Bilateral with Dr Gross, April 2016

[badbone]

Quig

Great to hear. You are really healing quickly.
Yes- I agree with you on getting back into the gym.
It felt great to work up a sweat with upper body exercises.
I stayed off the treadmill because I was being overly cautious should I stumble and fall.
But I do walk the area around my house.
.9 in the am and .25 in the evening.

[Quig]

3 weeks minus 1 day update!  8)


My surgeries were 4/11 and 4/13. Tomorrow marks 3 weeks for my right hip and then two days later will be 3 weeks for the left. Everything is going really, really well. I worked a full week last week and spent A LOT of time on my feet. Other than getting more tired than usual I feel fantastic. The daily progress continues and I truly cannot believe how well things are going. Our customers at work who know I've just had both hips replaced are blown away at how well I'm doing and all the positive comments certainly feel pretty good.


I'm managing to get my shoes and socks on better every day at this point. I'm not stretching or deliberately pushing my flexibility at all but it seems to already be coming back on it's own. I'm really looking forward to the 6 week mark!


This weekend we spent at our cabin in the mountains and we did quite a bit of work around the place. In all honesty, even though I was very careful I definitely overdid it a bit. What's surprising the hell out of me is that I'm sitting on the couch absolutely exhausted and marveling over the fact that my hips don't hurt at all. Zero. Nada. This type of walking around up and down hills with lots of stairs (and a few ladders!) would have completely destroyed my hips before my surgery. I would literally ache all night and pay for it for the next several days. Today, here I sit... totally exhausted but with NO HIP PAIN. Words cannot express what a pleasant surprise that is! And this SOON!? 


Another notable accomplishment includes me returning to having serious wrestling matches with my 2 year old Doberman Pinscher. She gets very, very rowdy and sometimes won't take no for an answer as she literally barks at me until I get on the floor and wrestle with her. We play very, very rough and both enjoy the hell out of it.  Of course I couldn't wrestle with her immediately after the surgeries but now, if I'm relatively careful, I CAN!  ;D


I also got quite a kick out of having a dream the other night that I could run again pain free. Though I have no intention of becoming a runner again I sure am looking forward to having the ability.


Sorry for the random whacky post but I'm just feeling pretty damn fortunate about how things have changed for my hips recently. I cannot offer enough thanks to Pat and those who've shared their experiences on this forum to help those of us learn about hip resurfacing. Thank you!


I hope every one else is having a great recovery too. Here's to lots more progress for everyone!  :)

[Quig]

Four Week Update!


Ok, so yesterday was four weeks for my right hip and tomorrow is four weeks for the left. I figure I'll split the two and call today the official four week anniversary of my surgeries.


Progress remains consistent. Everything gets a tiny bit easier daily... Much of the day I don't think about my hips. I'm able to get around very near normally. I am definitely more tired than normal at the end of a normal work day. I do continue to have some soreness and stiffness upon getting up after sitting for a while. And my psoas is definitely my biggest gripe, mainly on the right side. It's not a big problem but it is certainly annoying. I'm looking forward to the Stage 2 excercises and really starting some 'active rehab' for those muscles. I'm going to the gym pretty regularly and both the treadmill and the elliptical aren't the slightest bit of a problem. Hell, I even went on a short hike Sunday and it felt GREAT.  8)


One thing that I am certainly noticing now is that I pay for little things like that hike... I was definitely a little sore the next day. Even though I feel like my activity level is pretty high for this stage I am trying to be careful and listen to my body. More often than not, it says "This isn't a problem at all, let's just take it a little slower than normal" so that's what I do. If it says "Hey, jack-ass, STOPPIT!!", then that's exactly what I do.  :P


Yesterday I did have a small, but significant occurrence that I really enjoyed. After working all day I went home and relaxed with my feet in the pool for a while. After that I got up, cleaned the house a bit and then caught up on ironing some work shirts that don't come out of the dryer well. It's something I've been putting off for a lot longer than I care to admit. In fact, I had taken to having the shirts dry cleaned just so I didn't have to STAND and iron.. because it used to hurt.  I also did some laundry and washed my truck. These are things that shouldn't be significant but right now they are. They are significant because I wasn't in any notable discomfort at all. Before my surgeries I would suffer just to get through a day at work and by the time I got home I damn sure didn't feel like being on my feet AT ALL. The fact that I'm ONE MONTH out and already feeling waaaaaaay better than I was before is very shocking to me. I truly did not expect to feel anywhere near this good, this soon. I'm so humbly grateful that things are going as well as they are. And don't get me wrong, I have plenty of "Ouch!!" moments but they've quite manageable and way less of a problem than I expected.


I hope everyone else continues to do well also!

[blinky]

Yes! The small successes. Living your normal life and not hurting.


I hear ya on overdoing, too. Don't be afraid to take day off and to sit and ice.

[Quig]

Yes! The small successes. Living your normal life and not hurting.


I hear ya on overdoing, too. Don't be afraid to take day off and to sit and ice.

