THR Meggzie is bilaterally bionic!
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craftdee
graduate
It's so great to hear that it's "Mission Accomplished" for you 
When I first saw the surgeon that did my hip he said his job was to give me back a life without restrictions - doing what I had done (before the OA and AVN had advanced so much) because I could again... and maybe adding in some bits I wasn't game to attempt for fear of pain or limitation (as opposed to the two surgeons before, who spoke more in terms of what "they" could do, on a sort of technical level) Having just read your post I "get" what he was saying and it makes me more determined than ever to wait for him to return from his posting in Canada before getting the other hip done... being on the "same page" as your surgeon means the outcome you're hoping for is the one that he's working towards; and for each of us that's slightly different, it's nice to think that YOU are the important differential between one hip replacement and the next... I am truly thrilled that YOU've achieved the outcome you've been working towards, Congrats and long may the healing continue
When I first saw the surgeon that did my hip he said his job was to give me back a life without restrictions - doing what I had done (before the OA and AVN had advanced so much) because I could again... and maybe adding in some bits I wasn't game to attempt for fear of pain or limitation (as opposed to the two surgeons before, who spoke more in terms of what "they" could do, on a sort of technical level) Having just read your post I "get" what he was saying and it makes me more determined than ever to wait for him to return from his posting in Canada before getting the other hip done... being on the "same page" as your surgeon means the outcome you're hoping for is the one that he's working towards; and for each of us that's slightly different, it's nice to think that YOU are the important differential between one hip replacement and the next... I am truly thrilled that YOU've achieved the outcome you've been working towards, Congrats and long may the healing continue
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Meggzie
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Hi @craftdee 
I love that my surgeon has always been about what a good outcome looked like for ME, and whether or not he could make that happen for me, rather than what a clever surgeon he is ( although it has to be said, he's fairly clever
)
We actually had a quick discussion about the relative merits of different approaches/restrictions etc when I visited him on Wednesday. He also trained in the posterior approach in Canada, and it is his preferred approach. He's not wedded to the standard precautions and assesses each patient on their merits as to what restrictions (long and short term) they need to follow. As it turned out, for me at least, I didnt have any of those standard restrictions beyond the first 6 days, so I'm feeling pretty darn lucky.
I don't know that I can claim "Mission accomplished " just yet, but I feel pretty confident about drawing a line under phase 1!
Theres still a ton of healing to go here, but I am supremely confident that my new 'normal' is gong to be a quantum leap ahead of the old one! Thank goodness for surgeons who understand us and who are skilled enough in their chosen approach to give us our lives back
I love that my surgeon has always been about what a good outcome looked like for ME, and whether or not he could make that happen for me, rather than what a clever surgeon he is ( although it has to be said, he's fairly clever )We actually had a quick discussion about the relative merits of different approaches/restrictions etc when I visited him on Wednesday. He also trained in the posterior approach in Canada, and it is his preferred approach. He's not wedded to the standard precautions and assesses each patient on their merits as to what restrictions (long and short term) they need to follow. As it turned out, for me at least, I didnt have any of those standard restrictions beyond the first 6 days, so I'm feeling pretty darn lucky.
I don't know that I can claim "Mission accomplished " just yet, but I feel pretty confident about drawing a line under phase 1!
Theres still a ton of healing to go here, but I am supremely confident that my new 'normal' is gong to be a quantum leap ahead of the old one! Thank goodness for surgeons who understand us and who are skilled enough in their chosen approach to give us our lives back
OP
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Meggzie
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Oh, how the mighty have fallen! 
You would think that I would know better than to overdo it, right? WRONG!
This week I started back at work...my very easy desk job.....on half days. No challenge there, or at least, there shouldn't have been. Only problem was, I must have lost my mind. What other reason could there be for starting a hydrotherapy program at the same time? Doing more advanced exercises than I ever did with the first hip? Oh, and doubling the amount of walking I had been doing was probably not the smartest move I've ever made either
.
