Hip Talk Forum About Hip Resurfacing

I have all my digits free for typing now.


Okay, so here is part I of My Hip Resurfacing Operation(s):


We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn because that is where H has points. It is about a quarter of a mile from the hospital on the opposite side of the street. Not far, but one those Marriotts is literally across the parking lot from the hospital. Even I could have walked that far. We are in a handicapped room. My husband thinks a very fat person slept in the bed and created a large trough in the center.


We had a hip class with Bruce in the morning. We learned of the three precautions for after surgery: 90 degree rule, no crossing legs or ankles, and no toeing in. We also got to see the sort of room we would be in. There is a couch that converts to a bed.Everyone we met was informed and welcoming and wanted us to be satisfied.


PreOp was in the Irmo office. The waiting room was pretty crowded but I didn't wait  long to be seen. I had more X-rays done, this time with a measuring device in the picture to figure out what size implant I would need. I met the people I had been talking to over the phone and exchanging emails with. Lee asked some questions and did the "can you do this?" tests. I am not the star I was on those tests even six weeks ago; my range of motion had shrunk. Dr Gross came in, and as mentioned in the earlier, shorter post, went over my X-rays and let me handle the implants (not mine). Again I have to say that meeting these folks made me even more confident of my decision to have HR in SC with Dr Gross. They know their stuff.


A few notable points: H asked if I would really be able to go home on Sunday. Lee and Dr Gross said yes. (of course, this assumes I can pass three tests: pee, walk up a few stairs, not be throwing up, and that I feel capable of traveling.) He asked about durability of the HR, would it last me the rest of my life. Dr Gross was careful in his answer saying that there isn't enough data to know for sure, but he was optimistic. Finally, my H asked about running on the HR. (You can see he doesn't read the material beforehand.) Dr Gross gave a careful and honest answer and said yes but that some people do not return to running. The new hip will be a pretty darn good hip, but it is not the original. I asked about swimming, and if I would need a dysplasia cup.


Got crutches, prescriptions to fill, ice machine. Sent H to fill prescriptions and he had a hang up with the narcotics. I still haven't figured out if the issue was H not wanting to pay out of pocket, wanting insurance to pay, or if H looked like a seedy drug seeker. So we are waiting on the pain pills to take home. I sent him back and told him to just pay.


Oh! Where we ate: Blue Marlin the first night. I had shrimp and grits and calamari. Colas the second night. Mussels, a wonderful beet salad, Boulliabaise (sp), flour less chocolate cake. A glass of wine.


Operation One:
We arrived at 730am. Filled out a few simple forms. I was taken up maybe at 830. The nurse who prepped me was great.I was weighed, measured (my neck---have to ask why), took about six pills, got an IV started, got swiped with the red disinfectant, gowned up. Met the anesthesiologist and had a chance to ask questions. Lee came by to check on things and to write on left flank. I got versed before the blood for PRP type use was drawn and it made me very sleepy.


I remember being in the operating room, moving to the operating table, being told to sit up for the spinal.....then nothing. This is what the anesthesiologist had said would happen. I woke up in recovery. Alive! No pain! I was there drifting in and out of consciousness for a while. It was a sleepy kind of rest, like when you know you can stay in bed a little longer. The ice machine was on me. My legs and lower body were completely numb. I tried to move my toes, contract my quads, anything. Nada. The left, operative leg came back first oddly enough. First quads, then toes, then buttocks.Right leg woke up more slowly. I was dying to touch my toes, but couldn't with that 90 degree rule. I did keep trying to contract muscles and to wiggle toes, though, until all my parts woke up.


I was patient number three for the day. I hear I went in about an hour late, so wasn't in my room until 3:00ish. I didn't see a clock before then. Nurses were all great. They love their jobs and bend over backwards to do things right and to answer questions.


H brought me some Starbucks coffee and an orange. (working on that constipation already!)


I couldn't get up the first day because it took so long for my legs to wake up. I was still pretty numb on the nonop side at six.


Didn't sleep too well the first night with all the traffic in and out. H didn't stay and probably would have hated it. My resting heart rate is pretty low even now that I am not running like I used to. The under fifty bpm alarm kept going off at the nurse's station. After we talked about it, they weren't so concerned. However, when I went to sleep it dropped into the thirties a few times, and the night nurse came in to check that I was alive. Didn't take the extra pain pill at night because I didn't need it. I didn't like being stuck in the same position all night and looked forward to morning and getting up.


I did take a pain pill before PT. Not because I was in pain, but I was afraid I might be and didn't want the pain to get ahead of me. Showered, took a walk down the hall, peed on my own, brushed teeth and hair, dressed, not necessarily in that order. Looking forward to afternoon PT.


Dr Gross came by to check on me and brought my post surgical X-ray. I did end up with the dysplasia cup. No surprises, everything as predicted. Friday will be easy hip.


Eating as I type this, focusing on the high fiber foods. I have to say my right, preop hip hurts more than my left one at this moment.


So far so good!

Glad things have gone so well for you thus far!  You definitely chose the right surgeon. And, being a bilateral female (no offense intended), makes it even more critical that Dr. Gross is in charge.  My only advice is don't rush your recovery.  I can tell from your posts that, like me, you have that Type A mentality.  Nothing wrong with that, but our bodies are often not in sync with our minds.  I think taking it easy and allowing others to help may end up being your biggest challenge.  Good luck with number two (dual meaning intended)! 

Sounds like you're doing very well. Much better than me on the pain front for day one (no way I was going to skip any of the painkillers until ~late day 2)! That's fantastic that your pain levels are already lower than your other hip.

Great news, and glad you're through to the other side. I bet the second one tomorrow will be easy now that you know what to expect!

Yes, last night waiting in bed my right hip hurt worse than the bionic hip.


Okay a short nine fingered note for now.


Two bionic hips and feeling great.


Spent yesterday sitting up, taking little walks on crutches, hip class, frequent tinkles. My concentration was not good, so more texts and internet than real reading and writing. I made a lot of progress figuring out how to move.


The night was more restful. In part because I wasn't on the hr monitor and so when my hr dipped no alarms went off. However, I had a big waking up scare when I went to tinkle, brush hair and teeth and wash my right flank: I fainted in the bathroom. One minute feeling fine, then some nausea, me thinking I should have eaten more, then I am sitting on the floor and thinking wtf.


I was fine, completely fine. I scared the nurses more than I scared myself. I knew I wasn't hurting and hadn't hit my head. They didn't. A quick X-ray showed nothing was broken or knocked askew. Surgery two went on as scheduled. Today more calories, more salt, and someone watching me pee. (I have children; pee privacy is not necessary.)


Future hippies, know that nausea can be a sign of impending lack of consciousness. And if you are coming to SC, know that you will quickly be x-rayed and Dr Gross will be there to read the results.


Second surgery was uneventful. This hip had no cartilage, but also no cysts and was less dysplastic. My legs came back to life faster and so I DID get to walk today. With a chair following behind me after that morning's excitement!Right hip is sluggish, left hip has made great strides from the first day.


Now to eat some salty foods and get that bp up.

Sounds excellent yet again blinky!

Yup, I was extremely close to fainting the first time I tried to walk day-of surgery. I stood up, took 3 steps, and blood pressure fell through the floor. I went white as a ghost and was pouring sweat. I knew right away I needed a chair!

Glad things are going so well for you.

Congratulations Blinky!  It sounds like you are off to a good start.  Don't be afraid to let people do things for you the first week home.

Leaving the hospital soon. Everyone has been solicitous, it has been a pleasant stay, but time to move on. Dr Gross came to check on me this morning. All systems go. I am being more careful with my bp.


I learned how to walk on crutches and go up and down stairs with two weak hips. I took a shower. I am gaining confidence in getting myself up and out of sitting position to standing. The first few times I was afraid my legs wouldn't hold me, but now I am sure that they will.


Debating whether or not to take one more pain pill. I think sitting here a minute will revive me. Might take one tonight to sleep better.

Whew! Home again. Getting home was the hardest part.

I'm glad you made it home OK blinky. Back to the comfort of your own house and ready to relax.

Seems like things are still going well for you which is great news.

Great stuff, my turn next let's hope it goes as smoothly as yours seems to have 😀

Thanks. Sitting here in my fancy recliner,in my very own home, I will offer a few more details.


Dr Gross came by Saturday to check on me and brought the surgical report, which was pretty cool. H was terribly impressed; how often does that happen?!?!I was thoroughly briefed on what would happen when I was released, and everyone started working toward getting me out. I had PT and OT to show me how to manage, and got written and verbal instructions on what to take and what to do once released. One final standing X-ray.


The leaving parts were all the hardest parts. Getting in the car for example. How to duck low enough to fit in a sedan without breaking 90 degrees? Then getting out. H had set up a throne for me in the hotel and we expected I would watch football and chill for a few hours, then we would have one more nice dinner at Motor Supply and go to sleep.  It was not to be. I was so exhausted, so drained from the whole experience, I couldn't go out. I got dressed and ready, then at the last minute said I just couldn't. So we had carry out sushi and watched football and SNL.


The trip home was tough, I won't lie. At the Columbia airport, people are very kind and helpful. A bell hop who is used to Dr Gross' patients came to help me in and get me through security. He was very gentle. The TSA folks listened when I said I would rather not stand up and patted me down gently. Getting off the plane we were taking to Atlanta was another bilateral Gross patient. He was a young guy and his mom stopped to talk to me, to be reassured that this wasn't a mission of madness. First flight was fine. The Atlanta airport was a challenge. I had a wheelchair and people did what they were supposed to do, but it is a big, crowded airport. I didn't take enough pain pills and got behind, so there was a lot of lamaze breathing on that second flight.


Tips for future hippies: use the family bathrooms. They are big enough for a wheelchair and your partner. The side arm on the aisle seats on airplanes does raise. H knew how to lift the arm so I could slide in. Load yourself up with pain killers for the trip home. Elese, one of the Providence nurses who was very motherly and protective, gave us bags for ice for the airplane.


I made it home in time for the walking dead. Still don't know what happened to Glenn...


I will post on my recovery and some random thoughts from the surgery itself.


So far so good!

Great to hear you are home.  Take it easy and you will feel better soon.

I changed the title of your posts so it better represents you current surgery and recovery.  Hope you don't mind.   That way people will be able to follow your recovery easier.

Good Luck with your recovery.  I look forward to reading your updates.

Pat

So glad everything turned out so wonderfully for you and that you are back home!!

Looking forward to reading more from your experience.

Deb

Congrats on making it back home. I had Elese too. She was very nice. Take it easy and let H do things for you. Take care.

Yesterday was an excellent day. So happy to be home. I slept well and soundly and felt rested when I awoke. The first trip to tinkle was a bit of a challenge as my blood sugar was low and my legs were more swollen from  not icing overnight. I crutched my way to the breakfast table and enjoyed coffee and oatmeal and then felt much better.


We have two cats. They were discombobulated from my being away and spent much of the first night just staring at me. Finally one felt brave enough to climb up next to me and sleep.


I was lucky enough to have a steady stream of visitors both in person and via text/email/phone. Maybe too much as I went to sleep pretty late and woke up more tired. H took a much needed break from me and went out a bit, leaving me with a series of babysitters.  In a few days I think  I will be confident enough not to need the help. I will have figured out how to manage and will feel stronger.


Okay, the nitty gritty details of recovery: left leg, the first and worst leg, feels great. It is the better leg now, the lead leg. Right leg is behind. A little achier, and I think my right knee collapses in too much because of a disparity in strength between adductors and abductors. Some of that may correct itself as I become less swollen. I am just being aware of it and trying not to encourage it.


I need to eat more. Calories are needed for healing and bulk for the elusive BM. I have no appetite. I will set some eating goals today. Taking it slowly, I can take in enough to feel better. I am parked here with a bag of prunes and a bottle of water, but am also taking stool softeners and have sent H out  for MofM. Once I get my digestive system working right again, I think I will experience another great leap forward. Close to success, but not there just yet. This is an area in which you have to keep your sense of humor about you!

You are doing great, if mine goes half as well on Friday I'll be very happy! (Mind you as I'm not having both done by default it's only going to be done half as well!)

Still sounds like you're doing fantastically blinky! Don't worry, it'll all get fantastically easier literally day by day.

The bilateral part still seems super challenging to me. I had a lot of acute pain using some of the muscles in my operated hip, so I was very thankful to be able to do things like stand on my good leg and kick out the bad leg while sitting. Having both legs be weak/painful sounds really hard!

Major breakthrough today: restoration of peristalsis!


Aka I pooped.


Whew. That was the big worry yesterday. A friend brought me some Miralax (that is true friendship!) but it was working too slowly, so I took some MoM. I knew I needed to eat more, needed to take in more calories, to feel better, but my gut was full and eating made me nauseated. I would take half an hour to slowly consume a bowl of oatmeal. I drank lots of water, having to get up and pee in the middle of the night a few times (assisted by H; I was so sleepy I was afraid of falling). I didn't have any appetite.


Everything fell into place this morning after the first cup of coffee. Great success. Soft stool, no straining, but not too soft. I had a week of no action. A few promising rumbles, but nothing.


As an aside for future hippies, my next line of defense was magnesium citrate. I had some at the ready, but didn't take it. I was worried it would work too well, too abruptly. If you ever have time, there are some hilarious reviews of it on the internet.


I stopped the daytime Nuycenta today. I think  I will feel okay with just Tylenol, Mobic, and ice. We will see how it goes. I will keep the nighttime narcotic at least one more day.


Other goals for the day: walk some circles in the house (again). I walked fifteen minutes yesterday, very slowly. I am getting up to eat at the table for meals.


I feel worse in the morning fwiw. That first trip to the bathroom/kitchen table is tough.

Well, glad that is out of the way :)

Appreciate the details -- I am scheduled for right hip with Dr Gross exactly 1 month from today... yikes!

Good luck to you! Dr Gross and his staff are fantastic. It is amazing how well they handle all aspects of the surgery. All medical procedures should be this well run.


I appreciated all the nitty gritty details about how people managed at home, so I am happy to offer my own.

Hard to top yesterday's success. Just know it is continuing unabated, now with just dietary help.


I went off the narcotics. A day without them felt pretty good, so I didn't take one at night either and it didn't make much difference. I slept fine and while I didn't feel great when I woke up, I didn't feel so bad that I regretted my decision.


I still feel worse in the morning. Swollen from no ice, meds almost worn off (Mobic), blood sugar low, stuck in one position all night. And I am ready for my morning coffee, of course. It is fair to say that I am always at my worst first thing in the morning, even preop. I revive after some coffee, a little food, and some ice. I feel best after lunch fwiw. I crutched around the house for about twenty minutes, but in two installments this time. I am able to sit at the kitchen table for longer periods.


Left leg is still better than right. Right seems more swollen. Right knee is still wanting to collapse in, but I am  able to control it better.  The official exercises are pretty easy to do. Walking is the challenge. I can feel I don't have the full range of motion and control over my legs when I do the correct four point crutch walk. When I first get up and when I pee in the middle of the night (poor H!) I don't worry about correct crutch walking; I just get where I need to go. I am stable to just stand, and have to remind myself that I need my crutches to turn around or change directions. I feel good enough to park them against the wall and have been tempted to push against the walls and take little steps to turn around. (okay I have done it; probably shouldn't)


Mentally fuzzy so I am happy with TV.


Pro tips: 1) H has me wear a belt of his for the difficult maneuvers we make, like bathing or middle of the night peeing. He saw the PTs using a belt to help stabilize patients and decided it was a good precaution. He can grab the belt if I slip or start to fall and lower me to the floor.
2) when people offer to help, ice is a great and easy thing to request.
3) carrying things with crutches is going to be a challenge. I am almost ready to attempt it. I have a bag I can put things in and sling around my neck. I can put a travel coffee mug or a water bottle in a front pouch and then carry drinks that way.


Cats take turns sleeping with me, which is sweet.


I really want to go outside. Maybe today.

I'm surprised you found no difference with the narcotics at night. The last narcotic I stopped was a single 50mg Nucynta ER at night, since it lasts roughly 12 hours, it really helped with the aches that developed by morning and enabled me to sleep in a little more (since, as you said, the Mobic is wearing off and you've been stuck in the same position all night). I did however still stop it relatively quickly and substituted benadryl for awhile to knock me out for longer.

I think it'll feel really good to get outside! Even if you just walk a block or two, slowly, of course with your crutches. I say go for it! I found that I really liked getting the fresh air outside (although I'm not sure where you live and it might be very cold now!).

Good luck and keep us updated!

Benadryl is a good idea. I had my first night of not sleeping well. It wasn't the pain, it was not being tired enough and being stuck in one position. I took a wonderful one hour nap about noon and I guess that was a mistake. The cats, who normally don't sleep with me at night, have started to now, and one of them is so fat I have to move her off me. She can be next to me but not on me.


I will be ready to give up the recliner for sleeping. At first it felt so good, now I feel stuck in one position all night. Maybe try bed n a few days? I will have to put a pillow between my legs in case I roll over, which I wanted to do last night.


But in good news:


More time up yesterday, sitting, walking, doing more for myself. On crutches with no free hands, I have to figure out how to move things from place to place, even something as simple as a glass of water. The first few days home I was happy to just ask H to bring me stuff,  now I want to do it myself. I am using the grabber and the crutches to reach things. I have readjusted the location of my ice, for example, and unplugged it when I got too cold. I am lucky in that a friend made me a bag to carry things around. I have reached the stage where I am ready to use it. I can put a few light weight things in the bag and change locations.


How long will I be on crutches? I am thinking two weeks. I will be good at it by then. Then one crutch, but probably needing two for big treks, not a walk per se, but if I went out to eat or were in a stressful, new environment and wasn't sure what would be in store for me.


