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THR Hipster64's Recovery Thread

Hope today's four week evaluation goes well for you, @Hipster64, and you got approved for more PT since it seems to be working and that's what it's all about. Hurray for you!
 
Hey there :wave:
Let us know how your appt. went today when you have time. I'll bet all good news! Hopefully you were approved for the 4 more weeks of therapy you're looking forward to.
A great Thursday evening to you!
@Hipster64
 
Hello everyone! Had my PT evaluation this morning and was approved for four more weeks of PT, which brings me up to 11/26. The physical therapist agreed I was progressing but since I still have some left side back and buttock pain, am still stiff and have more work to do. She noted that my muscles on that side simply aren't used to being so straight and aligned, since I have been walking crooked for so long. She further indicated that there should be no problem getting approved for the three weeks physical therapy lost due to surgery scheduling, since I should have had eight weeks on each leg anyway. So all in all, no complaints.

Hope everyone has a happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend!
 
Hello and a Happy Friday to you!
It's good to hear you were approved more therapy time to work on all. With two hips replaced, within as many months, it's easy to imagine you'd want to fine tune a few things. You're going to feel great going into the new year.
Have a wonderful weekend!
@Hipster64
 
Yay, great news about the PT, @Hipster64 I am sure it is a relief to know you'll have ongoing help dealing with your brand new hips as they sort themselves out. You have a great Friday and weekend, too.
 
@Hipster64 Good news about the extended PT.. everything is falling right into place for you and that has to have you feeling so pleased.. congratulations!
I think it's sweet that your husband is worried about you.. but by next Thursday you will really enjoy cleaning out those bathroom aids.. I actually had a couple jolts immediately after, forgot they were gone in the middle of the night.. **freefalling** :rotfl:
Have a great weekend!
 
@CricketHip: I agree with @Barbaraj that the toilet riser will be the piece of equipment I will miss the most. And I have noticed that many public handicapped bathroom stalls do not have higher toilets! I pulled the free-falling maneuver in several of them. Very misleading!
 
Yes, public bathrooms, even the handicapped stalls, can be challenging for awhile. Plus, my other negative experience is that they put the toilet paper holders often really far away! But, this is definitely a "first world" problem and not something that needs to be obsessed over! Hope you are having a great weekend, @Hipster64, and enjoying some lovely fall weather.
 
@Barbaraj : I absolutely have bigger fish to fry than toilet heights in handicapped stalls. It's just funny because I always assumed the toilets would be higher in those stalls than the regular ones-pre-surgery I never used them unless they were the only ones available and never really gave the issue much thought.
I did get to enjoy the fall weather on Saturday. I went shopping with a friend that I haven't seen in a year and it was nice to walk around and enjoy the sunshine. I used my portable shopping cart for support. I only had to sit down twice the entire 2 plus hours that we shopped-once for a brief period in Old Navy, then on a bench before we decided to part ways (but that was a nice time to converse anyway). However, I felt it when I came home and even requested ice. I have reduced my meds again-am down to 1 Tramadol a day (1/2 in AM and 1/2 in PM) and 975mg Tylenol a day (650 mg in AM, 375 in PM). Hopefully the OS will be pleased when I return on Tuesday 10/29. I didn't even care that we had rainy weather on Sunday because it was the perfect excuse to stay in and relax.

Have a great week and I hope things are progressing smoothly in your recovery as well!
 
Sounds like a nice day on Saturday, @Hipster64, with good weather and shopping without too much difficulty. I bet you got in a lot of mileage and with only two stops for a rest, I am not surprised you were tired afterwards. Good luck with the reduction in medications, I know it can be challenging to know when and by how much, and sometimes it doesn't work and you have to try again. But, as you know, as recovery continues you'll be getting off all medication in the weeks and months ahead, as well as regaining your strength (sheesh, that miserable energy drain!) and ease of motion. Nice that Sunday was a rainy day so you didn't even to make any excuses as to why you were hunkering down and vegging out. You have a great week, too, and I hope your sunshine returns.
 
Hello: Good news at the OS office today. The OS agreed I could return to work on 1/6 and gave me a note confirming this. He also agreed that I could have my disability placard extended based on my concerns over falling on snow and ice-he told me "If we were in Florida, I would say no", to which I responded "If we were in Florida, I wouldn't have asked". I am to carry on with PT for another month, continue with home exercises and walking, and return to the OS on 12/3. And so it goes!
 
Yay! I love how you carefully planned your surgeries and recoveries. It's all falling into place.

Loved the Florida story. :heehee:
 
@CricketHip: Although Florida may be where I will end up someday....my OS did say that a warm climate helps arthritis! He noted I do have osteoarthritis in my back, and that weight loss and exercise would help. Right now I average around a size 10 in clothing, and I have been walking four laps on the cul-de-sac each day I am not in therapy, so I'm not in bad shape right now-but I am up to any improvements, especially since I can be more active now.

