Hip Infection* Izabel, Walking on Sunshine

[Izabel]

Phoenix has arrived so I have been practising. She feels slightly different from the standard arm crutch as she is ergonomic but I managed back and forth across the house up and down the lounge and kitchen steps with ease.

The box she came in was quite crushed but she was not damaged. I have found in the past that Amazon uses overly large packaging and have advised them when they have queried such, but .....

Any old how, I feel confident with her and am a happy bunny she has arrived. So, onward and upward ...

Sending healing vibes to all those in need and big hugs to those giving comfort.

Izzy xx

 

[Fit4Family]

Yippee Izzy @Izabel So happy she finally arrived. Hope Phoenix assists you in making great strides this month towards mobility.

Imagine you are soaking in the sun there enjoying your lovely gardens. xxxx Sarah

 

[Layla]

Wow....If you don similar black attire, with Phoenix in hand your husband may wonder who is this dramatically glamorous mystifying woman standing in front of me? Does the outfit come with the cane? Lol, just kidding.
I hope you enjoy her and have a wonderful weekend, Izabel.
Hugs!
@Izabel

 

[Elf1]

There's no stopping you now!

 

[Izabel]

Sarah, Layla and Elf.

Hubby is on the train going to Lisbon for cancer checkup (friend going with him) so it is just me and Phoenix today. He should be home about 6.30pm so not too bad ... unless his appointment is late and they miss the train then it will be 9.30pm. But I am an independent soul and have my two cats to keep me company. Although they have a catflap they are mostly homebodies ... in fact, I am still in bed, they have gone out and are back in bed with me!

Hope all are feeling chipper and have a peaceful weekend.

Izzy xx

 

[Izabel]

... and to ask a question of my knowledgeable friends.

In general I am doing well trying to achieve at least one new accomplishment a day. Already today Phoenix and i have had several walks around the house gliding up and down the independent steps with ease (MUCH easier than with the walker) and then went out onto the kitchen patio, up a step, across the patio and examined my little plantlets I did a few months ago which are basking in the sunshine. They will be planted in their final giant pots in the Spring.

My knees are more or less behaving, the tightness in the butt and thigh have eased but I don't have much 'give' with my hip. By 'give' I mean I still have difficulty stretching/bending down to my left foot. I know the theory is 'hips don't need exercise' but surely there is something I can do to loosen up more. Still working on my balancing which is my biggest issue.

I cycle, do leg raises and side slides on the bed and side kicks whilst standing. It is coming up to ten months and I know I have had three cuts in the same place. Any suggestions to stretch the muscles more?
in advance, Izzy xx

PS By the way, Hubby got clearance on Friday, back in September for final release ... hurray! Got my discharge in June so we will both be free of the Big C and we can breathe again.

 

[Mojo333]

Good morning my friend.
I hesitate to name specific stretches as you will certainly be the judge of your body and which you can do safely, especially standing. Can Not have any more falls.
My thoughts are, however, think stretches not exercises. I know at this point you want to keep some strength but too much of any of these will result in tightness and tight muscles are not flexible.

I cycle, do leg raises and side slides on the bed and side kicks whilst standing. It is coming up to ten months and I know I have had three cuts in the same place. Any suggestions to stretch the muscles more?

Hamstring stretches are helpful to me, and knee to the chest with other leg flat...very gently along with hanging one leg at a time off side of bed careful not to pull too hard or too long also were helpful to me.
Even the simple motion of attempting to reach toward your foot is simple stretching. Just want to do a little each day.
And do keep these guidelines in mind.

1. keep stretching gentle.
2. don't bounce.
3. if you feel pain, you've stretched too far.
4. hold a stretch for about 30 seconds, then switch sides and repeat.
5. if you have a problem area or the stretch is particularly helpful for pain or discomfort, you may benefit from repeating the stretch.

 

[Izabel]

Thank you Mojo. What you have suggested is along the lines of my thoughts and what I am doing ... really have to work on the knee to chest as that seems to be the real hard one for me. When sitting I do a few stretches to my toes ... well, down my shins!

My, what time do you get up? You are always on here at the crack of dawn!

Have a sweet day without too much stress.

Izzy xx

 

[Mojo333]

Always loved early mornings...but my circadian rhythm is definitely askew, especially since DST.
I'm up usually by 4 am but by 8:30...stick a fork in me...I'm done.

You are a smart woman, but the trick obviously is...knee TOWARDS chest until it can get there itself.
Anything that feels like too much...stop.
Some heat might help loosen up some of those muscles at this stage.
Dont know what your access to PT is, but I found a very gentle minded one and three months out...stretching and gait instruction was the focus.
It has been an especially long road for you and you know your protocols will differ than most.

And...Hooray for great reports for you and husband being Cancer Free.
You really have had so much to deal with physically, mentally, and emotionally...
I'm so glad you are a fighter!

 

[VSlowLife]

she is ergonomic but I managed back and forth across the house up and down the lounge and kitchen steps with ease.

Happy you are maneuvering better around the house with your new tool!

Big “C” free !

 

[Fit4Family]

Good Morning sweet friend. Wonderful news about your husband being Cancer free! That news will surely help you both sleep more peacefully. Happy for you both, what a blessing.

