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THR Deep Breath Reporting for Recovery Duty

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Glad you are getting prepared. It is nice that your son is helpful. My son was home from college for my first surgery. He was so good with doing things and mostly picking up things I dropped constantly the first couple of weeks. Loved your account of people in the grocery store. I also like to go at less busy times, especially with two new hips to guard. My thoughts about the shoppers in a trance in the middle of an aisle is do they think they are the only person on the planet? Then when you politely say excuse me to get by they look at you like you are being rude asking them to move. Sorry your old hip is bothering, but it makes waiting for that second surgery so much easier having a good and bad hip to compare knowing they will both soon be good hips.
 
I totally agree with @Doodles51 that when the old hip is hurting, the comparison of having one good hip & one bad hip makes it easier to look forward to that second surgery, knowing you are doing the right thing and that it is needed. I liked having one good & one bad hip for a short time for this reason, but when it was time for the 2nd surgery, boy was my 2nd hip ever ready!

@DeepBreath sounds like you have a very busy week planned with all that pre-op cooking. It is awesome that your son is going to help out with the cleaning. Good for him to earn a little cash for Christmas, and good for you to have the help. It will be nice having all that done and out of the way beforehand. I have a college-aged son and our home is a disaster right now. I have had to turn a blind eye these past several weeks because of all the cleaning that isn't getting done. It bothers me a lot, especially when the home PT comes over because it is so embarrassing but it was wearing me out to nag so I gave up weeks ago. I will deal with it all once my precautions are lifted. I kind of thought maybe my son's girlfriend would see the mess and say "hey, let's help your mom out" but that didn't happen.:)

I know what you mean about the shoppers who hog the aisle and then look at you like you are the crazy one when you politely ask them to move. It also amazes me the people who have their heads buried in their phones and they walk directly at you not having a clue where they are going and that they are headed for a head-on collision unless you move. I marvel at it really. Or the ones who walk from the store to their car and have their head in their phone the whole time, taking their sweet time and not even watching for cars. It's like these people think they are the only ones who exist and the world revolves around them.

I don't have a lot of patience for crowds when shopping so, in turn, I try to be considerate of other shoppers - for instance, if I am not working that day, I try to time my shopping so it doesn't coincide with ladies getting off work and stopping at the store on their way home. I know what it's like to work all day and be exhausted and go to the grocery store and the line is a mile long because people who had all day to shop decided to wait until 5:00. It's a small thing and I'm only one shopper but it's a "do unto others" kind of thing.

Speaking of crowds, do you have a Sam's near you? I recently upgraded to the Plus membership because it gives you the right to go there before they open the club to regular members. It costs a little extra per year but is worth it to save the wear and tear on my nerves and blood pressure.:yes:

Glad you are having some nice, sunny (although cold) weather to enjoy and hope your hips are feeling better today! :SUNsmile:
 
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Hi Deep.. I am laughing about the "aisle rage" and I so feel the same way! Going early it the only way to keep my sanity..well, what's left of it! The worst part where I live is the parking lot.. I swear people are insane!:yikes:
So, you are beginning the meal prep. I hope you can pace yourself and take some nice breaks. the "good" hip has probably reached its limit on being the good guy, huh?
We are going back into the 60's today for our temp. plus lots of sunshine.. hoping you have that too.
My gosh, the next week will fly past, won't it!! It will be wonderful to have you all finished up and back to the healing stage for the last time!
Did you need to go for pre op testing again? Hopefully your OS has the right Implant ordered and on hand this time!
 
@Hip Hip Hooray! ooh, I love cleaning with vinegar. My mom used to so I grew up doing that. While living in Germany I learned that vinegar is their go to cleaning supply. German vinegar is NO joke. It's much stronger than ours and you have to be careful with the fumes, but I swear it will shine anything up like a bright new penny. :)
Yeah, I don't blame you for putting off the CostCo trip for just milk. I'm like that too.

@Doodles51, yep, my son is a good kiddo and does his chores pretty much cheerfully. If there is a lot of extra stuff to do it does help to offer an incentive. I feel like it's a fair trade. He has learned that if he complains about extra chores when we have this arrangement, he still has to do them but the money goes bye-bye. :wink:
I actually am glad to have this time with one good hip and one bad. It makes me appreciate the new hip so much and also reminds me how important it is to press on and get the other one done. I've gotten to a point in my healing where I feel pretty 'normal' now and honestly might be tempted to put off that other hip if it weren't for that nagging pain. At least now I have one good hip to rely on instead of two bad ones.
And, yes...what is up with people blocking the aisle and then when you say 'Excuse me' politely they look at you like you have three heads? I will never understand stuff like that.

