THR Kylesh is Kayaking Again

[Kylesh]

Poppet - no problem, I haven't posted much, mainly pop in to see what ByGosh and zauberflöte are up to and for a little comic relief. You know I took them along with tashia on a virtual kayak trip and thought I was going to need the virtual coast guard to come and make them behave. I will however need to update my thread name since I am way past the six weeks, I just don't know to what.

ByGosh -- I liked my PT from the first time I met her. My first visit lasted almost 2 hours. She wanted to know why I had the surgery, what my ultimate goals for recovery were and she has a great working relationship with my OS and was familiar with his restrictions. When I mentioned the painful visit, she was quick to modify the exercises. I even showed her a picture that I carry around of me about 60 pounds heaver and told her it was real important for me to get back to working out because I couldn't go back there and still have about 30 more to go and exercise was a big part of all that.

As for the massager, I actually picked it up from our local REI store, but they have them on the website as well, I just didn't want to wait on shipping. Although, the bands I ordered came in about 3 days. You are correct about the little things that crop up or linger after THR. I mentioned the knee at my 6 week visit -- he ask if I had knee issues before and I told him not until now and he like the PT folks thought it was the IT band then, maybe he will change his mind now. Logical conclusion since as I found out a lot of people that have a THR develop issues with the IT.

I have been working for the Department of Defense (Air Force) for more then 30 years, 21 active duty and 10 as a civilian, so unless congress guts the DoD, my job is pretty secure. As for moving, we have moved so much over the past 30 years, we would not know what to do if we actually stayed in the same place. Moving to GA will put us within a six hour drive to my family in FL, a sister in law in NC and within four hours of my husbands twin in SC. It will be the closest they have lived to each other since high school, he was in the Navy. The warmer weather is a bonus.

 

[ByGosh]

Kylesh So now you need a new thread title, too... You'll have to think of something good - probably related to Kylesh and Kayaking (lotta K's - sort of reminds me of Kanye and Kim - just the K's, though. Unless you have a child named North!) Maybe putting it out there to the rest of the bunch will get some good ideas, or humorous, at least. I bet you can get everyone's attention if you do another 'virtual kayak trip'.
Anyway, 30 years! Congratulations and thank you for your service. That's a long time. So even if you did no longer have a job, which wouldn't happen, you would be able to retire. No worries there, I would guess. Good for you.

Well then, Georgia sounds like the place for you! It's almost centrally located to you and your hubby's families. That would be terrific. I admire that you can move so easily. I wonder if it's something you learned because of your career, or if it's the part of you that helped lead you to that kind of career? I'm an old stick-in-the-mud. Ever since marriage and kids, we've been pretty stationary. I grew up in Conn. and but for a brief stint in the 70's of wandering around, have been here most of my life. Everyone is different, and moving sure has enabled you to experience other places and the lifestyles there. I would think it makes you open-minded and accepting of different types of people, and not afraid to experience new things.

Your PT and you have a good relationship and she has a great understanding of your needs, it sounds like. That's so important, especially since many patients here are a bit skeptical of PTs. I never really needed one until OA hit, so I wasn't partial either way.

Have a good Sunday and a good week ahead. Take care.

 

[Poppet]

Kylesh, just tag me when you have worked out a new thread title.. Easy to change

 

[Kylesh]

Poppet -- Thanks I will let you know when I come up with something. Guess I really didn't think about the long term when I named my thread. I will blame it on the drugs..

ByGosh

Uh…no North, we stuck our son with the ordinary name of Patrick and yes, before you start wondering his middle name is Michael. Just don’t get the need for celebrities to stick their kids with odd names. If you wanted to call her Nori, why not just name her Nori?
Even though I have over 30 years total, they are counted as two separate careers so I am not retirement eligible for about 5 more years and that would be at a reduced rate, so we will just have to wait and see. I would like to teach more, but an adjunct professor just doesn’t make that much unless you teach at several Universities/Colleges and I teach for the love of it and exchange of ideas. I don’t think I would like to keep jumping from class to class. I have a friend that teaches at 10-20 places (in person and on-line) and doesn’t have time to get to know her students. I love to get to know the students and keeping in touch with them.

Yes, Georgia is the place for now, we lived there about 4 years ago but moved here so I could take a promotion, now it is time to go back. We keep joking about buying a motor home for when we finally retire so we don’t have to decide on a “home state”
There is something to be said about being stationary. Sometime I wonder the impact on our son from moving so much and having me gone for long periods of time. He said he enjoyed it, and seems happy. Poor kid attended seven school (K-12), started Kindergarten in Germany and ended up graduating in Japan.

I am pleased with my PT, I was not sure what to expect as I had never done any type of PT before and after reading some of the threads, I was not sure what to expect. I had my hip replaced because I damaged my labrum, not because of OA.
Wishing you a peaceful Sunday….