Left leg feels good. It went first and enjoyed the expert care of the hospital nurses for more time than the right leg, which was more on its own. Preop the right leg was the better leg, and so I think now I make that leg work harder out of habit. Right side seems more swollen. I feel like my strength is pretty good. Those leg bends/heel slides are easy. I did a few at night when I couldn't sleep just to change position and it felt very natural. I also noted that I could let my knees fall apart more. I am afraid to let them just go, but the swelling is down enough that I am not locked in a parallel knees position.


Progress!

Progress is great.

Reading your reports I am very frequently reminded of how useful having one good leg was! :) The good news is, once you're done, you're done. I still have another maybe hip one day.

I'd definitely try the bed. I had to use a lot more than one pillow between my legs when I first started trying to lie on my side. I'm guessing you won't be able to tolerate being on your side for at least another week, maybe more, but it's worth a shot once it's no longer scary to roll over and you have the pillow(s) there.

Being able to carry things also feels great. I found it hard to be so dependent on help from others since I am usually very self-sufficient.

Keep up the ice and exercise and thanks for continuing to share.

One week out.


What a difference.


I woke up feeling pretty good for a change. Slept better since I didn't nap. I had a late snack right before I went to sleep and I think  that helped even out my blood sugar; it wasn't so low when I woke up.


Yesterday was a good day. I did my exercises, crutched around, and spent even more time sitting up at the kitchen table and receiving guests. (haha! I had more company than I expected yesterday.)I am doing more small things myself, like getting up to let cats in and out, get a drink, get a snack, small stuff, but stuff I didn't do the first few days at home. I think  today will be pretty quiet since it is the weekend. I hope to watch a lot of football in the recliner.


A few recovery thoughts:


I am going to wear simple, over the head dresses. I can manage that by myself, and it is warm enough here to dress that way. I can put a sweatshirt on top if I get cool and wear slip on shoes---we don't need socks here.


I am eating to heal. That means protein at every meal and lots of fruits and vegetables. With H here and lots of casseroles in the fridge, I can manage to eat pretty well. He works from home and has good control of his schedule which helps. He does leave me for big blocks of time, a few overnights coming up and daily for a few hours, though, which means I have to figure out how to manage on my own. My appetite is still pretty flat, but I am trying to eat more and more often to feel better. More even blood sugar throughout the day seems to help.


Left leg is still ahead. Less swollen, fewer niggles.


Bath time is pretty hilarious. We are lucky to have a very large walk in shower. We put stacked lawn chairs in it for me to sit on. (We fought about that. I wanted to go buy a super stable potty chair and use it as a shower chair. H wanted to MacGiver it.) H dons his "wife washing outfit", basically some ratty running shorts, and acts as my spotter for the operation. He is super paranoid about my falling, and I wear one of his belts as a safety harness, an idea he got from watching the physical therapists. Not very romantic, but pretty funny. (He will be gone for a few days later on in my recovery and I think  I will get my way and buy that stable potty chair...)


Thinking about how different I feel today compared to last week at this time. Off narcotics and don't need them. GI issues resolved. Crutching confidently around. Getting up and down smoothly. Icing, but can go iceless. I need crutches to move, but can stand without them. I can take a few little steps without both of them---being wobbly in switching my weight from foot to foot is my issue. The first week was the hardest part.


For people traveling, after I had overcome the constipation and was weaning off narcotics, was the big turn around point. Should I have spent a few more days in Columbia? Maybe. It would have been easier to get home Wednesday than Sunday. However, being home also contributed to my feeling better and getting over my GI issues. I had my coffee, my food, my schedule.

No real complaints. I didn't sleep well again and I blame the cats. The fat one has learned to lie next to me not on me, but the little one wants to be on my lap. When I leave the recliner this won't be an issue because they won't follow me to the bed. (I hope.)


The mental fog is lifting. I am not in such bad shape,but I have an inability to plan. I can take c are of my own immediate physical needs, which I guess are a lot right now, but struggle to tack up nonphysical needs to my mental to do list. Like I can know that I need to take meds, eat, get iced before H gets busy, but have trouble remembering that I need to pay the electric bill or check that website for Xmas gifts. We aren't talking high level thinking here, just non healing thinking. sigh. I do manage to complete these tasks, but what I could focus and do in an hour it takes me longer to do. I will be distracted and it takes me a while to come back on task.


I don't have any real pain, just a host of little niggles. Constantly changing niggles at that. Both bandages are off, for example, so I am hyper aware of sensations on my right flank. It feels different, not bad. The right side is more swollen, and I am aware of more swollen shins so less flexion on that side. Then I ice and both sides are the same again.


Most of the niggles are due to swelling I think.


I am on two crutches but can see one crutch in my future. I can take few tiny crutch less steps to even myself up, like when I stand up from the breakfast table and reach for the crutches against the wall. No hurry. I plan on being on two crutches all week.


A mother's observation: older son came home from college to check on me. I was thrilled. He was tentative with me, a little wary, at first. Physically gentle but also a little distant and reserved. I was surprised by his reaction, but after thinking about it, I believe it is because he is seeing his mom, who never gets sick and always handles everything, as mortal and vulnerable. (Mom who has coached him through long endurance events, running next to him when he hasn't paced as well she she has.) He is a big boy, a scientist, he knew all about the surgery, but I think  emotionally it was a shock. We did settle into our old, easy relationship when he saw I was okay. After dinner he was back to teasing me about my robotic stair climbing and getting out of washing dishes by being on crutches.

Thank you for continuing to share with us Blinky.

The fog you describe is why it took the better part of 2 weeks for me to try reading a real book vs just playing on the internet and watching TV. Even TV took a little while for me as my brain dealt much more easily with the ADD of the internet!

Niggles will slowly and surely get better thankfully. Sounds like you're on top of the icing to control the swelling which is great.

Looking forward to sleeping in a real bed again?

Thank you for sharing the story about your son too. It's funny that you mention robotic stair climbing. Stairs are the only way the vast majority of people I run into notice anything is up now! Normal walking has become close enough to normal that people just don't notice unless they know, but put a staircase in front of me and I'm going at 1/3rd normal speed (only good leg stepping up).

I appreciated all the stories from those who went before me. It was useful to hear about the little but troubling problems and to see a timeline of recovery.


Excellent night's sleep. I woke up fuzzy headed, but just from lack of coffee. I am still letting H do things for me, but am supplementing much more, like putting the milk back in the fridge and refilling the sugar bowl. I can see next week being more self sufficient. H will be out of town some this week, so I have to line up a string of friends to drop in and check on me. I have a "I've fallen and can't get up" text group. Now to remember to carry my phone. I have to get out one of the boys' hoodies with a pocket and wear that.


Walking feels great. I am walking outside now and am just loving it. PreOp walking was something to be endured. Now I embrace it. [size=78%]I am enjoying movement again. Just small stuff to be sure, but I find myself swinging around the house is a more playful way.[/size]
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[/size][size=78%]Son showed me all the great stuff our smart TV can do. Who knew? He also recommended some shows for me. H made him do dishes, which was funny. Normally I just do all that. I can tell H is ready for this to be over. [/size]
[/size]
[/size][size=78%]I forgot to take any Tylenol yesterday. I did notice it. Late in the day I was thinking I was more sore than before. Not ready to give that up yet. [/size]
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[/size][size=78%]Right side still more swollen. It functions fine when I [/size][size=78%][/size]walk[size=78%][/size][size=78%] or do the exercises.  The incision [/size]isn't[size=78%] as pretty and is more numb. Two thoughts on that: 1) I think  my brain focuses on one area of hurt at a time, maybe [/size][size=78%][/size]hyper focuses. Left side has some limitations and swelling, but I ignore them because the right side is shouting louder. 2) I am trying to be cool about it. I am so early in recovery, a lot can change. I know from reading other bilat accounts that an uneven recovery is normal. (and is it so uneven? one hip is ahead of the other by two days) I don't have a lot of experience with stitches and surgical healing, but from what little I do have, I know there will be large changes.[size=78%]

[/size]Counting the days until those scabs heal. I miss the pool. [size=78%]

How did I mess up the formatting? Forget everything I said about improving mental clarity!

My hips didn't heal the same rate, the left side was slower to recover and always seemed to be a couple of days behind the right. The left caught up after 2 or 3 weeks except for numbness. The right side is good but the skin around my left incision running down to the outer knee is still numb (but slowly improving).


Now with rehab (I'm 9 months out) the left side isn't bad good but I still get some muscle pain on the right side, mainly with the upper hamstring. This isn't surprising, my right hip was the "bad" side prior to surgery. The problem seems to be mostly a muscle imbalance, my quads and abductors (which have been very tight years) are overpowering my weaker hamstrings and adductors. This tilts the pelvis forward and over stretches in my upper hamstring. The tight abductors has also made me somewhat knock kneed, so I've been focused on strengthening the hamstring/adductor muscles and cutting back on the quad exercises.

Funnily enough, the last piece of my scab came off after the 4-week minimum that Dr Gross specifies before swimming, so I wasn't allowed to swim until yesterday. Hope to go for a swim this week though!

Oh no! Those scabs better fall off faster than that. I guess I could heal more slowly due to being older and due to blood thinners?


So yesterday I walked without crutches. It was only a few steps and it was an accident, but I did it twice. I was up, had the crutches parked against the wall, and I just automatically took off. I got a few steps away, remembered I couldn't walk yet, went back and got my crutches.


Very encouraging.


No pain, no wobble, I felt completely normal and natural. My brain remembers how to walk!


In general yesterday was a good  day for movement. I am up and out of chairs better and more often, move things around by myself (putting things away, picking things up), got up to pee in the middle of the night without calling for H to wake up and help.


My right hip feels much better. I can't say the two are even, but I don't notice such a pronounced difference.


I am obsessing about my incisions now that the bandages are off (okay not really obsessing, but they are getting more attention). They look fine, but there is some numbness and mostly I cannot stand for anything to rub them. I mean that in a relatively OCD way, like I may not be normal. (I do tend to worry little ouchies, like want to keep touching a mouth sore with my tongue.) I have been wearing large men's boxers, cotton, well washed and worn. As the bigger ones got dirty, I was wearing the smaller ones, mediums, and discovered my intolerance for touch. Solution? (Well, besides frequent laundry to keep those favorite three pair of underwear in play) I next day ordered five pair of men's silk boxers. I can't wait!


Functionally I am doing very well. My hips are working better all the time. I will be curious to see how different I will look: the scars, my hip shape and size. I am sure I am still swollen, but I seem hippier than I used to be. I am not bothering to wear my own pants so I can't tell how much bigger I am.

Blinky,
I really appreciate you documenting your day to day struggles/victories.  Just so happy that all is turning out so well for you!  We are all cheering you on :)
 

I think you've mentioned this before, but I cannot remember.  Did Dr. Gross use a Birmingham hip for your resurfacing or a similar device?  Is he still using the BHR?

Deb

Thanks! It is good therapy for me, too.


Dr Gross uses a Biomet device described on his website. He was not affected by the withdrawal.


So yesterday I probably did too much. It was predictable. H went out of town and so I was off leash.


Now, recall he works from home so he has been around much of the time, just is normally around much of the time. He has been leaving me for big blocks of time since the start. He went to hear one of son's concerts on Monday when we got back, for example. He typically is gone for three/four hours sometime during the day. The Monday he was gone, I set up a series of babysitters for myself. For this trip, I also set up a series of people to pop in and check on me. A good friend spent the night.


Okay, so I had too much company. Too much sitting up and not icing. Too much walking. It rained all morning and I was dying to get out when it cleared. I busted out, with a friend saying "not by yourself you don't" and racing over.


I was ready to collapse in the recliner by the end of the day. And ice.


Today I am revived. And have been getting into more trouble, learning how to move with one crutch and using the kitchen countertop....


The boxers came!

I will add that some of this caution is probably excessive. I am bilateral, so more constrained the first week, but I can get up at night by myself now. I can stand and fix food for myself and use a bag to transport things from place to place. The fear has been falling and being alone. I have my "I've fallen and I can't get up" group text list of people who live close by, but we worried that at night I might not get an answer. What if I fell on the way to pee in the middle of the night? If I hadn't fainted due to low bp, this wouldn't seem like as real a concern.


I do need help with the ice machine, but could fill bags with ice by myself.

Hi Blinky,


Firstly, I enjoy reading your journey :)


I am fascinated by the use of ice machine and the differences that you (and most Dr Gross patients) have versus what I have experienced under Dr. Bose. There seems to be some big differences in how the surgery is performed as our recoveries are extremely different? For example I only had minor swelling in the first week after operation only after walking where ice was needed. After this I cannot find a use for ice. My incision was without any scabbing yet I read people are peeling it off. Also Dr. Gross imposes the 90 degree rule where Dr Bose imposes no restrictions. I see the recoveries differencing a lot and yes we are all different but surely we had similar surgeries??


I am now 3 1/2 months out and now walk without a gait and as far as I need to go - Yippee!! I am amazed by how fast recovery was and feel like I did 10 years ago already. Cant wait to the 6 month period to go up another notch :)




Br,
Paul

@blinky: Sounds like you're doing great. Very happy for you.

@Paul_D: I actually did ask Dr. Gross (really just out of curiosity) why other surgeons don't have the 90-degree restriction. He said (paraphrasing) 'I don't know what other doctors do. I do close up the capsule really well. But I definitely don't want you bending past 90 degrees until 6 weeks.' Fair enough, haha.

@JHippy - Although I was free to bend as I wish I still observed the rule just in case ;) I have been extremely careful in recovery until recently where I am now starting to push the boundaries a bit more :)

I think that there's also a lot of patient to patient variation and associated caution.

For example, in my case (also Dr Gross) I only had very minor swelling, all in the hip area (no lower leg or even down to knee type swelling at all), but ice was still extremely helpful for managing pain. I would argue it was the most effective pain management tool I had (more so than the drugs) through the first week.

On the scab, I definitely didn't have a big scab I was peeling off, but there was a very small thin layer of scab on pieces of the wound that were a little hard to see, but felt hard, and eventually came off by themselves / went away. Think more nail clipping size :)

On the 90 degree rule, I think any surgeon who uses the anteriolateral approach doesn't have the restriction because the capsule wasn't damaged in that direction (but as always, there are tradeoffs). Not sure which approach Dr Bose uses, perhaps he's just figured out he doesn't get dislocations. One thing I did notice in Dr Gross' interview on this site was that he hasn't had a single dislocation in his data after the 2009 breakpoint (and low single digits ever). Oh well, only one more week for me until I hit that magical 6 week point!

Interesting discussion. I did get the impression that there was an excess of caution in some areas. The PTs, for example, also told me not to cross the midline with my legs (i.e. no ankle crossing, but also more difficult for me to use one foot to scratch the other) and not to toe in. Dr Gross was less concerned with those movements, but did insist on the 90 degree rule. I think he worries about people who feel too good and go out and do too much. Like with respect to my list of exercises, he told me not to add to them: no extra reps and not to add weights. Just do them as written!


I am not terribly swollen, but I am not yet my normal shape. My feet were a little swollen on the trip home, but I did fit comfortably in my shoes. I think my thighs were swollen, but maybe I am just fat. Maybe I notice the change in my hips more since I am a woman? I mean that both in a structural sense (i.e. maybe I am different) and aesthetically (I am more sensitive to a change). I do still notice a difference in the two legs. Right leg swells more and is the leg I choose to elevate if I can only raise one of them.


Really good day yesterday. With H gone I had some time and opportunity to do things on my own. This does raise the question of whether I should let on that I can now clear the kitchen table and stand long enough to do dishes.


I am crutching about 3/4s of a mile at a time. I should probably leave it there awhile. Our weather is beautiful and it is a treat to be outside.


Getting out has given me back my appetite. This is another mixed blessing. Because I am eating more I feel much much better. I wake up more steady and don't fade out in the afternoon. But I am still pretty sedentary and the holidays are coming up and I do like to eat and, well, you get the picture.


Finally took a trip in the car. Everything and everybody has come to me up until now. I was able to not fold myself into a smallish sedan and endure about a half hour drive each way. Sat up through a meeting and was reasonably focused (volunteer stuff). To make this trip work I took a bag, grabber, two ziplock bags of ice, and crutches. This was a trial run for the big drive to Thanksgiving. Looking ahead, I think the one worrisome variable will be finding handicapped restrooms on the road. Do most restaurants have them? Chains do I bet. Do large gas stations?

Sleeping better and eating better. I feel more like my old self all the time.


I did a little work this morning, editing the proof of a magazine. I think I could have worked sooner, but maybe not. Motivation was lacking.


Another explanation for not being able to work: I think  my mental energy has been going towards healing and figuring out how to function in my new, hobbled body. I am thinking a lot, but about how to move the coffee cup from the kitchen island to the table and not about work.


I am going to keep double crutching the outdoor walks and get up to a mile at a time. Meanwhile, I am going to experiment with moving indoors without crutches or with one crutch. My house is pretty open, so I can't surf smoothly from piece of furniture to piece of furniture, but walls and furniture are close enough that I can start to move without two crutches. I am not using the crutches so much for weight bearing help. I use them for balance. If I can touch a wall to steady myself, that is often enough.


I do still have niggles and some swelling. No pain, but there are sensations of pulling or of being tight. It feels like normal healing. Nothing is chronic or gets worse.


Looking ahead, the next big challenge will be Thanksgiving. H and I are driving to my folks' house about nine hours away. We will do it in two chunks. (three, really) We will drive to see Son1 at college about an hour and a half away. Then we will push on to Dallas. H has found a fabulous resort hotel to stay the night. It will be great for him, sad for me. The place has an indoor 25 m pool and big gym. I joked that I would be crutching around the parking lot on the even ground while he swims, then gets a massage. The next day we will push on to LR. I am already brainstorming on where to find handicapped accessible bathrooms on the route. (state line rest stops and large truck stops---too bad there aren't more Buccee's on the route).


