My Time Has Come - Sept 14th Dr Della Valle

[maxx6789]

my first youtube video ... ever!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHMuaWayQYk

[Luanna]

I couldn't get the video to play on my iPhone but it worked on my regular computer! Great video....excellent progress. I liked your dog and your choice of music!!!

Luanna

[newdog]

maxx,

That was fun to watch. Your walking very well, I wouldn't know that you had anything done. I'll bet your dog is happy too! Good looking dog!

[John C]

Great video post! Only a "hippy" could appreciate how appropriate that inspirational music choice is. Well done.

[Pat Walter]

Maxx

Great video - Thank You for sharing. 

Thank You for telling people about Dr. Valle

Pat

[maxx6789]

week 8 update: i can't believe how good the operated hip feels!! strength, ROM, flexibility are better than it has been since pre-OA days. my saturday included ... outside bike ride, few hours of yard work/leave raking, trip to the beach to walk the dog (walking on the sand felt great ... i was a little nervous), visits to some stores for errands, and a trip to the gym for a good workout (weights and cardio); it was pretty much a non-stop day and the hip felt great the entire time. i refuse to say "i wish i had the operation sooner" but i am happy to say "i am so glad i had the surgery".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHMuaWayQYk

[Boomer]

Great update maxx. Busy day for you. Thanks for posting.

[hernanu]

... i refuse to say "i wish i had the operation sooner" but i am happy to say "i am so glad i had the surgery"....

C'mon Maxx... you know you want to... you'll try to avoid it, but in the heat of posting... the urge will become overwhelming and ....  ;D

[maxx6789]

as you can see from my signature, i am just about one week away from becoming a bilateral hip resurfacing patient. in the 6 months since my left BHR, my left hip feels amazing ... never any pain, always completely natural feeling. i am looking forward to my second hip surgery so much ... i can not wait for the surgery to be over and to really, really start my recovery. at one week before my first surgery, i was getting more and more nervous with each passing day. this time, i am getting more and more excited. although i have many activity-related goals for post op, just being able to stand and walk pain free will be major milestones for me. it has probably been about 5 years since i have been able to walk pain free and feel "normal"... looking so forward for that day to return.

[hernanu]

Really happy that things turned out so well maxx. I had the same feelings about the first and got excited to have the second. The future after the second was really optimistic for me. I'm now at 17 months on the first and 14 months on the second.

My advice is to be patient (again) and to let both your body and your love of life come back. The whole experience of OA is so draining, it's almost as if we relearn to enjoy life as well as have our body relearn how to move in a life without pain.

Glad to hear from you and let us know how the second op is. It goes without saying that I wish you the best of luck. My only disappointment is that you STILL haven't used that phrase, but I have faith that in your enthusiasm, you'll slip up  ;D.

[imgetinold]

Good luck with the upcoming surgery, Maxx.  After the 2nd one is completely recovered, do you have a specific thing in mind that you want to do, but have been unable to (due to OA pain)?

[maxx6789]

Today I am four weeks post-op on my Right BHR with Dr Della Valle/Rush Hospital/Chicago.

The good news ... after four weeks, I am feeling great. I can do all the daily living tasks like put on my socks, tie my shoes, walk up/down stairs foot-over-foot (not one at a time), and drive my car. I am completely off pain meds and am feeling way better than pre-surgery. Today, it outpatient PT I rode a stationary bike for the first-time for 10 minutes ... completely pain free; that was a nice feeling (pre-surgery I had to dip my road bike down to about 10" off the ground to get on it ... I think those days are over).

I am still walking with a cane. If I walk without the cane, I have no pain but I have a small limp (due to a dippy, i.e., weak, pelvis). I had the same issue at this time after my first surgery. At this point, I feel that by my six week doctor appointment, I will be cane-free. limp-free, and pain-free ... than the summer fun can start!! I love to walk in the sand at the beach and that activity has been so uncomfortable pre-surgery; it will be nice to walk in the sand pain-free and get back to other activities that I had to cut back on.

When I was told by multiple doctors that I needed bilateral hip replacement surgery at the age of 45, I was not looking forward to any of that process ... now, four weeks after my second hip surgery, I am happy with my decision to have these operations sooner rather than later. It is amazing how "normal" these implants feel in my body!!

[hernanu]

Really good, maxx... you'll love the summer as a bilat.

One good thing the second time around is that you do have a sense of how your body recuperates, so when some things take a bit, you're comfortable with it.

It could almost get you to say that you wish you'd done this earlier...  ;D

[Boomer]

Congratulations Maxx. All of your hard work is paying off for you. The hard times are well behind now. Pretty exciting isn't it!

Boomer

[imgetinold]

Woooo Hoooooo!  I hope you have the best summer ever!

[maxx6789]

8 weeks post-op and i never thought i would feel this good. i want on vacation this week to a fitness/spa and, in addition to being pain free the whole time, some of the activities i did including ... walking, standing, hiking, biking, spinning, swimming, pilates, and a few other fitness classes (bosu ball, etc). i even hit a few tennis balls but only the ones that were hit right to me.

two small, unexpected post-surgery joys: ... 1) being able to put on my pants while standing up!! i have been sitting down to do this task for the past year or two. 2) when i drop something on the floor, i just bend over and pick it up (rather than my pre-routine that typically included a curse and some thought as to the best way to get down and back up).

[hernanu]

The littlest things become awesome.

I always left change on the floor (when I went old school and used cash) if it dropped, looked too much like the guy from 'Something about Mary' when I tried to pick it up. Now I can be a penny chaser whenever I so desire.

Excellent, maxx - keep it up.

[maxx6789]

just thought i would post a quick 3-month post-op update. in a word ... doing excellent. i am able to be as active as i want to be (minus the impact sports restriction for 6 to 12 months). i remember pre-surgery reading someone post saying that "their hips are the most pain free joints in their body" ... i found that hard to believe but i find it now to be true for me. so far, no moment how active i am, my hips always feel so good (i say "smooth and silky"). hoping that this feeling lasts a long, long time.

[Anna]

Maxx,

Thats great. Sounds like you are doing really well. Im so pleased for you (and also very jealous!). Keep it up! :)

Anna x