THR Constanze's recovery diary

[wcgirl]

@Constanze & @Granny Di always good to read your updates. It's good to hear about your new goals.
Things are going well for me as well. I just started playing 9 holes of golf and finishing up my 'golf clinic' with exercises to strengthen my core, quads, glutes and in doing so, my thigh muscles. I am putting on weight so I MUST be increasing my muscle mass! I had my doubts about getting to this point and sometimes I want to pinch myself.
The hot dry weather continued here through the summer months until last week. Now the evenings are in the 50s for good sleeping. The katydid's are quiet too and I will miss there nighttime symphony.
As @Great Aunt Janet would say I'm "Done and Dusted!"

 

[wcgirl]

@Constanze my son lives in Richmond VA and is helping out with an international cycling race. Is this similar to what you would do? It is quite impressive!

 

[Constanze]

Hi @wcgirl - nice to hear your positive report about your golf successes.
My current cycle activities are actually not international races but more local campaigns: The bike and business campaign during all 3 summer months. This is to encourage fitness and you have to go to work on your bike on 20 days minimum during that period (part of the distance by bike and part of it by public transport is acceptable, too) . Then there is the city biking campaign. For the community where I work, the city of Langen near Frankfurt, this takes place from September 6 to September 26. More of a political campaign because it is supposed to encourage people to save CO2 and to protect the climate. The organiser is the German section of Climate Alliance (https://www.climatealliance.org/). But you can also use it to stay fit.
Maybe next year I'll participate in a few proper races. I actually practiced running before my hip deteriorated. Have done 10 marathons (including London), 3 half-marathons and various 5-12Ks. Also a local triathlon. This involves forming teams and each time does the distance of a 10th of an Ironman. It's in Darmstadt, a city south of Frankfurt and it's fun. I tried the Frankfurt Ironman as well but didn't finish. The paradox is that it was cycling that made me fail at Ironman because I'm too slow. I dropped out at Km 96 because I didn't do half the cycing distance by 1 o'clock. May you continue to improve week-by-week. I'm similar - have also gained 5 kg weight ever since last year, and I hope it isn't all fat.
All the best from Constanze

 

[Constanze]

Up and running (pun intended )
...Well, I promised to give a 6-month update, so now I'm going to get on with it. I'm very much getting on with work, life and sport. My hip is ok - nothing hip-related has happened in the past couple of months. After I cycled through most of September - around 54 Km to work, I more or less just cycle to my local bakers to buy breadrolls or to the local gym where I do strength training for my muscles. I also go swimming in the indoor pool and usually swim between 800 m and 1.5 Km depending on how much time I've got. Cycling to work is not so pleasant at this time of year here because it's dark in the morning and in the evening. Yes, and as the heading of my post suggests, I've started running again in the lunch hour in the beautiful forest near work. I just run 2x a week, no overdoing, no heal-striking, between 6 and 12 Km and vary the tracks. Some of them lead to the swimming lake where the swim of the Ironman Germany takes place and where I also went swimming with colleagues from work in summer. And, still in summer, I usually also go to the evening lake-swim event which takes place every Thursday during half of the summer. But now I just run or walk in the lunch hour.

It's so nice to enjoy the forest and not experience any pain. It feels like flying. And the fresh air helps a lot, too since I've got an office job and need to get out after sitting in the stuffy office. My surgeon actually never pronounced a ban on jogging, but he did say, exercise is essential to me because I've got osteoporosis. I've got a ceramic stem and lining which I've heard is very robust and durable. I had an x-ray about 13 weeks after surgery at the hospital where I had the surgery - that was uneventful, too. The doctor told me to come back in 1 year. I hope all you April 2015 bonesmarties are doing fine and also all the others. I wish you good luck, health and all the best for your future.
Constanze

 

[Granny Di]

Well that is a very inspiring post @Constanze . Wonderful to hear you are able to run again. I haven't run since I was 62 and won't be able to ever again but I totally understand that it felt "like flying". Are you not worried about your other hip getting so bad it too will require replacement? With all your exercise you wouldn't think osteoporosis would be a problem but I suppose it is genetic. So keep up the healthy plan and all the best to you!
Diane

 

[Constanze]

