It took almost a month after my phone consultation with Dr. Gross to actually get on the schedule and the date has gotten pushed even further back but now I'm finally scheduled for 3/14. Looks like we are going to have to make a family spring break trip out of it unfortunately. I hope there is something fun for us to do in Columbia for a couple of days beforehand.
I am from Columbia, SC. Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head Island are fabulous that time of year and not too far from Columbia. I am 10 days post op from surgery with Dr. Gross. You will be pleased with the care you receive, I have a thread in this section detailing my post-op experiences. I wish you well.
Congrats! Great surgeon, a beautiful area and good weather. You'll be in pretty good shape by summer, all good.
That's the hardest part of the deal, I think. Being ready and then having to wait. By the time I was chomping at the bit, I had to wait. Do it now. Hang in there, though, the reward can be awesome.
Curt
Have all my pre op screening and testing scheduled for Thursday with my regular doctor. (I haven't been to see the doc other than the ortho for at least 5 years) Hope it all goes well so I can get on with the surgery. I think I'm pretty healthy.
60 days to go. All my pre op testing went ok so I'm good. Pain seems worse. I wonder if it's because I know relief is so close? Got chastised by an acquaintance who is an ortho for going out of town. Telling me what a bad idea it is etc. etc. I know too many orthos I guess. 2 out of 3 either say don't do mom or don't leave town. None of them seem to like each other very much either. lol
Headed to the gym now so I don't get too fat before the surgery.
There seems to be an ego thing with most surgeons. The best question to ask any of them would be "If you needed a new hip who would you go to?"
I also was very diligent about working out before surgery. I dropped about 10 pounds and built muscle so I could recover quickly.
Dan
Quote from: Jbennett on January 13, 2012, 04:12:11 PM
Got chastised by an acquaintance who is an ortho for going out of town. Telling me what a bad idea it is etc. etc.
I wonder if other Hippys had the same experience. Not just from other docs but from family, friends or work associates. It's so ironic that they know very little to nothing about HR and yet they criticize us for traveling hours or days to go somewhere else. The orthos in my area don't seem to like each other either.
Probably a lot of us have had to deal with it.My wife is finally on board though. I've had one Dr. say he "wouldn't let another one operate on his dog". Another one said "if you have complications and need to see someone locally they will be pissed they are having to deal with someone else's complications" "I would never tell a family member to travel hours for surgery" The stupidest one was "someone who does that many surgeries cares nothing about you. You are just a file". Seriously Dr.? What the heck are you basing that on? A doctor being busy and specializing in a procedure does not mean they care less about their patients than you do.Neither of these guys have actually treated me. Just acquaintances and neither one does resurfacing. The second guy ticked me off. Theres no way in hell I'm not doing it out of town after that rant. ;-)
Jbennett,
I too had many such experiences from the same kind of attitudes that you are describing. A few such comments still p me off to this day. One co-worker of mine ridiculed me when I told him I would be off work for about two months. He claimed that my surgeon was BS-ing me and no way would I return sooner than four or six months. (You know the story, his 80 year old Aunt Maude had hip surgery 25 years ago and she was never right after that.) You should have seen the look on his face when I walked in to my workplace at six weeks to visit. No cane or crutches and only a slight limp. Oh well, don't let the idiots get you down. You picked one of the best surgeons in the world and your results will be amazing.
Oh yeah, your comment about the wife being on board. Mine was very much against me going all the way to S.C. for hip surgery. It took me a while to convince her that it was the right decision. And after going along with me for my surgeries and seeing how much better our lives are with my hips fixed, she is just as enthusiastic about HR and Dr. Gross as I am. Your wife will be the same way, I'm sure.
O43 days to go. Had to camp out this weekend for a spot in a desirable school for one of my kids. Today I can hardly walk. Ouch!
Time goes by fast. Just think - next year you'll be able to take your kid to the school with no OA.
Exactly one month from today!!! I'm ready.
JB,
it'll be here before you know it. Heck, I flew from Calif. to Colorado to get my surgery. I laughed at your stories. I got both reactions from people. Most people though thought it was very admirable that I had done my research and found a good surgeon out-of-town to do the procedure. There were always those who would say though, "why don't you have it done here in town". But, after a bried explanation they understood. Make sure you have someone to go with you to help you out. My wife came with me, and I had Booomer on here to help too. The bigger your support "team" the easier it will go for you. Good luck.
