THR Are We There Yet?

[Layla]

Aww, so sorry! You'll have those days, I don't know if many of us escape them. Best part is they
are usually short lived.

It's not too late to do something for / with hubs on his birthday. I'm sure he'd like to commemorate it in someway, rather than not at all. What about an impromptu early dinner at a fave restaraunt
before it gets busy with the dinner crowd, or a late lunch? I'll bet your headache is gone by then. You could plan it for a place where you can get dropped at the door saving energy if you're feeling drained. Go for it! Taking a nice hot shower may ease your achiness and a little primping may change your mood, as would some time away from your sick bed, so to speak.
Maybe you could even sip on a Greyhound An outing may be the ticket to lifting your mood
Hoping you feel better soon!
@Barbaraj

 

[Alitm]

@Barbaraj So sorry you are feeling this way today. We can't plan when it is gong to hit us, these blues. Great that your hubby was able to get to Starbucks, and have a yummy coffee, and read through all his Birthday texts! Good for you for reminding the kids! I do that too LOL!!

Thinking about your headache, are you drinking enough water? I find that I get the headaches easily if I don't drink enough water.

@Layla had a great idea of heading out for an easy dinner, beating the crowds timing wise. You did a lot yesterday, and I don't think are in the ODIC at all, but it was a "busy day" so take it easy today. A nice meal out would perhaps perk you up, and very pleasant way to celebrate Hub's b'day at the best of times.

Keep your chin up, drink water, take the Tylenol on schedule and rest today. Tomorrow will be different again...another zig zag on the recovery road.

for you in the meantime!

 

[Barbaraj]

Thanks to both of you, @Layla and @Alitm, for encouragement and kind words. Headache is mostly gone and feeling a bit more chipper. Up, dressed and made the bed, and asked the birthday boy if he’d like to go out for lunch or dinner. He opted for dinner and took off awhile ago for the gym, and I’ve settled into the chair in our study (a broken recliner but still pretty comfortable) to read a junky old novel on my Kindle. I am a big fan of mysteries and love the old ones the best. There is a website (manybooks.net) which has tons of old books, all in the public domain, available for download for free. I downloaded a few old mysteries and shall curl up, read and doze through the afternoon. Gonna banish this surly mood so I will be a sparkling, witty dinner companion tonight!

 

[Barbaraj]

PS I know I am probably not drinking enough water. Will grab a glass now before I settle in for good.

 

[Lmflora]

Hey @Barbaraj, what an amazing recovery your having!! I never wore the compression stockings. They were on the list of discharge instructions, which I completely forgot about, and I didn’t have any. I was moving around quite a bit, and am taking the baby aspirin. Perhaps I should be wearing them? Neither my PT or the OS assistant I saw for dressing change said anything.

I use the walker At night to get from the bathroom to the bed, I don’t have to turn on the light and I can more or less stumble my way into the toilet and back. I am using one crutch most of the time. I tend to get sore in the afternoon and evening. I am taking the tramadol at 6 pm and midnight, Tylenol and Advil the other half of the day. I think I spend a bit too much time on my feet. Been moving around, going up and down stairs etc. I still get pretty sore at night. I have a cane that I used last time, painted up in bright stripes. It worked well for me to use on the opposite hand and was short enough that I could lessen the weight on my operative hip. I’m going to start using that maybe tomorrow if I’m feeling strong. The crutch is making me sore under my arm and I am getting around pretty good.

I hear you about getting depressed. I just want to feel good again and go do stuff. I am pretty sick of hanging out. Sounds like you are too. I want to go to the barn too @Alitm! I sent my saddle horse for training while I recover. But I still have two old horses in the dry pasture that I have not been to see.

We’re suppose to get some cold weather this weekend, but will wRm up a bit next week.

Have a great weekend!