Hi @Granny Di and all the others,
Today is the day Marty Mc Fly goes to the future (his future) in the film "Back to the Future", and we hear lots of reports and jokes about it on the radio over here in Germany. But while we don't have flying cars, faxes with voice recognition, hydration machines to hydrate pizzas and other fripperies, we have internet, smartphones, apps, and first-class hip surgery. If I had had hip replacement in 1985, I probably wouldn't be able to run now. But in fact, in my youth, I had a feeling that something was peculiar about my legs - I was clumsy, apparantly children gave me the feedback that my gait was clumsy and teased my, and I could't do gymnastics, and when it came to learning standard dances at the dancing school, I frustrated my instructor. But I was good at swimming and athletics. Today, however, I'd have no problems if I tried gymnastics - and I do some light yoga with the help of videos on my PC. My GP (or family doctor) thinks it was a misalignment of the left hip. As my surgeon described it, the neck of the femur was very steep, but apparently, he corrected that.

And - Diane, don't worry about my right hip. The X-ray from six months ago showed no sign of arthritis - the cartilage was perfect, while on the left one, I had no cartilage left (grade IV arthritis). My GP couln't explain how one hip could have aged 50 years faster than the other, but apparently some people are born crooked. Now that I walk straight, and people mentioned it to me, I 'm aware of a slight pulling sensation in my inner thigh or the front or back sometimes, as though the muscles and ligaments are pulled in the right position - but it doesn't hurt.

About osteoporosis, my surgeon explained that there can be two things wrong with the bones: Bone quality and bone density. While my bone quality (the structure of the bone which one can imagine is like the Eiffel Tower in Paris) is very good, my bone density is extremely low. But since the quality is allright, he was still able to give me an uncemented stem, while the surgeon I consulted in Heidelberg would have given me a cemented one. I'm lucky I found this hospital and surgeon in Wiesbaden.

So why was my bone density low. I can't explain. Maybe it's because I made several mistakes with my diet during my life-time. They also say osteoporosis most common in slim women beyond their menopause. And during the winter before my operation, I couldn't exercise in an optimum manner, for instance, I couldn't run, and the other joints must have experienced stress compensating for that damaged hip. Maybe that was the time when my bone-density decreased sharply.

Well - this has become long again. I will get down to some work now. I wish everybody a happy future (yes, life is good and we are in the future ). Best wishes from Constanze

 

[NuMe2014]

Hi @Constanze
I am very happy to hear that your "new hip" is doing so well. I chuckled at your mention of the "Back to the Future" movies and about if a person had a hip replacement back in 1985. My Grandma had her first hip replacement in 1986 and her second one in 1988. She had very strict restrictions for life. No bending past 90 degrees, crossing her legs or kneeling down on her knees! Thank goodness for the advancements in medicine.

We are having a beautiful fall here. My husband and I always comment on how "Mother Nature" slowly prepares the landscape and puts it to "sleep" for the long winter ahead.
My garden is all tilled up except for a row of carrots, the leaves are off the trees, the beautiful flowers are but a memory and we finally finished our 2500 acre harvest!

Some years I dread the upcoming snow but this year I am looking forward to it. I can hardly wait to be able to go snowshoeing! This sport will truly test out my new hips!

Take care
Brenda

 

[Granny Di]

Thanks for the explanation and information Constanze. I am going to ask more questions when I see my surgeon next week. I wonder sometimes if I didn't eat properly -I didn't like milk until I had a baby and I drank artificially sweetened soda pop too -gave that up quite a while ago. But I am 69 and so aging is inevitable. People used to think I was 10 years younger but now I don't think so - may have something to do with the muffin top around my middle now. lol
Yes life is good! Enjoy!

 

[craftdee]

Hi @Constanze Thanks for your visit to my thread... always nice to see you

I'm with you with being grateful for living "in the future" rather than in the past! I'm glad your recovery is going so well, glad you don't have to worry about your other hip too... it is the less common scenario; most of the time if you have a problem in one joint you have it elsewhere. I have OA "head to foot", which sounds so dramatic but to be honest I hardly notice it's presence in most of those areas, it's only some joints that hurt (hips, knees and fingers mainly) - oh and the fact that I can't have my bunions removed now as the bones in my feet are too arthritic to pin to, well I CAN have them fixed but only by having my foot fused, which would result in not being able to bend it - and not being able to wear high heels.... life (and I ) are too short to not wear heels again so I'll put up with the bunion, at least for the foreseeable future!

