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THR Here We Go Again!

Now, now, @bickypeg--no shame allowed! We all struggle with movements that before hip nonsense were done easily and without thinking, and it's going to take time and effort to get back to a more active life with a stronger and more flexible body. I think a ton of us probably grab hold of a chair's arms, if available, to rise up and if no chair then we'll all hunch forward and stagger up. It's not pretty but it is what it is. But, it doesn't have to be that way always if we pay closer attention to what we're doing and make a conscious effort to work on doing it the right way. We're all going to get there eventually.

Today is raining--again--and feeling a bit mutinous about exercise when I got up (stiff, argh) and inclined to loll around in my bathrobe all day and feel grumpy. Fortunately, my neighborhood "gym buddy" who is back from vacation just texted me and we're off to the gym shortly for a workout. And then a "fun" trip to Costco which does involve lots of strolling through the aisles in a big store so that totally counts as exercise in my book. Husband is off to yet another football game late this afternoon so I'll be scrounging for leftovers in my refrigerator, and then "Vera" on PBS tonight and a new mystery downloaded on my Kindle to keep me occupied. Life's not bad! And I didn't come in last place at family game night. My goal is never to win (although that would be sweet) but just not to be in last place. Small victories, that's what I'm after!

Hope everyone has a relaxing start to their weekend--chins up, slap a smile on your faces, we're all one day further down the road of hip recovery! Cheers!
 
@Barbaraj I was like you this morning, kind of slugging along then finally said enough! Headed to the gym, had a decent workout in the pool, probably about 50 minutes and had the pool to myself for the last 15-20 of it!

I agree that sometimes are moves may not be the smoothest or prettiest but we keep on working on them. We'll all get there in our own time.
 
Barbaraj said:
And I didn't come in last place at family game night. My goal is never to win (although that would be sweet) but just not to be in last place. Small victories, that's what I'm after!
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Loved these lines @Barbaraj! Wow, a gym buddy to prod you when you're a little slow ... so valuable!
 
Oh glad you're a Vera fan @Barbaraj ! Northumberland is our favourite part of the world - such history and lovely scenery. I'd gladly move there if I could take the family with me. And shopping certainly counts as exercise. It's still steps. I've been doing more tidying and sorting and even cleaning today as long as it's not below the knee! Still not very bendy and vacuuming is very hard work. Often use the grabber to pick up larger bits of fluff on the carpets. But I can clean toilets...
 
It's Sunday and a grim and wet day so far. I slept in a bit this morning and had a MAJOR breakthrough last night--I woke up at one point during the night when my darling husband bumped into me a bit and I discovered that, yes, I was sleeping on my side--and the operated one at that! Of course, once I was awake enough to recognize this startling body position I immediately became uncomfortable and rolled onto my back but maybe tonight I'll try starting out on my side and see what happens! Yes, this isn't exactly a cure for cancer or world peace but, dang, it sure was a nice thing to happen! Like so many others, this back sleeping stuff is totally the pits and I am so eager to get back to a "normal" side position for sleep. Feeling very positive this morning, despite the yucky weather.

Did my PT exercises right away after getting up and then drove down to pick up my workout buddy and we headed to the gym. I was a wee bit sore from yesterday's exercises and cardio (I notched up one level, but kept the time the same yesterday) so I put the level back one notch today and it felt easier to do. After the gym, my friend and I headed to the grocery store. We're both going to make an Asian styled soup which requires ingredients which I've never used--fish sauce and Panang curry sauce--in addition to veggies and chicken. Hoping the husband will like it and will be willing to eat it for several nights in a row. And thanks for the affirmation that shopping DOES count as exercise, @bickypeg! We hit another big store today which required lots of hunting around to find the ingredients needed so we covered a lot of territory. Hope the exercise tracker reflects this--I feel as if, according to my tracker, I am still pretty slothful and slow moving and not enough steps being registered. And, yes, @Elf1 we are all going to get to the end of this recovery road eventually so just "keep on truckin'" is what we all need to do.

Happy Sunday and those of you with sunshine and warmer temperatures, please send them to the PNW!
 
You are doing amazing @Barbaraj I am impressed at the sleep and the routine trips to the gym!! You sound like you are well on your way to a full recovery. Hope you get some sunshine soon. Will do my best to scoot it your way.
 
