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THR Solar 7's recovery

I hit the pace of 94 rpms on the recumbent bike for 10 minutes, which I felt was pretty good.
Please remember - you are not in training, you are healing. If you feel no ill effects from this, well done. Just listen to that hip.
Also slept on my side for the first time, which was a bit of a pain, strangely enough in my knee, which I think just bent over the pillow and was a weird angle.
Are you sleeping with a pillow between your legs? This prevents the top leg from falling forward and crossing the midline. A bit more supportive in these early days.
Starting to get ready to apply for jobs in a couple of weeks here... but I might try to push that until the 2024 hiring season in January and just give myself the 12 weeks to heal up and then enjoy the Christmas-NYE week before getting back into the swing of things.
Giving yourself a good 12 weeks is a great idea. You will be much further along in the healing process and able to cope with the stresses of the job search.
I didn't feel any pain going at the 94 rpms... and nothing bad at night or on the day after, so I feel alright about it. I'm not trying to push myself really, I just found that my brain was going back to the speeds I was used to when I was recumbent biking before my slip and fall. Especially with no resistance, it was pretty easy. Definitely listening!

I tried the pillow, yes. I might need a longer pillow or to find something to support my ankles to prevent that weird knee bend. I have a wedge kind of thing that maybe I'll try strapping to the knee, or ankles... or just go back to back sleeping. I'm avoiding sleeping on the operative side as much as possible just to let that bone grow in comfortably.

As for the job thing... I'd wait even longer if I could, ha! My career is very stressful and is zero tolerance for mistakes. So I definitely need to be there 100% mentally, but I know my parents are going to start pushing me getting work soon, and it's going to be a big point of contention. They've been helping me with a loan for the past few months so that's fair of them.

One last thing I did forget to mention - now that the bandage is off I've gotten some gnarly acne/foliculitis that formed under the sticky part of the dressing. It started to spread really fast, which is obviously an infection risk, so we've put me on a increased dosage of antibiotics and are applying bactriban (sp?) to the area to clear it up. There's been a very fast turnaround, but a bit of a fear there being so close to the incision.
 
I'm avoiding sleeping on the operative side as much as possible just to let that bone grow in comfortably.
When the time is right try sleeping on the op side. There is no risk of damage to anything. But you probably won't feel comfortable on that side for awhile.
I've gotten some gnarly acne/foliculitis that formed under the sticky part of the dressing. It started to spread really fast, which is obviously an infection risk, so we've put me on a increased dosage of antibiotics and are applying bactriban (sp?) to the area to clear it up.
Just keep the area as clean and dry as you can. This should clear up fairly quickly. Good that you are on antibiotics just in case.
 
That's great going hands free. I'm also doing that occasionally but in confined spaces where I can grab a hold of something if I need to.

You're healing very well.
 
That's great going hands free. I'm also doing that occasionally but in confined spaces where I can grab a hold of something if I need to.

You're healing very well.
I try to stay nearby something where I can hold on if I lose balance, even if that's just a wall I can lean up against.

But thanks! PT has commented I'm healing very fast as well. Still have to stay focused on not getting too confident and realizing I'm healing.
 
Baby steps....be mindful of pacing yourself.

I've taken off at times and thought ..mmm.. shouldn't have done that...

The hip knows.
 
The lead PT was shocked to see me walking and picking up my own exercise equipment today. She pulled me in for an evaluation and was really happy with my progress, putting me in the top percentile of people she's seen. I'm barely using any Tylenol or painkillers, and not even bothering with assistive devices in the house. My balance was impeccable on the balance board. I did the full set of stairs today after PT, so I'll continue with that. It's such a relief to just hop up and use the bathroom.

The big concern is that acne flare-up. If things don't improve with treatment over the weekend, I think I need an urgent appointment to make sure I'm not going to end up with an infection. Luckily I've been on antibiotics since the surgery, and have stepped up to something stronger.

I hope my positive story isn't discouraging to anyone... I feel a little guilty sharing. I felt that a woman on the bike next to me today seemed to be grouchy and maybe cut her exercise short because I was pushing hard so fast and she's been going slow for over a month now, apparently.
 
Please don't worry about sharing your positive progress, I for one, am really pleased to hear about it . We are all going to have different stories to share because we are all different people with different recoveries and as the French would say Vive La Difference ! I have most probably misused that saying but never mind :)
 
I hope my positive story isn't discouraging to anyone... I feel a little guilty sharing.
Please don't feel that way. I can only speak for myself, but I was a lurker here before joining solely in search of positive outcomes as I tried to gain the courage to schedule surgery. If we came here and only read of those struggling with their recovery, or experiencing a complication such as infection or dislocation, who would sign up for surgery?!! Now...if you were posting your great outcome on threads of those that are struggling, that would be a different story, but you're not, so keep on sharing the good news! It does serve a purpose here.
A great weekend to you, Solar!
 