My folks's house is large, but two story with all bedrooms upstairs. I doubt their toilet heights and bed heights are as good as ours. Of course, I will bring my special potty seat, but they have one, too. They do have chairs with arms and at least one recliner. The freezer will be stuffed with food so we will have to put ice in a cooler.


We are going to play it by ear for the trip back. I think we can do it in one day with frequent stops. Worst case we break it up.

I had no idea you were walking so far each day already, that's fantastic! Like you, I kept up walking aids outside for longer than inside. Obviously with a bilateral things are a bit different going to one crutch or a cane, but once I could handle a cane I was *much* happier.

Glad to hear you're sleeping well, I've reversed a little on that front (great sleep for 5-6 hours, then impossible to continue).

I think the niggles will be 100% normal for quite awhile to come. I still have plenty.

Ambitious plans for thanksgiving, but I'm sure it'll be great!

Take care.

Why the sleeping issues? I am sleeping better now than preop for sure. I used to wander from bed to couch and back, trying to get comfortable.


I could easily sit in my recliner and watch Law and Order reruns all day. Oy! Okay, so I did 2/3 jobs that needed to be done, and will finish the third today.


A physical inventory: right leg still swells more, but I clearly treat it as the lead leg. The swelling is better, it was never bad, like I didn't notice much outside of the thigh area, and I never had any bruising, even on my hips. But I haven't tried to wear my own pants so I don't really know. (The benefits of living in a warm climate. No need for pants and no need for socks.) I notice the camber and grade of the road when I walk outside. That reminds me that my legs seem to be the same length as I don't notice any difference at all indoors.


My arms aren't sore at all. H pointed that out. That means 1) I am not using them for weight bearing much and/or 2) all that weight lifting I did preop paid off.


My scars look pretty good. The scabs are coming off (!) steadily. I bet I get to swim after Thanksgiving. (Though there will be all kinds of logistical challenges. How will I get to the pool? How will I change clothes? What suit can I put on by myself? Will it bother my incisions?) The numbness is lessening. I figure some of the numbness was from swelling. The tissue underneath feels hard and a little swollen. No issues with sitting, however. I do like to put the right leg up, and I do get tired of not being able to lean on the table.


Finished off the blood thinner. A milestone!


I think I mentioned I am taking joy in movement again. Walking outside in the sun, swinging on the crutches in some not approved ways, a playful pivot.


We are going out tonight and I need an outfit. No shopping trip, I will find something that works in my closet, but it will be a step up from my day to day dressing.

It's so nice when walking starts to be fun again! For a long time I've avoided walking when heading out, even when the walk was easy (half mile, etc). Now it's just the opposite, I'd rather walk when I can!

Regarding sleeping, I think the main issue is that now I can easily shift positions while asleep. It's not immediately painful lying on my incision, so I tend to roll over to that side after awhile lying on the "good" side (still with a pillow between my legs). It probably takes ~1 hour of lying on the incision for it to ache enough to wake me up, but then it continues to ache for awhile after rolling back to the other side. Add in that there's a lot to think about at work at the moment, and I tend to sleep for 4-5 hours on my good side, roll to the bad for an hour, wake up, and then struggle to get back to sleep because my mind wakes up. I'm sure it'll pass, I'm just tired! :) 

I just caught up on your posts. It sounds like you're doing well. Good for you!  I look forward to hearing more about your ongoing recovery. Best wishes!

Good to know I should enjoy my deep sleeping while I can. I am trained now to lie as still as a corpse, but it won't last. djganz, since you are the most recent bilat, I refer to your posts all the time to get an idea of what to expect.


So I am walking crutchless in the house and I look like a toddler with a load in his diaper.


Seriously, I am bent kneed and kind of bowlegged, swaying from side to side. But I can surf between walls, furniture, and countertops and I can carry things. WooHoo!


I still need a bag to carry heavier items, like a laptop, and I still use crutches for longer walks (longer meaning more than about five steps without a wall nearby) and when I am in a scrum of people.


Speaking of scrum of people, we went out last night. I see that as a milestone in that I had to dress a little nicer, stand longer, and move around among people. It went well, but I was swollen and tired at the end of the evening. We went to a housewarming (lots of standing as people congregated in the kitchen and not near the chairs with arms that I required to sit down) and a fundraiser (could sit, but crowded). H did a great job looking out for my interests. He found me the right kind of chair to sit in and got me in it.

Congrats on getting "out and about" even for just this one time.  You've made remarkable progress!  I can't imagine having surgery on both hips at the same time.  It sounds like you have a great support system at home, too.

It seems most people on this site use crutches while recovering. My Doc recommended using a walker.  I'm not sure why.  I did like the way the walker helped me to walk by distributing my weight evenly and by not having to balance.  Plus I'm weak in the upper body. I'm sure there are pros and cons about both.

Anyway, you are doing great and I look forward to your next posting!

Deb

Thanks. Yes, I am very fortunate to have the support of H and friends. I think I am something of a curiosity, that crazy woman who had two hips replaced at once. I don't know why crutches and not  a walker for me. Did the PTs think a younger person would prefer crutches? Like it is an image thing? I ran into a gym trainer, former Green Beret and army medic, sixty yo, who had had a knee replaced and he said he preferred a walker because it made him stay balanced in the middle.


Yesterday was good. I did some work, took an outside walk in the cold (Texas cold), experimented with going crutch less indoors. I do pretty well, but do tire toward the end of the day and move back to one crutch. I can do more all the time, including chores that don't involve bending over. Of course, I am doing those four Dr Gross exercises, which are pretty easy now. (The heel slides were tough right after surgery. The friction from the bed sheets was hard to overcome.)


There is still some swelling in the hip area and I do have sensations of tightness and pulling on both sides. Not all the time, but when I move I will find a tight spot. Left incision site looks really good, right not as good and still lumpy, but better.


Packed and ready to go to LR. Now that I am so comfortable in my own house, I will have to go learn how to function in a new place. Lots of problem solving to come. I found some longer, simple, over the head dresses in my closet so I can stay with that easy dressing strategy, but I also borrowed some loose sweats from a friend.


Looking ahead: H has to go out of town for two weeks when we get back.  He has been very concerned about how I will manage and so we have been figuring out safe ways to shower and trying to identify exactly what I can't do on my own. Drive. Fill the ice machine. I think those are the big ones. Now, Son2 will be home on break (trimester system at college), so i won't be alone. But let's be honest about eighteen yo on break. He is a good boy, but he will sleep until noon, go to work at five, then go out late with friends. It will be interesting.

So yesterday was a tougher day. I am double crutching outside like a champ, faster and better all the time. Inside I am experimenting with going crutch less and that is the hard part. I am more sore ("sore" isn't quite the right word) at the end of the day. Some unaided trips are great, with me walking pretty straight, others are more wobbly. I do love being able to use my hands and to carry things. On two crutches every trip requires so much planning.


Because I am a big show off, I had to let every visitor see that I could walk without crutches. Because I am impatient from feeling good, I didn't use the crutches to get packed for this out of town trip. It was faster and easier to just get my own stuff by myself than to let H help. I paid by being more swollen and more tired yesterday.


We drove five hours in the car, taking a break in the middle. We brought ice. I moved my legs around, ankle pumping and bending my knees.I was surprised how much I use my hips to stabilize myself in the car while H drives. He is rather....aggressive...so it was rough until he got on the highway. Getting in and out of the car is a piece of cake now. I am strong enough to sit in chairs without arms; I can use my arms and legs to raise and lower myself without breaking 90 degrees. Just have to check that the table won't flip from my weight.


A sad moment was seeing the Dallas skyline and remembering the last time I was here I was driving into town to run a marathon with a friend and son1. Here I am on crutches and wearing a funky independence outfit ( t shirt, men's silky boxers, long dress, slip on shoes, son's hoodie with front pocket for phone). I hope next year when we do this drive, I am the one driving, I look more stylish, and I have packed my swimsuit and running shoes.

Sounds like it's all going well and don't be sad look at it as a motivation now you have a real chance of doing it again whereas if you hadn't had the op you would never have had a choice. I'm glad the journey wasn't too bad.

Absolutely. H enjoyed our stop so next year I will be running those paths and swimming in the pool.


The long day of driving, five hours, was well, long. We started late, stopped after about an hour, then didn't stop as soon as we should have when we crossed the border to Arkansas. On the way back we will know better. I was more than ready to get out and stretch when we finally stopped.


The good surprise, though, was how well I am able to move in my parents' house. It was built in 1970, never really modified, so it has lots of smallish rooms (by today's standards) and relatively narrow hallways and stairwells. This makes it perfect for me to get around without crutches. There is always a rail or a wall I can touch. I was delighted to go up and down their long stairs with no issues what so ever. The potties are low, which is a problem, but I am strong enough now I can lower myself using legs and triceps. They did dedicate one bathroom to me, but with so many extra people in the house, I can't always get in there.


I am also so much happier and chattier than last year, when my abilities were starting to really diminish. I went from being the one who organized long walks and morning runs to just sitting around drinking coffee and eating pie. No long walks or runs this year, but I will be going out to crutch around the neighborhood.


Lots to be thankful for this year!

So yesterday is the first day I really can say I overdid it. Too much new: climbing long stairs, walking on hillier and more cambered roads, going crutch less, not icing as much. My left side was tweaked and overused by the end of the day.


I tweaked it rolling over in bed of all things. I started to roll, felt it, thought better of it, stopped. But the damage was done. On the heretofore quiet left side. Ugh. I notice that I swing my leg instead of lifting and that contributes to the problem. So back on at least one crutch and I won't take a walk outside today. Just eating and napping!


A night's sleep was mostly restorative. I am about 70% better. And the good news is I feel much much less swollen. I did ice, but I didn't feel like I needed to the way I have the last few weeks.


Yes, my brothers and the kids are all making fun of me for being such a princess. I had first choice of beds when we arrived, for example, and got to be Goldilocks picking the best one. And I get the chair with arms.

Speaking of crutches some of the best advice I got on this forum was not to rush getting off them. It's all about your walking form. In fact here it is in his own words: http://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/index.php?topic=5474.msg51853#msg51853

Overall all it looks like you've been doing great! Just don't push it too much right now, you'll get there. I know it's tempting :)

Thanks. I took a step back and went back to crutches yesterday and that did the trick. My left hip settled down. The next two days will be very chill. One day will be another long car trip.


I think  the stairs are what set me off. My house has a first floor master so I don't have to climb steps except those few to get in and out of the house. This house has stairs and I am up and down many times a day.



I do need to think about how I move. Crutchless I waddle more.

Thank God for the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA.


After our ten hour drive, I am pleased to report that there are handicapped accessible restrooms everywhere.


Back to normal tomorrow.

Glad you survived the adventure!

How are the walks going? I'm guessing the adventure put all of that mostly on hold.

Sadly, yes. Plus the wonky left hip, rain, and the long trip.I figured all the stairs I was doing made up for the walks. Yesterday I was only in the house for an hour and went up and down half a dozen times.


I did go out today, had to break down and wear long pants due to cold weather. I am going to double crutch it and go 3/4s of a mile for a few days, then think about modifications. I can go further on two, but also I think I can start short outside jaunts on one crutch. In the house I am on one or none. One feels good. None is wobbly, but I can use both hands so I go that way when I am moving things around, like dishes to sink.


Son2 is home with us. He spent the night with friends. We will have to train him how to take care of his disabled mom. I am showering without help for about a week. H was nervous about this for a long time, but is okay now. Son2 certainly doesn't want to be helping me with bathing! Driving and the ice machine are the two big issues. We will figure it out. Son2 is pretty sensitive.


The usual random niggles. Right leg is more tired today. Incisions look better and feel more normal all the time. I don't think I will get to swim for another week. Slept in a bed the last week, but returned to the recliner last night. The cats wanted to be with me after the time apart, and it is easier to do that in the recliner. And I snore on my back, so gave H a break from that.

Do you have a cane yet? Obviously you want to be comfortable on a single crutch before trying a cane as it provides less support, but I much preferred the cane to the crutches. It allows you to walk with a much more normal gait vs having something showed up under your arm. If you don't have one, I'd recommend getting one -- once you feel up to using a single crutch outside and become pretty competent with it, try out the can and see what you think (I just bought a $12 one on Amazon with an offset handle like this: http://www.amazon.com/Medline-Offset-Handle-Cane-Black/dp/B000BJBH3Y/).

Glad that your independence is on the rise. It's very nice to be able to shower without help! Do you think you could carry, empty, refill, and carry again the ice machine with one crutch?

I do have a cane and maybe that is the next step. I am thinking I can do the double crutch long walk and then a shorter cane walk and see how it goes. I don't use the two crutches in the house anymore, just move them from place to place.


The issue will be my gait. I think  I walk pretty normally on two crutches: evenly, not waddling, just touching the ground on both sides for balance. Moving through the house crutch free touching the walls and furniture for balance I think  I also look pretty good, except for touching the walls all the time. But my unsupported steps are awkward. When I get the cane out, I will get someone to watch me walk.


The drug count down: seven Mobic left. I forget to take Tylenol and it doesn't matter too much. Once a day seems to be enough. I have a while left on the baby aspirin. Out of the prescription iron and nagging H to buy me some OOC and he never remembers. Son2 is going to take his mom out on a grocery trip and I will get it then myself.


Napping is a no no. I can't sleep at night.

Gait is definitely important. Obviously you have things tougher being bilateral and therefore I'm not quite sure how to translate my experience weaning off the walking aids to yours. I went from 2 crutches to one, and then as soon as I was really solid on one I switched to the cane. I tried the cane directly from 2 crutches and it wasn't going to happen, I was far too wobbly. However, I did transition to the cane much faster than from 2 crutches to 1.

The long crutch walk/short cane walk day was a success. I will continue on this path. Today the same thing exactly, tomorrow a little bit more. We have centralized mailboxes about a block away and that was my cane goal and it was plenty far.


Still have niggles, all kinds, but nothing bad. An example would be on my long walk running into someone I know, standing for a good period and chatting, then feeling stiff in the back of the foot (!) when I start up again. I am tempted to cross my ankles with my feet up now and have to stop myself.


I am pretending that doing dishes is beyond me. (Yes, I could wash them in the sink, but can't bend over to put them in the bottom rack of the dishwasher.) H is relieved to have Son2 home to help him. Son2, however, will never just agree to do a chore. He always sets up a double or nothing sort of challenge that determines who does the task----whoever wins a ping pong match does the dishes or whoever hits more baskets into the trash can is exempt from taking out the trash. It is lively at my house!


The future challenges: I will be feeling my inability to drive. Work stuff and holiday stuff coming up and I am going to need a ride to places. H leaves tomorrow so it will be me and Son2. He has gone back to his Thai food delivery job for the holiday break, so guess what I will be eating.


Son2 has been much more matter of fact and curious about the surgery. He asked to see my scars. I think the difference between him and his brother is that Son2 was home to watch my deterioration over the last year while his brother was away at school.


Eager for the incision to heal so I can swim! It is getting so close.

Excellent! Did it feel good to be able to do a short walk with just a cane?

I remember thinking my incision was 95%+ for about a week, just waiting for it to be 100% :)

Very good. Today I go a little further on both walks. It is four weeks for the left leg.


My body is returning to normal. A dozen or so days ago my hips were still so swollen I wondered if I had been structurally changed. I looked hippier. Dr Gross said I would be a little taller; maybe also broader in the hips? The swelling was very localized, too. No bruising and no noticeable swelling in my legs. I am pleased to report that I look like my old self again. Most likely there is still a little swelling, but I can't see it any more. My weight is also back to normal. Post op I was full of fluids and up ten pounds even a week or so out. I expected that. My mom fell and broke her hip and puffed up quite a bit from swelling and fluid retention. (No one gave her an ice machine!) It took awhile for her to shrink  back down. I wondered if I would be heavier due to the weight of implants.


So my advice is to stay off the scale after HR. If you can't resist, know you will retain water for several weeks.


I comforted myself by reminding myself of the changes my body went through during pregnancy. Big changes, but I returned to normal over time.


Still playing dumb on the dishes, but doing more otherwise. The trash cans are on wheels so I tried to drag them in---empty---yesterday. I dropped my cane on the curb and had to call Son2 on my cell to come pick it up. Pretty comical!


H is on to me. He leaves today for a long trip and between being distracted getting ready and caregiver fatigue, he is doing less for me. Okay, it isn't always on purpose. He says he will refill the ice machine and then forgets. (That is what happened to the garbage cans.) It won't matter because I can figure this stuff out now.


Worked standing up all morning yesterday and felt it by the end of the day with more niggles. Have to stay on the icing better on the active days.

Walked a little further on both outings. Had a grocery store trip with Son2. In our big Texas supermarket, probably walked a good amount leaning on the shopping cart. H left us with supplies, but Son2 wanted certain junk food items and I needed thank you cards.


H is a very healthy eater which has been great for me and my recovery. We eat lots of fish and fresh fruits and vegetables. Son2, however, eats like a college student. Because he grew up in our household, his basic diet is quite good and he enjoys all kinds of foods, but last night we went to Whataburger.


And then had three dozen warm cookies delivered!


There was some mother guilt in those cookies. I do bake, but currently can't bend over low enough to use the oven. Next week I have a few holiday parties and will have to look up some stove top cookie recipes.


I bought the ingredients for chills and stews, which I can manage on the stove, too.

Four weeks for the right hip today.


What progress! No pain, very very little swelling, moving around pretty freely. I carried my laptop, meds, phone, shawl, and cane to the breakfast table this morning. Carried my cane, didn't use it because my hands were too full. It needs to be here for later, but I didn't need it to get here. Yeah, I was slow and awkward, but better all the time.


