THR Bizzy Lizzy on the other side

[MommaCatt]

@BizzyLizzy so great to hear that your walk and library visit worked out so well. Glad to hear how well you are progressing, keep up the good work.

 

[lizzicat]

Hello Lizzi

The walk across an olde bridge and a trip to an historical library sounds so lovely.

I am an Anglophile and wish the Brits had won the American Revolution or even better, that my parents did not emigrate after WW2 to US.

Never felt I belong on this side of the pond.

You live in northern England? Just wondering if you've ever read ( or seen the mini series ) dr. Norrell and mr strange ( read book 2x and film.)

I imagine that the damp cold would be hard on arthritis! The beauty and endorphins though from the scenery must counteract some but even when it is wet or cold here I can feel it. I'm glad your suffering is drawing to a close.

( I am currently in the desert near Las Vegas and I want to move although can't while mom needs me)

I am so proud of you.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[SEA]

@Nana2-8 - I must admit, my first thought was "I hope mine wasn't in the sale - I want a proper full-price one!" Maybe us hippies just take things too seriously. You've got me thinking about the things I looked forward to doing. I agree with the whole parking/walking thing and I've made a lot of progress on that one. Climbing stairs properly was another one, and I nailed that last week. Putting socks on and tying shoelaces would be another one, but that's still a way off. As is painting my toenails. A great thing happened earlier, however. My husband put on a Bob Marley CD and I found myself DANCING!

Oh I'm finding your posts on your recovery thread so uplifting! I'm looking forward to my THR on the 5 Sept, my limp is so bad and getting back & fourth to work is such an effort, but there is light at the end of the tunnel soon! Getting nervous, worrying about dislocating, my limp staying the same as my leg maybe shorter etc. I need to calm down!

 

[BizzyLizzy]

Thank you all for your good wishes. I do think I live in a beautiful place, but I'm probably biased as I have lived here a long time! I was actually born in the Lake District, which is also extremely beautiful, but I love the North-East now as it has so much to offer. As well as the old cities of Newcastle and Durham, the coast and countryside are close by and really lovely. I'm very much a northern girl and proud of it!Anyway, I will stop sounding like a tourist guide...
@lizzicat - I had heard of the Strange and Norrell series but it was on in May here, when my hip was at its very worst and I wasn't watching much TV as I just couldn't concentrate. It actually looks just like my sort of thing, so I'm going to start watching on catch-up TV or maybe even get the book, as I find I'm reading a bit more now. Thank you for the suggestion. Reading your thread it looks like you've had a rough time with your doctors and the whole pain management thing. So sorry that you are going through so much - sending hugs to you and really hope you get things sorted out. Wish there was something I could do to help xx

@Constanze - Shetland is definitely on my list of places to visit. We were actually thinking of going a couple of years ago, but that was when my hip problems started, so we decided against it. Maybe next year.

@SEA - I was at around the point you are now when I first joined Bonesmart and those two months went by really quickly. You will get lots of support on here and you may well find you get a bit calmer as the date approaches. That's what happened to me - I was an anxious mess when I started out and I was pretty sure I just wouldn't be able to cope with having the op at all . Had visions of running away from the hospital on the day! However the pain, the limp and not being able to walk for more than 15 minutes meant that I stuck with it, and as you can probably tell, I'm very glad I did!

In other news, I am officially 6 weeks post-op and have got rid of the dreaded TEDS! I was going to have a ceremonial burning or at least cut them up into little bits, but in the end I just put them in the bin and walked away. I may wear a skirt today! I also went to see my GP this week as I don't see the OS for another 2 weeks and I was starting to feel I needed some medical person to tell me I'm doing the right things! She was really nice, but didn't really have anything to say that I didn't already know. However, the best news is that I can now drive! We agreed that short distances would be best and I have no intention of doing anything else, but I've been out a couple of times and it was so much more comfortable than pre-op. The only problem I have is getting in and out of the car. I have a tiny little car and I'm quite tall so it takes some manoeuvring of the hip to get in and out safely. However, my daughter did remind me of the contortions I used to go through pre-op and I remember vividly how extremely painful that was. When I used to arrive anywhere, I tended to wait until there was no-one else around before getting out - I couldn't bear anyone witnessing what I had to do! It's not quite like that now, and once I get out I can walk away, almost like a normal person, which I definitely couldn't do before.