So now, here I am, back on prescription pain meds, just about needing a cane and feeling like a first class idiot with no one to blame but me!
Oh well, I know the cure for what ails me....REST, ice, elevation and meds......
You would think that I would know better than to overdo it, right? WRONG! This week I started back at work...my very easy desk job.....on half days. No challenge there, or at least, there shouldn't have been. Only problem was, I must have lost my mind. What other reason could there be for starting a hydrotherapy program at the same time? Doing more advanced exercises than I ever did with the first hip? Oh, and doubling the amount of walking I had been doing was probably not the smartest move I've ever made either
.So now, here I am, back on prescription pain meds, just about needing a cane and feeling like a first class idiot with no one to blame but me!
Oh well, I know the cure for what ails me....REST, ice, elevation and meds......
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Quite a few of us take one step forward and two steps back Jena. Don't beat yourself up. We don't know our pain boundaries until we give our recoveries a little nudge. A few days of resting and meds etc and you will be fine. 
craftdee
graduate
I feel your pain @Meggzie .... no, I TRULY do feel your pain! Just when you think "I've got this" it comes up and bites you in the... well it bites you! 
I don't think it's a case of "blaming" anyone - even yourself; you took a bit of a risk with how far you pushed yourself, and you found it was a hydrotherapy session too far
Like you said, you know what to do next... ice etc, and it won't be for long, AND more importantly you know what NOT to do.. and that's ALL of the things you tried to do in one step this time, in one step next time.
It is frustrating, I am myself so fed up with "pacing myself" even though I KNOW that's what HAS to happen, like many here I am not that long on patience. I actually have a theory, that "younger" people who go for THR are exactly the types that are NOT going to be good at waiting out the recovery period... they're the types that are actively seeking a solution to something that's stopping them from being the impatient "do-ers" they want to be... so a steady recovery is almost doomed
We will, ALL, I'm sure, get there in the end.
Hope you're back on top of the world in no time... if not sooner :cool:
I don't think it's a case of "blaming" anyone - even yourself; you took a bit of a risk with how far you pushed yourself, and you found it was a hydrotherapy session too far Like you said, you know what to do next... ice etc, and it won't be for long, AND more importantly you know what NOT to do.. and that's ALL of the things you tried to do in one step this time, in one step next time. It is frustrating, I am myself so fed up with "pacing myself" even though I KNOW that's what HAS to happen, like many here I am not that long on patience. I actually have a theory, that "younger" people who go for THR are exactly the types that are NOT going to be good at waiting out the recovery period... they're the types that are actively seeking a solution to something that's stopping them from being the impatient "do-ers" they want to be... so a steady recovery is almost doomed
We will, ALL, I'm sure, get there in the end. Hope you're back on top of the world in no time... if not sooner :cool:
Me2
post-grad
Patience? Pacing ourselves? waiting out the recovery period? giving our recovery a little nudge?
and a
Look at it as a great excuse to pamper yourself a little!
and a
Look at it as a great excuse to pamper yourself a little!
OP
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Meggzie
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I saw my GP to top up on meds today. She's awesome, and said, "You're so cheerful and positive and gung-ho, and that's why we love you. Now, siddown, shuddup and rest will ya? Oh, and here....take these meds!" Can't argue with that, right?
So, I'll give it a day or two, and see what I find myself begging forgiveness from my body for next!
So, I'll give it a day or two, and see what I find myself begging forgiveness from my body for next!
zauberflöte
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Oh I was misty eyed and on top of the world with you for your ride on the BIG pony, and your lovely essay after. Now you have hit a speed bump but that's ok, you know how to deal with it!
I am soooooo happy for you and for Spud, the dear young equine!
My phone sent this using BoneSmart Forum, clever phone!
I am soooooo happy for you and for Spud, the dear young equine!
