@Hip Hip Hooray! You are a wonderful resource of such great info! I loved hearing about how horses respond to the different injuries! Don't animals teach us so much? When I came home from the hospital, it was so obvious that my pooch knew I was "injured". And, she wanted to sniff around my operated leg every time she came to me those first few days. Of course, that wore off and, now, I have to watch her or she'll step right on that leg!
My mother battled breast cancer in the 70's and when it metastasized in the bone, she commented that pain was unlike any other. I broke my femur a few years later (encounter with a drunk driver),but I was young and had so little experience with physical pain that I didn't realize that then. The broken wrist this past July was without question the worst pain I've ever experienced, both before and after the surgical repair. I would take the hip replacement pain over that any day, not that I'd ask for it.
Your garden sounds wonderful! When I lived in So. Ca. I had the hardest time trying to figure out what to plant when! I finally met a neat lady at the So. Pasadena Farmer's Market who was a tremendous help, but the first few years I was planting tomatoes, and other veggies, too late because of my NC background with gardening. Imagine, I had a difficult time adjusting to a frost-free environment!
I do envy your dancer's legs and fit body! I let this hip go so long that my leg wouldn't straighten out and had been that way for several years after all the limping. My surgeon was surprised when he tried to straighten it before my surgery. He also told me it would be straightened in the OR. There was also a "knobby thingy" at the end of my femur from when I had the rod in it that they pretty much removed. He told me that was going to be an issue and if he couldn't get it out, I would not be allowed to weight-bear for 6-8 weeks, to avoid a fracture. However, he was able to remove it without any trouble from the muscles, etc. I've wondered how both of those factors have affected my recovery. I did have 6-8 weeks of PT before the surgery, hoping to get my let straight and be more prepared for the recovery, stronger, but I'm not sure I got where I hoped to.
More than anything, I went for the anterior because of the restrictions with the posterior. I was simply terrified, and unreasonably so, that I would accidentally break those restrictions and end up with a dislocation. I'm glad I made the choice I did, once I found a surgeon I liked well enough to do it. The dr. I was going to use in Ca was the head of joint replacement at Cedars and only did posterior and I put it off twice, so once I got moved back to Charlotte and liked a surgeon who did the anterior (had the reputation, bedside manner, and recommendations from a good friend who had him do both her hips), I was ready. I guess that choice ended up like it was supposed to for me. I'm one of those who didn't know when to stop with the research and I actually watched both a posterior and anterior surgery online. Didn't help with my fears! We live and learn. I’ll be in much better shape for my second hip! I can get back in the pool and it will be much easier to exercise in general before that one. And, I won’t go 10 years this time; soon as it gets bad, I’ll get it on the calendar.
Bless you for your caring input!
Take care,
Debra
United States