 

[Peaches]

Wow, Kylesh, that's a lot on your plate. I am impressed with how well PT has worked for you and how your "team" is working together to figure out any lingering issues. You haven't been left in the dust, it would seem.
The work thing is sobering and I will cross my fingers for you for Georgia. I'm glad the stories on both ends of the extremes about people recovering from this surgery have ceased. You've got bigger things on your mind.

So glad your kayaking trip is almost here!

Like you, I too hesitate over how to count my weeks. I've decided it makes more sense to me to say I've got X number of weeks under my belt. You're a week or two ahead of me, I think. But doing so well! Hang in there, in ref to the job situation (boy, can I relate to that) and keep us posted when you can.

 

[Kylesh]

Peaches -- I was blessed to have a great team from the surgeon to home health care and now my PT. While I was not required to use any of them, they were recommended by my OS office and I figured he would not put his reputation on the line, so I used them. I have been reading about the issues you have been having finding one you trust and I could not imaging using public transportation to get around.

 

[zauberflöte]

I admire that you can move so easily. I

There is something to be said about being stationary. Sometime I wonder the impact on our son from moving so much and having me gone for long periods of time. He said he enjoyed it, and seems happy.

ByGosh Kylesh Speaking as somebody who's done both, there are things to be said for both! We moved a lot before I graduated from high school-- lived 3 places before I started school, then went to three schools in three states. After that i lived 2 more places before landing my permanent job. Settled down there for 31 years, 23 in the same house, and then.... we moved to follow a job.When I was a kid I thought it perfectly normal to move and have a new school. My own kids think it's perfectly normal to spend your life in the same house!

Kylesh time for you to go back to GA, time for us to go back to Richmond.
I'm confused, when is this kayak trip? I thought it was this weekend, but "it's the drugs" LOL

 

[ByGosh]

Kylesh Patrick Michael is a very nice name! And zauberflöte is right, there are pros and cons to each lifestyle. You have to do what you have to do, especially to make a living.

Now I'm wondering why the whole hip needed to be replaced because of the damaged labrum? I'm not very familiar with that - they obviously couldn't repair it...Several people on these threads had labrum tears. It's not that uncommon, I guess, although I had never heard of it before the OA started with me.
Teaching is wonderful. I've done some of it myself, and the kids are the best part of it! Their eager little minds, and adorable stages of development. I love them.

 

[Kylesh]

zauberflöte -- Funny you would move around when young and settle down later. I was just the opposite, I spent my entire life as a beach bum in FL before I joined the military. The kayak trip is next weekend, got to love that drug fog...lol

ByGosh - it is a long story as repair versus replacement, so buckle up and hang on or stop reading now -- your choice. It was my rheumatologist that first identified the torn labrum over a year ago. Funny she found that but has not yet named my "auto immune issue". Seems I have very high ANA numbers, but clinically do not present enough other things for her to call it Lupus, CREST or something else. I vote for none of the above, but repeated blood test say other wise, but the medication she has me one seems to keep everything in check so far. So back to the hip -- sorry to deviate. I bounced between an OS that said "you can walk what's your problem" to my current OS who said "I can fix it with a 75% chance of success", but was denied by the insurance. Then, I tired the VA (after all I did do 21 years), I'll save you the long process to get seen by the VA but I did finally get accepted and they agreed to give me a referral to the VA orthopedics. I was pretty happy since my current OS knew the VA OS and said he was good. This was back in Feb/Mar -- the VA letter finally came with an initial consult for Aug 2013, they would have to do their own testing to confirm even though I had given them all the records. So, I went back to my current OS to see if he would authorize a cortisone shot to tide me over and he said the longer I waited to have it fixed, the lower the percentage of success, so he said he would just do the replacement now versus in a few years, which would have been the likely outcome since it was only getting worse. So here I am...

Teaching is wonderful. I've done some of it myself, and the kids are the best part of it! Their eager little minds, and adorable stages of development. I love them.

This made me smile...I teach at the University/College level and I am not sure that I would ever describe any of my students as having eager little minds or adorable..

 

[zauberflöte]

Kylesh I think you got a good deal-- new hip, save several years of lost life! I'm glad.

Heh heh. I have taught all age levels, and they're each full of their own joys. The adorable grade schoolers, the middle schoolers who are trying stuff on, and the rare but satisfying talented high-schooler or college student who 'gets it" and makes your semester! not to mention the 75 yr old "returnee" who simply pays the bills....adult students are a hoot! I had a psych professor for a student once, talk about over analyzing yourself LOL.

 

[ByGosh]

Kylesh Yes, I agree with ZB - thank goodness your OS did the surgery and you didn't have to wait for the VA. You got your life back a lot quicker and now you're on the mend, which is all the better for you.

