THR on my way here, ready for my first new hip

[PS46]

Pleased somebody appreciates my "humour" @Zelda - my family have given up on me!

 

[shirleyH]

Hi Guys, my ribs are slowly getting better and I am finding it able to totter about between work surfaces without any crutches without any pain. I think I was just leaning too heavily on the left one and it was more muscle ache than rib ache. I am now trying to breathe out whilst using them and am moving on to sticks today, I just have rubbish power in left arm and arthritis in my left hand so it was a bit more stable at first to use the elbow ones, and that is helping; maybe i was just too tense. Everything is good, friend came to moisturise my legs and change dressing yesterday and lovely daughter in law gave me a pedicure and very pretty pink shellac toenails. @Horseshoe, keep reading, it prepares you well for your surgery and recovery. @Josephine sorry, must have missed the post about tags.

 

[Miss Muffet]

Great news about the ribs. I had a few strange aches which I've since put down to "crutch walking" ( apologies to anyone eating their breakfast for any unsavoury images this may conjure up) as muscles which aren't used to so much exertion were complaining..... I, too, am finding I can walk totally unaided for short bursts around bedroom, living room, kitchen, which is such a surprise. I don't want to push my luck and strain muscles, but it is SO wonderful to stand on a leg which previously caused such excruciating pain isn't it?! Got Mr M to moisturise my legs too yesterday. They get claustrophobia in those TEDs. A pedicure sounds wonderful - what a great friend you have there. Have a happy Monday!

 

[PS46]

Hi @Miss Muffet - if you haven't reached this point yet, you will soon come to the place where your new hip is seriously better than your old (other) one. I thought my old one has about eighteen months of active service remaining. It doesn't.

 

[Miss Muffet]

@PS46 - I have a sneaky feeling it's reached that point already (a little over a week postOp) so am not planning any delay now. Want it to fit in with our other commitments but really don't want to delay unnecessarily. I know it's tricky with work to consider but once this OA thing gets its teeth in it doesn't like to let go.

 

[PS46]

Agree @Miss Muffet - November is the earliest for me, due to carer going away for three weeks at the end of Sept. I was going to wait until next year, but can't see the point

 

[shirleyH]

Just realised as I was walking (unaided) down the corridor that I had got up from my chair and set off without thinking about it. so I have sat back down again to let you know!!! Just a little difficulty in doing side leg raises, boy it hurts my glutes, but persevering, don't want it to seize up. Part of the problem is that my left leg gives way while doing it but i will work a way round that.early days, never thought I could do what I am doing just ten days on.

 

[Miss Muffet]

Hey wow you! I did the same, quite out of the blue, isn't it wonderful to suddenly feel that sense of painfree liberation I find my hamstrings are the tightest bit, still a little bit of swelling and tail end of bruising, but every day I notice a difference. We are so close together in our experience - even down to which hip we had done first. Have you found that the left one is causing you discomfort now? Whereas it used to be the less troublesome of the two it is now actually the one I notice more!
Hope you're sleeping okay. Great news Shirley

 

[shirleyH]

ha ha sleeping ok? I can fall asleep standing up!! I think it must be the dihydrocodeine. I have always been a good sleeper but every time i sit down for a minute or two, an hour disappears. I still must have swelling round my knee somewhere as its a bit tight to bend my knees beyond 90 degrees, but mostly its this gluteus muscle in my right buttock. I still can't lift my leg when sitting or lying down but I have had two years of not being able to because of the pain and suppose the muscle has completely wasted. This pain i suppose is telling me it is actually still alive and (definitely) kicking. Just waiting for the tour de yorkshire to arrive in Wetherby in about half an hour, poor things they are getting a hammering from the weather but it is actually quite pleasant here. I had no bruising at all which is a bonus and my wound was glued so it is very neat indeed. Glad you are doing so well @Miss Muffet.

 

[PS46]

Hi @shirleyH - really pleased to see how well you are doing - but don't push it!

I am quite proud of myself today as I realised I can now go downstairs "normally" and so am hoping to crack upstairs over the weekend

I celebrated in style by ordering another ukulele on line - it's both accoustic and electric, ie good for gigs. I am excited about the new addition to the family. Trouble is, I "forgot" to mention this to my wife/carer and I cannot help feeling that she is unlikely to share my enthusiasm ... So, I am trying to think up a convincing strategy for breaking the news to her. I have not arrived there yet, but there is likely to be a serious amount of chocolate involved, plus a promise not to watch wall to sport over the BH weekend (or heaven forbid, even longer)

Have a great weekend
Peter

 

[shirleyH]

ha ha @PS46, my twin boys are learning guitar and drums and have had new kit and amps bought recently which seems to have motivated hubz as he came home last night "I have bought myself a guitar" I did query that we had three guitars here already but he is a lefty and says he can't play the others. Excuses excuses. But no chocolate appeared here. I did manage the last five stairs normally yesterday but clinging on to the banisters either side. I did two steps upstairs but only on the bottom steps. I have pretty good movement everywhere except side leg raises and lifting my leg when lying down. I also can't flop my leg down to side when knees raised (you probably don't want to think about that!) but am repeating repeating and hope it will loosen eventually. Apparently its called glute amnesia, just forgotten how to work. Went to watch the boys play cricket last night and took dog for a short walk. so things are defo coming back to normal. Eager to be driving. They are rugby tournamenting today but five hours by a rugby pitch in the yorkshire dales is a bit too demanding (and freezing, if sunny) so I am exercising and chilling. Enjoy your new toy; you boys, I don't know!!!

