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THR Counting My Blessings

@lotusbuds ---I have never heard of "Feldenkrais", but you sure have piqued my interest! I'll look it up and most likely have some questions for you:) I also have appreciated your comments, and the way you always encourage others! :loveshwr:
 
@Debru4 Feldenkrais is a gentle form of movements targeted at each body part. I haven't done it for years but am hopeful it will be a good thing. I'll let you know as I start the class on the 13th. First I have to practice getting on the ground and up..ha ha!
 
@Debru4 ... I was in PT for five months! That sounds so long, doesn't it? Well, it felt like a few weeks. I loved just about every minute of it.

I started PT at six months because I was still having problems walking more than a mile. I also was feeling tingling in my knee and calf when I was sitting and simply raised my leg. Because of my symptoms my surgeon's nurse sent me to a physical medicine doctor to take a look at my back. I have long had back issues ... The physical medicine back specialist said I did have some back arthritis and he recommended PT. So I arrived at PT with two scripts: one for back and one for hip, but the hip was the primary focus.

In the in-take session, my PT tested me this way and that ... had me stand and push away her one way and then the other ... She immediately concluded that I had a weak and inactive gluteus medius, which is why she said I could easily go up and down stairs (glute medius not so involved) but had trouble walking long distances and running (which require the glutes to help propel me forward).

Took about four months for my gluteus medius and my flexors to strengthen to the point where the PT thought they could support aggressive exercise. I finally tested 5/5 for strength on those areas. But frankly, I could walk better after a week or so of gluteus medius work. And the mental relief that things were going to be all right ... also came early on in the process.

This was the first PT office I've attended where patients talked to each other ... joked with each other ... shared our conditions ... my PT would take music recommendations ... talk some about her life ... we'd chime in ... My PT and her partner were both really funny and warm. Sometimes I would get soreness and report it to her. She was great at relaxing me ... saying there was some normal soreness as muscles got stronger (or got worked for the first time in years) ... and then there was bad lingering soreness. She was great at distinguishing between the two and helping me not freak out every time I felt sore. The last month or so was focused on my back ... though she had been weaving back exercises into my regimen the entire time.

Glorious experience. But I'm glad I waited until six months. I would have been frightened about injuring my soft tissue had I gone to her earlier (though she is convinced she could have helped me had I come earlier, though she wouldn't have been as ambitious).
 
Hey, @Debru4, I seldom take classes at my gym, I only use the cardio equipment as I'm a solitary exerciser. I have a "gym buddy" I go with usually (but obviously not recently) and she really likes taking advantage of the classes. It is intimidating when you're in a class with young, hyper fit folks right beside you and although comparisons are silly, we all do it. I prefer to hop on cardio equipment, plug in my earbuds so I can listen to music and/or read my Kindle using the equipment's reading rack. If you join a gym, YOU get to decide what to do there.
 
PS Just so I don't sound totally lame, I have tried yoga classes and spin classes...ehhhh. I do like Pilates, however, but I take that through the local parks and rec department and it's all retired folks and no spandex, much more comfortable environment. If you have a local community center nearby, you might check to see if your parks and rec department offer any classes--cheaper and usually not so intimidating.
 
Well, at 13 months out, I did something really stupid; something that could have had a really bad outcome, all because I feel so great. (My second such bad move this summer.:no-fin:)

I hosted a gathering on Labor Day and had several wading pools and a slip and slide set up for the kids, and a few brave adults as well. I remembered how much fun I had on the slip and slide as a kid, as well as when my own kids were young. And so I gave it a try---kind of belly flopped at first, so after resting a bit, I tried even harder. I went about 3 feet that time---a fail. And then the next day I realized my ribs were killing me, as was the knee I had been doing PT for following coming down the mountain trail too hard and too fast in July. (First bad move.)

So now I am having to postpone the PT for my knee, while waiting for my ribs/intercostal muscles to heal. Fortunately, I didn't hurt my hip! What scares me is that I didn't even think about that hip when I went for it. I know I need to do a better job of moderating and remembering that there are some things I probably need to avoid.....like that darn slip and slide! :gaah:

These things aren't necessarily related to my hip surgery, but they do spotlight a tendency many of us have. Once the hip pain is gone, we jump back into life with a lot of gusto without remembering our body has been through a lot, and in my case is a bit (a lot!?!?) older than the last time I tried some of the things. :flwrysmile:
 
Aloha @Debru4 ! I love this forum so much! Lots of wisdom here and oodles of support. I had a knee replacement that required brutal PT, I mean brutal yanking, twisting, forcing, stretching. I never want to experience that again.
The hip, however, is a much different joint. Yes, it has lots of muscles surrounding the joint that do different jobs, and they get weak, hyper tense, out of balance before and after surgery. I'm only two weeks post surgery and have found less is more. I do very simple, very few exercises as provided at hospital, BUT only when my body says OK. If there's any pain, I stop. Walking seems to be the best as others have also said. Remember, the fake parts have to seat with the real parts. That takes time. You don't want to disrupt or damage that remodeling process. Your ortho sounds like he knows what he's doing.