I will fly to SC for my six week check up. Alone. H and the Sons will drive to NO and I will fly there after the check up to meet them. In two weeks I think  I will be pretty good on the cane (when I am not carrying it from room to room) and so will travel with it. But I do think I will still need it, or at least want to carry it as a visual reminder that I am not 100%.


Not missing doing certain chores, like rolling the garbage cans out in the morning, but restless to do other things, like get a haircut and GO SWIMMING. Let Son2 bring me a spicy Thai soup, suki, for a late dinner at the end of his shift.

That sounds fantastic blinky, great progress. You must be doing very well to be confident on planning the NO trip!

Also good to hear that you're gaining confidence in walking unassisted - it seems like only a few days ago you were primarily still on two crutches. That's amazing.

Surely you can talk your son into driving you for a haircut now :), and swimming! As soon as the incision is good to go...

Thanks, yes, Son2 will take me....eventually. Life with a teen ager. Good intentions, but slower to act. I have to schedule time with him to get things done. Like today we will have an appointment for milk, bread, and eggs. He could certainly go out and buy them himself, but it has been three days of nagging, so we will go together. (He is a good kid and I saw this coming. He sleeps until noon, gets up to play tennis/train since he is on the college team (a little bragging there) then has work at five, often sees friends after work.)


I am tantalizingly close to so many places I would like to go. Drugstore. Grocery. City Hall. Bank. But they all fall just outside my one mile walking radius. Not to mention I would have to walk back. I have a bike, a cruiser with a basket, but no biking until six months.


I will call on friends. There are community events I have to attend the next few days and I have rides lined up.


Still feeling good. An assortment of niggles. I do get tired and swollen when I overdo it and sit down and ice. I noticed today that I can nudge things sideways with my feet, like push a chair out of the way, without pain. My butt muscles look wasted so there is work to do. A tiny bit of scab on both incisions.

Beautiful weather here in south Texas. It is a joy to walk outside. Still following the long crutch walk/short cane walk pattern. I am faster on the crutches than I was two weeks ago. The cat follows me on some walks. In the beginning, she was faster than me, would get ahead and then stop and wait. Now I zoom ahead of her and she follows, meowing at me to slow down.


I modified the cane walk yesterday. I had to go to a city hall holiday event that involved a lot of walking and standing so I counted that as cane time. I was on my feet outside much longer than the usual cane walk, but it went fine. The cane would get in the way and I would need two hands to take pictures, so I would put it around my neck. (If I drop it, I have to get someone to pick it up and I didn't want that....). I felt pretty normal.


Out again for dinner, but just sitting, albeit on a bench, so learned to observe hip precautions in a new setting. Got in and out of a Fiat successfully.


Pooped at the end of the day (pooped=tired in this case---lol) and collapsed into the recliner with ice. With more activity I am sleeping much better, a solid eight hours last night.


Did get that milk and eggs. Today I hope for some laundry help.

Glad it's all going well for you, I went out for dinner last night for the first time, seems I'm one of the lucky ones who is recovering quite quickly. Walked a mile and a half with one crutch yesterday and am not using them at all at home most of the time in the house. Not bad for three and a bit weeks.


That said I've only had one done, really not sure I could have coped with both! The interesting difference here in the UK is that I have not used ice once and have been told by everyone I've seen here that I don't need it. Can't say I've missed it but interesting to see how many people rely on it

Isn't it great to go out again? I am glad you are healing so well. I was told to ice often, especially in the beginning, to control swelling. Not doing so as much now, but I will sit and ice when I notice that I need it, or when I just realize I ought to sit down and take a break for a while.


And I am standing up a lot these days. Sometimes because I am out and about, but also because I just would rather stand than sit. This is very different from preop, when I much preferred to sit. I am up enough and busy enough that I do have to schedule sitting down time.


Long crutch walk. Again I didn't have a formal cane walk because I had to go to an event and decided to take the cane. I did more standing than walking, though, so  think  today I should do the cane walk even if I go out. My cane walking has made a big leap forward: I am faster and smoother.
I am mostly unassisted in the house and woke up this morning and couldn't remember where I left the cane.


I do have niggles and even some swelling in the right leg. I can tell I have some bad habits that need to be unlearned (favoring one leg) and need to strengthen some muscles (glutes). Sometimes I feel completely great and normal and find myself doing things I probably shouldn't (bold pivots or going up and down stairs without really using cane/crutches/handrail). I don't think my niggles are bad, but do look forward to seeing what my six week eval will reveal. Two stubborn little bits of scab are hanging on, too. It has reached the point where I am going to ask Lee if I can't swim anyway. Maybe the loose boxers strategy is hurting me now? Would tighter pants have knocked the scabs off?

Tighter pants strategy worked. Now I need a ride to the pool.

That's hilarious blinky!

I feel like a bit of a broken record on your thread, but glad to hear you're still making great progress, and I still don't envy your bilateral experience!

Desperate times call for desperate measures.


I still don't have a ride to the pool until Wednesday unfortunately.


Walks are going well. The cane walk is edging up above half a mile and I am moving faster. I contrast my post op cane walking with pre op walking; I was a turtle pre op. Still stand up a lot and walk around the house unassisted. Do short sorties in the yard unassisted like to get the paper (with the grabber) or walk to the car.


It is Hanukah and so I am going out every evening to take pics of the community menorah lighting. Every night I get a ride I should say;city hall is 1.1 miles away.


I am falling into Son2's habits: staying up late, sleeping late, eating late and not as carefully. Thai yellow curry last night at 9:30. I tell myself it had healing powers.


Speaking of which, I look forward to Indian food tonight. The last of the neighbor provided meals. I love Indian food. It is like a drug to me. And full of those anti inflammatory spices, like turmeric.

Five weeks out on left leg.


I think  I should modify the daily walks so that I take two on the cane. Two half mile-ish walks. I will try that today and see how I feel. My movements are pretty even on the cane. Unassisted I am wobbly the majority of the time UNLESS I think  about lifting my knees when I walk. Then I straighten out. Or if I touch something as I move, like the wall or the countertop.


This is swimming day. I should make it tomorrow as well. Friday not so sure. So exciting! It won't be completely normal since I can't flip turn or push off the wall hard. It will look like a series of 25m.


I have a swim goal for the first week in January: to swim an hour. My swim club has a big fundraiser the first weekend in January during which swimmers see how far they can swim in an hour. This year won't be a record breaking event for me, but I would like to participate. Any amount of meters would be a victory. I have a newbie swimmer friend and we could team up as lane mates. Last year, OA throbbing, I swam next to a young guy who treated me like an old woman. He was telling me about his IM races, etc. I smoked him.

I swam!


Eight hundred meters free very slowly. It was good. I felt different than expected: after all that pre op pulling, my arms went right to work. My legs dangled behind me at first, not doing very much. I got going kicking and the left leg, the one that used to hurt all the time, was pain free and strong. Right leg was awkward with mid thigh sore. My glutes need A LOT of work. I couldn't kick fast. I can see kicking with a kick board will be a good exercise in a few weeks. No flip turns or pushing off walls.


Yay!


What I learned from my swim outing:


Go when it isn't crowded. I did because that was when Son2 could take me, and it was best. Easier to find a spot in the locker room and to get a lane alone. Also easier not to get held up talking to people ("you are on a cane? what happened?")


Think about how you will get dressed beforehand. Is there a place to sit in the locker room? Is it high enough? What if you drop your clothing? I brought the grabber and needed it but was pleased to find I could dress standing up, standing on one leg then the other.


Think about how to get in and out of the pool. This pool is a treat. Heated, 25 m outdoor pool with eight lanes and an attached kiddie pool. The kid area has lots of shallow steps and a rail plus a beach like graduated entry. I walked in from the kid side.


Beautiful sunny weather in the mid seventies. To put a cherry on top, I walked across the street to Starbucks and drank cold coffee outside under the pergola until Son2 finished tennis.


The two cane walks also went well. I was falling asleep in the recliner at 8:00pm.

Swam again and this time it all went better. Kicked better, right leg cooperated better. I won't be able to go today and maybe not tomorrow which is probably just as well. I feel like I need a light day.

Catching up on your recent updates.

Walking sounds much better (cane is much nicer than crutches, right?), your swimming sounds fantastic (you're already swimming better than I ever do :)).

Good stuff!

Brilliant stuff Blinky, I'm hoping to go for a swim Monday morning

Yes, I am looking forward to swimming again. Two days of swimming in a row plus the new cane only walks plus the end of the Mobic was a bit much, so yesterday I dialed it back and essentially just sat and ate. Holiday events. I was out and about, lots of standing and moving and up and down, but not true, measured, structured exercise. Slept in and now I feel better. My right leg was worn out. (I struggle to describe it. Tired? Sore? It isn't really a muscular soreness, but it is a soft tissue fatigue and some minor but functionally significant swelling. I can't see any swelling, but I can tell it is there by how the hip/leg works or by how the incision site feels.)


At five weeks I am tired of the ninety degree rule.


It is easier to observe it now. I have the arm and leg strength to raise and lower myself from all kinds of chairs (and toilets). But it is a nuisance when I want to pick something up or even scratch my foot. I suspect once it is lifted I will be stiff and weak in all kinds of new and surprising ways, however.


Probably won't get to swim today due to weather (the downside of the outdoor pool), but then I will get to go every day until I fly to SC for the six week check up. My goal is to bump the yardage up a little more each time. I can always pull at the end if my legs poop out. 


H comes home today. Son1 comes home Monday (I think).

I snuck in my outside walking before the rain and was surpassed to find that I had covered 0.9 miles. Raced to get ready for H's return, mostly nagging S2 to do the things he was supposed to be doing all along. After going to the grocery store and pushing a cart with bad wheels, I decided one walk was enough.


Back to healthier eating with H here. And swimming again!


I woke up feeling a little tweaked on the right side. Maybe from the cat sleeping between my legs? He wasn't on me, but he did pin me down in one position. When I woke up, he was on his back like a dead beetle, legs in the air.


H is quite amazed at the improvements I have made. When he left I was moving to the cane, but still wanting the crutches for longer trips. Now I use the cane. He was disappointed I had already been swimming without him. I think  what he doesn't understand is that the hard part of swimming isn't the swimming, it is the dressing and undressing. He did enjoy regaling people he saw with stories of his crazy wife and her two hip surgeries. I think I mentioned he is a huge fan of Dr Gross and his staff. H went in to this ready to be my strong advocate, to stay with me and fight for me, and then when it happened, there was nothing to fight for because everyone took such good care of me.

Yesterday was an excellent day.


I woke up with a hinky right hip, but it warmed up and I had the best day so far.


1) Swam. It was chilly and not so sunny but I wanted to get in the water. Dressed faster than before, despite dropping a few things (!) in the process. Since I was feeling off, I told myself to give it 400m and if it didn't feel good, to stop. It felt great! My kick was symmetrical and while not powerful because my glutes are still napping, it was quick. No pain or stiffness. Right leg wasn't trying to compensate for left leg. I ended up swimming 1k free then messing around for another 200m seeing what else I could do. (i.e. not ready for fly; I can undulate and move my arms, but can't snap my legs).


2) Walked. The 0.90 cane walk but done like a regular person, in about twenty minutes, swinging arms. Very pleased. I couldn't have done it so well pre op.


3) Standing, etc. It is the holiday season, so various other commitments that involve standing around and talking to people, going to grocery store late, cooking and cleaning (but not bending). I couldn't have stood that long preop, not for the socializing and not for the cleaning up.


Scheming to get to the pool today and tomorrow. Lucky enough to have holiday events that make that complicated. Then to SC for the six week check up!

Another walk, another swim, another holiday party. Not a bad day.


Walked a mile, swam 1k, won't report on the number of calories consumed.

I'm impressed! I can't swim 1k regardless of my hip :)

Ha! I used to swim much more at a time, like 3K wasn't too unusual. I will confess that when Dr Gross was laying out what I could and couldn't do I questioned him closely about what the swim limits were because I knew I would be able return to swimming before anything else. Freestyle okay? Backstroke? Breast? Can I dive? Etc. He gave me a lot more latitude on swimming than I expected, maybe more than I ought to have. I am not a great swimmer, but I do more than most people and probably more than he thought.


Yesterday 1k swim, feeling better all the time, and the mile walk, and don't even ask what I ate.


While swim bragging, I will confess the biggest limiter is time. Since I am a few days from driving (!) I am at the mercy of my ride to the pool and so far my ride hasn't stayed that long. I look forward to swimming more when I drive myself.


Fly to SC today for the six week check up tomorrow. I am taking the cane and will board early because I can. Excited about some restrictions being lifted. Also curious about whether I will set off the metal detector.


Then to NOLA to meet the family.

Haha I have been wondering about the whole metal detector thing as well, I have two trips planned next year one to Paris in April then I'm crossing the pond to Florida at the beginning of July. It was a question I'd intended to ask before the op but never got round to.


Maybe some of our fellow hippys know the answer?

You will 100%, absolutely, always set off the metal detector. Particularly with 2 hips done!

It's actually a little annoying because I have TSA pre-check which is (normally) a lot faster and uses a metal detector by default instead of the other body scanner. Metal detector always goes off though so now I'm used to asking to use the body scanner and having to explain. I think I'm 6/6 for setting it off at the airport already :)

Please do let me know if it doesn't go off for you though!

Oh, it went off! I have precheck, too, so had to wait for body scanner. In Columbia they sent me straight to the body scanner.


Fun parts of trip: boarding first with a cane, but also being quick enough to get off first (!) and out walk everyone else.


Being nervous about traveling without the grabber even though I can bend over more, I rubber banded the grabber to the cane to make it easier to carry. I look like a big dork! (To put my own nerdiness in perspective, a friend who sews offered to make me a quiver in which to place my grabber and to attach it to the cane....)


The check up went fine. All is well. No surprises. I can do more within the well known six month precautions (no running, no lifting over 50 lbs, no deep squatting), but should increase my activities gradually. No firm guidelines given, but advised to add about 10% at a time.


So I will be adding details of my recovery less frequently now, just when I do something new and amazing. Hmm.....I hope that means I will still be adding something pretty often.

Cognratulations blinky. I'm sure you knew everything was going well, but it's still got to be nice to here it officially! I'm still waiting on my remote 6-week follow-up because PT took a long time to do their form. Hopefully soon though (and I too "know" that everything is fine with mine). I'll definitely do the 1 year follow-up in person.

Welcome back to (light) stretching, strengthening, and bending!

I will be curious what they tell you remotely. Reaction to X-rays? An email with the new exercises?


Okay, so I have a long list of firsts/return tos and a few "yikes, that was harder than I thoughts."


The firsts: tie my shoes, wear tights and tighter jeans, drive, cross my ankles, pick things up off the floor without the grabber, cut my nails, and shave my legs. Yay! The friction makes my incision look better fwiw after all those weeks of babying it. And my incision looks pretty good! I rode a stationary bike ten minutes and elliptical-ed ten minutes. The former was easy, the latter challenging.


The "yikes": getting on the floor and doing the side lifts on the left side. I can't squat down yet, which is the way I would have gone down before. I can go down knee, knee or (easier) lower myself with my legs and triceps. I bend okay, but I don't like putting my weight on my side, either side, when on the floor. That makes doing the side lifts tough without a mat or something under my butt. But the lifts on the left, my more damaged side, are just plain hard to do because I am weak on that side. It doesn't hurt (this for the the wuss guy) I just can't do it. My son had to start me on the first lift so my body would know what to do. (Lee had to start me on the first front lift for the same reason, but then I could do the rest.)


An aside: reading the forum, I have noticed that many people have trouble with the front lifts and sometimes they hurt themselves doing too many. I was vigorously cautioned by Lee not to do too many at first, heck to start with five and build to thirty. That is what I am doing. I can tell I have some big strength disparities because on one side it is not a big deal to do the lifts while on the other I struggle. 


NOLA was great. I had no trouble flying there alone. (Only a backpack and a change of clothes, which I put in the overhead bin to have more leg room and to not have to bend over. Husband and boys met me with suitcase.) We walked a lot, way more than I should have, but I felt good and had to remind myself to sit down and take a break. I did feel beat up by the end of the trip and ought to sit and ice a while. I used a Fitbit to walk less, but by the time I looked at it, I was generally already in the red. (Don't tell Lee! She said I was free to walk as much as I pleased, but not to do it overnight, and of course, I feel like I did just that.)

Great stuff Blinky, really pleased it's going so well! Have a great Christmas

How are you handling the front straight leg lifts (hip flexor)? I still find them incredibly challenging but probably haven't been doing them as consistently as I should. I cannot comprehend being able to do 30 as prescribed with a 2lb ankle weight. My psoas is still by far the most angry muscle and I definitely get sore after standing around for an hour (although walking is fine).

Isn't it fantastic to be able to bend past 90 degrees again?

EDIT: sorry, just reread and I see that you find it harder on one side vs the other.

I am pretty strong with those, especially on the right side, but suck at the side lifts on the left side. I guess my left side was in terrible shape and on top of that were years of compensation for the bad hip. I experimented with some breaststroke and can really tell how weak my adductors and abductors are. Oy!


But over all feeling great at almost week eight. I do forget about my hips...and then usually do something to remind myself of them, like try to sit down in a position my hips are not yet ready for. I am back to doing all my usual chores (darn) and am testing the limits of what I can do rehab wise.


Walking 1.5 miles or a little more twice a day. Walking is a great treat and I am out rain or shine. Have to control myself not to go too far yet.


Doing the Dr Gross exercises, adding one rep daily. The first ones feel easy so I guess that is progress.


Stationary bike feels good and easy, but have to not overdo it.


Elliptical, never my favorite, is still not a favorite. I have to concentrate on this, to think about what muscles are working and how my weight shifts from side to side.


