THR Home and Feeling Great!

[Mojo333]

I was asked by my university kineseology dept. to teach a second chair yoga class for Gold Star military moms/spouses. I accepted it and am looking forward to this.

That is so wonderful.
Glad they do that for these lovely people.
You will be doing such a good thing.
Hope weekend is sweet, friend.

 

[Layla]

luvsibes moving forward.
Doing fab, never looking back.
Keep up the stellar recovery.
Hope you have a lovely weekend in sunny Cali
@luvsibes

 

[Alitm]

@luvsibes Wow, such great news on the wonderful milestone! So thrilled for you!!
Really appreciate your posts over on @stellaluna 's thread. Have purchased both Dr. K's book (which just arrived) , and the other book you recommended...which looks really great. Also have bookmarked the site you recommended. Thank you for such great resources!
Wishing you a great day...

 

[Layla]

Happy Three Month Anniversary!
Time is flying and you're doing great.
Just wanted to drop by and say, Hi!
I hope your recovery continues to unfold as well as it has so far.
A lovely weekend to you!
@luvsibes

 

[luvsibes]

Today is the 3 month anniversary of the THR! I'm so glad I had this done and should have done it a year sooner! Life is getting back to normal. I have an appointment with Dr. Klapper, my OS on Tuesday. I sent him a long list of questions prior to the appt. and he called my last night to chat about them.

I can remove the restrictions. I asked about yoga poses, walking my husky myself, weight gain, the dent in the op hip, dance classes, sex, sitting on the floor, and metal detectors and vitamins The answers as I interpreted them in brief are:

• I can do whatever I want but must continue to "be scared" and cautious and pace myself. Don't push or overdo and if it seems risky or painful don't do it or be very incremental. Go dance, walk dog, be intimate, do yoga, etc. with caution and mindfulness.
  
• Sitting on the floor and getting the op leg to rotate down to the ground will come with time. Give it a year of very gentle stretching toward it. Give it a year!
• The dent in the op area is likely a loss of fat tissue and should fill out. The scar area will not be completed in healing for a year. Give it a year!
• I'll get a medical card for metal detectors at my appt.
• He is not a fan of vitamins and supplements and encourages lots of vitamin C naturally in the diet. Calcium can build in the arteries and may be a contributor to women's heart health challenges. Get the calcium naturally.
• The prothesis doesn't weigh much and is not likely to be the cause of my weight gain of 5 lbs. post surgery. I am likely still retaining fluids. That's hard to believe as I'm a prolific pee-er! (5 lbs. doesn't seem like much but being 5' and over 65, it adds up quickly!)

So, I have been counting Weight Watchers points (I'm lifetime and have been almost 7 lbs. below goal for some time even before surgery) for the past 2 weeks. I am now walking an average of 9,000 steps/day, doing 2 hours/week of pool PT, and I weighed in this morning with another pound up! So discouraging and my pants are getting tight! What's the story with the weight gain? Maybe I'm building new muscles that weigh more? Still retaining fluids? OK, I did eat fresh cooked and healthy Chinese food yesterday?

All's going well and I wish a lovely weekend to my Bsmart friends.

 

[1stSurgery]

Excellent report @luvsibes! So pleased to see all your tremendous progress - and how nice your OS answered everything in detail it appears. The floor sitting advice is of interest, I keep finding myself yearning when I see hubby or friends plop down on the floor! Looks so easy.... One year is that timeframe we keep hearing about, for anything close to a full bone gripping final recovery status. I'm going to have to play catch up with all the new September hippies and start all over again. Maybe this time, I'll get it right!

As far as weight, I always find carb counting more useful than calorie counting. I've become that annoying person who reads all labels in depth before throwing it in the shopping cart. I do best on weight with protein, fats and fresh organic veggies and fruits. And some paleo leanings. Meaning a serving of grilled brontosaurus once a week, some T-Rex appetizers on occasion... JK, but I always wonder about the authenticity of that name!

Continued good luck to you on the recovery road!!

 

[Mojo333]

Great update.
You are going to become more active and burn more calories...
Hope you have a great week!

 

[Layla]

Great update! Sounds like you had a lot of questions answered.
I like your OS's answers. Let us know how your appt goes tomorrow.
Hope you have a lovely week!
@luvsibes

 

[luvsibes]

The visit with my OS was uneventful since he answered all my questions on the phone Fri. eve. He did not do another xray and I'm discharged unless there are concerns. I will go back in a year. He stressed that I am doing very well and some ROM (like sitting on the floor with my legs crossed) may take up to a year. He again stated to listen to my body, be scared and listen to that if trying new things, and give it a full year for the scar, ROM, and everything to heal all the way.

I celebrated and was able to take Togo on a walk all by myself! The pic looks the same except I'm smiling and it's summer! The avatar photo was one of the last walks I took last fall. Here we are now!

