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THR My hip hip hooray journey<

@Bone-obo , you said it! She nonetheless insisted that I get on the bed and do even more of the flute, adductor, and quad exercises. She chided me about walking “too much”and “too soon” and told me I would hurt the next day because of it (of course, it was NOT due to the exercises she added!). And she said I shouldn’t walk outside in the heat! Huh?? SIGH! One more week of her and the OP PT begins....we shall see...

@rheerios ! Thanks so much for your input! My surgery earlier this month was lateral, rather than anterior or posterior. So, right down the middle! I have been careful about walking hands and wondered if that was enough with bandage removed. Glad to know from you and from wonderful nurse @Josephine that I do t need to do much more than keep it clean and dry carefully....
And,yes, I continue to walk. I side, cause here, just outside DC, it is raining and apparently will continue to do so thru the week. UGH! Will see Doc on Tuesday for first post surgery visit.
What I really hope is that I can sit at a table to get my work done at last. Hard to do jewelrymaking on my lap! Lol!
How long ago was your surgery? Are you SoCal or NoCal?
 
@sharonslp abd @Josephine , thanks for the feedback about the feeling of uneven leg length. The articles were particularly helpful. Hence, I won’t obsess or worry that my so-called good hip aches a bit as I readjust my gait to a new and better normal after babying the right hip for nearly a full year! The education was most helpful and not something that was delved into in any length in the books I read to help me make my decision to go forward with the surgery! (And long before I learned of this site!!)
 
Great to hear you have a post op appt. With my first one I made sure I had my Mom there so she could ask.more questions too since I was still a bit fuzzy in the head. What fun jewelery making. Just don't sit longer than one hour at a time because it makes my hip too stiff. I am in Northern CA, Marin County
 
@rheerios, good to hear from you! Marin is lovely. We have friends over the bridges in Orinda and SF proper (noe valley).we live jut outside Dc in Maryland. Hubby will accompany me to appointment, since he is driving!
I have been a bit lax with the PT exercises, choosing to walk instead, which she violently opposes. So I just don’t tell her! I do her exercises, just not 3x a day with 20reps for each! I combine with walking which I find does wonders for reducing the stiffness and ache.
Hoping I will be moved to a cane tomorrow (Monday. Dragging the frame around is getting old rapidly! We shall see.
So how far along are you? Which leg? When did you know it was time?? Did you try cortisone first? Let me say it wasn’t as painful as I was led to believe, but it also wasn’t as useful (3 weeks only) as I had been led to believe! Surgery decision came right after cortisone fail I. The middle of a major craft show.... sigh....
Did you say you had a career i. Law? What kind?
 
@editted I don’t know why you can’t sit at a table now to work on your jewelry. I enjoyed sewing and within a week I was back at my sewing machine. Just don’t sit too long at once. Then take a short break to move around a bit and then you can go back. We are among the lucky ones to have “quiet” things we enjoy to pass the time. Some people get so bore during recovery and have nothing they enjoy doing. TV gets old fast! You mentioned a craft show. Do you have a website or do you just do shows?

As far as PT goes, my OS said no PT needed for hips but he still gave me a script. At first I felt like I needed to “work on my recovery “ so I did some PT but quickly stopped as he repeated to me that I didn’t need it and from all I read on this fantastic site, I could see that was true. I got my range of motion back just fine and recovery went smoothly. It seems to me that many who really push the PT are the ones who are sore and run into issues so I was glad I opted for no PT. The walking is what you really need so keep it up. It sounds like your recovery is going great!

Make sure to take a list of any questions you have to the dr visit this week. We all seem to forget some of the things we wanted to ask once we get there. Then let us all know how the visit went!
 
I asked my physician whether one leg (the ‘bad’ one) was now longer than the other. Mine, yes, by 5 millimeters. He also told me that with a centimeter or a couple of centimeters he would recommend a lift in the other shoe, but 5 millimeters was something that I would gradually get used to. We’ll see.
 
@GrannyC , I have just set up my beadwork at the dining room table and will get to work tomorrow! Two necklaces to finish up and a pattern from a friend to review and test! As you have suggested, I will get up and move regularly and not spend too much time with my legs dangling... thanks for the encouragement! Just the kick in the derrière I needed!!

@Jan1956 , I will ask my doctor on Tuesday. I can say that it already is feeling more even after just under 2 weeks....
 
Yeah! Good for you @editted !! You will find your day goes so much better when you have something you enjoy doing. I had a hard time concentrating on much like reading a book for a couple weeks but my sewing took no thinking so it worked out well. You will find your recovery goes much faster than you can imagine. It’s all pretty incredible really.
 
@editted love Orinda and SF. I have always wanted to get back East. IIwas born in New York but we moved when I was two and I have never been back. Need to do something about that. You can check out my thread too for my whole story. I had anterior right hip on 6/13/18. I am not big on drugs or shots (I know there's a time and place for them, but I avoid them when I can) so I never did any injections. I tease my sister because last August she started having pain then I did. We both got same side THR and she is six weeks ahead of me. When my OS said it was bone on bone I opted for surgery right away. He told me cortisone shots would only prolong the inevitable-surgery so I went for it. I am a self employed Event Planner and I love jewelry. Post some photos of your jewels.

