Dean's Bilateral Hip Resurfacing with Dr Gross

[djganz]

Hi,


This is an addendum to my 4 months post op note.


For the first time in 5 years, I was able to keep up with my wife and daughter today as we walked around city streets. That was nice.


I've been having trouble sitting in our Honda Odyssey and driving. I've been able to sit and drive comfortably for only about 20 minutes. Then my hips and lateral knees will begin to ache increasingly, until, within 30 minutes, it's unbearable. The aching is relieved by reclining the seat and laying back. This problem has improved, and now it's just my right hip and knee that ache when I drive, and less so. My left hip, although it is weaker and usually more likely to hurt, is also more flexible than my right hip. Maybe this extra flexibility is responsible for it being the first hip not to hurt while driving?


Take care,


Dean

[jd]

Hi Dean,


It's great to hear that you could keep up with your wife and daughter! That seems like a major milestone to me. How far can you walk before it starts to get painful?


JD

[djganz]

Hi JD,


Thanks!  It's great to be able to keep up with people again. I also notice that I stand more upright and feel more engaged and smile more when I'm talking with people. I didn't think that standing was particularly painful before my resurfacings, but I feel more buoyant and energetic now when I'm standing and conversing. My conversations are longer too.


I'm currently walking 2 miles at a time. I may have minor aches that come and go while I'm walking, but I wouldn't describe the overall experience as painful. I don't walk to the point of pain. If I have some discomfort that I'm concerned about, I slow down and stop as soon as I can. This has happened maybe 2-3 times during my recovery, the last time being several weeks ago.


Thanks again for your encouragement.


Dean

[djganz]

Hi,


I'm now almost four and a half months post op. I don't mean to give too much information, but just to give you an idea of how long it can take to regain certain abilities, it's only been since this week when getting dressed that I can balance on one leg and step into my pants with the other, bilaterally. Also, in the last week I've finally been able to lift and pull one ankle up and rest it above the opposite knee so that I can reach my feet while I'm standing to wash and dry them without needing assistive devices. OK, enough of that.


My continuous walks are now about 50 minutes, although I usually walk my dog, letting her sniff and pee, for about 20 minutes, before switching to a non-stop mode. So my total walking time is about 70 minutes. I've found at this point that it doesn't really matter whether I walk 50 or 60 minutes continuously. My hips seem to be able to take the extra time. My daily walking total has varied between about 3-5 miles. I'm not as concerned now with knowing my walking speed or exact distances. I can keep up with people walking at normal speeds, and I can walk for as long as I have time for right now without my hips getting sore. So I'm pretty content. I expect to keep improving as I keep rehabbing, and eventually I'd like to be able to jog a couple of miles, hit tennis balls, or shoot basketballs. But if the most I could do was to regain normal walking ability and walk for as long as I like, then I would say that these operations were worth it. And I feel like I'm close to achieving that.


I've added using an exercise bike and Stairmaster to my routine during the last 2 weeks. I've needed to limit my time on the bike to no more than 25 minutes to avoid having left lateral hip pain after riding. The Stairmaster was initially a bit challenging, but feels more normal now. I usually do one or the other or a combination of both for about 20 minutes at the lowest level of resistance.


I've missed several days of icing and although my hips might be a bit sore in the morning afterwards, they warm up and feel good after an hour. I may experiment with icing vs no icing to see what difference there is. I'm still stretching for about 90 minutes, and my flexibility continues to improve.


My hips are starting to even out now in terms of pain and performance. My weaker left hip is more flexible and so is able to handle faster walking speeds more smoothly than my right hip. My left hip has fewer minor, off-and-on aches now than my right hip when I'm walking, and the left anterior hip no longer gets fatigued.  My left hip doesn't ache while driving, and the right hip, as it loosens up, aches less and less. My left hamstrings and quadriceps are tighter than in the right leg and take up to twice as much time to stretch out to a comparable end point. Stretching out feels good again, like it used to prior to my having hip problems.


Overall, I'm feeling pretty content. I hope you're doing well. Take care.


Dean

[djganz]

Hi,


Tomorrow I'll be 5 months post op for my left hip.  Although I continue to walk my dog for about 30 minutes/day and walk instead of drive for short trips close to home (for up to a mile and a half one way), I'm spending less time walking now and more time using the exercise bike and Stair Master.  I guess I'm transitioning back toward my old exercise habits.  Walking is so much fun again though, that I choose it whenever I can over driving.  The last two days, I've used the exercise bike and Stair Master for 30 minutes each, mostly at the lowest resistance level, at a cadence in the 60's to 70 on the bike, and my hips feel fine.  I've also stopped icing my hips because I've been tired or busy in the evenings, and also because the weather and house are colder at night now.  My hips feel a little sore in the morning when I get up, but after that, I don't really notice it.  This coming week, I may try to add back some strength training, mainly upper body.  I might wait a little longer, to see that my exercise bike and Stair Master routine is going well, before trying the straight leg raises again.  I can drive for a longer time, about 25 minutes, before my right hip starts to ache, and the aching is less that it used to be.  I can wash and dry my feet and put on my socks more easily that I could before, although the easiest way to put on socks is still by sitting on a step stool, with my knees to the side, so that my feet are automatically within reach.  I may have minor aches, off and on, in my lateral and anterior hips while walking, but nothing that makes me stop.  I also have less stiffness, just a little, when I get up after sitting for a while, and getting up from the couch is easier.  I think that's it. I hope you all are well!


Take care,


Dean