Swimming is a joy. My legs are kicking well enough in freestyle I can think about doing kick drills (but won't yet). I am up to 1500m. It doesn't hurt at all to roll. I tried a little breaststroke, as mentioned, and felt weak. It didn't hurt, but just pushing water easy felt very very hard. I will have to work up to this. Fly felt good on the other hand, but done gently. (When I started hurting, I could still fly pretty well. My abs and arms were sill strong.) If I do big undulations and don't snap my legs I can fly.


I do experience some so called start up pain.  It isn't pain, not really, more like a stiffness, a creakiness. I get it when I sit for a long time and it goes away after half a dozen steps.

The weekly update.


So walking is the foundation of my rehab. I am still waking twice a day, gradually increasing so now the long walk is 2 miles and the second walk is less than or equal to that. I think going forward, post holidays, the long walk should be first thing in the morning and continue to grow. Walk two will be more of a break from sitting (or whatever) later in the day. I do take the cane on both walks, but am using it less and less. I am not ready to leave it at home yet; maybe on the later shorter walk in a week or so.


The Dr Gross exercises are going fine. The left side raise is still the toughest. The stretches are fine, too. I am tight but not necessarily in the areas those stretches reach.


Figuring out what to do with bike and elliptical. I just need to have a pattern.


Swimming! Okay, so I participated in an hour swim/fundraiser today. My goal was....to swim an hour. I still have to do a series of 25s in order not to push off too hard: swim to the wall, stop, turn around, swim another 25, being careful not to twist, too. Pretty funny. I shared a lane with a friend who isn't much of a swimmer but wanted to try the hour for the first time. I told her I had no goal but to stay in motion so we would be perfect lane mates.  On the other side was a wounded warrior, a young woman who is a below the knee amputee on one leg. In the swimming itself, the WW and I were the same pace, maybe me a little faster, but at the walls she had me every time because she could push off and dolphin kick to start. Her presence did put my situation in perspective. This year we both had our devices poolside, my cane and her prosthesis. Next year my cane will be at home and I will be rocketing off the walls. (But she might still beat me!)


I managed to swim 2600 yds without pushing off. Not the best I have done by far, but I will take it as a New Hips Record.


So going forward I think I can swim 2k at a time a few times a week.


Still feeling better all the time, but also experiencing niggles. I am sure there will be some tomorrow. I can sleep on the left side but not the right and would prefer to just sleep in the recliner. Rolling over wakes me up and sleeping flat on my back wakes my husband up because I snore.


Speaking of my husband, I will throw out that he is eager for us to take trips, lots of trips. For example, we are going to NYC at the end of the month. I know I will be fine to go, and I have been traveling, but I am more reluctant than he is. I just want to be in one place for a while. Meanwhile, he is protective in other ways I don't need, like driving or grocery shopping. Maybe he enjoyed these chores when I couldn't do them? He wants me to do PT and I tell him not yet. I want to wait until six months out and see where I am. So we have an interesting dance going on right now, a push and pull of what I can and can't do. Not unique, I am sure every couple has this, but I will put it out there that we have different goals for me. He is very eager to show people what I can do fwiw and enjoys having a part in putting me back together again. I don't mean this in a bad way: he was delighted I did the swim and I really wanted to do it, for example.

Hi blinky,

I'm very impressed by your swimming! Obviously you were a solid swimmer pre-op, but it does make me motivated to keep working on becoming a proficient longer-distance swimmer (I can swim breaststroke forever but I really don't have good freestyle technique so I burn out extremely quickly).

Also impressive that you can sleep on either side. If I sleep for a few hours on my operated side I wake up pretty sore. I'm OK to sleep through the night on the other side though.

The niggles will continue to fade away, although as you increase range of motion there'll be new ones :)

I am seeing the emergence of the new niggles! Glad to hear it is normal, but I will have to watch it.


Okay, so I was sore after the big swim. Not sore in a bad way; sore in a good way, my muscles were sore. The mistake I made, though, was in not taking a day off. I woke up Monday feeling great and set out to walk and swim as usual. I could tell my butt muscles, the little balancing butt muscles (technical term), not the big powerful ones, were tired. When I walked, I used the cane and was sunk back in my hips instead of leaning forward. Swimming, too, while my legs kicked fine, they lacked oomph. I had a right hip niggle.


The next day I met some old gym friends. I was smart enough not to work out with them, I just dropped by to say hi. But I was not smart enough to avoid the neighbors walking when I got home. I got sucked into doing the hillier (but not longer) route they chose. The right hip niggle stayed.


By Wednesday I had come to my senses. I did walk, but alone, and I didn't swim or do any other activities. I made myself sit and ice my hip. Ditto Thursday. Ditto Friday, but with a little swimming.


Yesterday I was too much of a princess to swim because the sun was too low. I did use the bike and elliptical and can report they both felt great...while I was using them. I was pleased to have made so much progress on the elliptical, but paid for it with that right hip niggle later on.


So the moral of the story is that even at 9-10 weeks, while I make progress, I have to be careful and not over do it.


A little navel gazing: 1) I have to find that balance between pushing forward and not pushing too hard. I was debating giving up the cane this time last week. The long swim set me back that way. (I carry it, but don't always use it. When I go out to just run errands, when I know I won't be walking much, I take it but leave it in the car.) 2) I have some small habits of movement that probably hurt my right hip. For years the left hip was the bad hip and the right one got used to covering. I can tell it is still doing so.

So the theme of recovery continues to be how much is too much.


The beginning of the week I felt great, really great, and wondered if I could ditch the cane. So I did. Walked without it, ran errands without it. By Wednesday my right hip was pretty sore and I felt like I had gone backwards in recovery. My rationale mind was saying "you over did it, dial it back" while my irrational mind was saying "you messed up! it is an infection/fracture; call Lee asap!" I went with the rational mind and took Wednesday off, trying to sit and ice as much as I could. I was better Thursday, not back to normal, but enough better I knew it was overuse and not something horrible. Thursday I used the cane, but Friday I was able to be cane free again. Yesterday I used the cane. Today no cane. Maybe that is the pattern?


I am taking a trip this coming weekend and was debating whether or not to take the cane. Would I need it? The cane is a nuisance when I need to use two hands. If I brought the cane, I could board the airplane first (!) and the cane would protect me from being bumped or hurried in a crowd. Now I know I should take it. No qualms. 


The troublesome right hip: it still swells. Not a lot, I think I am the only one who notices, but it does. The right side is still the dominant, harder working side. I carry the cane in the right hand. The right side kills the Dr Gross exercises, while the left side just does okay. My right knee collapses inwards sometimes. I think this is because 1) maybe an adductor/abductor issue but more likely 2) right side wants to splint left side, to help it out. This means right side works harder, and also that the right side ligaments get stretched more.


Coming up on eleven weeks post op. Walking 3 miles a day, 2 in the am, one in the pm, swimming 2k three/four times a week. Lazy about the biking and ellip.

Keep up the good work and thanks for the update. Future bilats appreciate the info so we can try to sorta prepare for what we're getting ourselves into! ;)

I'm a week shy of a year since my surgery. My left hip has been great, but I pain issues with the muscles on the right side that's slowly improving. This summer I was starting to feel pretty good, but as I got more active I started getting more pain, mostly in the upper hamstring area. If I stretched the hamstring, like bending over then straightening up it would hurt.


I go to the gym most days when I'm not playing hockey or squash. I started to think there was some muscle/tendon damage but eventually figured out it was muscle imbalance. My quads and abductors are much stronger from being tense all the time pre surgery. I was making it worse at the gym by doing leg presses so I've backed off that and I focus on hamstring and abductor exercises. I'm also standing up straighter than pre surgery so that probably contributes to it with the change in posture.


It has improved significantly in the last month. I've also noticed that I'm somewhat knock kneed so I'm hoping the abductor training can help with that.


Massage therapy has also helped a lot, relieving the tightness I feel in the leg muscles. I've also been doing yoga which helps a lot with stretching.


Good luck.

So I thought this would be a repeat of last week, with me trying to figure out how much was too much, feeling good, getting restless, overdoing. It would end with another trip and another adventure in setting off metal detectors. All that happened, but I also took my new hips to


Snowzilla!


We planned a weekend in NYC that would NOT be a walking trip. We would sit and eat and go to shows and sit and visit with my H's friends from abroad, passing through town, who caused us to come here.


The near record snowfall cancelled and shut down all our calm, sitting down activities and forced us to go play in the empty streets. Okay, not really play, more like wander in awe.


The hips did well. It wasn't slippery and I had my cane. Stepping over piles of snow was challenging but do able. I was sore and stiff when I woke up from all my little balance muscles working. Better now after ice and a little activity.


Promise myself to be more still today.

Hey Snowbound! I appreciate your story. I have to keep reminding myself that healing will take a long time, even a year or more. There are a lot of bad habits for me to overcome, too.


Almost three months out. Half way to being released to full normalcy. Wow.


The theme continues to be how much is too much. I have those great days, including today, when I feel normal, and the less than great days, including yesterday, when I am crooked and achey. It took two days to recover from the four days of being away. I did test the new hips: very quick walking in the airport to make connections after delayed flights (successful!), ill advised but irresistible walk from Penn Station to the hotel pre snow (I won't confess how many blocks, but straight down Broadway and glad I did it given the snow), two days spent wandering in the snow with one day slippery and one not. When I was doing those things, no pain and well functioning hips. But once I got home, I had to dial it back. Time to ice and sit still. I had some aches and weaknesses due to fatigue and carried that dang cane. Today I set out to walk and didn't need the cane. Yay!


So for the next month no trips or challenges planned. I plan on building the long walk to three miles and the swim to 3K. Reviewing Dr Gross' restrictions, it looks like at three months I am free to walk as much as I want (oops----jumped the gun on that somewhat; but I can truthfully say I didn't walk as much as I wanted, not yet).


The prescribed strength and stretching exercises are going well. Even the slow left hip is making some gains, though it remains behind the right hip. I am searching for a few exercises to add, simple ones like clamshells or targeted glute exercises. Thinking about squats, but I think I will be happier indoor cycling.


Speaking of squats. One movement we Dr Gross patients are not allowed to do is deep squatting. Well, I did that movement accidentally. Twice. We have a new kitchen, last year we gutted it and remodeled. We have cats. One cat has been staring and pawing at a corner of the baseboards. IDK why. A mouse? A lizard? A large cockroach? Anyway, right before I was to leave town, that little stinker managed to dislodge a section of baseboard and began to dart under the cabinets after whatever it is she has been stalking. Eeek! Without thinking I squatted down to stop her. It was a deep squat. I froze. OMG! What had I done? It didn't hurt and I felt okay, so I put myself in a more appropriate position, pulled the cat out, and then duct taped the baseboard back in place. Whew. No long term damage to me, the cat, or the kitchen.


The second time was when I did the same thing again.

I want to document a few impressions at almost three months:


I can swim 2K plus with no problems, but struggle to finish 100m of kicking without fins. My hamstrings threatened to cramp and I barely move. I guess it shows how upper body intensive my freestyle has become.


My right hip gets tight and swollen making it difficult to really stretch my inner thighs (one of the Dr Gross stretches). However, when I do the straight legged lifts and then attempt the stretch, all is well. Some muscle must be tightening up protectively and then it relaxes when I do those lifts.


Those straight legged lifts. I have been taking my time with them after hearing that some people find them counterproductive. Six weeks after having the exercise assigned, I can do thirty. The good news is that lazy left side is doing almost as well as dominant right side. I am ready to drop the number and start doing them with weights. (Just one pound weights, as suggested.)


Fatigue. Because my hips feel better and I can move more without pain, I do more and wear myself out. Like in the old days, I can come home from a trip and immediately unpack, do laundry, etc. But then a few days later, I will be pooped. I suspect it is a side effect of two big surgeries as well. Coming back, but not fully back. Sleeping is generally good, I can sleep on either side, but I do have nights when I can't get comfortable and flee to the recliner.

Glad it's going ok Blinky, due to the timing of our op's I see you as my closest hip buddy so I'll always watch your updates with special interest

Sounds great blinky! I can't do 30 of the straight leg lifts yet (although I haven't been, um, perfect about working on them) but I can do 30 with 2lbs on the side leg lifts without too much trouble.

More than three months out now and have turned a corner. I have been feeling pretty well from the start, but I feel like now the niggles and aches leveled down. I went a week with no urge to ice. More and more I go cane less and don't even think about the hip.


The data:


Walking 2.5 miles a day. I used a cane for the first two days, then carried it, now can go without. Another week of walking this distance, and I will bump it up to 3 miles.


Biking maybe four times a week. Twenty minutes or so while watching TV. Meh. I am sure it helps but I'd rather be outside.


Swimming. I didn't increase my yardage as hoped. Not due to a physical reason, just time and weather. But I am still doing some hip hap in the water on warmer days, sideways movements primarily, and can now swim 25 m of fly at a time. It isn't aggressive fly, but it is fly. So now I do a few 100s alternating fly and free. AND I can do a little breaststroke! Not yet a 25, but my leg strength and flexibility is back enough to do about half a dozen strokes.


Those leg lifts. Added the one pound weight and survived.


I am not niggle free. I do pivot or twist or curl up and get reminded that I just had surgery. But it is better.

Awesome!

Yes! But I still manage to find my limits.


Great week, culminating in a three mile walk and then a big excursion to a local farmers market that sits on a new trail, and well, you can guess the rest. Walked down the new trail, found a museum, went in, wandered, got hungry, went down the trail further until finding the right place to eat, then had to walk alllllll the way back.


I was sore.


But it was worth it.


And I had to share this:


http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/22/the-adventures-of-opioid-induced-constipation-man?mbid=social_facebook


Some weeks ago, I was in his situation.

Glad to hear you're up and about, more and more blinky! Yep, doing a lot in one day can make you sore, but I know that at least for me, prior to surgery I couldn't have done what you just described without being in close to severe pain by the end of it, so if you're already ahead of that curve at ~4 months on a bilateral case that sounds pretty good! Think of where it'll be at the end of a year :)

In a few days I will be four months out. Lots of progress. I walk at least three miles a day, first thing in morning. Swim a few times a week, mostly free but a little fly and a few experimental breast laps, 2k total. The Dr Gross leg lifts and stretches. I have been lazy and inconsistent about the leg lifts, but I can do thirty with the one pound weights in all directions, front and sideways. I will bump it up to two pounds and consider myself done with those. I want to go to spin class but have to wait a little longer per Lee, and plan on swimming with masters again mid month. I am bored with my own swim workouts!


And I am writing from Tel Aviv, so I feel good enough to take my hips on a big trip. It is to accompany H on business, so there won't be much sightseeing. It isn't that kind of trip. We stay in the suburbs, so it is pretty chill. I will take walks around town and read, do a little work. The trip over was pretty easy. First trip without the cane, though. I told my local airport that my hips would set off the metal detectors and they sent me to the body scanner. I wouldn't have cared if they wanded me or patted me down, but that seems to be the protocol. I did have to go through the metal detector in the preIsrael screening and I did set it off and got wanded. But no big deal (for future travelers to know). I have been teasing H that I should wear a short skirt so I can flash my scars.


FWIW I did take an aspirin and I did wear calf sleeves for the long trip. Of course, I also got up and moved around and did some ankle pumps.


My left hip feels good all the time. The right one talk to me now and then. I think it still swells a little and I also think  I have a subtle muscle weakness/bad habits in the right hip. When I am tired, I start swinging that leg instead of lifting it. When I say I have a little swelling, I feel it near the incision. Could be it is just sensitive, too. Last night when I was pooped from the flight, I was feeling that way. This morning, a little fresher, my hip feels okay again.


I think I will ask to see a physical therapist at the six month mark. I'd like for a pro to evaluate my gait and check out all my little weaknesses. I found a good one, a PhD who teaches at a local U AND has worked with Dr Gross patients before.

When talking about the front leg lifts, when lying on your back, do you do them for the full 10 seconds as in the instructions? I'm not even close to being able to do 30 of those, 10 seconds each, with 1 lb (actually, can't really do 30 even with no ankle weights). If I reduce to 5 seconds it's much easier, and I can crank out 30 w/ 2lbs if I just slowly raise and then immediately slowly lower. I actually can't even get close to doing them as prescribed on my non-op leg! This struck me as being a bizarrely over-difficult exercise, but it might just be my pathology :)

The front lifts were easier for me than the side lifts, at least on the left side. I can do them. I think  all my freestyle helps.

I'm jealous, but good stuff! :)

...although I'm thankfully not struggling with breaststroke! Funny how we all have different strengths and weaknesses.

A little more than four months out.

So the stabbing and shooting was starting up again---time to go home.

The hips did well on the trip. I already mentioned I conquered stairs. We also did more walking, my usual fitness walk, but supplemented with more walking for transportation.  Sometimes I was sore, but it passed.  And some beach walking., which was not an issue at all. It would have been challenging at first since all the little balance muscles would have been called into play.

The biggest disappointment was not setting off more metal detectors. In the airport, yes, I did create a stir and require wanding, but not in the shopping malls. A middle aged American woman like me didn’t even get her bag inspected. At a stop over in Paris, I had to explain my hips and was rather roughly patted down.  I studied French in college, but couldn’t recall a single helpful word. No problems in Israel or any airport in the US. I would just tell the inspector that I had metal hips and they would wand me.

Sleeping better. I have slept well on my back in the recliner from the beginning.  But in the bed….not always so well. I can sleep on my back but then I snore and my husband punches me. I could sleep on either side, but not all night.  Well, this great jetlag induced fatigue has made me able to sleep all night on my sides. And when I roll over I don’t wake up. Progress!