It's turned into a family spring break trip it looks like. I'm glad my kids don't care where we go as long as it involves a hotel and shopping. Columbia SC doesn't exactly seem like a vacation hot spot. Working hard to stay in shape before the surgery and unfortunately I think I trashed something in my back doing lat pull downs. Been trying to get it squared away before surgery. Did a round of Medrol from my family doctor that helped a lot but didn't fix it completely. This week I've been to the chiropractor and today I had acupuncture. That felt really good for a few hours after. It sucks getting old.
Ok, I'm doing my hippy math for you. Take your age, subtract the 20 years the surgery takes off you, then subtract 5 more years since you feel like working out without pain. Take a month off due to the recuperation, and I figger you can take 25 years off your age. (Danny. You're a toddler)
I will be thinking of you on that day. I am from NJ but will be in Myrtle Beach for a week during that time visiting a friend. I am so looking forward to long walks along the beach at sunrise.
It's funny, neither my in home physical therapist or nurse had ever heard of resurfacing, as well as anyone else I spoke with before or after my surgery. It can take some great explaining on why you would travel outside of your hometown let alone to another state or country. Yep, my local surgeon strongly opposed my decision to MOM. Somewhere across town he is still shaking his head at me. It can get a little tiring explaining it to others sometimes. And everyone is baffled by the short recovery time and lack of severe precautions. Those that have had a friend or relative have a THR are sure that I am ignoring my doctors instructions and doing too much too soon.
I'm with you, getting old sucks. I can't wait to be cleared to pick up my grandson again. I imagine that one may be awhile though, picking him up means putting him on my hip.
Remember getting old may suck but the alternative is much worse!
Dan
LOL, good point Gossack!! :D
ok got great news this morning!!!!!!!!!!
Woke up to a text from a friend and his parents have offered me what I have been told is an absolutely INCREDIBLE vacation home in Cashiers, NC to use for 5 days before my surgery. It's a 3 hour drive from Columbia, SC from there. this will make the fact that this is the kids spring break al little more tolerable.
Nice! Great way to prep for this transformation.
yeah. no kidding. i'm amazed by this families generosity. I understand the house and community are supposed to be incredible. I would take the bikes up but I'm afraid they'd get stolen in Cloumbia.
17 days and counting!!
It'll be here before you know it.
That house situation kicks arse! Does it have extra room for other hippys? LOL!
I also enjoyed reading about the "out of town" comments you got. I'm a stone's throw from Mayo Clinic in MN. The only doc there that does any resurfacing uses the Conserve+ device, which is fine. I was evaluated by him in late 2011 and, of course, I was very interested in resurfacing as opposed to THR. He told me he had done ~200 HR's, as opposed to ~10,000 THRs of all types. He told me that if I were his brother or a relative of his, he would just go ahead and have a large ball MOM THR. I pushed harder on the ease of revision of a HR to a THR, given the savings of femur real estate afforded with HR, and that was one of the factors in my decision. He basically poo-poo'ed any of my comments as statistically inaccurate relative to bone savings and ease of revision down the road, and that THR would be no harder to revise to another THR. That hit me in the gut like an uppercut, and just didn't sit right with me. My logical viewpoint and gut feeling, even at that early point, was that HR has to put you in a much better position for revision down the road. We ended the visit with his assertion that (paraphrasing) "At the end of the day, I deal with biased patients all the time, and you obviously walked in here with a strong bias towards resurfacing. So, it's really your call. I'll do the resurfacing if that's what you want to do, so just call my scheduler and blah blah" Not exactly the strong vote of confidence I was looking for, and I left the clinic that day with a sinking feeling. So at that point I sought out Dr. Rogerson in Madison on this site. After just watching Pat's video interviews with the guy, I could tell he exudes confidence with HR and is a huge proponent of the procedure, the device, and the long term benefits, including revisions. It is indeed funny to hear the word "bias" from a surgeon at Mayo, referring to a patient, when there is so much bias towards THR in the medical community! There's been a couple of friends or co-workers that wondered about going elsewhere for surgery, before and after, but I think most people I've spoke with about this procedure has been very understanding about the personal nature of choosing a surgeon, and are quite "wow'ed" by the description of the Madison week long hip-hab program.