I find your story very interesting about the rheumatologist and the ANA numbers, and I'm sorry you have an auto immune issue. Those types of conditions can be a little elusive. Thankfully your treatment is working for you. I'm familiar with rheumatologists and immune disorders myself. There's a question whether or not I have sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis. We're sitting on it presently and waiting to see how things go with the hips before doing anything definite - like taking methotrexate, which is what the rheumatologist recommended. It's a long story, but a question I keep going back to when this groin pain won't quit - whether it's RA causing the inflammation around the joint area or not. That's about the gist of it. Except that my brother has RA and my mother had it, and my niece has lupus, so that's something else to consider...
No fun at all. I remember you said you take Plaquinal (sp?). I'm glad it's helping. Do you experience side effects? I'm afraid of methotrexate, as the MDs say it has many side effects. Sooner or later, I'll have to figure this out, and truthfully, I'm really more afraid of this pain right now, and whether it'll start elsewhere. We'll see, time will tell, I'm sure.

Well, Kylesh, I hope you have a good week at work and you enjoy that kayak trip!

 

[Kylesh]

I made sure that I told my OS thank you for listening and taking in to account my quality of life when I went in for my 6 week check up, then I asked him about going on a kayak trip

zauberflöte -- Wow another professor for a student and I though it was bad when I had my boss in the class. Not sure I would be able to teach with another professor in the class, it is bad enough when they come in for a short time for instructor evaluations.

ByGosh -- I got tested for auto immune issues because my sister has lupus. I think you are right to suspect that there might be some relationship between the autoimmune issue and the groin pain. I had a follow up with my rheumatologist about seven weeks after I had my hip replaced and she did not want to do my normal, you know those 50 thousand vials of blood, because she said the numbers would be high because surgery itself caused inflammation.

You are correct, I do take Plaquenil and I do not seem to be having any side effects. When I was taking it and meloxicam at the same time it gave me heartburn. I hate reading those little, very small printed information pages that come with medications. They make me want to say Ill stick with what ever issue you are trying to treat instead of risking the side effects.

Since I came off the meloxicam, I have been a bit more achy but am not sure if it is just part of the healing process or if something else is going on, but I am going to give it bit before I ask.

Oh got to run.....don't want to be late for work....

 

[zauberflöte]

Wow another professor for a student and I though it was bad when I had my boss in the class. Not sure I would be able to teach with another professor in the class, it is bad enough when they come in for a short time for instructor evaluations.

oh it was ok Kylesh ! I'm a flute teacher, so it was just the two of us, and I knew a whole lot more than she did about what I was trying to teach her LOL.

 

[Kylesh]

time for you to go back to GA, time for us to go back to Richmond.

I agree...

 

[Kylesh]

Poppet -- I am ready for a new title. When you get time would you please change my thread title to:

Kylesh is Kayaking Again

Thanks....

 

[Kim22]

That's. wonderful news Kylesh.How was your first kayaking experience ?

 

[Poppet]

Guess what ......

Kylesh is Kayaking Again


Kylesh, changed your thread title as requested... Well done on the kayaking.. Can't wait to start mine this summer.. Hugs from OZ

 

[ByGosh]

Kylesh I love the new thread title because it tells me you went kayaking and it went well! Great news. Tell us about it when you get a chance.

 

[Kylesh]

Thank you for the quick change Poppet

Kim22, ByGosh, zauberflöte and all the others I have missed....

As my new thread title shows....I did go kayaking. While it was not a great day for paddling, it was out on the water. I will post details in the social thread under the other virtual trip.

On another note, not that I want to add confusion to restrictions, which by the way I have none anymore I can see why everyone is confused by the differing guidance that we all seem to receive. I ask my OS about post-recovery restrictions. I asked him flat out " What activities can I not do?" His answer, "he does not recommend long distance running as a recreational spot, if I had to run to get child out of the street or something similar no problem." Then to add to the confusion, he said it was a soft rule and that if I could not live without running, knock myself out. Then he related it to wearing out the tires on a car by speeding up to a stop sign and then slamming on the breaks. It will eventually wear out the ball/socket faster.... so how is that guidance.

 

[Nannyannie]

Kylesh Confused? We all are with different restrictions from different OSs! The best advice I was given was "if it hurts, stop doing it and don't do it again!" That was from an orthopedic theatre nurse (husband's nephew!) who isn't quite as experienced as Jo but knows his job.
I looked back through your thread and I'm still giggling at the idea of your kayak on your Fiat 500! That is the sort of daft thing my husband would try - even if it is not legal on the road! Glad you got out on the water, I'm looking forward to our trip to France and Belgium later this month with our 40ft motor cruiser.
Happy kayaking
Anne