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THR Are We There Yet?

Happy Two Month Anniversary! Your recovery is going so well.
I hope your guests appreciated the Beef Stew, home made bread and Apple Crisp you prepared for them.
Hoping a great time was enjoyed by all.
A wonderful week to you!
@Barbaraj
 
Thanks for the check-in, @Layla. The dinner did turn out well last night--whew--even though one couple was terribly delayed by rush hour traffic (combined with a wet, windy and thoroughly miserable weather) and dinner delayed by an hour. The beef stew was made in my slow cooker and it held well, allowing for the late comers to relax upon arrival and have a pre-dinner cocktail. Downside for me is that I don't do well with a late dinner hour, going to bed while still digesting food, including dessert which we ordinarily never have, and sleep was poor last night. I only had one cocktail and no wine, but kept waking up during the night with sore hips (!!) and foot cramps. Normally I've gotten cramps when I drink spirits without enough water to hydrate, but yesterday I drank water throughout dinner so no idea what happened. Not happy about my aching hips, and left one is distinctly sore this morning still. My PT appointment got canceled as the therapist is ill, so I guess this means I'll need to drag myself to the gym and will maybe feel better after that. I also think sitting too much yesterday is contributing to this morning's stiffness and ache. Dinner guests last night were all around my age and we all whined too long about the variety of aches and pains we were experiencing (hips, back, shoulders) until we stopped ourselves at one point and tried another topic of conversation. It was on to local politics which I'm not sure was a big improvement. But you know you're getting old when you start sharing stories about your aches and pains at the dinner table!
 
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Another very soggy day here in the PNW. I woke up at 4:30 AM, staggered to and from the bathroom and got back into bed, hoping to drift off again. That didn't happen, but was able to lie there quietly until just before 6:30 when I gave up the illusion of sleep and got up. Retrieving our morning newspaper from the driveway was a damp experience, but when I got back inside, I flipped on the gas fireplace and made myself a morning latte. All was right with the world for an hour or so.

My husband and I are going to see "Annie" tonight, a touring company at a local theatre. Should be fun--I've never seen it before--although a bit nervous about sitting for a long period in low theatre seating chairs. But as my husband will be with me, he can grab me by the arm and heft me up if I am too creaky to get up on my own. We'll have dinner beforehand which will be pleasant, and I have an errand to run downtown before dinner. Should be a pleasant end of the day. Will head over to the gym this morning and hope to limber myself up sufficiently that I will be okay and not too achy by day's end. I slept better last night, and hips are both feeling a bit more stable and less uncomfortable this morning. Onwards!
 
Happy Wednesday!
Sounds like a fun evening, dinner and the theater. I hope you enjoy, Annie.
Consider bringing a cushion you can sit on....if you are referring to your comfort level.
Possibly you meant ease of getting up after sitting....
Hope you enjoy!
@Barbaraj
 
Good day so far, although started out a bit rocky. I upped the resistance and incline on the elliptical yesterday, and while I was able to handle it alright I was tired afterwards. And last night's dinner and a show, while fun, was tiring. My husband parked in some garage on the third floor and we had to climb three sets of what felt like exceedingly steep flights of stairs. My thighs were screaming, and I was puffing like a grampus when we got to the car, and thus disappeared my foolish belief that, yes, I am getting back in shape! Argh! Had a few leg/foot cramps throughout the night which made for a less than stellar night's sleep, and both hips achy this morning when I rolled out of bed. I had PT this morning and whined a bit, I confess, but it's over now and I intend to take a long, hot shower in a few minutes to help ease some of the body kinks.

Last night's show was fun, if cheesy, and dinner beforehand was nice--any meal I don't have to cook is, by definition, a good meal. And @Layla, I was referring not so much to sitting as to the difficulty of getting out a low seat. Fortunately, my husband did lend me a hand getting up. It's an older theatre and the seats seem low to me. Before I'm not sure I would have noticed but as a somewhat but not fully recovered hipster, one notices low seats much more than in the past, in my experience.

Today is granddaughter's ballet lesson, which means my husband and I will be doing a quick happy hour (grapefruit martinis and truffle fries!) at a nearby restaurant which will suffice for dinner tonight, and then I have a holiday open house in the neighborhood when I get home. Need to dig out those cute Santa Claus earrings! Here's to a good day for us all.
 