10 days!!! Getting close.
Just think.. you'll probably be walking into a tavern either at your rehab location or back home on the 17th, getting ready to suck down some green beers! Maybe TED stockings come in green or with shamrock design? Better pick out your shillelagh stick this week to use for one of your crutches... I'm just saying... always be prepared LOL!
Ok. One week from today I'll have a new hip. Leaving Memphis at 6am tomorrow for Cashiers NC. We will stay there until early Tuesday morning then drive into Columbia early tuesday the 13th for my office visit. Do the surgery at 10:30 wednesday morning and drive home friday. This has been a long wait. I will confess I'm getting a little nervous now. Spinal is much safer than general anesthesia I guess though right?
Hey Jb...I'm exactly two weeks behind you; scheduled w Dr. Gross 3/28. Coincidentally my wife's Dad lives in Cashiers and that is a great place to relax. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Larry
From what I read, getting the spinal (and keeping you in twilight sleep) introduces less risk for blood clots later.
You don't feel a thing. They'll wheel you into the OR, transfer you to the operating table, and ask you to sit up. POOF......next thing you remember is waking up in the recovery room, and likely not able to wiggle your toes just yet.
Easy, peasy.
Saturday in Cashiers NC. Absolutely beautiful day.Sunny and just under 60 degrees. Surgery is Wednesday. Went on a short 2 mile hike in the mountains this morning with the family. I was slower than them but did fine. Next year that should be an easier hike. Back in town now at a coffee shop. Cell service especially data is very sketchy up here. No NSAID's allowed. Walked and shopped in Highlands yesterday for several hours with the girls. Hurt like crazy last night. I can probably expect the same tonight. The house we were given to use is even better than I expected. Guessing it's a $5-8M home. Really enjoying that brief break from reality.
lol
You know, its actually a good sign of things to come. Not the million dollar house, but that you'll feel like a million dollars when things come out well. The house is a great experience, but no pain in that hip, being able to stroll with the family and just the freedom you have when done is so liberating it's incredible.
Here's to your Wednesday starting you off on a much better path.
Jb,
Just to give you something to look forward to: I'm 8 weeks out, and just went for a 4 mile hike yesterday with my boys. It is around Lake Lanier, GA, with a fair amount of elevation change.
Other than making sure I did not run or jog, I NEVER thought about my hip. It felt totally normal, like it was original equipment. That's at 8 weeks!
Good luck!
Just read your post about the hike. Jealous. I did a 2 mile loop of moderate difficulty Friday at Whiteside Mountain with my family. Just now starting to lose that hot coal implanted in my hip feeling. Ellie took my youngest daughter (9yo) to a really primitive area called Panthertown Valley yesterday.Did about a 5 mile hike down in and back up that took about 3 hours. Pictures looked incredible. There was no way I could go though. At least not without a heavy price. I never let my wife drive on trips but I have this time. Much more comfortable to be a passenger. We leave here about 6:30 in the morning and have a 3 hour drive to columbia. That gives me an hour cushion before my office appointment with Dr. Gross at 10:30. Surgery Wednesday morning at the same time.
Jeff
Seriously, you will not believe how quickly you start to feel good. You'll feel better so fast (I'll bet), that you'll want to go beyond what you're allowed to do. Don't do it, but know that when you clear 6 weeks that you'll be loving life.
Good luck. I'm looking forward to your post about how easy the surgery was and how great the staff and hospital are.
Andy
Hey Jeff,
Please post any details and advice. I'll be there in two weeks. Thanks!
Larry
Sounds like such a wonderful adventure u & fam r having. Hopefully they have some fun things Planned when u r in the hospital. My fam had a great. Vaca while I was in the hospital
Good luck to you tomorrow!!
Piedad
Good luck tomorrow, Jeff! Lee and Dr. Gross will tell you that when you wake up the OA pain will be gone, and IT'S TRUE! Remember to ICE ICE ICE. I'm thrilled for you and how this will change your life. Just allow yourself to be plugged into Dr. Gross' process -- he's got it down to a science, all the players are experts in their roles and the hospital is a beautiful facility. Please give us an update when you feel able!!
Liz
I'm so glad you have a place and the kids got to enjoy spring break. I look forward to hearing how you are doing!
