THR Going4fun new hip adventure

@Going4fun
Oh my stars...:blush:
Missed your one year hipversary!
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You have been a great inspiring voice on the forum and I hope that life just keeps getting better and better.
Lots of good mojo coming your way!!!!:happydance:
 
@Mojo333 thanks so much. So helped by your encouragement and voice in response to me and to others.

I am sitting right now in the cafeteria of the hospital where my sister has had bilateral hip replacement surgery (Tuesday and Thursday). She's just been told there is a problem on her X-ray of her right hip, and the surgeon will operate again tomorrow. The surgeon thinks the acetabular liner may have slipped out of place. I have used all my BS knowledge to give encouragement to my sister.
 
Here's lots of good wishes for your sister, @Going4fun. How awful she's got another operation tomorrow but I hope the problem gets fixed and she's feeling better soon. She must be so appreciative of having you there to support and encourage her--not only a beloved brother but also a seasoned veteran of hip surgery. I hope by tomorrow evening she's resting comfortably and will be able to return home soon.
 
Aww, poor sis. I'm sorry to read this @Going4fun
I hope she's resting comfortably by now. She's lucky to have you there with her. I'm sure she's comforted by your presence and encouraging words. She also understands you can relate. Please let us know how she's doing.
A peaceful evening to you both.
 
Hi @Going4fun
I hope you're having a nice day. We're in heat and sunshine today with see-saw temps.
Is it Summer, is it Fall? :shrug: A little of both, I guess.

How is your sister doing? Hopefully she's resting comfortably and things are going as well as expected.
I'll bet she's thankful for your THR experience knowing you can relate relate through your own surgery and recovery. I found it comforting my parents had been through hip replacements knowing I could call on them if I had questions. Makes a world of difference as opposed to talking to someone who's clueless about it all. As it turns out BoneSmart quickly became my go to place for all things hip related.

If she not interested in joining us here, encourage her to be a lurker like so many of us were before becoming a member. Lots of good info here as you know.
Hope you have a great evening!
 
Oh my stars:sad:
Just catching up and hated to see the news about your sister's problem hip.
I do hope they got things sorted!

I feel so lucky and grateful.
Certainly hope she is doing well, my hippy pal.:praying:
 
@Mojo333 thanks for the encouragement. The surgeon said the liner on her acetabular cup had slipped out of place ... and apparently he went back in ... and fixed this in a short operation. She's up and walking ... it's so great to tell her that she's doing well ... She asked if the hips would ever feel "normal." I told her yes ... She asked how can she know if the surgery was a success and that the device was in place ... I told her that most likely if something was amiss, she'd be in serious pain. She's not in serious pain. She went on a long walk with the PT today.

She was so terrified about the surgery, so I'm very proud of her that she finally had it and that she had the confidence to go for the bilateral (as you did).

@Layla ... my sister isn't a big internet person ... but we'll see ... perhaps after she gets out of rehab ... she just went to a rehab facility today ... perhaps afterwards she'll have time and the mindset to join or lurk here. I'm still trying to get her to avoid writing in ALL CAPS when she posts on the internet.
 
Aloha @Going4fun - Reading your posts, your sister is very blessed to have you in her corner. We all need someone cheerleading us every now and again. The fact that you've been there makes it even better.

Sweet dreams... :sleeep:
 
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Hi, @Going4fun A happy Monday to you, and I hope you're doing well. You are sounding so energetic these days I am sure you've got a full week planned. At a year out would you say you feel "normal" again? My one year anniversary for my right hip (done 9/26/18) is coming up shortly and I must say it's feeling pretty darn good. Still have, and probably--heavy sigh--will always have an ugly looking scar but that is the least of my problems. With the second hip only 2 months out it's still a dreary trudge along with lots of stiffness and aching to greet me every morning. But I am continuing to fantasize about 2020 and two fully recovered and happy hips. The good life awaits. How is your sister doing? I hope her rehab is going well. I am sure she's still depending upon your support and optimism to help her along. Cheers!
 
@Barbaraj I think my sister is doing well ... Looks like I've be travelling 150 miles this weekend to pick her up as she gets released from inpatient rehab.

Wow, you asked the $10 million question. Do I feel normal again? Hmmmmm ... I still can get soreness when I exercise hard ... but it's not the excruciating soreness of presurgery ... and I think my hip is still healing and getting stronger ... Maybe here's an answer to your question in the form of a slightly different question. Do I ever hold back from some activity because of the hip? The answer is a resounding No!

Do I still think of the hip? Sure ... but not obsessively ... Do I still feel some niggles ... or notice I have to avoid sitting in the same position for a long time? Yes and yes. But overall I have high confidence in the hip. I just completed my long day of teaching ... with 4 classes back to back from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. I'm sitting in the library now ... and I thinking back. I didn't think of the hip once during the 6 hours of teaching and standing on my feet and moving around.