One other set of observations.  I didn’t take the cane because I don’t need it. (Husband lobbied for the cane because he likes to board the plane early.) I thought about taking it just in case, but it is a nuisance to carry when I don’t need it.  I noticed that there were times I felt more vulnerable when out and about, like if a kid on a bike approached me on the sidewalk,  or if there was a narrow passage I had to share with other people. I didn’t want to get bumped or God forbid, knocked over.  It made me more tentative. Contrast this with our trip to NOLA, six weeks out, with the cane, also crowded and rowdier than here. I was fearless. My kids described me as aggressive in a crowd. But I had the cane to signal to people that I was vulnerable.
I also felt less hearty. Normally I don’t mind weather, being hot or cold, or new situations and people, but this time I was more careful.  I still interacted with small children, but then went and washed my hands (germs!). We usually swim a lot, including in a wonderful 50m seawater fed pool, but this time I just didn’t want to be cold.
I did, however, continue to eat street food. And paid for it!

Four months and about a week-two weeks out. I can't resist an update because I have felt good and tried some new things.


First, return to masters swimming. I missed my teammates and coach and was tired of making up my own swim work outs. I waited because I feared if I went back too soon I would get sucked into doing too much too soon. This seemed like a good time to test the waters (haha!). I think a month ago I struggled to kick 25 meters without fins. The other day I did 10 x 25 no problem (still no fins---I think the longer lever will be too stressful). With a coach and other people I swam more meters and with greater intensity, but it felt great. Man, I was sore! I struggled to do the Phase II leg lifts the next day and my glutes hurt (in a good way).


Second, hip hab in the pool. It is warmer here in Texas so not a problem to do exercises in the outdoor, heated pool where I swim. Lateral strength has been an issue for me, so I walk sideways back and forth. Next week: grapevine!


Third, stair master. The stairs were a good addition in Tel Aviv, so I decided to add them here, too. Just about ten minutes, so not a lot.


Fourth, P90X ab ripper. No, not the whole disc, silly, just some of the exercises, seven of them, the ones in which I don't have to lift a straight leg basically. (Can almost do a couple more, but have to save something for next month).


I was very excited to try all this, even more excited to be able to do it, but man was I sore! That leads to the next lesson I learned: I have to come up with a plan that allows me to add these activities, but not do all of them on the same day. It will take a while for my body to adapt.


Also still walking. I enjoy it and sometime I hope it will be running, so good for me to stay in the habit of getting out every day.

You're doing excellently! Really glad to hear that!

Excited for the 6 month line in the sand?

Oh yes!


You? Not much longer....

Yup, 1 more month for me. Just posted a mini-update in my thread along those lines (prompted by your update!).

     Five months out. Wow. I can run in one month. Wow!

Okay, at five months I am still trying to see what I can do and trying to see how much I can do. I settled in swimming with my masters group three times a week. At first it was a challenge, now I am ready to add day four. I can do all strokes, even breast. That one felt weird for a long time. I could move my legs correctly, but not flex my feet. Then I struggled with the timing of the arms and legs. Now it feels okay, but not powerful.

Walking is still the foundation of my rehab. I walk at least three miles a day every day.  Sometimes I get to walk more than three miles, sometimes I can fit in two long walks.  I look forward to getting out every day. One highlight has been that my neighbors have noticed my progression from two crutches to cane to nothing and are cheering for me. The other highlight has been exploring some of the new trails that have been built here since my OA got bad. When we first moved here I missed the great system of metroparks  in Ohio. I hated having to run on the highway access roads but that is what people did. Now we have a burgeoning, new trail system away from the roads.

I am also doing hip hab in the pool, mostly just walking sideways. Lateral movement was the first thing I lost with OA and has been the toughest thing to get back. Moving in the pool is an easy way to get stronger and regain range of motion. The days I do hip hab I use the Stairmaster and have built my time there to about half an hour. At first that exercise was all about strength and ROM; now most of the time is spent moving quickly and sweating.  I hope it will be good training for running.

So what’s on tap for the last month until restrictions are lifted? First, to swim that extra day, maybe even go to an IM practice. Second, to add to the stair climbing, building to forty/forty-five minutes. Third, to continue the walking. I like it and it saves space for the coming run workouts. I am still doing some P90x abs and those Phase II leg lifts----I have maxed out on them at last. We are traveling again this month and have some out of town company, so I can’t add too much.

Speaking of traveling, I write from Minneapolis. I was last here in October to visit Son2 in college. Back then I was walking with a cane and moving slowly. Kids were opening doors for the old lady and in the airport the motorized carts always stopped and asked f I needed a lift (I said no and waddled on.) Now I move normally and am able to fully explore the campus on foot.

The niggle update. Yes, I do still have some. I feel like I need to mention them in the spirit of full disclosure.  My left upper back and neck are stiff after I swim.  I suspect this is left over from compensating for the bad left hip. I had trouble rolling and kicking symmetrically and so I threw one arm to balance out. I have to unlearn this habit. The days the coach watches me and I don’t throw my arm, I don’t have any stiffness so there is hope. Very few niggles in the hips themselves.

Blinky, I've been soaking up as much info as possible on this board for months and months learning and preparing for my bilateral surgeries which begin tomorrow. I can't tell you how helpful it has been to read about your experience and your steady recovery. I can tell you that it's more than your neighbors that have been cheering you on.  ;)


Congrats on yet another successful update and continued progress. Running in four weeks? You have to be soooooooo looking forward to it. You're going to do great. Keep it up!  8)

Congrats blinky! Fantastic to be almost out of the woods, isn't it?

You mentioned having almost no hip niggles. Do you have tweaks if you move that hip into the nasty trifecta of flexion, internal rotation, and adduction?

Aw, shucks, Quig, thanks. I really appreciated reading the stories of everyone who went before me.

Internal rotation and sudden pivots on one leg are problematic. It is like if I stand on one leg and my torso changes direction, I twist suddenly, there can be pain. Not always, but sometimes.


I haven't yet tried to do a lot of midline crossing either. When I walk sideways in the pool, for example, I am not yet doing grapevine. I think I can now, after feeling too stiff to do it. That could be another good goal for this month. (I used to be very very limber and have been nervous about testing my flexibility until I am well healed.)

Blinky


Your updates fuel my rehab.
I enjoy reading about your adventures with your 2 knew hips.
I applaud your decision to go bi-lateral and by telling your story
You have encouraged and inspired  others which is what this website is all about!!

Question: I notice you had your hips done late last year, after the withdrawal of the smaller sized Birmingham devices. What type of implants did you receive? Or were you hips large enough for the Birmingham anyway?

Thanks, BB. I enjoy trying new things and then sharing how it went.


Catfriend, Dr Gross uses Biomet devices. I started looking for a HR doctor right when the BHRs were withdrawn. I had my X-rays in hand and was ready to send them off for opinions from all kinds of doctors. With the withdrawal of the BHRs, I didn't need to send as many packages.


In hindsight, I would have been just below the size cut off: (from memory, so might be wrong,) but I needed 46 and the smallest BHR size is 48. 

Thanks. My implant is a 47mm, which Dr. P told me is a little bigger than than the average woman (apparently 44mm). So I really do have big bones.... ;)

So I did something new and exciting yesterday: I swam in a meet.


I am about five months and one week out so there are still a few things I can't do, most significantly flip turns. Dr Gross said I could dive and do all strokes. I took that "all strokes" to heart, but didn't dive. Since I can't squat deeply, I went up and down the ladder and did in the water starts. Yes, that put me at a distinct disadvantage! Not being able to rocket off the wall didn't help either. But I needed some goal and this was something to train towards.


No great victories or stunning speeds to report, but I was competitive and didn't get DQ'ed, not even in breaststroke. I swam a 100m fly, 50m fly, 50m breast, and 500m free.


The best part? Feeling normal. Hanging out with friends and teammates, laughing and joking about the experience, planning the next adventure.


No pain, no problems. My right hip feels a little swollen on the outside near the incision. My legs were tired after the strenuous swims, the 100 and the 500. My breaststroke is legal and correct but very slow. I am feeling the range of motion and the way all my muscles work throughout the kick. 


We will have some out of town guests soon and that will slow down my athletic pursuits. I will switch to traveling and eating for awhile---I hope lots of walking and exploring but it will depend on the guests. But back home in May and ready to try running. Time to print out Arroyo's running plan!

Congrats on the meet. I can't do Masters. I just don't want a coach yelling at me during my workout  ;) . About how long post surgery did you start doing breaststroke again? It was always my top stroke - I could do it as fast as crawl, even a bit faster at my peak - but I haven't done it at all since I started having hip problems, and certainly not since the surgery. I'm doing crawl only, but I think about breast a lot. I still have to be careful on those takeoffs as well. Monday I took off too hard on one lap, and I could feel it for the next couple of days. How long before you started using the ladder? Or was that just for the meet (in a previous entry you mentioned you were walking in from the shallow kiddie side)? I'm still using the dunkerator, and I don't really have an idea of how long it will be before my left leg is strong enough for the ladder, especially for getting out of the pool.

I got back in the pool after about three weeks. Breaststroke was allowed but completely out of the question. I didn't have the adductor/abductor strength until between three and four months. Then I could move my legs the right way, but the feet wouldn't flex and point! Finally last week it all came together. Yesterday was the best I have felt.


I think I started using the ladder at maybe six weeks? I walked in using the zero beach entry for at least a good two weeks. Just like on the stairs, the good leg went to heaven and the bad leg went to hell and I didn't go foot over foot. (Do I go foot over foot now? Not sure.) I left my cane next to the ladder when I went in. Hooked to the ladder if I could get away with it.


Not being able to push off hard is killing me. I avoided masters until month four so I wouldn't get sucked into trying to keep up and pushing off too hard.


A dunkerator would be cool! Can you operate it by yourself or need help?


Just walking in the pool sideways has helped a lot.

The pool staff operates the dunkerator. Its operation requires pushing a button. However, the button is located at the top of the thing, so the operator has to be out of the pool. Since I've been a regular swimmer at this place for the past few years I know all the staff. They knew I was having surgery beforehand, and are always helpful to me. They see me, they're right there.

The other pool (there are 2: the competition and the recreation) has that "beach" entry on one side. I used to use it before surgery to get the the channel walk, but since the surgery I've been using the stair entry by the channel instead. (This is where I swim: http://itallhappenshere.org/swim.html )

Since I've been battling problems on my right side for so long I've gotten used to pushing off from the end with most of the weight on my left. Doing it pretty close to even last week was unusual, not to mention something I regretted.

I'm not disallowed from breaststroke, but nervous about trying it. Dr. Pritchett doesn't really disallow activities. He told me at my consultation if you try something and it hurts then you're not ready for that activity yet. If it doesn't hurt, there you go.  :)

It helps to know the staff! Those first days back, changing clothes was the most stressful part of swimming---what if I dropped something---and it was good to know they had my back.


Okay, so days away from six months out and the lifting of final restrictions. I plan on having a first run on Friday, using Arroja's schedule. And then squatting, which is what I miss the most, crossing my legs, doing flip turns, all that good stuff.


But in the meantime, a few adventures:


We returned to NOLA, last visited when I was just six weeks out. Back in December I flew from my check up to NOLA by myself and was met by the family. Lee had told me to gradually increase my walking and not to do anything stupid "like go out and walk five miles tomorrow." I had nodded solemnly and then done just that. Oops. I was pretty sore and walking with a cane, but so happy to be mobile. Well, on this trip, no cane, no soreness, and even more walking. I was pleased to be wearing out the other people with me.


Went to a BBall play off game and did NOT set off the metal detector at the arena. I warned the guards I might. They looked confused and unsure what to do, so I went ahead and chanced it. (The game itself did not go as well...)


Returned to swimming on IM day. Lordy, am I out of shape! I bought some short fins because I felt ready, and that proved to be true. No problems kicking with fins. But my muscles still fatigue more quickly. I was enjoying breaststroke, really being able to work those ad and abductors, feeling them engage, and then they started pooping out. Ditto doing fly. The first few trips down the lane felt great, then I couldn't snap my legs very much.


I am amazed reading the stories of the folks who went after me. Wow! You all are doing so well. I am so happy for you.


I feel like I need to end by noting that I do have some random aches and pains, usually when I overdo it or try something new. Much of the time I don't think  about my hips at all and am able to do more and more. The weakness and stiffness I still feel will likely resolve or be reduced once I am released to truly do everything again. I am thinking of glute related weakness in particular; since I am not yet squatting, there are some movements in which I feel weak and awkward.

Blinky


Congrats on the 6 month mark.
I'm very happy for you.
Looks like things are going well for you.
Please continue to document your recovery.
I'm very interested in how things progress once your restrictions are lifted.
How do you stretch?
Things like what have you found challenging.


Thank you

Hello Blinky,


  I am 3 weeks and my incision is close to being healed. I have a pool in my house and it's nice and warm, one good part of living in Miami.


Not a big swimmer, but plan to use it for rehab. I think it would be okay to do the following at this stage.


--- swim laps with the web hand thingys I bought, great upper body workout. No kicking of my legs or pushing off the sides.
--- walk forward,backward and latterly in waist deep water.
--- hanging off the side in the deep end just rotate my hip in different directions.


Can you think of anything else that is safe? I don't want to push it.


Thanks,


Larry

The post six months recovery will be the true test. I will be slowly returning to normal life.


I have only done the Phase II stretches so far, so nothing radical. Those are pretty easy for me. I have been afraid to do more until six months out since I was hyper mobile pre OA----I was the girl who did the splits in front of the rest of the cheer squad. Tuesday I see a PT, one who has worked with Dr Gross patients before. I will let you know what she gives me to do.


In the pool...what you have planned sounds great. I love swimming with paddles, builds strength and gives a better cardio workout for those early days when you can't kick much. If you have trouble with the permitted stretches on land, try them in the water. The only thing I'd add in the early days would be sideways walking. I had weakness in lateral movement for a long time. Sideways walking helped.


I think Pat has a comprehensive list of water exercises on this site somewhere.

Congrats on (almost...) reaching that magic 6 month mark Blinky! I hope things continue to go well for you and that the running is very, very successful. I'm looking very forward to reading about your return to a normal life.


Oh, and by the way... I'm sooooooo jealous! GOOD LUCK!  8)

You will get there! I went to a running store yesterday to just look....


Here are Pat's water exercises: http://surfacehippy.info/pool-and-water-exercises-and-stretches-at-surface-hippy/

First run in the books!


I am following the plan put forth by Arroja and did the 4 x 3 minutes run, 4 x 2 minutes walk portion today.


The big news is....it didn't hurt! Not one bit.


The more sobering news is...I have a long way to go.


It felt like my first swim really: strange, like body and brain had to learn how to talk to each other again. I felt like I was jogging in place the first interval, just bouncing lightly, forefoot striking, quick quick turn over, but barely moving. Each run interval got better and faster though, as my body remembered what to do. My turn over slowed down, but I had more forward motion each time. I didn't measure it, just noted how far I got and saw it was further each time. I wasn't at all out of breath which shows how slowly I was moving. My glutes and quads need to wake up more and I have to unlearn all that bad compensation I have been doing the last few years. My gait was crooked the first run period as I was falling into the habit of protecting my left side. It was straightening out a little more each time.


To prepare I staked out a flat piece of road in my neighborhood with some good shade. I went at a quiet time of day. I figured if it hurt, I could go run at the nearby high school track. That is still an option; I need to email the xcountry coach and ask her what times to avoid being there. (One of my kids ran xcountry at that high school, the other should have.)


What I did wrong, though, was 1) go to swimming first and 2) didn't practice using my watch.


Catfriend, I have the best swim coach. Seriously! She isn't a yeller, but she is very creative with work outs. Like on holidays. Twelve days of Xmas, Halloween. I thought today would be the SINK o de mayo work out (get it? Sinko? ) but had my days wrong. It was the Derby work out. The infamous Derby work out: 200 fly, 400 IM and then 1500 free to finish. Ugh. So instead of a high spirited, novelty work out I got a hard workout. (I did feel how out of shape I am during that work out.) But I survived. Left hip clunks after IM, but for a shorter and shorter period of time.


My watch. It is an old Timex Ironman watch, cheap and fairly simple. I haven't used it for anything but to tell time in years, though, and I didn't remember how to use the stopwatch and split features. It came back to me, but I probably had a longer walk period than I needed after that first run period as I stood there pushing buttons and cursing.


Next run: Sunday, Mother's Day! We will see if I can do the 5 x 3 minute run.

Blinky, that's awesome. Time flies it's amazing looking back at your post in November. I always loved going out for a quick 30 minute jog before work. I use to live on Miami Beach and running on the shore line when the sun is coming up was so energizing.


In theory, impact sports should have no effect on these implants lifespan. I know there relatively new so not so much data has been collected. What is Dr. Gross general consensus returning back to daily jogging?


Larry

He doesn't promise that you will return to running. He very carefully says that many people do, but not everyone; the new hip is good, but not as good as the one you were born with. This is a YMMV situation.


Does he want us running? I didn't ask that question. Is there a limit to how much is good? I didn't ask that either. (Okay, I admit to some irrational, magical thinking on the subject of running. If I don't ask, I don't have to hear the answer. And I don't want to hear the answer unless I am sure it will that running is fine.)


My somewhat more rational position has been that I will *try* to return to running. If I can, then I will start investigating how much is too much, etc. I have tried not to take a return to running for granted even though running is one of the main reasons I went with resurfacing. (The other is having bone for a revision if I wear this one out---and I am the type who would.) So I am going to see how this return to running goes and if it goes well will start researching what the limits are. I will let you know. If you find out anything let me know!


Having said that....I ran today. 5 x 3 minutes run periods. This time it felt like real running from the start. I covered more ground and got out of breath. I am sitting here letting my body cool down because I broke a sweat. I am very optimistic about being able to run a 5K in September. Heck, I will be running a 10K this time next year. Further than that? I am not sure yet.