Finished my pre op appointment with Dr. Gross. All went well. Bone density was fine so I'll be full weight bearing. Checked into our hotel downtown. Wife and kids have already figured out where the good shops are. They went down to the indoor pool. I only slept about an hour last night because my mind was racing. I'm pretty beat. I guess we will go to dinner tonight somewhere and hopefully I can get to sleep early. Slightly nervous now that it seems real.
Glad to hear the bone density was fine. Mine was borderline (low in my L4 spine), but I also was full weight bearing.
It will be over before you know it.
Go get your prescriptions, and make sure you take the pain medication like clockwork for the first several days. I weaned off of the narcotics on day six, but boy were they helpful the first few days. I got behind taking them on day 2, and learned my lesson the hard way.
Two weeks from now you'll wonder what all the fuss is about. Good luck!
It will all be fine. The worst part was worrying about it. Just go with it and it will over before you know it! Hip pain will be gone and your new life ready to begin. Good luck. I live in Columbia and pass the hospital on the way to work. I'll send good vibes. After dealing with my hip for three years, I am 13 weeks post op and the surgery seems like a memory. Take care!
Have a smooth ride! Its almost fun to wake up and feel the "loss" of that deep pain. They will take great care of you. Say hi to the team for me.
Curt
Hey - Good luck today... ! Let us know when you're on the other side.
All done. Woke up about 1:30 today.Dont even remember getting the spinal. Still a little loopy from the sedatives. I don't think it's the Nucynta. Typing is a struggle. PT came to walk me about 5 or so. We could not do it. Did some exercises in the bed but when we stood up with the walker(which felt greg by the way) I started getting dizzy. BP dropped to like 85/50 and the physical therapist said no walking today. Her and the nurse said it's a side effect of one of the drugs in the spinal today. Will try again tomorrow. I was pretty nervous before the surgery. Pain is a little more than I expected. I heard so many people asking about being out of pain when they woke up. That is not the case with me. I actually feels pretty similar to my OA hip when I used it too much. NUcynta helps but I'm not sure it's as good as Oxycodone. If you think about it I don't know how you could not feel pain. It's got to take a couple of days for the nerves i the bone of the ace tabular and femoral head to calm down a little. Definitely manageable though. Not any worse probable better than it felt after the little 2 mile hike at Whiteside Mountain this past friday.
Jeff
Congratulations. I'm glad all went well. You are on your way to a new and improved life.
Congrats, Jeff - you're on the starting blocks now. You'll be walking soon enough. Good news.
Alright, Jeff!
Congratulations on breaking through to the other side. Work hard on your PT, and you'll be doing yard work this summer!
Good luck and Good healing,
2fer
Just lost the catheter. I was surpassed they took it out before I have walked. I guess I'll walk later this morning when the pt comes again. I've been up most of the night. Not pain just a little doped up and playing around on the computer and watching tv. I guess I should try to sleep a little more.I did doze off a little here and there.Two hour stretch between 11 ad 1 I think.
Woke up at 1 and realized I had not moved my lower body side 4:30 the previous afternoon. Tried to sit up and realized that 1: I was all tangled up in cords etc. and 2: Sitting up is really hard. I set some machines to blinking so the nurse came in and she helped me sit on the side of the bed for a minute. Getting up or down is the hardest part. I think it will be easier to walk that to get out of the bed,. I'l let you know shortly I guess.
All normal, Jeff. Things will be sore and difficult at the start, will get easier as you go, but as we all said - this is a marathon. Let your body tell you what you need, sleep when you feel like it, don't when you don't. No schedule applies right now, just go with it.
Saw Dr. Gross this morning. He brought me a copy of my hip x ray. Cup angle is 29 degrees. The just did standing x rays a few minutes ago too. I'm good to go home tomorrow. Bone pain is not an issue today only tissue pain. May be because they have been giving me Oxycontin instead of the Nucynta.
Jeff
Sounds good Jeff - great results and have a good ride home. Make yourself as comfortable as you can be at home, there will be setbacks, but mostly good progress. Happy for you that things went well.
I also did well with Oxycontin at the hospital, but didn't use it at home - just Tylenol. Remember though, the meds are your friends while you're healing if you need them.
ICE, elevate and ICE again, exercise and stay in front of the pain !!!
Here is my hip.
Looks like a nice install. Congrats~!