:loveshwr:Good afternoon @Barbaraj. It's been 11 months since my 2nd RTHR, Oct 2018. At that time you were talking about 'some day' for your 2nd replacement. I'm glad that you didn't put if off too long as you were so uncomfortable when I was on Bonesmart in January. I was shocked that my 2nd hip deteriorated so quickly. I was hoping to put surgery off but after a trip to Italy in July 2018 I couldn't bear the pain. This time after the initial scare of 'different' symptoms I was much more confident with my recovery and didn't limit any plans. I had lots of visitors this time around and they helped pass the time with fun activities. Sightseeing walking trips worked out great. And everyone was so good to pitch in and help as needed. I filled the fridge and we had so much fun. No one minded when I had to put my feet up when I had to take my 30 minute rest timeout. I was never afraid to put my full weight on the 'new' hip. Sounds like you are doing great. After 8 weeks I was seeing marked improvements as I tried out some of my old activities. Now I'm back to traveling short trips and another Italy trip coming up in the Spring. I know you will do great. You always have kind helpful words to share with us. I always loved your weather reports and hearing how your day goes. Here on Cape Cod it has been warm in the daytime with cool sleeping weather at night. It's approaching 4pm, the cloud will be covering the warmth of the sun, but I'll be sitting along the river with a friend or two with a sweater watching the boats bounce on their moorings, the birds dive for fish, and the tide surf its way out to the Sound. I'm sending to you healing wishes and recalling from your past posts visions of you relaxing with a glass of wine, a good book, sitting in a comfy chair wrapped in a blanket. Hows that for a run-on sentence!
 
Okay, I am feeling a bit more virtuous today, after a sluggish and dull day yesterday. I was off to PT this morning, followed by 30 minutes at the gym. Haven't had lunch yet but will be shortly, and trying to resist eating poorly (although, sheesh, on a cold and rainy day, the thought of comfort food--salty and high fat being my downfall--is so enticing). I will make soup this afternoon, something nourishing and full of vegetables. Warm soup does help to fill one up without causing caloric overload. Off to granddaughter's ballet lesson this afternoon. It's "observation day" so instead of strolling down a few blocks (which counts as exercise) to a local bar for cocktails and snacks, we'll be inside and watching about 15 little girls be put through their paces for an hour and 15 minutes. They will undoubtedly be adorable but my brain will be shrieking, "where's that cocktail you promised me?!!" Oh, well--I will put on my "oohing and aahing" grandma face and prepare to be charmed. Hope everyone is having as good a day as possible. Sick of this weather!
 
How sweet of you to check in, @wcgirl! Yup, hip #2 was really cranky, although never as painful or debilitating as hip #1 had been. But it was clearly deteriorating and wasn't getting any better, and with my husband's encouragement, I took the plunge. I'm with you in that I was less anxious (okay, a WHOLE LOT less anxious) the second time around as I knew what to expect. It's still not much fun going through it again, but thankfully I've only got two rotten hips and now two new shiny ones. Just need to get through recovery #2, and excited bout 2020 being a year of possibilities sans hip pain. Another trip to Italy coming up? Ooh, that sounds like such fun--I'm sure you're excited. Glad to read all's well, although so jealous to read about your lovely warm days and cool nights. Right now it's just plain ole cool all the time! So glad to read all's well with you--keep up the good work! Does it really feel by now as if you seldom think about either hip? That's what I'm hoping for at some point. Tired beyond belief with all things hip, and so ready to move on.
 
Cloudy Thursday and PT session not until 12:30 today so slumming around in PJs. Hubby off to a meeting two hours north, so he won't be back until early afternoon, in time, I hope, for granddaughter's ballet lesson. Feeling tired and sluggish today, and dreading a wee bit today's PT session. It's a therapist I worked with before and he's good for me--pushes me a bit and an absolute stickler for form. But it's always a hard session and I'm exhausted afterwards. Trepidation is mounting a wee bit.

Yesterday I went to the gym for a workout and, ahem, may have overdone it a bit on the elliptical. Left thigh is aching this morning and I'm hoping it's just the usual morning stiffness and not punishment for bad behavior yesterday. After my gym workout I showered and raced home as I had a friend coming for lunch. I made a new soup recipe, and it was tasty although much too spicy (never cooked with curry paste before) so I had to thin it out with another can of chicken broth and extra water. It was edible but I now have a vast quantity of soup leftover in the fridge. I also baked morning glory muffins which tasted wonderful, but did I really NEED to eat a half dozen by the end of the day? Sheesh, I sometimes have the will power of a gnat.

My friend yesterday was full of compliments about how well I was doing so that was a mood booster, but when you wake up in the morning, stiff and sore and heavy (stupid lack of willpower) from hefty meals the previous day, it's easy to slip back into cranky "poor pitiful me" feelings. But I need to get over myself, I know. Onwards, hipsters, onward.
 
Gloriously sunny day--not! At least it's not raining, but a whole lot of clouds out there dampening my enthusiasm for the day which, allegedly, was supposed to be partly sunny this afternoon. I just hope the weather goddess is working on that. I somehow scheduled my annual mammogram appointment for 7:30 this morning (what was I thinking?!!) so I had to set an alarm so I could have enough time to swill back a morning latte before jetting out. Bad enough to be all squished, but without coffee and cranky from morning stiffness, I would be a bit of a basket case. But, good news about an early appointment is that you're in and out within 30 minutes. Then it was home to do my PT exercises which I managed pretty well. I am doing one which is SOOOO hard: sitting in an armless chair with feet slightly staggered and then standing up using my core and quads. This exercise makes me feel like a total weakling. You're not supposed to arch your back and it feels so hard to do it properly--argh! I know that with time and repetition it will get easier but a tough way to end my exercise session.

