Bilateral THR Hippy Toonz

[Hoppy Nanny]

Walking 2 to 3 miles!!!

 

[grandma chris]

Hi @DrToonz - my 'over the top' reaction to the mere idea of doing a 5k walk after your surgery was in no way a reflection on you personally. I am still quite mind boggled that anyone who has had Bilateral THR would contemplate and/or be able to do a 5k walk so soon after this very major surgery. You must be fit and I have great admiration for you to entertain the thought. It's quite a testimonial, isn't it?

 

[DrToonz]

I am still quite mind boggled that anyone who has had Bilateral THR would contemplate and/or be able to do a 5k walk so soon after this very major surgery.

Oh, hey...don't get me wrong. There is no way I'm doing anything besides wondering what the timeline might be like. I'm healing, I can tell. But I have no preconception of WHEN I will be healed to what extent. If someone's done it in that timeline, then I'll entertain the idea of considering it. If 100% of recovered people said "There's no way" then I'd have an obvious answer to the question. I assume I'm average and look to that as the mark to hit. Of course I also understand statistics and averages and as such I know that for every average person there are about 49% better off and 49% worse off!

It's quite a testimonial, isn't it?

The only testimonial I'd say I have is that this question points out my optimism. I'm not saying "No way" to anything that isn't obviously a 'no way'. I'm not asking about a jumprope contest at 6 weeks!

 

[DrToonz]

I was looking stuff up and found this. I want it on my thread so that I can find it easily again. hehe.
============================== ==============================
For THRs.

Activities of Daily Living are assessed in hospital as a means of assessing your fitness to be discharged home. Your domestic circumstances will be taken into account as in if you are living alone, etc.

ADLs include:
~ Personal hygiene and grooming
~ Dressing and undressing
~ Functional transfers, e.g. Getting out of bed
~ Voluntarily controlling bladder and bowel elimination
~ Ambulation (Walking or using a wheelchair)
~ Housework
~ Meal Preparation
~ Care of pets
~ Meal preparation and cleanup

Walking and other activity
Walking is about the best exercise you can do but again, you need to moderate your time and distance.
Always use your walker, crutches or canes as appropriate, only moving from one to the other as you gain confidence or until as advised by your PT or physio. Actually, hips really don't need all that much exercising and have a perfectly good way of sorting things out for themselves if given half a chance.

Week 1
Minimal PT.
Walking around the house. Trips to the bathroom and kitchen are included!
Being up on your feet several times a day as you need to but don't get obsessive about it.
A 5 minute walk every couple of hours is plenty.

Activity: for the first week nothing but rest, occasional trips to the kitchen to get a snack or a drink and to the bathroom for potty and showers!

Week 2
Start on a plan of walks around the house lasting longer than 5-10 minutes but don't a) get into too much pain and b) get too tired. Stop before you get to that point. Still minimal PT.

Activity: do some tidying up, a little bit of meal prep and maybe some washing up so long as someone else dries and puts it away!

Exercises: foot rotations, ankle pumps and attempts at straight leg raises on the bed, but don't worry if you can't do them just yet. See hereHome physio (PT).

Week 3
Lengthen the walks to about 15-20 minutes once a day, maybe twice a day if it doesn't cause your hip to be painful.

Activity: prepare yourself a meal or help prepare a family meal but not all of it. A little bit of laundry but not all of it.

Exercises: as before

Weeks 4 and 5
Increase walks around, to 30 mins, longer if you feel up to it. Get started on more PT but don't over do it.

Activity: now you can do some dusting and push a vacuum round the middle of the living room; do a little meal prep (for yourself not the family!), maybe fill and empty the washing machine

Exercises: a few side leg lifts

Weeks 6 and onward
PT can now be serious.
Start taking car trips to the shops but keep them short and sweet at the start, no longer than 15-20 minutes
Take at least one 5 minute rest while you are out.

Activity: ironing, washing, meal prep but get someone else to clear up after, wash up but someone else clears the table, brings you the dirty dishes, dries and puts them away after, not you!!

