@ Herb Wow, again, I've been seeing you around the forum but had just found your recovery thread yesterday and now just finished reading from beginning to end. Thank you so much for your words of confidence about your self and your recent reference to me. I am trying here not to hijack your thread as I try to move some of my favorite message quotes from yours over to my recovery thread as they are giving me such strength.
My recovery from my first THR was going as phenomenal as yours until my "brain" took a quick detour. I am determined to keep the brain part on track this time. So I will.
Sure, I brought attitude, conditioning, a robust constitution, preparation, and other skills to the mix but the anterior approach was clearly essential as without it even perfect luck would not have gotten me out of the hospital nor immediate freedom from all 'precautions'.
So agree that our anterior approach is vital. In reading through all the "anterior" recovery threads, the "no precautions" are it. Before this year and my finding surgeons who did anterior, I was not willing to do this surgery as I saw no gain, just permanently living with changing my body to NOT be able to do in exchange for no pain. I could handle the pain, I wanted to be able to do. Posterior and lateral approaches came with too many "restrictions."
It really wasn't justified to take "sick days" and for me it truly was a vacation -- best vacation I've had in years in fact.
Ha! As I am in business for myself, I don't get sick days -- BUT this time I am scheduling my "hip-cation" with a big whopping three days off! I KNOW it will be the best vacation I've had in years - at least in terms of feeling much better the rest of my life for it. And, hmmm, it'll be free (or at least to me since Highmark has been so wonderful with their funding of this journey of mine!) which is kinda like winning a free luxury resort vacation!
This is literally true and though partly due to my enjoyment of the process, it was most a real vacation because NO ONE REQUIRED A SINGLE THING from me (other than showing up for surgery). I wasn't required to do ANYTHING. Everything I did was quite literally because at that moment it was precisely what was the most important thing TO ME.
Even I didn't make any demands on myself -- no guilt about sleeping late or sitting in my chair vegging or failure to wash the dog or not wanting to fix small issues with my car (even though I did a couple of these when it seemed like a GOOD TIME) or exercising (though I did that too) or even going to sleep or 'having' to take my wife out to dinner or brunch (I like to stay home but thorough enjoyed the times that *I* chose for us to eat out).
Yep - I'll have to keep this in mind --- I did look at it this way last time in that I was taking the three days off to take care of ME after so many years of taking care of everyone else -- Yep I am going to take care of me!
You may think I don't need that extra motivation and energy, but I have been SUCKING ENERGY FROM YOU KIND FOLKS LIKE DRINKING THROUGH A FIRE HOSE.
(and it wasn't an accident either) Some people need commiseration, but a challenge works better for me
most of the time.
Me2 again - I see myself being challenged by your thread to keep my positive attitude this time round. I think the "perfect storm" of events hit me (effects of anesthesia, the first outpatient physical therapist, my own phobias) but believe me I'll be "sucking the energy from you" as I am quite certain your knees' recovery will be similar.
It really wasn't justified to take "sick days" and for me it truly was a vacation -- best vacation I've had in years in fact.
This is literally true and though partly due to my enjoyment of the process, it was most a real vacation because NO ONE REQUIRED A SINGLE THING from me (other than showing up for surgery). I wasn't required to do ANYTHING. Everything I did was quite literally because at that moment it was precisely what was the most important thing TO ME.
Even I didn't make any demands on myself -- no guilt about sleeping late or sitting in my chair vegging or failure to wash the dog or not wanting to fix small issues with my car (even though I did a couple of these when it seemed like a GOOD TIME) or exercising (though I did that too) or even going to sleep or 'having' to take my wife out to dinner or brunch (I like to stay home but thorough enjoyed the times that *I* chose for us to eat out).
I did precisely what pleased me for an entire week. It was an entirely selfish week of no real responsibility nor duty and no guilt or shame.
Hmm, rethinking here, maybe I should take a whole week . . . . but I think I would miss my little ones too much and I don't even want to think of them all coming back after a week off. Hmm, but a whole week of taking care of me . . . . "an entire selfish week of no real responsibility nor duty and not guilt or shame" - WOW
but can swim with a special bandage he recommended and we bought on the way home.
Gotta remember this -- I swam and swim now at least a half hour to an hour a day and that was "not recommended" by my surgeon but I think the lack of good exercise early in my recovery was another part of the perfect storm that did me in.
It's not pain getting me up, not even the bathroom. My body just keeps saying, enough, get up and DO SOMETHING.
Yes, remember this, Sheryl, when you wake up, don't let yourself go crazy -- your body and mind does not like to "NOT DO SOMETHING" When and if I have sleep issues next time, get up and do something!
(Mental strength matters the most if you get thrown a curve during your surgery or recovery.)
Yes, I did know that. I am preparing for those curves but I don't and won't get thrown off track this time.
I can't thank you enough for taking all the time for posting such a positive thread for us to "suck the energy from"
United States
I am hoping all is wonderful and you are still celebrating "milestones."
