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Bilateral THR Aug.18 - a success!

Hi @DeepBreath, (and anyone else who's reading...) Things are moving along. I decided to make an aran sampler afghan that I found on Ravelry. It's got lots of cables, like a fisherman's sweater. I tried to get started on it yesterday, but I couldn't understand the pattern. So, I made an appt. for a knitting lesson. I see my teacher on Tuesday morning at Panera. This pattern is especially beautiful. I'm excited about it.

I live in a desert climate. Our days are pretty mild, but the temps drop into the 20's at night and in the early morning. Those are the times I sleep under and wear alpaca. I love to knit! I've made gloves, socks, sweaters, vests, scarves, hats...you name it.

I grow Hachiya persimmons. They're soft and very sweet. I just love them. They're like a dessert. There's also another variety, the Fuyu, that's crunchy. It's kind of like an apple. I like those, too. (but I don't grow them.) Today I'm scooping out the pulp to freeze for persimmon bread and cookies.

I filled out a couple more job applications yesterday. (Costco and Valley Produce.) It's funny, after doing that, my left hip started hurting a little bit. I guess my body is telling me it doesn't want to work a low paying job. Oh well, this is just in case. I could use the extra money, and I don't know how much Blue Shield is going to reimburse me yet. I should be getting a check very soon.

I did some straight leg lifts in the bathtub last night. (for the first time.) I thought it would be fine, since the water makes the body lighter, but it seemed to aggravate that left hip. I'll skip those for a while. I guess it's too soon. I've been riding the bike every morning with the dogs. That seems to develop the side muscle on the upper outer thigh. I have a bone there now. When I was dancing I had much more muscle around that area. I'd like to get it back.

Today I made a couple of batches of melt and pour soap for Christmas presents. I also watched a Youtube video on soap making with lye. I have all of the stuff, that's my plan to try next...once I work up the nerve. I've had the ingredients and the book for two years!!!

Made a nice spinach salad today. I also had some leftover roast chicken and gravy on homemade sourdough bread. Delicious. I baked another dozen gingersnaps with the dough I have prepped in the fridge.

Now it's time to dust the living room. I'm going to ice my hips again, once I finish. Hope everyone else is having fun and that you are all healing well.
 
@Hip Hip Hooray! I just stopped by to catch up on your progress, which sounds good!
I swear, just reading your thread helps to drop my blood pressure, so positive and soothing.
You have created a very nice lifestyle.. thank you for sharing some of it with us.
 
Hi @CricketHip, Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. I've been doing yoga every day for over 30 years. That is the goal. I've got to catch up on your thread. I hope you are doing well. You are always so encouraging t others.

I'm at the library, but will post a quick update. Today I went to Walmart to pick up some soap making supplies. I've already had most of what I need, but now I have silicone spatulas, a thermometer, and a scale. I ordered all of the oils, lye, fragrance, and a mold a few years ago. I've been making the melt and pour variety, but now I'm going to take the plunge and try cold processed soap!

I learned a lot about healing from my German shepherd mix yesterday. She woke up and was holding her left front paw in the air, like it was injured. She was limping, and sometimes her entire leg would start shaking. I thought she'd want to stay home during our walk, but she was insistent that she wanted to go. I rode her alongside my bicycle, going very slowly. She started putting weight on it, and indicated that she wanted to run. I was surprised, but followed her lead. We went over to the elementary school, and I let her off leash to run. I was amazed at all she could do.

This morning, she seemed better than yesterday, but she was limping again. This time she didn't want to go for a walk. I encouraged her to stay home and rest, and walked my other (purebred) German shepherd. I think Lana, (the injured dog,) will be okay. She's resting. I tried to ice it, but she didn't like that. She's been leaning against me, though. She likes the understanding and empathy.

I've still been doing a basic yoga series before bed each evening. I have very little external rotation, so I just skip over hip openers. I don't do any straddles yet, either. I am able to add a couple of new poses each night. My flexibility is slowly improving, I don't push it, but am pleased with how my body is starting to open again. I feel so much more relaxed when I wake up in the morning! The inversions are my favorites.

