THR Completed on June 14, 2012

[Josephine]

I'd have had someone's head in a vice at some point during that ordeal

Or some other part of his anatomy!

But Cardie is right - you showed enormous self-control and perspicacity throughout that nightmare of a journey! I just hope you're enjoying the holiday anyway.

 

[Poppet]

Wow Elle

So glad you are ok. That was not the kinda lead up to going up. That is a lot of stairs.. Do take it easy as it sounds like it is not an easy challenge or exercise..

Is there anyway you can set up yourself downstairs for a couple of weeks, and just practice a few steps at a time?

Will hubby be home with you for a couple of weeks?

Go back to the BoneSmart mantra rest, elevate, ice and take some meds for a few days. I do know that you are reluctant to take drugs, but just for a couple of days?

Yes, breathing and meditation is so good, and extra good for you right now.

Take care and big hugs xxxxxx

 

[C Mac]

Today is the start of Week 4 and according to Jo's programme, time for 30 minutes of walk a day.

Very nice, Elle. However, if you have not walked for 30 minutes then you don't start with a 30 minute walk -- that's not what Jo's program would want. It is a slow progression with plenty of time to see how it works for you both during the walk and afterwards as well.

I had a period of time early on in my recovery where I thought I should be doing longer walks than just to the end of the driveway and back -- so did just that multiplied by about 100, a couple days in a row until my body did a gigantic freak out and I ended up on the couch with ice, in tears, on tylenol. That's where the "slow and steady" mantra comes in that you read about in so many people's threads. It is normal to want to get up and go and put that shiny new hip to work, but there is a lot of soft tissue adaptation that is going on in addition to general healing from the surgery.

I'm glad that you got your meditations all lined up, they have way fewer side effects than the medications

Take care & go easy on the stairs too,
Cardie

 

[Elle11]

Alright, Sunday and kicking back with an ice-pack on my hip. It has been an amazing few days. The stairs which had terrified me are now my new best friends. I am actually containing myself in just part of the house which cuts the use of steps in half, Sandy, from 89 to 42. I don't know how it happened. I was saying that little reminder "Down with the bad, up with the good" to remember what leg to put down first. I don't like calling my operated hip "bad", but it does help one do it correctly. Then before I knew it, I was going up and down the stairs normally!! By the end of the day, for the first time in a long time, my calves and hamstrings had that nice exercised feeling. I was also out in the garden cutting back the philodendrun which has taken over in just three weeks and potting orchids. (Both activities could be done standing; still haven't been brave enough to kneel or get on the floor, as documents say "6 weeks")

I am off all meds (except vitamins), doing morning yoga (modified), PT (carefully tried a side lift; can do!) and my beloved Egoscue exercises for the hips. I put my small chair on the bed, as I am not yet ready for the floor. I am CONVINCED a lot of my pain is from misalignment. In fact I spend a lot of time just standing (in mountain pose) trying to feel if my weight is evenly distributed. My OS straightened out my pelvis, so I am trying to mindful not to tilt it again.

Yesterday, was the first day I could oil my incision and it feels so good! Just doing plain coconut oil for now. (Thanks, Smja) The dryness was uncomfortable.

Mosty however, I have been following C Mac's advice to nap, recover and rest...and stay in comfy clothes. Cardie, I am trying to imagine you walking up and down your driveway 100 times...YEOW! I think it is natural to worry about "not doing enough". Today I was reading about how muscles atrophy and I, too, worried I was not doing enough and that my joint will "stick" at a certain ROM.

I still have 5 weeks of this wonderful space to heal.

 

[Poppet]

Oh Elle,

Fantastic, I have been waiting to see a post on your own thread to let us know how you are progressing.. What a great update. That is wonderful

How lovely it must be amongst your garden and orchids, feeding your soul and senses.

I am pleased you have modified the number of steps, but it won't be many more weeks before you will be able to accomplish the 89...

Good for you - go girl

 

[dianemarie]

Recovery...healing...isn't it the best!!! So happy for you, Elle. A garden of delights waits for you with your new hip.

 

[C Mac]

Thanks for the reminder about Egoscue -- I'd been recollecting something from this (I think it was this modality) for a few weeks now. I have noticed that when I walk I do not swing my arm on the THR side anymore.... so I'm trying to be mindful of this motion in order to move in a more balanced fashion.