Not sure why PT wants you to limit walking. Haha, you go girl and what she doesn't know won't hurt her. Listening to your body is key and you are doing fabulous. I don't do all the exercises either every day. The cane will come in time. Be patient (I know that's not a quality anyone would describe me as) and you will be back to your active self. I bought one of those large gel/clay ice packs that can cover hip, thigh and groin all in one session. I bought from my PT and love it. Ice is my friend!

Have a great day and I look forward to seeing more updates.
 
editted said:
She nonetheless insisted that I get on the bed and do even more of the flute, adductor, and quad exercises.
Click to expand...
Tut, tut! Did you not read this that was in the post with all the recovery articles?

Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.
 
@Josephine, I found it difficult, no, impossible, to tell the PT that I didn’t want to do the exercises while she was there. When I comment about walking, she tells me not to do so, When I comment about hurting from some of the exercises, she says it is because I don’t relax enough between reps. This is my last seek of home-based PT sessions. Next week, my doctor wants me to begin outpatient -drive to it off site- PT that I schedule(or not schedule)on my own.
So, other than her PT this week, I shall keep walking, hopefully with a cane and not the damned walking frame! Even walking the halls is ok by me, particularly since this week the weather doesn’t permit outdoor walking (rain, rain and more rain). And I feel better. I have more energy for longer each day.
 
:wave:Just chiming in on PT....my OS said no need, but also gave me a script for 5 visits. I went to 3! Lol! Of course, my PT and I are very close since we've been through 2 TKR together. Bottom line, l've done no exercises and at 6 weeks can do whatever I want to with the hip happy to cooperate! I do get tired and when I sit to rest, I always elevate and ice just for good measure ( or out of habit! ) Like you, I have walked several times a day. We are in the South where it is hot and humid, so I walk in our supermarket! Oh, yes! I was totally convinced during the first few weeks that my THR leg was several inches longer! :bawl:Of course, it is not and it all soon evened out!
 
@Thesoutherncook , thanks so much for the input! I am a northern cook (lol) who loves to tinker in the kitchen with various world cuisines!

I have 2 more PT sessions for in-home service. The likelihood is that I will get a scrip from my doc tomorrow at my 2 week visit. Then I will make some decisions about whether to continue the PT at all. Frankly, I feel so much better today after NOT having the PT session (she cancelled and I was informed by the service about an hour after she was supposed to be here!). I walked, stood up and prepped a meal (peeling and deveining prawns; finely slicing shallots and garlic....and organizing a chopped salad), sat and read, took a nap, and then cooked dinner for hubby and me... now about to shower and read some more. My hip hasn’t given me a whimper of trouble today, though it is a bit sore in a few spots when I walk. But 12 days out, it ain’t too bad, I guess! Hoping to have the doc say I can move to cane tomorrow. Hate the walking frame! Oh, and my legs feel more even, yay!
Thanks sooooooo much for your insights and input!
 
@Josephine, thank you for the kick in the kiester! As a health policy person, I KNOW about consent, but for some reason,and for the first time, I became. Sheep! I have always questioned and challenged healthcare providers about options and alternatives. And I will now put on my big girl pants and do the same with the PT the next time I see her. (She was supposed to come today, but I got a late call cancelling without a stand-in for her. Hmmmmm. I found it somewhat unprofessional. Gives me more incentive. Thanks for helping me get over the “whatever you say, health professional” mind set!
 
Well, back from the doctor following my 2-week post surgery check. He deemed the incision to be healing nicely. And both my doc and his fabulous PA were delighted by my heel-toe, light footed walking. Suggesting it was time for me to start using the cane AND the walker for the rest of the week, and shifting to the cane alone thereafter.

When I asked about walking as a preferred activity over formal PT, they agreed that walking is the most important thing I should be doing! Hooray! They told me to switch to OP therapy beginning this coming week and to “just keep walking” a bit more each day (sounds familiar, huh?). No more martint PT and no more compression socks unless I want them! Ha ha ha! They were surprised I had no pain meds beyond 325 mg Tylenol, but pleased that the pain was more ache than anything else.

When I get to the outpatient PT program, we will discuss how best to get my outturning right foot back to center,. According to the Doc,apparently it is all about the Dreaded IT band. Hr urged patience and a slow rehab with the PT on that bit. (And based on the experiences of some who reported I here, I WILL be very patient!)

Among the other news from the doctor visit is a new appointment at 6 weeks from surgery. AND permission to take a drive (with only one shake out the legs stop) to the beach. While I have absolutely no intention of going ON the beach, It will be a delight to walk the boardwalk of our seaside community and to be OUT on the balcony overlooking the ocean. It is an affirmation of recovery!

AND I will be able to drive in 3 more weeks at most!

I am over the moon! And that is without any pain meds to help! Lol!
 
@Layla , can you change the title of mt recovery thread to “My hip hip hooray journey”. Surely I was only 1 week out for a week, lol! Tnx
 
Hi @editted
I'll certainly put in your request. One of the Moderators will change it soon.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
 
@Josephine , Not to derail the thread, but this issue of consent is of interest to me.

I’ve just claimed sickness benefits from my disability insurer for the loss of income sustained during the time away from my business post op. My OS completed the medical form. On it is a seemingly innocuous question: “was the patient compliant?”

Well, I was actually 100% compliant, but had I refused the PT’s instructions or the OS’ manipulation, he may not have answered yes. And that may have had adverse consequences for my claim.

My point: naturally, consent is entirely voluntary. But withholding it can have unforeseen consequences. So it seems there may be ways to secure it with the connivance of insurers.
 
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