Ready to go but not looking forward to the 9-10 hr drive. Showered and got dressed with no assistance this morning. All except socks. They were more trouble than they were worth so I just slipped on crocks. Tylenol was the only med they gave me at 6 this morning. I'm guessing they will give me a narcotic at 10. Regardless my scrips are filled and I can take that as soon as I get out of here. They are saying by 11 I should be discharged. Looking forward to being home and hoping the next couple of weeks go smoothly. Guess I'll see Dr Gross or Lee this morning too. It's been so long since my hip hasn't hurt I'm really excited about the prospect of that.
Dr. Gross came this morning about 8. Said if I wanted I could skip PT and go since I have such a long drive. The nursing staff was great. Very patient and helpful. He said the 3 mm leg length increase not necessarily a planned thing. Just worked out that way. Lec could have shortened from the oa but that wasn't his plan to increase it. He said anything under a cm won't be noticed. Your pelvis will adjust and shift and you will not notice if there is a discrepancy. On the way home now. I know what a monkey fist is now. Ouch.
I hope your home by now and resting comfortably.
Rest Easy,
One
3 more hours unfortunately. Will be glad to be in bed and out of a car. I've been filling ice packs up at gas stations along the way.
Almost there! Good luck on the rest of the way! Living in SC I had the good fortune to have a 10 minute ride home (during which I manged to throw up twice which was the worst part of the surgery and recovery for me)! Anyway, the worst is over now concentrate on recovery :)
Congrats and welcome to the Healing Side! Hope you are now home and getting comfortable.
Got home about 8 tonight. Iced down for a little over an hour. Really beat. Meds are making me sleepy. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my bed tonight.
Jeff
First morning home has started kind of rough. I think the 10hrs in the car was too much. I used the polar care maching last night took pain meds and went to sleep. Got up a couple times with some difficulty to go to the bathroom. Just got up for good about 30 minutes ago. Woke my wife up to help me. I don't know why but I'm hurting more and just burst out crying. Back in the ice machine. Wondering if in just swollen more after not using it on the car ride yesterday. Took pain meds again. I need to take the celebrex still. Hoping that reduces the inflammation some too.
The first few days can be rough. The car ride sure will do it, particularly for that long.
I think I said it before, but take the meds on time, and stay in the recliner. It took me two days to realize that I had to take the meds on a tight schedule. I took the 12 hr. pill (I assume you have nucynta as a Gross patient) every 12 hours, and took the 4 hr pill every 4 hours. I even would set the alarm to take the pill in the middle of the night so I wouldn't wake with pain. And, yes, the Celebrex will help with the swelling.
Taking the meds on a schedule does not mean you'll be addicted. I weaned off the 4 hour pills on day 4 post-surgery, and off the 12 hour pills on day 6 or 7. Then, I only took Tylenol until day 10 post surgery and I was done. I did keep taking the Celebrex until the prescription ran out, and that helped. I say all this because I've never been a pill taker, and I had this idea that I was a bad ass, and could handle the pain. I might have been able to, but why?
The swelling will be there for several weeks, but ice and laying down help a ton. In a week, you'll be a ton better, and in two or three the pain and swelling will be a memory. Hang in there, it gets better very quickly.
Today is better. At least i didnt wake up crying like a baby again. Lol. Stayed in bed or on the couch all day yesterday and took pain meds as frequently as it was prescribed yesterday. Iced a ton as well. I have not been able to sleep more than 4 or 5 hours at a stretch but I can nap so it's ok. I'm taking Nucynta ER and Percocet. I think Percocet start to wear off around the 4-5 hr mark and that's when the pain in my behind wakes me up. Got up at 5:30 or so this morning took another one and had just enough ice left in the machine that I felt comfortable putting that on and dozing off for another hour. Got up for good about 7 and had coffee and showered. My sweet wife agreed to go out and see if she can find a recliner she can live with. my recliner was my first belonging that had to go when we got married 13 years ago. ;-) anyway I suspect a recliner will be more comfortable that laying in bed or sitting on the couch.
Just did my first walk outside. Pretty spring day in Memphis. Used one crutch to go to the stop sign and back. About .35 miles according to pedometer app on my iPhone. Pretty easy to do that. I'd have gone further but was afraid it might not be a good idea.
Sounds just like my first few days. You'll feel better each day. I did 5 mailboxes on my second day, and was up to a mile by day 10.