 

[Barbaraj]

Hey, @Lmflora, you lucky you don’t have to wear compression hose—don’t ask about them or you might end up getting them. From what I’ve read on this site, a lot of folks really dislike them. I don’t really mind them that much, except for the weak elastic on top which doesn’t grip and ends up bunched up around my knees, looking goofy and requiring repeated adjustments during the day. So other than aspirin you aren’t on any blood thinners? Nice!

Sounds like you are feeling better, meds sorted and moving ahead—hurray for that!

 

[Alitm]

Hi @Lmflora Sounds about right, two at home, one out in training! I get out to the barn for a pat, when hubby brings them in at night. That is about it.

Fortunately for the most part, but unfortunately in terms of patience, I'm having the other hip done, four weeks from today! Then I can think about really moving forward, slowly of course!

 

[Barbaraj]

Good morning, and happy Friday--gorgeous fall day here in the PNW. Husband just left for the gym, but when he returns we'll be, I hope, heading out for a walk at a neighborhood park: flat, wide and paved walking paths. I'm not sure how far I'll make it without dissolving into huffing and puffing again, but the idea of getting out there in the fresh air seems very tantalizing.

I had a small victory this morning--got up before my husband and tottered downstairs and actually made my own morning latte, grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, and retrieved the Friday newspaper from our driveway. Walked very cautiously with my walking pole as the driveway dips down to the street, but felt a huge sense of accomplishment when my husband finally emerged from the bedroom and expressed surprise that I'd been able to do this. These slow, small steps towards independence feel very satisfying, although I've loved having my coffee and morning ice pack delivered daily to my bed!

Tonight is family game night, a monthly event, and our kids will be coming over for snacks and a game. I've told everyone that I don't know how long I'll be able to stay up, but I'm so happy to see them all. I am sure they'll be impressed at how I'm doing, or so I fondly hope. Off to start the slow, laborious dressing process--takes so dang long to do everything but I've got nothing but time on my hands so no real grousing allowed!

 

[Layla]

Happy Friday to you,
Nice update! Great accomplishments making your own Latte and walking out to get the paper.
I remember the wonderful feeling those simple tasks gave me in the early days of recovery. Those small victories spur you on as you realize it's really going to be okay!!

I hope you have a nice walk in the park today and feel a bit more energetic than you did at Costco earlier this week.
Enjoy family game night this evening. Sounds like fun!
@Barbaraj

 

[Alitm]

@Barbaraj Hope the b'day dinner went off well, and that you found a restaurant that hubs enjoyed and at which you were comfortable! Sometimes a challenge!
Hoping you are having a brighter day today, but here is a flower just in case you need one We can never had enough flowers!

How are your pain/ache levels today? Have you recovered from your cheering leading escapades for your son?

Thinking of you as I use the hiking poles. They are really multi-purpose, one as a "cane" as you are doing, two can be used as sort of crutches when tired, but most of all, I love the use for which they are intended for walking, as it really helps the walking rhythm a ton!

Hope the headache issues have dissipated. I do find my head aches are directly related to not drinking enough water, for the most part.

We are having a run of absolutely stunning weather, which sure helps the mood. I'm four weeks post op today, which is apparently prime time for the blues, so thankful for blue skies only for now!!

 

[Barbaraj]

Oh, yes @Alitm, should have noted in my morning report that dinner last night went really well, a nice restaurant with a delicious pre-dinner cocktail and then we ordered dessert and split it as a special birthday treat. I opted for seating in the restaurant with a cushy cushion and actually felt reasonably comfortable during dinner. I am always stiff and can be a bit off balance when I first stand up after lengthy standing, but once I get my bearings I can try to walk confidently, talk and kinda/sorta well. Yesterday's headache was gone by midday, thankfully, and I took your advice and tried to drink more water yesterday--always hard as I'm not naturally a water drinker (forgetful of the need)--but felt fine by dinner last night and woke up feeling good this morning. Enjoy your sunshine, too. And thanks for the flower--you're right, one can never have too many of those!

