Second Gear

I knew it was too good to be true.  Everything so far in this hip replacement journey has been bearable.  Well the first week was really rough, but after that everything seemed alright.  Time for a change and it looks like I've been kicked into second gear. 

I went to bed early last nigh to wake up for a 7a.m. physical therapy appointment.  Why I made an appointment at such an ungodly time?!  I have no idea.  I believe I was thinking let me get up and get it over with and have the rest of my day to enjoy - ha!

I've been really conscious about the 90 deg. angle rule and not having my knee higher than my hip.  Maybe I've been too cautious and not moving enough, because I moved a lot today.  I started out with riding the exercise bike with no tension for 10 minutes.  I was far back enough on the bike and at an angle to where I wasn't breaking the 90 deg. angle rule, but I was definitely moving higher/more than I had been at home.  There was no pain, but I definitely felt the stretch.

While I was at the gym I pretty much walked around without my cane, so that was an effort in itself.  My next station was sideways ladder.  I walked sideways three laps up and down in a line (tape on the floor like a ladder).   The key of course is to try to walk in a straight line and I did pretty well, but I did waver here and there.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman!  Yep, I did an exercise like Superman.  Extending my left leg back to my toe tip and leaning forward arms outstretched like Superman.  Not as easy as it sounds - requires a lot of balance and that was just with my left (operated leg back).  You know what's next - put my right leg back and then the majority of my weight is on my left leg (operated).

Time for stairsteps.  We now know I'm knock kneed, so with every exercise I need to try to make sure my frame stays straight and try not to let my knees bow in.  Not an easy fete to do when going up and down stairs.  It was almost like I had to double concentrate - concentrate on making it up the stair and concentrate on not bending my knee inward.  Believe it or not, I actually had to concentrate more with the right knee.  When I got to the left (operated) my only issue was that my knee kept popping/creeking.  Ugh, please don't let me need knee surgery. 

Next, I moved to the bed mat and did clams.  Clams are done by me laying on my side with my knees bent (pillows in between) and raising my knee up keeping my feet together.  Not that difficult laying on my right side, but I had to switch and lay on my left - operated side.  Not the best feeling to lay on the incision on a hard mat. 

If you've ever used a total gym, I'm sure you're familiar with the exercise of laying on your back and pushing your feet off a platform as you slide you and down using your muscles.  Well I didn't get to do that easy variation.  I had to start by laying on my operated side with bended knee and right leg outstretched and pushing my right foot off the platform - 30 reps.  Definitely a little exhausting after 20 reps, but I made it to 30.  Now for the difficult part - laying on my right side with knee bent and pushing off my left leg (operated leg).  I only got to 5 reps and we stopped.  This was very difficult to do.  I definitely felt a stretch in every muscle from my knee to my glutes. 

Finally, my therapist just wanted to see me walk with my cane and see if she could give me any recommendations.  After walking about 25 steps she stopped me and said I'm swaying.  She moved me to the table and had me lay down straight and she stretched out my legs.  No surprise, my left leg (operated) is about a thumbs length longer.  This is nothing to be alarmed about.  Over time my rods (replacement) will settle and I'll be even again.  I've read about this and my doctor told me to continue to do "shimmy" exercises to assist in the settling.  My therapist was a little more alarmed, but I've called the doctor's office and confirmed I'm taking the proper steps.  Let's hope I settle soon.

All in all, I did a lot today and my therapist said I would be sore and guess what - I'm achy and sore.  I guess this is where I say "No pain, no gain"!  Resting now and up again to take a walk and do my additional exercises.  Have a good weekend!

Soup is good for the soul . . .

I’m not sure what I would do without my family and just as important my friends.  I’ve been really blessed to have met a great group of people over the years that I can truly call “my friends”.

I was able to have family visit and assist the first two weeks after surgery and once they left my friends have been there for me!  It’s times like these that I slap myself in the face and say “are you just being a taker or a giver?!”  I never want to find myself in a place where I’m taking my friendships for granted.  Lord, help me to be a better friend!

Whenever you’re feeling a little under the weather, a little down in your spirits or just can’t seem to get up out of the slump – well soup is good for the soul and boy have my friends found the perfect place!!  The Soup Peddler J  Sounds like an episode of Seinfeld, right?! – LOL!   I was blessed with a delivery last week and blessed again with a gift certificate for a delivery next week!  I’m sooo looking forward to trying out their Multi-critter Gumbo – sounds yummy!!!

Stress comes in all shapes and forms – physical, emotional etc., but at the end of the day I’m just happy I have a wonderful family and SUPER friends to vent to and to make life a bit easier and relieve the stress.   I’ll be venting – I mean talking to you soon LOL!  Love ya!!

Great Report and Spasms

Today we'll eat our dessert first!  Good news, I had my first outpatient physical therapy today and my final report was that I am doing great!!!  I was told that I've been doing excellent with my home exercises and with the in-house therapy.  I had picked this particular rehab location because they have a pool and my doctor's office suggested I do aqua therapy.  I was sooo looking forward to being able to walk around in the pool.  My initial evaluation went so well that my new therapist said I am beyond aqua therapy - what???? no walking around in the pool????  First disappointment :-(   I don't have access to a swimming pool, so when I go back on Friday I am going to ask if I can get in the pool anyway even though I'm at a more advanced stage.