Emotionally I am still on the verge of tears some of the time. At least my physical recovery is strong. There's more emotional work to do. Hope everyone else is healing well. I plan to make a lasagna tomorrow. Yum! Oh, and I'm starting my Aran sampler afghan tomorrow, too. Today I'm working on a pair of socks. It's so comforting to be knitting again. I had stopped for a few months. It really helps to follow your passions and talents. How are all of you?
 
Just checking in again. Today I took my new hips out for a spin and attended my first audition! I had trouble finding the location, and almost gave up! Finally, I found the street, (which was poorly marked,) and fortunately there was plenty of parking. I signed in and went in the dressing room to change into my dress, stockings, and heels. The fact that I could do that was encouraging. I really struggled before the surgery to do any of those things. I've come a long way, and now it doesn't hurt. I'm confident that I could make costume changes again.

There were only a few people before me, so I didn't have to wait long. The musical director for the show played the piano for the audition, which was a real treat. He is a Broadway conductor, and I fell in love with him from the moment I walked in the door. He was wonderful. The song went very well, and I felt elated to be back in show business! (I had been filling out cashier job applications on line, but it didn't feel good.) This felt terrific! I'm making plans to go to Las Vegas in a few weeks and audition for Menopause, the Musical. I checked out the dancing. It looks very basic. Very doable. (even with my new hips.)

Came home and made another lasagna. (The last one I made in August, the night before my surgery.) Today's my brother's birthday, so I better give him a call. Hope everyone is happy and healthy, and improving.
 
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Ahhh! How did I miss your updates?
I love the soap making mention
How neat!
Ditto on starting your afghan. Those sound like good projects for the winter months.
I'm glad your dog is doing better. Poor baby. The mention of her leaning against you was precious. She knows you understand. :)
Hugs about the tears. I hear you. They spring up unexpectedly.
Your physical progress sounds great. It sounds like the yoga is continuing to help.
Reading about your audition was so wonderful! I'll bet that was such a great feeling. And how exciting about Menopause! That is so cool.
One of the things I am so looking forward to is getting back into community theater. It was a saving grace for me when we moved from post to post. Our last year in Germany I basically just was on the technical side and was given the opportunity to be assistant director for a couple of productions. I just couldn't hack acting, being on my feet, especially during the blocking process. I miss it like crazy.
Anyway, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hijack that way.
I'm so excited for you!
The lasagna sounds delicious.

I hope your evening is a good one. :)
 
Thanks @Jaycey. I agree. You body feels totally different when you are engrossed in something that uses your talents. It's very healing. The mental state is so powerful.

@DeepBreath, I didn't think you were hijacking the thread at all. I always enjoy your posts. The lasagna turned out well. It's an easy dish to reheat over the rest of the week. I love having casseroles in the fridge. I'm feeling kind of wiped today. I think it's because of my audition yesterday. I'm just enjoying my cottage and working on my knitting. I'm finishing up a pair of socks, and than I'll tackle that afghan. It's a complicated pattern, but now I understand how to decode it. I'm going to write it all out in my notebook. That'll make it easier.

Lana is fine now. She's running along the bicycle again. I took them both out (separately) this morning. It's been cold. (Well for California, that is...) A great excuse to wear all of my handknit sweaters, scarves, gloves, and hats!

Yes, the yoga is really helping me. I give my self a very basic class, but it works. That's all that matters to me. I noticed it helped a lot at the audition, too. How neat that you were asst. director in Germany! I worked as asst. director on Anything Goes in Berlin! It played at Theatre des Westens. I loved traveling through Europe. I hope to return someday...

Take care and keep in touch! Best wishes to all the hipsters out there...
 
@Hip Hip Hooray!, in my opinion, anything like lasagna is even better in the next couple of days. It just keeps melding all the great flavors together and gets yummier. :)
I'm so glad Lana is better and is out running again! :dogwalk:
It sounds like you have a lot of wonderful knitting projects lined up. I'll bet your afghan will be just beautiful. I'd love to see a picture of it when it's complete.

