THR Journal THR #2 10/6/15, 1st in 2006

[hippywoman]

Hi @Laceylake my buddy . I know about that wobble/ stagger. I had that first time around but only some loose ankle this time. I keep the cane in hand on bumpy ground. The pillow is essential for me too.
Off to sleep...hopefully better tonight. Grrrr

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[Laceylake]

How was you slumber, better? Had company yesterday stood most of day so today the joint is a little achy also in back, guess I will live lol. Go to ENT on 11th but the head feels better, told doctor I thought stress but she wants me to still go. Any great plans today? How is your weather 73 but cloudy, I will take it!!!

 

[hippywoman]

hi @Laceylake Grrr on the sleep. I took melatona middle of the night which was way too late. Woke up groggy.

Tonight I took it early to see if it will help.

I am back at my home for a couple of days by myself. I need to feel comfortable here in the forest and sort of reclaim my place, I have been gone so long it feels like I am a visitor.

I am glad you are doing better and survived company. My son and grandson will be down from portland for a couple of days to cut and haul firewood with my hubby Ray. It will be good to see them.

feelig kind of spacey tonight but happy. Hope all is well with you.

 

[Laceylake]

Are you still in the forest @hippywoman chilling off here, do you have anyone close you can contact if needed? Is hubby within distance if needed? My really thigh has been a little achy still, pt told me standing was harder than walking guess that's right lol How is sleep, do you rest better alone, I seem to...didn't do a thing today, rainy. Have a good weekend, any fun plans?

 

[hippywoman]

Hi @Laceylake I slept better the last two nights as I took melatonin an hour before going to sleep. I woke up less and slept deeper when I did sleep which is a relief.
I live an hour by the beautiful back roads from my husband's house but if I get really stuck when I'm at home I can call neighbors or 9-1-1.

This is the road I drove yesterday.

I stopped along the way to take photos of the creeks and hills.

Standing harder than walking????? Ahhh that's why my leg aches more after an afternoon of painting.guess I better take breaks and walk every 15 minutes.

I was looking at my Facebook memories from the 6th of Nov in 2010. I was wrestling with a bear, well not actually wrestling but dealing with a bear that kept breaking into my wood and storage shed and fixing water lines. I guess that's why I am both a tough old broad but also why I had hip problems. I have a weirdly active life, even now.

How long ago did you retire? I went out just before 62. I have done some contest work with attorneys but mostly I am glad to be out of the high trauma world.
I liked doing trainings...you were a trainer?

 

[Poppet]

Did you know how the body goes about the process of healing following surgery (or an injury)?

Here is an article which explains this process....

Healing Phases & Nutrition

This second link is to other nutritional articles which you may find interesting, including one relating to bone health.

Nutritional advice for pre op and recovery

This third link refers to my ongoing research..

nutritional-snippets-did-you-know

 

[Laceylake]

@hippywoman hi, beautiful drive. The county I live has a lot gravel roads I drive, a lot of farms when you get deeper you hit Amish areas less travelled by cars so roads are narrow and wooded. My road, although country, is well travelled because it's a connector to town there's only two roads that are, the other is more of a main to a city so towns people use our road. I retired 2010 when the State offered early outs, threatened us with wage decreases and gave us little time to decide.
So, sounds like things are better physically. I am still having some aching down the thigh from the day of standing into side of knee and in back up by butt...my steps here are deep more like basement stairs so I have been taking those normally but slow. Beautiful day here today, sunny and not too cold. I am on Facebook too!!!!

 

[Laceylake]

@Poppet thanks, I did read your snippets, very informative and useful, thanks again.

 

[hippywoman]

@hippywoman hi, beautiful drive. The county I live has a lot gravel roads I drive, a lot of farms when you get deeper you hit Amish areas less travelled by cars so roads are narrow and wooded. My road, although country, is well travelled because it's a connector to town there's only two roads that are, the other is more of a main to a city so towns people use our road. I retired 2010 when the State offered early outs, threatened us with wage decreases and gave us little time to decide.
So, sounds like things are better physically. I am still having some aching down the thigh from the day of standing into side of knee and in back up by butt...my steps here are deep more like basement stairs so I have been taking those normally but slow. Beautiful day here today, sunny and not too cold. I am on Facebook too!!!!