My phone sent this using BoneSmart Forum, clever phone!
craftdee
graduate
Oh, @Meggzie are you sure you haven't got the same GP as me, sure sounds like it My last GP (in the same surgery) was lovely too, but seemed to spend her whole life trying NOT to give me meds! In the end I just didn't feel she was "on my side"... for instance when I was in a particularly bad place hip wise she suggested yoga (what the?...) whereas my current GP had a hip replacement earlier this year and she's younger than me, not that she did that just to look like she's "on my side" it did give her advice and opinions a bit more weight though, and her advice was stop with the yoga stuff... it ain't gonna cut it with OA, keep it for when you're more flexible and can bend without screeching 
She was also much more "whatever you want to try" with the menopause thing too, after I suffered five years of "trying the alternatives" with my last doc, who, like I said means well, but five years of abject misery was enough, I'm already nearly weaned off the HRT that Doc 2 gave me only last year... sometimes the right meds are just that... RIGHT!
I hope you're kicking yourself back into a bit of strife real soon, maybe not as much strife as this time though
I just read what you said about your OS assessing each patient on their merits, mine does the same... and apparently I merited 12 weeks He did say that he wants me to think about nothing but the hip for 12 weeks, then never think about it again, so that's a big plus (first OS was full of "never"... like "you'll never be able to cross your legs again") I am starting to think that it's only having the restrictions that's keeping me (more or less) out of trouble now, after reading of your adventures... I always was a goody two shoes with the roolz - even though I like to pretend I break them, I only bend them a little 
Be happy, snooze big
My last GP (in the same surgery) was lovely too, but seemed to spend her whole life trying NOT to give me meds! In the end I just didn't feel she was "on my side"... for instance when I was in a particularly bad place hip wise she suggested yoga (what the?...) whereas my current GP had a hip replacement earlier this year and she's younger than me, not that she did that just to look like she's "on my side" it did give her advice and opinions a bit more weight though, and her advice was stop with the yoga stuff... it ain't gonna cut it with OA, keep it for when you're more flexible and can bend without screeching She was also much more "whatever you want to try" with the menopause thing too, after I suffered five years of "trying the alternatives" with my last doc, who, like I said means well, but five years of abject misery was enough, I'm already nearly weaned off the HRT that Doc 2 gave me only last year... sometimes the right meds are just that... RIGHT!I hope you're kicking yourself back into a bit of strife real soon, maybe not as much strife as this time though
I just read what you said about your OS assessing each patient on their merits, mine does the same... and apparently I merited 12 weeks
He did say that he wants me to think about nothing but the hip for 12 weeks, then never think about it again, so that's a big plus (first OS was full of "never"... like "you'll never be able to cross your legs again") I am starting to think that it's only having the restrictions that's keeping me (more or less) out of trouble now, after reading of your adventures... I always was a goody two shoes with the roolz - even though I like to pretend I break them, I only bend them a little Be happy, snooze big
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Meggzie
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Hey @craftdee looks like be both have great GPs - we are lucky! I needed to take a bit of a goody two shoes approach for the last week - so I took a leaf out of your book ... and it seems to have done the trick. Time is flying - its already Sunday again! I think I am mostly recovered from my mis-adventures of the last week or so. Spud has been ever so obliging in slowing me down...he picked up a low grade infection in his injured leg - so there was very little work to do with him, apart from giving him his penicillin injections for a few days. I did start to bring him back into work a couple of days ago, not riding, just work on a lunge line and in hand - WOW was he ever...exuberant! Picture a bucking bronc, who was having a lovely time hooning around, when he wasn't trying to jump into my arms 'cos the 'monsters' were trying to get him - 500kg of exuberance is just a little daunting when you're not 100% fit! I wondered if maybe he is just too much for me and I should find an older, more reliable horse. Of course then I factored in that for both of those two days there was a howling gale and the weather was suddenly cooler. Add to that the extra rich pasture he's on courtesy of generous summer rains and his behaviour made much more sense!
