THR Heal first, then exercise, then dance!

[An54]

So I hit the dance floor yesterday evening at the Big Band Swing benefit event. In the summer I had decided (or rather I had 'hoped' ) that November 23rd, about four months from my surgery date, would mark my return to more-or-less normal life. Yes, I used a walker/zimmer for my first month post-op--- sloooooooooow progress indeed compared to some who move onto a cane in the first five days, and hit the slopes at 30 days (surely the latter are mythical creatures??). However my eye was on the long-term ball (pun intended), and so far, so good. I dined, I danced, and I drank far too much wine. But I survived intact and did not injure myself. I'm a bit stiff this morning... but when am I not stiff in the morning? Does it ever go away at this age?

@Going4fun , here is my dance report: the event may have featured a Big Band orchestra, and advertised itself as a Swing Gala, but that didn't mean it was filled with a swing dancing crowd. In fact I saw only two other couples who could really dance, so basically the dance floor was a well-dressed mob moving, gyrating and jerking around to the music somewhat randomly. I mostly danced with my swing dance buddy, the light-as-a-bird one, so had no truly muscular challenges as can happen with a robust Neanderthal lead. I also had a few other dances with random gentlemen as happens at these events, but none were Dancers. For those dances I just had to be nimble enough to keep out of the way of getting my toes stomped on, or to be crashed into an adjacent couple; that also takes skill, come to think of it . So while I can't say it was a brilliant evening dancing-wise, it was still significant for me as a kind of benchmark.

@Alitm , I think of the dancing passion as somewhat akin to the horse-riding one, although I suspect riding requires much more core body strength and probably much more everything (I don't know. I'm not a horsewoman). I am following your thread with interest, despite not posting much. Just think, 2019 will see you riding again , and Going4fun and I will be dancing (not together, mind you!), and all this THR stuff will be fading into the past.
Have a great weekend all.

 

[Barbaraj]

Wow, @An54, sounds like you had a wonderful time, and no worse for wear the following day. I think that morning stiffness is, unfortunately, just part of life moving forward. The good news, at least for me, is that after getting up and moving about, it mostly dissipates. I can't imagine looking forward to an event featuring dancing, but I think I'm a natural klutz and I'm terribly self-conscious on the dance floor. It is amusing to me that our youngest son is a dancer, loves it (hip hop) and is even teaching classes at a couple of local studios. I am all admiration for his skill and love for dance, and wish I had even a hint of that natural ability. I am glad you have this wonderful enthusiasm for dancing, and even if you're still not at the top of your game, just getting out there and moving again, relatively pain-free, is a gift. Here's to more of these events for you!

 

[SurreyGirl]

How lovely to hear and that certainly marks a 4 month progress

 

[Alitm]

@An54 What a great looking band, even if half the attending folk couldn't swing dance...which is rather disappointing..the lack of swing dancers! So glad you were able to show them how it is really done, with your light-as-a-bird dance partner . So wonderful that you met that milestone. I am very very happy for you, as dancing is your passion...I get it! Cheers to you, and it helpful to know what unfolds after four months of slow and steady

My parents loved to go dancing...and we had the original Benny Goodman LP's spinning at our house! My Dad taught me to dance on his toes when I was a little girl. Such wonderful memories...."Dance me Daddy, dance me!". I progressed to dancing with horses...but it is the same really...it is about rhythm and relaxation in the movements. No sign of hip problems back then!!

 

[Going4fun]

@An54, love the report. OMG, I've been to those dances where there are few swing dancers ... Great description of the challenge of avoiding collisions and avoiding being stepped on. Yeah, there is great energy when you have a critical mass of really good dancers. Creates that collective energy on the dance floor and ensures you can dance with a great partner ... and then find another great partner and so on. But it sounds like you found your buddy and had fun, enough fun to be stiff today!

Yes, stiffness could be our age ... I think I conveniently tell myself that stiffness is a sign that I'm fully engaged on the dance floor. It'll be interesting to see how stiff you feel in three months and in six months. I've been dancing more by myself ... The other night, a housemate caught me doing swingouts (with myself) and Lindy Circles and some Charleston steps in our house kitchen. I was wearing socks to limit the friction. I was really moving, but only for about a minute!

Four months is a great timetable ... I think I may be ready by then ... but I'll go slow ... first dance ... limit my time out there ... or better yet, maybe I'll create a playlist of songs here at home ... and gradually extend the list over time. (And maybe after each song, just to stay in the habit, I'll walk up and down the floor and extend my hand as if I'm asking someone to dance with me.)