@Hipster Girl, I hear you about the house being a disaster. I simply cannot do floors because I'm either always on a walker or a cane and the motions make my hip hurt. Before surgery I would give all the floors a good once over once a week. I think since my surgery the carpet has been vacuumed once and the tile hasn't been touched. I do get Clorox wipes and go over the high traffic areas and the bathrooms, using my grabber tool. It's not the same though. I, like you, have just resigned myself to the 'lick and a promise' method until I can go back to doing it.
I have also toyed with the idea of having somebody come in, maybe once every other week, and go over things really well. My husband doesn't seem to think that's necessary and says, "I'll handle it" but with his work, etc, it doesn't get done. It's driving me bonkers.
I had to LOL at your mention of people with their heads in the phones. Isn't that the truth? Every single time I go to the store...any place public actually...there is inevitably somebody shouting into their phone, "I'm at the store/restaurant/gas station/pharmacy" etc. or typing away and not paying attention. Some folks have a really difficult time unplugging, for sure!
We are supposed be having a brand new Sam's built in our town. I'd like for that to happen as we've enjoyed shopping there previously. I like the idea of getting to go before they open. That sounds worth a little extra money to me. :)

@CricketHip, yes, parking lots can be scary places. Sometimes I have to just shake my head at the shenanigans people get up to.
Meal prep has started. I have my little list and got one dish done today. I figure if I make one per day I'll get done in good time. Most of the recipes will make two batches, so it's like a 'two for'. :wink:
And the little 'good guy' hip is mighty tired. God love it, it's held on so long.
We got back into the 60's today as well with partly sunny skies. It was lovely. I sure can't complain about our lovely fall weather here.
Yes, I think this week will fly by and probably by the 24th I will be very ready to get this behind me.
Everything should be good to go re: the implant. I don't have to do internal medicine this time or get a new dental clearance. I should just have to go in for my pre op appt the day before surgery and that's it.

Enjoy your day, hippie friends! Sending you all good thoughts for happiness and healing. :flwrysmile:
 
Deep@! I am nervous and so excited for you!! I can't wait to help keep your spirits up and cheer you on towards that finish line! Just think, soon you can scrub those floors to your hearts content.. :rotfl:
 
:rofsign: heads up that roommate of yours is a plant. She is put there to get you to get up and walk and go home! Glad surgery went well sorry to hear about the break in the pain that must have been causing. Wish you a speedy recovery and long hiplife.
 
Seems like you have things underway @DeepBreath! What's going in your freezer for those post-op meals? We could stand some new ideas here. When I was freezing meals before my surgery, I had no desire for anything with chicken in it, except this one chicken casserole that I hadn't had in years, that my mama used to make, called Hot Chicken Salad. Of course, after the surgery, I was only wanting the comfort of chicken dishes. Life is so paradoxical, isn't it?
I so admire you for having your surgeries so close together! You will be so relieved, and ready for another couple hundred thousand miles! One thing is for sure, you will have a better round with the roommate this time. Has to be!
Sounds like I'm not the only one with a helpful son! I ran the extra chores very much like you do, and he thought it was a great way to make extra money back then. How things do change! (Uh, oh, his halo has fallen!)
I loved hearing about your love of community theatre! I share that love, but as a member of the audience. I'm sure it's a delight to share in all the prep and practice and seeing a performance come to fruition!
Hope you have a productive and restful week. Don't forget to take care of yourself so you aren't too worn out when the 24th arrives!
 
@CricketHip, I would expect nothing less from you, dear friend. You have been a God send. Thank You!
Oh...yay about being able to scrub floors. Surely I can convince the hubs that I have a 5 year restriction on that, right? :wink:

@mrbionic, your post made me laugh out loud. What an ingenious method for the hospital to use! I was definitely ready to GO within the first couple of hours. LOL :heehee:
Thank you for the kind words. I'm sending out good wishes for you as well as you recover.
 
@Southernbelle, isn't that something about you craving chicken dishes post surgery? You put it perfectly: paradoxical, indeed!
Let's see, my planned dishes are: regular chili with beef, white bean chicken chili, chicken vegetable pasta soup (this is what I always make for anybody in my family if they're sick. I found myself craving it after my last surgery. Let's see if I still want it after this one. :wink: ) scalloped potatoes (2 big pans!) baked ziti, beef enchiladas, and chicken enchiladas. This go around I supplemented the homemade meals with ready made pulled pork, salisbury steaks, lasagna, and chicken alfredo.

I am glad to be having my surgeries close together. From the start, this is what my OS recommended so that they can heal in tandem since the poor things were both really worn out. While I don't relish that immediate post op phase, I know this is the best course. Nothing to do but take a deep breath and 'get 'er done'. LOL!

I'm so glad to hear that you support community theater! I just can't say enough good things about such programs. Participating in the theater really fulfilled a need in me as we've travelled from duty station to duty station. It doesn't matter in what capacity I am involved, back stage, tech, stage design, acting...I just love it from beginning to end. :)

I do promise to take good care of myself along with the pre op prep. I'm not going nearly as crazy this time as I did last time. That was just too much.

