in this ruling that if you had ever had a blood transfusion then you weren't allowed to give blood, crazy when I had been giving it for all those years already!

Vicki, I see our condition has a new modern name now...DDH...Development Dysplasia of the Hip, obviously the term CDH just doesn't cut it anymore.lol. I suppose the reason the CDH men are scarce is because it is so much more common in females so there are a heck of a lot more of us about and lots of men don't like talking about medical stuff which is a shame.

Jo, I'm not surprised Michael Douglas was treated for traumatic stress after watching his TKR. What the heck was he thinking of wanting to watch the surgery,mad!!! Obviously thought he was a lot more mach than he really is.hehe.

Cardie, nope, haven't ventured into the gym yet. My plan was to check it out when I went swimming but I have been having a lot of light-headedness recently so I didn't want to chance going swimming at the mo. seen the GP today and my BP was low, I always have a low reading but she thinks this may be the cause of my loopiness so has gave me some advice on keeping it steady. Will see how I go in the next couple of weeks....eee there's always something isn't there. Asked her to refer me to biomechanics so now waiting for an appt there. I am going to see what she says and ask her about going to see a chiripractor, whether she thinks it will benefit me then take it from there.
.

 

[tashia]

Anniepops, You often talk about having conic pain. Can I ask what you do for it? I have it in my feet, wrist, and my legs. Not my back or at least I don't know about it. I take pain pills which work also messsages and acupuncture. Also some streches. I now want to get back to exercise but I am concened about Yoga because I can get on the floor and up but not very gracefully. I was wondering what you do? Tashia

 

[Vida]

Anniepops Sorry you are coming over all weak and verklemp Ann. Very unpleasant and a pain in the bum on top of everything else. Hope you get your blood pressure issue sorted out soon.

I remember you saying ages ago that your 'good' knee used to be a problem, same as me... is that resolved? Seems to me that some sort of patella damage on the unoperated leg is on the cards for many of us after so many years of compensation.

 

[alexthecat]

Were you into exercise and fitness before your fracture or did it come about afterwards?

I've been a personal trainer for almost twenty years. I did a lot more of it when I was in school, but now I have a "real" job that takes more of my time and energy. I still do some training though. I mostly work with people who are preparing for long-distance events like marathons or who are coming back to exercise after an injury or illness.

I took a break from that job for a couple of years, while I was having all these surgeries and then recovering from them. I was a real mess from being unable to walk for so long. It was helpful to know about different sorts of strengthening exercises. It's important to keep switching things up, so you don't get into a rut as your body adapts to whatever you are doing. That's why I keep trying to come up with different things for you to try. After a month or two, you get into a situation of diminishing returns with a particular exercise and it's time to try something else.

 

[Anniepops]

Tash, no, I'm not in chronic pain, my operated hip is wonderful, no pain there at all. I do have groin pain when I move my leg certain ways and also a bit of pain in my good hip/bum but I don't take any pain relief anymore, I just tend to rest up when I am feeling a bit sore. I haven't really tried proper yoga, some of the exercises I do are yoga like I suppose but I always think of yoga people being very calm and I don't do calm I'm afraid.lol. Have you had a look at the exercises in the library, perhaps some of those might be okay for you.I am still doing most of the very early lying down floor exercises as I find I can still feel it when I do them so I still need them. Clamshells and bridges etc are going to be a normal routine for me from now on I think I know it is difficult when iy isn't easy to up and down on the floor but if you make sure you are near the couch when you get down then you will have that to grab onto to help you get back up again I'm pleased the pain relief is working for you, that will really help is you decide to increase your exercise routine.

Vicki, thankyou, I'm hoping I will get my head out of the clouds soon too.lol. It's not a nice feeling. The good knee problem pops up now and then. I struggle during squats with pain in that knee, moreso when I am using the exercise ball against the wall but I have had no serious episodes for a while now. I did see the PT a while before my surgery anout it. She thinks it is a ligament issue said something like AEL or something like that. Asked if I had had any trauma to that knee in the past. Well, I was a right tomboy when I was a kid a and got up to allsorts, climbing and then falling etc so it is possible. You never now when you have these congential issues what other parts are taking the strain for the bad hip. It has got to affect all of the body I think walking and moving the wrong way year for all those years.

Alex, wow, twenty years as a personal trainer , now I have a picture of you as Jilliam Michaels.lol. She's a fit one she is. It must have hit you really hard to be so incapacitated when fitness was such a huge part of your life but yes, it must have been so useful to know all about the exercises to regain strength and muscle. You are certainly right on about getting in a rut. As I just said to Tash, I am still doing most of the early exercises and I do get a bit fed up but I still feel as if I need them, my body definitely isn't adapting yet to some of them and I can still feel it, especially if I haven't done them for a couple of days.

 

[Anniepops]

Ooo almost forgot to tell you that for the past couple of days I have been able to do one legged squats of sorts just on my operated leg which I am very chuffed about, I have been really practising that one during the day and it has paid off Just need to concentrate on not letting that knee turn inwards so much.

 

[alexthecat]

I think my training style is very different than Jillian's. In normal, non-televised life, you can't just yell at people all the time. They'll just start to tune you out after a while of that. I have found other motivational techniques to be more effective.

About the one-legged squat... that's a miserable exercise but it's a good one. I used to do that on a Bosu ball. That's a real challenge. Is your knee painful doing that or is it just going inward a little? Do you do piriformis stretches?

 

[Anniepops]

Oh no Alex, I wouldn't expect you to be the shouty type, I guess that wouldn't go down well in normal circumstances.lol. My knee isn't painful doing the squat just turning in. The hospital PT had me use the Bosu ball on my good leg whilst doing the ball wall squats to try and take some of the pressure off that knee, it did help. Further on into my PT sessions she had me use it on my operated side to do the one legged squats and I agree, it was a challenge, you just wobble all over the place but it is very effective. I don't own one of those, perhaps it would be worth getting one now I can do them better....just another thing to add to my gym collection.lol

Good news about the morning back pain, I havent had it for the past two days but the bad news is I think it is because I have kicked elephant out of bed..poor ellie........I thought maybe it was because I was scrunching up my body whilst cuddling it so decided to have a go without. It is a bit strange not cuddling something but I fell asleep eventually so I think I am going to leave it out now. It will be brill if that is the only reason I was getting the pain. It's all trial and error!

 

[alexthecat]

What about the piriformis stretches? Jo has an article on that in the Library. I would give those stretches a try before one-legged squats and see if it makes a difference with your knees.

I don't know if you want to buy a Bosu. I don't have one, but I can use it at the gym. There are a lot of things you can do with a Bosu to improve stability, so maybe it would be useful for you.

Sorry about the loss of Ellie! I hope kicking her out of the bed helps your back though. That would be an easy cure.