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THR Nerdgrrl has a new hip!

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dede62, yes I agree with your pt. It is amazing how much more stable one crutch is than a cane. I am doing pretty well with the cane, but I did notice it has been a step up in fatigue factor when I am going any distance. Probably because more muscles have to help with balancing, etc.

I can hear pecan pie being made in the kitchen, so I am staying out of the way :) Our plan is to start eating around 2 pm. Can't wait!
 
2 weeks post-op update

Happy American Thanksgiving, everyone! I enjoy reading other folks periodic updates, so I thought I would post one as well.

What I can do now:
(1) walk tiny distances unaided, walk further with a cane
(2) mild bone pain in my thigh is pretty much gone
(3) going up and down stairs "normally" (foot over foot) with just cane or handrail for help. This is still a bit tiring.
(4) fatigue is much less than early on, but still noticeable, particularly when active. I start to notice swelling before the fatigue, so that is my cue to get home and ice and elevate.
(5) shower standing up
(6) tie my shoes!
(7) dress myself unassisted

All in all, I'm pretty pleased, although I sometimes get impatient for healing to go faster, but I think that is normal. If I look back from now to the day I got back from the hospital, I can already see tremendous improvement.

Thanks to all of you for being here, being supportive, answering the craziest and most repetitive of questions, being silly at times, and generally just for being yourselves.

Much love and happiness to all!
 
(6) tying my own shoes ... that's the milestone I'm most looking forward to!

Great recovery news, nerdgrrl.
 
nerdgrrl Thanks for the itemized update. You are doing great:thumb: I like updates, too, and that's why I did my 8 week one this week. Everyone's journey is different, but overall, we're all moving in the same directions although sometimes I feel like it is two steps forward, one step back.

Aren't you glad we found bonesmart? I think it has saved my friends and relatives from being totally bored with me.
 
Well girls, maybe tomorrow I will itemize my recovery list on my thread tomorrow. It will be fairly short. LOL. Leg lifts, ninja crutch moves, tormenting the dogs with the grabber thingie and showering! Guess I don't need to post the list since it seems I already did :)

Nerdgrrl, your list is very impressive. I too am in awe of #6. I just wear sandals here in Florida because I can't put on real shoes yet. Thank God there isn't any snow or extreme cold weather here.

Happy thanksgiving to you too. Yes, I am very happy to have found Bone Smart, but more importantly, you guys. You all are awesome.

Tammy
 
NerdGirl,

What an awesome update, you are doing very well for being 2 weeks out!! Do you have some little exercises or movements that you do at home either from home based PT or your OS? Just wondered as #6, tying the shoes, does sometimes take a while to get back to for some of us.

Everyone's journey is different, so true...
Take care,
Cardie
 
C Mac - no special exercises, really. Just walking. It is probably more due to no hip restrictions from the anterior method. Still a little tender on the front but I can bend enough to get to my shoes.

sissy46 - yes, so glad I found Bonesmart! You are right, it may have saved some relationships. It has certainly saved , me from some needless panic at times. I have recommended it to a couple friends who will be having knee replacements.
 
So I managed another milestone. I managed to go to and sit through (and enjoy) a concert last night. The concert was at the Symphony Hall so the seats were nice and cushy. I got up and walked around during intermission, just to get things moving. By the end of the show, I was experiencing some swelling and stiffness due to the swelling, but I iced and elevated as soon as we got home, and it seems to be fine now. It was nice to get out and about!

Damn! - Sadly the lights we left up are the white icicle ones, so they don't work much for other holidays. OTOH, they are hanging in front of a white wall, so they aren't that noticeable...or so I tell myself :)
 
Glad you had an enjoyable night out. Slowly but surely returning to your new normal! Yay!!

:cheers:
 
:rofsign:Say it isn't so...icicle lights!!! Oh my! At least you were ready super early this year. Just tell your friends that you knew you were having surgery so the lights had to go up super early.

What concert did you see? I'm glad that you got to go out and enjoy something like that. Well done. It must have been very nice. Happy to hear that the ice and elevation helped you out.

What are your plans for Christmas? Anything special?

Tammy
 
What concert did you see? I went to the Orlando Philharmonic at 3 weeks post-op, but you've got me beat, girl!
 
