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Plumber's recovery thread

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Plumber

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Ok done deal! Had a great night. Last night after surgeery. Used a Stryker pain pump. That worked awesome. Slept thru the night. Got up and walked 3 times
today. Getting discharged tomorrow. I'm doing this from my iPod & the hospitals wireless network. This screen is too small, but wanted to check in.
I'm officially a hippy now. Woo hoo !!!!!!
 
Re: Going bionic

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. Everything went as I had planned. I went through this during the recovery of my Femoral Neck fracture a little over a year ago. The pain is localized in a different place (buttocks) but everything thing else seems to be the same. When my doc came by for his rounds yesterday morning, I told him I was ready for discharge. It had been exactly 38 hours since hitting the recovery room on Monday. He watched me get up and walk with crutches, and then agreed with me. I was checked out by 10 AM Wednesday. I went in for surgery @ noon on Monday.
After getting home yesterday, I took a couple walks around our cul-de-sac. Perfect for PT. I also walked around the house with a cane yesterday too. Knowing I can do that really excited me. It was 3 months before I could use a cane, recovering from my hip fracture.
I rode my bike alot for at least 6 weeks prior to surgery & I know that has helped. I went into surgery with a strong buttocks & both legs in fairly good shape. And the bike didn't hurt my hip like walking would. My guess is I'll be back on the bike within 4 weeks. I hope so.
Mind set has played a huge roll in this too. It's real easy to lay here and rest because it hurts, but all that does is prolong your time down. I sucked it up on the first day (and it hurt!), but by doing so, I checked out faster than anyone ever has. Or so the staff said. Now I wont let myself lay down for more than 4 hours. It's 2 in the morning right now. I fell asleep at 9 pm. Woke up to use the bathroom, grab a snack, and walked around the house. Now I'll lay down again untill 6 AM. My day will be the same.
My home PT should be here today sometime. That will give me exercises to do while laying down. I've actually started them already, as they're probably the same as my fracture recovery.
Everyone keep a positive outlook on recovery & have faith in your ability. That is the key to a successful THR and getting your quality of life back.
Here's to a great recovery for all the September hippies, and positive thoughts, vibes, & prayers to all you October & beyond hippies. It's SO worth it!!:thmb:
 
You had a stellar recovery there, my friend. Congratulations!

I moved your posts into the recovery forum, okay?
 
Plumber.....everytime I look at your toilet avitar, it cracks me up:shk:......a little plumber humor! :hehe: Welcome to Bionic hippiedom! It just gets better and better!! Keep up the great recup!! :thmb:
:wink:
 
Plumber!
You are doing GREAT!! However; Please do remember that your body had been through a tremendous amount of stress and strain and give it a chance to re-coup.
It needs rest to heal so please don't over do it! Y'hear?!? lol seriously.... don't push too hard or you'll have a set back. Slow and steady wins the race my friend. :zzz:
Congratulations on being on the other side and doing so very well!
Blessings to you!
Nancyo:pray:
 
Nancyo said:
Plumber!
You are doing GREAT!! However; Please do remember that your body had been through a tremendous amount of stress and strain and give it a chance to re-coup.
It needs rest to heal so please don't over do it! Y'hear?!? lol seriously.... don't push too hard or you'll have a set back. Slow and steady wins the race my friend. :zzz:
Congratulations on being on the other side and doing so very well!
Blessings to you!
Nancyo:pray:
Click to expand...
This is my PT when she came over yesterday.....:hissy:
What she was saying was "just because you can, doesn't mean you should, walk with the cane!"
OK, I said. My bad. Dr. Ball called me at home yesterday too, and pretty much said the same thing. I'll be good I told them.
Took it easier today, and rested often after getting up and walking or doing PT.
 
Hey, Plumber....so great to hear how well you're doing. Just heed the advice of everyone and take it slow and easy. You have your whole life ahead of you and a little prudence at this stage is just a good idea.
 
