THR Glad to be a hippie too...

[Josephine]

1. Pain level mistake...compared it to before surgery. Still have a hard time determining the level but would say 3-4 at worst. Sore, aching, stiff and occasional stabs or sharp pain that cause me to stop immediately.

thanks.

2. No Tylenol. Take Tramadol at most three times a day...my hands shake or have tremors when I take that much so I try not to. I mainly take two Aleve in the am and again pm. Have hydrocodone 5's that I have taken last night and this morning.

Aleve is useless as a pain med. If you take Tylenol with Tramadol you will do much better. They make an excellent companion pair.

Pool - normally timed at 2 minutes per each activity - walking forward, backwards, and sided to side.
jogging in place 2 min/lunges, 2 min/bicycle, 2 min/flutter kick, 2 min/ leg extensions forward, backwards, and
to the side are at 20 times one rep

Land
quad stretches 20 times one rep - do 10
bridges 20 times one rep - do 5
clam shells 20 times one rep - don't need this
opposite of clam shells using rubber band 20 times - don't need this
side leg lifts - three the first visit and five the second (wimpy, I know) this is the only exercise OS recommended

side box steps onto 4" box timed for 2 minutes - don't need this
squats using Total Gym timed for 5 minutes - don't need this
Oh, and I don't do these once I get home...I usually just walk my dog on off days - pleased to hear that!

You are doing far too much - far, far too much. Right now you're only 8 weeks out and though you think your muscles need strength training, they are not weak, they are injured and you don't overwork injured tissues. You also need to bear in mind that hips actually don't need much exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

So I suggest you half the amount you are doing in the water and forget the rest.

 

[LadyJune]

Icing and taking it easy seem to be doing the trick. Up this morning and not a twinge anywhere. Mornings haven't been fun so I'm glad for this change. Now to keep on this path. I was still able to take care of things around the house and a couple of errands. Just made sure to rest and ice in between.

 

[LadyJune]

Three months can make a huge difference. The progression of healing has been slow at times and then it would be like a switch was turned and major progress was made.

At not quite 4 months out from surgery, DH and I made a trip to Seattle, WA. Part business and part fun for him, but I enjoyed it all. We rode a ferry from Bainbridge to Seattle and then walked quite a bit of downtown Seattle. Another day we drove down to Mt. Rainier and I was able to walk a half mile trail up and back with absolutely no problems. Told DH that I need to email my doctor and let him know how well all of this is working.

I did have a little setback the next week. We had to make two trips home to Louisiana in less than 7 days. It sounds crazy and it was, but one was for a funeral and the other for my dads 80th birthday. Those 4 plus hour trips each way built up and by the next Monday I was in some serious hurt. I'm sure that stress and being tired played a part too. Icing and rest seemed to be the best way to relieve the hurt, so I spent the whole next week doing as much of that as possible.

The other thing I did around that time was get a fitness band to track steps and miles. It was interesting to see how many steps I took in a day and how I felt. Youngest daughter is expecting and we worked last Saturday getting the nursery set up. I got home and felt like I couldn't take another step. Checked my step count before bed and the light bulb went off. Yep, I had nearly doubled the number of steps that day and a lot of it was going up and down stairs.

I get asked over and over if I am glad I had the surgery...my reply is an absolute yes!! I know there will still be ups and downs but the overall pain relief is wonderful. I can walk my dog, shop without worrying if I can make it home, and enjoy traveling(if I'm smart about it). Sometimes I miss working, but after back surgery last Oct. and then the THR, we decided that I wouldn't go back. Now I'm just waiting to be a grandmother and plan on keeping baby girl after the first of the year. So glad to be a hippie...

 

[MajorHeidi]

Great report @LadyJune !
Glad you are doing so well and enjoying your new hip! Way to go!!!

 

[Jamie]

Good report!!! Things will continue to get easier as even more time goes by. But you're doing really well!

 

[mystikfairy61]

Sounds like things are going good for you!! So glad to hear!!