 

[Lmflora]

Hey @Barbaraj what a great day your having. I walked outside too today, feels pretty good taking some control and independence back. Bummer about the headache. One thing I learned is that our reverse osmosis water is so pure that it has zero minerals or anything in it. We were drinking plain water, I started to feel,better after drinking some electrolytes. Something as simple as a little more salt may help your headaches.

Enjoy the time with your kids!

I switched to my cane today, I slept good last night. Feel pretty good today. Some back issues, I think come from sitting in a limited number of positions. Getting up and walking helps a lot.

Cheers

 

[Barbaraj]

Cool, you are moving off that pesky walker, too, @Lmflora! Big step forward! I’ve had occasional back issues as well, from sitting too slouched, in my upper back. For me, it meant trying to get up more and move around to alleviate the ache. I just got back from my walk in the park, stubbornly refusing to use my walking pole, and just clinging resolutely to my husband’s arm. I made one circuit around the walking path before I quit. It felt pretty good although I am sure anyone who saw us would have noted how very slow we were walking. But it’s not a race and I need to focus on the positives: fresh air, sunshine and a walk, even if tortuously slow.

PS had lunch out with wine, but tried to slug back a half glass of water as well. I’m trying!

 

[SurreyGirl]

Good for you Barbara. Having an excuse to go out to restaurants makes me feel normal. Rather sweetly one of the waiters at our local Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant bought me a cushion before I even sat down....

Just a word of caution - if you are getting up from a chair and using a restaurant table to lean on do make sure to check where the table legs are! I nearly came a cropper leaning on a round table which had central legs, the whole thing rocked and so did I! Luckily the crutch and my legs stabilised me but it was another nasty moment...

 

[Layla]

Hey! Nice walk in the park and no mention of huffing and puffing.
It's a start, no matter how slow. Isn't it great to be recovering on this side over that pre-op nightmare?
Look at you go, you're healing....you're doing it.
Life is good! Hope you have a lovely weekend.
@Barbaraj

 

[Alitm]

Hi @Barbaraj hope you are having a good morning this far! We are having another sunny but cool start to the day. I’m feeling very lazy this AM, after a trip to Home Depot and the grocery store yesterday!
Asked my hubby if I could go to the grocery store with him so I could do some walking around the store... and then he added going to Home Depot first... Wasn’t in my plan at all!
Anyhow, the HD walk was good, but slow, and I was glad to get back to the car. At the grocery store I sent him on ahead and took my time. I also wanted to check out all the plants etc for sale out front
I didn’t walk much at grocery store and headed back to the car before him. I can feel the extra walking today when I first got up. Was due for some Tylenol anyway, by the time I walked to the kitchen the stiffness wore off. What a journey this is!!
Wishing you a great day

 

[Barbaraj]

Feeling good this Saturday morning, but always feel at my best in the morning after a reasonably good night's sleep, a couple of Tylenol, and morning latte, newspaper and ice pack to start the day. That's great, @Alitm, that you were able to get out yesterday and hit a few stores, particularly those big box stores with their lovely, wide aisles, perfect for slow moving hippies.

By the way, @SurreyGirl, I can appreciate the caution about table/chair legs in restaurants--at the small little restaurant where we went to lunch yesterday the tables are placed very close together and maneuvering to get up and out required a bit of work as the table next to ours was very close and I sort of had to sidle my way past the neighboring table, slip around the edge of our table, all the while making sure I didn't whack myself or others with the walking pole! I need to remember to bring a soft cushion with me for restaurants, too. We have an old foam cushion, used for seating at sporting events, and I should probably just toss that in the car so I can take it when we go into a restaurant.

