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THR Stripey joins the hippies!

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@dede62 I am in the Seattle area. I've been surprised at how quickly the days go by when I am doing nothing. I think this phase of recovery will go by quickly. It is now day 4 post-surgery and I do feel measurably better each day. My pain continues to be minimal so I'm only taking OTC medications during the day. I feel impatient about getting off the crutches/walker but do not want to jeopardize my recovery so will follow OS instructions to the letter.

@pottergirl I was so afraid of being 'aware' during the procedure, but when it happened it didn't even matter. Those drugs are so powerful. I'm so happy I didn't have general anesthesia or I'm sure I would have spent much longer in the hospital.
 
Day 9.
Again, it's amazing how fast these days are going by. The good: I'm down to one crutch (tried a cane but it felt too wobbly yet in my left (non-dominant) hand), pain has been truly minimal and I've been off narcotic pain meds for nearly a week, I can sleep on my side comfortably with the help of some pillows, staples are out and it didn't hurt (!), blimp thigh is nearly back to normal size. The not-so-good: I've had a persistent case of diarrhea - perhaps due to the abx in the hospital? Also, though I've never had back problems I was starting to have some back spasms from all the back-sleeping. Hopefully the side-sleeping will eliminate that. Definitely the good is outweighing the bad and I'm pleased with my recovery. The post-surgical "pain" is not at all what I expected. I thought I would feel a deep aching in my bone where all the sawing and hammering happened. Instead, it's a tightness and soreness in the muscles of my thigh, plus some tenderness around the incision which has improved greatly since the first week. I wonder if others have experienced the same?

When I had my staples out yesterday I was encouraged to start moving more. Approved activities are walking, stationary bike with zero resistance, and pool exercise. Since I don't have a stationary bike and can't drive to a pool, I'm left with walking. Today's goal is the end of the block and back. The weather is gorgeous here so I'm looking forward to it. By the end of next week I will start working remotely (from home) a few hours a day to stretch out my medical leave. Every day is better, just as all of you said it would be!
 
Oh the diarrhea ...make sure you are taking your probiotics. Glad to hear you are feeling generally well, just don't push yourself too hard. :snork:
 
Good report:) If you go to outpatient PT they will have lots of great equipment . The stationary bike has been my savior .. I credit it with most if my leg strength coming back so quickly ..If you do not do PT I am sure walking will do same.. Sounds like everything is going great .. Minus Diarreah!!!! Hope that improves soon:)


LTHR Direct Anterior May 19, 2014
 
@pottergirl what sort of probiotic do you recommend? I know about Activia, but I'm not able to eat yogurt. Not much of a pill-taker except for calcium and Vit D, but I'll try anything to get past this nuisance. @psychteach I won't be cleared for PT until 8 weeks. OS is strict about it. My gym has stationary bikes but again there is the driving thing :nah:. I think I will work on the walking, with the goal of getting back in the drivers seat so I can get to pool and gym. I only walked a block yesterday, but can "feel" it today. Those muscles are waking up!

@lablawrence I hope you are doing well in these early days. It is good to be on the other side, no? :thumb:
 
I used Ultimate Flora which I got from my health food store. It's kind of expensive, and when I ran out I just bought some acidophilus from the pharmacy which was cheaper. I stayed on it for quite a while because my system was pretty messed up from the abx. I hope you feel better soon.
 
Can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my surgery. I thought that the days would go by slowly, but time just flies! My recovery has been very uneventful.

I am using only a cane now. I have muscle soreness, especially if I sit for very long and when I first get up in the morning. I'm taking slow, short walks around the neighborhood with my cane, trying to take normal sized steps and stand up straight. On occasion I get some tightness in my hamstrings or calf (op side). Anybody else have this? I stretch gently after I get home and it seems to resolve. I've started wearing my Fitbit again so I can track my steps and monitor when I feel like I've done too much. Yesterday I walked over 5000 steps and today feel pretty good! I'm glad to be recovering during this time of year when the weather is so nice and walking is pleasant.

