THR I Hired Japanese Carpenters

mgwdgo

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Greetings, fellow hippos.

I will share a few highlights I have experienced so far:

I was awake, lucid, and conversational during most of my surgery. At one point my leg was in a weird position, and I wanted them to remove the drapings so I could see what they were doing. They politely refused. I remember having conversations with the surgery nurse, and she calmly kept me posted about my progress.

I went into my surgery in pretty good shape. I had started two months before surgery lifting weights, doing core work, and walking hard, averaging 10,000 steps a day. Therefore, I was in a good position to be able to use my upper body to maneuver my lower body around with little difficulty. My stamina was pretty high, and 20 years of martial arts training have given me powerful physical awareness, balance, and the idea of mind/body integration.

My best friends post-surgery were my wife, who has taken great care of me, CBD ointment, arnica (both topical and systemic), lots of ice thanks to my Ossur Cold Rush machine, and visualization. I hired thousands of skilled Japanese carpenters, microscopic and yet incredibly powerful, to begin the repair work on my surgery site. I imagine them pounding cement into the joint between the bone and the cup, and skillfully and artistically crafting a brand-new hip. They use tiny saws and chisels to create from scratch a new joint, an exquisite temple of worship, a pagoda of unparalleled beauty. I greet them each morning, “Ohayō gozaimasu, Senseis! Domo Arigato!” I check on the work and it is progressing quickly and well.
I was off the walker in four days, and today, day 10 post, I have weaned myself off the cane and upgraded to trekking poles. I’m off the drugs, with the exception of ibuprofen in the evening.

The hardest part has been trying to sleep on my back. I am a side-sleeper, and it’s taken some practice to learn a new way.

In general, the experience has, so far, been much easier than I thought it would be. It feels like I’ve been ahead of the curve, thanks to lots of preparation, discipline, and work. I am so grateful for my aikido training. It has made a world of difference for me, even though we have all been unable to train due to COVID for a year now.

I will keep you updated as things progress.
 
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Hello again, @mgwdgo - and :welome: to recovery.

It's good to hear that you're doing so well. Your main job now is to rest, ice and elevate your knee and let those little carpenters get on with their job of healing your hip.
A little exercise will help, but beware of doing too much, too soon, because that could upset and inflame your new knee.

Here are our recovery guidelines, with lots of informative articles to help you through recovery:
Hip Recovery: The Guidelines

People are all different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for YOU.“ Your doctor(s), physiotherapist(s) and BoneSmart are here to help, but YOU are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary.

2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. Try to follow this

6. Access these pages on the website


Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
:wave:Hello...nice to meet you. Welcome to healing side of the journey!

Wow, your thread title is an attention grabber and after reading your initial post I’ll be back to check in on the progress of these carpenters. Did they have the weekend off, or work straight through? With any luck, they don’t charge double time! Hopefully their pounding and sawing doesn’t keep you awake and you’ve enjoyed a peaceful weekend of restorative rest. :wink:

Thanks for joining us here, I’ll be checking back. I hope you have a lovely day!
@mgwdgo
 
My carpenters work 24/7 in three staggered shifts. I pay them in bowls of rice. Apparently, that’s all they require.

So today is day 13 post-op. I am walking unassisted, with little pain, though I still have a hitch in my giddyup. I had a small setback yesterday, where I stupidly tried to carry a full tank of propane. As soon as I felt a twinge, I should’ve dropped it, but stupid male that I am, I had to finish the job! Dumb. I think I learned my lesson, and little harm done.

I’ve been off the pain-killers for three days now - I hate them. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen only. Lots of ice.

My two-week is tomorrow in Farmington, an hour away. I plan to drive myself.

More later.
 
@mgwdgo New hips HATE heavy lifting. Please try and avoid this for awhile.

Are you officially released to drive? If not, your insurance might give you grief should you have an accident driving to your appointment. Just a thought!
 
@mgwdgo I love your imagery of the Japanese carpenters :heehee: And it's good to know they are reasonably inexpensive to employ! I had a team of LOL (little old ladies) knitters and sewers working on my hips back in the day. They worked for cups of tea and pastries.

As for driving your self - not a great idea at just 2 weeks post op! Can you really move that new right hip through ALL the motions needed to drive a car including very quick emergency motions if needed? It would be a much better idea to have a family member, friend, or neighbor drive you to and from the appointment.
 
My carpenters work 24/7 in three staggered shifts. I pay them in bowls of rice. Apparently, that’s all they require.
:rotfl: You’re quite the character.

I’m guessing your surgeon will request you continue using an assistive device until the hitch has left your giddy-up. That’s if you’re not still using one.
Here’s a tip that may help -
Try heel-toe walking when you're limping.
This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe.
It takes a concentrated effort, but I believe you'll notice a difference. Give it a try.

Best of luck at your post op. Let us know how it goes...if you don’t mind sharing we’d love to hear. :wave:
 
My two-week went fine. The PA took off the bandage, and my scar looks like I was attacked by a small tiger shark. Yikes!

Driving was and is no problem. I tested myself.

I am shooting for 3000 steps a day. I tire easily, but my stamina is returning! Today, I helped my wife clean the house. Lots of steps, no heavy things. I think I did all right!

All in all, I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. I just hope my left goes as smoothly in June...

Thanks for the feedback. All the best!
 
Two weeks is still very early days in a process that can take one year or more. All I can say is pace yourself. You are not out to prove anything.

Glad you are seeing good results!
 
FYI, mgwdgo is my husband. The excellent advice and experience Bonesmarties shared with me after my 11/19/20 surgery has paid off in spades. Staying ahead of the the pain, icing for most of the day with an Ossur ColdRush machine and LOTS of reminders to take it easy (especially after the infamous propane tank incident :yikes: ) have made M's recovery steady. TBH, it also makes a tremendous difference that M is athletic and has martial arts training/mindset.
I'm also doing great 4+ months out from my surgery, enjoying enhanced mobility and zero joint pain.:yahoo: So happy to be bionic!
 
All in all, I couldn’t be more pleased with the results
Awesome! I hope your next recovery goes as well as this one seems to be.

FYI, mgwdgo is my husband.
He is quite the character! :heehee: I’ll bet he keeps you laughing. It’s good to hear you’re doing so well. May you both have a lovely Easter Sunday! :)
 
Wow, it’s been two months since your surgery already.
Happy Two Month Anniversary! I hope you and your lovely bride are doing well.
We‘d love to read about your progress if you have the time.
All the best to both of you!
@mgwdgo
 

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