Yesterday I had my first ride on him since his injury/my op....I was nervous and worried that he might continue his...exuberance, but I needn't have worried. He was an ANGEL!!
It felt so fantastic to sit on him pain free! We didnt go galloping around like lunatics - even tho I was sorely tempted. We just did some basic, chilled out work in the arena in walk and trot - probably only 10 minutes in total. Neither he nor I are overly fit at the moment, so I think it makes sense to ease back into it slowly.... ALTHOUGH, in a couple of weeks I have an oportunity to have a couple of dressage lessons with one of our most advanced coaches - so I better get my stuff together to be ready for that!
The coach is amazing and I rarely have an opportunity to train with her cos she's usually here mid-week when I have to be at work - this time she's here in the week before Xmas and I'll be on leave...woohoo! I'm gonna get a tune up - cant wait!
I just hope the pony and I are up to it!
Yesterday I had my first ride on him since his injury/my op....I was nervous and worried that he might continue his...exuberance, but I needn't have worried. He was an ANGEL!!
It felt so fantastic to sit on him pain free! We didnt go galloping around like lunatics - even tho I was sorely tempted. We just did some basic, chilled out work in the arena in walk and trot - probably only 10 minutes in total. Neither he nor I are overly fit at the moment, so I think it makes sense to ease back into it slowly.... ALTHOUGH, in a couple of weeks I have an oportunity to have a couple of dressage lessons with one of our most advanced coaches - so I better get my stuff together to be ready for that! The coach is amazing and I rarely have an opportunity to train with her cos she's usually here mid-week when I have to be at work - this time she's here in the week before Xmas and I'll be on leave...woohoo! I'm gonna get a tune up - cant wait! I just hope the pony and I are up to it!
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Meggzie
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OH! I forgot to say that horseriding has to be the best therapy going! Today, I am WAY less sore than I was before I rode yesterday!! My gait is smoother than it has been this whole recovery - I guess the biomechanics of sitting on a moving horse really IS great PT for hips. The more I think about it, the more I wanna go get on my pony!! 
craftdee
graduate
So glad you're feeling better @Meggzie I know how hard it is to "hold back", you feel like you're wasting time! Of course intellectually you know that's not the case, but it doesn't change how you feel. I feel like sitting down is time wasting, even last night when we got home (it was still light) I decided to wash the car and hubby said can't you just sit down - apparently not! I suppose he only cared in this instance 'coz it's a 4WD and I can't reach the roof to chamois it, as it's a skylight it needs to be done; I said I'd be fine, he obviously was watching through the front window and FLEW out when he saw me standing on the top step of our little set of steps, grump grump grump, took him about two minutes and his bit was done! I'm wondering what he would have done five minutes later as I realized that I couldn't reach even with the steps so I was about to head off for the ladder
Sorry Spud's not the best, good of him to go out in sympathy with you though or maybe he just doesn't fancy the dressage instruction as much as you do
The wind can make the best horse skittish, and the fact that he's been "in a good paddock" would defo give him the energy to do some damage, I'm glad he behaved for you when you went for your first ride, he's obviously in tune with you - always a good thing in a horse! Glad too that you didn't "gallop around like lunatics" and only made it ten minutes, only because it means you're aware of not "overdoing it".... I hate factoring that stuff in, I reckon I sound like my Mum sometimes these days; and she's 84!!
It's getting better though, so I'm seriously hoping my patience is paying off. We went to a big shopping centre yesterday, and Mum (who's 84 but is SUPER active... she only weighs 39.1kg!!! I don't!!!) kept asking ME if I was alright, which I was. Anyway we went down a flight of stairs and I had the first real "I am SO glad I did this" moment; I just went straight down, on alternate legs, with not so much as a twingeand my knee didn't hurt (well, much) either - so that's a definite side benefit!!