@Alitm - thanks for the feedback on my posts. I'm glad you have found the books helpful too! I'll be sending good thoughts and vibes for your surgery Friday!

 

[luvsibes]

One last update: My massage therapist is coming tonight! I haven't seen her in over 3 months. Tonight, it's the neck and shoulder and the darned arm! Maybe it will settle down now and be as kind to me as my new hip is now!

 

[Layla]

Aww, luvsibes, I love your pic, you look pretty! Togo not bad either
I hope your massage is a relaxing one. Hope it eases your neck and shoulder discomfort.
Keep up the good work!
@luvsibes

 

[Alitm]

@luvs Great report, info and photo of you and Togo!! So happy for you. You've set an amazing example of how rehab should be done. Thank you again for the book suggestions. The second book just arrived!

I don't know if you saw my post in pre-op, after meeting with OS today, and some medical issues, I am now having surgery one hip at a time, via posterior approach. First one on Friday, next one in 8 weeks. Mental change of gears, but all good.

 

[Mojo333]

Great picture of health.
And happiness...
Great job...onward

 

[luvsibes]

Good Morning, Layla - , Mojo333- , and Alitm - thanks for the kudos!

This has been an amazing journey. The first couple of weeks were a bit rough but if I knew 3 years ago what I know now, I would have done the THR sooner. I certainly suffered and curtailed my first years of retirement dealing with the limping and pain! I was sooo afraid of being cut on! I can honestly say, if I ever need surgery again, I can do it and will in a timely manner! (A couple of years ago, I had to have a minor skin cancer removed on my temple and I was a wreck thinking of 5 stitches on my face. My pool friends were so supportive as most of them have had multiple major ortho surgeries.. I was so anxious and had to have valium at the appt. It was simple, no pain, and no big deal. I'm such a wuss with wound issues!).

Great massage of 1 1/2 hours at home with my massage therapist. She's so amazing and spent a lot of time with my arm and shoulder. I woke up today feeling great and slept a full 6 hours without any pain! A bit sore and stiff still but much better ROM. She was amazed at my hip recovery and new hip as she saw me through the pre-op times of pain and unable to roll over on the massage table!

Ahhhh, I feel my life coming back! Thanks again to all here for the support, info, and hippy friendship!

 

[Layla]

I'm with you on the cutting, luvsibes. It took me a long time to sign up for surgery because of it.
Along with the cutting part bothering me was the anesthesia. Only time I was ever under was for removal of wisdom teeth. Terrified of THR surgery! But we did it and are now reaping the benefits

I'm glad you enjoyed the massage. I hope you have a great day and weekend!
@luvsibes

 

[luvsibes]

Minor ODIC at 3 months! I was so jazzed by the good OS visit and removing restrictions, and the great massage that I got a bit cocky! I have some minor t moderate soreness in my op side low back likely strained from just overdoing bending and lifting and walking. Heat and ice and rest are helping.

This week I resumed dog walking, walked as many as 12,000 steps one day with 2 dog walks and multiple shopping errands,had some intimate time with hubs, and started bending w/o the arabesque pose! After my massage, I woke up on Thurs. with virtually no pain anywhere! I felt sooo good! So, hubs had eldercare to handle and I went shopping along with dog walking and errands. I think I lifted a too heavy a grocery bag! Anyway, I went to pool PT yesterday and gently stretched, didn't walk dog, and iced and took 1/2 tramadol. I woke up today and used the heating pad and will take a short walk. I'm sure the low back strain (not a hip or bone issue) will reside today!

Just a warning - even when you've been good for so long and all is going well, it's easy to get excited and then do an ODIC time! I've only overdone it a few times along the way and had to re-learn this lesson again! It was a fun week but I did go a bit overboard!

 

[wonkyhipoy]

• He is not a fan of vitamins and supplements and encourages lots of vitamin C naturally in the diet. Calcium can build in the arteries and may be a contributor to women's heart health challenges. Get the calcium naturally.

Here is something many people do not know (and of course, many do know... but I certainly didn't until recently). A good source of calcium is an orange. While not nearly as high as milk, the orange is acidic, which apparently helps with absorption.

Still retaining fluids?

I have been told that fluid retention is very common after major surgery and can take many months to go away completely. Apparently fluids can build up in the interstitial spaces, even those spaces not related to surgery. Something to do with impairment of the lymphatic system, and continues swelling for months after surgery.

Cheers

 

[luvsibes]

Thanks wonkyhipoy - good info!

 

[Jaycey]

Lifting anything heavy always bothered my new hips at first. You need to build up the weight and be sure you are carrying the item correctly. This will ease but at first it can be a surprise. Sounds like you are doing really well!

 

[SurreyGirl]

What an encouraging story. Good luck with the weight loss! I am behaving myself but very little is coming off weight wise but I will keep trying. Love the photo of you and your lovely dog !