Exercises: as before plus exercise bike 5-10 mins a day

Bed making and changing sheets, cleaning bedrooms etc., can wait until about week 8 by which time, all things being well, you should pretty much start getting back to normal.

But if it takes a bit longer, don''t worry about it.

 

[DrToonz]

A bit of ankle/foot swelling today. Sleeping in The Big Chair still with probably not enough elevation.
Elevating now (noonish) for a couple hours while watching a movie. I'm usually slightly elevated in The Big Chair (La-Z-Boy recliner which doesn't go all the way flat), but the feet ARE a bit lower unless I use pillows (which I'm doing right now).
Any other suggestions for ankle-swelling?

Thanks!

 

[alexthecat]

I wouldn't have had any difficulty walking that distance at 3 months post-THR. I only had one hip replaced though and, as you've noted, everyone is different.

What is the terrain like for the course? Many hippies find hilly terrain to be challenging longer than flat terrain is. Hills are fantastic exercise though, so I definitely recommend that when you are ready.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

[DrToonz]

Many hippies find hilly terrain to be challenging longer than flat terrain is.

BEFORE surgery, flat was hard, slightly uphill was more difficult and steeply uphill was easy. Weird, eh?

 

[Briggieride]

@DrToonz . Awesome planning Dr. I am doing something similar. 'Watch out mountains, here I come!' I am not as specific as you though. My thinking is that at three month after surgery you might well be able to walk 5 kms. Part of your recovery can be training for it. After all, walking is supposed to be the best. Heel-toe, heel-toe, heal-toe, heal-to. I am practicing normal walking on my twice daily walks which I started yesterday. Each walk about 20 minutes. I am very focussed on not limping at all. No more of that funny duckwalk anymore. It's amazing! There is a little bit more pain afterwards, but the key is 'a little bit more'. I don't consider that over doing it. Just flirting with the over doing.
Before surgery I was not walking much at all, but I was still able to ride my bike for distances, which kept me sane. Had trouble though with lifting my leg to clip into the pedal.
Looking forward to hike, once again, from Rainy Pass to Stehekin and spend a night or two and then hike back out or take the Lady of the Lake. Beautiful hike! Ever done that Dr.? I love dreaming about these things.

 

[Briggieride]

Going for a walk now. It just started raining, but I don't care.

 

[DrToonz]

Rainy Pass to Stehekin

I've not done that. A quick look says it's like 12 miles and not too darned steep. Sounds great!
I REALLY REALLY look forward to some backpacking with the DW because all of my backpacking has been with my buddies. She wants to do it, and we were going to, but this hippie **** has really got in the way. That hike sounds cool, local, a good distance and tough enough to not be boring.
I don't bicycle (much) but I ride my motorcycle. (or I did, 2 years ago). It hurt a LOT to pick my foot up and put it on the pegs and hurt a lot also just to keep it there. Swinging my foot over the bike was eventually a deal-breaker.
Now I have PMS bad (parked motorcycle syndrome).

 

[djklaugh]

You'll get over the PMS pretty soon, Toonz If you go over to the social section there's a whole long thread about hippies and kneesies who have gone back to riding their motorcycles --- you just have to be careful not to do this

 

[DrToonz]

VOTED BEST USE OF EMOTICONS TO DATE:

You'll get over the PMS pretty soon, Toonz If you go over to the social section there's a whole long thread about hippies and kneesies who have gone back to riding their motorcycles --- you just have to be careful not to do this

 

[bettysgone-Sept-5-2013]

Love your take on your challenging circumstances! You could look dashing with a purse with a long shoulder strap. That's what I used to transport my essential stuff. I kept leaving things in different rooms so it was very helpful.
Take care!
Betty

 

[DrToonz]

I am practicing normal walking on my twice daily walks which I started yesterday. Each walk about 20 minutes.

I'm motivated by @Briggieride to begin self-managed physical therapy tomorrow, the first day of week 4 post-op.

