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THR Miss Muffet proudly presents - her new hips

Hi @Zelda - thanks for asking. Am buried underneath work hence lack of me poking my nose in as regularly as normal. Also have a couple of weeks of customer visits from next week, which I'm organising (or at least trying to) Operated hip is doing fine - just nags me if I overdo it (which I do). Helped with a lot of shrub clearing in the front garden on Sunday and oh boy did both hips complain. It's entirely my own fault of course. It is interesting comparing it with the yet to be dealt with hip, which is fast reaching the stage that the right one did pre Op. I cannot emphasise to anyone hesitating over surgery just how fast the decline happens, which is why delaying is not a great idea. I'm terribly out of date with everyone's progress - so, same question to you. How lucky to be the other side of both Ops and hopefully making fast progress.
 
Oh @Miss Muffet I can't tell you how good it is to have two working hips! I walked the length of our high street the other day and it felt like a different town. I used to dread the walk from the car park to the bank or the chemist but now I look and it feels like such a short distance, I almost can't understand why it bothered me before! And I'm finally managing to whip the garden back into shape bit by tiny bit. I'm very glad I have the luxury of the summer holidays before I have go back to work. I think I would have gone back around now but the extra six weeks is just going to give me the extra confidence and fitness. I hope you'll get a break after hip#2 and not be snowed under straight away!
 
@Zelda - soooo jealous! :bawl: I really get what you're saying. Having to calculate where you park and how far you can manage to walk is so galling. The 'new' one needs exercise but the 'bad' one holds me back. :climb:
It is interesting looking back at the progress. Once I was mobile after the last Op I had a honeymoon patch when I was able to cope with a reasonable amount of walking, then Hip 2 started its rapid downhill run and consequently I've slowed up again. You're doing well too with gardening. Although I can officially bend now (courtesy of operated hip) my muscles are weak and my left hip feels like it is grating and therefore terribly uncomfortable so anything that involves low level work is pretty much out for the time being. Any form of activity like that leaves me plenty of pain afterwards. So glad you have the summer hols to give you a bit of extra time to get fully up to speed again. Your journey has been a good one - really happy for you :yay:
 
@Miss Muffet I can relate to finding the balance between giving the new hip some good excersise and not overdoing things on the hip that is waiting its turn. I had some idea how bad hip #2 had gotten, but really got confirmation around week 6 after surgery. I feel a lot better than I did before the first surgery. Having one hip on the mend has been revitalizing. But I have had some moments with hip #2 that have reminded me of where I was. Here is to hoping we both have relatively easy waits until we get the 2nd of our matching pair of shines new hips! :martini:
 
Hi @gullimac - lovely to hear from you and thanks for that reassurance. It's always a comfort when there's someone in the same boat. Hip 2 is going to be done somewhere between end September and mid October, so I am focussed on approximately when it will happen. It doesn't make the wait any easier - am actually rather impatient if the truth be known! Hope things continue well for you :cheers:
 
@Miss Muffet, @Zelda and @gullimac - I just wanted to pause and say how much I and undoubtedly others admire and are inspired by you. Plenty of us hippies like myself "just" need or needed 1 hip restored to functioning, and that challenge has been enough. But you guys are going for extra credit!
:wow:

One thing I've noticed in my PT is some wording in the instructions. People will often refer to my operated leg as the "bad" one and the non-operated leg as the "good" one. An example is, "When going up the stairs lead with your good leg, followed by the bad. Then going downstairs lead with the bad leg and follow with the good."

I don't like to think of them as good and bad as if they were twins on a soap opera. Instead, I refer to the operated one as the "restored" one. It served me as long as it could with its original components. Now it has been restored!

For you who need both hips done or who have had both hips done, I wonder how you tackle the referencing, or whether it comes up at all. Maybe "first restored" and "most recently restored?"

I just like thinking of it in a more positive way than the "bad" leg- maybe because I'd heard that for a lifetime already before the surgery.
 
@Sommers16 I felt like mine got complicated not long after surgery. Both hips were "bad" by that point, but I hadn't really acknowledged in my mind that the left hip (hip #2) was in as bad a shape as it was. I realized while walking steps. The whole up with the good and down with the bad mantra got confusing for me. I realized that when it came to stairs, the left was worse than the right (hip #1) even prior to surgery. Unconsciously when I got to the stairs I was already thinking of my non-op hip as the "bad" one because it already was prior to surgery. Once I started trying to explain that concept to people I realized I needed to adjust my terminology.

I now refer to the right hip (THR #1) as Mr. Right, and the left hip (impending THR #2) as Mr. Wrong. It is still a bit negative, but in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. I do like the idea of "first restored" vs "most recently restored" though. Makes me feel a bit like a vintage car. :driver:
 
@gullimac -the "classics" never go out of style! Sometimes I think of restoration as in a vintage car, sometimes as in the sense of a priceless work of art - but the common thread with these things being restored and with us being restored is the intrinsic value of all!

