THR Let the healing begin...

Thank you Layla, it's my pleasure to share a little. What I've been doing is probably geared towards anyone regardless... and they're just small things I started early this week as I went through my mornings working on getting a routine, however temporary it is...

One of the things I've been doing, and have done for years, is making the bed.. and I tried it first time was Tuesday I think... as I was in their doing some stretchy stuff and light exercises using our bed and dresser area, and I looked at the bed and I thought "OK... I'm going to try this and get however far I can".. so I just slowly started straightening sheets/blankets and worked my way around, and it was done.. haha.. nothing fancy there, but each day gets a bit easier and better.

Another thing is I can now clean the kitchen decently/make coffee/etc... all very easily. Now that I have good balance, and I can use the counters to lean/move around on, it works out fine. That started early in the week also, as I was standing in the kitchen this time, looking out our window to the front yard, and doing some ankle pumps, leg lifts, general feel good stretching... and using the counter/cabinet for my brace.. it's just the right height... and I noticed dishes that were in the sink/counter from the night before.. and my wife has been working her tail off for me for a few weeks now... so I thought "of course I can do this.."... so again just leaning on the counter area, looking at our nice yard, I just slowly got the dishes done, everything shined up, and it felt good... like life was returning.

There's other things I'm discovering again that I definitely can do as well. Gather the small trash bags around the house... stuff like that.

No Superman stuff here though... nothing heroic... not running any vacuum cleaners or mopping floors, or even mowing lawns this time.. that will all come in time I'm sure, and that and more will all be very doable. All the biggie stuff like riding my motorcycle again will be visited in a few months or more. I nearly sold my bike, but I decided to wait until after surgery, and now I'm so so glad I kept my bike, as that seems like a probability that I'll look into at the end of summer. It's still too soon to decide or make any big decisions like that.... Life isn't over, it's more like Life is starting over. It's all good.

As for ambitious.. haha.. you got the wrong guy... but I've always enjoyed just working/puttering around our home,and I'm generally busy with something... and my wife and I have always shared chores/tasks.. I mean a few weeks ago she hauled in 10 bags of bark/mulch into the backyard, and all I could do was cheer her on as she happily worked away... so for what I'm doing now, I'm happy to oblige, and best of all it's so easy and pain free its's crazy. I know she's got her honey-do list for me.... LOL.. and we joke about it, and at some point when I'm ready she knows I'll tackle it... but I'm not known for fast, and I'm in no hurry.

All this isn't recommended for anyone unless they're truly ready, and of course we all have different levels of what we're going through. I'm really just sharing this as a real hope for those that are scared or nervous, or even reluctant... there is hope, and life does return, we just have to let it take it's course... however fast or slow it goes, just listen to the body and let it flow. :)
 
Hello @DGrant :wave:
Hmm, making the bed?!! Wondering how I get my hubs to do that? :)
Great suggestion though because we do get bored with sitting / resting, wanting to test the waters and it feels good to accomplish something worthwhile early on. Making your own coffee and an easy breakfast is also a good idea. I remember feeling pleased after doing that myself in those early days.
I thought "of course I can do this.."... so again just leaning on the counter area, looking at our nice yard, I just slowly got the dishes done, everything shined up, and it felt good... like life was returning.
It’s amazing how some of the tasks we normally find so mundane can feel so fulfilling while convalescing. I even like the idea of collecting trash from around the house to dispose of. All easy tasks and contributions to keep the household running smoothly. Great ideas, thanks!

Wishing you all the best!
Many thanks for your supportive and encouraging contributions here.
 
Layla, I don't know what programmed me to make the bed, but I've done it since I was a kid, and most of our married life. My wife makes it when I'm not able to(like last week..) and does it until I commence again..... It's kind of like our cooking in the house.. she cooks most times unless we're grilling on the BBQ(which is actually frequently).. but she does meal preps and I do beds... LOL... so it's mostly a toss, as I'm not as good at meal prep as she is, and she might not be as good at making the bed...

As for the chores themselves, as I feel better by the day I'm making more of a game of them.. and definitely no hurries, and plenty of breaks.. more breaks then work for sure.. I might work 10 easy minutes and have some water, or maybe 20 minutes of easy something and have a chunk of fruit for a snack. Just a few times a day.

I was going to go for a shorter walk today because I took a longer one yesterday, and my wife asked me if I wanted to go to the grocery store.. I thought that's a perfect stroll and a short walk(about 900 steps), and a time in the day when it wasn't busy at all. Pushing a cart along was easy easy, and then when we got to frozen food isle I lean against the freezer slightly, and get a little ice/cool on my side(bonus right there!).. Everything I'm doing is the same as I've done, only much less of it, and much slower, and what I don't do will be there tomorrow or next day.. or whatever..

But the little easy things to help, as you mentioned make all the difference, and done in moderation and within a persons abilities I believe are all a part of recovery.
 
@DGrant I was big on using the shopping cart for a walker, worked great. Covid has made everyone more aware but luckily I was all pre-covid with my THR's. I did learn one lesson back then and that was to wipe the cart down. Post THR early days it's easy to pick up something you didn't want from the store. I picked up a pretty nasty cold or whatever that led to a killer sinus infection.
 