 

[BizzyLizzy]

Like @Nana2-8, I realised I have been posting on other threads but I haven't updated my own. I thought it might be time to make a note of the things I can now do, which I couldn't last week, as well as the things I still can't do. If nothing else it will serve to remind me of my progress on the "down" days when I think I'm never going to fully recover! Starting with the positives. I can now:
Sleep on my side
Use a normal toilet
Get in and out of the bath

On the less positive side, I still can't:
Tie my right shoelace
Put on my right sock
Reach anything in a low cupboard
Get up from sitting elegantly and without pain!

Frustratingly, I find there are several things which I think I can do and then find I can't. For example:

I can walk happily to the local shops and back picking up a few items, but I can't walk back carrying a full bag of groceries.
I can push the vacuum cleaner around a room but I can't get down and clean in the corners.
I can sit with a friend in a coffee shop for half an hour, but I can't go to someone's house for lunch and sit in their uncomfortable chair for 2 hours

These last three things have all happened to me in the last week - I'm starting to realise that there are limitations to this recovery business and I have to give it time and have patience. At the moment I can't imagine a time when I will be able to do the things on the "can't" list, but I have to remind myself that I couldn't walk to the end of our street a few weeks ago.

I have my OS appointment on Friday. It will be so good to have some input and I'm really looking forward to seeing the x-rays! I'm starting to compile my list of questions...

 

[DizzyBlond]

As I was reading your list of things that aren't quite do-able just yet, you've just brought something to my attention that I will be adding to my list for our September holiday - lots of pillows and cushions for the chairs and couches in the condo! As you know, I'm already a bit stressed about the whole toilet seat situation. My husband tends to make light of these things as I bring them up, but I explained to him this morning that they are valid concerns I have - he sympathetically listened, and assured me we'll just cart down as much of my extra "equipment" as I might feel necessary. BUT, he reminded me, it's a month away, so he thought I'd be wise to stop trying to figure it all out now, and wait till the trip is a bit closer.

I love how you're actually making lists of each new accomplishment, Liz! I'm a bit worried that if I made a list of all the things I still have yet to manage at this point, I'd be quite discouraged! So for now, I'm celebrating more use of the cane, less need for the walker, and other small victories! Have a lovely Sunday!!! xox

 

[Constanze]

Hi @BizzyLizzy , I was very pleased to read your update. You will be able to accomplish all those things you are waiting for. You just have to wait to get that muscle back which was left unused because of the bone-on-bone pain pre-op.
Walking in the north must be fun. I'm an Anglophil, too, like @lizzicat . I haven't seen so much in the north - we drove through northern England on the way to Scotland from where we flew to the Shetlands. But I've been to Poole, Brighton, Folkestone, Cambridge, Exeter, Exmouth and Landsend. Devon and Cornwall are well worth it - I like the gardens and in August, it can get so warm that you can swim in the sea.
Do keep us up to date about your recovery - all the best - Constanze

 

[BizzyLizzy]

Hi @DizzyBlond - it's funny how our husbands see these things in a different light to us. I have a feeling that mine is just humouring me a lot of the time when I voice my concerns. It is probably good to take each day as it comes, but I'm very good at anticipating future problems - there seems to be so much that can go wrong! I'm finding it quite useful, as the days go by, to think about the things I can do now that I couldn't before. No new things to report over the last few days - when I can tie my shoelace with ease, I plan a huge celebration - maybe I'll make a video! It sounds like you are doing fine and continuing to celebrate those small but significant milestones - moving from the walker to the cane is definitely progress. it also sounds like you are beginning to really enjoy the absence of pre-op pain. For me, that is just the best thing!

@Constanze - it sounds like you have travelled quite a lot in the UK. Next time, you should visit the North - particularly if you like walking. The only problem with being this far North is the weather. It's always a few degrees colder here! I am actually going to Cornwall next week and I'm really looking forward to feeling a bit warmer. I love Cornwall and I'm hoping to try out my new hip with some walking in the more gentle countryside down there (and maybe even some swimming!) Thank you very much for your good wishes - I will certainly keep you updated.

 

[Wrknitout]

@BizzyLizzy I really enjoy your posts. I visualize the beautiful countryside you write of . I find a lot of inspiration in your posts and some laughter. It seems you are doing fabulous and I am glad that is the case. Thank you for the update. The list was great. Take care and have fun on your next adventure whatever it may be.

 

[DizzyBlond]

Yes, Liz, I do believe we, as women, can approach this entire "event" (and the subsequent challenges and concerns) with different "lenses" than the men seem to view the situation! I have a very practical husband, so I'm sure it helps balance me out when I tend to get over-wrought with things! You are so right - just a day at a time!