OK, I'm 10 days post op today. Thing s are moving along as I expected. Slowing down was a good thing. It's wierd how long it takes some of your muscles to "wake up" after surgery. It was literally 5 days before I started getting pain in my thigh & IT band on the side of my thigh. They remind me daily now that they were traumatized. There was a little length added to my leg too, which I know has the muscles screaming as they stretch back out.
PT is going well. Took a trip to the grocery store yesterday. That went pretty well. The shopping carts are great walking aids. Perfect height for me @ 6'-1", to use as a walker. Much faster than my crutches. My PT ok'd me to use one crutch if I'm comfortable with it. It makes life easier having at least one hand to use to carry things.
Here's my Depuy MoM. My doc emailed me this xray. It's was taken right after surgery.
[Bonesmart.org] Plumber's recovery thread
 

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Just finished home PT. My therapist said get rid of the crutch(es), and only use the cane. She didn't like my walking posture & gait with the crutch. With the cane I walk more normal, and wont develop a muscle memory "bad gait". We did alot of new exorcises and really pushed it. She said I may be calling her names tonight though as my muscles scream at me for working them so much. She had me doing lots of wall slides, standing leg lifts, rubber band resistance, and ankle weights on the operated side. It's gonna hurt tonight! :shk:
She's discharging me from home care, and I'll start outside PT next week. This is cool because it's the same place I did PT recovering from my broken hip a year ago. Great Therapists and we already have a developed relationship & they know my history.
Today was (is) a good day! At least until my muscles scream at me later. :hissy::D
 
Way to go, Plumber!!! Hope you don't hurt too much.
 
Three weeks post op today! I couldn't be more pleased. I've been walking without my cane for the last 3 days. I still use it now & then, so as not to push it too much, but everything seems to be moving along smoothly. Most of my pain or discomfort comes from my knee, & not my hip. It's a bit swollen towards the end of the day. I'm cool with that. I know the muscles are still recovering from all the trauma.
I bought a body pillow to sleep with. What a difference that makes. I'm sleeping through the night w/out any pain meds & only an occasional ibuprofen or Tylenol, depending on how hard I worked my leg during the day. Being able to prop my operated side up on the pillow without stacking smaller pillows is nice. I'm a side sleeper, so that's been huge. I hope to be striding in smoothly to my 1st post op appt in 2 weeks.
 
Lots of people swear by those body pillows! Glad it worked for you.
 
Well I was 6 weeks post op last Monday. Everything going great!
Had my first post op appt on Oct. 30th. Everything looked great in the xrays & Dr. Ball said I'm doing great. "See me in 4 months" he said.I feel great!
I started back to work last Monday Nov. 2nd. I'm a superintendent for a plumbing contractor. Have walked some jobsites, climbed stairs, ladders, and basically doing my normal routine with little or no problem.
I've gotten my bike riding up to about 15 miles. The shorter days with the time change here on the west coast make it hard to get in any more miles than that. The bike causes no discomfort whatsoever. Getting out of the saddle and hammering isn't quite the same, but the strength is coming back.
My physical therapists have been adding lots of strength exercises to my workouts. It is really making a difference. My limp is almost gone as long as I concentrate on my gait. I developed some bad habits walking over the past year since breaking my hip. I just need to re-train myself.
To all getting a THR, I cannot stress enough how much training & exercise prior to surgery will help. It made all the difference in my situation & my doctors have all said the same.
Not saying good bye, but see you later. I'll be back here from time to time checking in. This site is so great for all with hip problems. It really helped me get by mentally while preparing for surgery & gaining knowledge of how to handle things. Good luck, prayers, and tons of positive mojo to everyone on this site. You're all a great bunch! To all who are post op, Good luck with your recovery & stay focused on therapy. To those preparing for THR, embrace it. Follow your Doc's instructions, and keep a positive attitude. You'll be so hippy on the other side! :D:thmb:
Peace, Tim

Man my skateboards sure look inviting again:sct::evil::D :wink:
 
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