Day 13... I couldn't be more pleased. I'm off the cane, only carrying it when I'm outside the house, and leaving it by the bed at night, for safety and convenience sake.
Zero pain, but still a little tenderness and occasional stiffness, to be expected I'm sure. I'm walking every day, alternating with around 2000 steps one day and around 1000 steps the next. I'm a little sore(not pain) after 2000 steps, but ice and about 20 minutes gets me feeling great again.
1000mg's Tylenol now about every 5hrs definitely does the trick. Dropped another few pounds in last few days. Just very sensible eating and a bit of walking/stretching.
I definitely suggest stretching before a walk.. it gets everything loosened up, and allows everything to fall into position when working on stride/gait.
I am just totally blown away by all this. Not sure what else to do but embrace it. My mind is working much better, thoughts are quick and clear, I'm sure I'm not preoccupied with every movement as I was pre-op.
It's like the big cloud is lifting.
I hope everyone gets the help they need... it's such a beneficial process. There's not enough words to describe it.
 
@DGrant..... I've sent you a personal message that you can access by clicking on the envelope icon in the blue tool bar at the top of your screen. Could you please read it and respond?
 
So... Day whatever.. like almost 3 weeks in a few days. Still moving forward well. Took a few days and a little trip with my wife, and got some biz taken care of while out of town. It was a delightful time, yeah a bit tired, but moving around does that to us right.
I really didn't worry about counting steps, or anything real regimented(definitely didn't overdo it though), other then meds as needed(really didn't need much either)... and once we got to our destination, it was about relaxing, and some casual strolls around the area... no hiking going on yet. I'll save that for 4-6 months out if I want and see how I'm doing, but the strolls and rests in between are wonderful and just being able to enjoy it, without worrying about every step of the way was the goal this trip, and I think I hit it squarely, as I wasn't preoccupied at all with hip issues, although mindful of my footing of course, especially walking down sidewalks with curbs/driveways all about.... I just pick the smoothest line and go.
Now that we're back, I'll catch up and dig out more of my mess I created in the last year... still small chores, and just getting more organization. I'm now playing music again(I'm a guitar player...) and try to play nearly every night now... I've played for years, but now that I can easily fetch my guitar and put it away that's made a big difference for me. They don't weigh anything really, and I'm not hauling amps around these days... haha.. but we've been really enjoying that lately.
So as I start my week, I'll take some meaningful walks and get back into the swing real soon. I've still much healing to do, and I'm fortunate to have a good start on it.
I must remember though, ""Just because I can, doesn't mean I should"". I'm feeling like many of my abilities are fast returning and I honestly believe I can do much more, but no way am I... no way.. not yet.
I would say the same for anyone almost 3 weeks post-op.. just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Take your time... whatever needs to be done will still be there in a month or whatever... My stuff has piled up for a year.. and if it takes me a year to whittle away at it, great.
Life's good, and I hope everyone is healing well. :)
 
Great report, and great approach @DGrant. It doesn't seem intuitive but going slow and staying out of the ODIC (Over Did It Club) will actually speed up your overall recovery.
 
Alright Alright Alright BoneSmart peeps!! I'm about 3 days beyond 3 weeks PO... I'm doing fine, and the hip seems solid... I've however seemed to develop some low back pain in the last 3-4 days, of which some/most of it is understandable to me, being I've been much more active, yet still holding back considerably, because I'm letting this hip heal/knit with my body.
I've visited a keen neurologist a few times in the course of this journey, and I'm aware of a few lumbar/disc/SI joint issues that we're keeping an eye on... and will get some treatment for those in the next few weeks.
I'm sure I can hold back on walking as much as I was first 2 weeks, yet still get in 500++ steps as needed, and get through my day fine.
I have near zero pain level in the hip area, and good range of motion, smooth and actually feels wonderful to be able to move/stretch... which might be what aggravates the back.. catch 22 probably.... but we're moving in the right direction.... no fear here... just another bump in the OA road...as that's what degenerated both hips, and now my lower back... as well as my previous weight level definitely affected things...
I'm still definitely on the weight train... going down down down... eating very well, balanced, nutritious meals.. on time.. every day.. drinking water.. no sodas(blah..).. all that stuff... (yeah a glass of red wine in the evening is nice too!)
At this point I firmly believe my best defense against all of this is weight control, and letting these doctors do their jobs. They're working hard for me.. and I want to work hard for them and ultimately myself.

So for those out there that need help or on the fence, it's well worth it, and once you start the process, just keep up with it. I'm confident if we do that, we will be rewarded with many pain free years in the future. Life's good, and I'm enjoying it alot more now, and also finding other issues I didn't even know I had, and gain a bit of confidence every day. Win win right.
*KeepFightingtheGoodFight!
 
@DGrant

What great news! Keep updating! Your posts keep me motivated and grounded.
 
Happy Two Month Anniversary!
I hope all is well and you’re enjoying the Summer. We’d love to hear from you as time allows. Until then…wishing you all things good!
@DGrant
 

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