Sent message with fb

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[Laceylake]

got it, responded

 

[hippywoman]

Five weeks.
I read your posts and smile thinking that we are far more than our hips or knees. We are a delightfully diverse group who bring to healing many experiences strength and challenges.

Our many life experiences add to our resilience as well as to our sense of fragility I imagine. We all know thst when we are physically ill or just tired the emotions sure can come back full force, yes?

I imagine I am not the only one who has lost a loved one out of sync with the normal passage of life. As a sense of respect for our shared losses and our hope for our shared healing on all levels I want to tell you of my anniversary day today.

In honor of my Bruce and my many friends who have loved, grieved and loved again.

Nov 9th 1968 Bruce and I were married. I remember our last anniversary together, five months before he died. We had been married 36 years . I thought then that celebration was wrong. All I could think of was that soon he would die.

Our anniversary seemed like a reminder that this was the last not a reminder of the first.

Bruce died 10 years ago and this anniversary day is less about loss and more about love. I can remember with gentle sorrow and joy and gratefulness that Bruce and I had those years together.

We were so young that wedding day in 1968.

Vietnam was months away.
Babies were yet to be born.
Life was ahead of us and the joys and losses that would come in the next 36 years could not even be imagined. It was a day of innocent promise.

What an amazing marriage we had. We grew together and "grew up" together. We did the "back to the land" adventure, went to university together in our 20's and had four cherished sons.

Bruce taught me to love and laugh and see the world with compassion. He made me feel beautiful in his eyes through pregnancies and more wrinkles and graying hair.

Bruce told me as he was in his last few days of life that he would always be there for me. He said he "would be the warmth on my back."

He wanted me to live life not live grief. He said he saw life and death as a beautiful garden where you leave the gate open and invite all the creatures in with you.

Because of Bruce I was able to love again. I am blessed to have two great loves in my life...Bruce and now Ray. Both are woven into the fabric of who I am.

So on this anniversary day I remember again all that was and celebrate all that is now in my life.

I love you Bruce and I love you Ray.....how lucky am I?

 

[Laceylake]

You do have reason to be thankful @hippywoman not everyone has the chance for one true love yet two. In addition to loving and healthy children and grandkids. So, it seems that all is going well for you both physically and emotionally. Your picture is lovely and you certainly look happy and you are left with wonderful memories.

 

[hippywoman]

Five and a half weeks check in
Hi to all of you. I am up in Portland and have been off line for a week. Yesterday I drove all by myself five hours to Portland Oregon from my home in the mountains of southern Oregon. I made that long drive to go to my 6 week check up.

Actually it was a fun driving aside from city traffic. I listened to an audio book and munched on edible pod peas, raspberries, a bagel and other good stuff. I did break down and ate a teeny bag of fritos and loved it! Now I want to find a great bakery here and get a cinnamon role for breakfast. Decadent treat.

My check up was also great. It was all aligned well and I don't have to come back for a year. My doc wants me to walk and bicycle and walk and WALK but otherwise no kinks or problems. My gait is straight on perfect and I am having little to no pain.

I did find out why I had so much pain the first few days when transfering in an out of bed etc. The doc said I was so flexible prior to surgery that he had to really tighenen down everything to assure my hip implant would not move. All the walking I do and hiking and moving, lifting etc to just run my land and home has kept me flexible all these years I guess.

I have been back on my land the last few weeks on and off and back to hiking and walking etc to just get wood in etc so my
flexibilty is coming back. Those tightening down procedures he did have loosened up well.

I paid for some of those workouts over the weeks but I took all your advice about icing and resting etc. that really have helped.

I was a bit sore last night as my the bed at my son's house is a little hard and I forgot to take tylenol before bed. After a five hour drive and two hours at the docs I think that tylenol would have been wise. Ice too.

Snow is coming this weekend so I am driving back today another five hours and a good audiobook as company.

I will catch up on all your posts when I get home.
Hi @nan1961 @Laceylake @ilovefall @CricketHip @Hip Hip Hooray! @Poppet @HipSurprise @kktoland and all the rest of you. Your ideas and experiences have really helped me these last few weeks and I looked forward to being connected again now that I am back on line.