Wanted to ride my bike but it started raining. Maybe later. We aren't talking road bike, just the cruiser.

He was pretty unequivocal with me on running and other impact stuff. He thought it wouldn't affect the implant whatsoever (his data shows zero correlation in failure rates to activity-levels), but as blinky mentioned, he said some people struggle to run for other reasons (ie., soft-tissue recovery).

Gooooo Blinky GO!!


Congrats on a successful start to returning to running, that's awesome news!  8)

Blinky,

Congrats on getting back to running.

Dr Gross did not promise that I would be able to run a 5K. He did however, say I would be able to sprint and play sports again. I got the impression that he wanted me to get back to doing these things - was the point of the surgery. He just does not promise that you will get back to distance running. It seems that just about everybody can run a mile after the surgery. After not running for 10 years I will be happy to just do sets of 400 meter runs on the grass. I am optimistic though - everything has gone very well so far - I am planning on running a 5k November 1st. To me one of the biggest things I have done in preparing for my return to running is to lose weight. I was up to 225Lbs at one point - I am now at 189Lbs. Not easy to do but I feel it will pay big dividends.

Kingrob, that is amazing. If you have the discipline to do that, you will run again.


Third run and first PT in the books. The running gets easier and easier each time. I am not a speedster for sure, but I look like I am running. The PT was an evaluation. I did get some exercises, but most of it the meeting was to see what I needed to do. She was pleased overall with my strength and flexibility. (I think  she was surprised!) The weaknesses? My glutes, no surprise, and my rotators----all the little pieces that were cut or detached or stressed during surgery. We are starting to work the big muscles and then going to focus in on the little ones.


I talked with the PT about how far I might be able to run and she was intrigued by the question. I will have an ally with access to a medical library when I start looking to see how much is too much. Anecdotally, people do run far with resurfaced hips----Cory Foulk and soon the columnist for IRunFar, not to mention Arrojo and the folks who post here under runners stories.


JD, I am glad Dr Gross told you to go forth and conquer. I got that vibe, but I didn't get as strong a guarantee about running. Like I said, he didn't tell me not to do it, seemed more focused on me not getting my hopes up, on managing my expectations. There are some older statements from him in writing, including on this site, in which he says light jogging is okay but marathons are not encouraged.


I suspect there isn't that much data about people with fake hips who go out and run far.

Yeah, I think I might not have been too clear on my earlier post, sorry! He told me that everyone can try and that from the perspective of the implant he has zero concerns. He did say that a significant number of people can't manage it due to un-diagnosed groin pain though (which I took to be soft tissue issues).

Yeah, that is what I understood. I was free to try, but might not be successful due to soft tissue issues.


Running is still going well, but I couldn't do it more than three times a week, every other day at the most. I was sore and a bit swollen after a day of running and PT. I feel like if I take it slowly, though, I will continue to make progress.


The next big challenge will be losing weight. I love to exercise, never have trouble getting out, but I also really like to eat. Kingrob, that is why I have so much respect for your losing weight. I am up ten pounds from my pre OA weight, so it isn't awful, but I can't seem to lose more than five. (And then we go to New Orleans or my son sends me cookies for Mother's Day, and the five come back on.)

Weight and diet are obviously inflammatory topics and I don't want to push anything on anyone, but for what it's worth, I'm down 30lbs (~200lbs to ~170lbs) from my peak post-op. It's primarily due to cutting back to a very low carb intake (only carbs come from lots of leafy/fibrous green veggies). It's not for everyone, but I'm definitely someone whose metabolism and hunger go bonkers in the presence of (particularly refined) carbs.

I don't really do any cardio exercise at this point, but as I've mentioned elsewhere I am doing barbell strength training (which, if anything, should be adding some muscle weight).

I'm sure you'll start losing weight, if you haven't already. Since my hip problems began I gained about 3-4 clothing sizes (I don't use scales) due to my reduced activity/inactivity. Now that I am able to up my activity level I have lost about one clothing size without really trying. This is strictly through activity, not dietary changes. It doesn't seem like much to me, but it's enough so that people at the pool have noticed, other people have noticed, and the shorts/pants I bought last summer due to my expansionary program are now so big I can pretty much pull them down without using the zippers. :D With your swimming and now running I'm sure this will happen for you, too, if it hasn't already.

Blinky,

You are doing really well - take a deep breath and enjoy your progress so far. Look how far you have come.

There came a point a few months ago I realized that I needed make my weight the main focus. I could at least try to look more like a runner before I get started. I needed to spend more time looking at what I was eating and when I was eating it. I had to pay attention more to eating healthy. You don't need to read a book to know what is healthy. So I made that more my focus than trying to do a lot of things at the gym. Walking and now swimming is more than enough exercise for me to be able to maintain a good weight. Less I eat the less I need to do these things. I do belong to a gym and have some weights at my house I occasionally play around with. I want to be rested and my legs fresh when I start running. I don't want to go into running on tired legs.

I have set my goals at a year out. So I have six months to get myself in some kind of race shape. I have not raced a 5K in 30 years. I am going to start slow and work my way blah blah blah. I am a larger male and have set my goals at 1 year. If I had both my hips done I would probably set it at 15-18 months. If I need to get my other hip done I have to go through this all again. You will be done - so it takes a little longer on the return - your done!

You seem like a person who can get done what they focus on. Focus on the most important thing and make it happen.

Good luck 

Quote from: blinky on May 14, 2016, 03:24:08 PM
Yeah, that is what I understood. I was free to try, but might not be successful due to soft tissue issues.


Running is still going well, but I couldn't do it more than three times a week, every other day at the most. I was sore and a bit swollen after a day of running and PT. I feel like if I take it slowly, though, I will continue to make progress.


The next big challenge will be losing weight. I love to exercise, never have trouble getting out, but I also really like to eat. Kingrob, that is why I have so much respect for your losing weight. I am up ten pounds from my pre OA weight, so it isn't awful, but I can't seem to lose more than five. (And then we go to New Orleans or my son sends me cookies for Mother's Day, and the five come back on.)

Blinky


I love reading your updates. Always positive and always informative.
How did it feel to run the first 100 yards? Everything feel good?
Before you know it you'll be at the 1 year mark.
I'm still amazed at you and Quig and all the others that go bi-lateral.
Major props.


I tried to do a leg lift and I couldn't move it very high.
I look forward to seeing what dr. Gross has to say about my rehab plan for phase 2




I don't plan on running with mine but I do plan on deep powder runs in Utah.

I appreciate the votes of confidence. After a trip to see my folks, I have to rededicate myself to eating right. My diet was about 80% pie last week.


Suffering a set back in the running, too. I enjoyed four great runs, each one better than the last, then runs five and six...ugh. Some outside of the knee pain. (My internal dialogue during those runs: 1) Anger. WTF! This can't be. Suck it up buttercup, push through this pain. 2) Despair. OMG! I am broken. I will never run again. Why didn't I wait to try this? 3) Sang froid. Okay, let's analyze this. What have you done differently between runs four and five that could cause this issue?)


And so here are the potential causes of the outside of the knee pain:


1) new shoes. I had been running in my old ones and feeling fine, but a new running program is a great excuse for a trip to the running store for new gear. I got shorts and a bra, too. Now hill the salesperson did a good job fitting me for a new bra (ten pounds more and 80% pie, remember?), she may not have done such a good job fitting me for shoes. I did bring my old ones, I did try them on, but I wonder.


2) the ten pounds. Kingrob may be on to something trying to slim down before running.


3) all the other new things I am doing now that I am six months out. Okay, I think  this is the likeliest culprit. After the first few runs, I started doing some other Woohoo No Restrictions things as well, like pushing off the wall in swimming and some real stretching. I think the more intense swim starts in particular stressed my hips and knees in new ways.


4) living without restrictions BUT still having some muscle weaknesses. My glutes are still not doing their share.


So I decided to embrace this latest out of town trip and use it to rest (imagine that). No swimming, no running, just walking and the PT exercises. (And eating lots of pie and barbecue). I will report back on how the next run feels.

Hi Blinky, too much too soon. It's a repetitive injury. Your internal rotation of the hip is probably not what it needs to be yet and so each stride puts a slight twisting motion on your knee until it finally tells you to stop.
Then, the gluteus medius needs strengthening. It controls the iliotibial band which is a tough strip of tissue that runs down the outside of your leg and attaches below the knee. It works to stabilize the knee.

Knee pain post hip replacement / resurfacing is common. You might want to return for PT specifically to strengthen the gluts and improve range of motion. It is also common on here for many who are feeling good to suddenly increase activity and intensity resulting in a set back which is most likely what you have here.

If you haven't already it might be time to use the foam roller to help massage the hip muscles and IT band.

Chuckm

Yes, outside of the knee pain sounds like a weak iliotibial band. This is typical for people like us. I struggle with this as well, but my PT has a wonderful way of massaging where it connects up around the knee. There's no short term fix. You just have to strengthen your iliotibial bands and glutes. It's a struggle, I know.

Are you putting full strength while pushing off the end of the pool? I accidentally did that Monday and, well, that was the end of my workout. But it was much better than when I did it several weeks ago. That time it hurt so bad I worried that I had actually hurt myself. So, uh, progress. I'll be back in the water in about 20 minutes.

My experience from 6 months to 18 months is that I needed to work the smaller muscles and glutes to get 'balanced' and stronger overall. As chuckm said lots of rolling the muscles on a foam roller (In my experience nobody will massage those glutes :-) you have to roll them yourself initially very painful)  Same with ITB  and also I needed to spend extra time at gym with adductor and abductor exercises.  I also found benefit from leg balance exercises using a Bosu ball  (At first I could not even stand on it for a few seconds,  with practice I got to doing tree pose on an upside down Bosu ball).


For me it was around 18 month point that I felt fully recovered/balanced that when I pushed myself at my sport (Soccer)  and did not any experience niggling issues.  At 6-12 months I felt fully recovered but it seemed every time I pushed myself I got a niggling injury like sore knee from ITB or a pulled hamstring.

Thanks. And I welcome other input.


MY PT didn't tell me not to run (years of working with hard headed runners) but did say that I might develop problems because of weak glutes and rotators. And here they are. I was hoping that the run plan was so gradual I could escape trouble, guess not. So I will take a few more days off running, stay with the PT exercises (and the diet), try again. I am using my foam roller again. I do have a hot spot on my ITband, so maybe once I work that out it will get better.


Catfriend, I am pushing off hard maybe 75% of the time now. I didn't do it until post six months per Dr Gross. How I missed it! I am sure I overdid it at first just because it felt so good. The pushing off didn't hurt so much in the early weeks, not as much as the twisting to change directions. I couldn't do flip turns either for six months, so would change directions by turning to one side or the other. Lordy, that was hard at first!


A friend who just had one hip resurfaced asked me what I wanted to do more: swim or run. Maybe I have to choose which to emphasize. I said run. Problem is, swimming is more accessible and fulfilling to me right now. I can swim more than I can run and I can swim with other people. I can't wait until I don't have to be so careful.

Seven months out.


Took almost two weeks off running. I had travel and family stuff going on, so I just let it happen and didn't try to do more than walk. I returned to running....and it feels great. I ran twenty broken minutes today, so more like a real runner. My it bands felt fine. Yay! Looking ahead, pretty soon I will run 30 broken minutes. That seems so normal!


To help with my weak glutes and quads, and to manage the crazy rainy weather we have had, I returned to spinning. I have only been twice, but so far so good. I can stand on the bike no problem. I worried about this, wondered if it would hurt and wondered if my core strength would allow it. Boy, it is clear I have lost strength, though. I have about thirty good minutes in me, then limp to the end of class. (A side benefit is my husband is going with me. He is very fit and healthy, but is an all or nothing guy---worse than me. We can do this together and it will help him ease back into outdoor cycling. I am not so all or nothing. I don't mind failing or looking foolish or trying something new and being slow or bad at it.) If we can do this twice a week, that would be great.


Swimming is going well, except for all the rain and storms. Missed because of travel and then weather. Ugh. I can report that my fly feels better all the time. My core/hips feel both more supple and stronger. The breaststroke is still slow, but becoming less robotic and forced.


PT is also going well. I can see progress, doing things I couldn't do. We are beginning to focus on the little muscles that are weak. It is fair to ask how much of that is due to exercise and how much is due to time and healing. Probably a mix. It is worthwhile for me  to know which muscles aren't firing.


So overall progress! Slowed down by IT bands and weather, but generally moving forwards.


Oh! My weight: stable. Going down would be better, but stable is okay after a week of eating pie.

Eight month update.


The theme is the same as it was back at six weeks: how much is too much. I was hoping to report I had figured it out, but no such luck---but I am getting better at it.


Running: Still following the schedule. I am running better, faster, more evenly, moving through the whole foot. I feel less beat up the day after which is a big plus. Getting in the water later that day or the next helps with my recovery. I did have to take a few days off, but not due to running. The biggest issue is the heat right now. If I get out mid morning it is already in the upper 80s. Ugh. That means getting up early---double ugh. The benefit of running so slowly is that I don't overheat.


Spinning. This is what got me in trouble. I am still going twice a week to a spin class, scheming how to fit in a third day, but fighting for a car with my son and somehow I always lose (if it weren't so hot, I would bike to places). One evening, running late due to our car sharing, I jumped on a bike and didn't adjust it carefully. Sitting on a slightly too high seat tweaked my left glute and knocked me out for a few days. Back to normal now. I can tell I am still pretty weak pushing those pedals, though, a long way to go.


Swimming. I am getting to do a lot of swimming and it is going well. Upped to four-five times a week. It is the best outdoor activity to do in this South Texas heat. Some days I am slow and have niggles and hang out in lane one, other days I feel great and move over to lane three and push it. I am going to do a 5k pool swim in a few weeks, really just to have a goal to train towards. Also added a little open water swimming on weekends. Now that got me trouble, for an unexpected reason. About a dozen people meet to swim in a nearby lake early in the morning. All levels, all degrees of comfort with open water, different people all the time. Because of that, we swim across the lake, then wait, count heads, assess how everyone is doing, swim back. Repeat. That count heads period can take a while. Turned out it was too long for me to comfortably tread water. My hips weren't ready for that movement performed so long. I had some new niggles and had to take a few days off. (But I did come up with a solution until I am strong enough: I tie a noodle to my ankle so I can rest on the noodle instead of treading water while we get organized.)


PT. Also going well. Glutes and rotators still weak, especially rotators. I need more core work, too.


The niggle report: tweaked left glute that was alarming mostly because it was new. Right glute is lazy as is right rotator. That right knee wants to fall in. This was true pre op as well. My PT can make them fire, though.


Overall feeling great. I really don't think about my hips except when I over do it. Even then I can still walk and swim and get through the day doing what I have to do. Being more active and feeling more normal is putting my weight back in line, too. Yay!

Nice updates, seems all positive, enjoy your new hips!!!


Larry

Awesome report Blinky! I can't believe how time flies. 8 months!? Seems like yesterday I was reading about your surgery. Keep up the good work and I hope the consistent progress continues!

Sounds good blinky! Glad to hear you're doing so well. Crazy to think you're at 8 months -- that means I'm at 9!

Nine month update.


So I managed to miss only one running day this month! It wasn't because I was any smarter or more careful, as you will see, I think it was because I am further along and more healed. We are away from home for a few weeks which has slowed me down in some ways.


Running: following the schedule and finally at the point where my runs feel like real runs (10 minutes of running, three of walking, repeated 3 times). It all feels fine, but I  cannot run two days in a row yet, however, without feeling beat up. Currently running on brick sidewalks which are tougher, so I hope I don't blow up.


Spinning: I have been riding a cruiser bike around to run errands and for fun. I did a crazy amount of spin classes before going out of town and hips held up. I explored a boutique spin place and was twice as old as the other exercisers (!) but managed to hold my own.


Swimming: I got to swim a lot before we left town, and my swim summer culminated in a 5K pool swim. It will be hit and miss for me getting to the pool until September.


Misc: ah, this is where I get in trouble. 1) We went to a wedding and I danced too much. It started with some vigorous folk dancing. Fun, but not too fast and not high impact. After dinner was dancing to pop music and that is where I went too far. People knew I had both my hips replaced and were commenting on how well I was doing. A born show off, I had to show them how well, so before long I was jumping up and down and twisting and shouting. That took the place of run #3 for the week, and yes, I did have to ice my hips the next day.


2) I tried stand up paddling. It isn't that hard, not with a wide board and a still lake, so I recommend it. You will use those little balance muscles and your quads. But I didn't do it in a lake or on a wide board, at least not at first. I tried it in the sea, so had to work with the waves, and the young man handing out the boards gave me a light but narrow board to start with. (He saw my husband, who is very fit and coordinated, but was dressed like a nerd, and gave him the easy board.) Nonetheless I managed to get up a few times on the narrow board before switching with my husband to get the wider board. The worst part was falling. Let's just say I was thrown abruptly into more extreme positions than I am normally in...It made me nervous, but didn't hurt. I will be icing my hips tonight. (More work on the bosu ball before the next time I do this.)


Hey, this is a pretty good report! To be fair, I do have niggles and my right side rotators are pretty weak. Those rotators felt stretched and tweaked after the dancing and again after the SUP.

Go Blinky, GO!!  8)


9 Months!? Crazy how time has sailed by...


I'm very happy to hear you're feeling good enough to show off your dance moves. Great stuff! Keep up the good work and keep enjoying those ever-improving hips. Congrats!

I continue to be impressed by your recovery.
It always a pleasure to read your posts.

How are you with getting in and out of the pool now? Previously you were walking in and out. Are you still doing that, or are you able to use the ladder? If the ladder, for in, out, or both?