I acquired a few more exercises to do at home and I can drop a few of the easier ones off my list.  My new exercises are geared toward muscle strengthening of my glutes and thighs in hopes of straightening out my "knocked knees".  I swear I didn't know I was knocked knee-ed until recently.  All these years I've been walking funny and no one ever told me.  It's not like I watch myself walk.  I guess everyone thought I knew - nope, didn't know!

Now onto the part of the meal you don't want to eat - bad news . . . the therapy appointment went well and I went into work for my four hours and after about an hour those muscles I stretched with those new exercises started to spasm.  Grrrrr . . . not a good feeling.  I didn't make my four hours today.  I came home at my usual time and went straight for the warm pack on my incision and then my massaging session.  Right in the middle of using the warm pack the spasms continued so I ended up transferring the warm pack from my incision to my interior thigh muscles and was able to get some relief.  I removed the pack and ended up falling asleep and waking up almost two hours later.  That was a long nap - guess I needed it.

Now its time for my afternoon walk and before night's end I need to do some more exercises - blah!  Let's hope with no spasms.  Overall, I'm glad I got a great report!

The little things

First, I remembered to take Tylenol today and I felt better this evening. I was even able to do more of my hardest exercise - stepping up a stair bad leg first!

I nipped my finger on the trash bin at work today and have a little cut. I tell you sometimes it's the little things that bother you the most. Here I had total hip replacement and my little finger is bothering me more LOL! Well enough about my finger.

One other thing I have noticed is my wrist hurts more from time to time. I'm sure it's all the pushing/lifting my body weight. I need to hurry up and get more strength in my legs or I'm gonna need a wrist brace.

How am I progressing? Here are a few things: I'm using a cane and making steps around the house without the cane. I can now go up and down the stairs forward and not sideways I am able to lay on my surgery side while sleeping (pillows between knees/legs) for short periods of time. I can stand up non assisted from my bed - no hand support needed. I can walk a block and back without stopping. And most importantly, I can do all these things without being in pain or totally tired out. In addition to working four hours a day, I do 20 reps of my exercises at least twice a day!

I start outpatient physical therapy tomorrow and I'm looking forward to see what I'll be doing next and getting a second opinion on my progress so far. I think I'm doing well, but I definitely don't want to overdue anything and hinder my recovery in the long run.

Thanks for listening. I'm calling it a night - after my exercises of course :-)

Little too late

I was so happy about getting out of the house today and having a successful couple hours at work, I didn't think to take Tylenol. I only take a pain pill at night and haven't been taking anything during the day. Well around 5pm some aches and pains started kicking in and I wasn't very happy. I should have taken Tylenol earlier in the day. Oh well, a little too late. I dealt with the discomfort until bedtime and just took a pain pill for the night. Tomorrow I will remember to take a Tylenol earlier in the day since I can only take them every 8 hrs.

All that being said I'm still very pleased with my recovery. I finished in-house therapy on Friday and I start my out-patient therapy on Wednesday. I've been doing my exercises at home very well. I wonder if therapy is going to be kicked up a notch Wednesday?!

I'll be ready for work tomorrow. Tylenol - check, Soft pillow - check, Good attitude - check! Goodnight!

9-1

Three weeks in the house and I'm going batty.  Yesterday I made a trip to Super Target to pick up a few items.  I don't have a handicap sticker for the car so I tried to park as close as I could because I knew I would be walking all around Target.  I managed to get everything I needed and loaded up in the car and even placed the shopping cart back in the right place and not leave it in front of the car LOL!  It definitely felt good just getting out and seeing other people.  Sitting around the house for three weeks and looking at the same walls, sitting in the same chairs was starting to drive me a little stir crazy. 

I need to start back to my normal program, so I started with going in to work today!  Yep, I did a 9-1 shift today!  I have a desk job and I am attempting to work four hours a day.  So far so good!  I did a test run last week driving to work, sitting in my chair and using our lovely handicap restroom and all went well.  Today when I sat in my chair I needed more cushion, so I sent a friend to my car to get my pillow and by the end of the four hours I realized I need a softer pillow.  Not sure why my bum is so sensitive today?!  LOL  I stopped at Walmart on the way home (first visit since my surgery) and bought a new pillow.  Tomorrow may be a blog about my bum LOL!  I have a co-worker who basically eats Chipotle every day so I was able to place an order and he picked it up for me and I ate lunch before I left.

When I got home I came straight in the house and plopped down in my recliner - Ahhhh . . . felt great!  I'm glad I'm getting out and tomorrow I think I'll try it again :-)

Happy days!

Just a quick post - I'm feeling better each day and moving around more each day.  It's amazes me to think two weeks ago I had hip replacement surgery and I'm walking around today with a cane and little to no pain.  Pre-surgery I always had hip pain like nagging headache and limited mobility.  I already can extend my leg out farther than pre-surgery and hip pain?!  What's that??  The only pain I feel is incision pain.  I thought I would at least have that throbbing pain around the incision - but I've never felt that!  I'm so happy with my progress and my decision to have the surgery.  I'm just excited to see my progress a month from now :-)

My incision is finally drying out.  I have been able to use band aids today!  There is one small area that remains firm and I continue to use warm packs throughout the day to loosen up that dry blood underneath.  I'm sleeping better through the night, but still waking up around 5:30/6:00 a.m.  I am able to get at least one good nap during the day to compensate.  My physical therapy is going well and I'm able to walk a little more each day.  I've been able to put a wider distance between taking pain medication and will attempt to start taking regular tylenol.  And lastly, I'm getting my appetite back.  With that being said, talk to you later - I'm off to go have dinner!