I had sooooooo underestimated the impact of those small successes. I think I lived with the pain long enough that I got quite used to it. The new absence of that debilitating bone on bone pain is such a welcome change in my life. I cannot wait to get back on my bike and get back into real bike shape so I can enjoy pain free, impingement free, smooth hips!


I will also start swimming this week. It's supposed to warm up significantly in the next few days and I'm really looking forward to getting in the pool.


Good idea on the ice too. I LOVED the ice machine in the first couple weeks after surgery but I haven't used it in probably 2 weeks. I think I'll get the Polar Care out tonight and give it a try.

[Ljpviper]

Great update!!!

  I am having the same stiffness as well psoas issue. Your correct everyday feels a little better. I cant wait for the six weeks to be up.

I also plan to go into the pool this week, the incision looks good. I know what you mean about not having pain. My left still has pain(non operated), thus a big difference between joint pain and the surgical pain.

The biggest problem I have is patience and not doing to much, the muscles are still weak.

Larry

[Quig]

Glad to hear you're doing well too Larry!


Today officially makes 4 weeks for the second surgery and Dr. Gross ok's swimming at that point. My incisions have looked great for at least a week but I decided to wait anyway. Today after work I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike and then swam for at least that long too! The bike is zero problem at this point, in fact what's hard is holding back and taking it easy. Swimming was weird and FUN. I just messed around and treaded water and tried several different strokes and kicked the water a lot. I learned pretty much immediately that anything with a 'frog kick' wasn't terribly comfortable, the adductors clearly need plenty more time to recover. It seems like the pool will be very helpful for that recovery too as it's easy to slowly work those muscles. Overall, I took it fairly easy and just goofed off and really enjoyed it.


Also, this morning before work I took my dog to the dog park and just for fun I walked 3 laps around the park. I'd say that's about 3/4 of a mile. I walked easily, comfortably, quickly and with ZERO pain and a big smile on my face. Before my surgeries I'd make it maybe halfway around the park before being in pretty severe pain. I'm so pleased to be able to report this type of progress...  8)

[jd]

Great to hear that you're already doing so well Quig! Keep it up.

[Ljpviper]

I have been doing three days straight of 30-40 minutes swimming/chest deep walking sideways and backwards.


Wow, I feel better, loosened up the hip a lot, pool is no joke for recovering. Kinda enjoying the swimming part for  an upper body workout.


Glad too see your recovering. Flying up to see Dr. Gross a week from Monday for the follow up.


Larry

[jd]

Good luck at the follow-up Larry and glad that you've been in the pool and doing well!

[Quig]

Thanks Jd!!


Larry, it's great to hear you're enjoying the pool. Keep up the good work!!


I wish I could easily get to SC for the follow up. I'm really pleased with how my recovery is going but I'll feel soooooooooooooooooo much better after my x-rays and follow up and hearing from Dr. Gross that everything looks good and to have some of the restrictions lifted. I hope your follow up goes well and am looking forward to hearing about it.


I spent this weekend in the mountains again and went on several short hikes. It's so bizarre to be able to take nice big steps forward and even UPhill with NO joint pain. I'm trying to slowly get all those muscles used to properly functioning hips and it's weird how everything is reacting. I'm on the couch right now with sore/tired knees for a change and tired but NOT sore hips!

[Ljpviper]

Yes, you did the smart thing getting them done bilateraly. I have the annoying joint pain on my left. Its a constant reminder all the years of pain I went through.

Cant wait for the restrictions to be lifted, even though i am quite good at doing things now with the grabber and not hitting the 90's.

Larry

[Quig]

Five week update!


I've decided all my previous updates have been entirely too positive so I'm going to add a whiney/grumpy one today.  :P  All the progress remains consistent but my attitude isn't... I know it's very, very early but I'm having an impatient day. The last week or so I've really started to up my activity level and am paying for it. I had a busy weekend with plenty of fun outside including a few short hikes. I've also been riding the stationary bike and each time I get on it I feel stronger, and closer to normal so I push a little harder each session. I'm still taking it pretty darn easy but I did 30 minutes last night and it felt soooooooo GOOD. Then this morning I got up and before work did a few chores around the house and then washed my truck and took my dog for quite a long, brisk walk. End result? I'm tired and sore!!  :'( ;)  I have been using the ice machine regularly again and it continues to be very helpful.


I guess it's a very good 'problem' to have... I'm feeling good enough that I'm spending lots more time on my feet and doing chores before and after work. It's better every day but I'm trading pain for exhaustion and sore muscles! Someone please talk me out of swimming tonight...  :o


I hope everyone else is doing well and is way more patient than I am.

[badbone]

Five week update!


