Bilateral THR Aug.18 - a success!

[HipSurprise]

Hip Hop Hooray, I played the Bird Woman in my high school production of "Mary Poppins" and the plan was to have a few of us fly. I was put in the harness, lifted into the air for a segment for our local news. It was fun, but, in the end, it was just too much work to have people flying in the play, so I had to climb to the roofs. I'm jealous that you live in Santa Clara - I grew up in Sacramento and visited the bay area, frequently. Heck, if I win the lottery, I'll get tickets for the Super Bowl and could visit you on the same trip!! I love reading about your auditions and hope you get selected for good roles!

I hate the Novocaine shots, too. I should go in and see a dentist, soon, but need to find a new one. Hopefully, I can find one who isn't a sadist. Blessings to you!

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

@HipSurprise, I hope you find a good dentist. Both my hips and my mouth are feeling much better, so I'm relieved. I was starting to worry and imagining that I might need a revision. Not good thoughts. I've had a lot of trauma with dental work in the past. It seems to come up with any pain. I did a lot of icing of both my hips and jaw yesterday. It really helped. I find it amazing how healing an ice pack can be. I also rinsed my mouth with warm salt water, and took a Motrin. Had a good night's sleep and I feel healthy again.

I love the song "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. It's just beautiful. That must have been fun. I didn't get a callback for Gypsy, but that's okay. The drive would have been brutal. Onward and upward.

 

[DeepBreath]

Onward and upward.

That's right, friend. Your role(s) are out there!

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Thanks @DeepBreath. It's funny, I only did a 32 bar song with some movement, but my hips are still sore. They're telling me that they need to be iced. I guess the road trip, 6 hour audition trip, and using weights put some too much strain on them. It's better that I haven't gotten a job yet. This way I can back off, ice, and regroup.

Yesterday I did the basic pt exercises. I like those. I hadn't been doing them. I think I will go back to them for a while. They take away the pain. (which is very mild.)

It's been over five months since my surgery, but am seeing that the tissue is still sensitive. Now I see why people say it takes a year or more to fully heal.

 

[HipSurprise]

Maybe the soft tissue has been adversely affected by not only the surgery, but the wear and tear of having been challenged when your hips were bad? I know my own tissues probably got a jolt when I fell. Just is amazing, though, to realize how much of a big deal it is to go through the surgery. I think all of us hippies have found inner strength that we didn't know we had!! Of course, I have to give kudos to good medications!! Gotta love ice, too!

 

[Hipster Girl]

I enjoy show business. There is a lot of rejection, but I've learned to just perform at the audition, and to let go of the outcome. So much of it is timing.

I think this is a great approach. This is something I have been making a conscious effort myself to do lately, just with life in general - doing my best and letting go of the outcome.

Yesterday I did the basic pt exercises. I like those. I hadn't been doing them. I think I will go back to them for a while. They take away the pain. (which is very mild.)

It's been over five months since my surgery, but am seeing that the tissue is still sensitive. Now I see why people say it takes a year or more to fully heal.

It is definitely a process. Do you still have any numbness? The outside of my thighs are still numb after all this time and I have just recently started seeing the swelling going down. It was never a lot but it was still there. My home health had told me it could take 6 months for that to go away, and like you said, 12 months to totally heal. I haven't done the basic PT exercises in awhile either.

Hope your hips are feeling better today. Don't worry about the callback. The right role is out there for you. Hope you have a great healing day today.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

@HipSurprise, I think you're right about the soft tissue. I find if I lift too much weight, or do too much, it feels aggravated. I needed to ice for several days after using weights on certain machines at the gym. My hip flexors don't like that, so I'll stop.

@Hipster Girl, Yes, letting go of the outcome is very freeing. You sound like someone who always does their best. How are things going for you? I was thinking about your work situation yesterday. I hope that it has improved.

You know, I wasn't aware of the numbness, but if I press on the incision area, it isstill slightly numb. My teeth were numb for over a year after my bike accident. I think it's nature's way of protecting us.

I talked with my dad last night about work. He asked if I'd gotten any calls on my auditions, and I told him that I hadn't. I asked him how much his mother was able to do after her hip replacements. He said that she had to use crutches (the kind that latch on to your elbows,) and a walker for the rest of her life. That really put things into perspective!

I told him that I feel fortunate that I can walk so well, do my housework, yard work, and take care of my animals. So much of that I had let go in the past few years. I have enough money to live if I'm extremely frugal, so I'm not going to stress about the job search. He was saying how friends of his at the Elks Club had to go back and have revisions due to infections or problems. It's just not worth it to me to risk that. Right now I feel like these hips are totally different than God given hips. They can do all of the daily stuff, but if I dance or lift weights, I pay for it. It feels like they're not designed for that, and so I'm going to listen to my body.