Okay, gotta go.... tip run, ah, the high life Say hello to Spud, and point out to him how very much you'd like to have a session with that dressage coach... I'm sure he'll get there for you Give his some oats from me, well that perhaps won't cut it if he's had all that lush pasture! Give him a treat any way
Donna
Sorry Spud's not the best, good of him to go out in sympathy with you though
or maybe he just doesn't fancy the dressage instruction as much as you do The wind can make the best horse skittish, and the fact that he's been "in a good paddock" would defo give him the energy to do some damage, I'm glad he behaved for you when you went for your first ride, he's obviously in tune with you - always a good thing in a horse! Glad too that you didn't "gallop around like lunatics" and only made it ten minutes, only because it means you're aware of not "overdoing it".... I hate factoring that stuff in, I reckon I sound like my Mum sometimes these days; and she's 84!!
It's getting better though, so I'm seriously hoping my patience is paying off. We went to a big shopping centre yesterday, and Mum (who's 84 but is SUPER active... she only weighs 39.1kg!!! I don't!!!) kept asking ME if I was alright, which I was. Anyway we went down a flight of stairs and I had the first real "I am SO glad I did this" moment; I just went straight down, on alternate legs, with not so much as a twinge
and my knee didn't hurt (well, much) either - so that's a definite side benefit!!Okay, gotta go.... tip run, ah, the high life
Say hello to Spud, and point out to him how very much you'd like to have a session with that dressage coach... I'm sure he'll get there for you Give his some oats from me, well that perhaps won't cut it if he's had all that lush pasture! Give him a treat any way Donna
Angel1978
Sr Bonesmartie
Wow I am so jelious. Hope u enjoyed. I can't go hardly kills me.
SonnysWife
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Me2
post-grad
That's me being green with envy --- I definitely liked surgery in the spring and recovery by beautiful sunshine June in Pittsburgh. This surgery in fall and recovery just in time for icy cold rain, knee deep muck, dark at 5 just is NOT good for morale even if I'm too &#$@& busy with work to barely visit and groom my horsey. Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow
Ah, Donna @craftdee, I agree with you though sittin' down is time a wasting, sleep is time I might miss something -- ug, my body still wants those 12 hours!
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Meggzie
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Hey Donna @craftdee -awesome work on those stairs! It really does feel amazing to hit those milestones, doesn't it? It makes all the "patience" worth it......wait, no.....who am I kidding? Patience? What on earth is that??? But I will say.....Donna, step away from the ladder, no good can come of this
I have ridden each day since Saturday - the pony and I are both coping great! Yesterday was 20 minutes and today was nearly half an hour....the weather was quite warm and it was so awesome to get a sweat going that wasn't pain related....I forgot how good the sweat of honest physical effort feels! And nothing on earth ( for me anyway) beats the feeling of being able to follow the horse's movement smoothly, rather than bracing against it. And I'm sure Spud is appreciating having a more simpatico passenger! I'm not sure who the quote is from, but whoever said "In riding a horse, we borrow freedom" knew what they were talking about!
I'm a bit nervous about what tomorrow will bring tho....I started my exercise rehab program today, 10 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes on the treadmill, then some gentle ROM exercises on a total hip machine with almost no resistance...no lateral movements. Then a series of stretches.......dear lord, how did I get so stiff??? Nothing felt overly taxing, but I did ask my body to work in ways it hasn't been able to for a while. I have a feeling Spud might get a rest day tomorrow
@Me2 my first recovery was thru winter...I found the awful weather made it easier to cope with not being able to ride. I know that now you are physically able to ride and I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have the weather rob you of the opportunity.....but just think how strong those hips will be when sensible weather returns! You'll be knocking it outta the park...with no doubts about if the hip will cope! Poor Storm better get ready for spring (or at least some hardening up of the knee deep muck!)! And in the meantime Spud and I would welcome a visit from you and Storm any day!
