THR Heal first, then exercise, then dance!
- Thread starter An54
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An54
senior
Thank you @Layla . Yes, here we are at the 18th, and it is indeed two months since I walked trembling into the OR with the guiding Angel Nurse beside me, with her arm around me.
All is going so well so far --knock on wood. Everything is almost too boring to report. I am walking without aids, no limp, no pain, no meds (except baby aspirin), I sleep quite well, and on both sides, without thinking about it. I stand up and sit down normally, I do this, I do that. But I should add this caveat --I have been running with... shall we call it "reduced amplitude" ; the careful life, physically.
I have been on the No Exercise/no outside PT cure by choice, and my small "e" exercise has just been walking and tootling around home and neighbourhood. I do a bit of dancing on my own to move to the music and fire up legs and feet. More time at the swimming pool is coming up. I'm still somewhat stiff, but can get into my clothes now with no aids. My tapico belly (more a function of caloric intake than my Rest Cure) is starting to deflate somewhat. I am hopeful that I will fit into all my clothes again before too long. In the meantime I am too stubborn to buy new things including undies. I found the elastic a bit tight over my beautifully voluptuous belly (cough!) and THR scar, so I temporarily took over a bunch of Hub's extra undies for greater comfort; I'm the only woman I know who has developed a preference for Stanfield's over Fruit-of-the-Loom tightie whities.
All is going so well so far --knock on wood. Everything is almost too boring to report. I am walking without aids, no limp, no pain, no meds (except baby aspirin), I sleep quite well, and on both sides, without thinking about it. I stand up and sit down normally, I do this, I do that. But I should add this caveat --I have been running with... shall we call it "reduced amplitude" ; the careful life, physically.
I have been on the No Exercise/no outside PT cure by choice, and my small "e" exercise has just been walking and tootling around home and neighbourhood. I do a bit of dancing on my own to move to the music and fire up legs and feet. More time at the swimming pool is coming up. I'm still somewhat stiff, but can get into my clothes now with no aids. My tapico belly (more a function of caloric intake than my Rest Cure) is starting to deflate somewhat. I am hopeful that I will fit into all my clothes again before too long. In the meantime I am too stubborn to buy new things including undies. I found the elastic a bit tight over my beautifully voluptuous belly (cough!) and THR scar, so I temporarily took over a bunch of Hub's extra undies for greater comfort; I'm the only woman I know who has developed a preference for Stanfield's over Fruit-of-the-Loom tightie whities.
1stSurgery
graduate
All sounds perfect @An54. I am looking forward to things getting boring!!! Walking without pain, sitting, standing. Sounds like a successful trip around the scalpel. Well wearing the Sailor's panties is not boring but I digress into fluff town again.... As I am known to do. You've earned a flower!!
Going4fun
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@An54, love to hear of those little dance steps you are squeezing in ... Sounds like a great recovery ... and I'm signing up for your club of cautious recovery folks. You'll have to keep reporting and I want to hear that official return to Lindy on the dance floor.
I'm so looking forward to Lindy-hopping on a solid hip. I just got mine, but I already have the sense that wow, when this thing heals, this hip is gonna be solid!!! It feels like I have this study piece of steel in me ... imagine that ... Of course, it's titanium, which I just read is as strong as steel while 45 percent lighter.
I'm so looking forward to Lindy-hopping on a solid hip. I just got mine, but I already have the sense that wow, when this thing heals, this hip is gonna be solid!!! It feels like I have this study piece of steel in me ... imagine that ... Of course, it's titanium, which I just read is as strong as steel while 45 percent lighter.
glad you are getting there.
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An54
senior
@Going4fun , happily, I now know the date of my official return to the dance floor-- November 23rd in the Hycroft Manor Ballroom with a 19 piece Big Band Orchestra. Yes!
Just heard about the event yesterday from the club, formal/1940s attire, cocktails, dinner and fab dance floor. Now I'm having great fun designing a poster, spreading the word. Trying to get Big Band Swing to grow here in Vancouver--a worthwhile hobby . (The more insane the world gets, the more we need swing dancing; I'm doing my part for humanity).But my hip-related point? With a date that gels nicely with my cautious approach to recovery post THR, I will pace myself to get there incrementally. In between long RESTS of course. I had decided that four months was about right before hitting the dance floor with gusto. Would be interested in hearing any differing opinions on that, but it seemed about right to me.
SurreyGirl
supremo
That sounds fantastic! Lovely to have a date to look forward to..
Going4fun
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OMG @An54, one of the great treats of life is dancing swing to a good live band.
The energy and enthusiasm generated by the live band (and the vintage clothes you mention) is just off-the-charts joyous. About a year and a half ago, I attended a weekend swing dance event with a life band ... and then the following week attended a different swing event, also with a live band.Y
My hip was talking to me after both of these events ... Oh my, so the dance will be four months since surgery ... so great! ...