Yeah, I've just been involved in community theater, but man do I love it. It's generally such a great group of people and there's something about working together from casting to the final product. I love that sense of accomplishment. That you do this professionally is so impressive to me. When will you hear something back about the audition?

I hope you have a terrific weekend filled with things that make you happy! :flwrysmile:
 
Hi @Deep Breath, Thanks. The weekend was great. I fed my lettuce patch lots of compost from my compost pile. I ripped out the cabled pattern for the afghan and switched to a K2P2 ribbed pattern. Easier, faster, and more efficient. I love cables, but I'm getting cold at night! I've been putting the heat on, and if I zip through this blanket, it will keep me nice and warm. I will do that pattern, though. It's a gorgeous piece of art work. It's supposed to be on worsted weight yarn, and now I can see why. I was using chunky, and the squares were really big. Oh well. Something for the future.

I don't think I will hear back on the audition. The callbacks are on Nov. 16th, but the director said "Thank you". That usually means they're not interested. The musical director told me, "A pleasure." He was very nice, and is an exceptional talent. When he played my song, I felt like I had a whole orchestra behind me! It was exciting to sing my song for him.

I was watching a segment of Carolyn Myss on Youtube yesterday. She talked about your work having three different levels. The first is a job, the second is a career, and the third is a calling. That really resonated with me. I was thinking about how dancing was always clearly my calling. Now that I have new hips, I was questioning what my new calling would be. As I was watering my orchard, I heard that still small voice say, "Your calling is farming." How interesting. Now that I've had the surgery, I can work in the yard again. When I moved here, I planted several fruit trees, and started growing vegetables. It really is something I enjoy, and it helps reduce my expenses. I have a nice little plot of land. My neighbor gives me as much free manure as I want, and I have a huge compost pile behind my garden shed. I put all of the fruit and vegetable trimmings in there.

I am going to apply myself more to growing food and see how that goes. I may even get a few chickens again. I love having the eggs, and the manure is great for the compost pile. (not to mention the orchard.) It's good exercise, too. I feel like I'm building strength, but in a healthy, safe way.

Last night while doing yoga, I had a breakthrough. I am finally getting some turnout back. It's taken quite a while. I am now able to put my right ankle on my left knee, and do the other side. I realized that I could try doing some ballet barre work, but just turn out the working leg. It's uncomfortable to try to rotate both at the same time. I think because I had a bilateral surgery, it's taken me longer to heal as far as external rotation. But, I'm really pleased with how my flexibility is increasing. That was always a struggle for me. My body is starting to bend with ease into the poses. I'm relieved.

I hope everyone is doing well and progressing in their healing journey...
 
Hey, even if you don't get a call back, at least you did the audition and did your best! Always is good to keep in practice, too. I'm involved with a local theater company that is just for actors with disabilities, so I know about auditioning - not nearly as much as you, though. I really became interested in your story because you're a dancer/singer, and it just seems like such a challenge that you had both hips replaced at the same time. It seems like you are recovering much faster because you've kept your body so strong and it's not surprising that you're once again doing your yoga!

Interesting about that voice saying your calling is now farming. From what you've written, you really seem to enjoy it and are good at it. One thought - most of your theatrical performances were probably indoors, and the endless rehearsals indoors, too? Maybe now it's time for you to enjoy more time outdoors and work with nature. I'm sure the chickens and plants would love your singing, too. I certainly can understand you might have very mixed feelings about this, I know I would have them. Sometimes life just has us change direction when we get to be "middle aged," and it's good to at least look at our options.

Your posts are always so positive and I'll continue to follow your adventures!
 
@Hip Hip Hooray!, hey, you gotta get that blanket done so you keep cozy! It will be beautiful whatever pattern you use. :)
I'm sorry about the audition. It's wonderful you got to work with that musical director though. He sounds fantastic. I'm sending out good vibes for the exact right role for you to come along. It's out there! :)

I love that your voice talked to you about farming. I agree that you are doing your recovery in a healthy way, both spiritually and physically. Heck, I feel the healing just from reading your posts! :)
Growing your own food and just living that organic life sounds incredible. I look forward to hearing about where that goes.

Yaay about the increased turnout! I know that has been a concern and I'm glad that you are seeing progress in that area. I so understand that feeling of, 'Will I ever be able to ____ again?'
My money is on you to not just recover 100%, but even more than that. You're wise in that you take the time to listen to the inner voice, take the healing power of nature, and consider the whole picture as it relates to your healing and your future. You inspire me.

Have a great day, friend. :flwrysmile:
 
Hi Guys, Thank you for your encouraging posts. They made my day. @HipSurprise, Yes, I do think being in good shape really helped with my recovery. I went to the gym this morning and did the machines again. They have been closed for remodeling for the past week and a half, so I did yoga at home. Riding the bike every day seems to really be great medicine, too. My thigh muscles have doubled in size! They were just skin and bone before the surgery. It was scary. I'm thrilled with the improvement. Before the operation I looked like I had cancer or something.

Yes, I am really enjoying being outside. My crops have been exciting this year. All of the mulching and composting has paid off. I feel like I am eating such healthy, organic food, and most of it is grown right here. I have neighbors that I share it with, and they give me some of their homegrown fruits and veggies, too. It's wonderful. Sure saves money, too. I decided to just go with it. It feels right. Also, it takes a lot of time and discipline. It's not paid work, but if I do it right, I will have enough money. It's also very therapeutic.

@DeepBreath, Yes, the ROM is really encouraging. It's happening organically. I don't push, I just allow. I really feel like doing daily tasks is plenty of PT for my body. I went to the gym today, and I often forget that I even had the surgery. I think the bone and muscle growth has been rapid and enthusiastic. I always have healed quickly. I still am conservative, though. I tried a little tap dancing in my kitchen, but it made my left buttocks muscle sort of grab. It just felt weird and off. So, no more dancing right now. I'll wait as long as I need to...if it doesn't happen, that's okay, too. I just want to take care of these new hips and protect them.

Tonite I'm making rack of lamb with gracy, whipped potatoes, and sauteed carrots. Yum! I'm also having the urge to make a gingerbread cake. I'll top it with homemade sweetened vanilla whipped cream. Sounds delicious...

I decided to stop pressuring myself to get another job. Taking care of the house, the farm, and the dogs is plenty. I have enough money to stay home, as long as I'm very frugal. I've been doing a lot of knitting. I love it! I think my life is going to be totally different, now that I've had this surgery. I've decided that that's okay. I had a terrific career as a dancer, but my home and car are paid off, and I might as well enjoy them. I don't need to chase a performing career anymore. (although I am still open to it.)
 
@Hip Hip Hooray! even though your body might now be quite ready for tap dancing yet, it made me smile to think of you tapping away in your kitchen. Good for you!
I love to read about how your ROM is improving organically. I have been struggling with the PT issue after this next surgery. While our situations are very different...your body is just more conditioned and fluid than mine...I keep going back and forth about whether or not to do the home PT or just wait until that initial healing has taken place, doing the simple exercises I've been doing all along as well as walking, and then go to the specialized out patient PT that my surgeon wants me to take. Sorry...thinking out loud there. :wink:

Oh my goodness, your dinner sounded amazing. I have never cooked lamb. Do you find it to be easy? And YES to the gingerbread cake! This time of year practically demands it. :)

Good for you for not stressing about the job situation. You seem very in tune with what you need. When the time is right, you'll know. I also believe that the perfect position will waiting for you then.
I don't know if this would interest you or not, but have you considered maybe running a little store on Etsy?
Knit items are a big thing there, especially if done beautifully, which I'm sure yours are. Just a little something to think about. :)

I hope you're having a glorious day, friend. :flwrysmile:
 
Hi @DeepBreath, You write the nicest posts. Thank you for all of the encouragement. Yes, I've thought of Etsy, but it would be very time consuming. For now I just knit clothes and gifts. I'm still working on the blanket. It's coming along.

