Moving across country 3-4 months after HR surgery?

[Dessay]

Hi everyone!


My surgery is scheduled for March 30th with Dr. Gross. Hubbie has been asking to move out of Chicago for years and I finally feel ready to do it. We were hoping to move to Colorado this summer, mid-July after my summer job obligation is over. That gives me all of April, May, June and most of July to heal up some. So we're talking about moving 3-4 months after my surgery.


I already told DH that I will probably close to NO help with lifting, back and forth, etc. He says he is more than happy to shoulder most of the burden and would rather move this year than wait, and I kind of agree. The area we're living in is sliding downhill fast, and property values are not rising.


Can we do this? Can I really do this? Or is it too much stress so soon after a major ortho procedure? I'd love some advice from people who can tell me how they felt at 3-4 months. Thanks!


Cara

[PMac]

Hi there, of course everyone is different but my recovery has been great. I'm less than two months post op but feeling pretty much back to normal. I don't as yet have the range of movement that I'm hoping to achieve but for the most part life is good. If you recover half as quickly as me you should be good to go after 3 months. But as I said everyone heals differently.

[Dessay]

Thanks, PMac. At 42, I have osteopenia, it was a total shocker. So I'm on Dr. Gross' slow recovery protocol. Crutches for 6 weeks, then a cane for another 4. I'm on a crazy supplement regimen for collagen and connective tissue, so hopefully it will help speed healing of the bones.


Ok, so it seems that even with the slow recovery, if I take it easy, and just pay attention to how I'm feeling, I should be ok. We're actually packing things and staging the house now while I'm still able to move around.

[blinky]

If someone else can do the lifting and moving with you directing, I think you would be okay. Two story house or one story?


We have done some remodeling over the last year. Big kitchen remodel a year ago that was tough because my hips were deteriorating. I could pack up dishes, climb on countertops, but it hurt, and someone else had to move what I packed. Hurt to unpack, too! I was determined to get us moved in and set up asap. Then we did some minor stuff upstairs when I was still pre op, and I just said I wasn't going to help, refused to climb the stairs. (Minor like carpet in guest room and new bath fixtures. I would pick out new, but not move anything. H was pushing to do this, I was resisting.)


The upstairs is still a mess, waiting for me to put everything away!


So my advice would be to go in ready for the unpacking to take longer than normal. I can climb stairs, but have only been able to bend over for two weeks and would rather spend that time with the kids than organizing  the guest closet.

[Miguelito]

I would have been fine by that point. There are various milestones where you find you can do more and more. 5 days, two weeks, six weeks, three months, six months, and (for me) finally a year.

But I was always amazed at how much I could do say, two months after this major surgery (though I could not yet jog at six months after the first hip). Absent something unusual I think you should be fine.

Mike

[Clarkefan]

Hello... I moved across country to LA at about 5 months post-op. My hip recovery was among the least of my worries... though I kept to my precautions.