THR Hi there, wow what a trip this has been!

[Me2]

OS cleared restrictions -- so I was so excited last night to sleep on side - - " Learned a lesson about rolling over onto the surgical side, not a good thing to do yet, that was an ouch!" I would so love to return to sleeping on my side . . . even in hospital the nurse had propped me on each side so it was soooo comfortable. I've been experimenting but haven't found a way. Your explanation is good, Roseann, I'll try it -- unfortunately I fell asleep after work at 7 and slept til 10:30. So its going to be a long night.
You are a week ahead of me . . . I'm not sure which milestone I'm more excited/envious about: tying shoe in a week or maybe riding by July!!!!! I've been promising myself by Autumn for the fall leaves but I am so amazed at the range of motion I have! Really looking forward to swinging my leg over the saddle and finding my seat again.

 

[Lmflora]

Hey sheryl, how are the workouts going? I did not get a chance to try Roseann's pillow trick last night. I spent most of the day in town and ended up conking out and figured I would mess with it today. I think i got the right pillow, so i am ready to try tonight. I got cleared to drive, just told to avoid rush hours for a awhile which is not hard for me to avoid here. I started some very light weighted abduction exercises today, and i increased the resistance on the elliptical a little bit (from 0 to 4), and it felt good. it seemed like all of a sudden this week i made some big progress. I still get very tired by 2 in the afternoon. But i see that horse down there, dropping his hair, getting fat! he needs to be ridden!! can't wait!!

cheers and peace-
Lynn

 

[Dieter]

sounds great @Lmflora! do you have the 85 mph highways near you? that would be the only rush hour I could imagine in your neck of the woods!

 

[Me2]

I've just been doing the boring at home standard stuff. I start out patient next week. I'm not sure how to go about getting a good program. I am going to PT affiliated with my group of surgeons. At my first post-op the surgeon suggested staying away from my regular gym because of risk of infection. So I figured id get what I could from the 6 prescribed visits then see. You seem to be knowledgable about an aggressive PT program. I'm imagining a bike would feel so good to stretch out tight thigh.


Sheryl from Pittsburgh
LTHR on 4/2/2014
Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®

 

[Lmflora]

Dieter- we don't have an "official" 85 MPH highway, but there can be a long time between cars, and state cops....

Sheryl- I consider myself lucky to have had a more aggressive program, it may not be for everyone but it certainly is working for me. We have an old Shwinn air dyne and we put the seat up high as the PT showed me and I just sit on it with my hands behind my back and pedal away. Holding the moving handles bothers my back because I am tall and I don't like having to bend over. It feels awesome. It stretches, and warms, and loosens. I use it to cool down following the elliptical, and the exercises. Then ride it again in the late afternoon. To loosen everything up.

My PT motivated me to push myself more my mentioning that she had other patients in the past who were doing things sooner than I was and were older! Your OS is probably right to worry about infection, that would suck to get sick after all you have gone through to get this far. I would hope your 6 prescribed visits will have all the tools there to get you going. if they don't put you on the bike, maybe you could ask them to let you try. I think you would love it. When do you start?
Cheers
Lynn

 

[Me2]

I looked in at the therapy room when I had my one appointment at that office and they seemed to have plenty of equipment. I've been so spoiled with gym so close to home but I don't want to risk infection at this point. I'm thinking once I try bike at therapy I may try regular bike. We do live near a wonderful bike trail that I've not been in for years--and horses allowed at certain point. I understand it's possible to ride from my part of Pittsburgh to Washington DC. Maybe another goal for summer's end? I didn't get home in time to call and schedule...hopefully early next week.


Sheryl from Pittsburgh
LTHR on 4/2/2014
Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®

 

[MajorHeidi]

Biking is supposed to be the very best thing next to walking for us hippies.
Recumbent bike is nice and easy and I plan to try that one first.
Its good advice about the health clubs to avoid I think due to infection...... for a while

 

[Cantabrigian]

@GaRosehippy ... I sense a patent coming on soon. lol
Sounds a good idea, with the pillow behind... one to try. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Cantabrigian]

Biking is supposed to be the very best thing next to walking for us hippies.
Recumbent bike is nice and easy and I plan to try that one first.
Its good advice about the health clubs to avoid I think due to infection...... for a while

Very true, Claire.
It's the activity I have missed the most, I think. My b'day present was (apart from the hip, lol) a new bike... can't wait to,try it out.

