Mother Nature and fresh Vegetable Juices!

[Stanley B.]

Dear Hippies,


Firstly I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you all for being here for me during my recovery. I have been reading the various blogs from my first week out of surgery and they have been a tremendous help. I am now writing this to give something back.


I had my right hip resurfaced on the 22nd of January 2016, at the UCLH Hospital in London Uk, by the famous Professor Fares Haddad, who is known for Hip-resurfacing top athletes and football players.


I am 45 years of age, Vegan, and have been active in various sports from the age of 8, Tennis being my present one. I am now in my 8th week of recovery and have been given the offical nod by my surgeons after seeing them for the follow up in my 6th week. After which next follow up will be due in a year. They were very impressed with my recovery and how far I could flex my knee towards my chest and weight bare at that stage. I am aware my ego wants to really go to town here and get carried away with how far I have come, but I will keep it in check and give the praise to the Natural remedies  I have been using from day 1.


This is what worked for me, this was my experience and my journey. I acknowledge we are all different and have different tolerance levels, physiology, makeup and rates of recovery, and no way share this for others to take on board. If it inspires anyone to try natural remedies then fair play. I am NO means recovered, but gently recovering at a steady pace.

I arrived at the hospital with 2 jugs of raw Vegetable Juice, all of which I juiced the previous day before OP and put in the freezer ready to consume upon awaking after the OP. I was offered Morphine, but choose not to take this, but had Tramadol instead which is 10-1 less than Morphine, meaning you would have to take 10 Tramadol to 1 Morhine to feel the same effect. I took these only as and when I required, mostly at night to help with sleep and found  it to last in my system the following day almost until I was ready to sleep again the following night. Morphine clogs up the system, causing constipation and can interfere with the internal healing process and stops me reading my pain threshold to aid my natural recovery, again this is what worked for me.


I consumed all my Juices over the 4 days of being in hospital and continued after I was dischardegd. I purchased Turmeric tablets, and Holy Basil, both are very good for aiding and reducing inflammation post OP. I also am taking liquid Glucosamine, which helps with bone maintenance.
In my 2nd week of recovery I woke up pain free. I was able to to use one crutch to get around to begin the process of weight bearing on my right leg. of course I had aches, clicks, and clangs, but no pain.


I did the PT exercises required everyday and started "GENTLE" swimming in my 3rd week keeping float between my legs which I still do today, this helps to strengthen my Hip with the support of mother nature, Water, and is a great environment for PT too. For my scar, I used Cocobutter cream which has vitamin E, and helps scar to heal. I massaged this into my scar last thing at night and first thing in the morning. I find healing takes place more in sleep mode than when we are moving around during the day. I also made a point of going to bed much earlier  than I normally did to aid the Natural recovery our bodies go through in sleep process.


Long story short, I am now walking strong, after going through the steady process of walking like a drunken sailor and not being strong enough to weight bear, I am now able to bend forward, put my shoes and socks on, and have been on the Tennis court having a "GENTLE" hit with my tennis partner, using it more as a PT class than anything else. No going mad or playing a match! Yes, I have aches and can be a little stiff from time to time, which is all part of my steady recovery and looking after my Hip. This is a journey of which I acknowledge has no destination except continued maintenance. Oh, I have to mention A.R.T, ( Active Release Therapy)  which i have been having alongside PT after reading about it on this site from a fellow Hippie who found it helped his recovery. I can vouch for this as it helps to reduce scar tissue. Also, I find sauna's and steam baths which I have been using twice a week, priceless and one sleeps like a baby that night too!


To top it all off, I have made a very good friend Keith, who was my hospital buddy, he had his OP on the same leg. We met in the queue, ( in London we queue for everything, even for an OP!)  and woke up to find we were Cell mates in the same room! we have been in each others life since, dinner at each others house, calling each other for support and checking in on each other. Thank you Keith for being there for me....


Once again, thank you to all the Hippiee predecessors that have inspired me and aided my recovery.


Thank you Pat for starting this in the first place...


An Attitude of Gratitude,


Stanley,
London UK