Agree with @Mojo333 That gently nudging your hamstrings to greater flexibility is very helpful. I also found my calves to be tight most days and stretching those helped too.

My PT said to imagine a line drawn from my knees, hips and shoulders. To keep my body aligned as much a possible while moving about house. Months of walker use left me very C shaped and with weak abdominal muscles. I have already started laying on bed while I am tightening gluteus muscles, and simultaneously pulling in abdominal wall as I move muscles forward. All are tiny movements, hold for count of five and then release. Do as many as you can while still maintaining good form.

Another I did was to sit in a chair. With knees apart squeezing a very soft athletic ball about 12” diameter between my mid thighs. Gently using inner thigh muscle to squeeze ball. Isometric exercise is just a focused way to coax muscles into use that might be dormant. This was a few months ago, not now. ;)

xoxo

 

[Izabel]

My Little Southern Belle, you are definitely the early bird catching the worm! In contrast, early morning tea time is 8am for us (well, coffee for Hubby) and that is in bed! I put the electric underblanket on then, have a1000mg effervescent Paracetamol and watch/read the news (TV and computer) ... then we get up. I guess it is different when retired having spent a lifetime getting up early. Even the cats wait till 8am to get up.

We eat dinner at 7ish and afterwards go to bed ... by that I mean prop up in bed, me with the underblanket on, and watch whatever Hubby has lined up, currently The West Wing, The Blacklist, Bluff City Law, etc, lights out about 10.45pm. Hubby also has to have his 1-2 hour afternoon nap!!!

Any old how, I get my heat in the evening and morning. I do my bed exercises in the morning which is when I try the knees to chest ... must try harder albeit gentle.

We have a private Osteo/Physio Dutch chap who is great and he just wants me to continue gentle stretching and balancing. I guess I just want things to go a little faster ... although I know in my heart I am doing well.
Izzy xx

 

[Izabel]

I achieved today's goal ...

Phoenix and I walked the length of the house, down the side of the kitchen patio, down the gravel path (one of my fears as I fell on it once and have a scar on my forehead to prove it(, through the arch, around the dining table, back through the arch and returned to the front of the house... Hubby loitering behind me, just in case. May not seem much to some, but his is the furthest I have walked in over 27 months, encountering steps and gravel.



Now, next goal ...

Hope everyone is having as wonderful a day as I am.

Izzy xx

 

[Fit4Family]

Your path is so gorgeous Izzy! How I would love to walk that path with you. Thrilled with your achievement today! Huge congratulations.

You have worked so hard. I am sad to hear about your poor head. Please be careful! Glad your sweet hubby was standing by to catch you.

@Izabel

 

[VSlowLife]

I put the electric underblanket on

I totally agree with you about an electric under blanket. In this stage of life, it feels great to warm the bones for a bit.

Congratulations on your long walk with Phoenix.

What a lovely oasis you have as an outdoor area! It must lift your spirit.

I am sorry to hear about your scars from the gravel. I know how nasty that injury feels.

 

[Hip4life]

Hi, Izzy. What a beautiful pathway and congrats on your long uneventful walk. I see your actual path with its gravel yet beauty and archways as a reflection of your hip/knee journey: rough but still full of good possibilities. I so enjoy the sharing here on the forum from people all over the globe. It is a powerful reminder that we are all really just one big family, no matter how dysfunctional, at times. Thank you for that reminder. Pat

 

[Mojo333]

dear @Izabel

May not seem much to some, but his is the furthest I have walked in over 27 months,

It is a phenomenal achievement...all you have been through and overcome especially since the last stage of your revision which has not even been a year yet.
I know daily progress can feel slow as molasses, but I think you are doing beautifully.
Hugs and hope today is a Great Day.

 

[clodaghcov]

Wonderful wonderful, you must feel so great. Well done,remember no hurry!!xxx

 

[marieltha]

Yes, you are not only doing well in your heart, but also in your legs and hips!
Believe me, I know the joy of walking where you use to so freely and easily, and, as you say, then couldn’t, for so long.
Congratulations!

 

[Izabel]

Good morning one and all. xx The sun is out, the sky is blue, it is 9c/48f going to 15c/59f so a beautiful day in the offing.

It has been a good week for me ... I went out for lunch with friends, done daily walks around the garden, walked to the car on the lane (more gravel and uneven ground and slight slope), carried pots of yogurt and small juice cartons in my left hand whilst walking, done a few steps unaided (still not comfortable so am going slow with this) and knelt on both knees independently and together on a Memoryfoam cushion. I am so pleased I got Phoenix with her ergonomic arm support. I am beginning to feel part of the human race again but still have a way to go I have to work on turning to my left as I tend to take tiny steps in a circle. If I can do it, anyone can ... and bless Hubby for being here ... he deserves a medal ... if nothing else than for doing the laundry and making me hot chocolates!

So, a quiet weekend is planned. I shall continue crocheting items for charity and of course do my exercises which will be a lifetime routine for me.

Wishing everyone peace and harmony in their lives ... pain free of course! xx
Izzy xx