6 Week Post-Op Visit Today

[Anniee]

I had my 6 week post-op visit today with Dr. Gross and Lee Webb.  Everything looks great, and I think they were surprised at how strong my operated leg is already!  Almost all of the restrictions were removed (other than crossing your legs at the knee, extreme stretching, and high impact activities).  Still cannot lift more than 50 pounds with the lower body either, but that's still so much better than the last 6 weeks!  As soon as I got home, I went to the gym and hopped on the elliptical (not exactly hopped, but I did climb onto it) and had my first mini-cardio workout since surgery.  Also did some lower body work with light weights.  It felt wonderful!!!!

I had an interesting conversation with Dr. Gross about the metal ions issue.  He said he has never seen a problem with anyone with a cup angle of less than 50 degrees.  I think only about 4 of his 2000+ patients have developed this problem. Mine is about 34 degrees for the implant, but he showed me on my X-rays that the angle for the unoperated hip is about 55 degrees.  Evidently, when surgeons first started doing resurfacings, they (quite naturally, I think) tried to duplicate the natural socket angle as closely as possible, which is almost always steeper than 50 degrees.  Then some people started developing the problems from metal wear, and the doctors realized that they needed to modify the cup angle to avoid this.

Also, for you ladies, we discussed the wearing of high heels (I really dislike the clodhoppers I've had to wear for the last 6 weeks!).  Dr. Gross told me that he would prefer I don't wear really high ones until 3 months or so after the surgery.  Not because wearing heels will hurt the hip, but he is concerned that I will get wobbly, fall down, and break the neck of the femur!
I told him I've been wearing them for lots and lots of years, and I have never wobbled and fallen.  I'm not sure he believed me, but then he is not an experienced high heel wearer.  I will use my own judgment.

I feel very happy to be almost back to even a better normal than before!  I am so grateful for wonderful surgeons like Dr. Gross!

[Lori Cee]

Wow, heels...  I haven't worn those for over a decade.  I think I might be too wobbly and very much the picture Dr Gross is envisioning and perhaps should leave it until impact sports are allowed.  :D

That really was an awesome review Annie!  Glad to hear that you are in the clear for real exercise and are feeling fantastic.  It's always cool to be able to chat to the surgeon too - I had all kinds of questions.  

The cup angle thing is interesting.  It makes sense that following the angle of the body should work.  Not being an engineer or have any mechanical ability whatsoever nor any medical/surgical knowledge but I am curious.  I wonder why the body works in its original state and yet the angle matters when the joint is replicated.  I understand the concept of edge loading and wear, so why doesn't this happen in a healthy body?  Or does it and that's why the joints of a lot of elite sports people need help later on (or is that a co-incidence?) Could it be that  bone and cartilage wears better in a healthy body?  I'm pretty sure that we weren't meant to deal with OA in the first place so the body can't yet figure out how to fix that problem (design and evolve not sure - but maybe one day our cup angles will be less that 50 degrees?  Are they all the same.  If we find a sprite 100 year old that can still do back flips and having all original parts would the cup angle be different than the populations average?

Probably a little too much thought required to be coming up with questions that probably don't have answers - especially when my coffee mug isn't empty of it's first cup of the day.  (I did physio before coffee this morning - think the whole world is a bit messed up for me today - so please accept my eccentricities! :) )

[newdog]

Anniee,

I'm glad you asked Dr. Gross about the metal issue. That is a question I didn't think to ask at my 6 week visit in February. I didn't ask him what my cup angles are, he said they are perfect and that was good enough for me. When I go back for my one year visit I'll ask him then because now I am curious.

Sounds like you are doing really good. Be careful about the falling thing. That is probably the greatest danger until we are healed more. At least you don't have to deal with snow and ice like I did the first 2 months or so after my surgeries. Especially watch any stairs that you are on. I am especially careful that my foot does not miss the step and drop down hard on the next one when stepping down. Just a thought.

The six week point in recovery is huge. From here on out you will notice big improvements. I am at almost 5 months and this hip thing is so exciting! I don't take it for granted, ever.   ;D

[Anniee]

Lori, I think you ask some very interesting questions.  I wish I had thought of them to ask Dr. Gross!  One of my friends has the theory that humans are not designed to live as long as we do now, and that's the reason we develop OA.  However, the majority of the people on this site are quite young, so I don't think that's really it.  It might be interesting to see an X-ray of my mother's hips - she's 97 and has never had a hip problem, so obviously OA is not inevitable with age.  She can still bend down to touch her toes, but I cannot quite see her doing backflips!  It does seem as if very active people are more prone to developing OA, but both of my parents were quite active in their younger days, and my dad didn't have a problem either. 

Steve, I appreciate the warning about the stairs and falling!  I will do my best to be careful - definitely do not want to mess up the new hip!

[hipnhop]

Congrats of your six week mark. It only gets better.  I am coming up on three months soon. I am doing everything I used to except run. I just competed in a 2 mile open water swim - hip felt great.

I use the elliptical as a substitute for running.  I am at the one hour mark now and looking to up it up in a few weeks. Stay strong and safe

[hernanu]

Congratulations on the six week mark, Anniee! Good set of questions and very instructive, thanks for sharing those.