Your recliner story is hilarious. My wife fought tooth and nail against one until I found one that doesn't really look like a recliner. They're out there, and they're PERFECT for a recovering hip.
Keep us posted!
I bought a recliner for the surgery, brought back many memories of my Grandfather, he loved his as I do now. It was a good choice for resurfacing and it does fold up nicely to look lik a normal chair. I definately recommend one if you are getting HR.
I hired a lazy boy for the first 8 weeks & set myself up with laptop, books, magazines, phone, chargers etc all at arms length (or at least arms + sock pullers length) away.
Really assisted me in relaxing & icing after exercises.
A lot of folk here also ended up sleeping in their recliners some nights as they found it more comfortable than the bed. Personally I was fine in the bed - along with two strategically placed pillows between my legs.
Kiwi, you were set up. I'm kind of missing my recovery time, bittersweet memories for sure.
Glad you're feeling better and making progress. Keep moving but be patient. We've all had setbacks, big or small, but you can see the improvements every week. It won't be too long until it feels like nothing ever was wrong. I'm at four months and I only feel it after a good workout.
Took Benadryl last night hoping if would help me sleep. Did not prevent me from getting up at 5 anyway when the leg started hurting. Did my usual 5am ice down and went back to sleep. The ice is usually melted enough by 5 that I don't worry about it plus I'm a light sleeper anyway. I do think they should put a timer on these things though so you could sleep with it on. Maybe with a safety to shut off after an hour anyway in case you were foggy and didn't set it right. I decided to skip the Percocet this morning. Just took the Nucynta ER, Celebrex, and Tylenol for pain this morning. I'll see how it goes.
Do you think I can walk too much? i'm feeling better than I thought I would. I walked twice today. Probably 1/3 mile before lunch and 2/3 mile about 5:00 tonight. My wife thinks I'm walking too much too soon since Dr. Gross's instructions say to be walking a mile at 4 weeks. Muscles stiffen up a little after walking but not too bad. I can't wait unit 6 weeks when I can go back to the gym. I'm definitely going to go back to work next week barring any unforeseen setback. I'll go stir crazy sitting here and Ellie is stressed because we have so many houses under contract that need to be dealt with. She had to show houses all day Saturday when we got home after driving 10hrs from Columbia on Friday getting us home.Not to mention all the work involved in taking care of me and two kids this last week. Even if I just take the kids to school and put in a 1/2 day at the office next week I know it will take a load off of her.
I think it depends on how your body reacts. I walked about a mile per day from two weeks on, about 1/3 per walk (3 walks per day).
All of us heal at different speeds, just be aware that if you do push past your limits, your body will let you know and the best thing to do is to scale it back so that your body recovers properly. We all pushed the limit and our bodies pushed back.
Sounds to me like you're doing fine, if you can deal with work, then I would do so, but your body will need to be accommodated, since you are still in early healing of basic components of your body that were deeply manipulated during the surgery. It's great to take care of business, but be wise about things when you get exhausted or your body aches. Give it rest when you need it, you need for this to last.
Just my 2cents...
About to lose the hospital bandage. I realized it got soaked in the shower this afternoon. I went out and hosed all the yellow pollen off my porch and car this afternoon. That stuff covers everything in Memphis for two solid weeks. I kept thinking I had gotten some water on my shorts but then realized it was the dressing bleeding water out not the other way around. It did give me an excuse to break the driving rule. I drove a few blocks to walgreens for gauze and tape. Much easier getting in the car than I thought. I can work next week.
I over did my walks at least twice in the forst 3 weeks & had massive muscle spasms that floored me completely. As Hern says, everyone reacts differently. I also think the pain killers early on can disguise how you really feel, so that can be a trap also. I was so excited about how good I felt, I thought I was Forest Gump... not so flash in the first few weeks! Those muscle spasms were painful! :o
Sounds like you're doing really well though - particularly driving & going back to work so soon. Good stuff & try to listen to your body.
I hear you. I'm going to take today off walking. I actually am a little more sore in the groin area today than I have been. A little pain and I get all paranoid I've messed something up. Seeing that surgical wound for the first time tonight was a little disturbing too. Yikes! Don't know what I expected but it was pretty gnarly looking. Tonight is going to be a tv and pizza kind of night.