Then off to the gym an hour after that for an elliptical workout with my gym buddy which felt like a breeze. Admittedly I am trying to be sensible and not ratchet up either time or resistance, but after the PT exercises it felt so good to hop on a piece of equipment and roll along so easily. Then it was out for lunch and now home to start doing laundry. Hip/thigh feeling better than first thing this morning and I know that for a long time ahead, months and months if my memory of hip replacement #1 are at all reasonable, I will have this irritating stiffness and soreness. But, I also know the only way to effectively deal with it (except for the obligatory sniveling and complaining) is to get up and move. It never goes away completely but it is far less noticeable the further I get away from my surgery date. Hard to believe it, but it's been 2 months now! Wow, and next year no blasted surgeries to interfere with me giving myself over to the good life! Wahoo--and happy Friday, fellow hipsters!
 
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Happy Friday @Barbaraj, you are doing so well and already out there back living your life. Super happy for you.

My highlights today, I officially resigned effective today and hubby and I went and purchased the sleep number mattress we tested out last week. Can't wait for it to be delivered!
:happydance:
 
@Barbaraj I think the way you fill your day with interesting things to do or even if they are sometimes uninteresting, keeping busy is the key to getting through this recovery. I try to plan some sort of project daily even if it is simply a thorough vacuuming of my house, or hunting down those darn dust cobwebs that cling to the ceiling and hide behind furniture, :heehee: cleaning out the fridge, or something not too difficult outside. The day goes by much smoother and helps me to look forward. You have the right recipe, keep moving, doing things with family and friends, like your gym buddy, which makes each day closer to healing.
 
A lovely Saturday afternoon here in the PNW, sunny and pleasant out there. I worked out at the gym with my exercise buddy, and then we had lunch and went for a stroll through a local farmer's market. I successfully avoided buying anything but was still able to appreciate the look and smell of lovely flower bundles, fresh fruit and vegetables, and smile at beautiful bead work and other jewelry offered at several stalls. I got home, showered and then made lemon butter cookies which made the house smell nice. My husband is watching the football game with a friend so I took a plate of cookies in for them. Love to bake but gotta get rid of baked goods quickly or Bad Things result. Fighting a head cold today (thank you, darling husband, who has been sniffling and sneezing the last week--heavy sigh) so thinking an early bedtime might be in order tonight. Hips doing well, same as yesterday and presumably the day after today. This is a very tedious part of recovery--days upon days with no changes but aching and stiffness which waxes and wanes depending upon the time of day and what distractions I can focus on to ignore it a bit. Trudging along the recovery road...
 
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Love that you bake cookies and things, then give them away so you don't eat too much of it. :heehee:I bet your husband and friend enjoyed those cookies. They sound delicious.
 
Hello @Barbaraj Love reading your thread. You are doing remarkably well. Glad your exercise is paying off and feeling easier as the weeks go on. Sunshine!! Know you have not had your fair share so glad you got a full dose. Will be trying your chair rising exercise today. Pretty sure that will be impossible for me right now. Leg length does really matter. I have longer legs than my 6’2” hubby. Lots of chairs provide a deep unintentional squat for me with 35” inseam. My PT said to move to outer third of chair seat and use arms to press on knees. Your recovery is encouraging. Glad you are back out enjoying life!
 
Ugh, it's been one of those horrid days when everything just seems so much harder than it should. The big problem is a nasty head cold which is in full throttle now, and despite meds every four hours I'm still sneezing and snuffling and have gone through a half box of tissues. I did get up this morning and, after critical coffee infusion, slowly did my PT exercises before we headed off to my daughter's house. We were on deck to watch the grands today while their parents went to the football game (where it rained the entire time and the home team lost). The grands were in and out all day with their neighborhood friends and my husband watched the game on TV while I did some housecleaning. I remember those exhausting days when I had a fulltime job and a house full of kiddos, and the chaos and dirt that reigned supreme for so many years. So, I always make it a point to vacuum, do dishes, make beds, swab out toilets, wipe down countertops, etc. when we're over there for babysitting. And both my daughter and son-in-law have expressed appreciation when they've returned home to a tidy house. Plus, housework counts as exercise I forcibly reminded myself as I was wheezing on the stairs hauling around their 800-lb. vacuum cleaner. So glad to return home this evening and heat up canned chicken noodle soup for dinner. Will watch a bit of TV (new episodes of "Beck" are on--woo, hoo!) with a final slug of Nyquil before an early bedtime. Hips are tired, head is filled with cement, and I'm sick of rain.
 
@Barbaraj So sorry you are under the weather (no pun intended).:heehee: Head colds are the worst in that they can drag on for what seems like forever. Hope the NyQuil knocks you out and you wake up to some sunshine. Your housework "workout" certainly does count as exercise and an appreciative daughter and son-in-law are an added bonus to lift your spirits. Here's to a restful sleep and feeling better tomorrow. So many of us on Bone Smart look forward to your daily updates of your activities, outings, lunches out and other fun things you do. :martini:
 
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