SO… Lois and I took three walks yesterday and went to the grocery store, a distance that ended up totaling a whole mile. Otherwise, I’d put the day up against “Most boring days in my life in which I was 1) an adult and 2) it was not Christmas Eve. We took a photo for the blog of one of these events, but ultimately, I wasn’t in that photo. Instead there was a chubby old lady leaning on a cane. This pitiful creature has giant bazooms inside her Life is Good t-shirt, enormous thighs and one severely bowed leg. I don’t know who she was, where she came from or if that was supposed to be a joke, but it wasn’t funny.
Who TF is this?
Damn the only thing on my mind is my hip surgery. I’m so sorry. Well, maybe this is useful…
Advice Section: The BEST thing I did maybe in my WHOLE life was train seriously for the sport of total hip replacement. If you find yourself approaching that event, get on the bike-to-nowhere, ride as “far” as you can. Find a pretty place to walk and walk as far as you can as often as you can. Don’t get daunted because the bike isn’t fun and you can’t walk far. Do exercises to strengthen your core because that’s actually what holds you upright. Complain occasionally because you’ll need some moral support from friends and blogging buddies 😉 AND you’re going to be a little scared. The big fear? Well, there’s the death thing, but even bigger is
“What if I go through all this and NOTHING gets better?”
It’s a possibility, I guess. Pretty unlikely, though. The fifth day after my surgery I walked a mile and have essentially no pain, that’s pretty amazing.
Drugs… Pain management is serious, but, at the same time, the pain drugs have some nasty effects like constipation and mood changes. I wonder, also, if the medical professionals realize that anyone with this problem has already been living with substantial pain, and post-op pain might be nothing in comparison. BUT pain can keep some people from exercising and that’s a problem. Anyway, I pretty much stopped the prescription pain meds the second day I was home. I have so much less pain than I had before I had surgery.
I hope this is the last post for a while on this subject but who knows.
“Summer is the season of inferior sledding” - Inuit proverb 
Purty darn good for POD (Post Op Day) #5, Martha. Don’t know who the old lady who swiped your phone is, but she has a great smile!
Sounds like you are not only looking good, but feeling good! And all those boring and painful preop strengthening and stretching exercises paid off. Love it when things “work”.
Cheers to day 6 and you.
❤ Thank you!!! I'm really happy about things, even if I'm bored. I'm happy not to be facing the challenges I could be facing.
At this phase in the process, boring is good. One of my first learnings as a med student was that it is not good to be an interesting (or worse yet–fascinating) patient, medically speaking.
I will be happy when my brain is a little more clear, but otherwise, it was a great moment when I forgot my walker (which I need in the bathroom) and I had to walk out to the living room and get it! I’m also glad I did this surgery now so that getting dressed is a minimal annoyance. It’s been exactly as Dr. Ed described. 🙂
If you’re still needing the oxygen, that will help your brain to clear. Also as all the anesthetic leaches its way out of your system, things will improve as well. I’ve also observed that the body sore of hijacks energy and resources for its priorities (healing), without regard for what you might have had in mind. Thus walls get hit when the gas is gone. That’s great that you could walk to get your walker! Moving right along. . .
I’m still using oxygen. I just hope it isn’t a permanent thing. Last night at 6:30 my body told me I was finished for the day so it made me go to bed. 😀
You are looking good, and active. I often find myself in another room with no walker and no stick, and nothing to hold onto, which is when I realise that I am getting too independent.
The nothing to hold onto is not good. 😦
That is when I know I am getting old and forget stuff.
I look like you are moving pretty well. A whole lot better than I was moving after my surgeries. I think I wasn’t even out of bed yet by by then!
I would hope you were not out of bed yet after your surgeries which were far more radical and dramatic than the procedure I’ve experienced. Being out of bed and moving around is a requirement for rehab from total hip replacement. If I weren’t out walking around right now, I would not heal.
You’re amazing! But then, how many people have walked or hiked as much as you have and know the advantages of that fitness in healing well?! You look great — standing up straight, and not really even leaning on that cane! I think you found the right procedure and the right doctor!
🙂 I’m very happy with everything so far.
Thrilled I am! You are awesome, and look at you go!!!!!!!!!!! So wonderful.
❤
Im glad you are improving. Best wishes
❤️
Stick your chest out, walk tall and be proud of everything you have achieved over the last 6 months. Boredom is good for you. It’s thinking time.
Wow. We should be neighbors ❤
Walking free as a breeze–Martha, you look great!
I was happy to read this and the prior posts about your surgery and recovery; I’ve been away from computer and unaware your surgery had happened. I was especially happy to see the big smile on the face of the lovely lady in the photograph you made fun of. Also, the plucky lady if I may say so. Thanks for the advice. I copied it to reread should I need to do so. Knowing you are experiencing much less pain has brightened my day. I can only imagine what it has done to yours.
I’m very happy the surgery is over. I’m also happy that some of the padding on that elderly woman appears to have been swelling from the surgery, but still… 😉