I keep forgetting to ask you, is that your sweet Cavvie in your profile picture? I LOVE Cavvies! We had one and she was just dear. Your picture makes me smile every time I see it. :)
 
Wow, @DeepBreath, you are preparing so many meals! That's incredible. I made a lasagna. That's it. A lasagna. I felt like that was a big deal. Oh, and I had some mashed potatoes in the fridge, too. It all worked out. I made a lot of sandwiches post op. (I stocked up on bread, cheese, and lunch meat at Costco.)

I believe you about the German vinegar. I lived in Berlin for a year, and I noticed how clean everything was. (I also toured there with "42nd Street".) The hotels just sparkled! We played Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin. Great times...
 
Ok gals this might sound silly but I love this on rainy days and post surgeries..

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 1/2 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant white rice
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
What a lunch!


2 THR19th August 2015 2ND un scheduled
pin left leg 2012
spinal fusion L4-L5 L5-S1 2010
 
@Hip Hip Hooray! hey, there's nothing wrong with lasagna. Honestly, I wouldn't make nearly as much if it wasn't for my son. He is 14 and eats anything that isn't tied down. :)
Your tour of Germany sounds lovely. Munich is one of my favorite cities there. I also noted how clean everything was in Germany. They take a lot of pride in their homes and towns. I loved seeing their neatly kept yards and their beautiful flower boxes on their balconies. Gorgeous!

@mrbionic, that actually sounds really good. I love rice dishes!
 
That is great that you have your second surgery scheduled! And only two months apart. I really hope I can get my second hip done before the end of the year also. Right now I'm only one month out on first hip and still using walker some and cane all other times. Was your first hip done from a posterior approach?
 
With the first surgery looking around the house at all the things I'd clean differently would drive me nuts. With second, I just looked the other way. I had learned the necessities for the 2nd surgery. Grabbers, box tray with lid and cup holder for my walker was heaven. Of course I seemed to not need my walker as long since I had it figured out how to carry things around. It seems I was up doing more cooking, cleaning up after the first week with 2nd surgery. It's just different. I think I was way too cautious after first surgery and it was so much easier after 2nd because neither no longer hurt. I have to say doing PT on my own at home now takes forever doing both sides. I was worried I was neglecting the first new hip while focusing on PT for the 2nd for the first few weeks but making up for it now. My only complaint with both done is after 2nd I seem to have same old stiffness as presurgery when getting up and down and try not to sit long. It is getting better the more I walk and strengthen everything. Wow your day is coming soon!! I was so anxious the morning of the first surgery. The second was like ya ya been here, done this, let's get it over so I can go home tomorrow.
 
@DeepBreath your meals sound so yummy, especially the while bean chicken chili! I love comfort foods like that, especially this time of year with the colder weather. You must have a ginormous freezer to fit all those meals in! I have been living on take-out for the past couple months & can't remember what a home-cooked meal tastes like :wink:

"Get 'er done" was how I felt with my second surgery too. I was just so ready and didn't have anywhere near the nerves I had the first time. The second time is just easier all the way around I think.

Is your second hip going to be posterior approach also?
 
@DeepBreath, what a divine line-up of dishes! Those are some wonderful ideas for adding some variety to our options here. Oh, those scalloped potatoes sound so good! Wish I had a good recipe for chicken enchiladas, I have never made them, but so love them! Feeding a 14-yr-old boy can be a challenge, can't it? He sounds like a great kid!

I had Michael make an improvised chicken, rice, and veggie soup last night and it was the best tasting thing I've had since surgery. I find the anesthesia affects my sense of taste and my sensitivity to noise for a few weeks and that soup was the first thing to really hit the spot! Every time I hear the term "pulled pork" (I never heard it called anything other than BBQ until I moved to Ca.) I think of how people in NC like to debate which version of our different BBQs is best, East NC or West NC, dry or sauced, then which sauce, mustard or vinegar? I make mine from an old family recipe that seems to meld a lot of options.

The enjoyment of theatre and the performing arts must run in my family. My son was a dramatic arts major at Chapel Hill and works in set decoration in TV and movies out in LA. He has really enjoyed it over the past 10+ years, though not sure it's his life-long career. What a fabulous outlet the community theatre has given you for getting to know new people as you moved around! The added continuity of that fulfilling outlet had to be a bonus, too.

Yes, that’s my sweet tri-color girl, Lila. She has brought much joy to my empty-nest household. They are such a loving, snuggling breed, aren’t they? She’s a little fickle and sleeps with Michael when he is here, me when he isn’t, but that’s fine by me. Then, I don't have to get up with her early in the am. : )

Your choice to have the surgeries close together sounds like a wise one and I'm sure you will do just great. I would think having that bone-on-bone pain totally gone is bound to allow both sides to heal better and faster. And, not starting from scratch long after the first one has healed would be a welcome feature to me as well. I was thinking I'd have my second one @ a year after my first, but I think I may reconsider.

