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THR Going4fun new hip adventure

Sounds like you're doing great, @Going4fun, and with the start of the new year just around the corner, you can be happy that it, unlike last year, will be a wonderful hear hip-wise! As I've said before, I don't "get" the love for dance myself, although my son is a dancer and I can very much appreciate what joy it brings him, both physically and emotionally. Blessed with two left feet and a tin ear, I am not someone who ventures out on the dance floor very often, but I think it's great that it brings YOU such pleasure and with a increasingly comfortable new hip which is allowing you to do more and more, I think it is true you'll be out there and dancing away! Cheers, and have a good evening.
 
Hi @Barbaraj, yes things seem to be going well ... but ... I think I inadvertently signed up for a trial membership (hopefully not full) in the ODIC. Thigh was sore in the past two days after exercising a lot last week and doing some weights ... Took it easy yesterday ... felt sore again today ... so took things easy ... did a little stretching and went out for groceries ... and hip felt fine (no thigh soreness calling out to me) walking down the isles.

Gotta admit: I felt some blues at the thigh soreness, which had disappeared after hanging around forever ... So I'm a little humbled of course. I'm calling my surgeon's office tomorrow to talk to someone about the what's normal question ... and to get a caretaking hug.

I have been reading your posts. I'm blown away by how organized you are ... We are a week ahead of the big holiday and it sounds like you've been in action for weeks now. The new hip is treating you well, I sense. It's the "old" one that seems to be giving you grief. Did you start formal pt for the "old" hip? Are you liking it?
 
Well, how darn sweet are you, @Going4fun, to say that you think I'm organized, that you are "blown away" by my organization skills! That is quite the compliment for this very anxious woman, who wakes up every morning with this vague sense of impending doom, basically "what have I forgotten?" I know it will come together in the end, and as someone noted in a response to an earlier post of mine, it isn't my sole responsibility to do everything. I know I need to ease up and not stress, but much easier said than done. Still, nice to know I'm fooling folks like you who attribute organizational expertise to the holiday season!

Sorry to hear that you have overdone it--I, too, hope it's just a temporary foray into overdoing, and that with a little ice, rest, time and the doctor's reassurance, you'll be fine in time for next week's big day. I think we all overdo it occasionally--I know I certainly do. Mostly when that happens it's not my operated hip that hurts, or really the unoperated one--it's my lower back that starts aching. The hips are really doing well--so well that I got discharged from PT yesterday--woo, hoo! I loved PT as it provided structure and regular assessment/feedback but they told me they've done what they can and now it's on me to follow up. I'm doing well and nothing else is needed but to continue being diligent about the exercises they've given me and to continue slowly working on getting my cardio back up, in terms of resistance, incline and length of time on the elliptical.

Anyway, hang in there--it will get better, I'm sure, as all of us recovering hipsters are undoubtedly so much better off post-surgery than we were before. Even with an occasionally cranky left hip, I am still amazed at how easy and comfortable I am most of the time. Have a great hump day!
 
Happy Four Month Anniversary!
Hope you're doing well. Would love to hear an update and whether you're donning your dancing shoes yet.
I miss the posts between you and An54. I think we may need to organize a search party for her. She must have loved Halifax so much she decided to stay, lol.
I hope you have a nice weekend and a great 2019!
@Going4fun
 
Good morning, @Going4fun. Hope everything is going well for you, and each week you realize, even if it's just a niggle forward, that you are truly getting better. At four months plus out, you are definitely on the road to recovery--not as fast as you'd like, I'm sure, but definitely forward motion. I'm sitting here in my study on my laptop, and although I can feel my back stiffening up a bit (argh...) I know when I compare today with pre-surgery, I am infinitely better off, just not 100%. Anyway, have a terrific day whatever you're up to!
 
Four month update.

Well ... I delayed posting exactly at four months ... in part because I was embarrassed that I had landed in the Over Did It Club (ODIC) big time!

In the weeks leading up to January 12 (four months exactly) I worked out at the gym ... and then for two days ... I completely went berserk with exercises. I did lots of hip exercises (for glutes, abductors and adductors) in the years before I had hip surgery--to compensate for the bad hip ... So I have those exercises in my head as basic therapy ... kinda like "upkeep." Sounds crazy, but I forgot that those exercises are taxing on my new hip and on recovering tissues.

The result was pain in the operated side buttock and in the hip ... well ... more stiffness and soreness than "pain." But maybe it's all pain. I finally, after talking to a close friend, realized that since month 3, when I began walking without the cane, I have pushed things ... Just an example ... even after I backed off from the ODIC recently, I went out for a long long walk ... I thought I was taking it easy ... A friend of mine said, "You walked for an hour? How is that backing off?" ... Well oops! ... Plus I returned to work in early January ...