I think we should all celebrate your "shoelace-tying" victory when that day comes! (It will be soon, I'm sure, and yes, for all to fully be able to participate in the celebration, I think you definitely SHOULD make a video that we can view!!!!!!) I would have to say that it might be one of the small benefits to living in such a warm climate as I do - it's sandal weather from April till October, so no concerns about shoelaces for me quite yet! (But I DO have to worry about getting my toenails done! Still trying to figure that one out. I'm too afraid I'll have nothing to sit in but the wrong kind of chair (dislocation issues) if I were to go have a pedicure, but I don't think I'm steady enough to manage taping a nail polish brush onto one of the dressing sticks and polishing them "from afar!" Hehe!!! I'd end up with toes completely covered in polish!) Thank you so for your encouragement as I use my walker less and my cane more often; as I find myself now, without realizing it, even taking steps without any support. Yes, the joy of living without pain is a true and most-appreciated luxury, and I'm loving it!!! xoxoxox

 

[Tweetybrd]

@BizzyLizzy Hey! Looks like you are moving along in your recovery. I have been watching your thread and so happy you are doing well. Your part of the country sounds lovely! I am going to look up and watch a couple of the shows you mentioned.

 

[Miss Muffet]

@BizzyLizzy - there you are and here I am neglecting you. What great progress. Driving - wow isn't it great?! It seems so liberating yet something we took for granted at one time. So so glad you're doing well.
And, friends, I can vouch for the beauty of the North East. My sister lived up there for some time and we loved visiting. She lived in Hexham. I actually preferred going in winter. A long walk with the dog on an endless windy beach ending up in a pub with a log fire and a pile of crab sandwiches was heaven! And Harry Potter's Hogwarts Castle (Alnwick Castle) is absolutely THE castle little girl princesses dream of (and featured in Downton Abbey)

 

[BizzyLizzy]

@DizzyBlond - you will be pleased to know that my lovely PT Lady came today and I now have EXERCISES to help me with the shoe problem! She hasn't given me many exercises before, we have just worked on improving my "functional" fitness. She promised me that I will be able to tie my laces with ease when I next see her on 10th September - we will see... She also manipulated my leg in various directions to test my ROM. I do still have some weak spots and we are going to work on ironing them out, so that I don't get into bad habits. I thought I would be quite sore after what she did, but so far, so good.
@Miss Muffet - what a lovely view of Alnwick Castle. Strangely, we were in Alnwick last weekend, visiting some friends who are renting a holiday cottage there. They have a lovely four year old son who is mad about castles and the Northumberland coast has enough castles to keep him busy for the whole week. While we were there it was market day, and while not wishing to sound like a broken record, it was lovely to be able to walk around and look at the stalls, without pain and needing to sit down every 5 minutes!! You paint a lovely picture of the North East - i agree with you about winter walks on the beach and the lovely pubs. Your sister was lucky to live in Hexham. I worked there for a while a few years ago, and my husband actually went to school there, so we know it well.
@Tweetybrd and @Wrknitout thank you for your good wishes and encouragement. I have had so much help from Bonesmart over the last few months, I really want to "pay it forward" by supporting those who are earlier on in this interesting journey!
It's my follow-up visit with the OS tomorrow. I'm quite excited! My PT helped me with my list of questions and I feel well-prepared. I bought him a card and have written a letter thanking him for the great job he did. I hope he's as pleased as I am with my progress.

 

[Constanze]

Hey @BizzyLizzy , I hope your OS follow-up went well. And I'd like to thank @Miss Muffet for this beautiful picture of Alnwick Castle. What I like so much about England is all these old things in a very modern country - old castles, old houses, not to forget the old pubs where you can have Bed&Breakfast (some of which are haunted hihihi!). Tell me you people - does it snow in the north of England? I'd have thought not so much because of the mild maritime climate. One place I forgot to mention where I went in England is Bath, another place full of history - with the old Roman baths and lots of beautiful buildings - how could I forget that. I stayed there for 6 months during my studies in Heidelberg as part of an exchange between the universities of Bath and Heidelberg (I did English and French to become a translator). It was the winter half year and in that winter it did snow. We students were freezing but we had fun. I joined the walking group and we went on long winter walks and hikes - Dartmoore walk, Dorset walk (impressive walk by the seaside). Miss Muffet you have reminded me of that time.

 

[Miss Muffet]

Ah @Constanze - happy that I brought back lovely golden memories. It sure can snow in any part of England - north and south. I remember when we lived in Kent (known as the Garden of England) right down south when I was young and had an enormous snowfall several feet deep. We drove over Dartmoor only last week and may spend some time around Bath in the coming weeks.

