THR Hiptopia!

Time for an 11 week update! This week I've suddenly started going up the stairs normally as opposed to toddler style. I can do it without a crutch but definitely still holding (clutching?) handrails. Going down I'm more cautious at home, have been for a long time. I did manage going down some shallower steps normally when out and about though. :yes!:. I'm also walking around more at home without any aids. Concentrating on not limping. And yes it's tiring but nice freedom. Those darn crutches get in the way and constantly fall down!

Now for the not so good. I may have overdone things a bit yesterday in the veg patch. I carried 2 watering cans at the same time, thinking I'd be better balanced. Oops! :bignono:. I figure they each weighed 15 pounds. That was after I cleared out some spent veg and planted in some new plug plants. Bending over, carrying, uh oh. Back and hip was killing me all evening! I took it easy and had a personal hydrotherapy session in our hot tub, but had a fitful night and this morning everything ached. I've popped paracetamol and am doing NOTHING today! Sigh.

So as we feel better, we do more, and continually test exactly how healed we really are. Unfortunately the answer is often 'not as much as you think you are!!' :headbang:

Oh well, tomorrow is another day on the long and winding recovery road! Onward and upwards fellow hipsters. :dancy:
 
Great stuff on the stairs Calgal. I agree, coming down is scarier. I am always afraid it will give way. Sorry about the ODIC though. But hoping a little paracetomol will sort you out
 
A great report @Calgal ! Especially the stairs - well done! Hopefully rest and ice today will see you back moving on along that recovery road again tomorrow. :walking:
 
Oh boy! You actually had a lot of positives in your update. Congratulations!! :loveshwr:
But— then you dropped into super gardener mode. :holysheep:
But as you’ve read on BS we all fall for it. Hopefully a good day of rest and ice will fix you back up!
But if you try those watering cans again? I may have to hire someone to take them out...:rotfl:
Seriously though, I tried that but with only one can and leaned heavily on my cane and had the same result.
Us hippies and our gardening!
 
@CricketHip I was trying to be environmentally responsible by using collected rainwater and not the hose pipe. Oh well so much for that. Next time, if hubby is not around to carry my watering cans I'm going to give in and unwind the hose to where I need it! :idea:.

Paracetamol, ice and rest got me out of ODIC quickly yesterday but then we went to dinner with neighbors - and even though I took my beloved memory foam cushion I was still squirming and up and down several times during the meal.

I've realized I've gotta baby this new hip for awhile yet! :) :-) (:. It's a cranky child if you don't pay enough attention to it.
 
So as we feel better, we do more, and continually test exactly how healed we really are. Unfortunately the answer is often 'not as much as you think you are!!' :headbang:
That's often how I found my boundaries. The hard way.:nah:

New hips do not like carrying extra loads...this is so true. I had a terrible time reminding myself of this when I went back to work. They will complain.
Assume the position:ice: and hope all eases soon.:) :-) (:
 
So true @Mojo333 ! I did some reading about carrying / lifting post THR (after my incident, sadly) and most started with "....after 3 months....". Uh oh...close but not there yet. Silly me!

I don't intend to be a weight lifter, but there are tons of everyday activities like lifting grandchildren into high chairs, etc that can come up to bite new hippies unexpectedly. Just a reminder to be more vigilant. But any tips other than trial and error, how will we know when and what we can do again? :what:
 
Honestly, it was Just that for me.
Trial and error.
Learning to opt out..just in case, when possible was an exercise in mindfulness for me as I continually felt more "normal"
And I can tell you it gets easier with fewer repercussions with Time.
I tried the try to be safe than sorry even when I knew I "could" do it.
Since my work often presented situations involving lifting..
I DID get better at when handling heavier boxes etc...not to twist with the extra load. It could cause achiness for the first full year if I wasn't careful.
As you say. This is just a good reminder that there is still healing happening.
 
Great stuff on the stairs Calgal. I agree, coming down is scarier.
I have a look long history of slipping down stairs, all the way back to my teens, so I might continue to do toddler style stairs down just out of precaution, not because I cant. :heehee:. Better safe than sorry, especially with our shiny new titanium bits! :thumb:
 
I have a look long history of slipping down stairs, all the way back to my teens, so I might continue to do toddler style stairs down just out of precaution, not because I cant. :heehee:. Better safe than sorry, especially with our shiny new titanium bits! :thumb:
I think you might be wise to do that !
 