You'll have to stay on this board long enough for me to return to the dance floor, so I can give my report! Meanwhile please keep posting on your dance nights and your progress. So fun to read! Great photo!

 

[Layla]

Great update! @An54
So awesome you met your goal an enjoyed the evening. No worse for wear!
The rest cure seems to have paid off for you.
Here's to many more spins on the dance floor
I hope today is a good one!

 

[An54]

Meanwhile please keep posting on your dance nights and your progress.

@Going4fun , There is another Big Band Swing event coming up on Dec 7th. No posh mansion venue this time, but rather a kitschy econo hall on the east side, which will have the fabulous advantage of drawing a bunch of real swing dancers out onto the floor. Then I will get my real test because there will be more than four people who know how to dance. It's great how the Big Band scene has grown here in the past decade--- from nothing/zero to several established Big Bands, and the movement is growing with lots of people learning East and West Coast swing. Most events are preceded with a basic dance lesson for about 30 or 40 minutes before the live music starts. A resurrection of earlier dances (eg Charleston) hasn't caught fire yet, but I see the odd workshop here and there, so it is coming. I tried to get some Fox Trot / Quickstep stuff happening, but that went nowhere (so far) as it seems to be still in the domain of the ballroom dancers, which is kind of rarified. Do you know the Shim Sham? I saw a fabulous video yesterday of a huge bunch of people in London doing the Shim Sham, and that has inspired me to give it another go now that I have a new hip. We see smaller groups on the dance floor here doing the Shim Sham, 20 or 30 people, but when you get into the hundreds of participants moving in unison, it takes it to a whole new level. Woah, it's awesome--new hip, new dances, new life.

 

[Layla]

Shim Sham looks fun in a group setting, had to look at a couple videos, never heard of it.
I can see where you'd have fun at the events you attend.
Sounds like you're on your way, already planning your next outing.
Thankfully to THR you're back doing what you have a passion for.
A great week to you
@An54

 

[Going4fun]

@An54, yes, I do know the shim sham, but I'm a little out of practice on it at the moment. I knew it well ... years ago ... and then ... I got my first major bout of hip pain ... and stepped away from dancing ... By the time I returned to dancing, the local scene I was a part of had basically disbanded. But recently that scene has reconstituted itself and is alive and vital again. Anyway, somewhere during my hiatus, I forgot the shim sham steps and have been learning it again. Now that I'm relearning it, I'm amazed that I actually knew all those steps at one time!

Two of my favorite swing venues sorta mark the half-way points of their dances by the shim sham. I just added T'ain't What You Do by Jimmie Lunceford (the Shim Sham song) to my usb drive that I use to play music in my car. That song is so addictive after a while.

Side funny note: my mother came up in the swing dance era ... and she used to talk about how much she loved the music of Jimmie Lunceford ... I ignored this for the most part as of course ... she was talking about "old people's music ..." ... Then nearing the end of her life, I get into swing dance ... and I'm doing the Shim Sham. Only years later, did I realize that T'aint What You Do was by Jimmie Lunceford. These days it brings a smile to my face to think of my mother handing me this gift that I didn't pick up and open til years later.

 

[Alitm]

I had to look up Shim Sham as well @An54 and also had a look around at other dance moves, as it has been long long time for me. Did participate a lot in the line dancing of the 70's. Such a fun way to get your hips back in shape! You are getting very fit .
Fills me with inspiration for the freestyle dressage I mentioned a way back.

On another note, while my daughter is here, we discussed Christmas. She won't be able to get down from Tofino for Christmas, as her resort is so short staffed, but they close for January, so we'll have her for three weeks then. Christmas is looking to be really low key this year (last year was a big deal as everyone was here), as our older son only has one day off, and will probably pop up to his girlfriend's parents in the Boston area (1 1/2 hrs by plane from Bda) for the holiday weekend only. We'll just have our younger son with us, and we have already taken care of his Christmas gift. We still do stocking stuffers for each other, and our youngest, nothing big. But that is it. We'll cook a nice meal, but it is looking like the pressure is OFF, and I am SO RELIEVED!
Your train adventure sounds wonderful, and I really look forward to hearing how it all goes

 

[An54]

I think that morning stiffness is, unfortunately, just part of life moving forward. The good news, at least for me, is that after getting up and moving about, it mostly dissipates.

