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I haven't slept for 8 years.

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@MarkK hey Mark, after a couple of months or even a year, do you realize or get the sensation that there's something inside you? Can you feel that the implants are there?
I would be so happy if I could just touch my toes and clip my own toe nails. Can you bend that far while standing? I know, wacky questions right.



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@2for jeff I am not Mark, but I can sure answer those question! Yes I can touch my toes, pull knee towards chest, lay leg on countertop a la ballet barre and lean way over it, etc! Etc! And etc!
I actually have never "felt" the implant. What I do feel all the time is that my hip WORKS!!!
Regarding toe touching and knee to chest moves, next hip I am going to be more conservative with those moves longer than I was for the first one. I think the tendonitis that is plaguing me now is a direct result of overdoing it on a walking-shoe shopping trip at 8 weeks. I sat crouched over lacing, tying, on-and-offing 8 or 9 pair of shoes. Too much too soon, for my hip!


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Jeff,

No, I do not feel an implant. What I feel: Flexibility like when I was 30. Really -- my range of motion and flexibility is better than it has been for many many years. I can pick something up from the floor now without pain, I can touch my toes, etc. There is no pain, no straining, and certainly no feeling that these new hips are not mine. It is wonderful. You will see.

(One small side effect: The skin on your surgery site or just below will be numb for a while. My first THR side is now about 95% not numb; my 4 month old THR is about 75% not numb and feeling better all the time. But this is not a big deal, I am talking about very small areas, like silver dollar size.)

And your feelings of looking forward to getting it over with combined with apprehension are 100% normal. Everyone here went through this. Once you do the first hip -- and I assume it will go well, you are young and going to an excellent hospital -- you will have more looking forward to doing the other hip and less apprehension. At least that was my experience.

Mark
 
@2 for Jeff

Hey there! Listen what you are feeling is the old flight or fight syndrome. Really the only way your pain could get worse would be if you cancelled your surgery! As for the snake at work......ignore him and don't give him the satisfaction...just because he wants your job doesn't mean he is capable or qualified.

With regard to your question regarding the implant...No I don't feel it at all. Feels just like my very own hip and other than setting off the odd security scanner here and there I dont think about it at all. The thing I kept telling myself during the recovery was any pain I felt was muscle related and nothing to do with the actual Implant. Expect to be sore, achy, and feeling the numbness Mark mentioned......it is all related to the soft tissue trauma from the operation ( watch it on YouTube and you will understand why you are sore....kind of like a Cirque du Soliel movement by the surgeon). If you can rent a cold therapy machine .....do so as it was my best friend for weeks. I kept it on all day and night except to go to the bathroom.

Look bottom line.....it is okay to be scared, who wouldn't be? Yet the relentless pain you feel now will go away....just takes time. If you don't have your hips done....the chances of you being able to walk Chloe down the aisle when the times comes will be dead in the water as you will probably be in a wheelchair. Harsh but true my friend.

I always find setting a goal for post surgery really helps me focus on the task at hand....mine was to get back in the pool. Today @ 7 weeks out, I have been back in the water almost everyday!

I clipped my toes on both feet yesterday....yeah

Sending you virtual hugs from another country .....

Cheryl
 
Hi @2 for Jeff - I don't feel my implant either, never have. Just a blissful feeling of no pain :-) and the numbness around the scar but that's nothing. I've painted my toenails a couple of times since my RTHR in July. Still have a little difficulty with putting on socks and shoes but it's getting better. About your exercise question - I think the best thing is to find the hip exercises you will be given to do after surgery and start doing them NOW. That way you'll know how to do them and you will be starting to exercise all the important muscles. I did this and was rewarded after my surgery by my physiotherapist telling me I had "impressive thighs" ;-) lol. And your other question - I left it to the morning of my surgery before I decided which hip to have done as both were troubling me so much. In my head I planned to have the other one done ASAP but as I think I might have mentioned, my surgeon said to give it six months and see if having one good hip did the trick. I have to say so far that's not the case but I can still do an awful lot more with one good hip than I used to be able to do with no good hip. I should think you'll find the same thing so I shouldn't worry too much about how you'll manage between new hip one and new hip two. Your daughter is really beautiful - she and your wife will love your new hip too !







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@zauberflote Thanks for telling me about the flexibility I will someday enjoy. Sorry about your tendonitis, but it sounds to me like you feel great anyway. I just hope my wife don't come home from work six months from now and catch me doing ballet in the kitchen like you,LoL
Talking about overdoing a shoe shopping trip, I always tease my wife when we go to the mall and I see her looking at shoes or pocketbooks. I usually say why do you need so many pocketbooks? And I show her my wallet and I say "guys don't have 20 different wallets, it took me 3 years to break my wallet in so that it hugs my butt without me even knowing it's there. And I can go a few more years before I part with it."
She just laughs and shuffle over to the shoe department.


