Here's an update:
April 28 I'd been feeling so good lately that I decided to drive down to California to visit my cousin. This is a bit more than 900 miles, depending on exactly which route you choose (and this is one of those cases where more miles equals less time). Since I hadn't taken a pain pill in months I didn't bring them, but did bring my cane. I should have brought them both. I've driven up and down the west coast countless times, so I didn't think I'd have any problems this time. After I'd been behind the wheel a couple of hours I realized I'd really stiffened up. I sit at a desk much of the day, but I do pop up and down quite often. You can't do this in a car, especially if you're driving. I stopped at a rest stop and it was difficult to get up. I was stiff. I spent a few minutes walking around to loosen back up. This pattern continued. I stopped for dinner. Once again it was hard to get moving, but once I did I was ok. After dinner I never got out of the car again until I stopped for the night. I knew this was a mistake, but I just didn't want to take the time, especially after dark. I could feel myself stiffening and getting more sore. When I stopped at my hotel (the Shilo Inn in Medford, where I will never ever stay again; seriously, the Super 8 in Medford is nicer) I was so stiff I needed my cane to get out of the car. I had only brought it as a 'just in case' deal, but I was glad I had. My hip did not want to move at all. To top it off they only had one handicapped space, and it was occupied. It took a lot more than just a few minutes of walking to loosen it up.
April 29 The painful stiffness of the night before was gone. I left about 8 and vowed to stop more frequently and for longer. I first stopped in Shasta City, and then Corning. I can't pass up the Olive Pit. I had this idea I would have lunch before Sacramento, but I never did. I started to stiffen up and get sore again, this time increased because of the day before. By the time I stopped for something to eat I stood to eat it. I needed to get off my butt to feel better. By the time I got to the ranch (my cousin grows almonds and grapes outside of Fresno) I was hurting. If I had had my pain pills I would have taken one. I was surprised at how hard the drive was on my surgical leg. While I couldn't take a pain pill, my cousin plied me with margaritas and time in the hot tub. I felt so much better.
April 30 All my pain from the drive was gone. I did all my PT exercises and walked around the vineyards and orchards. No problem.
May 1 Went to Sequoia NP. This was lovely. Mostly good weather, and I saw a bear quite close. According to the iPhone I walked over five miles while I was there. I didn't do a concentrated hike, this was just walks at the various sights and viewpoints and in the forest. I felt no pain at all. The one thing I chose not to do was ascend Moro Rock. It's 400 steep stairs, with not much of a handrail, to the top for the view. It was late in the day when we got there, and I decided it would probably be too much for me at that point. Had it been earlier I might have gone for it, but not after walking all day. Finished the day back in the hot tub.
May 2 Went to Yosemite. Another good day. My iPhone said I walked over four miles. Again, this is just walking around sights and viewpoints. I would love to go hiking - real hiking, not just sights and viewpoints - in both of these parks, but I'm fine with what I did. Three and a half months post surgery and I was able to walk over five and four miles on successive days. This is a success. Had I not had my hip resurfaced I wouldn't have been able to do this. Both parks will be there when I'm ready for some serious hiking.
May 5 I drove back home. Considering how the drive down went, I knew the key for the return trip was to stop often and move around, and that I should break the journey at a reasonable point and move my operative side. Sigh. I just can't take my own sensible advice. I was making such good time - much better than on the way down - I realized I could do it all in one shot. It was still light when I passed Roseburg. I couldn't bring myself to stop, even though I knew better. The last few hours my right leg throbbed. It hurt. It told me to stop. I ignored it. When I arrived home I hurt so bad I expected I would need my cane to get out of my car, but I didn't. I left my luggage in my car and just crawled into my own bed, accompanied by my cat herd.
May 6 I was still sore, and my right leg was visibly swollen. Had I had the good sense to stop and walk around more frequently, and spend the night instead of driving straight through, I doubt this would have been the case. I elected to drive down because I had been feeling so good. However, the prolonged sitting combined with the constant low level pressure of my foot on the gas pedal (I suspect if my left side had been my operative side it would have been easier) proved to be more difficult than I expected. This is something to consider if you're planning a road trip soon after hip resurfacing. I know some people leave the hospital and need several hour long drives or flights to get home. I guess that's what drugs are for.
