[THR] Hiptopia!

[Fiona444]

Hi @Calgal sounds like you are doing great! I do not see my surgeon until next year but I bet it felt good to get confirmation all is well! Wonderful that you are getting into your pilates and building up those muscles. I think that will do you so much good. I am delighted for you!

 

[Barbaraj]

Yup, you are just a youngster, @Calgal and so great to get a good report. I agree that building up those glutes is going to take awhile. It's an issue for me to and since all those pesky muscles are related to one another, working on one will have positive benefits for the others as well. Your approach to exercise is a bit like mine: don't love it but plugging away! I will say that trying to do those dreary PT exercises daily or as prescribed will probably pay off. I credit PT exercises before surgery for keeping me in as good a shape as possible going into surgery and afterwards not having any real struggles other than occasional dips into over-activity. Slow and steady is the key here, and consistency and persistence. You are doing so well, and it's going to get even better as the months go by. Hurray for you!

 

[Calgal]

@Barbaraj you are my inspiration for diligent exercising. I pale in comparison to you. Am really going to channel you as I do my multitude of glute exercises.

 

[VSlowLife]

I credit PT exercises before surgery for keeping me in as good a shape as possible going into surgery and afterwards not having any real struggles other than occasional dips into over-activity.

This is good to hear @Barbaraj. It’s been suggested by my primary doctor to request PT from my surgeon before surgery. Glad to know It made a difference for you.

 

[linette333]

Hi @Calgal ! What a great report from your OS! A real boost to your confidence! You have moved steadily through this process and you are now really seeing the results. Well done!

 

[Barbaraj]

Ha, ha, @Calgal, I am amused that you think of me as an inspiration for much of anything. I'll take it but I think you are definitely being too self-deprecating. You have been diligent about being as active as you're able to be, and even eating the cost of one-on-one Pilates instruction, to provide targeted help for those weakened muscles. But channel away if it might help! Those glutes are apparently big muscles, my PT said, and they take a lot of work to get working properly so hang in there. You are going to get there! Happy Sunday!

And, @VSlowLife, I initially started PT before all this hip nonsense because I thought I had a problem with my lower back (sciatica) which was eventually diagnosed as severe osteoarthritis in my hips. The only instruction my OS gave to me was "don't gain weight" and "continue exercising" so I kept on with both the gym for cardio (elliptical) and the PT exercises I had for my lower back, although they added a few targeted exercises for the hips, too. I am someone who likes structure so doing PT exercises daily (the key is to have some but not so many you feel overwhelmed) works well--have coffee, skim newspaper, brush teeth--and exercise! If you do decide to do some PT beforehand, I hope it will be helpful for you--I feel it was good for me and allowed for an easier recovery post-surgery for both hips. Cheers!

 

[Calgal]

Happy to report another A-HA moment! Lately I've been been feeling a bit disillusioned about my lack of muscle strength / progress rebuilding, even after doing more than 2 months of 1:1 Pilates sessions. (Despite my OS saying last Thursday to be patient as it takes 12-18 months to fully recover soft tissue damage) So two things to report:

Well, lo and behold, 2 days after that OS appointment last week, I was walking upstairs and suddenly just felt....stronger. I realized I was leaning a bit to the left to compensate for the weak right, and I just stood up straighter. Felt really good, both with my body awareness of strange compensating postures and also with being able to rectify them.

So, this Monday at my pilates class, I told my instructor I felt stronger. We then did a few of the moves (requiring balancing on my op leg) that I found very difficult to do before and - ta da! - suddenly I could actually DO them correctly! Yippee! Now, it's not perfect by any means, but much much much better than before. She said I've clearly (finally!) turned a corner. Happy dance! Of course there's still work to do and I'm continuing for another 4 weeks. But today all is well again in Hiptopia.

Lesson learned: don't give up faith, folks. Recovery doesn't understand arbitrary dates and calendars - but your body will tell you when it's time for another leap forward.

 

[Elf1]

Don't you just love those A-HA moments!? You're doing so well, keep up the good work, just don't get ahead of yourself and overdo. I know you know better but just a friendly reminder.

 

[Mojo333]

Hip Hip Hooray.
Hope the rest of your week is sweet.

 

[linette333]

You are coming on in leaps and bounds! (Well, maybe not literally just yet .... !)

 

[Barbaraj]

I can very much relate, @Calgal, it is indeed very wonderful when you suddenly find yourself doing something (or not, as the case may be) that hasn't happened before, and you smile to yourself and it's truly a happy moment. You are chugging ahead and another little milestone reached--wahoo! There really aren't any huge improvements at this point in recovery, but those small and incremental boosts are totally encouraging, aren't they? Have a great day!

 

[Calgal]

Small victories, @Barbaraj , small victories are priceless. They all add up. Hoping you have lots more small victories too!

 

[Barbaraj]

No small victories for me today, @Calgal, but I agree when they happen they are very encouraging and bring a confident smile to my face. My only complaint is that they often don't last very long! I was feeling pretty good on Thursday after my PT appointment, a lot less stiffness and ache and then on Friday--boom--I had a less than good day which I attribute to not sleeping very well the night before. For me, poor sleep causes fatigue which then promotes sloppy movement which leads to increased aching and stiffness. It does sometimes feel like a bit of a roller coaster ride, doesn't it? Have a great weekend.

 

[Layla]

Hello and a Happy Saturday to you way over yonder
Progress will come and it is coming. The important thing is you're able to go live your life on the daily without that wretched pre-op pain. It so wonderful!
Enjoy the weekend!
@Calgal