Actually, when I increased my walking from the driveway at first I just went to the stop sign at the end of the block and back. That seemed so dull and elderly that one day when the weather was nice I took on the gigantic two block loop, did something similar the next day, went to back to school night with one child, PT once or twice and *boom* I was down. That was when I gave myself the reminder that "walking" had not been the most perfect of activities prior to my surgery and that it was fool hearty of me to assume that my shiny ball and socket set was going to make it suddenly work a whole lot differently!!! That's just because of my CDH stuff though, I guess most hippies that have a more normal anatomy get the walking thing down easily and earlier.

Yes, muscles do atrophy, but that is a reversible process and you have plenty of time to work on that as time progresses and more healing has occurred. Your hip won't get stuck -- it's got that nice shiny, round joint in there. You have plenty of time to do more things for your ROM as time progresses -- it's never too late, but as some of us find out it can be a bit too early to try the more extreme ROM activities and/or exercises.

Take care,
Cardie

 

[Anniepops]

Great update Elle, sounds like you are doing just fab. Well done with the steps and being able to do it normally, that s a wonderful feeling isn't it.
Thanks for the Egoscue link. I have had a look and am going to give those exercises a go.

Keep up the good work. Onwards and upwards

Ann

 

[VThereandnow]

Glad you posted on your own thread Elle, and thanks for the link. I checked them out and will try them. Sounds like you are coming along beautifully. My doc told me people can usually get down on the floor, but that it is getting up where they get stuck. Just make sure if you end up trying, that someone is around so you can get back up.

It is great that you have incorporated so much info from others experiences, yet you are the one who will know your body and limits best. Please do learn from us the "doing things gradually" thing. So easy to do too much too fast and you are so early out. You have a great attitude and internal wisdom that will guide you well along this journey.

...and yes, I might go blueberry picking tomorrow. The place I pick at sent an email saying they are in early and are big and beautiful and sweet .
My poor family in Wisconsin-my mom said just about all the crops there are dying from the heat and no rain

Thanks for all your visits to my thread and keep on moving girl, you are doing great , cathy

 

[dianemarie]

Elle,

So glad to hear you are doing well. Thank you for your your beautiful words on my thread about "a new joy everyday". I have taken that to heart and it is a nice reminder of the simple things in life being some of the most important. The birds early morning songs were my joy for today. May you have many joys throughout your day as well. A lot of healing takes place in these precious moments.

 

[debkakes]

Elle, it sounds like there's no way your muscles have a chance to antrophy! I haven't done any yoga poses yet, but I'm going to look at this Egoscue you guys mentioned. I think PT wise there is a lot more I could be doing at this point. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[Poppet]

Elle, sadly the book on Egoscue is only in paper form on Amazon, but I did find a eBook by the same author called:

'Pain Free for Women: The Evolutionary Program for Ending Chronic Pain'

So bought it and have been reading it - thanks

 

[Elle11]

Hello lovely people!

Cardie, C Mac; girl there you go again. Always having a surprise. I am sure others knew this, but being rather new on the scene, I have just realized you have kids small enough to have molars pulled and have school nights...and I believe the magic number is 3?? I can't imagine a bigger job than raising a child. So, you have all these challenges in your body AND you have to nurture at the same time??!!! God bless you, girl!

dianemarie; Yes, yes, you are so right on when you say that so much healing happens just when we are in a moment of joy!!! I am so glad you have birdsongs to enjoy in the morning!

That's too bad you can't get the whole Egoscue "Pain Free" book, Sandy Smja; I read it three times and am always referring to it. Well, happy you chanced on another promisng sounding one!

@debcakes; Anniepops; VThereandnow: , I would definitely take a look at those hip exercises. There are only FOUR for the hip and they are not the "exhausting" type of exercsies, but rather ones that target alignment. The second of the four is actually a variation of a yoga pose (dandasana) and if you look, it is also a variation of one of our basic PT exercises of squeezing the quads to the floor, toes pointed to nose ("active" leg)!

Photo credit

The third one is the sequence is so comforatbel, you may not want to get out, but the last one "supine groin stretch" is where the work really comes. It releases the inner groin muscle and I suspect, the psoas as well. It was impossible for me to do before surgery. Now I can!! I bet all your PTs know these.

Ah, here I am on Week 4 and the word that sums it up is: GRATITUDE. Even though I cannot yet walk more than 5 minutes before I am so completely exhausted, I want to just pass out on the street, I am just accepting that. Thank you to Cardie for reminding me that Jo’s 30 minutes means don’t start at 30. My assessment is: no cardio exercise for a long time will do this to ANY body, even if that body did not just have major surgery. This is a great lesson in not comparing, as I hear others marching about on long walks so early on.