@Barbaraj , this morning stiffness thing puzzles me. (I also experience stiffness after sitting in a chair for a while .) I too loosen up pretty fast when I get moving. If I exercise a lot, or do a lot of dancing, I am stiff the next morning. If I don't do anything physical, I am also stiff. Is it truly a function of age? Or is there something else at play here? Maybe, while I am sitting here feeling stiff, I'll have a go at googling it, see what I can find out.

My Dad taught me to dance on his toes when I was a little girl. Such wonderful memories....

@Alitm , I hadn't thought about it in decades, but your post abruptly brought back vivid memories of doing the same thing--sweet moments from childhood.

...my mother came up in the swing dance era ... and she used to talk about how much she loved the music of Jimmie Lunceford ... I ignored this for the most part as of course ... she was talking about "old people's music ..."

@Going4fun , It's funny how we routinely dismiss anything advised or recommended by parents or grandparents. When I think now about how much sound advice I got when I was growing up, and how I blew it off, I feel some regret.

Your train adventure sounds wonderful, and I really look forward to hearing how it all goes

I am pumped about this trip. I dabble in family history/genealogy sometimes, so when I am in Halifax, I'm going to look up my ancestors in the paternal line (same surname as my own). My 'brick wall' is 1808, the year my g-g-g-grandfather was born in Nova Scotia. I had always assumed that the family came directly from England to Nova Scotia, but it appears now that they came up from the States, New York area, as Loyalists, 1775-ish.

By the way convalescing hippies, researching your family history online is a great way to stay distracted while you are healing. I have made some very interesting discoveries. Plus tracing individual ancestors fleshes out history in a personal way and makes it come more alive. Now, for me, the American Revolutionary War is not merely a sort of academic historical occurrence, but is also a personal one. I traced out another Loyalist ancestor in my paternal grandmother's line, quite a renowned chap; he had amazing adventures and escapes--Hollywood movie-worthy (except for being on the "wrong side" which would sink any American production I guess). He was mentioned by George Washington in some letters, and there is other solid evidence about the events of his life, so it's not all speculative and imaginary . I just ordered and received a book someone wrote about him. Of course these are Loyalist ancestors, so if we dismiss the 200 plus year gap, that makes me an enemy of all you souls Stateside. However, let us put that little episode to bed. As the Jack Nickelson character said in Mars Attacks, "can't we all just get along?"

 

[An54]

Meanwhile please keep posting on your dance nights and your progress.

@Going4fun , Here is my latest dance update. Two days ago I went to a hotel pub in an old building in the downtown East Side. I had been there off and on over the years, but as I sunk into disability I left off going. It's in a very rough part of town, a neighbourhood that could be described "crisis-central", with homelessness and addiction, ambulances and police cars, etc, and altogether a very sad situation that the city has been trying to grapple with for decades. It's just a mess. But that's another story.

Anyway, when I arrived there I was pleased to see dozens of people I knew or at least recognized, besides the members of the band who were all familiar to me. The crowd there was generally over 50 years old, and I'd say most people were in their 60s or 70s. The dance floor was full most of the time, the music mostly bluesy.

There were some swing dancers, but most people were dancing freestyle/on their own. I managed to get a dance --because I asked him-- with an impressive West Coast Swing dancer, but he was waaaaaay out of my league. Actually, I felt sorry for him having to last through a whole dance with me. I haven't done any West Coast to speak of (dancing in that 'slot';) and it was impossible for me to 'wing it' as he had a strongly codified (?) set of moves that were very fast and unyielding to the kind of dancing I am used to doing. I tend to veer towards some bluesy moves, streeeeetching out a move or phrase, improvising here and there, and with a compatible partner you can get really creative, challenging and surprising each other. However it was not to be with this gent; it was like we were talking two different languages, and it was just a matter of getting to the end of the song before I embarrassed myself too much, haha. Then I had a few more partner dances with others that were 'adequate', but nothing brilliant. I also danced a lot on my own because I was there for the exercise and to get my hips and legs built up again. I really felt some stiffness the next day, I assume from the dancing, but then again, as noted above, I'm also stiff when I don't dance--so what is that about??

Anyway, the good news is that I am out there again, the op hip seems good, legs seem okay, no set-backs so far... So how are you doing?