Thanks for the positive reinforcement on talking about successes, all.

Still going stir crazy. Watching football is a major hobby of mine, but I have to admit that watching the fun atmosphere of games and people going about their weekends out and about is getting me down. There's no one to come over (not that I'd want them to come over to just sit here when I have nothing to talk about), and nowhere for me to go. On top of it all, my parents insisted I spend time in the living room yesterday instead of my recovery room so I wasn't shut away, and then promptly spent most of the day outside ignoring me and yelling at each other about their overly elaborate Halloween decorations.

Something I haven't mentioned - I'm a pretty frequent drinker normally, but I've been sober for a while pre-surgery and now post-surgery so my body can focus on healing. That's adding to the boredom. No drinking until December/Christmas. I'd normally be heading up to the bar to socialize and watch the games.
 
Trying to not be concerned about every little thing, but I got up from sitting during football today and there's a clicking/popping coming from the joint on each step. No pain or anything, just that.

It only started a few minutes ago. Is that normal? I've been a little sore this weekend and hope I didn't torque it strangely from too much walking.
 
@Solar7 I think it is usually tight or still irritated tendons that aren't gliding smoothly yet. Especially in your case after sitting at a game and feeling some extra soreness.
Many of us experienced this in the early days. I hope this helps you not to worry.
 
@Solar7 I think it is usually tight or still irritated tendons that aren't gliding smoothly yet. Especially in your case after sitting at a game and feeling some extra soreness.
Many of us experienced this in the early days. I hope this helps you not to worry.
Thanks... I wasn't at a game, just at home. It didn't feel like a tendon pop, it definitely felt like the joint. But, it did end up stopping. I'll double check with PT tomorrow.

Question for those of you that had a mesh over your incision (not the bandage, that's off), when did you pull it off? Last week the surgeon said the mesh would begin to roll up and peel off itself over the week, but it's not doing that at all, it's firmly stuck on there.

Let it wait as long as possible, or wait a bit longer to see some peeling? Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since surgery. I'll try to contact the doctor's office, but just interested in thoughts. Thanks!
 
Thanks... I wasn't at a game, just at home. It didn't feel like a tendon pop, it definitely felt like the joint. But, it did end up stopping. I'll double check with PT tomorrow.
Okay, sounds good, I wondered how you were at a football game already! :heehee:
The tendons and ligaments hold and support the new joint, it takes time to "settle in" for lack of a better way to describe it. Happy 3 weeks anniversary!
 
I had my bandage removed yesterday and steri strips were put in its place. The nurse told me they should fall off within the week and if not to take them off.

I am in no hurry to remove them so if they're on for a few extra days it's ok by me.

I think I'll get a mirror and check out how the scar looks and decide. Just don't want to rush anything.
 
I'm a little unhappy with my PT. Something they did to me the other day (I think excessive stretching) has really strained my calf/knee tendons on my surgical leg, and a little less on my non-surgical. I can't even flex the left calf and it's painful to the touch.

Also, I'm not really sure what their their endgame is for discharging me and worried they're keeping me just so they can get that upcharged out of pocket fee from me.

I assumed walking unassisted, stairs, and such would be what we wanted to accomplish, and now I don't have a set goal as those are daily activities of mine. For those of you who got discharged, what did they want to see before it was time to go?
 
I assumed walking unassisted, stairs, and such would be what we wanted to accomplish, and now I don't have a set goal as those are daily activities of mine. For those of you who got discharged, what did they want to see before it was time to go?
For me, PT always pushed to do strengthening exercises. That's fine once you have totally healed. But most PTs wanted to start the work too early. This only causes discomfort and frustration. You don't need sore muscles when you are trying to heal from major surgery.

You might want to pull the plug on PT and just focus on increasing your walking distance.
 
Hi
I agree with the above. During my last recovery tge physio had me doing stuff with exercise bands less than two months out. My muscles took ages to recover.

This time I have concentrated on walking and limited physio and it is going much better. Please be careful!
 
I do physio via zoom on a weekly basis. His main interest is how I'm walking and pain levels. He sees how I'm standing ,if I'm straight and can I sit in a chair and get up without pain. My hubby follows me around with the iPad.

I'm with him for another 3 weeks but by then I'll be done as I'm doing ok.

I think you instinively know your limits and when you're pushed too far.
Tell them to stop if they cause you pain. Their interest in manipulating your leg causes setbacks you then have to overcome.

Take it easy and rest up.
 
Yeah, I'm definitely doing resistance stuff and now I'm paying for it so I need to step back on that for at least a session.
 
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