THR Diary of my journey to happy times

Week 24, or 5 and a half months - I’ll have to switch to recording by months now, as day 166 slipped past unnoticed. My knee seems pretty good for walking, touch wood. I’ve yet to reintroduce it to it’s share of stair climbing. I’ve just done my first set of knee strengthening exercises.

I’ve acquired a pair of aqua shoes, so inching closer to going to the pool. Not this week, it’s half term holidays so I suspect will be crowded.
 
My knee seems pretty good for walking, touch wood. I’ve yet to reintroduce it to it’s share of stair climbing. I’ve just done my first set of knee strengthening exercises.
:wave: @Klassy. So pleased for you. Would you like to share what knee strengthening exercises you are doing, please? Isn't it strange that we don't have hip issues but knee grief as I like to call it. I am sure mine is due to not being able to properly utilise knee after TKR and now it is complaining.

I too bought some aqua slippers for our hot tub ... hubby wanted one so we got it after my first THR but it is not my scene and he won't use it alone so we will sell it and turn the covered area where it is. I don't like public pools or the sea and we don't have a pool ... so, no being a water babe for me.

Going back a bit, I agree @Carriemay60 must have meant Sweet Peas and not Sweet William, both of which I love.
Have a peaceful relaxing day. animated-cat-image-0215.gif
 
Hi @Izabel . Knee grief is a very good way of putting it!

The exercise is ( to strengthen left knee): Sit up straight in a chair with an elastic tied around your ankles.
Straighten BOTH knees. Then bend your right knee so the tension builds on the left thigh muscles, then slowly lower the left foot down to the floor.
Return slowly to the initial position.
Like every PT exercise, do 10 reps, 3 sets. Twice a day.

I love the little marching kitty in your signature!
 
Thank you Klassy. I will start that shortly when I do my exercise routine. My Physio who I have seen in the past from time to time gave me (no I bought it) a lesser strength band to use to strengthen my arm muscles which had atrophied along with my legs at the beginning of this journey. I also have a stronger one but will start with the lesser.

Thank you for sharing that and I'll let you know how I go, xx
 
Yay! 6 month anniversary and all is well. More than well, wonderful.

I haven’t been on the forum for ages, sorry my friends and I hope you too are doing well. Just too busy getting on with life! I could just about forget that I ever had a hip replacement. But I will be careful not to end up in ODIC, I have been here before. I made slow but fairly steady progress for 4 months, then got carried away with digging my garden and seriously upset my left knee. I gave it 4 weeks of rest and it finally stopped hurting. Since then I have cautiously increased my walking, and can now walk as far as I want on a level surface. I alternate feet going up stairs with help from handrail, but go downstairs toddler style, so not yet fully recovered to where I was. But it is just a matter of building up strength in the left leg after all those weeks of resting.
 
Happy Hipversary and great to hear you are back to life.
Great job, @Klassy :egypdance:
 
Six months! Congratulations!!! :flwrysmile:

I assumed you were off being busy so it was a good sign to be missing you. I'm glad your knee got over it's tantrum to let you get on with things. :egypdance:
 
And now it’s 7 months! Time for an update:

Left hip is good. I still get a bit of that clicking sensation on occasion, but it isn’t particularly bothersome.

Left knee is fine for level walking. In this aspect I’m back to the standard of several years ago, before the OA pain started. So just in that regard, the op has paid off. I don’t think I am quite there yet with walking up or particularly down hill.

The left knee is still not doing stairs. I can alternate feet going up, if stairs are not too steep and there is a handrail. It is still strictly toddler style going downstairs. The right knee grumbles about the workload sometimes. I have had knee problems for 30 years so this may be nothing to do with the hip, but it is a limiting factor. I must admit to be very intermittent in doing my prescribed knee exercises - I need to make more effort.

Right hip continues pain free, touch wood, but rom is less than I now have on the new improved left.

I seem to be perpetually stiff all over. I don’t know if it is just what comes with age, rampaging OA (my finger joints for example are all lumpy, and I have to loosen them when I wake up each morning) or lifestyle. My lifestyle involves too much sitting in the car for long trips, and insane amounts of gardening.

This is all for the sake of keeping a record of progress, not in any way complaining. I am doing all the things I wanted to do and that had become restricted pre-op: ringing, gardening, walking. I sleep, sit, put on my socks etc without pain.

Life is good.
 
Nice update, Klassy.
I agree that some of what you mention can be aging.
It's good to read you're engaging in all of your interests.
May it long continue!
@Klassy
 
Thought I would drop by with an update on my one year anniversary. It seems such a distant memory, waiting on a hospital bed in dread. It has also been so long since I was on the forum that I feel like a ghost returning to the scene of a past life, where all my existence was centred around recovery.

I did have good intentions of visiting often, and helping others as I was helped so much. Sorry for not doing so. Partly I have been busy, but it is also that I feel not much has changed in the last 6 months. The hip is pretty good, incomparably better than pre op, but my knees continue to be painful. I have gradually been regaining sensation in the incision area, which was totally numb for a long time. From about months 6 to 11, wouldn’t have called it painful, but a feeling like a very mild sunburn. In the last month though it has become more like a stinging feeling, occasionally verging on unpleasant. So I feel recovery is still a work in progress, even after 12 months.

I will report again next year!

Best wishes to all my fellow hippies.
 
Hi @Klassy :xmas-wave-smiley-emoticon:
It's good to hear from you! I'm happy you're doing well and busy engaging in life. As you know, recovery can take longer than one year, up to two years and I've heard even longer for some. It sounds like you've made great progress over the past year. May it continue to get better.
I hope you have a very lovely Christmas and find peace, happiness, love and great health in the New Year! :merry-xmas-smiley-emoticon: :happy-new-years-toast-smiley-emoticon:
 
Great to hear your progress! Btw I stil get a stinging sensation in my scar from time to time but the stiffness and numbness all but gone. Feeling the cold weather though!
 
Aaaaaand… I’m back!

A fond hello to all fellow Bonesmarties. I wonder if I will be rediscovering any old friends still here?

I once rashly promised to keep logging in regularly with my progress and to offer help and encouragement where I could, in gratitude for all the support this forum gave me. Didn’t happen, sorry. Life and all that got in the way.

All is excellent with the new hip. Tis the other one’s turn now.

So I am starting over, and reading back over my posts. Quite a lot of useful info amidst the rambling.

I wonder if I should ask for a transfer to the pre-op area? Or a new thread?
 
:wave:Hello Klassy,
I remember you well and recall following your progress back to a full and active life wit your LTHR. Hopefully this time around will be even easier for you and a bit less anxiety producing since you‘ve been through it all once before. I look forward to following your updates with Righty.
Enjoy the rest of the week!
@Klassy
 
Hello Mojo and Layla
How lovely to have your encouragement once again.

Right hip is booked for 5 January 2022. I won’t start a pre op thread just yet. I think I’m going to be too busy getting sorted to spend much time on here. Just comforting to know you are here.

love, Klassy
 

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