The right hip's gonna go sooner - I was walking the dogs yesterday and we had to go slow as our Jack Russel has just had cruciate ligament surgery (he jumped off a wall at my Mum's the day we left Melbourne... amid all the drama of missing our flight I got a phone call from the vet saying he'd ruptured it and would need surgery - I was literally at the boarding gate and couldn't get my head around decision making, so got them to give him painkillers until we got back, he had the surgery the day after and it's a four month recovery period - worse than a THR ) anyway going slow made me change my gait and it really showed up the issues with the right hip, I think I've been in denial. No, not true, it's nowhere near as bad still as the left; I'm not going to let it get that bad as the restrictions were longer because of the more complicated surgery, not rushing either - don't relish being restricted again just yet

It's interesting that you say you were clumsy as a child; I wasn't too bad then, but became quite clumsy and prone to falling over early in adulthood; I have not fallen over once since I had my hip done - I don't know if it's just that I am more aware, but I don't feel I am... I actually feel more balanced When I had the surgery the OS said I have dysplasia (mainly a malformed acetabulum) and was probably born with it; it will be interesting to see if there's evidence of it in the other hip when I have it done, I think (?) it is usually bilateral - which again would make you lucky having only one bad hip.

I think your osteoporosis is the luck of the draw too Constanze, you should stop beating yourself up about what you did or didn't do or eat in the past; you're probably just unlucky as you certainly have done more than most tow lead a healthy life and have a healthy body

I'm happy to hear you're going to NZ in January, you'll love it! We went to the North Island the second time we went to NZ. It is very pretty, not as majestic as the South Island we think, but there are loads of volcanic hills around and plenty to see, if you can get as far as Lake Taupo it's well worth the trip - 616 square kilometres of lake, beautiful town and loads of geysers and "things worth seeing" like Huka Falls nearby - things I'm sure you'd like as you like trade fairs and informative stuff :cool:

I thought I'd warn you about the Sandflies - they're not as bad on the North Island as the West coast of the South, but they are around Auckland; we're used to mosquitoes (which they have too) but boy, NOTHING itches like a Sandfly bite. Make sure you take (or buy when you get there, NZ is very bio-hazard aware and don't like you taking some stuff in) plenty of repellent (the ones with DEET in are far better) They don't usually bite indoors or at night, only during the day but in the early mornings and at dusk they are heinous! Bad around water, even fast moving water... fresh or salt! They really like toes, I'm not joking I thought I'd go mad the last time, was very well prepared this time and only got one bite on my foot (it's still itching a bit, three weeks later!) I'm not sure what they're like in January, but in April they were BAD (though we went in April the first time too and didn't have as great a problem as the second time ), not as bad this time (October) so I'm thinking they're a warm weather thing.... which would make repellent in January crucial

Anyways, hope your healing continues apace,

Donna

 

[Constanze]

Hi @NuMe2014 , @Granny Di , and @craftdee ,
Many thanks for your nice feedback. Your so kind. I appreciate it. @NuMe2014 , the beautiful colours of fall are slowly emerging here. We had rather a dry period and the dahlia and gladiola couldn't blossom properly then, but they recovered in September and we have some blossoms left, but that will end soon. Yes it's amazing how medical technology has improved. How did people like your grandmother manage with the life-long restrictions? I know reachers and sock putter onners are availabe but what did People do when it came to toe nail cutting and tidying up the bottom drawers.

@craftdee - many thanks for the nice report about New Zealand - yes indeed there are lots of geysers and water falls, and we'll see Hobbiton as well. Thank you also for informing me about the sandflys. I'm the type who tends to get bitten. In 2014, I went for a 4 km walk in the Dain Tree Forest, Australia. I was still fit enough to walk that far and it was raining hard, but that didn't bother me. It was warm rain. The only Thing was - I had about 20 horrible gnat bites and the chemist in Cairns sold me some antihistamine - ointment and pills for the itch so I could sleep at night. I hope you dog's recovery is going well, Donna.
Take care - everybody - and carry on writing. Warm hugs - Constanze

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @Constanze! I thought of you today. For the first time in months, I rode my bike! I took it on the bus to the bike shop this morning. I had to replace a tire and tube. After that, I took a ride along the bike path. It was so exhilarating! I used to commute by bicycle and bus to work when I owned a dance and yoga studio. I'd forgotten how great is feels to coast on a bike.