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@MarkK Thanks Mark. What will you do as far as playing golf now that the weather is changing ? Have you been to those indoor computerized golf simulators? And when you played over the summer did you walk or drive in the golf cart ?


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@CanukTriMom Thanks Cheryl, I've thought about the whole wheel chair thing before and I don't want that to be me.
I wish I could swim. One day I would like some swimming lesson for my whole family. All three of us can't swim.
I would imagine that's the best exercise for you after the Surgery.

P.S.

I know most of us here like chocolate. A couple weeks ago we had a family bake off.
Chloe made a traditional buttercream cupcake. I made cream puffs, and my wife made her version of a Boston cream cupcake.
My wife won the bake off and it was fun, all three of us in the kitchen at the same time.
What a mess afterward... LoL

[Bonesmart.org] I haven't slept for 8 years.



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@faster pussycat Sounds like someone was flirting with you and your impressive thighs, LoL

I think that's a great idea about starting your post-op exercises before hand. I'm just not sure how to do that. I would imagine each persons exercise would be Tailored to them specifically. Or maybe there's a generic print out I can find online.

I'm glad your pain free in your right leg. That would be about 4 months for you now. I hope you get 100% of your flexibility back soon enough.

And yes I remember you and your OS was hoping your left hip would behave and enjoy the good company of your new and happy right hip.

Keep making progress, talk to you soon.......Jeff


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The prehab I did was lying side leg lifts ( abduction and adduction) with a little weight, glute bridges with weight, clams with weight, and heel pumps all the time wherever I was. I wanted heel pumps to be second nature, do them without thinking-- I was very afraid of a clot in the leg. Anything to strengthen the hip area is helpful. I was discharged with a generic set of hip exercises which included none if the above. You can probably find some online.
That chocolate bakeoff must have been something else-- YUMMMMMM


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2 for Jeff said:
@MarkK Thanks Mark. What will you do as far as playing golf now that the weather is changing ? Have you been to those indoor computerized golf simulators? And when you played over the summer did you walk or drive in the golf cart?
Click to expand...

I could walk, but I play with a guy who has had 5 joints replaced and he is 5-6 yrs older than me, so no walking for us when we play together.

I hit balls indoors during the winter (Golftec) and take lessons there year round.

Mark
 
@PhatTxDiva
PhatTxDiva said:
I heard there's chocolate over here! :eyebrows:
Click to expand...
Not any more, all gone. Just want everyone to know why I can't lose 10 lbs. before surgery :heehee:
It looks like your on your way to dancing in the streets.
Congratulations on becoming a hippie. I'll be right behind you.
You have lots of friends here
 
@Zabuarflote Thanks for all the tips. I had a long day today. No school for my daughter today so we moved furniture around trying to prepare for after surgery. We put the treadmill and exercise bike in the living room, removed a throw rug, and threw out some things.
Then Chloe asked me how old would I be when she turns 18 and I said Daddy will be 57.
She said Daddy 57 is close to 100 right? I SAID NO!!! 99 IS CLOSE TO 100 LoL .
We laughed so much today at little silly things.


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I don't know what it's like in the U.S. but here in the UK I think everybody gets given the same post op exercises which are easy to find on the Internet. I saw the physio for 3 sessions and she did go through some exercises with me but they were largely the same as I'd been given at the hospital plus a few slightly more advanced ones as I got better. I've been seeing a personal trainer for years to try and keep some mobility as the arthritis got worse and she is to thank if my thighs are indeed impressive ;-)


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Couldn't go to work tonight. Called out sick. Some days good, some days bad. Tonight I lose, the pain wins


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Putting it off will make it worse. Stick with your plan and get on the other side of this!! We're all pulling hard for you my friend!
 
Thanks everyone for your informative posts. I have printed out some post operative exercises and will start now 16 days before surgery. I even found a place close to my house that rents cold therapy machines for $25 per week ( Thanks Cheryl ).
All the tid bits about the chocolate made me laugh.
I know I will have to dig down deep for this because both hips hurt the same now. But at least I know I can reach out to you all.
My question of the day is about muscle atrophy. I was never told by a doctor that I have muscle wasting, but I can feel it. I told my OS that I have no muscle strength what so ever. I can't remember his response but I think it was something like of course you don't, you haven't been using your legs correctly. My concern is, will I ever get them back 100% ?Also years ago I started wearing these Dr. Scholl's orthotics in every pair of shoes I have. I didn't get them from a podiatrist , it was one of those machines at Walmart that you stand on and it checks out where most of your weight is, than it recommends which set of orthotics to buy. In my case I'm flat footed so I've been wearing orthotics with a big arch forcing my weight forward on my shins and off of my hips. It helps me a lot especially at work.
So my long winded question is this. My last day of work is the 16th ( surgery on the 21st) Should I lose those orthotics after I stop working ? Because it sounds like we have to learn how to walk all over again.


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