May 12 My toes are now this really cool iridescent color someplace between fuchsia and purple.
May 23 I made the mistake of kicking off the end of the pool too hard with my operative leg. I did this a couple of months ago, and had to take the rest of the week off from swimming. I was concerned I had done something wrong. This time I had to cut my workout short, but the pain is gone before the end of the afternoon. So I'm still a little sensitive in the surgical area, but it's nothing compared to before.
June 8 I finally did some yard work. My yard looks like crap. I never did fall clean up last year because I was in too much pain. Since I had the surgery in January I haven't been quite ready for serious work. I'm leery of getting on the ground, and then not being able to get up. In PT we have been working on ground transfers, and I can get up from the floor, but that depends on me having something to hold onto. That's not the case outside. There is nothing for me to grab onto. Sooo... I decided the best way to tackle the containers (where I grow my vegetables and annuals) is to sit in a chair and lean over. This is what I did but if forced me to bend more than my hip has been doing. I also leaned over a lot from a standing position. I was quite aware that I was bending my hip far more than I had previously, and way past comfortable. I worked as long as I could. I was hurting afterwards. My lateral hip muscles knotted up so bad they felt like a lump with a concave side next to them. I even felt pain down the back of my leg all the way to my foot. Clearly I went beyond what my hip was ready for.
June 9 Went swimming. My leg was still sore and visibly swollen from the yard work. It felt ok when I was swimming, but worse when I got out of the pool. I skipped walking in the channel and went straight to the hot tub. I sat in it a good twenty minutes or so. It did not help. I left limping.
This was the most pain I felt in months, much worse than the road trip. I was especially bothered by the cramped up muscles. I couldn't do my side clamshells or leg lifts at all. I decided to take a flexeril to relax them. Problem: I couldn't find my flexeril. I knew I had a few, but the bottle was nowhere to be found, and I looked all over. I gave up and took a prescription pain pill. It helped with the pain, but not with its cause.
June 10 Still hurting from my yard work. I broke down and emailed Dr. Pritchett's office for some flexeril and Celebrex (for the inflammation). He was out of the office. Sigh.
June 12 Feeling a bit better from my ill advised yard work I do it all again. I transplant some flowers and squash, and sow some beans. I do more weeding, hack on some blackberries, etc. This time I take a lot of breaks and am more careful of the positions I contort myself into.
June 13 The day after I am feeling sore, but not as sore as last week. There is once again pain down the back of my leg to my foot, but it is not as intense. There is still some general swelling in my right leg. I can both feel it, and see it in the mirror. Good news: Dr. Pritchett is back, and has approved prescriptions for me for flexeril and Celebrex. I pick them up after my swim. I don't feel the need for the flexeril now, but will take the Celebrex for the next few days for the inflammation. I intend to do a lot more yard work in the near future, so I suspect they'll both come in handy.June 14 It's been 21 weeks since I had my surgery. Overall I would say I'm doing really well. I can walk for miles at a time. I can swim better than most people who have never even had hip surgery. The soreness that I experienced post surgery is all gone. The stiffness upon standing after sitting for long periods is gone. When I tell people I had hip surgery just a few months ago they're shocked. They can't believe how well I'm getting around. However, I'm still not 100% yet. My right leg is still weak. I notice this on hills, and I live in a hilly part of the country. As I mentioned, I can walk for miles, swim for 45 minutes, do loads of leg lifts, and still my right leg is significantly weaker than my left. I still have range of motion issues. I still can't quite tie my right shoe. This is driving me crazy. I'm probably about an inch away from that. I still need to be cautious with the amount of pressure I put on my right side. I wouldn't forcefully hop on a shovel, for example. Unexpected things cause me more problems than I expect. I didn't expect the road trip to be so difficult, and I didn't expect the gardening to cause the problems it did, either. Both of these are self-inflicted misery, however, and not a result of the surgery per se. It's like some things have healed quickly, and others are lagging behind. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what's better and what's lagging. I suspect everybody has their own quirks with their recoveries. So, altogether much improved, but still some physical therapy goals to meet.
Topic: Catfriend's story (Dr. Pritchett) (Read 3260 times)
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