THR Happy Hippy From the other side

[JulieJF]

@Lore O

I had to laugh at your lesson in being independent post-THR. I had one of those moments too! Walker across the room, dropped my crutch, dropped my grabber trying to retrieve my crutch, felt momentarily silly and stranded.

I, too, have learned to keep my grabber close by, and after that first stranded moment, I've done pretty well at not getting myself into that position again. Knock wood! LOL

 

[Lore O]

Ha!! it doesn't take long to figure that one out!! it is funny after the fact

 

[Liznwiz]

I too have on occassion lost my crutch and grabber and it looked like I was going to be stranded. At little tip to help if you have something to hold on to safely i.e. the side of the bed. Stick your operated leg out behind you as you bend forward then you can reach the floor safely with out breaking restrictions. I believe its called a golfers bend, if you have ever watched golf you will see thats how golfers pick up the ball, they use a golf club to hold onto though.

Good to hear you are all making progress though

 

[Jaycey]

I believe its called a golfers bend

It's called the golfer's reach and it can be a lifesaver! You must be very careful and do this only when you have something to hold on to either in front or at your side.

 

[Liznwiz]

Thanks @Jaycey I knew it had something to do with golf. Its certainly not something you can do unless there is something to hold onto.

 

[Jaycey]

I had years of practice with this as I had a no bending restriction after my spinal surgery. I can do this without holding on to something, but it is not at all advised unless you are confident. For new hippies and hand hold is definitely needed.

 

[Gummy Bears]

I figured out the golfers bend early on and it's been a huge help!
I saw my surgeon for my 2 week post op today. Saw my X-ray with the implant and it looks great! He's very happy with everything, I can stop wearing compression socks, stop aspirin, he said I can ditch the crutches. I still have a bit of a limp but his PA said it should work itself out in the next week or so. They offered PT, should I take it? I'm not sure if it's necessary. I did walk better in his office, probably because I felt more confident being in a hospital! He said I can return to worknext week and drive but I might hold off on the driving for a short while, as that is an awkward position to hold your leg in.
I have to say I've been extremely happy with Dr. Ciotola. I'm so glad my neighbor sent me his way! In addition to being an amazing surgeon (in my opinion), he's a very nice person.

 

[Liznwiz]

@Gummy Bears Wow, thats an amazing recovery. I'm almost three weeks post op and can't imagine driving or ditching the crutches, although if I am only going to walk two or three steps the I will go without.
I was also told last week I have to wear my Nora Batty's (my name for the silly socks) for 6 weeks.

 

[Jaycey]

he said I can ditch the crutches

If you are feeling confident do ditch the crutches. But if you are the least bit tired and start limping, use them again. You don't want to get into the habit of limping. When you start leaving them behind it's a sign you are ready to stop using them.

They offered PT, should I take it?

Do you have any lower back issues. If not, I would not bother with PT. Frankly, I never found it helpful - but that's just me! Walking is the best exercise for a new hip.

 

[Gummy Bears]

Thanks @Jaycey i definetly will use the crutches if I need them. I do not have back issues, the PT would only help with my gait. You think the limp will go away on its own?

 

[Jaycey]

You think the limp will go away on its own?

Yes the limp will resolve itself but if your PT is for gait issues I take back what I said. Relearning to walk correctly is very hard. PT may be able to help.

Use just one crutch or a cane to transition if you need them. Slow and steady.

 

[alexthecat]

After my THR, I had about six weeks of PT with a focus on gait training. I found it to be very helpful in my case. Why not give it a try and see how it goes? If it turns out not to be useful, you don't have to go back.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

[Lore O]

I too have on occassion lost my crutch and grabber and it looked like I was going to be stranded. At little tip to help if you have something to hold on to safely i.e. the side of the bed. Stick your operated leg out behind you as you bend forward then you can reach the floor safely with out breaking restrictions. I believe its called a golfers bend, if you have ever watched golf you will see thats how golfers pick up the ball, they use a golf club to hold onto though.

Good to hear you are all making progress though

thank you so much, this is great advise

 

[Gummy Bears]

Post op day 13 - well, my mom just left for the airport. Boo hoo! It was so nice to have her here. I can't believe tomorrow will be 2 weeks! The time has flown by. Today is the first day I have had no soreness. I have taken no pain meds since last night. I'm trying out one crutch and that is working well. My limping (without the crutch) is getting better. I'm going to wait a few days and if it doesn't improve, I'll ask for PT. I start working from home next week and then transition to working out of the office the following week. At some point, I'll try driving but I'm going to probably wait till at least next week, since operation was on my right hip!

 

[Liznwiz]

The time certainly does fly by, I shall be three weeks post op tomorrow not sure where that time has gone either.
Probably a good idea to wait until you are sure you can drive, I don't think it hurts to be cautious.
Good to hear you are getting on well and I am sure you will manage well enough, although it must have been lovely to have your mum to help.

 

[Midchild54]

@Gummy Bears I think you will be surprised at how fast you can do things that you believe are out of reach. The best thing is to try and see. When I had my RTHR in November, I was also concerned about driving. At three weeks, I drove a little around the neighborhood. Getting in and out of the car was the worse. I made sure I could do a hard stop and could go back and forth between pedals. It was a breeze. I wasn't planning on doing any real driving and didn't till 5 weeks. But it gave me hope and confidence that I could. It was extra important for me because I drive for a living. If you feel up to it, give it a shot.

 

[Lore O]

That's great news about the driving, thanks for letting us know the timeline. I think I'll practice first with getting in and out of the car next week

 

[Gummy Bears]

Post op day #17 (I think anyway?) - time sure does fly, I can't believe I return to work tomorrow. I'm working from home this week and go in to the office next week. Had a pretty active weekend and feeling good. Went to some friends house for a BBQ, went out to some restaurants with friends and went to the pool for nearly 4 hours today (mostly sitting in the shade.). I did have swollen feet when I got home from the pool but after elevating went away pretty quickly. I've been able to start helping around the house more and doing some food preparation. Even though my doctor told me I could stop taking aspirin, I haven't stopped, yet. I only take pain meds, as needed, not very often and in very low doses. Life's about to get a lot busier! These last couple weeks have flown by!!

 

[45goingon90]

I'm so happy for your success and recovery! It takes away a lot of my personal anxiety and helps me get excited about getting to the other side! Thank you for your encouragement! Prayers for continued health your way!

 

[Gummy Bears]

I can't believe that as of today it's been 3 weeks post op! I feel like the time has flown but it also feels like it took place so long ago.
I returned to work this week, worked from home (which was a smart move.). The first day or two was an adjustment but each day got easier. I feel like today I really saw an improvement from earlier this week. I'm driving now (not more than a few miles at a time), I'm not getting as tired as I was the first 2 days of working this week, I'm starting to forget my crutch and my walking has improved greatly (in the limp department), I can walk up and down stairs normally (I have to force myself to slow down), I start to do tasks and forget that I have an operative side of my hip (I almost just stepped right into the shower tonight!), and I can do straight leg lifts on the operative leg now.
I think the real test will be next week when I will need to drive longer distances and work at the office (just worried about realistically being able to ice and elevate and how to get my stuff back and forth from the car...rolling luggage?)
I continue to take aspirin and take 2 extra strength Tylenol every 6 hours during the day.
Hope everyone is doing great and have a great weekend!