We had a very pleasant if tiring day yesterday so that by the time the evening rolled around, I was feeling pretty wiped out. I decided at the last minute to make a birthday cake for my husband, a fairly simple recipe for chocolate cake that is quite moist and chocolate-y (and he's a big chocolate fan). I am able to make my way around the kitchen fairly easily, but all that standing combined with the earlier walk in the park meant that my hip/glutes were quite unhappy. I took Tylenol and then waited for the onslaught of our kids, who all arrived early (the boys in particular are always looking to raid our fridge, foolishly this time as not a lot of stuff in there). We played a game, but mostly everyone sat around and carried on conversations on top of one another. I love my kids--they are smart, charming, profane and noisy! The chatter and laughter is ordinarily such a mood booster but I confess last night I was ready for them all to leave about an hour before they actually departed.

While I wasn't huffing and puffing as much in the park yesterday, @Layla, I was sure exhausted last night--that dang energy drain just smacked me upside the head! After they all left, I tried to help clean up a bit but it was pretty obvious to my husband that I was dragging and quite uncomfortable. So, he took over the clean-up: loading the dishwasher, retrieving crumbled paper napkins, picking up popcorn and pretzels and cake crumbs that had migrated to litter our family room carpet, etc. I hobbled up to bed and then lay awake for awhile before getting to sleep, one of those "too spun up to sleep" evenings! I finally dozed off after midnight, I think, and other than an early morning pee break was able to sleep until almost 8:00 so felt rested.

Not sure what today holds, but need to moderate my walking (ah, the everlasting readjustment of activity versus rest--does one ever figure out the perfect mix?) But at least it's another gloriously sunny start to the day and my husband has promised that lovely treat--a morning shower! Hope everyone has a fabulous day ahead--onward, hip friends!

 

[Barbaraj]

It's Sunday, and yet another glorious fall day out there. From my study window I can catch the glory of a maple tree across the street with gorgeous scarlet leaves, very impressive looking. I'm off to get a manicure this morning, a friend is picking me up, and that will be the Big Outing for the day. I may try to make it to trivia today but we'll see how I'm doing later today.

Yesterday I didn't get an afternoon walk as my husband returned home from the gym and then immediately plopped himself down to watch football--his beloved Huskies were playing the Oregon Ducks. The game was interminable (I can only watch for 30 to 45 minutes before I'm done) as it went into overtime and then, Gloomy Day in Muddville, his team lost--he was not happy! But we ended up taking a ferry "over the pond" to go visit friends who'd just bought property. We ended up having dinner with them and with the wait for the ferry, didn't get home until after 10:00. The good thing about such outings, other than how exhausted I am by day's end, is that I sleep pretty darn well.

Hip is much the same today--a bit achy and stiff, really no change. I shall have to adopt @Layla's idea of thinking about improvement in weekly rather than daily chunks. I expect, if today follows the routine of the last few days, I will feel pretty good in the morning, with energy fading by late afternoon. Nothing I can do for that really (other than slow down and take it easy), since Tylenol is effective for pain but does absolutely zilch for energy drain. But another day along the recovery trail--at least I'm up and moving forward, and I guess I'll have to take that as progress. Cheers, all.

 

[Layla]

You fit in some nice activity yesterday! A ferry ride and dinner with friends sounds lovely.
I'm envious of your view of the sun shining through the Scarlett Maple leaves. We have snow!! It's been snowing for over two hrs. It is 33 degrees and the leaves haven't even peaked yet. Thankfully it's forecast that by weeks end we'll be sunny with average temps of 60 or so. Can't wait. I love those days!

You will feel more encouraged I think if you reflect back to the prior weekend each Saturday or Sunday. You'll notice improvement and it feels like less pressure than considering daily progress. It will vary due to sleep, activity levels etc. Wait another couple weeks and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You seem to be doing really well to me.

Remember, that energy drain is your body focusing its efforts on healing that assault.
Welcome it, melt into it Your body is working as it should.

Enjoy the manicure, pick a cheery color! I love nail polish names. Especially OPI's.
Always thought it would be fun to name them.
@Barbaraj

 

[Jaycey]

I shall have to adopt @Layla's idea of thinking about improvement in weekly rather than daily chunks.

My friend you are doing very well! Still early days for you and you are out and about. Well done! Just give yourself time for that all important rest.