THR Heal first, then exercise, then dance!

[An54]

Well here is my update for about my third week. Or is it my fourth week? We of the OCC don't keep obsessive track of the days.

We measure our progress by the week. Am I a bit better and stronger than I was a week ago?

If the answer is 'yes' then we continue with additional rest, relaxation, leisure, and enjoyment-- all the while stretched out on a comfortable sofa or recliner on a cloud of pillows and ice-packs. We gradually build up strength by walking around our homes, each day a little more, in wee baby steps.
We allow our bodies to heal. After such physical trauma as hip replacement surgery (it's like a bad car crash), we do not --try to-- jump up and do a bunch of exercises, or automatically engage in outside PT.

Question: if the OCC is to advise (with standard legal disclaimer), what length of time would our august body recommend for post-surgery REST? I think that three months sound appropriate for healing before wandering anyway near the outer perimeter of the lines of PTs waiting in the bushes, as it were..

In fact, they've always had the place surrounded. In making my way over here during the past weeks , I was accosted by a PT agent in pre-surgical seminars; by the nurse who gave me the phone interview pre-op; by a PT standing by my bedside whilst I was immobilized from the waist down in hospital bed. (A mere conversational sally. I was young and naive then, and actually memorized the names of the PTs he recommended.)

 

[An54]

to quote Jaycey in another thread

there is no pushing THR recovery

 

[An54]

Okay, big milestone today. I sat on my riser cushion at a dining chair, and realized that I could use my sewing machine now, and not break the 90 degree rule. I am getting to a stir-crazy stage with passive activities.

Mind you, I have enjoyed this enforced rest with all my might and main so far, with some very interesting activities including:

--online geneaology (has anyone else done Ancestry.com or other DNA kits?)
-cruising BoneSmart forums, reading hundreds of posts. It's fun and cool to get to know others a bit by way of cyberspace. I also like the fact that this is an international group.
--supposedly writing poems and limericks, but in reality posting really old ones.
-- looking on ebay and other places for large antique Kazak rug for amazingly low price.
--deciding on which place I am going to buy in Vancouver if I had $500,000--and had to choose! It is very entertaining on mls.canada online, or if you want to pick out a nice commodious flat in London, it is equally as entertaining. Hours of fun, I believe it's called real estate porn.

that would be Foxtons, and no doubt others

https://www.foxtons.co.uk/search?su...eyword&search_type=SS&sold=1&location=Mayfair


Anyway, about London, if you are looking around Mayfair, or you want something with at least four bedrooms, you might increase your (imaginary) budget, because 500,000 won't go very far.

 

[Jaycey]

what length of time would our august body recommend for post-surgery REST?

There is no time frame I am afraid. It's different for everyone. It took me over 12 months to feel fully recovered from my LTHR. At 6 weeks out from my RTHR I was back in the office (admittedly wanting a nap in the afternoon).

Anyway, about London, if you are looking around Mayfair, or you want something with at least four bedrooms, you might increase your (imaginary) budget, because 500,000 won't go very far.

You got that one right. Having owned property in London I can confirm - it's all silly money!

 

[bickypeg]

It's property porn and you can't beat it! Especially for seaside living. Sigh.
Had my first shower in 3 weeks after climbing the stairs for the first time! Was so thrilled with myself I even tweeted it! I was all codeined up and shall do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day of course...

 

[An54]

...and shall do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day of course...

I've got my morning coffee in hand, and have just now started on another long day of relaxation. I rest in between sips.

 

[An54]

A correction about that Rest Cure example I've been using-- that (mythical sounding) elite Olympic athlete emergency physician who took four months off after his THR.

I spoke to him last night to clarify, and, like a fish story, it had grown somewhat in the telling by his spouse. He in fact took three months off work post THR (a planned time-out), and just walked for exercise. He is now back to cycling and playing hockey, but not much running.

 

[Alitm]

@An54 Thanks for the "from the horse's mouth" report from the ER doctor/elite athlete...walking for the first three months...awesome!

I have read somewhere on BS, and I'm pretty sure from Josephine, and directed to a question I made in the pre-op, that the bone grafting takes 10 - 12 weeks. I have that etched in my mind. Of course everyone is different.

