Hip Resurfacing #2 with Dr. Pritchett

[catfriend]

It is interesting how different people heal, and even how each hip heals when you have them both done. Dr. Pritchett also uses a silver bandage. IDK if it's exactly the same as the one Dr. Gross uses, but you can shower with it, and it is supposed to remain on until the first follow up appointment when his assistant removes it and inspects the incision. What was weird about my itching was it was my lower leg, not anyplace near the incision, plus it was so intense. I didn't have this when I had my other hip resurfaced. I had dead, dry, flaky skin, but no itching. Go figure. Thankfully the itching has passed, but I still have a few small scabs from where I literally itched my skin off.

I am healing up. Yesterday I went to two store and the post office with just the cane. I can get around my house without the cane, but my gait is better with the cane, so I use the cane as much as possible. Last time I dumped the cane too soon and had to go back to it to improve my gait. I don't want to make that mistake again. I want to walk correctly from the start. What matters to me most is how I perform in the long run, not how speedy I can get up to mediocrity.

This recovery has definitely been different than the first one. Not necessarily better or worse, or faster or slower, just a little bit different.

[catfriend]

Wow. It's hard to believe it's been a whole month since I updated this. I continue to progress. I came off my 90 degree restrictions. Those last couple of weeks seem to take so long! In the past couple of weeks I've started regular physical therapy, and I'm back to swimming. I have overdone it a few times and paid the price, but overall I'm getting stronger. Looking back at my previous recovery between weeks six and ten I made a huge amount of progress. That same scenario is repeating itself.

The PT and the walking and the swimming are all feeding on each other for increased strength and endurance. I'm not all the way there yet by any means. My lateral hip muscles are still so weak that I walk like a penguin if I don't use a cane. But since starting PT and swimming two weeks ago this has improved dramatically. I expect the unaided penguin walk to disappear shortly. I can control it completely with the cane, and reasonably ok without it. So I use it on walks around the neighborhood, but not at home.

After over a year away from the pool I decided to start small with the swimming. I started last week with 4 sets of 100 yards each followed by PT exercises. (OOOOH, boy, did I ever overdo it with the pool PT exercises at first.) It wasn't much, but ya gotta start somewhere. I added 100 yards to my swimming yesterday, and it felt good. I hope to add another 100 in another week.

Having made so much progress in the past two weeks it'll be interesting to see where I'm at in another two weeks.