So, the good things: No pain, no pain medication. Walking up and down steps normally, with support from handrail. Use walker for night bathroom trips and maneuvering in and out of shower safely, but walking without support around the house. Scooping things off floor since week 1 with golfers lunge (which is second nature: that was the only way I could get to the floor with OA anyways.) Have been sleeping on my operated side for the last week (best on ice.!) Back to my early morning sadhana (yoga), followed by Egoscue exercises and PT exercises, many which I am creating as I go, as well as my free weight routine for upper body strength (as I don’t see myself doing a handstand for at least a year; no compromise to the hip in terms of position, but NOT risking a fall!) I can now do side lifts with leg! I also got on the floor today by just slipping down to my butt from the edge of the bed to the floor. I laughed because I said to myself, "Well, just like Cathy mentioned her doctor said that they can get down, but they can't get up. So, how are you going to get out of this, Elle?" I told myself not to worry about it, just enjoy the floor (I did!) I managed to get up the same way I got down, backing into the bed and hoisting myself up with my arms.

I am chuffed that I have been able to almost “automaticity” follow the posterior restrictions, with a few minor “oops” to the 90 degree (note to subconscious: remember not to reach for blankets in the middle of night!) The precautions were one of my major fears: I thought I was going to accidently move into a 85 degree angle and dislocate my (now) beloved new hip.

By far,my greatest accomplishment (don’t laugh) has been savasana (corpse pose). (Although I am over the moon with Cardie’s report that the modified pigeon was introduce by lateral/posterior folks, I think I have to hold off on that for the first three months.) Savasana has not been available to me for years because it was too painful on the hip to rest my back and the muscles of my right leg had already shrunk so much that straightening the right leg was impossible. It was a miserable pose for me, even with modifications to raise my legs up on a bolster. Oh, but now…. what pure joy to lay in savasana!

Picture Credit

Thank you every one for sharing your stories on this blog, as well as for offering advice with such warmth and kindness. The camaraderie has certainly been a major support to me these past four weeks. Such a lovely unexpected fringe benefit from this process!

 

[Poppet]

Hi Elle

What a great update, you are such a wonderful calming influence as you post on so many threads and with such wisdom and caring.. I love reading your posts and look for them each time I log on.

I love the extra new poses you give us also, I have been well and truly practicing the 'corpse' one this week!

Hugs

 

[VThereandnow]

Yes, great update Elle and the updates are a great tool for yourself also. On a day when you perhaps are not feeling as grateful, you can look back on your own thread and see your progress. Happy for the return of your savasana pose. How wonderful. Keep up the good, mindful work of this very personal journey

 

[C Mac]

Well, 5 minutes of walking at 4 weeks post surgery is just fine and to be proud of, Elle It is wonderful to know that you are taking your time and it sounds like having plenty of success with all sorts of movements; stairs, golfer's reach, showering, sleeping on the op-side, leg lifts and "floor time."

I didn't know savasana was "corpse pose" when my daughter was much younger she used to do a yoga class and at the end the teacher would do "savasanas" and my daughter always described it as a little guided visualization of something as they were lying on their mats quietly finishing the session. I always thought savasana had something to do with the visualization -- not the physical position they were in during it... now I know! I'm glad you are able to do that pose and hope you have a comfy mat, not on the hard floor like the picture!

I didn't start my work towards mini-pigeon for many months after my surgery & I still don't have it yet - it's just so nice to know at least 3 other hippies that do have it!!!

Take care,
Cardie

 

[debkakes]

Elle, you are very inspiring! I think I need to step up my PT - but I am doing lots of stuff around the house that I think helps my mobility. I definitely get kinda pooped after doing stuff for 1/2-3/4 hour. I ran into a yoga instructor today and after talking a bit with her, and reading your and some other posts here, thinking yoga might be the thing...anyway, congrats on your progress! I have one more week off after this, then back to work. Wondering if I have the energy for full time, but we shall see...

 

[rider1960]

Elle, your posts are always so calming and encouraging--can I take you along with me everywhere I go????

Dorothy

 

[Anniepops]

Hi Elle, yes those exercises are very gentle, I like gentle Everytime I look at the vudeo I have that summertime sing in my head for the rest of the day.....good jobI like it.hehe

It's so nice to hear of your (may I say many) achievements, you are certainly ciming along leaps and bounds......not literally though...not yet anyway.lol..

I also want to say that your posts are lovely to read, so calming, a real pleasure. Thanks for visitng my thread, your kind support to others is really appreciated.

Take care, keep up the great work

Ann.x.

 

[Anniepops]

Haha, just read Dorothys post.........could she pop you in her pocket Elle.