I also got to see my double hippie x-ray. The implants are Zimmer-Biomet and are made of titanium, ceramic and plastic. I was more disturbed over my flaccid buttocks in the xray than the implants!
 
Sheesh, you are around a size 10 in clothing and your OS still wants you to lose weight? That sounds a drag! I have osteoarthritis in my lower back, too, and some in my right knee according to my PT. It's all part of this oh-so-fun (NOT!) aging process, isn't it? Sounds like a fairly good appointment with your OS and congrats on being released to RTW in January, and the extended disability placard. Some day maybe you'll make it to Florida although I don't know if I could handle the summer heat there. My younger son went to college in Florida and when we dropped him off his first year, in August, I thought I was going to die as I raced from the shade of one palm tree to another as we wandered around campus! It was so miserable, but I think more from the unbelievable humidity more than the actual heat. Just thinking about that experience makes me shudder! I think you're doing great in recovery, trundling along with reasonably good humor and doing what you can to get healthy and fit. It's going to happen, you know, so chin up! Have a happy hump day!
 
Good news from the OS office with the return to work you wanted and getting the placard extended, that will really help in the winter. We normally don't have much snow or ice here but when we do get something it is usually ice and not pretty. I keep thinking the last couple of winters have been pretty mild so of course this year will be the year! Nice thing is not having to go out if I don't want to.

Dang, size 10 and he still wants you to lose weight!?! Some people! Keep doing what you're doing, it seems to be working well for you. :thumb:
 
@Barbaraj and @Elf1: My clothing size may not be too bad but my weight is a bit high for my height. Except for my abdominal area, I am fairly solid. Last time I weighed myself-which was my 8/28 per-op I was 173 and I claim 5'4" (especially now that my left leg was lengthened; I do feel taller!) He probably would like to see the weight number go down lower since per BMI, it teeters on obese. I used to be heavier than that back in 2007, and I used Weight Watchers materials at home and got myself down to 138 lbs and a size 4-never exercised either. However it was not realistic for me to maintain and I ended up drifting into the 150's, which seems to be my comfort point as far as weight goes, for a few years, then all hell broke loose after 2011. Like most of us, I blame a hysterectomy and menopause for the weight gain, especially since most of it ended up in my abdomen. I know I gained some weight after my mother died in December 2017. I was going to school for my MBA and stopped going to the gym around that time too. Hopefully I can turn things around since I am walking 5 times a week, attending PT twice a week, and generally moving around more. I am hoping to get back to the gym once I finish up PT and return to work in January.

Many retirees in New England are snowbirds and own properties in Florida which they use during the late fall, winter and early spring. They usually leave New England after Thanksgiving and come back in May, when it really starts to get hot in FL. I think I could handle that life!
 
Well, @Hipster64, I think your plan of trying to eat sensibly, getting in more exercise and moving around more will definitely help with weight loss. As with surgical recovery, I suspect weight loss is a slow and tedious process but, as also with hip replacement recovery, you WILL get there if you can stay focused and disciplined. I like your approach of not trying to get down to a weight that you can't realistically maintain but instead finding a healthy "happy" weight which you can manage going forward. Just keep up the good work and those pounds will slowly drop so by the time you return to work (which will be stressful, I'm guessing, and test your resolve) you'll be in good shape and committed to maintaining your weight loss.

Yep, a lot of Washingtonians also go south for the colder months, Arizona being a prime destination. My brother and his wife have a small house down there and love getting away from the rain and gray skies of winter. My husband and I have talked about a second home but neither of us wants the responsibilities associated with second home ownership. I think we'll probably think about taking mini-vacations to warmer climes at some point (but my husband is a skier and until the snow starts easing in the mountains I don't see any getaways in winter until March) and we can gadfly about and just rent instead of having to return to the same place every year. But if Florida works for you, hold onto that dream! Happy Thursday!
 
@Barbaraj : Yes, the 150's usually end up being my happy plateau weight. The 140's make me even happier but are a bit tougher to maintain. The 130's, forget it. When I was that low even my parish priest became concerned about me and told me not to lose any more! I told him not to worry about that because I knew that weight would never be maintainable for me.

I could see how AZ would be a big destination for the Pacific Northwesters who want to escape the cold. I have also noticed up here that North Carolina is becoming extremely popular. I call it "The New Florida" since so many people are running down there now. I also see your point about owning another property. Many folks recommend that you should rent a place for a month in the area you are interested in to actually see if you like the area before committing. Renting in different sections of FL for a month or two every year with no commitment....that's another thought that I like!
 
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