[Lopsided]

I use the elliptical as a substitute for running.

What is elliptical?

Thank you.

[nekko]

Something like this:

http://www.squidoo.com/elliptical-machine
http://www.allellipticals.com/reebok-elliptical-machines.html

enjoy  :)

[Anniee]

Ellipticals are great to get your heart-rate up - like running but no impact!  Plus the ones at my gym have a TV-screen so you can watch TV while you use it if you want to.  I love to use them in the summertime especially here in South Carolina - about 100 degrees and very humid today, so it's nice to be able to exercise in an air conditioned gym! :)

[lori.36]

Anne you crazy lady, why wear heals already?  Have you been able to shave your legs?  Lol
I am curious a 6 weeks do you have the clunking?
I am at three weeks and still walking with a cane, I am wondering when did you gi e yours up?

[Anniee]

Hi Lori,

Lori,

Yes, I was finally able to shave both of my legs properly without resorting to any kind of acrobatics or contraptions with duct tape.  It felt great!  In regards to the heels, all of my summer shoes are sandals with heels or else flip-flop types that I cannot wear at work.  My "post surgery shoes" have closed toes - too hot here in the summer.

In regards to clunking, I never did have any.  I used my cane until about the end of the third week, when I found myself forgetting about it around the house.  By that time, I was walking about 1/2 mile twice a day, so I started my walks without using the cane, and only using it when the hip started hurting a little after walking for a while.  I think it took me about a week to get rid of the cane on my daily walks which I built up to 1 mile twice a day by week 5.  After that, I went back to work.  Right now, I feel like I could probably walk as far as I want to without the cane, but I've started using the elliptical instead to get my heart rate up. 

My limp is almost totally gone except for when I first get up and start walking.  Lee Webb told me this is normal, and will probably not go away for a couple more months.

All in all, I have to say that I am pretty amazed at how fast things have progressed!  I had moments in the first couple of weeks when I wondered if I had done the right thing by having surgery.  No doubts now!  I do think that it's important to keep in mind that we all heal differently, and that the main thing is to keep making progress.

[lori.36]

HI Anne,

Today I had a breakthrough day.  I am now getting strong enough to walk with out a cane.   :)  I am estatic.  I went for two walks today that we 3/4 mile each, I also went swimming and also the exercise bike.  I am able to walk up and down the stairs with normal range of motion, just really slow.  So thrilled.

Strange the only time I feel the clunking is when I am stretching or in the pool walking.  I am thinking it is the resistance of the water that is causing the tendons to respond.  My body has been put on snooze for a year prior to surgery.  I wanted to wait until I weaned my little one, but then I learned that I did not have to wean her, but still waited until she was 18 months old.

In regards to the cute summer shoes I think you are missing an ample opportunity to go get some new shoes.  I would suggest a pair of birkenstocks or chacos.  You need something that is low profile but cute and comfy.  Now that I think about it, I am going to tell my husband that I need a new pair of work shoes too.   ::)  We just need to brainstorm more. 

I am happy to heat that you are doing so great!  When did you go back to work?  I am thinking that I am going to stop in tomoroow and say hi.

Lori

[23109VC]

sounds GREAT!!!  Isn't it awesome to get back on an exercise machine and be able to use it without pain??!!?!!!

You will keep getting better and better - just take it EASY and don't push it!!  I got ahead of myself at 6 weeks, walked WAY too far, and my hip was sore for two weeks...

I"m now at 3 months post op and feel amazing.  I'm riding my exercise bike, swimming, and riding the stairmaster.  I've been back in the g ym for a few weeks now... I don't push it....  but I have no problem working up a sweat...

congrats on the great outcome!  keep at it, listen to your body, don't rush anything.. you have plenty of time to keep improving!

Dr. Gross works wonders!!!!

[Anniee]

Sean,  you are definitely right about Dr. Gross - he and his staff is amazing!  I was talking to the disability case manager at work today, she is totally amazed at how quickly I could get back to a full work schedule.   I am trying to increase my activity gradually to make sure I don't overdo, but it is sometimes very difficult when I feel so good.  As you say, it just feels wonderful to be able to get back to doing normal things again!  I can work up a pretty good sweat on the elliptical, but I'm increasing my time gradually - started with 10 minutes last week, so I'm being very careful.

Lori, I am so happy for you that you were able to walk without the cane, and you make some great points about new shoes.  I just have to confess that I don't really like flat shoes, other than athletic ones for exercise.  Maybe we do need to brainstorm, and I need to go to a shoe store and try some pretty flats just to see if I can find something cute?  Anyway, I wore heels all day today at work with no problem, but it felt pretty good to take them off when I got home!

I went back to work full time after about 4 1/2 weeks.  It was a little on the early side, I think, and I thought they would put me on 1/2 days, but they did not.  Fortunately, my management was understanding and did not expect too much the first week or so.  I never realized until after the surgery how far it is from my desk to the rest room!

[Anniee]

Lori, just want to let you know I went over to a friend's house last night to do my exercises in her pool.  Still had no clunking walking in the water, so if I would have had it earlier on, there is none now! :D