Hiya @Barbaraj, Sounds like you are busy busy busy, in a good way, except for those wretched stairs! Hoping you have recovered from all that. :groan:

I brought the advent wreaths up from the basement before second surgery, and hid them in the coat closet, as I had no idea when I would feel like attempting the stairs. I'll be putting those up today. My cousins, who I grew up with, are in town, and have moved their visit to today...so trying to pull myself together and get the wreaths up, as it is Dec 1! Had a another visitor yesterday. She is a retired dressage coach, so we poured over video of my young horse in training and generally chatted about all thing equine. Sun is coming out this week so I'll be heading outside to walk.

Hoping you will be getting the stretch of cool but sunny weather coming our way :SUNsmile:
 
Good afternoon, @Alitm. Yes, it's December 1, and the panic begins. We got our tree yesterday, and it's up with lights on, and boxes of ornaments strewn around the family room waiting to be put up. It feels overwhelming. Husband is off to the gym, I opted to skip today as I went yesterday although I need to do my PT exercises at some point. We were up early this morning, coffee at Starbucks and then drove to a local mall on a quest for stocking holders. We have some that are well over 20 years old and they are pretty ratty looking and sad. We hit a number of stores and found some we liked, so bought 'em and then home where I--competing for best mom of the year--set out to make my son's dog a stocking, at my son's request. I think it is a little weird, but he loves his dog, a sweet mutt named "Commander" even though a female dog. I have an old stocking pattern and tons of fabric scraps so I was able to put one together fairly quickly and decorated with a little dog bone ornament we found at one of the stores this morning. It is a fairly simple craft project that I can manage--mind you, it's not a great looking stocking as perfection isn't in my vocabulary, but it will do and I suspect my son will be happy.

Have a great day--it's sunny here too, although lots of clouds in the sky behind which the sun keeps disappearing every few minutes. But no soggy downpour--what a relief--so a good start to the weekend.
 
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Yawn, groan and stretch--way too early this morning to get up, but my husband was off to a morning meeting so I had to get up early as well, although "getting up" is relative as despite his 5:30 arising I hung out in bed, bleary eyed and watching the early morning news until he left. Then I got up for coffee and the newspaper and, with the sun rising and the promise of a cold, clear day, I am now finally waking up and contemplating my day. It was a busy weekend of decorating and sewing, three more stockings produced--I am not crafty genius but I do like making Christmas stockings and can crank 'em out fairly quickly--and my daughter, her husband and the grands descended on Saturday afternoon as the power was out on their block. They spent the night, leaving around 10:00 the next morning and the Grand Clean-up, involving back-to-back loads of laundry, occupied my morning. Husband went to an afternoon Seahawks game, leaving around 10:00, and I had lunch with a friend, serving some of the split pea soup I'd made on Friday--love that stuff, so tasty and nourishing.

With the official start of the holiday season I am more aware of fatigue these days. Fortunately, operated hip functions well most days and left hip aches but not intolerably so. I just move around a lot, tons of errands to run--as they say, "places to go, people to see"--so I know my activity level is going up daily this month. I am tired most evenings, but so far it's manageable. Sometimes I worry "this is just the beginning--will I make it through to the end?!" even though I'm aware that it's like this every holiday season, but first year with a recovering hip. Getting enough rest, staying hydrated (I am not good at this), and remembering to intersperse activity with rest will be my goal this month. Off to do more laundry this morning, a perpetual chore but more today after my daughter, her husband and kids spent Saturday night with us so a ton of bedding and towels waiting to be washed. Will finish my morning latte shortly and then it's off to the races for me!
 
Barbaraj said:
Getting enough rest, staying hydrated (I am not good at this), and remembering to intersperse activity with rest will be my goal this month.
Click to expand...

Yep, this is your goal! So hard not to enjoy the season and/or get swept away by it, but we need to look after ourselves. Maybe a daily nap for the season would help?

Loved that you made a stocking for your son's dog! My Mum used to make a stocking for my pony and all the way up to the horse! The dogs received butcher bones with an edible bow!! For me finding the right gift, and watching the ensuing enjoyment when being unwrapped etc., is so much fun. But it takes time and energy to do the shopping...and at the best of times it is quite tiring!