It does sound as if you're making slow but steady progress, @Calgal. I admit that I found coming down stairs normally to be much easier than going up but I don't have your history of slipping on stairs so that is a big difference. I am now able to go up and down the stairs normally, but I, too, am clinging to the handrail and ascending and descending slowly. No bounding up two stairs at a time yet! And I'll just add my voice to others in agreeing that the issue of just enough vs. too much activity is an ongoing challenge for ALL recovering hipsters. We all push our limits sometimes but seems as if taking it easy the next day, icing and relaxing generally resolves the problem if we've overdone it. It's going to happen again and again for you and all of us. But that's what recovery is all about, healing, pushing, stepping back and healing, pushing and stepping back until one day--hooray--things really are normal again and we're striding confidently along with that shiny new hip (or hips) and smug smiles on our face! Have a great day!
 
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Agree totally @Barbaraj ! I'm looking forward to the miraculous day sometime in the future when pushing it a bit on one day doesn't mean needing to take it easy the following one. :yes!:.

I've got my own little motto, called DOT. It reminds me to be happy if I ' Do One Thing ' per day, and not expect to do too much else. Anything more is a bonus. Happy when several feats of effort do happen in 24 hours, but realize it's fodder for the ODIC. :no-fin:

For now, but not forever. So much has improved lately, at just shy of 3 months, I feel confident there will be another burst of ability by 6 months, my next milestone mark. And so we all plod on. :cheers:
 
Love your motto about doing one thing a day, @Calgal, and not worrying beyond that--a sensible, manageable approach, I'd say. With the first hip, I felt a lot better at 3 months, but even better at six months--but by then this cranky second hip was whining away and ruining my eager hopes for full recovery and no more surgery for a long, long time! But, I am looking forward to feeling much better at 3 months and then 6 months this time around, and hoping that now I'm fully bionic I'll absolutely be back in the business of getting in shape again and working my core and lower body muscles (all of 'em) so that 2020 will be a fantastic year. Thinking positive, and you should be as well! Cheers, and happy Monday!
 
Learning lessons is nice. Making hip progress is nicer. :yes!:
I spent about 5 straight hours in the garden on sunny Monday - with NO crutch! - trying to tame the jungle, feed and nurture and generally repair the damage caused by our recent rainstorms. After the last fiasco, I didn't lug any watering cans. (I could see @CricketHip doing :no-fin:)
Hubby did the major transporting using a wheelbarrow. I did do their filling while they were in wheelbarrow, and then lifted only briefly to dump the feed solution onto plants in 2' high raised beds. At the end I was sore, but the usual back of thighs gardening sore from a long day. Both sides were the same, no hip issues! Yippee! I did take a couple of paracetamol and iced my hip as a precaution but... I survived just fine.

So I'm back to doing things I love to do - my garden is my happy place. :happydance: and I have a huge basket full of freshly harvested organic veggies to eat and share and preserve for the winter.

It's raining again today probably all weekend. So gotta squeeze as much summer as I can out of our British weather. A rainy day is chance take a break, sit in recliner, relax and do nothing. :giggle:
 
You are really progressing and doing the things you love to do albeit a little overboard but just think you can do it. I was a marathoner and it took awhile to get there with conditioning, slow progression etc and that is with a healthy young body so afford yourself the time necessary to get to your goal. My objective as yours was/is accomplishing 1 thing a day and that is more than enough at this stage. Keeping one eye on next year this time is another goal.
 
Great post @Calgal ! :yes!:
This is what it's all about - getting back to doing the things we love. That moment when we see that all the trials and tribulations of recovery have been worth it is priceless....
(Actually I am still waiting, but I know it will come!)
 
@CricketHip I think next time I'm going to carry my little memory foam seat cushion with me! I don't care how weird I look, last night taught me a lesson - my hip is now a full fledged Princess and I sat on too many peas. :dead:

I made my mother-in-law a black velvet covered cushion that had braided trim that she was able to use as handles. She took it with her to fancy dinners where she thought the chairs might be uncomfortable and just pretended it was a purse.
 
Wow, back to gardening, and five hours--that is pretty impressive, @Calgal and doing it without the crutch and suffering no ill effects afterwards. That must have given you a real boost of confidence to be able to accomplish all that, and all those lovely fresh veggies to enjoy and preserve. A wonderful posting.
 
I made my mother-in-law a black velvet covered cushion that had braided trim that she was able to use as handles.

So thoughtful and creative of you @DinVegas ! I am carrying my trusty memory foam cushion every time I go out to restaurants now. I still squirm after 45 minutes or so even with the cushion. Heaven knows how uncomfortable I'd be without it. Maybe you'll be able to borrow it for your own post op recovery? :) :-) (:.
 

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