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THR Life and freedom on the recovery side

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Mamarey sounding good there!! I like my Carex regular cane-- nice and soft on the hand...
Sometimes we have to track our progress by others' observations, as we're too close to ourselves and are staring in the microscope-- I feel like that! :)
 
Great news that you are feeling a bit better! :happydance:
 
Today was my 4th day of PT. I still have a lot of inflammation, but today my therapy was on the Pilates Reformer Table. Great experience. Non weight bearing, but really works on strengthening and stretching. I ended my session with my 15 minutes of ice and electrical stimulation. My mistake this week, and every week I seem to do something wrong, which my body soon informs me, is not my exercise...I am alternating the elliptical with the bike. 45-60 minutes on both. It has been good to get my heart pumping, get sweaty, and see my leg regaining its muscle tone which had completely atrophied prior to surgery. My mistakes are the other things I did. It began on Wednesday after the gym. I needed some more bags of pea pebbles for my yard...Home Depot was a mile away from the gym. I walked in, a nice worker lead me to where the pebbles were, loaded them on the cart for me, unloaded them to my car, all good. I came home and rather than leave them in my car for my son to unload, NO, I unloaded 8 40 pound bags of pebbles and proceeded to spread them, basically did 45 minutes of gardening. At the time, it felt so good to be in the yard, getting dirty, being one with the dirt and nature, but the next morning, not so much. Lower back pain and groin pain. It is so hard to know when to stop, when something is too much. I am so restless. I have terrible energy drain, which should make it easy to sleep, especially with the exercise I am doing, but I cannot sleep. My mind is so restless from not being able to do things. I can only read so much per day, be on the computer so much per day, workout so much per day, clean so much per day. I go back to work in two weeks, and that I know will be a real challenge. I just need more mental stimulation. I have always had to work and take care of myself and my family, so it is so foreign to me to be iddle. Today, it was just a lot of errand running and the end of the day took me to Costco, my first trip since prior to my surgery. I am home, icing, elevating, tired.
Had a great conversation with my PT. She has a difficult time with her clients who are very active and physically fit like myself, because we do tend to push too much and get inpatient. We tend to actually progress more slowly because of our setbacks. So, there is my weeks summary...
 
Mamarey said:
I came home and rather than leave them in my car for my son to unload, NO, I unloaded 8 40 pound bags of pebbles and proceeded to spread them, basically did 45 minutes of gardening.
Click to expand...
Mamarey Good grief! All that on Wednesday and Costco today? Can you move? I thought I'd done a lot planting lots of pots of annuals, scooping planting soil, and placing them in my garden. I also have a tendency to overdo, but have slowed down now that my back and entire right side, the "good side" is sore-neck, shoulder, hand, hip and knee. Too much compensating for the atrophied glutes on my left side. Please rest this weekend.
 
Mamarey haha that wasn't gardening, that was landscaping! I hope you can make yourself rest more-- I know it feels good when we're doing it (I joined the "did too much" club yesterday and today...) but I'm trying my hardest to quit while I'm still having a great time, hard as that may be.
I think all of us moms have a hard time being idle, but I'm just standing back and watching myself become a true couch potato. There will be tons of work of all kinds to catch up on, but I will just have to deal with that when it comes.
Your mind will be plenty occupied when you go back to work, and I imagine you'll sleep better then :)
 
Mamarey I know exactly where you are coming from. I played it by the book for 9 long weeks when I was on the crutches because of the fracture that happened in theatre. Now its healed and Ive been told to 'get on with my life' Im chomping at the bit to get going, but Im really having to pull it in, because I know I will overdo it if Im not careful. My op leg has really atrophied too, especially the hamstrings.
 
Good morning all. Well, I can feel the areas of the body where I had my Pilates yesterday. Calves are really sore. Amazing the muscles that are awakened doing a different activity. Surprised since I have been using my legs so much on the bike and the elliptical. Going to try and take it easy today, and tomorrow I will be with my family for Father's Day, so that will give me time off my feet too.
 
Hi Mamarey I hope you had a relaxing weekend and a quiet Father's Day. I read your post on Friday, and you are a true work horse, aren't you? There's no stopping you, with your endless energy. I know how you feel, that great spurt of endorphins from exercising, burning off the calories, firming the muscles, feeling so healthy. It's addictive. I envy that you can actually do that now. It's a great feeling, exercising and it seems like you crave it, too. I find it interesting what your PT said about progressing more slowly by being more fit and active. It makes since. But you don't seem to not be healing. You seem to be able to do alot, and it doesn't seem as though the pain is holding you back. No matter how much you do, you seem to be able to get right back up and do even more the next time. It's amazing to me. Good for you.
Well, as long as you're not hurting yourself, it seems to all be ok. Going back to work will help to keep you occupied, too. You seem to have high energy and a little bit of a restless spirit. I just can't keep up with you! :) You're like a teenager with all that you can do! LOL
 
Yes, it is my nature to keep on keeping on, because that is what I have had to do since being a single parent for the past 16 years. I work hard, I work out hard, I just always keep on, because it is what I have had to do to survive. I cannot let myself go to the "envy" mode...I have only been on one vacation in sixteen years. I have great vacation time, but I spend it, catching up on chores. Today, I found out that my ex-husband has colon cancer. The surgeon removed a plum sized tumor from his colon, which had perforated. He will not find out until Friday, the staging. I have had nothing but time to reflect on health, appreciation and gratitude for the past year, but cancer is a whole new perspective. He lives in California, my children still need their Dad, as limited as he has been for these past sixteen years...Today is truly the only day we have, rejoice and be glad in it. I spend my day reciting the Serenity Prayer. Once again, my world is turned upside down, but I am praying and Let go, let GOD
 
Mamarey I think your children are very fortunate in their mother. You remind me of my mom, who was widowed with two children when I was three and a half and my brother 14. It is terrifically difficult to be a single parent, and with a father so far away you have been your children's rock. With your concern for their father and their state of mind, you remain a staunch and safe parent. That's so important.