You may be a bit out of shape of course ... but as a member of the Cautious Club, you know that ... and the breaks will be great. But it should be great to be able to move and lean on a hip and not worry that you're about to tumble and not have to stifle a scream of pain.
I danced about two months before my surgery ... I lasted through a lesson and then about 35 minutes of dancing before I sat down in exhaustion.
I couldn't tell whether it was exhaustion from being out of shape ... or hip pain that caused me to sit. Now, I think it was both! Anyway, the best thing was that I had wonderful dance partners for those 35 minutes ... and those dances from that night remain in my head as I go through this process. Hobbling out of the dance studio and hobbling to my car and limping the next few days ... those also stay in my mind ... as they reminded me it was time for the surgery.
The energy and enthusiasm generated by the live band (and the vintage clothes you mention) is just off-the-charts joyous. About a year and a half ago, I attended a weekend swing dance event with a life band ... and then the following week attended a different swing event, also with a live band.Y
My hip was talking to me after both of these events ... Oh my, so the dance will be four months since surgery ... so great! ...
You may be a bit out of shape of course ... but as a member of the Cautious Club, you know that ... and the breaks will be great. But it should be great to be able to move and lean on a hip and not worry that you're about to tumble and not have to stifle a scream of pain.
I danced about two months before my surgery ... I lasted through a lesson and then about 35 minutes of dancing before I sat down in exhaustion.
I couldn't tell whether it was exhaustion from being out of shape ... or hip pain that caused me to sit. Now, I think it was both! Anyway, the best thing was that I had wonderful dance partners for those 35 minutes ... and those dances from that night remain in my head as I go through this process. Hobbling out of the dance studio and hobbling to my car and limping the next few days ... those also stay in my mind ... as they reminded me it was time for the surgery.
Alitm
post-grad
@An54 Congratulations on your two month anniversary, two days ago...I'm a little late
You are a shining example of how rest and walking work so well in recovery
Thrilled for you to have a dance date to look forward to...at the four month mark...perfect timing. Swing dancing no less, so much fun!! You will be back in your clothes I'm sure of it!
You are a shining example of how rest and walking work so well in recovery
Thrilled for you to have a dance date to look forward to...at the four month mark...perfect timing. Swing dancing no less, so much fun!! You will be back in your clothes I'm sure of it!
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Bionic
post-grad
SurreyGirl
supremo
This is so great to hear. I am still on one crutch and will have to be patient. But..... I have my eye on a beginners salsa class in January. Wonder if this will be possible?
Alitm
post-grad
Stopping by to say 
and see how the dance "training" is going. Hope you are having a wonderful time getting your dancing shoes warmed up. We had a spectacular Fall day here....hope you had the same!
and see how the dance "training" is going. Hope you are having a wonderful time getting your dancing shoes warmed up. We had a spectacular Fall day here....hope you had the same! Bionic
post-grad
I watched a TV programme last night with some low level research on the effect of various forms of activity. Dancing, Singing, Exercise class, the control group were reading a dishwasher manual
Apparently singing has the best effect. Just as well as I am off to join a new singing group this evening. It will be nice to get out and meet some new people.
Apparently singing has the best effect. Just as well as I am off to join a new singing group this evening. It will be nice to get out and meet some new people.
OP
OP
An54
senior
Designing the poster was fun, but now 'done and dusted'. The Big Band Gala is a charity benefit which means pricey. The organizer must be living in an alternative reality as she wants people to snail-mail cash or cheques to her home address, stuff like that (nothing devious afoot, just a lack of modern know-how). One person has expressed an interest (me). I predict the event will founder. But that's okay. The date fixed has become my present all-clear for dancing date.
OP
OP
An54
senior
I suppose a ten-week post-op anniversary update is in order.
But my recovery has been so uneventful it will make for dull reading. If I could spice it up with a tale of, for example, how, because I was so far along in my recovery, that I decided to help someone move, and got caught underneath a giant sofa in the stairwell--now that would be a story. Or if I had been out kayaking, got overturned by playful seals flinging octopuses (octopi?) at me, then I would have something worth relating.
However, the most exciting it gets for me is in the underpants department. I have been able to abandon my Hub's jockey briefs and have started wearing my own undies again. My alarming Tapioca Torso has deflated just slightly, just enough for me leave the men's undies in the drawer. I forgot I was wearing them the other day when I went to the pool. I felt a bit self-conscious in the ladies change room, what with the sartorial mish-mash.. the girly flowered dress and the men's briefs. But anything goes these days.
Where am I in recovery? So far, so good. I continue to employ the cautious approach to healing, slow and steady, just walking & doing normal stuff. I have no pain, off all meds except baby aspirin. No walking aids. I might have a slight limp when I tire a bit. I can now reach both feet to do up shoe buckles, but am still using the plastic sleeve to put on my right sock or stocking. I sleep on both sides with a pillow between my legs; both sides are equally comfortable.