As per usual for me, everything is related to horse healing, so I will share this old horseman/woman's guide, which my equine vet says is absolutely a "sound" guide to equine healing. Horses are "fear and flight" mammals, so under the ideal circumstances, are designed to heal as fast as possible as to not get eaten by the predator! The "guide" is easy to remember (horse people are practical!) as the amount of month's healing is dictated by the letters in the word. Of course it depends on the severity of the injury etc etc.
BONE healing = 4 months
MUSCLE and TENDON = 6 months
LIGAMENT = 8 months

Anyhow, these are all guidelines for those wanting to rush out and run for the roses. Hope folks aren't insulted by the equine comparison, but it has given me a rough guide in terms of healing time, in addition to all the info on BS from the moderators, in the library and from post op folks who are sharing. I will share my OS's healing guide when I get to that.

I liked @1stSurgery's post about the cells working away to recover. It is an engineering feat, what is going on inside our body, as one heals from the THR/TKR/TSR.....if only we give the process a chance!
@An54 it sounds like you are making great steady progress in your healing. A model citizen to ward off the ODIC! Wishing you continued healing and example setting with "easy as you go" walking and resting in balance
I worry about the ancestor.com "thing"? I would love to know more about my ancestry, but not sure I want all my DNA info out there in cyber space, never to be retrieved .
Have a great day

 

[An54]

Thanks for the laughs Madame Secretary!! @An54! I can see you are just the kind - (like your occasionally esteemed club Chairwoman)- who enjoys the ole verbal joust and thrust with a slight dash of mischief!

But yes, a good plan to foil the poor stumblers, before they should be lured into the treacherous jaws of the ODIC! So the way I'm reading this is....we are now assembling our very own OCC Intelligence Team. Who will have Top security clearance -- Intel agents who can report back on interlopers, double agents who play both clubs in stealth, and the innocent who are unwittingly abducted into the ODIC. As such, we will be saving countless hippies from months of pain and suffering.

We will lead by example because.... REST IS GOOD.

"...Director of Intelligence Operations? DIO. MIO..."

I have been mulling over my options career-wise. Don't get me wrong--I have enjoyed my time as Club Secretary for the OCC; I have learned so much, and also feel that in small way (*insert modest blush here*) my role has been instrumental in shaping the International Organization of the OCC that we see today.

Toying with the idea of a lateral move into the field as an OCC Agent, I set forth yesterday with just that in mind. But when reading through the thread of a fresh and tender Hippie, I nearly bit through my tongue reading about the 'thousands of steps' taken.... just days after surgery. "STOP!! "I feel like screaming. The activity described was so appalling, I was exhausted just reading through it. I immediately took a REST.

 

[An54]

Tall Tales from the THR Fairytale book

oh, this so good.

And what a great idea for a Social Room thread.

 

[1stSurgery]

@An54 you would make an excellent OCC agent! The cloak and dagger side of the OCC is not without its lure, I know, I admit.... Curiously, as of yet, it appears the ODIC has not spotted us on their radar, coming in for the topple. I have no signs of any new defenses being mounted by them. Although it is mysterious that charter member Bone-Obo has gone missing of late... might they suspect our plot to overthrow them and be organizing in the shadows????

 

[An54]

@An54 you would make an excellent OCC agent! The cloak and dagger side of the OCC is not without its lure, I know, I admit.... Curiously, as of yet, it appears the ODIC has not spotted us on their radar, coming in for the topple. I have no signs of any new defenses being mounted by them. Although it is mysterious that charter member Bone-Obo has gone missing of late... might they suspect our plot to overthrow them and be organizing in the shadows????

I am only slightly familiar with Bone-Obo, but isn't he one of us? I recall he was very amusing. Where is he?
So--he was not OCC? ... do you mean... could he have been a card-carrying member of the ODIC?!!

Zounds--of course! I see it all now.... yes, I remember... I was pre-surgical and nervous, limping around on a bad left hip and an even worse right one. I was a newcomer, standing(off-kilter, and looking for somewhere to sit down) at the City Gates of Pre-OP. Everywhere I looked, quivering doe-eyed pre-op Hippies were milling nervously to and fro, limping from one thread to the next; where could they take succor, and rest?
The labyrinth of Pre-Op Hippie threads was bewildering to a new-comer.
Seeking warmth and shelter, I ducked into a thread that was getting a lot of laughs .