 

[MajorHeidi]

Awesome on the bike @Cantabrigian ! have a great day today. Its nice here in Virginia

 

[Lmflora]

best to have a high seat with your new hip, so be careful getting on and off. We're waiting for the mud to dry out, our roads are pretty rough, but I think a bike ride outside would be wonderful.

Roseann's pillow trick works good once I get rolled over on to it. I have to get up and lay down on it, can't seem to roll over very well without twisting something. Felt great to sleep on the other side for a change.
Cheers and peace
Lynn

 

[Lmflora]

Anybody know when we can take a "tub bath", a nice long soak? my scar is completely closed. My hubby can help me get in and out. I would love to get back to my reading time..

I forgot to ask OS at appt last week.

cheers

 

[Cantabrigian]

@Lmflora It all depends on the scar, apparently.
I am having my strips taken off later today, and I want to go swimming asap.
The nurse said it will depend on the scar though....i guess a bath is the same.

 

[Me2]

My OS cleared in water (bathing or swimming) at 2 weeks. The incision was not completely closed -- in that he put 4 steri strips back on. However, he nixed idea of pool or working out at gym for risk of infection. So, home pool or bath fine but not public.

My sons have been putting clothes from the dryer into my big clawfoot bath tub -- I was so looking forward to some "reading time" and still working on getting them to fold their clothes!

I really got to work with horses this weekend -- brushing, walking, a bit of ground work! Do you know of a market for all the fur from Spring shed - seems to be a bumper crop!

 

[Lmflora]

I called the OS, and the nurse said as long as the scar is covered with skin I am good to go. LOL on the horse hair. What a great sign of spring. I was down at the barn and moved hay around on the tractor. I am getting so stoked to ride again, pain free!!

My daughter is 23, when I go visit her I noticed that she is at least leaving her clothes in the basket, unfolded, but they are not on the floor making one big pile of mixed clean and dirty clothes. Slow progress. Maybe some day she will actually put them away.

 

[Lmflora]

I had my first hot bath in a month today. it was wonderful. Well here is my scar at 4-weeks post op. I have not been as diligent as I should be about the wound massage. I keep forgetting. Still a bit sore when I massage it, deeper down. still get very tired in the late afternoon.
Cheers

 

[MajorHeidi]

Lynn, that looks terrific!!!!

 

[Cantabrigian]

Looks very neat and has healed really well.

 

[Me2]

Haven't seen you around and wondered how you were doing? My outpatient PT didn't even do what I was already doing at home so I didn't go back after first visit. Thinking that lack of PT, exercise, contributes to my mind deciding that if I have nothing better to do it'll mess with me! I need to turn it around and have mental health recovery catch up with physical recovery. Body is still doing great!

 

[Lmflora]

Hi there, I have been busy, back to work, taking a course, and was out of town for about a week. I am doing great, keeping up with my PT at home. Increasing exercises everyday. I was adding some weight to the abduction exercise, but my body told me that was too much too soon, so I backed off on that. I took over the care of my horses from my husband. I can move all sorts of ways, better than before the surgery. I am so happy I did this. I am back to making the twisty movements unconsciously that i consciously had to stop doing. I can't wait to ride. i don't think it will be long before I can. once i am in the saddle it will be easy. Just not sure yet if I can get into the saddle. I am doing lots of stretching in my hips, pushing a little more everyday, and i think it is paying off, especially the stretch that hurts the most, which i think is the one i need the most to get on the horse. The one where i lay on my back with my knees up, then lay the surgical leg over to the outside. i lean the leg/knee against a ball, and keep moving the ball out a little at a time so that i drop the knee ever so small increments at a time, I hold it then bring it back up to rest then do it again a little further. The PT had me doing this one right away. I really hate it, but after the first couple of times I am able to get more ROM by the end of the session.

Are you still banned from the gym (due to infection risk)? i would bring a carton of disinfectant wet-ones and wash the equipment down and get on those bike/ellipticals. sounds like you need to make some progress and burn some time and energy. i think we need to find the joy in what all this is giving us. it was such a pain and big deal to pull off- and we are getting our lives back. I know that you will be back on that horse. I suspect all of your sorrow will disappear when you find yourself back in the saddle. Just do it when you are ready and not before. It will be ok Sheryl, I am a little over six weeks, and it seems to get better every week. Your about a week behind me- Are you feeling any pain? Hang in there. Cheers and Peace.