@mrbionic , your soup recipe reminds me of a Mexican Chicken Soup that a friend of mine who doesn't cook makes. You just dump different pantry items in the pot, add the chicken, and instant soup! I think she puts a couple of cans of chicken stock, a jar of salsa, a can of corn, and chicken. She brought it to me after surgery and I had no idea it wasn't more "homemade", it was so yummy. Of course, I had to doctor it up when I went to make it, but it was delicious on its own.

Hope all you hippies have a wonderful day!
 
Southernbelle said:
@DeepBreath, Wish I had a good recipe for chicken enchiladas,
Click to expand...

@Southernbelle
Ask and thou shall receive! Well it is my fav recipe anyway and it's not very hard to make!

https://www.food.com/recipe/simply-sour-cream-chicken-enchiladas-129926

Besides I love sour cream! And of course I'd love chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms but that's easy to get fat on [emoji7] [emoji1] [emoji62]

2 THR19th August 2015 2ND un scheduled
pin left leg 2012
spinal fusion L4-L5 L5-S1 2010
 
@Doodles, so far I have been much calmer as well leading up to surgery. Every once in awhile I'll have a feeling of dread come over me, but it isn't that horrible worrying about everything under the sun.
I do wonder what it will be like with both hips done. I certainly look forward to having the pain gone, but I know that I'll eventually need to work on stretching out those atrophied muscles which have been years in the making. I figure one step at a time though.
I think I have been super cautious with my first hip as well. I guess that's better than going full tilt and having something go wrong though. I'm glad to know the difference between what my fears were going into the first one and the actuality of it.

@Hipster Girl, awww, I wish I could make you a good homecooked meal. Take out sounds great until you have to eat it non-stop, then it can get old.
I'm not going to lie; I really feel like I knocked this batch of white bean chicken chili out of the park today. It's one of those great, rare instances when all the ingredients are just right and the spices hit the right notes. I always taste things to see if it needs tweaking in some way, and I was sorely tempted to eat an entire bowl today instead of just a few sips here and there. :wink:
I also made my baked ziti today, so that's three recipes down. Scalloped potatoes are tomorrow's project. I invested in a mandoline to help with all the slicing and I'm excited to try it out.
As far as I know, the second hip will also be posterior. Same surgeon and that's his approach (no pun intended). :)

@Southernbelle, thanks for the kind words. I tried to mix things up a bit this time around so I wasn't repeating the same old recipes from last time. The enchiladas are a repeat though, since they're a family favorite, as are the scalloped potatoes because we just inhaled them last time.
Your son's soup sounds amazing. I love soup, especially in the fall and winter. Give me a bowl of hot soup and a chunk of fresh bread and I am one happy chick! :)
I have to smile at the debates over which kind of BBQ is best. I am not a picky eater AT ALL. If you put a plate of BBQ in front of me I'm going to eat it with gusto. LOL
How fun that your son does that for a living. I think that's just terrific. I'll bet he has some very interesting stories to tell regarding projects he's worked on. My degree is in interior design and I have thought about how fun it would be to design sets professionally. I'd love to hear what he thinks of his job.
Lila is sooo adorable! She has the most kissable face. I love the hair in the top of their heads and between their eyes...it is so soft. Our Cavvie, Blossom, liked me petting the top of her head, but wasn't too thrilled about me stroking the hair between her eyes. She wouldn't put up with that mess for very long. :)
LOL that she is spreading the snuggling love around. She's a smart girl! Two people in the house means twice the attention.
I think the choice of whether to have surgeries close together is very subjective. If both of my hips hadn't been pretty equally horrible I could see myself putting a second surgery off for later down the road. The decision was pretty much made for me though by the pain and my surgeon's recommedation to allow them to heal together as much as possible.

@mrbionic, oooh, that enchilada reciped looks amazing. Chicken and sour cream...what's not to like?!


I'm relaxing after a busy day of cooking. I also undertook the deforestation of my legs as it is one week from my surgery. Last time, I shaved my legs two days before my surgery because I had no idea you weren't supposed to do that. Imagine my embarrassment when I had to confess to my surgeon that I had, indeed, done that. He said he thought it would be okay, but to not shave again before surgery. Luckily, my surgery was then pushed back a couple of days. I decided to use Nair since my legs are so dry since the last surgery and they itch like crazy when I shave them. It seemed to turn out okay with the Nair.
Well, now that I've told you stuff you probably never wanted to hear; I'm going to sign off and watch some HGTV.

Have a great evening, friends! :)
 
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