Good for you for having the family over when their power went off. It always means scatter action, but I hope they helped with bed making and the like, although you ended up with all the laundry post visit! We had my cousins visiting this weekend, and usually they'd stay with us (would have been four in all), but I just couldn't face it even for one night...and the ensuing bedding and towel laundry! We had a lovely visit with only wine glasses, beer bottles and a dirty cheese plate to deal with!! They'll be back and we'll have them here then.

Pacing yourself will be key to enjoying the holidays :cheers2: Thinking of you and how wonderful your family Christmas will be. Maybe you should ask for a spa gift this year...so you can use it to recover! :)

Enjoy the sunshine...yes we are getting it too, but with a healthy frost as well this AM. Waiting for that to melt completely so I can do my barn walk! :SUNsmile: Have a good afternoon and put your feet up at some point!
 
Good morning, so happy again to see sunshine when I looked outside. A white frost is still glazing all the lawns around our house, so it's definitely nippy out there, but I love the blue skies and sunshine. As I was returning from my PT appointment this morning, coming down a hill and into the "bowl" of our neighborhood, I saw the glorious Olympic Mountains outlined in white against that blue sky and it took my breath away. I really do live in a beautiful part of the country, I feel very fortunate.

PT was a bit tiring this morning, starting with the first five minutes on a recumbent bike. I am always able to do all the exercises they give me and can't say I'm in real pain ever. It does ache on my left hip--heavy sigh--but it's not "pain", or at least how I define pain. They always finish up a session with heat packs and electrical "stim" which feels nice, although those heat packs get a bit too warm towards the end. But I walked out feeling better, which was nice. I find it amazing how strong and stable my right, operated hip feels, and slightly depressed how much weaker the left one feels. I really need to continue working on strengthening this left hip--so want to avoid a second surgery as long as I can.

I chuckled, @Alitm, at your kind compliment of how good I was for having my family over unexpectedly on Saturday. I love them dearly, but my daughter somehow reverts to helpless childhood when she visits and I am the one who ends up making breakfast for everyone, stripping beds, etc. I know I am partially to blame since as she reverts to childhood, I resume full responsibility for "mom duty". I need to do a better job of pointedly suggesting that she could do various things when she visits--it's just that it feels like nagging and I find that almost as tiring as doing the chores myself!

I did take a bit of an unplanned nap yesterday afternoon, and it felt nice although my neck was bent forwards as I snoozed and I got a bit of a "neck ache" as a result. I was reading in my broken recliner, not usually conducive to napping, but all of the sudden I woke up and realized I'd fallen sleep for a bit. I think it probably makes more sense, if I am going to nap, to actually go and lie down somewhere.

Quiet day now after PT. Just house chores--perpetual laundry and kitchen tidying, and maybe wrapping a few gifts that arrived in the mail. Gotta love online shopping! Happy Tuesday!
 
My daughter does the same when she comes over with her kids.
I cook AND clean up all the mess! I never say anything because she works full time and luckily I didn't have to work while raising my kids. I imagine it must be exhausting as raising kids in itself could be exhausting some days. You're a good mommy @Barbaraj even though you're past your prime. Don't mean that in a snide way since I am also. It sure feels different doing it all in our 60's than our 20's!! I started at 19, silly fool :heehee:

Hope you catch up on the laundry soon and have a great rest of the week!
 
Ah, another frosty but beautiful day here in the PNW, sunshine pouring over the white sheen on the lawns and rooftops. Leaving shortly for a manicure and then the gym, but knowing that I'll need to bundle up--temperatures only going to hit the low 40's today. I know folks who live in colder climates are sniggering at a description of 40+ degrees being "cold" but this definitely qualifies a cold in my neck of the woods!

Slight backache this morning (always something, isn't it?) but hoping that a good workout will effectively deal with that. Laundry is all done (although I am sure more is piling up as I write this!) and nothing on my agenda today except list making. This is a stressful time of year, and I always have this vague sense of impending doom--do I have gifts for everyone? What is the menu for Christmas day? What dessert can I bring to Christmas Eve? What appetizers can I prepare for that party on the 19? And the one on the 21st? And so on...