 

[PS46]

Coming along well @shirleyH!

I am planning to start back to work in four or five weeks, so now I am mobile, intend to watch as much cricket as possible!

It's amazing how these stringed instruments seem to multiply ...
Peter

 

[Miss Muffet]

How are you doing @shirleyH?

 

[shirleyH]

@Miss Muffet. hey, hi Jane, pretty good thanks, how about you? no sticks now but still a bit of restricted leg movement but probably a bit to do with gammy other leg. Need to strengthen my new leg to make it my good leg ha ha. Been sleeping on my non op side with towel between legs and that is sooooo much better. But its only four weeks i have to keep telling myself (the physio told me i was doing a bit too much too soon). Did have a sneaky drive round the corner (two very short left hand turns) to take the dog for a walk as he pulls on the lead and I was a bit stir crazy. Going swimming next week as I think I will def be ok to drive by then. Have you had post op yet, mine has been moved to 9th June grrr, should get put on list for no. 2 then. Take care matey

 

[shirleyH]

Hi @PS46, hope you are doing well, not been on here so much recently but i keep dropping in; as Arnie says, "I will be back". Hope you are enjoying the cricket. I used to live in Headingley so lots of cricket and Rugby for me in my younger days. Now I just watch my boys play in the nice gentle U11 rules where nobody is out and everyone get a go. And thankfully rugby is off season now. brrr. Will change next year to full rules and no doubt they will no longer want to play. Hope you are enjoying your new ukulele and various gigs.

 

[Miss Muffet]

@shirleyH - hey you're doing SO well! I've also recently been crutch/stickless, but now had to backtrack as Leftie is causing me quite a lot of discomfort and without aids I can be inclined to walk badly and don't want to start bad habits. I find this frustrating as my Op hip is doing so well, and I want to exercise it but even with a single crutch I'm getting pain. In all other respects I'm fine. Swimming will be great - am sure you'll find that hugely beneficial. Count yourself lucky having your follow up appointment - my OS can't see me for another FOUR weeks (that's 9 weeks since my Op) I rang today to see if they can get me in earlier, but no luck. I'm guessing till I've seen him I won't be signed off for driving. Let me know when your next one gets scheduled.

 

[Cynthia777]

Hi @shirleyH!

Stopping in to see how you're doing and mention that I saw you post on another thread that you just painted your toenails. Well, I just painted my toenails two days ago and they look, ummmm,

 

[shirleyH]

ha ha @Cynthia777, my toes still have blobs on them as hubz just "never gets round" to cleaning them off for me. To be fair he is suffering terribly with a bad back so he prob can't get down there any better than i can. Oh well another exercise to attempt as I will have to renew before jollies anyway. I actually just painted over the old shellac last time so they will probably be about a quarter inch thick with paint before long. Post op meeting today so hopefully get put on the list for no. 2. Glad you are doing well. First decent day of the summer yesterday, lucky you in California, 1st June here was 13 degrees, hail and thunder .brrr. yesterday 26. Bizarre English weather, no wonder we are obsessed with it.

 

[Cynthia777]

@shirleyH
13 degrees...yikes! It hit in the high 90's here yesterday. We will hit 100 degrees tomorrow and Wednesday! Fortunately we live in the high desert, so it's very dry, which makes the heat much more tolerable. I'm going to surround myself with ice packs whether I need them or not!

 

[shirleyH]

Gutted. . At post op Consultant says he wants me to wait for at least another year for my left hip. Says I am too young and my activity levels may mean further replacements in years to come.Only consolation is that I can get in touch with him before year is up if I start getting too much pain. Seems bone on bone spasms aren't enough, I have to be crippled like I was with my right hip. Said if I insisted, he would do but "so much can go wrong and I wouldn't want you to think I was the worst person in the world". Bit different from"I have 99.9% success" ! Now I have to decide whether to go on with admittedly not so much limitation and pain as before but with the knowledge that I am going to be deteriorating and suffering like a few months ago or insist we go for it against his opinion. Option A Is not a good thought. Plus point is how much better my right leg is. He is such a nice guy, so I want to keep with him rather than look elsewhere. A year is not long in the scheme of things I suppose but then he may say the same again when I go back. Sorry for waffling, just trying to come to terms. I was excited at the thought of being doubly mobile but will plough into weight loss and exercise now. Maybe this is the motivation I need to pick myself up again.