Yeah I hear you - the paranoia is natural, especially early on. I still get some now & again, but you'll find you get more & more confident with it as each weeks passes. I'm now doing lunges with weights as part of my exercises & wouldn't have considered that possible a couple of months ago.
Emmmm pizza...thin crust I hope!! :D
Probably not recommended at 12 days or whatever I was yesterday but I went back to work and worked until 11:30 oe so. Then went and got baby chicks for my kids for Easter but we are also going to have a little urban backyard coop and raise our own eggs. I actually built the cage myself yesterday. At least the wire portion that will hold them for now until I'm in good enough shape to build a proper small coop. My wife thinks I'm crazy but my kids are excited. :o They just sat out there with the chicks all afternoon then took a lantern out there after dark until I made them come in. We got two Rhode Island Reds and a black something or other. Should get about 18 eggs a week in a few months.
That is very cool! You're a good dad.....
As for the walking....at day 10, I could do a mile pretty easily, and wanted to do more. Dr. Gross' office basically said "No". They did respond, "Nothing over 1.5 miles until 6 weeks", which gave me an extra 1/2 mile, but they really want you to rest and heal. It drove me NUTS, but the time went by quickly. Now, I can exercise bike, elliptical, and walk all I want. So, don't overdo it.....six weeks will arrive before you know it.
By the way, I want to the gym at 4 weeks, for upper-body only. As long as you are using machines for upper body, and your legs are not supporting the weight (sit down bench press), you're fine. The only caveat is that you can't use a machine where you "hook" your legs to keep you in place, like a lat pull-down machine. Working my upper body really helped my mental state-of-mind.
I'm still trying to master the claw thingy, I can't imagine building a chicken cage two weeks after surgery. :o
You have to get the optional chicken cage thingie. ;D
Quote from: hernanu on March 27, 2012, 04:15:01 PM
You have to get the optional chicken cage thingie. ;D
Haha - I wonder if I could have substituted if for the blue thing. Still not sure what that is for.
The blue thing is the world's worst designed shower aid. Lather it up, try to wash the bottoms of your legs, and it just pushes away from the skin so only the edge is touching. Really awful. all I ended up using it for was to wash the bottoms of my feet. I would later it, drop in on the floor, and rub my feet over it.
Later, I'd ask my wife to pick it up! Ha. It really is pretty useless. I'll probably remove the sponge head and use it to wash my car (after the pollen season here in the Atlanta area is over.......)
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/527422_3560040886193_1427916713_33402249_1341780697_n.jpg)
Your pollen is still going strong? We had tons of rain this past weekend and it seems to have washed the pollen away in Columbia, SC.......yippee, I finally washed my car and stopped sneezing. Plus I have a convertible and can put th stop down again!
CTB they didn't send you to that group animal husbandry class the PT's taught? It was right after the class on how to go up and down stairs on crutches.
Yesterday was three weeks. Been working mostly 1/2 days since about 10 days post op. Haven't touched a crutch or cane in a couple of weeks. Actually never used a cane at all. Not helpful. Walking a mile or more with ease. Really want to get on the elliptical but thats 3 weeks away. Although a 70 something year old orthopedic surgeon I know who is a nut was on the elliptical at our club the other day. 14 days post op on a THR!!!! I was shaking my head wondering what his surgeon would say. lol :-\ I was telling him about my hip and how I couldn't get on the elliptical until the 6 week mark and he just smiled and said I'm 14 days on my second THR. This is the same guy who has already had to be defiberilated at the club one time but continues to run in place in the steam rom and jog around the tennis courts in a sweatsuit in the heat of Memphis summers. I'm sure his cardiologist would be just as shocked as his ortho. He was on there for over a half hour file I did some upper body weight machines. Seeing him sure tempted me but I'm going to follow the rules as best I can. I already seem to find it hard to comply with the 90 degree rule and I violate it pretty frequently.
I broke the rules and got on the elliptical a week early. Just did 30 minutes and it felt easy and natural. That same 70 something orthopedic surgeon who is 4 weeks on a THR was on the machine next to me for a full hour. He was reading an article on guess what....MOM HR. Ughh!! The guy was editor of AAOS journal a few years ago and said they were working on a response to all the stories about MOM to publish in the journal. I get the feeling he's not in the pro MOM camp from our previous conversations.