Okay, really? I haven't posted on my thread in over a month?!
Here goes my little over 4 month for #1 hip and little over 2 month for hip #2 update.
It's been a busy time and I've been a bit overwhelmed with my endless "to do" lists - getting the garden going, planning the summer, organizing for work, etc. But everything's good.
I started at work last Tuesday. It went well. I work with kids diagnosed with autism and other delays in their homes. Most clients are under 3 but I do have a 7 year old as well now. The work can be fast paced with a lot of multi-tasking and quick decisions. It's also physically demanding - getting up and down off the floor with the little ones and hauling bags of toys up and down stairs. I've been practicing for my return to work! I used to sit with them kneeling on the floor before THR's. After 4.5 months of not doing that, somehow my knees got tight especially after THR #2. It feels better now. I'm also practicing getting up from the floor from a lunge position - which I haven't done in years. I've really been working on getting the ol' glutes to do there proper job again. It takes mental concentration to move in a healthier way but I can already feel the results. The exercises I do are tedious but are effective.
It's a bit odd going back to work. I feel sentimental about my recovery days in a funny way. I try to keep up with posts on BS but it gets harder to find time to write as much as I'd like. I feel like BS is my family. I want to stay connected as much as I can even when life gets hectic.
I did get a bit tired the first day on the job. Meeting new clients and their families can be stressful even if you're not just returning back to work after 4.5 months! I was grateful that my late day client had to cancel. But it was fun the next day seeing my 7 year old kid's face when she saw I was back to work with her! Priceless and heart warming! Her mom had kept it a secret that I was coming back. Ah! Intense, yet rewarding work.
Backtracking.... When I got my stitches out for hip #2 after 2 weeks, it was with a nurse who didn't work with my OS but who did work in his office. She told me I'd had Posterior approach, not Anterior lateral as I had thought! I was flabbergasted. She told me to stick to Posterior restriction's time frame. Well I was already driving by then, but tried to stick to the 90 degree thing and all. When I finally saw my OS (at 6 weeks I think?) I asked about restrictions and he said I'd been off them for weeks! I asked what approach did he actually do and he said Anterior lateral, just like my #1 hip (with a different OS.)! I told him the nurse had told me Posterior and he looked a bit perturbed and said, "Well she should have looked at the notes." I was relieved that my OS hadn't lied to me after all when we first met about his approach! But I was mad at that nurse for giving me false info. She actually looked me in the eye after taking my stitches out and said Posterior was the ONLY approach my OS did! And all those weeks I could have been getting my range of motion back! So then I had to really try to get in shape quickly for going back to work.
I rarely file complaints but I did write her up in a survey. (Thanks to some prodding from fellow Bonesmarties.) There was just no excuse. And her carelessness might cause another person more harm. I did include my name and phone # but nobody contacted me about it.
I still go to outpatient PT and will for awhile longer. They have all those fun toys like the massage roller and the big ball. And it's free.
I saw my (one on one) pilates instructor for the first time since my THR's. She was amazed and happy for me. Said my body, gait and movement were SO much better now! Nice to hear! She's also a PT but now has a studio where she does Polestar pilates, which is more rehabilitative rather than "get fit". I went to her again after that and made more progress. Just love that pilates!
I'm walking a lot and that feels good. Still haven't gotten on my bike outside - but soon! I've got the garden going and am attempting to turn my "deck" into a beautiful flowery "veranda".
More backtracking. I had a wonderful week with my daughter when she was off from school for spring break. So much fun. We went out to lunch a few times, saw friends, hung out and played with the cats, walked down to our little beach, saw "The Jungle Book" ( Excellent film. And I loved the book when I was a kid.)
I was thinking recently about how lucky we all are to be able to fix our hips. What would we all have done without THR's? Suffered and made the best of it as our hips deteriorated? I don't know. And we are also so lucky to have this wonderful supportive forum! Please know I am thinking of everyone and sending warm thoughts out for beautiful recoveries! (Even when I can't get around to posting.) It seems to be a busy time of year for everyone. I hope you all are enjoying a restful and rejuvenating weekend!
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