Sounds like you are progressing and doing well. We all have to do this recovery at our own pace. I have backed off all running several times during my rehab do to soreness in my non operated leg. I am careful not to run unless I can maintain and good gate with no limp. I really think it is going to take the full year to get all the kinks out. In this case I believe slow and steady wins the race - obviously not a sprint.

Good luck.

I started using the ladder to get in and out of the pool at six weeks, I think. I couldn't turn my knees out yet, so I went up and down sideways, knees pointed in the same direction and body facing forwards. At six months I was allowed to squat to get in and out...but couldn't do it. I can do it now. I get in and out of the pool by just pulling myself out with my arms and then squatting and standing up like a regular person!


I can also crawl and can sit cross legged. Not sure when those abilities came back. Kingrob, I agree this will be a year long (at least) recovery. There are all kinds of subtle things that aren't quite right yet, but keep getting better. (Watching the Olympics, makes me remember that I am stiff when I do butterfly or breaststroke. I don't have the suppleness in my hips yet.)

I am a little late, but it sounds like you are doing great at 9 months.  Took a long time, but you have come a long way.

I gathered some of your posts and started a story for you.

http://www.surfacehippy.info/hipresurfacing/stories/dr-gross/838-blinky-s-bilateral-hip-resurfacing-with-dr-gross (http://www.surfacehippy.info/hipresurfacing/stories/dr-gross/838-blinky-s-bilateral-hip-resurfacing-with-dr-gross)

http://www.surfacehippy.info/hipresurfacing/stories/dr-gross/839-blinky-s-bilateral-hip-resurfacing-with-dr-gross-p2 (http://www.surfacehippy.info/hipresurfacing/stories/dr-gross/839-blinky-s-bilateral-hip-resurfacing-with-dr-gross-p2)

I know you still have a way to go, but you have taken a lot of time to document your surgery and recovery, I thought it was time to get your story on the main website.  It was so long, I started a second page.  I imagine you have many more chapters to add.

Good Luck.  Pat

Sure!


Believe me, I am just getting started. Much more to come.


I was saving this, but will share now. It is my latest airport story:


Flying home from a trip to Israel. It is August. Everyone is traveling. Maybe the Israelis are like the French and every one goes on vacation in August. The airport is crowded.


Nonetheless, I zoom through the first security check, the one where you are asked questions. I travel light and don't have any bags to check. I get to the metal detector and X-ray machine. As I have been doing for the least nine months, I warn the local TSA that I have metal hip implants and that I might set off the machine. There is no body scanner, so the officer tells me to walk through anyway. The metal detector goes off.


A very young female TSA officer comes up and asks me if I have on a belt or have anything in my pockets. I tell her no, that I have metal hip implants. I expect to be wanded and/or patted down. That's what usually happens. But no, she asks "Can you take them out?"


Okay, it made me laugh. But I didn't lose my cool. I replied "I can't take them out because they are inside my body. I have metal hip joints."


"Can I see them?" she answered.


Now her cohorts were also giggling. I wondered if I should drop my pants and show off my scars. Instead, I calmly replied "No, you can't see them. They are inside my body. They are my new, metal hip joints."


Completely lost, the young screener said "I am going to call a supervisor."


She did and he stepped over, glanced at my passport, and waved me on.


Next time I am bringing a picture of my X-rays!

Wellllll......at least she was able to find a government job to save her from a life of "Would you like fries with that?" ;) ;D

That's hilarious. I would love to have seen the look on her face later when somebody explained to her just what the word "implant" means.

 :) LOL!!!

 :) Hi Blink. Read through your posts. Try a squat to get the ROM up in the hip. That is a squat right down with heals on the ground and bum right against the heals use you elbows to help on your knees or someone to hold onto or something to hold onto Slow. This helped heaps with my running. Do a little riding for warm up say 15 mins if you can then a small run 10 mins. Add them up each day and if you see you get stronger take it easy. Then diet or not so much Pie more carbs - ie vegetable carbs - good protein them work on the ROM again. Bit of a cycle but what you are after is consistency of feeling you can do it no problems. Then increase your runs out. Something like that. Cheers K 8)

Ten months post op now.


I was hoping to tell you guys I just completed a sprint triathlon, completed not raced, but motherhood got in the way. I had picked out a nice race in a nearby city but one where I would have to spend the night. No problem. Older son is in school there and we were going to do the race together. I was going to stay with him and then the two of us would trek over to the starting line in the morning. But then younger son scheduled his return from a summer studying abroad for late tonight---and he is ill. So no tri for me. I will be picking younger son up at the airport with a bottle of Pepto Bismol in hand. There are times when you just can't delegate a job.

To make up for it, I did a soft mini tri today just on my own. Ran 25 minutes, about two miles, swam 1500m, went to spin class. Everything felt fine.

Meanwhile making progress in all areas. Did I mention I can put my pants on without sitting down? Yeah, stand on one foot then the other, balancing. I do need to work on strength in squatting. I can get down there, but not always rise without using my arms and pushing off the floor. Also lost a little weight without really trying. I am more active so I burned it off. I think about my hips less and less as the little things that used to remind me occur less frequently.

I also wanted to add about my travel story: to make it even more surreal, the passenger behind me in line was Orly Taitz. Remember her? Dentist, lawyer, Birther Queen? Yep. I am not sure what it says about me that I recognized her instantly. Anyway, she was getting annoyed as it took me forever to clear security and get out of the way.

I agree with Blinky's comments about Dr. Gross and his team.  I had my hip resurfaced on August 17th and I'm close to ditching my cane.  So far, I've had no complications and I continue to notice improvement every day.

Blinky,

  That's so funny you can dress without sitting down, I cant remember how many years since I was able to put my pants on standing, a faint memory, lol.

I worked in the garage all day Sunday and was able to get on the floor and up from the floor over 10 times without grabbing something with arms to help me up. So a lot of progress for myself as well. I have 4 more weeks till no restrictions, all is good.

Regards,

Larry

First 5K 34:17. Ten months and one week out.


Okay, so I have run more than a 5K distance following the resurf to 5K program, but this was my first time to pin on a bib and run without taking any walk breaks. I found a Miles for Melanoma race, good in terms of timing for me and also a near to my heart cause since H was diagnosed with stage III melanoma almost twenty years ago. Also a good event for me because it was likely to be small and was run on a course used by a 5K I help organize for a different cause.


Warm as usual in South Texas, but not terribly humid. I have been running my neighborhood runs at an easy sub 12:00 pace. When it came time to line up for this race, I placed myself in front of the (many many) walkers, but behind the fast looking people. There was a guy with a stroller who looked about right for me, or maybe the slim, sixtyish woman with the cool running skirt.


I went out with stroller guy, feeling good, but a glance at my Garmin (yes, I am finally fast enough to think  about wearing one again)showed I was going way too fast for me, just a little over 10:00 pace. It felt fine, but I didn't think  I should try to hold that for the whole distance. I backed off. Eleven was probably more realistic for me to try, so that's what I aimed for.


It was a flat, shady course, quiet. I was joyful, high fiving everyone I passed.


Felt good. A little right hip pain, but not bad---especiaily when I stayed at a reasonable pace and didn't let myself creep faster. More because of my age and the size of the race, I may have placed, but I couldn't sick around to check. H and I had a swim date afterwards (yes, we went and swam 2k together later) and he had to hurry to the airport. I will have to check the results in a few minutes.


The good news is I beat my expectations. I was hoping for a sub 40 based on my training pace, and was secretly hoping to break 36:00. And I felt good. The sad news is that it was about ten minutes slower than my pre OA pace, so I have a way to go.


The plan now is to run a few interesting looking 5Ks the next few months and see if I can get faster. Maybe sub 30 by my one year mark?

Two day after adds:


1) Here I am all excited about my first 5K and then I learn http://www.irunfar.com/2016/07/down-to-the-very-marrow-my-2016-hardrock-100.html.


I am very very happy for him, a fellow Dr Gross patient. Gives the rest of us something to strive for. It also gives me something to show to the nay sayers, the people who think I shouldn't run or don't believe in resurfacing as an option.


And while we are on the topic of superstar resurfacing patients, check out Dr Su's Facebook feed. (spoiler: patient wins Olympic gold medal in fencing)


2) I feel pretty good, but my right hip is a little sore today. I think the lesson for me is the one my PT has been harping on: work on those rotators. My quad and glute strength are pretty good, but rotators are lagging behind.

Good job Blinky! It's great to hear you're getting back to running. Keep at it and it'll keep getting better.


And thanks for the link to that article. Incredible story, what an inspiration.  8)

So many inspiring updates!


I will offer my eleven month report:


Running. Two 5ks under my belt now. The second was a little faster, averaging 10:55mm. Subjectively, it felt much better, whether due to better pacing or just being further along I can't say. No aches or pains whatsoever. I have settled into a three miles every other day pattern, with a long run of four miles on the weekend (3-3-4 or 3-3-3-4). I think I should stay here awhile and let my body get comfortable with this---and work on getting faster. In December I'd like to bump up my distances a bit. We will see if I am ready to run two days in a row or not.


Swimming. Real life has interfered with my ability to get in the pool as much as I would like, but I am averaging four swims a week. Everything is improving. I am more supple when undulating for breast or fly, for example.


Biking. Okay this element has been neglected. I was riding my bike to run errands and attending spin class pretty regularly at the start of the month, but have fallen off in class attendance. (I still ride my bike on errands)


My right hip still swells and feels weaker. It is pretty subtle and it happens when I put a new stress on the hips, like running a new, longer distance or doing a long kick set with fins. I am going to bring this up with Dr Gross in November when I go for the one year check up, but I am not very concerned. Ice and pulling back on the activities seems to make it go away. I think time is the cure. Well, and reinstating some of the strengthening exercises. I feel like my glutes and quads are doing pretty well, but those external rotators have been left behind. They need a chance to catch up.


Lots of small things I can do now that are pretty cool: deep squatting, getting up from deep squatting (!), getting down on the floor to play with cats and babies. I carry heavy things, I take long car trips, I walk on slippery surfaces. Such a big change from this time last year!

One year and a few days later...


I flew to SC for my one year check up with Dr Gross. No problems, just wanted him and Lee to look at my X-rays and manipulate my hips. Well, and I wanted to take a victory lap, show them how well I was doing and then go celebrate.


The X-rays looked great and Lee was excited by my range of motion, strength, and the fact I am back to running again. Dr Gross came in to answer a few questions and give me the okay to go out and live my life.


I asked about my right knee falling in and what might be causing that. Dr Gross said probably the rotators that were detached during surgery, that it takes a while for them to come back, and they might not return to 100%. He took the time to do a bunch of testing on my movements and strength and told me to work with bands to get stronger. (I think the issue is pretty subtle, one of those things I am aware of and know could be a long term limiter for me, but well within normal range). I asked about going forward, what to watch out for, infection, etc. No surprises there, to take antibiotics before invasive procedures.


I let my husband ask the big question: should I limit my activity, especially running, to have the hips last longer. Dr Gross said no. He said in his data the very active and the less active have similar results ten years out, so to go for it. Music to my ears! (Of course, we will see what I am truly capable of. Just because I am allowed to run as much as I want doesn't mean I will be able to. My other parts are aging as well.)


So where I stand now: running every other day 3-4 miles, looking to build to six at a time. Swimming all strokes four times a week. Riding my cruiser bike on errands, spin class as able to make it. And Zumba once a week! I decided to see what my lateral motion was like, not to mention pivoting and jumping on one leg at a time. I should confess that one of my ongoing issues is that as soon as I feel completely good and normal, I feel like it is time to test the hips a little bit more....run further or try a new activity.


Then we flew to Barbados to celebrate. Where I swam, walked, climbed, treaded water, and felt completely normal!

Awesome report Blinky, I like the running part. Such a big advantage over regular hip replacement.



I am dying to do a little jogging myself. I know my Dr.Gross right hip is up to it, its my left that I worry about. I have a failed scope on that side as well just not as bad as my right was. I don't want to prematurely wear it out if I can get a couple of years from it.

Larry

Congratulations on your anniversary.  Sounds like everything is going great.  I appreciate you posting your story and updates.  They are very helpful to perspective patients.

I wish you the very best and hope you have many, many more anniversaries!

Pat

Go Blinky, GO!!  8)


Congrats on your successful first year as a Chrome Hippie! Best of luck in the future, I hope you keep vigorously enjoying those new pain free hips for a very long time.

What a lovely report, congratulations and very pleased for you.


Our ops were quite close so have been reading your reports and updates over the last year with a keen interest.


Keep up the good work :-)

Happy Hip-iversary to me!


Two years today.


Everything is going well. I am training for a half marathon that will take place in early December and have run three eight mile runs toward that goal. No pain, no hip problems (I did have a Code Brown during my last run, so I can't say "no problems...") I will run ten miles tomorrow, which will be a new hips distance record.


To celebrate, I swam in a 3600 yd swim relay with three friends. We are all adult onset swimmers, so not very good divers and not very experienced in competitive swimming. Two of us swim for triathlons, two for fitness. We had a blast! We were nervous, giddy, proud, and finally triumphant. I could not have attempted a racing dive preop when my hips were so stiff and painful.


I have to set up my metal ion test, so I owe a report on that.


A few other highlights from the last year:


Ran two 10ks, the second one hilly.
Ran half a dozen 5ks, cherry picking (!) an easy one where I placed first in my AG---and yes there was more than one person in my AG.
Experimented with spin class, hip hip and Zumba classes, Cross Fit, and TRX.
Traveled like crazy. This is the reason I didn't get to do a triathlon this year, I was just on the road too much. For the first six-seven months after my one year hip-iversary, I took a transoceanic trip every month. You read that right: every month. (Poor me.) With kids out of the house and new hips, we hit the road with a vengeance. It has settled down now so that I fly to NY every other weekend. During all this travel, I hiked, including at altitude, swam in open water, snorkeled (with sharks!), jumped off high places into waiting deep water. I took fifteen hour flights and managed my own luggage, all stuff I couldn't have done pre op, if not athletic.


Okay, so I do have some niggles and small issues to work out; don't think I'm superwoman. My right side still swells after a hard effort or too much lateral movement. I feel it in my knee, too. I think my right ankle is too stiff (not hip related) and my feet have become lazy. There are symmetry issues in how I use my back I have to figure out. To train for a longer event, I have forsaken some speed. But overall I still see improvement. My short runs are now four miles at a time, for example, easy peasy. I find myself sitting cross legged. I can walk my husband into the ground when we are in NY. Thirty K steps in a day is not unusual.


For the coming year? More travel, but probably not at the same frenetic pace. I will do at least two half marathons, maybe one in NY. (Joined the NYRR club.) I will finally do that triathlon, likely an Olympic distance. Having become better at finding pools when I am traveling, I hope to swim some long postal swims this year.


To Pat and all the posters who came before me, thank you.You showed me what I could hope to do.

Congratulations.

So great to hear from you and all your accomplishments. 

Fantastic - so many folks will read your update.  I am sure you will be an inspiration.

Keep up the good work and I wish you many, many more anniversaries.

Pat

Congrats Blinky! It's always nice to check in here and see a post of yours and this one is especially good! Keep up all the good work and progress and keep enjoying the heck out of those new hips. Awesome job on everything, I couldn't be happier for you. Keep it up!

That's great to hear Blinky. I'm sure there are thousands of potential candidates who will be influenced by your athletic accomplishments - especially after undergoing bilateral hip-resurfacing. That is a serious amount of running and athletics you've performed since your surgeries. These are the kinds of posts which inspire us all. Awesome!

Always interested to read your updates as your op was very close to mine. Mind you mine was only one side so much respect for getting 2 done at same time!


I have also penciled in a half marathon for early December and your reports of little niggles here and there is very similar to what I feel, especially with regards to pushing hard in comparison to running easy.


Congratulations on the progress and good luck in the half  :D

I have to share.


I ran ten miles today, my longest run on my new hips, in preparation for the half marathon. It was a beautiful, sunny day, cool, maybe in the low fifties. I slapped on my Garmin and just hit the road, intending to explore all the places that have been built since I last did a long run, maybe five years ago. I waved to cars, to other runners, was blissfully happy if also pretty slow (12mm, used to be 10mm long run pace, so I do have room to improve).  I am now pleasantly tired and regrouping for the rest of the day. And there all be more to do today. That is another great thing about new hips: I have the energy to keep going. I'll do some chores then go out and do some shopping, then maybe swim (!) later in the day with H.

Way to go, Blinky!  Which half marathon will you run?  It's so exciting that you have reached this point in your recovery!  'Sounds as if many new adventures lie ahead.  Best of luck!

Another milestone and awesome update Blinky. Very nice job! Congrats, and best of luck on your half!

Thanks for the update Blinky.

Sounds like you are doing great. Keep going!

Good Luck.

Pat

Just got my first metal ions results---normal! Both values 1.0 or under, well under the acceptable limit.


I had no reason to be concerned, but of course in the back of my mind was a little bit of worry. It has taken this long not because of Dr Gross or me, but the Quest lab I went to. They lost my results when I took the test back in early December and I had to retake it. The good news? I wasn't billed. They lost the financial part, too.


I should be adding a signature line, shouldn't I.


Dr Gross
bilat
11-15

Great update Blinky. Congratulations and keep posting. Beautiful that all is going well.

Blinky im just 3.5 months into my bilateral but I just want to say that your posts here helped me more than any other...I thank you for documenting all this and you were my go to when i was experiencing things i wasnt sure about.  Its awesome to see you are doing great.  I updated my post as well!

Thanks! My motivation was to help others the way I had been helped by those who went before me. I studied the recovery stories for guidance on what to expect and what to do. By posting your story, you will help the next wave of bilats.

 :) Cool keep it up Blinky.....

Congrats and keep up the good work, blinky.