Take your time. Be patient. Don't push the river. Malama pono
 
@KonaGirl I agree totally---funny thing is I was great at my initial recovery---very little if any overdoing it! Only since I've totally integrated that hip and forgotten I had it done have I had any issues. Goes to show what a process recovery and aging both are:):loveshwr:
 
Right @Layla?!?!?! I have the same thoughts about myself. :no-fin:

And yet I have to admit that when my little granddaughter reminded me I could have used the little inflated pillow that came with it under me to slide on instead of just flopping down, my first thought was that she was right, and maybe I could check it out next year!:heehee: Although right now, I'm just hoping my ribs still aren't sore next year......ouch.

And the Bouncy House.....hmmmmm----now YOU are giving ME ideas for this winter when I can't be out slip and sliding! :loveshwr::loveshwr:
 
Continuing to follow your posts...my brain is flitting about from YouTube, to answering FB and personal messages, and following Bone Smart... Sometimes I miss things. You, my friend, WOW! Either you truly are a little kid at heart or a saboteur of your progress and physical body. Possibly a grand mixture of both. I won't pretend to know because I don't know you. LOL

Please beware of the Bouncy House! :bicycle1::bicycle2:Winter can be a seductive and devastating adversary (boredom can be our enemy ;) ) I get it though. You're delightful. All my best!
 
Loving these posts! My club has started mini trampoline lessons. I heard the ladies enthusing about it when I was changing back from swimming. I thought “what fun”! Then I had a rethink...... back to the pool it is! :-(
 
@SurreyGirl ....clearly you are less impulsive than I! Where were you and your good sense when I needed you to stop me from my idiocy?!? :spin:

I don’t really know how to swim well at all, but do enjoy the water. I envy people like you who can do so many things in/on the water. I went on a water slide at the local pool a few times on my last visit to the pool this August...it seemed a lot faster and more winding than I remembered it when I went on it before my hip went bad. I actually was relieved when my daughter told me it had been replaced and was a different slide.She said it scared her and she felt pretty out of control on it. Well, what in the heck was she doing watching me and cheering me on then, I asked her? She said she’d forgotten about my hip too! Probably good summer is over.:heehee:
 
I retired 4 years ago after 38 years of teaching elementary school...best job in the world. Being around school kids and my own 4 kids kept me young at heart. So I think it’s impulsivity and pure joy in how I feel with my new hip that are getting me in trouble, rather than self sabotage, although they can all result in the same bad outcome if I’m not careful. :groan:So nice to have folks who understand, and who also can give me friendly reminders.:friends:
 
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@Debru4 ha ha! I am actually quite impulsive. My recovery thread shows many an instance of overdoing it too soon. But I just had to imagine bouncing in a trampoline and my hip and thought “perhaps not”!

Second day of swimming breaststroke without the frog kick and groin pain almost gone so definitely not ready for the full stroke yet. Frustrating as over a year out now but front crawl is working well.

Just me and “fit bloke” yesterday. I did admire his strokes ;-)
 
I can relate that interacting with the young definitely keeps us young at heart, and that's a really good thing. I'm an ageless Being kind of person which means that even from a very young age, I loved being around anyone, no matter their age. I learned from all and kept my active, curious mind fully engaged in my world. Naturally, as our body ages, as it inevitably will, I've had to disengage from many of the things I used to do so effortlessly. Not because I didn't want to do those things, but intuitively I knew that I would hurt myself if did it particular if was a jarring kind of thing. Now playing pickleball is a whole other story. My ortho pre-surgery, also a pickleball player and I know him, told me, "Leslie, with the way your hip looks, I have no idea how you're playing!" I did...I could either sit home, be in pain AND be depressed or I could do something I love, be in pain, and be joyful at the end of the day. It probably didn't do my hip any good, but my impetuous, youthful spirit really didn't give a darn. So, yes, I get it! And that's the dichotomy of a split personality. LOL The youthful, energetic, boundless energy, "I can do anything!" and the wise Crone, who levels, stabilizes, balances.

Have a great day Hippie Deb! Thinking of you!
 
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Slip and slide, @Debru4?!! All I can say is "WOW"! Yes, it was a silly thing to try but I have to say I was still impressed to read that you tried it without even thinking about it! Okay, it didn't turn out well, but love the fact you've progressed far enough along in recovery that you do things, even admittedly foolish things, without considering your hips or whether this--ahem--is a sensible activity for you! Heal quickly!
 
Something I find challenging is that there were many things I didn't do---either out of fear or lack of resources when I was young and able that I find myself wanting to do/try/experience. Some----no problem. Others, probably my timing is off, and I'll have to wait for my next lifetime. But still the dichotomy that you speak of, and a continual push/pull.
 
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