I'm a big believer in the power of drilling the basics. I like those PT exercises that they gave me in the hospital. I really feel that they are plenty. Also, since I've taught yoga and dance for so many years, I have carefully studied the body and healing. I also watch animals, and how they heal. They are so wise. You sound like you read people really well, so I'm sure you would sense if this PT that your OS suggests is right for you or not. In my case, my surgeon will give us a prescription for PT if we want it, but he also feels that doing our own exercise routine, (if we have one,) is fine. I'm sure you'll do what's best for you.

Yesterday and the day before I had a tight, throbbing pain in the left glut muscle. I think it's because I added some weight on the butt blaster machine at the gym. I'll do it without weight next time. I rolled around on a golf ball to massage it, and that really helped. I also iced the bum and hip flexor before bed, and took an ibuprofen. (I know Tylenol is supposed to be better, but I'm too cheap to buy anything.) Anyway, it worked like a charm, and I slept so soundly last night. I woke up feeling very relaxed, peaceful, and well rested. Also, the muscle pain was gone. It's amazing what rest will do.

Today I took my German shepherd up to Wrightwood and we went hiking at Inspiration Point. The mountains are just gorgeous! I am happiest when I am in the mountains. I wore my hand knit alpaca gloves, cashmere hat, and Italian wool scarf with all of the cables. The weather was gorgeous. I packed some snacks, and enjoyed those on a bench with a spectacular view. I made sure not to hike too far. I know I have a tendency to overdo, so I kept it short and sweet.

I'm enjoying a cup of fresh peppermint tea right now. I think I'm going to need to buy another peppermint plant for my kitchen windowsill. I'm using this one so much...the flavor is delicious. I'm going to start making yogi tea on the stove again, too. I love those herbs. I've been putting cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in my morning coffee. It really gives me a lift. I love this time of year.

I've had some realizations about healing recently. I was thinking about how when the fruit trees bear fruit, we pick it and then expect that the tree will need a rest. It will go dormant, we'll mulch it, prune it, and then wait until Spring when it blossoms. We would never expect the tree to give us fruit two of three times a year. That's not how their cycles work. Yet, with this surgery, many of us expect our bodies to jump up and perform two or three times as fast as everyone else. It's strange. I remember in the hospital, the PT's saying that I was way ahead of what was normal. But, the trap of that is the ego. I felt flattered but I still needed time to heal. I could have easily gotten injured if I'd rushed ahead with PT. I'm so glad that I went slowly and methodically. I got this image of telling a fruit tree, "Listen, you're way ahead of all of the other fruit trees in this orchard, you don't need to wait until the summer to fruit, just do it now." Timing is so important. We are more patient with nature than we are with our own bodies. (Well, at least I am.)

I can feel that my muscles were worked from the hike today. I'm going to do a little yoga tonight. It's been fun to see the progress. I hope everyone is doing well with their recovery.
 
I loved reading your last post, and it really seems that you're fully in touch with your body, with your soul, and with nature. Yes, we don't expect the trees to grow fruit without a rest period, don't expect flowers to bloom without a rest period, yet we seem to think us humans have super powers and be able to perfectly heal with the snap of a finger. Maybe we're just a bit egotistical, too?? PLLLLLLL...

I'm sure that with your attitude, you'll be dancing once again - even if it's "just" dancing in your wonderful garden! Love your red shoe avatar!!
 
Hello @hiphiphooray I am so happy reading your great report. I'm tired reading it though, I'm never that productive despite always being busy. I have the crunchy persimmons here, I keep forgetting to pick them. Be well.


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Hi @Plum Perfect, You sound very productive to me. I love those persimmons that you have. (The Fuyus.) I hope that you are healing from the PT. I always enjoy your updates.

Hi @HipSurprise, Thank you for the encouragement. Yes, I love being in nature. I find it so healing and inspiring.

Today I finally got out my ladder and electric saw and removed a tree branch that was laying on my neighbor's carport. It looks so much better in the front cottage garden now. I was a little nervous to get up on the ladder, but it went okay. I pulled up a couple of dead fruit trees in my backyard orchard. They just didn't survive the drought. I sawed them into pieces, and filled the two green waste bins. I wanted to do more, but made myself stop. There's always tomorrow.

