THR Here We Go Again!

[VSlowLife]

I feel much better than I did last Christmas--then I was only 3 months out from surgery whereas this year it's been five months and, as a result, things have felt easier physically as I've hustled around doing shopping, cooking, baking and all the other things one crazily does in the lead up to Christmas.

Glad to hear this! Merry, merry!

 

[leejaa]

How wonderful that you feel so well and when I read how much you are doing. It can only get even better. Have a wonderful holiday with family.

 

[Fit4Family]

I get those lovely glimmers of a bright future when I will forget about these hips except for the sobering daily reminder when I see my matching scars. Happy holidays, everyone--if you're on the recovery road, you ARE going to get there--here's to all the recovering hipsters--give yourselves a round of applause--we are all healing, and clearly stronger, determined men and women. 2020 IS going to be grand!

Love reading this today Barbara. So very happy you are starting to turn the corner and can see a bright future ahead. You are a special Lady! I’m sure your meals and home with be spectacular. Glad you made time for some restoring stretches.

Wishing you a joy filled celebration!

 

[lotus76]

That is so great to hear how much you are up and about Barbara!
Enjoy the holidays.

 

[Elf1]

 

[Barbaraj]

Well, I survived! That, in and of itself, is the real success story, as far as I'm concerned. Okay, the Christmas Day lasagna was a wee bit dry, and the shortbread in those "millionaire bars" for dessert was pretty tasteless, and maybe I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get a foam exercise mat as a present despite a firm request sent out in advance to various family members, but all these are minor and inconsequential issues. It was, overall, a successful holiday season and I have no serious complaints. Hips held up well, although lots of aching and stiffness on occasion--especially depressing when I'd try to rise gracefully out of a chair after sitting too long, definitely hard to do and required a lot of tightening around the midsection so I could rise up and move without keeling over. and, truly, not very pretty to watch. But, by way of explanation/excuse, I didn't focus on any exercise after last Monday's Pilates class (who had time?!!) and I know, at least for me, that daily stretching is a requirement and when I fail to do that, I pay a price during the day. But, will be heading to the gym today and now that my gift wrapping room has been cleared out and returned to an exercise room, I intend to head in there today and do the assigned stretches.

Best news today is that the house has been de-Christmas'ed, with the tree down, chopped and stuck in chunks in the yard waste bin, and all those candles and holiday decorations have been removed, boxed up and schlepped by my darling husband back into the attic. I am fairly ruthless once Christmas Day is over, tired of those little dust catchers and stuff crowding table tops and shelves, and majorly motivated to get it all removed. We vacuumed up vast quantities of tree needles from the carpets (amazing how those little devils insinuate themselves into the carpet, requiring daily vacuuming to get them all sucked away) and things are looking pretty good. By late afternoon yesterday, my husband and I collapsed into the chairs in our family room and smiled smugly at one another. Love the holidays, but, boy, so glad to get my house back to its normal, calm and uncluttered look!

Hope everyone had a good holiday celebration, with glasses raised to our marvelous hips and bodies, with high hopes that this coming year will be stellar--new bionic hips and a new lease on life! Hurray! And happy Friday!

 

[leejaa]

WOW, you did an amazing amount of work in prepping, celebrating and now clean up. No wonder you are a little stiff. It always feels good to get things back to normal in the house. Time for a nice glass of wine

 

[Calgal]

You are amazing! Can you and your hubby please come to England and de-christmas my house too? . I so totally relate to your getting out of chair gracefully (not) description!! In fact, that was the most embarrassing part of holidays - friends and family noticing that I'm still hurting after sitting for any length of time. Son's sofas are SO low, on the 26th get-together I had to nab a dining chair to sit on after I prised myself off the sofa. . That one thing really makes me feel o.l.d. Ah the life of a recovering hipster. Happy stretching in your refound exercise room.

 

[CricketHip]

De Christmas-ing my favorite part of the holidays! said.no.one.ever! But I do love how clean and neat our home looks when finished.
Your holiday sounded lovely.

 

[ceezee]

I am fairly ruthless once Christmas Day is over, tired of those little dust catchers and stuff crowding table tops and shelves, and majorly motivated to get it all removed.

We’re completely the opposite. My heritage is Swedish and the tree and decorations don't come down until St. Knut’s Day, January 13. The Swedes spend at least a good month celebrating Christmas. Near the beginning is St. Lucia Day on December 13, during Advent. And my neighbor is actually from Sweden so I’m not alone in this!

Also we open presents on Christmas Eve. Except those from Santa, of course.

My husband really enjoys keeping traditions alive. He’s Jewish so we have both a Christmas tree and a menorah up during this time.

I’m impressed you were able to get it all done so quickly after the tons of work you did during the holiday. You deserve a long rest! The delay here is at least giving me a chance to catch my breath.

 

[Calgal]

If I can't import @Barbaraj's services then I'll have to be Swedish with you @ceezee !

 

[Elf1]

I always keep my stuff up till after New Years. Think it has to do with the European traditions/celebrations I inherited from my Grandparents.