The shingle over the door : Bone-Obo ....
......


it's getting too exciting. I have to stop for a moment and REST.

Alarming Bulletin!! all OCC agents report for assignment. Beat to Quarters. Report to your station. and await further orders.

 

[An54]

Respond to early twinges and jabs from your Forgotten Hip

this is one we have to work into the evolving manifesto

 

[An54]

@An54 ...

I worry about the ancestor.com "thing"? I would love to know more about my ancestry, but not sure I want all my DNA info out there in cyber space, never to be retrieved .
Have a great day

I took my DNA spit test through Ancestry.com because at the time they had the biggest data base (2 million?).

It's been an entertaining and informative resource (and distraction!) for this resting hippie. To backtrack a bit, when my results first came in, I received a message from a third cousin who lives in Victoria BC . We exchanged multiple messages about our common ancestors, and it wasn't long before I met him in person in Victoria and we had lunch together (at the Union Club no less). He was the absolutely perfect 3rd cousin to discover through a DNA test, because among other things, ancestry and geneaology are passions of his, and he tours and lectures on it. He has written several books related to the subject. And his day job is editor-in-chief of the Victoria Time Colonist newspaper. He ain't no slouch. So what with his career, his lecture tours, his glossy hardcover books, and honourary degrees bestowed from various bodies, he turned out to be a cousin to boast about! (hey, nothing wrong with living vicariously through yer relatives).

 

[An54]

Almost 4 weeks post-op update/blog:

I am still learning to walk, and am still using the walker/zimmer around my home. I thought that I would be further ahead by now, but was also determined that I would let my body lead, and my brain would follow. By this I mean that when I walked unconsciously across the room with no walking aid, that would be the sign that my body was telling me that I am ready. My brain would catch up, and I would think 'wow, I just walked across the room very naturally and easily. Then it would snowball from there.

But it hasn't quite happened after one-day-shy of four weeks' recovery. I am also being extra cautious, because my non-operated hip was deemed 'moderately severe' two years ago--and now it will be taking the brunt of the Op-Hip's exertions. Non-Op hip has to be watched carefully.

However I am trying out the Nordic walking poles and crutches for small walks around home, about 5 to 10 minutes at a time. I can stand unaided at the kitchen counter, and reach up to top shelves, or use golfers' reach to get something off the floor. Mind you, I still tend to leave things on the floor. Not over-nice about it. Because I am being super-cautious--I can't wait to get out there on the dance floor again!--so I am determined to try the rest cure for all it's worth to avoid set-backs.

Practical stuff: Husband does laundry, shopping, all kitchen clean up, fetches ice-packs, mixes nice G&Ts. We enjoy engaging in a good TV series; we recently saw Babylon Berlin (Netflix), a German production, 1929 Berlin, subtitled. Highly recommended for Hippies.
I hired a cleaner to come in for two hours a week to do the floors and bathrooms. She is the weekend caretaker, and has taken on increasing duties in our building of 94 suites. On Wednesdays she goes from our neighbour (4 hours companionship & help) to our place (2 hours cleaning) to another neighbour's (2 hours companionship & help) . So we are a happy micro-community. We are fortunate in our neighbours.

Although I am not strong yet, I think I have been healing well. The scar is about 5 " long and apart from a wee gaping bit at the south end, it seems to have knit well. I can't see much swelling, and the bruising has disappeared. The skin one side of the scar is somewhat numb. I have not had any pain since the surgery. For the first ten days or so after surgery, I took Tylenol regularly, to "keep ahead of the pain", and also because I didn't know if the Tylenol was the reason I was pain-free; I didn't want to fall down a pain corridor and start down that path. However, I took smaller doses, and then stopped. I did not take any Tramadol or other pain med, except for baby aspirin twice a day.

I'm hoping that I can surge forward this week, become stronger and be able to walk more. I have two events planned, one is a big (huge) picnic on August 23rd, Diner en Blanc. But all must be white. If I am using crutches, how should I cover them? They are Red Cross issue. Strips of white fabric wound 'round and 'round mummy style? Open to ideas!