I went to see Brandi Carlisle with the Seattle Symphony. She and her band did one short-ish set by themselves (including one song totally unplugged) and then the Symphony joined them for a much longer set. Plus the guitarist from Pearl Jam (Mike McCready) came out and did a song with them. It was quite fun, and really nice to hear the depth that the symphony added to the arrangements. Hopefully, we will be getting a symphony subscription next year. Our symphony hall is pretty new and they brought in an acoustic designer to help with the design. Amazing sound in there! It is visually beautiful as well.

Well the one nice thing about leaving the icicle lights up is that now they hang properly. Usually, we pull them out of storage in the garage and, because of the cold, the wire never quite relaxes enough for them to really look quite right until it is time to take them down. Now they look right.

Another big milestone - 0.42 mile of walking outside today, including the part of the hill I need to go down to get to the flat. I found a nice app for my phone that tracks my walking, tells me my average speed, and probably more, but that is all I use. I will do a longer distance tomorrow, since this walking didn't bother me at all. I think right now sitting and standing for long times are more irritating.

No special plans for Christmas, but my mom turns 75 on Dec 30, so we are planning to go to the Oregon Coast for her birthday. That was her request, even though we will probably be storm watching more than anything else. It's her birthday, so she gets to pick :)
 
Yay you nearly went half a mile! :happydance:


I have to agree with the sitting too long. I've taken to stand and stretch a bit every hour. I have to be careful though I've found if I'm not careful when I adjust that I don't get a jab in my hip that radiates down my thigh to my knee. Must be getting too close to the 90 without realizing it (until it's too late). :groan:
 
Wow, Nerdgirl I am impressed, you are doing great and not only have tied shoes, but perfectly hung icicles :) I usually put up Christmas decorations, so not sure how that will work, especially seeing that my downstairs recovery bed is where we usually put the tree, guess I could light up the bed
 
Wow, you're not 3 weeks post-op yet and already out on the town and walking a half mile!:thumb:

I agree, sitting is much more bothersome than walking.
 
Oh Nerdgrrl! I am so proud of you. Look how far you have come in such a short period of time. I bet right before surgery that 1/2 mile walk would have been quite challenging. Excellent work! I can not WAIT to be able to start walking again. Non-wb sucks! I just want to be able to get up and go anywhere without these crutches of mine.

Glad to see that there was another added benefit to keeping those lights up all year. Now you have the most perfectly hung lights on the street. bellaroma, by all means, light up that recovery bed. Create some Christmasy mood lighting in which to fall asleep by. Sounds lovely, dontcha think?

I have become very adept at sitting. Can't wait to be able to get on here and tell you how tired I get standing on my own two feet or walking too far :)

Tammy
 
Glad to hear you are doing well on the cane! Have you done the hill yet? I have a sloped driveway and found going downhill more difficult than going uphill. Actually going up hill is harder, but less scary and feels like its working my quad more where downhill feels a bit more unstable and scary for some reason. I am pretty much on the cane all the time now and am making a few steps unaided around the house. When I walk unaided its a bit like the old show Sandford and Son when Sanford says "I'm coming Weezy"! I laugh every time I walk like that!
 
Three week update:

Well, it seems like things are improving by leaps and bounds right now. I can do all of the week 2 stuff plus:
(1) sitting for longer periods of time
(2) walking a little over 1/2 mile with cane, plus walking around the house unassisted, unless I get fatigued (end of day sometimes). Will probably stick to that distance for a few more days before trying to bump it up since it involves some small hills that make it more challenging.
(3) driving!! Went for a short drive yesterday (hardware store and dog park) with no problems. Will stay away from longer drives for now, but at least I can drive around my part of town with no problem.

I was able to go to the off leash area with my dog yesterday. As it happens, the loop trail is about 1/2 mile of packed gravel and it was a gloriously sunny day. It went ok, but one small portion of the trail is still a bit steeper than feels good on my leg, so if I go back soon I will avoid that part for now.

Today the Orcas are supposedly going to be near by (they are off Tacoma now, but headed north). Debating whether to try for a photo expedition. If I go, I will take a portable stool. There is a nice area with a small flat pier that I can set up.
 
You are doing fantastic! Isn't it great to get out? I bet your dog really loved having you out at the dog park, too. For some reason, I find I am comfortable walking much longer distances on trails than on pavement, but it may just be that I am less bored out in nature.

Lucky girl, to be able to watch the Orcas go by. I hope you get some good pictures and post them here.
 
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