THR back with hip #2

[bellaroma]

Hi Deb, checking in to say hi and to see if you recovered from doggie haircuts.

 

[Poppet]

How are you Deb?

 

[Debowma]

I did. Thanks for asking. I did learn not to lift them, though. I am going to bathe them today but my husband will lift them. I go back to work on monday and am feeling nervous about my energy level. I guess I'll just have to take it a day at a time to see how I do. I can sure see why people recommend 8-12 weeks off. Six weeks is just barely enough. I do feel good, and I am walking much more. I am using a cane as my gait is off (now that I know to hold it on the side opposite the operated hip I'm sure it will be more effective). I am finding that I am not in much pain, unless I stress my hip in some way. I am now able to do 5 side leg lifts - which sounds really wimpy! How about you?

 

[Debowma]

Ok, back to work tomorrow. I went to the gym today and was on the treadmill for 14 minutes. I was able to do 10 side leg lifts and practiced some of my exercises in the water. Felt good and am not in pain tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings. !

 

[nanal]

That is such great news on your gym workout. I look forward to being on the treadmill again. Good luck on your first day back at work.

 

[Debowma]

End of first week back at work. I am very tired. I did it but it was also a stressful week because a close family member died, my brother was in the hospital, and my mother was sick. My only gripe is that I sometimes get tired and then grumpy, especially when family members forget that I'm only 7 weeks out from surgery and have all kinds of chores for me to do. My sister was my savior this week. She really helped me by sitting through an interview with my mother for an at-home assistance program and fielded a lot of the questions and issues. THAT was a real stress reliever. Work is work. I have to say no, otherwise there are tons of needs and tons of tasks. Home is harder to say no. I want the dishes done, the laundry done, the floors washed, and so forth. So the struggle is as much with myself as it is any chore someone creates for me. Gotta say, though, aside from fatigue and a bit more pain (not really much), my hip did GREAT!

 

[Debowma]

Have a question. Are other people doing side leg lifts? My OS wants me to work up to 50 (over time) but I can barely do five, and that is raising my leg only about 6 inches. What are other peoples' experience with this exercise?

 

[Debowma]

And here's another question: I never thought about this until I talked with my cousins, two females, both about three years younger than I, and both of whom are facing hip replacement. My cousin Cheryl is an x-ray tech, and she said her doctor told her there was some hereditary anatomical issue with her hip joint. What I know about me, is that when I was a small child, I had to wear a brace on my feet because I was so in-toed. I have continued to be that way, along with a slight tendency towards knock-knees, all of my life. So now I'm wondering whether my femurs were angled inward causing the wearing out of my cartilage and the development of the bone spurs. Anyone know? I've also always had very tight hip/leg muscles without much flexibility and I'm really prone to cramping in my feet. And, I can't bend over and keep my heels on the floor, no matter how much I stretch. I haven't ever been to an orthopedist just because I never really thought about it much, just thought I wasn't very flexible.

 

[badgerfan]

Hi Debowma, Yes my PT has me doing side leg lifts, two different ways in fact. I do 20 with each leg laying on the floor. I also do 20 with each leg standing with a resistance band on my ankles. One PT wanted me to do the straight leg raises and they hurt. Come to find out the next time i went to PT, a different PT told me that my OS does not believe in the straight ones and stop them now.....

 

[Debowma]

Wow. And you can do 20! Amazing! I must be very weak.

 

[bottomshollow]

I think you may find it's no so much that you're weak, but that badgerfan is a male and 7 years younger than you. I wouldn't for a moment compare what I can do with what he can do. Like comparing apples and oranges.

 

[bellaroma]

Deb, I can not do 50, 20 is my tops on a good day, you are doing great, don't worry about how many you can do, but just go with the flow, and it's fine if you push your self, but don't let realitives do it, you are number 1 not them

 

[Debowma]

Ok. Now I can do 10 side leg lifts but they're still hard. BUT, work has been HARD the past few days. Really wish I was just working half days. Just get SO tired...

 

[Poppet]

Did them once and then thought why am I doing this... My hips are made for walking...

 

[Debowma]

Thanks for saying that Poppet. I'm kind of doing the best I can right now with all of the walking at the hospital - while I sit in an office, I do have other meetings and I have to walk a long hall to get my clients so I find myself walking a lot during the day. That feels like about all I can do in a day right now. So tonight I had a nice dinner at our wonderful thai restaurant after work and I am now resting in bed! My gait is not good so I am using the cane all day at work which really helps. Pain is not bad - somedays I just feel achy from all of the muscles readjusting! So I am trying to take it as easy as possible outside of work.

Deb

 

[Debowma]

Is it normal to be this tired 8 weeks out? I've been back to work for two weeks, and the second week was harder than the first. I work in a hospital as an outpatient mental health therapist and end up walking a lot, but it doesn't seem like so much. I am using my cane, but when I get home at night, I am SO TIRED! I end up going to bed by about 8:00. And today, Saturday, it's 4:00 and I'm about done...

 

[sharonslp]

You're what, about 7 weeks now, Deb? That's very early to be back at work...sitting or walking. Give yourself all the pampering and resting that you can, when you can. Are you having gait issues even with the cane? If so, you might need to top off your pain meds a smidge. If the cane resolves the gait trouble, then just keep using it. Think about how you are walking as you go through the halls at work....heel first, then steady move to the toes and push off and start over. After a while it just happens naturally.

Sharon

 

[sharonslp]

We crossed posts. In a nutshell...YES!!!

What's normal is to still be at home resting 80% of the time at 8 weeks. What's normal is to be putting work off for another month if at all possible. What's normal is to go back to work at 12 weeks, and still be exhausted at the end of the day. What's normal is to still be having a big energy drain for a good four months or more.

If you WEREN'T this tired, you would be abnormal.

Sharon

 

[Debowma]

ok, thanks. If I hear this, I feel better. I'll be 8 weeks on the 29th. Funny that I can't remember what it felt like at this point with my left hip - sort of like forgetting what it's like those first few weeks after giving birth! I wish my OS would not have said, "oh, you can go back to work after a couple of weeks if you have a desk job! I felt guilty taking off 6 weeks.

 

[Katlover13]

Debowma, I hope being back at work gets easier for you. Exhaustion is not fun! My employer is letting me work from home for 6 weeks and that works well for me. (Save me from daytime TV!)