Last week I went for a 15 minute walk and 5 minutes into it I realized I hadn't changed into my good walking shoes with the custom orthotics. Didn't want to go back home to change and figured for such a short walk it wouldn't matter, so finished the walk in my house shoes. That night I realized how important good shoes are - I was very sore in spite of ice and elevation, and still felt it a little bit the next day. Live and learn.

In the house I have started walking without any aid, but outdoors I always have my cane. I still use a transfer bench in the shower since I'm usually home alone when I shower and don't want to risk a fall. I have adequate pain control with celebrex and tylenol, and am tapering off the celebrex. I need lots of rest! I sleep about 10 hours each night and usually need a nap mid-day.

All in all I'm very pleased with my recovery and am trying hard not to be impatient and do something stupid that might set me back.
 
Sounds like you are getting along well :), I remember that strong need for rest! I can't believe how much I slept during the first six weeks. :heehee:
 
You are doing great @Stripey , and making wise choices to protect your hip.
Continued success, and all the best to you....
 
@Stripey, so today is your 1 month anniversary. How are you doing? The weather has been AWESOME, hasn't it?! Hopefully, you're getting out and feeling a little more confident, but not so much to over do it! :no-fin:

Have you been able to work some from home? Be careful even with that as it will sap your energy and your brain will be saying "Nap, Nap, Nap"!:sleep:

I hope you continue your excellent recovery!:cool:
 
@dede62 it has been a busy few days with several milestones, thanks for asking! I got rid of the shower bench and raised toilet seat, and best of all I am able to drive as of yesterday! Today got my hair done and feel almost human again. I also went into work for a meeting, and it was great to see everyone. I was cleared to work 3 hours per day from home for the past couple of weeks, and have asked to return to work full-time on July 15, although in reality I will probably ease into it over a week or two. I have been walking, being careful not to overdo, and icing regularly. The hard thing will be getting up early again. I've gotten used to a slothful schedule, just sleeping until I feel like getting up. At first it was a necessity but lately I think it's gotten to be more of a habit:sleep:

This weather has been outrageous! I hope you are enjoying it.
 
@Stripey, sounds like you're making great progress! Keep up the good work and restraint! So glad to hear you're driving and yes, I know getting your hair done was just what the doctor ordered after the initial recovery period. Going in to work at first was quite the adjustment and I was lucky enough to come back to work on two "three day weeks" just past Christmas, so it was a nice way to start back into the routine.
:flwrysmile:
 
6 week anniversary today! I have been walking without a cane for about 5 days now. Yesterday was my first day breaking 5 miles total - broken into several walks - and it felt great. I've been alternating easy and hard days, and the weather has cooled off a bit so walking is more pleasant. I get a tightness in my right hamstring when I walk, and still have soreness in thigh muscles when I first get up from sitting, but even with that, walking feels SO much better now than it did before surgery.

I can put my socks on, and can tie my shoes by sitting in a hardback chair and propping my heel on one of the rails. Not able to trim my toenails yet (kind of afraid to try, don't want to 'pop' anything at this stage of the game when I can taste sweet freedom!) I'm back at work full-time and my energy has held up better than I expected, but I'm taking it easy. For now, I don't do anything else during the weekdays except work - no extracurricular activities in the evening except for a walk. All energy goes toward getting to work, doing a little walking and then resting and getting into bed early. Fun has to be deferred until the weekend for a couple more weeks. I'm looking forward to my 6-week checkup with the OS this week and getting some questions answered.

Life is good!
 
[Bonesmart.org] Stripey joins the hippies!
@Stripey! Slowly, but surely, gets the job done, and you're doing it all right! Won't be long before you'll be doing more and more as you continue to get better and better.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.
 
Hi Stripey. Congratulations on your 6 week mark and all your great healing and recovery. I have enjoyed reading you progress and hope you continue to do so well. You mentioned some similarities that caught my eye...plus a fellow NorthWester. I am not in Seattle, but down in Portland. Have a good evening and enjoy all this great weather
 
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