 

[DeepBreath]

@Hip Hip Hooray! It really is something when our bodies tell us, "Hey, you need to take it a bit easy". I've had a few days of that recently. I was pushing myself pretty hard on the treadmill and upping my exercise reps. This weekend my muscles said, "We're gonna let you know we're cranky". Lesson learned.
I think it's a good idea to listen to your body. The dancing and weight stuff may very well come with time, but like @Hipster Girl says, it takes a year to fully heal. I so hear you about the infection/problem thing. I want to avoid that at all costs.
My incision area is still rather numb on both sides. I like what you said about it perhaps being a sign of the body protecting itself. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @DeepBreath, It's such a fine balance. Today I feel back to normal. I'm going to ride the bike with the dogs and do some yoga. I hear you about the hips feeling cranky. They really let you know when you are doing too much exercise. It's shocking to me how a seemingly small increase can cause such a reaction. But, I'm glad our bodies talk to us, so we know. It's making me be more passive, and less active, (or aggressive,) with my workouts.

I am very happy that I can do all of my household tasks again, though. I'm looking at that as a form of mild exercise. Today I went to a knitting group at Panera. I met a really nice woman there. We had a good talk. I'm making more slippers for gifts. I love this pattern. It's easy. It feels good to be using up my leftover wool yarn, too.

Tonight I'm making some enchiladas with leftover roast chicken. Yesterday I made pork chops. When I sat down to eat them I was just in heaven! I'd forgotten how delicious pork is. I'm going to make some applesauce to go with them. I try not to eat meat too often, but boy were these a treat! For a while I stopped buying pork, because it didn't seem to have any fat or flavor. These chops were perfect. They reminded me of the ones my mom used to make.

I hope everyone is doing well on their healing journey...

 

[Hipster Girl]

@Hip Hip Hooray! that sure does put things in perspective about your grandmother being on crutches and/or walker the rest of her life after THR and look at us - just goes to show how far this surgery has come; it's really incredible!

I'm glad you are continuing to listen to your body and slowing down a bit if necessary. That makes perfect sense what you said about the numbness - I couldn't figure out why we still have it months after surgery but that makes perfect sense.

Off to work - hope everyone has a great day!

 

[DeepBreath]

Hi @DeepBreath, It's such a fine balance.....It's shocking to me how a seemingly small increase can cause such a reaction.

Yes! It doesn't take much at all to tip over from, "Ooh, doing good and feeling good" to "Ouch, I must have overdone it".
I'm glad you can do your chores again. That seems to make all the difference when we can accomplish the things we normally do. Another big 'yes' to counting that kind of stuff as PT. I know when I make dinner in the evenings, I'm on my feet pretty continuously for about an hour. I am moving, bending, stretching...heck, if that's not exercise I don't know what is. Luckily, it's work I love.
Yaay about the knitting and the cooking. You had me at enchiladas, but went one step further with the pork chops. YUM! Using up your existing yarn means you get to purchase new yarn, right? I love fabric stores...the way they smell, the colors...wonderful.
May I ask how you did your pork chops? I'm always looking for a good recipe. Pork can be tough (no pun intended). It's finding that balance between cooking them thoroughly enough but not too much.

I hope your day is great, hippie friend.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

@Hip Hip Hooray! that sure does put things in perspective about your grandmother being on crutches and/or walker the rest of her life after THR and look at us - just goes to show how far this surgery has come; it's really incredible! Yes. I also think we expect a lot more from ourselves now. There's such a push to get back to normal. I'm slowing down with my goals. I think I'll go back to the "walk and wait" approach. I was telling my dad that it's kind of like when you repair a piece of furniture. It's never the same. It can't take the same amount of weight. He was saying with them drilling so far down the femur that it seemed like that bone would be weaker. I think so, too.