I'm so glad to hear that you are doing so well. I'm amazed and impressed that you're running! Wow! I'm very happy that I had my hips done in 2015, too. The surgery has come so far. My grandmother had hers done back in the fifties, and she was in agony.

I've learned a lot from your posts. My hips aren't cemented, either. I don't really know the difference. I'll have to do more research. Thanks for all of you inspiration. All the Best to you...

 

[Constanze]

Hi @Hip Hip Hooray! What a pleasure you rode your bike again. That makes me happy. Going to work by bike is not so much fun now for me though because I'd be riding it in the dark. I usually go by car in winter. That's one reason why I've taken to running again - to get out into the fresh air and to get enough exercise.

About cemented versus uncemented hips, let me tell you how I understood the difference - from a layperson's point of view. In younger and/or physically more active patients, surgeons prefer uncemented hips. They are porous and bone growth into the pores is encouraged. However, in older patients and thoses who have got osteoporosis, they usually cement the artificial hips in to stabilise them - in week bones there is a risk of fracturing. Usually, the older a patient the lower the bone density, even if it's not osteoporosis (yet). However, if the hip is cemented, the bone grows around the cement and doesn't make the bond with the device. If I think this through logically, I would say, all in all a hip with the bone growing into the device would be more stable than a cemented one. So I think it's probably more suitable for running than a cemented one. Please correct me - anybody - if I've got anything I posted here wrong. Anyway, because my bone structure is apparantly still strong enough despite the low bone density, my surgeon still succeeded in implanting a cemented stem into my hip.
Enjoy your bike - Love from Constanze

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Oh, that's fascinating. Thank you for explaining it to me. Yeah, I can feel it. they feel like two transplanted plants that have spread out their roots. The connection is there. The new hips felt so foreign right after the operation. Now they feel like part of my body. Happy running!

 

[isolde]

Yes, that's what I've read too about cemented/uncemented hips - uncemented much better if you want to do sport because much more durable as the bone grows around the implant. I didn't know what I'd had, and was so pleased the surgeon was giving me a dual-mobility hip for lots of range of movement (so I could climb onto a train) that I forgot to ask for this. However, when I was being treated for the infection in the summer, the doctor said it was uncemented so I was well-pleased. I'm thrilled that you're running again and inspired by all your activity. x

 

[Constanze]

Good morning everybody,
I wish you all a Happy Holiday. It's my last day at work in the old year. I wish you all a great 2016. My 2015 was fine - I've been able to do most amazing things with my new hip - even long-distance running and long-haul flights, and my leg feels fine. Even my other - unoperated - leg feels stronger now. Maybe it's because it no longer has the stress of doing double work . I ran a half-marathon about 5 weeks ago - not actually a race, only the 21 Km for practice. My new "device" definitely doesn't feel like a foreign body but just normal. Modern medicine is amazing and I'm so pleased with the superb performance by my surgeon and also the careful and conscientious care I received post-op from the staff at my hospital.
Take care - everybody - Constanze

 

[Kay9]

Hi @Constanze omg, you ran a half marathon!?. So glad your life is getting back to normal

What an inspiration you are.

Happy Christmas to you and your family

 

[isolde]

Oh @Constanze that sounds so wonderful, a half-marathon! Well done you, you have worked hard at getting the best out of that ceramic hip. Have a great Christmas. x

 

[Granny Di]

Congratulations @Constanze ! You are a star! Oh how I envy your amazing recovery and your bravery in doing the activities you love. I think I would be afraid to run again ... well I AM afraid to do what I used to do as I don't want to have the good hip operated on. My plan is to do less hiking and walking and more biking to save the joint. I don't know if that will work but I hope so. I have hiked 8 kms on our hilly ski trails but my muscles do hurt afterwards. Our snow is very very late this year and our ski trails are not yet groomed so I haven't been able to test my hip for skiing. I did 3 kms one day but conditions were crusty and poor and there was no track. I have become a wimp! haha -Just so you know I did one world loppet 55 kms at 55. Wish I was still in good shape like I was then. Have a wonderful "running" holiday and all the best to you and yours.
Diane

 

[Constanze]

Dear everybody,
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. Thank you for all the support and encouragement. I'll hope this new year will give you health and also hope you'll all be able to benefit from your new hips.
Best wishes - Constanze

 

[Granny Di]

Same to you Constanze! :treestar: