THR Left 2013 - Now the right

[Cisne]

Happy belated birthday! Hope it was wonderful! Took the new hip out for an hour walk tonight. Right hip feels great t. Left, well.... Looking forward to hearing how things are going!
Michele

 

[dougie0216]

Hello everyone, I'm back. Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes.
I've been walking, lifting weights, stretching, yoga, playing guitar and working on my bicycle-aside from going to work and stuff. My bike has been taken apart and cleaned. The new tubes go in the tires tomorrow as well as installing my cadence and speedometer computer. It interfaces with my GPS as does the HRM. That was my birthday present from my wife. I bought myself a sweet distortion pedal for the guitar.
No, I have not slowed down. I worked 9.5 hours today which included a 110 mile roundtrip drive, filling 9 bankers boxes with stuff from an office we are closing, moving 4 of the boxes along with a table down a circular staircase (I can't make this up). Then I came home, cooked dinner then walked two miles and lifted weights.
This is what my life was a like back when my hips weren't killing me. I would have to say I'm 90-95% back as far as physical things go.
I will do my replies in the next message, I need some gatorade. I can ride my bicycle on Friday, woo hoo!

 

[dougie0216]

@Layla How sweet of you to notice that my next birthday will start with a '6.' Thank you for that. At least I will get to take on a new age division then. Of course, the competition starts thinning out...

@Constanze Wow, a 2nd Marathon!?! You are amazing. I'm walking a K in 10-min, much faster and it would almost be running. I will live vicariously through your running. I get back on the bike Friday. My group is waiting for me. Two of them stopped by the office today. They rode a 50-mile race on Saturday. One of them took 2nd in the 70-75 yr age group. I am the youngest in the group, but they let me in because I have titanium on board. I believe all of them have replacement parts lol.

@gwenc The ODIC is like Hotel California, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

@birder My mom has an airdyne! I told her it is mine when she can't use it anymore. I love the fan. It is great to warm up or down on.
I have 3 bird feeders, two bird bell holders and a suet dispenser in the back yard. A guy down the street has a Martin House. I have a bird app on my phone. I'm not serious, but identifying a new bird is fun. It isn't unusual to have 5-8 different species in the back yard at any one time.

@Mojo333 I swear my recovery is bipolar. Some days I come home and I am just beat. Then there are days like today. I felt great. Swelling is gone! Pain is gone! The bicycle is waiting

@Cisne Three Months!!! Friday!!! It does seem like it went fast, but when I look back at the hard work that we all did, yeah, it seems like longer in some ways. Even tho I just had a birthday, we will always share a Hippy Birthday!

Peace Out, y'all.

 

[Constanze]

Yippie @dougie0216 ,
Tomorrow is Friday, yeah yeah yeah yeah - Friiiiiidayyyyyy!
Enjoy your bike ride.
Went to work on my bike today. Got wet but felt refreshed. Best from Constanze

 

[Mojo333]

@dougie0216 I'm with you on the bipolar.
I had to lift some very heavy boxes is meat several times yesterday and I can't be doing that anymore. They were 70-80 lbs and I don't like putting that kind of weight on my new stems.
I guess my fear is the bone doesn't adhere to that new tie rod stuck in my femer that there could be a loosening.
I've never been a worry wart until this operation but my X-ray's still freak me out a bit.
Four months tomorrow...seems like I would be braver.
Happy for you to get back on your bike. Live the dream...don't fall down and go boom.

 

[birder]

@dougie0216 Hello! So happy for you that you'll be back on your bike tomorrow. Prayers and positive thoughts going your way. I was a very physically active person in the past and gradually over the past several years adapted to not being so much. I especially missed power walking and dancing. Looking forward to gradually doing more. Yea and it's weird the fluctuations in energy and stamina. I've been fitting in a brief nap around noon and it helps me get through the day.

@Mojo333 I know what you mean about that worry about lifting things. I was at work yesterday and had some cases of pop to put away in my office and did it very slowly and carefully. We are still in the healing phase so do be careful and ask for help!

 

[gwenc]

Ha ha "bipolar" - very cute! I hope I can put off my other hip for at least 10 years.

 

[Irish Joe]

Best wishes on the bike Dougie.
Careful if your using cleats.
I enjoy a bit of cycling myself.
Joe......

 

[zauberflöte]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @dougie0216 !!! Tomorrow the bike...

I know exactly what you mean about bipolar recovery-- I am showing symptoms myself! @Mojo333 I just lifted 200 lbs of cat litter (the same 10 lbs in 4 dirty-to-clean litter boxes many times over) and am icing now... today is the end of the fifth week! From now on, one box per day. But this was kind of an emergency. So you stay away from the meat boxes and I will only do one littler box, deal?

And Dougie YOU be careful!!!! I cannot imagine beng where you are now, and I'm a girl so I don't have to if I don't want, but you are definitely an inspiration!!

@Constanze woweee a marathon! And taking 30 minutes off it is fabulous! You must train like crazy...

 

[gwenc]

Dougie, do you mind if I call you DOO-GEE???? We have a family friend called Doug with that nickname. Its a term of endearment, so don't worry LOL. Anyway DOO_GEE .... you are definitely inspirational. I am looking forward to being where you are now - at 95%. However, I am feeling quite positive at the moment that I WILL GET THERE!!!! Happy biking!

 

[dougie0216]

Hello Hippies! I have new tubes with no-flat liquid latex installed and the new computer for cadence and speed installed on my bike. The gps is synced and a short shakedown cruise is tomorrow evening. Riding for real Saturday am. I'll post a pic on Sat. I have a buddy to ride with on Monday but Sat is solo.
@gwenc doogie or dougie, all the same. I've been called that in various forms my entire life. And worse.

@Irish Joe I will be careful, but I am an unrepentant adrenaline junkie and endorphin addict.

@Mojo333 Yes, we have had to move out of an office this week. The only easy to access it is via circular staircases. I had bankers boxes full of files. I was the only able body available yesterday and I'm the boss, so I led by example. Our sales director helped me today, she handed me the boxes and I took them down the stairs.
I did find something my hip did not like. I was not carrying a 70# box forward down a circular staircase. I should not see steps. I drug it down backwards. My hip did not care for that maneuver. It did not hurt afterwards. So I have driven 220 miles with the back end of a mercury mariner full, twice over there last two days. Tomorrow we get to move out 2 file cabinets, a two piece desk, a bookshelf, there chairs and a table. They will have to be lowered off the balcony. Goodwill is sending two guys, we are donating it. I will have to help.
I'm not hurting currently after two days of moving so I'm not worried about a few pieces of furniture.

@zauberflöte our Chewy shipment last week was 100#of cat litter, 40# of bird seed, 20# of cat-food and 40oz of cat treats. We have 4 kittehs and we call our bird feeders 'cat tv.'

@Constanze both groups of my riding buddies are riding anywhere from 50-70mi on a regular basis. I have some serious catching up to do. I hope to be up to 30mi by winter. I have cold weather gear including neoprene shoe covers. Now if I could just figure out how to brake/shift and keep fingers warm at -10C... I may try cycling mittens this year. I have insulated cycling gloves but below 25F...not so good.

 

[Constanze]

@dougie0216 ,
Cool, I also try to cycle (and run) in all weather conditions except during black ice, the kind of weather when you can't even walk outside.

Have fun - and I look forward to reports & photos.

Constanze

 

[Gone again]

@dougie0216 are you keeping the bike next to your bed now. LOL good luck on your first ride. We'll be waiting for the ODIC report.

 

[dougie0216]

@Gone again Actually the bike is on a stand in the garage, and I've been walking by it at least twice a day and spinning the tires.
When something gets taken from you, getting it back is wonderful. I chose not to run any more so cycling is my thing.
It is equivalent to freedom. It is hard to describe what being a distance athlete is... 'Different' works

 

[dougie0216]

Yeah!

I only went 10K, bike had issues. Rear derailleur not shifting great and my rear brake almost stopped me when I was going downhill, and I wasn't pressing the brake.
But I Rode!
I have to mow lawn tomorrow and roast green chilis. I will adjust bike tonite and ride a bit further I hope on Monday
@Irish Joe I use SH51 Cleats. I wear mtb shoes. We like to get off and be able to walk. No issues clicking in-&-out. My PT guru had me doing ankle exercises with the blue resistance band. Ankles are good.

 

[Horseshoe]

@dougie0216 great pic, good for you.. nice bike too!

 

[dougie0216]

@Horseshoe Thank you. I scoured Craig's list for months and that bike showed up. The guy broke his arm at work and his wife said, sell the bike. It had less-than 100-miles on it and I got it for about half of what he paid for it. I'm a tall guy and most bikes online are too small. He was a tall guy in a cast. I called him within 30-minutes of it being posted, I went by the bank and drove the 70-miles to pick it up. I saved a thousand bucks on a basically new bike.

It was so nice to ride. My quads disagree. You can train all you want but riding uphill is hard to duplicate... I got my heart rate up to 154. No need to max out first-time out. I just want to log some distance. Where I live is hilly so that part takes care of itself. I don't have to go looking for hills.

 

[zauberflöte]

you know you look like you have curly green hair in that photo Because if that, I am not even going to ask about the roasting of green chilies....

SO your quads complained but the hips are fine-- hoooraayyyy!

 

[dougie0216]

@zauberflöte Hip(s) are good. Now my leg muscles know I was thinking about them.
You like my helmet? I went for visability as opposed to a fashion statement. It's nice to be older, I dont worry too much about fashion.I

My riding buddy have me about 15# of fresh, Hatch Green Chilis from New Mexico. We just roasted and peeled a few. We are eating late, the chilis are in a chicken/tortilla/chili casserole.

 

[Layla]

Look at you with that fancy bike and gear.....you look so happy.
Just be careful and have fun doing what you love!
Wishing you a great rest of the weekend @dougie0216