 

[Going4fun]

@An54, great to hear the latest hip-swing-dance update. OMG, I've taken a few West Coast Swing lessons, but I just couldn't get into it ... Yeah that slotting is really kinda confining. For non-dancers here ... a slot dance is where, as Wikipedia says, two people dance within an imaginary rectangle, a narrow lane. You don't move to the side ... you don't really circle each other ... The dancers stay in that lane, that slot. In East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop (really fast swing) there is no slot. You can move all over the dance floor ... if you want ... there is no imaginary rectangle-lane in which you're moving back and forth.

An54, I once met a guy at a blues dance who was so thrilled ... because he had for years been a part of the West Coast Swing scene ... and then when he discovered blues dance, he found the vibe much more relaxed and open and warm than he found WCS.

Love hearing that you do that bluesy stretching ... I've actually been practicing that very bluesy stretching in front of my mirror at home ... Lots of cool counterbalancing in blues dance. I'm finally (Knock on wood--don't jinx) ... finally off the cane ... but the hip around the incision and in the quad is not quite ready for prime-time dance. I'm 11 weeks out. I think you hit the dance floor after 14 weeks ... For me, I think it's gonna take 16 or 17 weeks ...

You're right ... blues dancing can be so much fun and creative with the right partner. One of the best dances of my life was a night of blues dancing where this one partner and I got each other ... and we mimicked and elaborated on each other's moves. Seriously it was one of those dances where afterwards people were coming up to me complimenting my dancing. The chemistry between me and this dancer made much look a lot better than I was. Maybe chemistry is more important in the slow dancing?

Glad to hear you danced alone on the floor ... totally liberating ... I could do that more. I'm guessing the stiffness may take up to a year to abate.

 

[Barbaraj]

Hmmm... I've often thought it would be kind of cool to do a bit of genealogy research, @An54, not so much my dad (his history is littered with some well known politicians and Methodist circuit riders) but mother's side about which I know very little. But I am lazy, I confess, and have no idea how to start. I did a DNA testing kit but the results were--yawn--pretty darn dull. That's all I've ever done. I bought kits for my kids as well, and they are far more interesting in terms of their ethnic backgrounds as their results are spread out many more places than mine.

And do let me know about your "feeling stiff" research. I am inclined to think it's just aging (which means I can't really prevent it so no guilt involved) but you never know...

 

[Alitm]

I dabble in family history/genealogy sometimes,

So interesting @An54! My brother and paternal Uncle worked with a "cousin" in Seattle on that side of the family, and my first cousin on my maternal side did a ton of work on that lineage. It is fascinating to learn about one's heritage, enjoy

I wanted to also mention to you, I had the opportunity to speak to the anaesthetist prior to this second surgery and mentioned to him about the brain fog issues. He looked at my MRI of my back and attempted the spinal. Apparently it didn't take 100% (I don't remember a thing), so I ended up having the general. Anyway, post op this surgery has been a completely different experience brain-fog wise. I was able to do some on line studying (animal behaviour training, basic info on associative and non-associative learning) by the end of week one, and am now readying a murder mystery novel....nothing terribly mind bending, but I'm actually reading a book!! I was able to binge watch a NetFlix series "Shetland" first week and discuss and follow the plot line with hubby (vs. watch HGTV and kind of stare at the TV). Also, my blood pressure and O2 levels didn't drop nearly as badly post op, and I went home same day. I have to give a lot of credit to the second surgery anesthesiologist, as it has been a completely different experience in the brain fog department. Worth having that conversation with the anesthesiologist second surgery....if you have to go there.

We are due for a nice stretch of sun, and I just watched the winter forecast....warmer than normal temps and lower than normal precipitation. Not great for the ski season, but wonderful for healing hip rehab!! Have a lovely weekend. Love reading about your dance evenings

 

[An54]

And do let me know about your "feeling stiff" research. I am inclined to think it's just aging (which means I can't really prevent it so no guilt involved) but you never know...

@Barbaraj , I started to poke around google to see what I could find about this stiffness and ageing thing. One of the first pages to pop up was one by Jon Burras. I don't think we're supposed to post outside links on the forum, but if you google Aging Does Not Cause Stiffness ... it should show up along with many other sites on that topic. The article by Burras makes for interesting reading. I don't know how sound it is, but the takeaway message from the Burras article is to do stretching and massage ; the cardio stuff and the muscle strengthening involved in the typical workout won't address the stiffness. Mind you it looks like Burras is a massage therapist/bodywork/yoga instructor, so he is recommending his own specialty, which is par for the course across the board (to use a double idiomatic combo).