My slow walking pace from two weeks ago has evolved into a normal walking pace. My hip feels firm and steady. I was out and about the city the past couple of days for about five hours or more, doing all the regular things; hair appointment, shopping, gallery opening, restaurants, etc, plus I was using public transit, getting on and off crowded buses and trains.
I no longer feel like a surgical patient. I feel normal--so normal it would be the most natural thing in the world to just do anything-- like hit that dance floor!! But this is where the disconnect comes in, so to speak. I have read enough threads on this site to see the danger zone. People have THR, get feeling pretty good at so many weeks--as I do right now-- and just sail in to the old activities. Then they are back here on the board, posting about setbacks, pain, meds, walker, crutches... As someone said (Layla? Mojo?) we've got 'one chance to get this right'. Well, that's a bit bleak. Rather we have once chance to get it right the first time around .
But my recovery has been so uneventful it will make for dull reading. If I could spice it up with a tale of, for example, how, because I was so far along in my recovery, that I decided to help someone move, and got caught underneath a giant sofa in the stairwell--now that would be a story. Or if I had been out kayaking, got overturned by playful seals flinging octopuses (octopi?) at me, then I would have something worth relating.
However, the most exciting it gets for me is in the underpants department. I have been able to abandon my Hub's jockey briefs and have started wearing my own undies again. My alarming Tapioca Torso has deflated just slightly, just enough for me leave the men's undies in the drawer. I forgot I was wearing them the other day when I went to the pool. I felt a bit self-conscious in the ladies change room, what with the sartorial mish-mash.. the girly flowered dress and the men's briefs. But anything goes these days.
Where am I in recovery? So far, so good. I continue to employ the cautious approach to healing, slow and steady, just walking & doing normal stuff. I have no pain, off all meds except baby aspirin. No walking aids. I might have a slight limp when I tire a bit. I can now reach both feet to do up shoe buckles, but am still using the plastic sleeve to put on my right sock or stocking. I sleep on both sides with a pillow between my legs; both sides are equally comfortable.
My slow walking pace from two weeks ago has evolved into a normal walking pace. My hip feels firm and steady. I was out and about the city the past couple of days for about five hours or more, doing all the regular things; hair appointment, shopping, gallery opening, restaurants, etc, plus I was using public transit, getting on and off crowded buses and trains.
I no longer feel like a surgical patient. I feel normal--so normal it would be the most natural thing in the world to just do anything-- like hit that dance floor!! But this is where the disconnect comes in, so to speak. I have read enough threads on this site to see the danger zone. People have THR, get feeling pretty good at so many weeks--as I do right now-- and just sail in to the old activities. Then they are back here on the board, posting about setbacks, pain, meds, walker, crutches... As someone said (Layla? Mojo?) we've got 'one chance to get this right'. Well, that's a bit bleak. Rather we have once chance to get it right the first time around
.
1stSurgery
graduate
Agree, singing can provide some grand endorphin rushes. Especially when in two-part harmony with another singer and you're both hitting pitch oerfect! It's magical. Hysterical about the control group reading the dishwasher manual!!I watched a TV programme last night with some low level research on the effect of various forms of activity. Dancing, Singing, Exercise class, the control group were reading a dishwasher manual
Apparently singing has the best effect. Just as well as I am off to join a new singing group this evening. It will be nice to get out and meet some new people.
Would be really fun to have a second control group singing the dishwasher manual!
Good idea to take the class @Bionic, enjoy!
1stSurgery
graduate
@An54... You mean that wasn't you dodging the flung octopi, from the playful seals last week ...in your kayak?! I read about it and could've sworn that was you! I'm shocked!
And there you were, instead, switching undies in the drawer, incognizant your doppelgänger was out kayaking making mischief.
I think your everyday activities are a proud testament to the success of the Rest Cure and the formerly overly cautious organization.... that shall not be named. You're blending into everyday life in the city and even signing up for dancing. It's very inspiring for those of us still icing and hobbling. I plan to ask my body, literally, at each stage of this recovery if she's ready before I embark on any new activity. And then listen for an answer. What?! No Elephant rides this month? You want me to WAIT longer before signing up for the pole vaulting competition?! Really?!
Keep up the sane and steady pace, "like ketchup" .... It has paid off well.
And there you were, instead, switching undies in the drawer, incognizant your doppelgänger was out kayaking making mischief.
I think your everyday activities are a proud testament to the success of the Rest Cure and the formerly overly cautious organization.... that shall not be named. You're blending into everyday life in the city and even signing up for dancing. It's very inspiring for those of us still icing and hobbling. I plan to ask my body, literally, at each stage of this recovery if she's ready before I embark on any new activity. And then listen for an answer. What?! No Elephant rides this month? You want me to WAIT longer before signing up for the pole vaulting competition?! Really?!
Keep up the sane and steady pace, "like ketchup" .... It has paid off well.
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