 

[Barbaraj]

It's a foggy Monday morning here in the PNW. A normal start to the morning for me, beginning with the ritual of a morning latte and the newspaper, and then the slow rise from my comfy chair (yes, always an effort not to stumble or fall over) to head upstairs to do a few morning emails to friends and family and then the Big Decision of what to do today. Starting late last week, I've tried to resume a more regular exercise routine with both PT exercises and the gym for cardio, and I'll try to keep that up this week as well. I know it's got to be a life long commitment but it's one day at a time, I realize. I ordered a foam balancing pad which arrived yesterday so I now have all the "equipment" I need at home to do my daily exercises, no excuses!

Sorry, @ceezee, but I couldn't stand to have all that holiday stuff around for as long as they are in your house. Although my husband is now a "take it down on the 26th" convert, even before he agreed to do this on January 1 annually. But, I think whatever works for you is obviously the way to go!

Ha, ha, @Calgal, I am with you and @CricketHip that the take-down process is so much harder than the putting it up process. It's never much fun, and we all want to put it off as long as we can tolerate, I guess. Putting up the tree and holiday décor is, in our household, accompanied by holiday music and wine which makes it really fun! Taking it down is a grim all day affair--no holiday music (okay, by now I'm sick of it...) and no wine. But, it's done and such a relief to get up in the morning and not find piles of needles under the tree daily.

With the new year within spittin' distance, I am getting excited about the possibilities ahead: a couple of trips planned, continuing decrease in hip aching and stiffness (not today, but soon, right?), a revamp of the small study off our master bedroom to add in a couple of comfortable chairs and a low table in between on which we can pile books, and my--gulp--official entrance to the next age decade. I've lots to celebrate with my New Year's Eve toasts this year.

Happy Monday!

 

[leejaa]

Your plans for 2020 sound wonderful. We are also talking about some trips this coming year - nothing spectacular as our trip to New Orleans last year but some closer to home so we can drive. We have a 7yo 90# puppy who my husband has a hard time leaving for any length of time plus we are still finishing some work from our house renovation. It will be exciting for both of us not to have hip pain as we enjoy life again. I am especially thinking of being able to have a small veggie garden again. Nothing like a few fresh tomatoes and string beans.

Have a very .

 

[Calgal]

Oh nooooo! Not the next age decade already?! At least you're dancing into it with 2 good hips. Cheers! Happy new year!

 

[Barbaraj]

Well, the new year has arrived and with it my hope and mostly strong conviction that this year is going to be fabulous, with no more aching and stiff hips by midyear (are you listening, hips? It's your time to step it up, girls!) I had a busy but fulfilling holiday season, with NYE spent with dear friends with whom we've enjoyed the same NYE tradition for years--a lovely dinner and sleepover so we're not out on the road with the crazies! Left hip, groin area, was aching yesterday but I attribute this to sleeping in an unfamiliar bed and lack of exercise. Just finished my PT exercises a short while ago and will be off to the gym for an elliptical workout. Goal going forward is to get back into consistent daily exercise, completely thrown off by the holidays, and a more moderate and sensible eating plan. Uh...this is my "goal" every year, so you'd think one of these years it wouldn't be necessary but oh, well...

I think I've probably added enough to the Bonesmart forum at this point so it's time to say farewell again, and for good as I've no hips left to replace. I'm certainly not 100% recovered at this point but I feel as if my postings are getting monotonous, sort of like the journal I kept as a child which, while initially full of interesting reports of my thoughts, devolved into "boring, nothing much happened today". So, before I become even more of an irrelevancy than I already am, I'll say goodbye. I've so enjoyed my time on the forum, meeting some fascinating folks and getting a wealth of support and information to get me through these two hip replacements. Special shout outs to the forum advisors who've been so helpful to me and everyone else.

I wish everyone the very best, both old timers like me and certainly all the folks new to the forum. Cheers, happy new year and onwards--tromping down the recovery trail, one day at a time!

PS Brother-in-law is facing sequential hip replacements this year and I've absolutely recommended that he check out BS!

 

[Mojo333]

I hope 2020 is everything you want it to be.
Onward and Upward!

 

[Layla]

There comes a time to fly...
With two surgeries and recoveries behind you, both without complication aside from the normal and expected residual discomfort of a major surgery, it makes sense you'd be on your way to enjoy and engage fully in the life these two surgeries will afford you.
Wishing you all the best now and in the years to come!

 

[bickypeg]

I am fairly ruthless once Christmas Day is over, tired of those little dust catchers and stuff crowding table tops and shelves, and majorly motivated to get it all removed.

We’re completely the opposite. My heritage is Swedish and the tree and decorations don't come down until St. Knut’s Day, January 13. The Swedes spend at least a good month celebrating Christmas. Near the beginning is St. Lucia Day on December 13, during Advent. And my neighbor is actually from Sweden so I’m not alone in this!

Also we open presents on Christmas Eve. Except those from Santa, of course.

My husband really enjoys keeping traditions alive. He’s Jewish so we have both a Christmas tree and a menorah up during this time.

I’m impressed you were able to get it all done so quickly after the tons of work you did during the holiday. You deserve a long rest! The delay here is at least giving me a chance to catch my breath.

It's the 6th of December in our house! When my first 2 boys were little they used to be so upset when Christmas ended we started a regular special 12th Night meal with even a little present each. And it still continues! Though it will be an Indian takeaway this year and definitely no presents!

 

[bickypeg]

Oh nooooo @Barbaraj ! You can't go! I love your posts! Only just scrolled back and saw what I hope wasn't really your final one!