I'm glad you are continuing to listen to your body and slowing down a bit if necessary. That makes perfect sense what you said about the numbness - I couldn't figure out why we still have it months after surgery but that makes perfect sense. Yes, one of my teeth is still slightly numb. My dentist told me that bones take at least 8 months to heal. I'm very lucky that the teeth firmed up and didn't die. It's funny, with teeth you don't do exercises. You just wait and allow them to recover.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Yes! It doesn't take much at all to tip over from, "Ooh, doing good and feeling good" to "Ouch, I must have overdone it". I know. I usually feel that if I've increased the weight or the repetitions. I really need to pull back on the reigns.
I'm glad you can do your chores again. That seems to make all the difference when we can accomplish the things we normally do. Another big 'yes' to counting that kind of stuff as PT. I know when I make dinner in the evenings, I'm on my feet pretty continuously for about an hour. I am moving, bending, stretching...heck, if that's not exercise I don't know what is. Luckily, it's work I love. Me, too. I think it's the perfect form of exercise. I also was able to do some yard work yesterday. I think I will just be thankful that I can do those things again. I've been really into the house lately, and it's looking and feeling warm and inviting. I doesn't seem to cause strain, either.
Yaay about the knitting and the cooking. You had me at enchiladas, but went one step further with the pork chops. YUM! Using up your existing yarn means you get to purchase new yarn, right? I love fabric stores...the way they smell, the colors...wonderful.
May I ask how you did your pork chops? I'm always looking for a good recipe. Pork can be tough (no pun intended). It's finding that balance between cooking them thoroughly enough but not too much. I know what you mean. I think a lot of it has to do with the pork. For a while, the meat they were selling was so low fat, it didn't have any flavor. These chops have some fat around the edges. I agree with you about not overcooking them. I just pan fry them. I add a little water to the cast iron fry pan. I season them with salt and pepper. Once they are brown, I put on the lid, and let them cook a bit longer. It doesn't take long at all. I cut into them to check. If there are enough drippings, I make country gravy. I add a little flour to the grease, and stir. Then I pour some milk in, and use a whisk to blend it until it bubbles and thickens. I add salt and pepper. I also make a batch (or buy a jar) of applesauce. I love pork chops with applesauce!

I hope your day is great, hippie friend.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

I decided not to go to my audition today. I have to be realistic, and this show wants alto singers who are strong dancers. I am no longer a strong dancer, so I am going to stay home. It will save me gas and time. I can work on my singing here.

I went to my knitting group yesterday. I enjoyed it. I met a nice woman who just moved here. We are both from the Bay Area. There was another woman there who was selling skin care products to combat aging. She was going on and on about how the skin changes and you age faster if you don't use products like hers. (at $40.00 a jar.) Ugh! I had to get up and leave. I felt way too pressured. The woman next to me was buying the whole line. I really wish women in our culture were more comfortable with allowing their bodies to age gracefully. She was so intense, and had such a hard sell going. I just use coconut oil (sold in bulk for cooking,) from Costco. This morning I washed my face with baking soda. It felt great! I refuse to spend that kind of money on skin care. To me it's like trying to stop puberty...

Yesterday I found an antique pedestal sink for free! I was walking my dogs, and my neighbor had put it out at the curb. I wheeled it home in two pieces in my wheelbarrow. I was a little nervous about carrying those pieces inside, but I'm okay. I think they're cast iron and porcelain. I didn't have to go far. I polished it up with vinegar and water. It's such a beautiful and charming piece! I've been wanting one for 20 years, but they are usually very expensive. (up to $1,000.) They're hard to find now, too. He had it in an old craftsman house he owns in Highland Park. I am so excited about it. I've had a junky sink/cabinet in there for 20 years from Home Depot. The sink has a crack in it, and the wood is pressed. This one is lovely and fits the period of the house. Now I need to get it installed. I think I'll wait until my insurance check from Blue Shield arrives. (just to be safe.)

I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for the posts. It helps me so much to keep in touch with you. It keeps me from doing things that are unwise. It also helps to compare notes on post surgery exercise and work. This is a new body with new needs.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Well, today I did something different. I went and took a tap class. the teacher is a dancer I used to dance with in New York, so I thought it would be fun. He had his hip replaced a year ago. I figured he would understand if I didn't do everything, or had to do some steps sitting in a chair. We had discussed it on line.

The warm up went well. I worked very lightly. Some of the stuff he was giving didn't feel safe to me, so I didn't do it. He was pushing us hard, so I just sat down. It was kind of discouraging. I used to love dancing, but had trouble picking up his choreography today. My mind felt scrambled. I was disappointed in myself. Oh well.

After class he was telling me about dancers who can now do everything they could do before the surgery. I just don't agree with that approach. (for me.) He said that his implant is positioned incorrectly, so he's going to have to have them go back in and fix it. Something about a tending rubbing. He's had numerous surgeries from a very bad car accident. I have such an opposite mentality. I want to protect these, and hopefully keep them forever.

My hip flexors were burning and stinging for the past several days. It's mild... (just a 1.5 on a scale of 1-10.) I think it's from lifting that heavy sink and from doing pilates the other night. I've been icing and elevating, and they feel fine now. I took a motrin each day, too.

I'm seeing that some of these older dancers push their bodies so hard that they live their entire lives in severe pain. That is just not for me. This guy has had his shoulder replaced, too. He got an infection and they had to redo it. It is still infected. He's in constant pain. It makes me count my blessings. This surgery took away my pain, and I want to keep it that way.

I'm going to walk the dogs and go take a jacuzzi.

 

[Hipster Girl]

@Hip Hip Hooray! I'm glad your hip flexors are feeling better. I totally agree with your approach. I don't understand the mentality of some of those dancers to push themselves so hard and always be in pain. Having been in severe pain before our surgeries, we hippies don't want to go back there.

That is super cool about your pedestal sink - what a great find! And the price sure was right. How fun, I bet you can't wait to get it installed!