@Barbaraj, you are absolutely right in encouraging me to see the big picture of progress. I'm moving better than a month ago ... better (tons better) than two months ago ... I called my surgeon's nurse at one point out of frustration ... she encouraged me to evaluate progress weekly ... But now I think MONTHLY is the better assessment time ... That's when the picture of my recovery gets really clear.

So just today, as I did a short walk, I remembered back two months ago when I attended a conference on gene therapy and artificial intelligence in medicine ... it was such a wonderful conference ... and I used my cane all the way through. I'm not using the cane now, so clearly there's been major progress ... huge progress in two month!

My goal right now is to pay attention to what my hip wants ... and to baby it ... And ... when I reach a new milestone of function ... I will EASE UP and BACK OFF in the days after the new milestone. I will let the hip guide me ... and quit being a tyrannical coach yelling at the hip to do more.

I still enjoy reading here on BS and sharing whatever little bit of insight I have to encourage others. The hardest part is applying that insight to myself!!!
 
Ha, ha, @Going4fun, I can so relate to your comment about nodding your head in agreement when you read about "sensible" recovering hipsters and their deliberative, moderate routines, and yet somehow being unable to apply that logic to your own situation. I, too, suffer from an inability to take to heart, for myself, the lessons that others are thoughtfully demonstrating/suggesting when I read their posts. I think I've always been a bit demanding of myself--I desperately want to move forward, to move beyond hobbling and into a smooth and confident stride, and I want it NOW! On a day to day basis, I'm doing well but I realize that my world is still a whole lot more narrow than I'd like. Not that I want to be running a marathon or climbing mountains, I'd just like to be able to do more than I'm currently able to do--exactly what this looks like is a bit elusive! This is, I know, definitely "glass half empty" thinking, and I do know better. But while it's easy to encourage others (as a mother with four kids, I am the queen of cheerleaders sometimes) it is much, much harder to ease up on myself or deliver those pats on the back for a job well done.

I try to do something in the way of exercise daily, and when I don't I feel very guilty and irritated with myself. Often this means that the following day I push harder--and sometimes that works, and at other times it hurts and results in a setback. And when I hurt, I turn around and blame myself (who else is standing in line?) for being stupid. I get the feeling sometimes, that "I can't win for losing". But looking back, as I encouraged you to do, to pre-surgery, or even at monthly intervals since my surgery, I clearly have come a long way. Need to remember that as I'm off to the gym this morning, and resist the urge to overdo it as I did no exercise yesterday and feel as if I need to make up for that.

Anyway, as I suspect you'd agree, do as I say, not as I do! And have a cheerful Tuesday!
 
@Barbaraj, great words ... yes ... it's so hard to do as I say ... So I'm slowing down a bit ... and trying to let go of recovery timetables ... that's the hard part ... giving up a timetable for recovery that I didn't know I had--until reality exposed it.
 
I wish you luck, @Going4fun, as we all need that plus time to accomplish this healing process. If easing up and slowing down helps you, then definitely that's a good idea. I think it is a balancing act, however, as I need both physical AND mental recovery which means, for me, that I've got do something physical daily, or it messes with my mind and I get overwhelmed with self-criticism and that makes things almost worse. Sure, I will try to behave myself and not overdo it (whining away when that happens, of course) but forced inactivity is harder to bear, I think. Anyway, I suppose the message for all of us is to do what works for YOU, and understand this is a constantly evolving process. It's midweek as I'm writing this and I upped my exercise today on the elliptical this morning and, wonderfully, it so far feels good. Tiny shoves at the edge of that envelope sometimes help me, physically and emotionally. But that's me, you gotta do you!
 
Great point @Barbaraj about taking care of yourself physically and mentally. I'm thinking of making walking (hopefully several times a day) my "workout" for a while ... and I'll relax and see how the hip reacts. I actually love walking ... Walking becomes the peaceful time to talk to myself and to think ... in ways I don't do when I'm exercising ... But I love that you are exercising because you know you'll feel better doing so. I'm not to different than you ... but my hip has rebelled multiple times when I've resumed gym exercising and so right now I've been able to hush those voices telling me I must exercise ... I'm slowly making my peace with a slower recovery ...
 
