Yay, gym

Too hot to do the yard work I needed to do, but I managed to go to the gym with S -- 10 minutes each on bicycle, elliptical, treadmill, plus a round of arm work on the machines. And the hip exercises.

Back again

Well, it's been far too long since I posted here. Basically, my hip is working GREAT. However, I need to be more active -- I became afraid of activity, I think, while my hip was hurting, and now it's hard to make myself move. I should be walking every day; there's no excuse for not doing so. There's a nice park not quite half a mile from my front door; I could walk there and look at the flowers. And there's a treadmill in the basement; I could walk there while watching the judge shows that are my guilty pleasure. Judge Milian is my fave; Judge Hatcher next, except when she's doing DNA tests (what is the point of all the drama? here's the results); then Judge Judy, the classic.

So I believe I shall make this blog more of a getting-in-shape blog. And maybe some linking to and praising the blogs that are entertaining and amazing me lately. Today I've been browsing through numerous blogs with a common theme of disability, disablism, whatever, such as Gimpy Mumpy, Diary of a Goldfish, Did I Miss Something, and lots more. They are so amazingly, entertainingly, infuriatingly, intriguingly well written.

Back from travels

Amazing how quickly you can forget all about going online, when you have mountains and deserts and hill country wildflowers and so much more all around.

After the first day of driving, both my hips hurt -- the non-operated-on right hip hurt even more than the replaced left hip and I fretted over whether I was going to have to all-too-soon become doubly bionic. But I did my exercises at least three times a day and made sure to get in plenty of walking, and felt better and better.

Swimming -- well, water walking and exercising -- yesterday felt great. I'm going to get an annual pass and use it as much as I can.

More progress

I'm back to about where I was before I stumbled and pulled my muscle. Definitely the most helpful thing is water exercising, especially followed by a brief loll in the hot tub. I don't know how physically therapeutic that is, but it's definitely an emotional boost. I hadn't realized how much I'd miss being able to have a hot bath. I'm concerned about lowering myself into the tub -- with the sliding glass doors, it doesn't seem as if there's room to put in a grip for assistance. So I guess I'll stick with showers at home and enjoy the hot tub with steps down into it at the rec center.

Tip on managing pain: A flannel pillowcase makes a great cover for an ice pack.

Discovered another blog mentioning hip surgery: Likely Story, which led me to Periacetabular Osteotomy journal (last updated September 14, 2005) and this resource: Hip Universe.

Tag: hip replacement

Stumble-bummed

Recovering from a wee setback. Monday evening I stumbled and caught myself, hard, on my left foot (and it was my left hip that was replaced). Ow! I may have twisted my torso a bit as well; my thigh hurt, a lot, and I couldn't put much weight on it. I iced it for a while before I went to sleep; the next morning it still hurt a lot when I moved, especially rolling over. Getting in and out of the car was very difficult, but I still managed to get out to breakfast with S.

So, I called my doctor's office, and got a nurse to call me back. Meanwhile, I Googled "muscle strain" and "groin pull" -- by the time the nurse called, I had pretty much diagnosed myself, and she agreed that I should continue with frequent icing, that I should take Tylenol, that water exercise and hot tub was okay. I supppose if I had been whinier I might have gotten a prescription for more hardcore pain killers, but I can be stoic. I went to Mercer with Kris; I water-walked and did some exercises while she did laps and then we lounged in the hot tub. And it did feel much better, probably better than if I had stayed immobile and taken pain pills.

Yesterday I was fairly inactive, mostly alternating ice pack and heating pad. I did do a little bit of stationary biking on the very lowest tension. This morning, more water-walking and I'm feeling much better. Still not quite back to where I was -- I had been going without a cane quite a bit inside the house, and I'm not back to that yet.

Lessons learned -- one, do those hip exercises; probably my muscles are at greater risk of easy injury because they're not as strong as they were. And two, don't be cocky and careless.

Preparing to enter the hospital for hip surgery

Some thoughts that I wish I could pass along to Mike and others about to go into the hospital for hip surgery.

First, pack light. Wear loose pants -- remember, you'll need to put them on over a dressing. You can probably go home in the same clothes you wear to the hospital -- no need to bring extra changes of clothes, beyond a few clean underpants. Wear loose socks; you'll be learning how to put them on with a sock tool (something like this) and you'll need to fit the socks over the tool easily.

Bring some magazines and perhaps a book to entertain you. Nothing too heavy; this is not the time to finally read Moby Dick. Remember, you'll be dopy with pain medication, and you'll be frequently interrupted by nurses and techs who want to check your blood pressure, check your breathing, and find out if you've passed gas or had a bowel movement yet. Splurge on something entertaining -- I took a couple of garden magazines and a home decorating magazine. After I'd leafed through one to my satisfaction, I passed it along to the nurses for their pleasure and for the waiting room. They seemed pleased to receive them.

Bring some postcards or notecards, stamps, and addresses, so that you can write thanks for the flowers and plants you'll receive.

Most important, bring a sense of humor. When you're dependent on others to get you out of bed, that helps a lot.

Online resources

Just today I discovered Mike's Hip Replacement Diary -- I wish I could comment on it, to wish him good luck and offer my support, but it appears one has to be a member of his team in order to comment. I'm impressed with his very organized approach and his careful plans.

When I was Googling for information before my THR (total hip replacement) in January, I found mostly non-personal information -- many sites from hospitals and government sites and professional groups (Mayo Clinic, NIH, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, etc.), as well as sites from hip replacement manufacturers. Sites with personal stories included:

• Sigrid's Recovery (last updated November 9, 2005; seems to be primarily to promote her book)
• Robin's Total Hip Replacement

Sites which offer support and discussion along with information

• Totally Hip and Totally Hip Discussion Board
• On Our Feet Joint Replacement Forum

Initiating a blog on hip replacement and recovery

Five weeks out from my hip replacement, I've decided to use BlogSpot to make a blog about total hip replacement and recovery therefrom. I had started out on LiveJournal, partly to facilitate commenting on family members' LiveJournals. However, I'm following Kris's thought from earlier today; with Blogger & BlogSpot, I can use Google Adsense and maybe make a few pennies.

I intend this to be a positive blog, with useful tips and links to credible resources. If I want to whine, I can put that on Fine Whine.