I agree on the high pressure skin care products. I don't do well with high pressure anyway and I try never to buy anything if I am feeling too pressured. I don't think we need to spend big bucks to combat aging. There are plenty of affordable products on the market that do just as well as the expensive stuff. I remember watching one of those anti-aging commercials with Cindy Crawford where there is some doctor in some far-off land that uses rare melons that don't age and I thought what an interesting concept but I'm not going to spend ridiculous amounts of money for these products.

And I tried that one hydroxatone product but they auto-ship these to you and it's very hard to get them to stop. I don't buy any of that stuff anymore. Oil of Olay Microsculpting Cream works just fine for me and Costco frequently has an $8 coupon for it. We can't stop the aging process and funny thing is the older I get, the less I worry about it. I'm more comfortable in my own skin these days than when I was younger, go figure

 

[Readysetgo]

Hi @Hip Hip Hooray! I loved reading about your antique pedestal sink! Wow - what a find! And it sounds perfect for your cottage. Good luck getting it installed. We have a boring unattractive sink which I can't wait to replace.

Sounds like you are taking good care of your new hips. (That dancer with the infected shoulder, etc. sounds like he is in so much pain.) I'm glad your hip flexors feel better. They can get tight very fast. My hip flexors were in a lot of pain pre-op. I think they were doing the work the hip joints couldn't - or something like that. They feel fine now - and I've only done the first hip! My lower back pain is gone as well. I think the pelvis is falling into a better alignment. Got a date for the 2nd hip - March 8th. Can't wait to have 2 new hips!

Good for you for taking a jacuzzi! Sounds lovely. I had tried out an infra-red sauna a month before my sugery. I loved it and went whenever I could. I like it better than a regular sauna. I could do correspondence by phone, read up on Bonesmart, etc. in there. It really helped with the pain. They use it for premies in the NICU. Feels wonderful afterwards, very healing. Hope to get back into it at some point. I've heard it's safe for replacements, but will double check on that.

Enough rambling on from me! I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

 

[DeepBreath]

How did I miss your post from Wednesday? Good for you for your decision about the audition. about the tap class. You are doing wonderfully. You're not even six months out from bilateral hip replacement, friend. For what it's worth, I think your common sense approach to healing is sound. I'm willing to bet those shiny new hips last you a really long time because you care enough to take good care of them, and therefore yourself.

Ugh about the skin care products. That kind of stuff gives me the willies. I have a few Facebook friends who sell various skin/body care products and I've actually unfollowed all of them. Their updates are nothing but advertisements. Who needs more of those? I absolutely agree about aging gracefully and aiding our beauty routine with good eating and simple products. I found a CoQ 10 cream in Germany that costs about the equivalent of $7.00 and lasts me a good 6 months. I find it firms and brightens my facial skin nicely. My daughter sends me a new little tub every few months. @Hipster Girl, I love Oil of Olay's microdermabrasion and peel kit. I use it once a week.
I also love coconut oil for around my eyes. That is one versatile product!

Oh my gosh, Hip Hip! How awesome about the pedestal sink! What a great find. When you get it all set up would you take a picture of it and share it with us? I love stuff like that. You can't beat 'Free Ninety Free'!

I hope your weekend is going great.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

@Hipster Girl, It's great that you feel so comfortable in your own skin. I just keep eating well, doing yoga, and staying hydrated. I try to let go of any worry about aging. I told the knitting group leader how I felt, and she is going to say something to that lady.

@Readysetgo, I love the sauna. It's so relaxing. I had the sink installed, and it looks beautiful. It makes such a difference, because it goes with the house.

@DeepBreath, Yes, I'm glad I took it easy in the tap class. My legs felt SO GOOD today, and I wasn't sore at all! I was so surprised. I feel like I really want to start tap dancing again. I can work lightly and carefully, but still make the sounds. It feels good to use your creative talents.

I don't know how to post photos yet, but I'm learning. Today I finally was able to upload a bunch of photos to my Facebook page. I just kept hitting buttons, and I finally figured it out. The mini ipad is still a new toy, though.

I hope you are all doing well with your healing. It's raining here. We need it. I went to the gym, and am going to do some housekeeping and knitting.

I've been doing the basic PT exercises for my hips again. They feel really good. I think the heavy lifting is what caused the burning sensation. I used very light weights at the gym today. The icing and elevating is so healing, too. Last night I did some gentle yoga. Take care, Everyone.

 

[Hipster Girl]

@Hip Hip Hooray! , so happy you got the sink installed! I bet it looks great with your cottage. I think it's interesting that you used baking soda to cleanse your face; I use it to brush my teeth and just love it. I'm guessing it acts as kind of an exfoliant on your face? I may have to give that a try.

Very glad your legs feel good today and not sore after the tap class. That is great progress!