Thank you for sharing and keep up your progress!
 
Sommers16 said:
Instead, I refer to the operated one as the "restored" one.
Click to expand...
I like this! Although it does make me sound a bit like an antique...
:heehee:
Now that I've had both done the 19 weeks hip is just the "normal" one.
 
Hello to all my Buddies - it's me! Hope you've not forgotten all about this little upstart?

I relayed this to some of my friends on here, so let's start with a grumble ....

Had my Audit last Thursday and afterwards went to celebrate at a Tom Jones outdoor event in the evening. I contacted the people beforehand to ask if there was any possibility of some priority parking and explained I hadn’t got a blue (official disabled) badge, so could they help. Unhelpful response saying I needed a doctor’s note – fat chance at 2 days’ notice (and my surgery said they’d charge for the letter, but wouldn’t get it done in time anyway) so I emailed back asking if my hospital letter would suffice – no reply. When we reached the venue the walk from car to arena took about 40 minutes. There had been heavy rain and the ground was slippery and uneven. It hurt like hell – and the return to the car in the dark was rather perilous as I was nervous of slipping and dislocating my precious new hip. So they got a stinker of a customer feedback email from me (Keith describes it as them getting a "severe Pembridgeing". You only have to be in this positon to appreciate the difficulties you encounter – even if it is a temporary disability.

Such a shame that organisations like the ones who ran the event aren’t more understanding. Especially as the disabled car park was right by the entrance to the arena and had loads of spare space, which added insult to injury. Had such a bad night when I got to bed – not my new hip you understand, the naughty one which needs fixing!

On a brighter note - Tom Jones was absolutely wonderful. He sure can still belt it out. Must be the coal dust and practising singing in the Welsh valleys that does it - and at his age too.

Sooooo next step was to contact local Council to enquire about a Blue Badge. Had a nice chat with a very nice man who has emailed me an application form. Once returned to him I have a phone interview and then BOOM it seems I get my badge. Not sure if it's a temporary one, how long it will take to come through and if it is restricted to my locality. However it has restored my faith a little in humanity (not to mention a swift kick up the butt to self to explore these possibilities before being incensed at a general lack of compassion). You'll all understand that when you hurt you have a short fuse ....

And another great snippet of news

While travelling down to Cornwall with the other half I had a phone call asking what date I'd like my next Op (I had offered a window of opportunity). My first chance was 29 September and what do you know that's what I've got! Am dashing off to update my signature now. Surge of emotions - excited at the prospect that I'll be on two feet to take the grand-gorgeous-kids to the Pantomine in December mixed with please let it go as smoothly as the last one.
 
Great news that you finally have a date for hip number 2!

And what a lucky lady you are getting a blue badge. I was refused a blue badge pre-op. I was on crutches and in mega pain but they said since it was temporary I did not qualify. I don't suppose you told them you had a date for surgery? Maybe that was why they gave it to you. Well done!
 
Congrats on the blue badge AND your official date for that "naughty" hip #2! So happy for you. Relief is in sight my friend! :yahoo:
 
Thanks @Jaycey and @Readysetgo - I can only assume it varies from Council to Council. Such is the unfairness of the system. I hadn't actually got a surgery date when I made the call. Knowing my luck the blessed thing will arrive about 3 months postOp!
 
Well done on the blue badge. I was told they didn't issue them for temporary conditions.

Glad to see you doing well and I'm sure that hip#2 will go just as smoothly as the first. You know what to expect now!
 
Thanks @Zelda and @gullimac - true friends. I'm hopelessly out of touch - just looking at even recently added posts means I don't stand a chance of catching up. Doesn't mean I don't care, because I really do. How are you both?
 
I'm well - back to work a week on Monday which is both a scary thought and something to look forward to! Still prone to limping if I don't use a stick but aside from that feeling pretty good. I've been very pleased to get into the garden and can cut the grass, weed, plant and trim quite happily and I'm getting a bit of stamina back so I can now do more than one thing in a day without collapsing in a heap at dinner time.
:flwrysmile::wowspring::yes!:
 
Oh, @Miss Muffet , Tom Jones may be well worth some effort....but you out-did yourself!!! By now, you might know me well enough that I would have 'talked' my way back stage somehow and talked up his "people" and managed not only priority seating, but also a proper return trip to my car....for such a dedicated and devoted fan!!!!
Over here, I was able to get the form for handicap parking upon my very first visit with my OS. And it's good for 6 months....and throughout the US. I thanked my lucky stars for it prior to surgery....and am sure I will again once I begin driving again!

Congrats on getting your September date!!! Your plans are working out!! Having already gone thru this, keep that phone book handy....( for the divorce attorney!!!). Keep us posted
 
I am hanging in there with one "naughty" hip to go. I am slated for November for my second. Looking forward to getting the second behind just like you. New right hip is feeling pretty good.
 
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