Hey, nothing wrong with walking as a form of exercise and recovery! It's free, and you can control the start and end of each walk, and schedule it as you want. Keep that up, and glad to hear you're not beating yourself up because you aren't able to resume gym exercise. As you've noted, if your hips complain, no sense in beating your heat against the wall. Do what works for YOU, and eventually you will get to a place where (if you want to) heading to the gym for a workout is something you'll look forward to and it won't set you back. On those occasios when I've walked, I've always had a friend or my husband with me, so no time to talk to myself and think, but I enjoy the social aspects of walking as much as the physical exertion. I am a fair weather walker, however, and in my neck of the woods, with lots of rain during the day frequently, walking isn't going to happen. Maybe you live somewhere that has a better environment for walks--cold but sunny. That I could handle, but walking in the rain, ala Gene Kelly singing and splashing, isn't my cup of tea!
 
Going4fun said:
my hip has rebelled multiple times when I've resumed gym exercising and so right now I've been able to hush those voices telling me I must exercise ... I'm slowly making my peace with a slower recovery ...
Click to expand...
Good for you @Going4fun
All will keep getting better and listening to your body is definitely the way to go!
Hope you are continuing to see improvement.
 
Hey :wave:
We're due for a Going4fun update. I see you around the forum supporting and cheering on others.
How are you doing at almost 6 months post op?
@Going4fun
 
@Layla, yes, I've been a kinda counter-puncher, haven't I? ... I love talking about myself in small bits in other people's threads! Promise: I will post my six-month update in my own thread soon. Might post before the surgeon visit and afterwards.
 
That's all good. Just want you to know you are appreciated.
Will wait for an update. :bored: :heehee:
Sweet dreams tonight! :sleep:
@Going4fun
 
Good morning, @Going4fun. Hope you're up and about with a positive attitude this morning. When is your six month check in visit? I'm betting you'll get a good report. Will you be at 100%? Probably not, but you're doing pretty darn well and I think all of us need to look at our progress and not complain (well, not too much anyway) about the fact that we're not completely recovered. Have a great day!
 
Thanks for the encouragement and the perspective @Barbaraj. Yeah, I just can't quite get my thigh to not feel overwhelmed when I increase my activity ... I keep trying to increase the activity slowly and then I have to back off ... Had some great dancing with myself the other day, actually for several days in a row ... and then ... of course, I feel soreness in my quad.

Part of my issue is definitely expectations ...but ... my surgeon did say he thought I could start to play around with dancing after 8 weeks ... Well, that turned out not be right.

BTW: I'm practicing my dancing more smartly during this recovery (even for limited periods) than I ever practiced before I had hip problems. I'm trying out different moves ... putting on different songs with different beats and paces ... An interesting side note.

My appointment with the surgeon is Tuesday March 12th ... which is exactly the six-month point. I'm glad talked to the surgeon's chief nurse a few weeks back. I anticipate she'll inform the surgeon about my concerns that my quad seems to be taking its sweet time. My flexibility is amazing ... has been since week 1 ...

Oh, the nurse did set me up with an appointment with a physical medicine doctor to make sure there's nothing going on with my back ... I have that appointment this Friday. And the nurse said that at my appointment they will x-ray my knee (which tingled a lot until recently) to make sure there isn't something going on there.

I'll talk to the surgeon about going to a PT who does massage and perhaps some good stretching. Brute activity is clearly not the answer ... so I'm keeping an open mind. Part of my brain thinks I'll feel wonderful in six months ... part of my brain fears the muscles were just cut in such a way that the hip won't ever allow me to exercise like I want to ... I'll post after the appointment for sure.

Thanks for the encouragement.
 
Thanks for the update. Sorry your quad is still easily fatigued. I'm sure it's frustrating but keep in mind how long it takes for complete healing. Up to two years for some people.
Good luck with your appointment on Friday for your back.
Let us know how your six month post op with your OS goes next week.
A great week to you!
@Going4fun
 
Thanks for the reminder on recovery @Layla. I sorta say to myself what you said here ... but at times I don't believe myself. It's so good to hear this from another person. BTW: I love the specificity of your language ... my quad "is still easily fatigued." Yes. Thank you. I hope you haven't copyrighted that ... I think will use that language with the surgeon.
 
It is really easy to forget what really happened inside there when we are feeling good, and able to do the activities what we want. I've been in one of those positive states for quite awhile now, feeling relieved, and pretty much forgetting I even had the hip replaced.

And then a bit of a wake up call........We've had bitter cold, snow, barometric pressure changes and suddenly, I once again have some aching and throbbing in my thigh. Obviously, all of the tissue in there is not yet totally healed/back to "normal", even though it wasn't bothering me for over 2 months.

It's times like these that I have to stop and remember all of the tissue trauma during the replacement, and that when doctors say complete healing can take up to 2 years, it makes perfect sense. Even those of us who were lucky early on in recovery often have times when our bodies remind us that they are the "boss of us", and need some time and attention.:loveshwr:
 
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