Last night while doing yoga before bed, I had another breakthrough. I decided to try tree pose, but laying on my back. I didn't force any rotation on the knee to the side. I just put the leg where it could reach, naturally. My right side was still stiff, but a little better than it has been. The left knee shocked me. It dropped all the way to the floor! I didn't have to push at all, I just allowed it to do what was natural. Such a lesson in ROM. I feel like the right side will also recover in time. I didn't know this was possible. I haven't had this kind of flexibility in three years! It felt like it happened overnight. I also am noticing that I can easily bend forward in a seated forward fold now. It's just getting easier without effort. All I have to do I show up. It seems like I'm going to get extremely flexible. What a shift! I'm very excited. The lesson for me is to be passive and relaxed.

It looks like I am going to go to Vegas next week for that audition after all. I'm just waiting to hear back from the production office with an appt. time. It'll be fun to see the show. I've been working on my songs.

Now I've got to roll around on that golf ball again. My left butt cheek is a little tight again today. I'm going to ice again. It makes a big difference, even at this stage. I hope everyone is healing well.
 
Hi @Hip Hip Hooray! Catching up on your threads and once again I think I've felt a drop in my blood pressure,, hahaha ,, your posts relax me.
I am a farm girl, through and through so your posts about gardening and farming resonate deeply with me.
I lived on working farms for many years,, up until about 16 years ago, in fact, the childhood farm was a horse and grain farm. Horses were for harness racing, my dad was a trainer and driver. Second was in my first marriage --all grain and cattle-- with horses for pleasure that go around.
It's very therapeutic to work with the soil and nature and the freshly grown crops are a great bonus. We have a small yard but put in raised garden beds, I get a lot of produce from them. My husband-aka-city boy- loves picking his veggies from the back yard. We grew green bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, onions, arugula and romaine lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, all in a small space. I need one more raised bed so I can go back to raising beets and butternut squash.
Congrats on the call back audition and you are going to Vegas for that?? Can you drive there or will you need to fly?
It's interesting about your progress and am following your work to get the legs to turn out, as you call it. I didn't have any trouble with that, mine is more the internal rotation.. but internal rotation is what hurt so badly pre op, so it isn't surprising.
I did a long massage session today. Hip never hurt me at all. But my arms are shaky-- due to the neck issues. no pain there, either, I need to rebuild my arm strength.

I don't think a day goes by without my feeling gratitude for this hip.. we all went through so much to get to our decision to do it but we all are bouncing back!!
 
Hi @CricketHip, Loved your post. Thank you. I've got to catch up with your thread. Actually, I didn't get a callback, I just found out that the E I have to sing for Menopause the Musical, is not a high E. I researched lyric soprano, and she sings to a high C or D. So, that just means that I can easily hit the E for the part I would be cast in....Thank goodness for Google. It was easy to get the answers I needed. I made my reservation for the show and the hotel this morning. I bought some groceries for the road trip this afternoon. I also went to Victoria's Secret and spent $34.00 on a "Bombshell bra". It's supposed to make me look two cup sizes larger. The part I'm auditioning for is an aging soap star, and she is buxom. I'm not, but hopefully the bra will help. It is quite good. I have to admit. I'm as prepared as I can be.

@DeepBreath, Yesterday I finally mopped my kitchen floor. It had been ages. The kitchen looks so much better! It feels better, too. I also used my homemade citrus vinegar cleanser on the counters. I need to keep up on that. I had really gotten behind on the deep cleaning. Gross.

Tomorrow I'm off to Vegas. I'll see the show tomorrow night, and my audition is on Wed. at 12:30 p.m. Cross your fingers for me! I'm excited. There aren't that many auditions for women my age. I've got to go work on my songs and my comedy monologue. Talk to you soon... p.s. It's four twenty in the afternoon, and it feels like it's time for bed!
 
Good luck to you! I can't bring myself to say "break a leg" :heehee:
 
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