 

[BizzyLizzy]

My follow-up visit to the hospital today was very disappointing! I didn't get to see my OS - the appointment was with an orthopaedic nurse. I had kind of expected this, and I wasn't unhappy with it, but I was told that I would be able to go and see the OS, as he would be in his office. I really wanted to see him and thank him, but there was someone in with him so the nurse told me to just leave the card I had written on the table in the corridor. She really wasn't very nice and I felt rather dissatisfied with the whole experience. It started off with an x-Ray, which was fine. I was called in almost immediately to see the nurse and she had the x-Ray on the screen. She said it was absolutely fine and told me that I have a hybrid implant - cemented stem and uncemented head. That was quite interesting and it was good to see the x-Ray. She then tested to see if I have any LLD, which I don't. She got me to stand on my operated leg, which I could do, and that was about it! She was very dismissive of my questions and told me that I should not be attempting to tie my shoes for another four weeks! She didn't seem pleased that I had been working with a PT and told me that I shouldn't be doing any exercises - only walking. That is one thing I have learned from Bonesmart and it is really all I have been doing, apart from practising the functional activities such as getting out of a chair. When I said I have only been walking, her response was that I should remember when I set out for a walk that I needed to be able to walk back (!!!) All in all it was a bit of a discouraging experience - I felt she couldn't get rid of me fast enough. All she wanted to do was stick to her script, and that was it. I have an appointment to go back in a year. I suppose I should be pleased it has all been straightforward, but I feel I've worked really hard at my recovery, trying to do everything right, and I feel very unsupported. I suppose I just need reassurance (as we all do).

On a brighter note @Constanze - it's so nice that you have such fond memories of the U.K. I've never been to Bath - I saw a programme on TV about it last week and it looks like a lovely place. Now you have mentioned it as well, I feel I really need to go! Miss Muffet is right - we get snow everywhere here and the joke is always that we are never prepared for it. Even though it happens regularly, roads are often closed and transport disrupted. People here generally think that other countries handle snow much better!

 

[Miss Muffet]

So sorry to hear this Liz. We all seem to need so much reassurance and when the professionals can't provide it we feel a bit let down. I found my first preOp assessment nurse rather daunting. Seemed preoccupied with processing me rather than heeding my need for some answers to my questions, but I carried on regardless - after all it's my body! I must admit I was a little bit surprised not to have an x-ray at my postOp assessment. I suppose I sort of assumed they'd want to check everything was in the right place. Instead my OS brought up the x-ray taken the morning after surgery. Good news about lack of LLD. We're you prescribed Physio or did you arrange it yourself? I ask because it seemed strange that the nurse seemed unaware AND if they disapproved of Physio then why weren't you told not to do it? I was simply given a small leaflet with 4-5 basic exercises to do 3-4 times daily. I did them for about the first couple of weeks then, as I found movement was gradually improving, I just concentrated on walking (and not very much of that either). So that's it for another year then - you'll need to put the date in your diary to celebrate the Anniversay of your new hip. When do you leave for Cornwall?

 

[Wrknitout]

@BizzyLizzy well that is a bummer! I feel like you deserve to see the OS ! At the very least the nurse should have a more caring approach. I wish the professionals would have a better understanding of the emotional journey this is for their patients and not be inclined to treat us as though we are on a conveyer belt. I don't mean to generalize as I know there are very compassionate medical professionals and I do realize they are usually very busy but, it just seems this kind of hurry up approach happens to often. I have definitely encountered it. Well the good news is it sounds like you checked out well and with any luck you will not be seeing your OS for at least a years time. Please let us know as soon as you get those shoes tied. Congrats on a great recovery it sounds like you worked hard for it and did a great job all while inspiring others. Take care.

 

[BizzyLizzy]

@Wrknitout - thank you! I'm actually feeling much better about it today. Would have really liked to see the OS and have felt a bit unsupported throughout the whole process. However, on the positive side, the staff were all brilliant during my hospital stay, the operation was a success and know I am having a good recovery. It's all good and maybe I shouldn't complain!

@Miss Muffet - I'm surprised you didn't have an x-Ray at your post op appointment. Funny how things are done differently everywhere! I organised my own physio, but we haven't really been doing exercises - just concentrating on my walking, getting rid of the limp and making everyday things easier to do. She is excellent and I really feel she has helped my progress. Anyway, off to Cornwall today, so feeling pretty excited!

 

[Miss Muffet]

Hmm @BizzyLizzy - now you've got me thinking. Maybe I'll ask my OS, when I'm admitted for Hip 2, whether my day-after-surgery X-Ray can include both hips, just for reassurance (and comparison) ....?
You've got a long journey ahead of you, hope all goes smoothly - and enjoy (but lay off the beach volleyball just for this holiday)