 

[Alitm]

@An54 You sound as if you are doing really well!! I believe you are like an eagle fledgling...just about to take off! All the things you mention you are doing are laying the base to move onward in your healing/rehab...it is coming along nicely, from my vantage point anyway! So amazing about your pain, or lack thereof, but how you kept on with the Tylenol just in case. You really sound as if the "let my body heal" for four weeks has really stood you in good stead. Fab that you are standing at the kitchen counter unaided, can reach up for things and do the golfer's reach!! You will become stronger as you build up your walking. The poor body just needs a rest from the trauma. When you give it that, good things happen! I don't know about the moving from walker to crutches time frame just yet...I just don't know what that time frame is, other than what you are already doing re: keeping an eye on the un-operated hip, I do think once you are walking outside, the walking poles are great for getting your rhythm and may well help with gait training and heel toeing it?!

I wish I could find someone like the gal you have coming in to help - so glad you have that, and sharing with your neighbours too...perfect. My DH is adamant about not having someone come in....but I do think we need help with laundry (as we also have our third chick still living at home, senior in high school this year, plays a lot of sports = stinky laundry!), dusting and the bathrooms (makes me think of @Cassidy and her concerns about who would clean the toilets prior to her surgery!). My DH does all the vacuuming and cleaning of wooden floors and the windows now. He will have the added horse duties (minus one horse who is going to a friend's for three months), full dog duties and putting up with me and my needs (I do dread being so dependent and am trying to figure out ways of being the most independent within the healing parameters!). I digress...

Crepe paper wraps for the crutches? Sounds like the easiest way to decorate them. Maybe you could find awhite on white pattern, or white with sparkles crepe wrap? My sister went to a similar type party several years ago. Fun! You will be itching to get on the dance floor...NO ODIC for you correct?!!! Tapping your toes at the table with a G & T only!!!

The DNA cousin find is awesome!! No slouch there for sure! Should I look for his name in the Colonist? My brother "found" a cousin of ours in Seattle, who'd compiled a whole family tree search on the paternal side of my family of origin. On my maternal side, my US cousin has compiled a full family tree on the paternal side, back to the Mayflower! Crazy.... It is tempting...maybe I'll succumb while board in my recliner/bed/couch in rehab!!

Continue with your great healing!

 

[An54]

Re: my time-line, feeling behind, and my slow progress, although I am almost four weeks out,

My body isn't complaining at all, and it feels comfortable, but I'm still weak-legged. I feel like I am slow. My own surgeon's info sheet mentioned the goal is to be off all walking aids within a month. I'm unlikely to make it unless I suddenly catapult forward in strength and agility.

However he also told me that there would be little or no pain after surgery. Is it possible that I was simply following orders (subliminally), therefore had no pain? Well, he himself is bristling with youthful health, is a kind of rock-star in the field, and I suspect his own healthful vigor biases him. I wish I were as susceptible to the suggestion I would be walking freely after a month. Instead I may be stumping around in white-wrapped crutches in another week or so. And that's if I'm lucky. We have to keep in mind even orthopods can be biased. WE decide--we have the POWER. The big thing is to not be cowed into pain by the pressure to over-exercise, causing injury and setbacks. That is the most common misstep. I've decided to let my body lead while in the early healing stages, which I consider to be three months.

 

[An54]

Somewhere we were taking about the colour of REST. Is it blue?

Here's a good BLUE for rest--one of the BEST REST places on the planet to visit-- Aitutaki. However it is inconveniently located in the Cook Islands. Here is some Aitutaki Blue for THR blue healing therapy.

 

[Layla]

Hi @An54
I'm sure you've read this article because I think you may know the Library better than I do.
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/activity-progression-for-thrs.13187/
Do you feel that far off from where the Activity Progression list suggests you may be at 4 weeks out?

I think moving from one assistive device to another can happen quickly. I went from a walker to a cane
over the course of two days. You feel strong enough one day to move from one to the other, begin practicing often and gaining confidence with the second, then losing the first. Keep doing short practice runs along the kitchen countertops, or next to a wall. I feel like I had to push myself a little to get beyond my fear and increase my comfort level.

Hope you have a good night!

 

[An54]

Layla, thanks for the link. When I read it over I felt somewhat reassured because I am doing most things mentioned for the four- week stage. I can do tasks, prepare meals, etc ,
I can toddle across a room (unaided) with some caution . I think I just need to start lengthening my walks with the other walking aids . I was imagining just suddenly stepping away from the walker — and that would be IT. But I think I have to mix it up a bit with the crutches, the stick, and the walking poles, and extend the walks a bit .