I have to say I'm pleased with the lack of stiffness I'm feeling when I rise from sitting.

Maybe this is another way of thinking about this surgery. If I were to grade my hip (just came from teaching) I wouldn't say it's an A+ ... seamlessly in sync with the rest of my body. But my 57-year-old body is not an A+!

I would say my hip is a B+ ... really solid, reliable ... fun to take out for a ride ... and I haven't given up on it being an A- ...
 
So glad to hear how well you are doing and love that you give your hip a solid B.
I give my hips an A- now that I'm over 2 years out, but it receives extra credit when I recall that I was in pain 24-7 right before my surgery.
Not discomfort...but PAIN.
Yes. Even now if I overdo with a particularly strenuous activity, I can create discomfort...but never have regretted this surgery.
 
Loved reading your update @Going4fun! You found a very good way to describe where you are at in your recovery and strengthening. :yes!:
 
@Going4fun so far the PT is going very well!
I was going to PM and ask for your PT clinic but found out I would need to go where my Insurance specified. So am very relieved I snagged a good one who listens to my concerns.
 
@CricketHip ... don't know about you but for me, there was tremendous psychological relief and optimism that came from working with a PT I truly liked--in addition to the benefits of realigning and strengthening the body.

Glad to hear things are going well! I'm starting to think what applies for psychotherapists (I've seen many) also applies to PTs. The difference between a mediocre one and a very good one ... is HUGE! ...add in a weak/strong bond or connection ... huger still.
 
Well, @Going4fun I'd say if you are able to stand and teach for 6 hours without pain and stiffness and without once even inking about your hip, that means you are really and truly in the land of the fully healed! My OS told me that hip replacements are not as good as your natural hips, but you get about 95% of your movement and ease back which sounds pretty good to me. Not being a marathon runner or anything like that, I think I can happily live with these new hips once recovery for #2 is complete, sometime next year. I am still, at just two months out, stiff and aching most mornings (ooh, getting out of bed is a challenge some days and I have admittedly tottered for those first few steps) but I know from hip #1 recovery that things WILL be getting better and I just need to keep on moving and try to be patient (argh...) Anyway, I like your B+ rating! As my older body is also definitely never going to hit A+ again, I'd be totally satisfied with that B+ next year. Hope your sister's stay in rehab went well, and she's looking forward to coming home. I suspect the early days will be challenging as she settles into home routines but I bet, like most of us, there will be a sigh of relief when she gets inside her home.
 
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Update ... 13 & 1/2 months ... a bit of shaky news.

I ran into a glitch with my hip ... I think it's minor but I'm going to see my surgeon tomorrow to have it checked out ...

Let's see ... I visited my sister exactly three weeks ago ... to pick her up from inpatient rehab where she stayed two weeks after bilateral hip replacement. Well ... on Wednesday October 2, it must have been, the day I picked her up, I felt this sudden weakness in my leg ... on the left operated side ... just above the knee ... Now, I've felt all kinds of aches and pains and soreness since the surgery ... but this ... this was different ... it felt for a second like my leg would collapse And OMG, I bit my tongue and didn't want to say anything about this while my sister was nearby. Didn't want to scare her about the surgery she just went through.

The weakness would feel like instability ... like the muscles weren't going to hold me up ... and then in a second that feeling was gone ... well after helped my sister settle in and I returned home, I remembered some stretching exercises that my PT would have me do ... kinda stretching the quads ... though she didn't call it a quad stretch ... anyway, something about that stretched help ... But that little weird feeling of instability would occasionally raise its head.

Well ... last week ... I went out for a jog ... very relaxed ... not a hard job at all, since I'm still getting in shape ... and and I felt it again, this moment of instability in the area just above my knee. It's s like a muscle or contracts and freezes just above the knee ... (I stopped running ... and just walked and ... then ran 20 minutes later ... and felt fine ... )

I was about to pick up the phone to talk to my PT (I haven't been to her in two months) when I thought. You know what?: I want to rule out any device problems. I want to make sure the device hasn't moved or something else ...

So the surgeon's chief nurse scheduled an early appointment for me. I'm going to see him tomorrow. I'm sure he'll take X-Rays ... I'm now convinced it's a soft tissue issue ... not sure why it is appearing now ... I didn't suddenly increase my exercise (at least that's my thinking). But I wanted to be thorough, so I'm seeing my surgeon first.

I'l report on the findings, of course, when I return from that appointment. I'm pretty balanced as I prepare to go in ... I was more afraid a few weeks back ... but really took me a second to go through the arc of patient acceptance ... from denial ... through ignore ... through "I must not be stretching right" to ... "let me get this checked out."
 
Hoping it's just some muscle or soft tissue that's having a fit for some reason. Please let us know what you find out.

By the way, congrats fellow newbie FA! :thumb:
 

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