And I am soooo glad to know why I had more pain than some of you those first few days and couple of weeks. It makes sense now. I was projecting all kinds of negative outcomes thinking the pain was a sign of dumb stuff.

Actually the doc had told me prior to surgery about being so flexible etc but I think my fuzzy brain from preop bain did not remember it that well. He also found more flexibilty when in surgery than he even expected from this old 65 year old broad.

ps. I have been keeping busy writing about my life.. I looked back at a recent post and realized...ahh thats why am flexible and why i used up my hips


https://creatingthelandofafter.com/2015/11/creating-a-tough-old-broad-my-story-chapter-three/

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Glad to hear that you are doing so well. That's good news that you don't have to see your surgeon for a year. I love all of your photos, and the paintings are beautiful. One of my dreams is to take the Amtrak from LA (along the coast,) to Oregon and Seattle. It looks so beautiful there...especially when it's snowing.

 

[Laceylake]

I am also happy all is going well. I will be 3 months monday, still see surgeon again next month. Go to ENT Monday for the lightheadedness hopefully find out what that is altho not as bad now. I don't have much pain just little spasms in the hip joint now and then sore if I push on the spot and sometimes the thigh feels tight but that's about it.....oh, the incision spot burns sometimes, like it is stretching but hey, not bad!

 

[hippywoman]

Six week hipaversary
Ouch things I have learned:

1.If you drive 15 hours in two days to make it to your almost 6 week appointment chances are your butt and your leg will hurt for a couple days afterwards from sitting so much.

2 @Laceylake is right. If you stand too long time it is even harder on your legs than walking is. Standing painting all day yesterday means my leg and butt hurt last night and this morning.

3. Just because you've had a few great days or even a great week don't get too shocked if you have a lousy couple of days. And a tough day or night doesn't mean you're not healing or you're ineffective or that the world is falling apart. Honest honest honest!

4. Focus on joy, beauty and healing and the wonder of life and limit your exposure to bad news news. When your healing from hip surgery like this you need to keep your positive attitude and your sense of balance and inner peace. ( I turned off the TV because it was triggering sense of helplessness which is no fun when you just had hip surgery)

5. Snow is slippery especially as it starts falling so always wear good boots. I'm glad to report I did and was wise! My sons are happy.

6. Watch the comfort eating. Bagels and other high-calorie items can sure put on the weight! Grrr

7. When you feel like a slug and think you're never going to be the old you again pull out the picture of you running the bases with your granddaughter and realize that spring is coming again and by then you'll be ready to take on the race. I will I will I will!

8. The only thing you should overdo when you are recovering from hip surgery is healing.

 

[hippywoman]

Ouch update
my home is in a beautiful place.....but it is a four story exercise challenge. Two levels and many steps to get up to the house and first floor, then another level to get to the bathroom and another level to get to the bedroom.

The 4 weeks what I did was take it as a two step step going up and down rather than the natural one leg after another.

The last couple of days I've been naturally walking up and down stairs trying to build up the strength in my leg. It seems to go pretty well but now I'm having lots of knee and extra leg pain at night and during the day.

Anyone else have lots of stairs? Ideas?

 

[Laceylake]

I did a long messsge but it disappeared.....SO, I have some stairs I do them regularly but when I lift my weight on bad leg I use my cane to help lift. I do not have them as you do but I am up and down, my computer is upstairs. I am however at 3 months, before I did the up with good down with bad with my cane. I don't seem to have problems going down but it does get to my knee. Lately when I walk every now and then I get a shooting pain in the side of my heal by the bone that bugs me..

 

[Laceylake]

@Jaycey just got report from doctor, I have biomet with steel that goes into femer the socket is ceramic and what goes into that was polyethylene. Also said I lost 200 ml of blood I assume that is not much best I could figure around 3/4 cup??? Then again, I don't know lol.

 

[Jaycey]

Worry not! If your blood loss was an issue they would have given you blood before you were discharged. Apparently I loss a "lot of blood" during my LTHR. All they did was suggest iron supplements for a few weeks. I have a biomet in my left hip as well!