 

[Alitm]

@An54 and @Barbaraj From an equine perspective, good training dictates three phases of a training session, the first being the warm up and lots of easy stretching, 10 to 20 mins. The work phase can range from 30 - 20 mins, and then the cool down phase is another 10 - 20 mins of stretching. As riders we don't spend as much time warming ourselves up as we do our horses, but as I get older, I have made a concerted effort to stretch more before getting on, and also afterwards too. The afterwards is always hard as we are taking care of the horse first, but it is always beneficial to stretch post ride too. I would think that would makes sense to stretch pre and post dancing and getting on the elliptical. I ran a lot through my thirties 10 K's to half marathons, and stretched both before and after. Helped with the stiffness. More important as we age, me thinks.

Re: massage. When competing actively, horses and riders get massages for relieving stiffness. Usually the horses get more attention than the riders! As a rider, I can feel the benefits of massage in my horse. They are much looser and their "stiff side" is less stiff.

 

[An54]

I had the opportunity to speak to the anaesthetist prior to this second surgery and mentioned to him about the brain fog issues. He looked at my MRI of my back and attempted the spinal. Apparently it didn't take 100% (I don't remember a thing), so I ended up having the general.

@Alitm , That's what happened during my surgery. The spinal didn't take. I had my surgery at UBC hospital, which is a teaching hospital, and while I was sitting there on the operating table as they attempted the spinal, I could hear them back there behind me.... a voice saying stuff like "No, move a little to the left... more , a little more... no, down, down... more.. a little more, no... up, up, no... deeper..., blah, blah" so clearly the anesthetist was guiding a med student on my guinea-pig back. Well, the spinal didn't take (practise makes perfect!) so I ended up with the general too when I mentioned that I could feel the scalpel slicing into my hip. I was fine with the whole thing. If we don't train new doctors, then we are in trouble. And I got knocked out for the main event which was all I wanted--blissful unawareness. And I woke up. If I wake up at the end of a major operation, I'm good!

but I'm actually reading a book!!

I'm really going to apply myself to actually reading ! I mean an extended read, not just news and wee articles online. One of our book club members recommended Olivia Manning's The Balkan Trilogy, so that's up next. And it just so happens that a series was made, starring Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh... not that I'll watch rather than read , but I could do both.

 

[Alitm]

@An54 I agree with you on the helping students learn. With our third child, I had chorionic villus sampling at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston (was living in Bda at the time), as there were some concerns with genetic issues and my age at the time. I didn't want to wait until the amnioic fluid testing, which is considerably later on in the pregnancy, compared to the CVS. Anyhow, there were about ten med students watching the procedure! I was asked if that was OK with that before hand, and I was fine with it. I couldn't see anything as there was a screen up, but I could see in the mirror my husband screwing up his face as he watched the needle going in, and that made me feel !! I had a local with that.

The anaesthetist this time was excellent, and my surgeon said the anaesthetist was his "favourite" to work with. I was wide awake when they were setting it up, and it was fine. I've had two before. However, my lower back is a bit of a mess with compression issues, degenerative discs, OA etc. now, so I knew it might be tricky. The anaesthetist said he'd seen my MRI and wasn't worried. After they set it up with no ado, and I could feel my legs going numb (it was actually quite interesting!) they lay me down slowly and thats when I went under the sedation...they told me that was how it was going to go. It was a very positive experience. Apparently I complained of pain at the incision, but don't remember any of it. I did say I didn't want to hear anything before we started! I am amazed that even with the change from spinal to general, the brain fog this time around is almost a non-event, like night and day really.

Let me know how the next novel goes. I don't know that I'd be up to book club material as yet, or the accompanying discussion. However, last surgery I couldn't even look at a novel, so to be reading an easy murder mystery at this juncture is an accomplishment!!

 

[Barbaraj]

Rats, @An54, looks like I might not be able to whine about aging to explain my stiffness, and better get more disciplined about stretching. I'm not a huge fan of massage, but admittedly most of 'em have been at swank hotel spas, only a couple of allegedly more "medical" massages but never felt they did much good. But I may not have given them a chance. Wish cardio did the trick. I don't mind tromping along on the elliptical and reading and listening to music. But looks like--heavy sigh--it will involve something else. Stiff this morning, but I must say that 9 times out of 10, simply getting up and moving about works very effectively at easing stiffness first thing in the morning or getting out of a chair.