And, yes-cancer is a whole other ballgame. I hope your ex's cancer is treatable or at least able to be put in remission. My brother has had cancer three times (prostate, kidney and skin), and he is, at 76, strong and vital. You just never know. With all the difficulty in the hip deterioration, surgery and recovery, it is not cancer, and I am grateful for that all the time.
 
Mamarey I'm so sorry to hear the news about your ex-husband. It must be so stressful for you to hear his diagnosis. You're right that your children need their Dad. I hope that the staging gives lots of hope for everyone.

You've worked hard being a single parent, raising your children, supporting them and being there for them. You deserve a lot of credit for being so strong and being a good Mom. It's very hard to face the world alone, and you've done it for a long time with little ones to raise and to take care of. Plus you've gone through your hip surgery and the recovery basically alone, still being Mom to the kids, taking care of yourself and them, too. You're a very determined woman, very focused, with lots of energy and a strong sense of purpose. Your children are lucky to have you as their Mom.

Keep your spirits up. I hope things turn out well for your ex and your family. You're doing a great job with all of it. Take care and keep us posted.
 
My ex will not find out until the middle of next week his staging and prognosis. In the mean time, he remains in the hospital and has a colostomy. I pray for his strength and recovery and may he have the will to fight the battle ahead. He has issues with alcohol, that is why we divorced sixteen years ago, and that is a lethal combination with narcotics. That is when I have to tell myself, "Let go, Let God". I cannot control his outcome.
I am heading to my surgeon on Monday, to rule out any tendonitis in my groin. He just returned from vacation, so I was very fortunate, and got in via a cancellation.
Incision is still healing and has scabbing in the innermost layers. The adhesion's have reduced some. Still have the energy drain, but it goes along with my activity. Funny how walking causes the greatest pain. I rode 23 miles in 55 minutes at the gym on Wed., and 15 on Mon., which included random hills throughout the whole time. I have the normal sensation in the legs that is always there after a long ride, but I did not have pain, and the elliptical, which I stay on for an hour does not cause pain, yet I cannot walk more than a quarter of a mile, and I get really tight and pain in the groin. The whole upper leg is still very sensitive. I also noticed that I now have several spider veins since the surgery. Guess from all that leg lengthening and manipulating he had to do on my leg. Oh well, it is part of my warrior scar. Still also have stiffness and swelling, but for a little over six weeks since surgery, not bad. I cannot wait to get my bike back from the shop and go riding on my old running routes. Continue to turn my next chapter...Happy Friday and have a glorious weekend!
 
Mamarey, reading back through a few of your posts, I just can imagine at six weeks or so, doing what you have been doing. I am not surprised you have energy drain, not surprised you have pain.. You have had major surgery, and it is going to take a long time for your body to heal, please take care, I would hate to see you end up with a chronic condition and not reap the fantastic pain free THR you so deserve.

Our bodies, will dictate the recovery time.. maybe think about giving it that time :)
 
You're right, Mamarey. The health and behaviors of your ex are not things you can control. It took me decades to acknowledge that the only behavior I could change was mine. Tough life lesson to learn. For your children's sake I hope he can be helped significantly.

You are doing a tremendous amount of exercise. That's great. I can do about ten minutes on the bike before everything gets achey. I hope your surgeon can offer a way for you to get relief from the groin pain. I was wondering about spider veins. I have some new ones, too. Kind of hoping they go away eventually but have no idea if that's possible.

Enjoy your outdoor rides when your bike comes home.
 
Mamarey hang in there :) I'll bet all that exercising gives your brain a rest, and helps you sleep better, but Poppet has a point. When you go back to work in a week or so, you will have a whole lot more activity added to your schedule.
I've recently decided that all the stuff I do around the house is henceforth substituting for some PT and some walking distance. It was hard to admit to that, but I think I need to find a balance so I can, say, go to the movies tomorrow night without killing myself LOL.
If you made it into your 50's with no spider veins, wow! Warrior scars, yep, that's what they are. I think I got some added ones too, but I haven't been keeping close track. I inherited bounteous spider veins from my mom, and have blue ankles to look forward to...:sigh:
 
Ok, just as an example... This was my exercise yesterday.. Spring cleaned (I so want winter over and we are not even a month into it) two bathrooms (and I mean scrubbed! I use white vinegar, very effective and not a nasty chemical and bicarbonate soda), cleaned all the appliances in the kitchen, stove, fridge, microwave, tiles, sinks, vac'd our four bedroom house, washed my tiled floors, which is most of the house, washed sheets, towels, clothes, etc. etc. made the beds up, and cooked dinner..

The reason I mention this is because all this bending and stretching is exercise.. This is what we do every day in general living.. sure even at 19 months post I was pooped, my back was aching, and I felt tired, but it was a good tired..

I had the perfect workout yesterday..
 
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