Making lists makes me feel a bit more in control, probably an illusion but it helps with the anxiety. I opened day 5 on my advent calendar this morning and noted that the days are ticking by, and felt a bit panicked. Gotta get moving! Gotta get planning! Just gotta!
 
Ha, ha, @Jaycey, I absolutely agree that it doesn't need to be perfect at the holidays. That is my mantra every year but somehow I STILL get stressed out because while definitely not seeking perfection, it seems like there is still a huge volume of "stuff" that needs to be done. And, yes, I could let go of some of these things but it's hard. Do my adult but unmarried children need their Christmas stockings filled? Absolutely not, but every year I am scouring the Dollar Store and drug store, buying bottles of shampoo, sensible socks, little trinkets so that on Christmas morning they each have an overstuffed stocking to take apart. This is merely one of too many small things that taken individually aren't really that onerous, but add 'em all up and that is when it feels overwhelming. But, you are absolutely right, whose problem is this? MINE! Soldiering on, however!
 
Another glorious day here in my neighborhood--sunshine AGAIN, very weird for December, normally a rainy, rainy month, but I confess that seeing blue skies and sunshine always puts a smile on my face when I get up. Back still aching this morning, but I popped a couple of extra strength Tylenol before bed last night so better than last night when I was doddering about but not 100% yet. I will do my stretching/strength building PT exercises this morning and I'm hoping those will help. I haven't had back pain for a long time, since before surgery, so NOT happy to have it back again. But, hips feeling pretty good! After the initial hobbling steps when I first get out of bed, I generally do well in the mornings so I can't complain. But yesterday's back ache was present when I got up and got worse during the day. Not, mind you, that this prevented me from going to the gym, and running errands, but I did spend yesterday afternoon in a comfortable chair with a heating pad on my back. Not sure if that helped or hurt in the long run. Hoping I'll be feeling better by this afternoon as I've got to haul granddaughter to and from her ballet lesson, and husband has bailed as he's got a firm dinner tonight and will go to his office in late afternoon, just as I'm setting off to fetch my granddaughter. Without him I will probably just go to the library next door to the dance studio rather than hit the bar up for a happy hour cocktail and truffle fries--rats--but I'm not a fan of solo dining/drinking. Another day, another inch closer to the healing horizon.
 
You are on the approach to the famous three month mark and doing so well @Barbaraj! Too bad about the truffle fries and cocktails miss this afternoon!

Great that hips are feeling good. I have a little thought about how far down the back to place the heating pad, as not to disturb hips that need icing! I start my going to bed ritual with a heating pad on my lower back....feels great with flannel sheets on a cold night!

:reindeersleigh
 
Hi @Barbaraj
Has it been suggested, or have you considered that your back issues may be due to your ailing natural hip?
Just a thought as backache plagues many with deteriorating hips. Possibly it hasn't bothered you much during early recovery but now that you're ramping up exercise and activity its once again coming into play.
Just a thought...
Wishing you a nice Thursday and weekend!
 
Oh, no, @Layla--say it ain't so! I don't want any backaches due to my rotten left hip! I refuse! I am attributing it to twisting my back funny (even though--gulp--it's admittedly on the left side of my lower back) and not because of my cranky hip. But you are right, I did experience back problems before the hip arthritis diagnosis, although they manifested as sciatica and not the kind of ache I'm experiencing today. Oddly enough, once I got the real diagnosis the sciatica stopped and it was all about groin pain, with nary a twinge of back pain. I did some PT exercises this morning and although I'm still aware of an ache, it's much less than yesterday so I'm hopeful it's not hip related but merely a careless movement on my part. Still, your suggestion is sobering to contemplate!
 
I'm sorry, just be aware, it's very common to feel it in the back, side, groin.
Toward the end mine started in the groin and even hurt all the way down to my knee.
We're all different but back pain is frequently mentioned.
@Barbaraj
 
Yes, I know @Layla, you are absolutely right--I was just feeling grumpy at the thought that back pain of any sort might be starting up again--ugh. Will say that here at midday in the PNW it is (she said hopefully) feeling better than when I first got up. I am going to take walk in an hour or so with a friend in the neighborhood and hopeful the last of the ache will be gone.
 
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