I will walk and use a recumbent stationary bicycle at my gym (which I have not been to in many, many months).
The recumbent bike was suggested by my OS's PA for week 4. Motion only, no tension/muscle building.
The walking was suggested from everyone here, by the PT's at the hospital where my BTHR was done and by my OS's PA.
I intend to use my hiking poles while walking as at this point I limp a little on my right leg when I don't use my poles. I can use just one, but 2 feels more stable so I'll start there.
The stationary bike is a complete unknown at this point, so I'll go in, sit down and see if I can do it at all. If I can, I'll give it a few minutes and see how it feels.
Each of these exercises I intend to follow up with some elevation and icing.

I have to start somewhere with the PA's suggestion that I need to overdo it to see where the overdo it point is so that I can know what it is to not overdo it!

In order to head off the inevitable forthcoming "be careful" responses to this email, I say: I'll be careful.

I remain optimistic!

 

[bettysgone-Sept-5-2013]

I'm not going to say be careful...beware... I was told 5 minutes at a time on recumbent bike Set at zero. Well, I didn't want to go to gym just for 5 minutes, so did gentle rotations for 30 minutes a day for four days. By Friday I could barely walk.... I often forget to follow directions. That would have been a good one to obey.
All the best!
Betty

 

[Briggieride]

@DrToonz . Good for you. Yes, do remain optimistic. From here on it is only upwards and onwards whereas before THR it was only downwards. It just might take some time... the upwards part. I have no idea if I am doing the exactly right thing, but if I listen to my body, especially the hip, then I think I'll be on the right track. I know that an all or nothing approach would be bad, so... a little bit of flirting [quoting @DrToonz ] is necessary. Even though I had a bit of the blues this morning, I have recovered and will go on walking tomorrow. Amazingly I walk without any crutches at all, but I carry them with me anyway.
Wow, I am still impressed: BLTHR, yikes.

 

[DrToonz]

By Friday I could barely walk.... I often forget to follow directions.

This is a good reminder. I too was told 5-10 minutes. I'll stick to that today.

From here on it is only upwards and onwards whereas before THR it was only downwards.

This is what keeps me optimistic. The pre-op downward progression REALLY SUCKED.

I had a bit of the blues this morning

I get that occasionally. Not too often. Mostly when I can't help the DW with stuff and/or need to rely on others too much.

I am still impressed: BLTHR, yikes.

It's just what you're going through only on both hips. I'm going to GUESS that it's not double the pain, just double the places the pain occurs.
I'll take it, though. It's not often I get someone to say they're "impressed". Hehe.

 

[M1ke]

BEFORE surgery, flat was hard, slightly uphill was more difficult and steeply uphill was easy. Weird, eh?

Same here! Hiking with my wife I experience the same thing. I don't have a problem with steep downhill but slight downhill is the worst.

 

[Briggieride]

@DrToonz . Which approach did your surgeon take to replace your joints? I had the MIS-2 approach which makes two small incisions- one near the groin [about 2.5 inches] and the other one is on the side, slight more to the back and up higher [only 1.5 inches]. There was no dislocation of the hip during surgery, and not much cutting of muscle if any. Most of the hip structures where left intact, which makes for a speedier recovery. I also tried to stay fit up until the day of my surgery. I tried very much to not care about the pain anymore and did my best to stay fit. I was not able to take any more ibuprofen six weeks before my surgery as it caused severe problems with my lower digestive track. And I did not think that I was taking all that much. Just 400mgs twice a day for about ten weeks. The pharmacist told me and so did my doctor that 'it should not cause any problems'. Well, they were wrong and it caused big problems. I was so worried that the problems would delay my surgery. Thank God that did not happen. I am so happy to have had this done. You and I and all the other hippies can look forward to walking and hiking pain free- eventually.
Like I wrote before Dr. I like you take on things.

 

[DrToonz]

Well...
Now i've done it.

And I think that when you cross the finish line they give you donuts. Wha?