I've decided all my previous updates have been entirely too positive so I'm going to add a whiney/grumpy one today.  :P  All the progress remains consistent but my attitude isn't... I know it's very, very early but I'm having an impatient day. The last week or so I've really started to up my activity level and am paying for it. I had a busy weekend with plenty of fun outside including a few short hikes. I've also been riding the stationary bike and each time I get on it I feel stronger, and closer to normal so I push a little harder each session. I'm still taking it pretty darn easy but I did 30 minutes last night and it felt soooooooo GOOD. Then this morning I got up and before work did a few chores around the house and then washed my truck and took my dog for quite a long, brisk walk. End result? I'm tired and sore!!  :'( ;)  I have been using the ice machine regularly again and it continues to be very helpful.


I guess it's a very good 'problem' to have... I'm feeling good enough that I'm spending lots more time on my feet and doing chores before and after work. It's better every day but I'm trading pain for exhaustion and sore muscles! Someone please talk me out of swimming tonight...  :o


I hope everyone else is doing well and is way more patient than I am.

Quig

Your recovery is amazing.
Very happy for you......
Now take it easy...and let those muscles rest    ;)

[badbone]

I have been doing three days straight of 30-40 minutes swimming/chest deep walking sideways and backwards.


Wow, I feel better, loosened up the hip a lot, pool is no joke for recovering. Kinda enjoying the swimming part for  an upper body workout.


Glad too see your recovering. Flying up to see Dr. Gross a week from Monday for the follow up.


Larry

Larry

Great to hear that the pool is working out for you.
Good luck with your 6 week follow up.

I am waiting to have my consult this week.

cheers!!

[blinky]

I get a kick out of reading about all you do. It is great to be able to do all those things, even if they are just every day chores, and have no pain.

[Quig]

Five week update!


I've decided all my previous updates have been entirely too positive so I'm going to add a whiney/grumpy one today.  :P  All the progress remains consistent but my attitude isn't... I know it's very, very early but I'm having an impatient day. The last week or so I've really started to up my activity level and am paying for it. I had a busy weekend with plenty of fun outside including a few short hikes. I've also been riding the stationary bike and each time I get on it I feel stronger, and closer to normal so I push a little harder each session. I'm still taking it pretty darn easy but I did 30 minutes last night and it felt soooooooo GOOD. Then this morning I got up and before work did a few chores around the house and then washed my truck and took my dog for quite a long, brisk walk. End result? I'm tired and sore!!  :'( ;)  I have been using the ice machine regularly again and it continues to be very helpful.


I guess it's a very good 'problem' to have... I'm feeling good enough that I'm spending lots more time on my feet and doing chores before and after work. It's better every day but I'm trading pain for exhaustion and sore muscles! Someone please talk me out of swimming tonight...  :o


I hope everyone else is doing well and is way more patient than I am.

Quig

Your recovery is amazing.
Very happy for you......
Now take it easy...and let those muscles rest    ;)

Ha! Thank you. My girlfriend says thank you too... I think I've nearly driven her nuts!


Glad to see you're doing well also!




Blinky! Thanks, it really does seem to be the small things that make all the difference. Just getting home from work and not being in pretty horrible pain is pretty life changing.  8)

[Quig]

6 week update!


Today was my PT appt for all the measurements and evaluations that Dr. Gross asks for. I went to a local PT wizard who I know through cycling... Very nice guy, INCREDIBLY FAST road cyclist and one hell of a PT. Overall he was really pleased with my mobility and flexibility. He did find a few things I'm lacking that I hadn't noticed and gave me some exercises to do to help them. I learned a lot and am really looking forward to putting the exercises to work. It's all very minor 'small muscle' stuff.


My own summary, I'm still sorta pinching myself at how well I'm doing. I honestly am waiting for the punchline, it just can't go this well and that makes me nervous. After talking with Dr. Gross and going over my X-rays (and HOPEFULLY receiving great news) I'm hoping I'll be able to relax a bit. I'm really, really looking forward to that follow up conversation.


I've upped my activity a bit at the gym going faster on the treadmill at a higher incline and also pushing a bit harder on the elliptical. After 20 good minutes split between the elliptical and treadmill the other day I was feeling so good I climbed onto the stairmaster and did 5 solid minutes without a problem. I can't tell you what a pleasant surprise that was...


I'm starting to notice that the daily exhaustion is fading. I've had some very big days lately, gym, dog park, busy at work, errands after work, etc... and I'll find myself in the evening ready to still be up and around on my feet and in a good mood. That is all such a big change. Before my surgeries I struggled to make it through a day and by the time I got home I was miserable and just wanted to sit down and try to relax but I'd just sit and hurt. A lot. I truly cannot believe the change and am so optimistic about the future.......  :D


I hope everyone else is doing well and I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend.

[Ljpviper]

Awesome report quig. I am back in the gym this week as well. Planning on introducing more core and glute excercises this weekend. I have doing upper body and elliptical mainly.


I am now climbing stairs normally but still using the rail. Only get minor twinges when I rollover in bed.


I did hook my operated leg on the dogs water and food dish holder, ouch!!!


Have a nice weekend.


Larry

[jd]

Larry, how was the follow-up with Dr Gross?