I have ridden each day since Saturday - the pony and I are both coping great! Yesterday was 20 minutes and today was nearly half an hour....the weather was quite warm and it was so awesome to get a sweat going that wasn't pain related....I forgot how good the sweat of honest physical effort feels! And nothing on earth ( for me anyway) beats the feeling of being able to follow the horse's movement smoothly, rather than bracing against it. And I'm sure Spud is appreciating having a more simpatico passenger! I'm not sure who the quote is from, but whoever said "In riding a horse, we borrow freedom" knew what they were talking about!
I'm a bit nervous about what tomorrow will bring tho....I started my exercise rehab program today, 10 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes on the treadmill, then some gentle ROM exercises on a total hip machine with almost no resistance...no lateral movements. Then a series of stretches.......dear lord, how did I get so stiff??? Nothing felt overly taxing, but I did ask my body to work in ways it hasn't been able to for a while. I have a feeling Spud might get a rest day tomorrow
@Me2 my first recovery was thru winter...I found the awful weather made it easier to cope with not being able to ride. I know that now you are physically able to ride and I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have the weather rob you of the opportunity.....but just think how strong those hips will be when sensible weather returns! You'll be knocking it outta the park...with no doubts about if the hip will cope! Poor Storm better get ready for spring (or at least some hardening up of the knee deep muck!)!
And in the meantime Spud and I would welcome a visit from you and Storm any day!
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Meggzie
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Holy Horseriding, Batman!! Spud and I had our return to dressage lessons on Friday and Saturday. To say I was apprehensive would be a massive understatement. Spud was in a MOOD on Friday, and because we were off the property and in a new place he was just a little fresh. The coach gave me exercises to do that kept the pony's mind busy so he didn't have time to plan his bronc show!! I was happy just to survive that lesson.
On Saturday he was an angel again and we really got down to business. The lesson was a full hour and both the horse and I were sweating buckets by the time it was over (me more than the horse!) Of course, I was pretty worried that I'd probably over-done it...again! Turns out, I just had the normal aching muscles that you get when you return to riding after a long break - the hip was fine!
And this at just on 8 weeks since my second hip!! I am truly blessed. This amazes me. Every. Single. Day.
Dont get me wrong - I'm not standing on the mountain top shouting "I'm cured!!!!". I still limp a bit, I CAN sleep on either side, but not for long, the old energy drain hits at a moment's notice, my ROM is still not great (but good enuf for riding and steadily improving) and strength in BOTH hips is still sub-par. Given that I'm 19 months out from the first op, that's a bit of a concern - but I'll use this rehab as an excuse to re-train the "old" new hip along with the "new" new hip!
And I'm certainly not here to brag or to make anyone feel that their recovery is somehow 'less' because it is slower. Our recoveries are our own, our bodies set the pace. I hope that posts like this one can give some hope that things WILL get better - at the pace that works for you and your body, whether that be fast or slow.
Wishing everyone here a VERY :merry christmas: and a brilliant year in 2015
On Saturday he was an angel again and we really got down to business. The lesson was a full hour and both the horse and I were sweating buckets by the time it was over (me more than the horse!) Of course, I was pretty worried that I'd probably over-done it...again! Turns out, I just had the normal aching muscles that you get when you return to riding after a long break - the hip was fine!
And this at just on 8 weeks since my second hip!! I am truly blessed. This amazes me. Every. Single. Day.
Dont get me wrong - I'm not standing on the mountain top shouting "I'm cured!!!!". I still limp a bit, I CAN sleep on either side, but not for long, the old energy drain hits at a moment's notice, my ROM is still not great (but good enuf for riding and steadily improving) and strength in BOTH hips is still sub-par. Given that I'm 19 months out from the first op, that's a bit of a concern - but I'll use this rehab as an excuse to re-train the "old" new hip along with the "new" new hip!
And I'm certainly not here to brag or to make anyone feel that their recovery is somehow 'less' because it is slower. Our recoveries are our own, our bodies set the pace. I hope that posts like this one can give some hope that things WILL get better - at the pace that works for you and your body, whether that be fast or slow.
Wishing everyone here a VERY :merry christmas: and a brilliant year in 2015
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