6 months now and I had hoped that at this point I would be
sailing off into the sunset, waving goodbye to the notion of recovery as I’d be
fully functional, pain-free and back to better-than-normal. But that would be far too simple now wouldn’t
it. I don’t do simple. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a total
whinge-fest, and right upfront I will say that I am glad I had the hip
replacement done, and it has given me my life back in many ways. I am genuinely doing things that I just
couldn’t have done for some time. So anybody reading this (nope, no idea how
many or who are still wading through my literary outpourings; maybe nobody is
and I’m talking to myself – 2 sons, 2 husbands, it’s not a feeling I’m unused
to) who hasn’t had hip replacement surgery yet but is due to have it done, I
would definitely say go for it. But just
be prepared to be patient. Something I
am clearly demonstrating that I’m not.
So, the good stuff…I am now just doing things without
thinking about my hip, about whether I should or not. I walk whenever and wherever I feel like, I
climb stairs, I bend, I get down on the floor and back up again with no effort
at all. Sounds really trivial but it’s
those kind of little things that I just couldn’t do before. Some things are still a bit of a reminder of
what’s happened, namely toenails. Taking
off my old varnish took forever it seemed and cutting nails is fun. But I
am now getting into my knickers by just stepping without the need for dangling
and other strange manoeuvres. I think I
will judge my recovery to be complete when I no longer get excited about
getting my knickers on…for now it’s a cause for minor trepidation as I start to
go for it and celebration when I succeed.
Walking of course has been something that I’ve been doing lots
of and comfortable for ages now. I’m
still over 12K average since doing the GCC challenge, even despite a few low
days. Low as in not many steps, not depths of despondency. But over this past month I have managed to do
some other things I have had in my targets for a while. I started back at Dancercise for one
thing. It was quite nice as I recognised
some of the moves and was soon grapevining and chassying with the best of
them. I kept it low impact but was doing
all the moves. Well mostly – there was
one routine where I just couldn’t figure out what the hell I was meant to do
with my legs and turned into a totally uncoordinated mess. But generally I was there doing all kinds
which meant twisting and turning, all the things that I had been banned for in
the weeks after surgery and couldn’t do in the months before as I had too much
pain and no mobility. It didn’t hurt
either, it felt great. Of course I did
manage to pick the hottest week of the year to resume classes and nearly
melted. At one point we had one of those
short sudden showers when it all bursts when it’s been hot, but that had
stopped by the time class finished and I nipped into Tesco. The lad on the checkout asked me if it had
stopped raining and when I said it had he sympathised that I had obviously got
caught in it before and got drenched. I
let him think it was indeed rain that had turned me into a drowned rat, and not
the supreme levels of unfitness that had me sweating like a pig.
So I did that for 2 weeks and 3 days after the second class
I achieved my other ambition and got back on a horse. It felt a little odd as I actually got into
the saddle but once there it was fine, no worries, no nervousness about the hip
at all. I took it very easy as I haven’t
ridden in ages anyway and just wanted to get back into the feel of it. I walked for a while and then tried a trot
but realised again just how bloody unfit I am.
It was like I had no muscles in my legs to actually move and do
things. Luckily Skye who I was riding is
an absolute darling but I was totally useless.
Dismounting gave me an odd moment as I had to actually bring my leg over
and I was slightly bracing myself for it to feel uncomfortable but it was fine. I’ve been told I can ride her again whenever
I want so once my holiday is over I hope to get back and do just that.
Anyway while I had no pain doing any of this, a few days
later I did feel a bit ‘heavy’, not really sore but just a little less comfy
than before. So I did rest up a bit,
even did less walking than I had been doing and made an effort to do my
stretches but it didn’t seem to get a huge amount easier. We then had a weekend at Carfest where I did
quite a bit of walking but pretty much at a stroll pace all day. But when we sat it was on a camping chair so
not exactly the most comfort and support.
Again the following week I rested more, did the stretches but the groin
pain has got worse if anything. It used
to be bad first thing in the morning, now it can hurt all day. And bringing my knee up is a move that had
stopped hurting but now is quite painful at any time of day. Sometimes I’m walking and testing it and if
anyone saw me I must look like I’m doing my own mini-tribute to the Ministry of
Silly Walks! It isn’t enough for me to
put off walking anywhere or to have second thoughts about doing something like
go to watch the rugby, even though we stood the whole time. We maintained our 100% record of Warrington
Wolves wins so has to be done. But it is
getting more of a pain. I’ve even
occasionally resorted to painkillers which I rarely do. When the pain is chronic it’s not so severe,
when it hurts most it’s very acute.
I had my 6month follow up with Mr Hoad-Reddick last week so
took the chance to flag it up to him. He
sent me for x-rays which show no problems at all. Horace is looking nicely settled in, nothing
obvious to indicate a problem. He has
told me to rest up from the zumba, make efforts to do the physio stretches and
try taking ibuprofen for a couple of weeks to attack any possible inflammation. If it gets worse I’m to go back and maybe
then we consider steroid injections. Now
the mere thought of those leaves me cold.
I hate most needles but those fill me with real dread. I have had steroid injections in my elbow
that were quite painful but effective.
But I also had steroid injections in my hip prior to the
arthroscopy. Apologies in advance for
the language but they hurt like fuck. I
had them in both hips and in one they managed to get into the tendon. And after an afternoon of agony I didn’t get
any relief with them at all. The final
step as Mr H-R said would be to consider keyhole surgery to release
things. That doesn’t bother me in the
slightest. It’s day surgery and from
what I know from people who’ve had it, it works. I seriously would much rather go straight to
that. Just give me the holes and not a
big prick!!
I did get a little bit of a lecture from him in terms of
being patient and not doing daft things.
I have been banned from trampolining and that came up in conversation
and he started explaining about the pressure repetitive movements will put on
the hip. I also asked about zip wire as
I’ve always wanted to visit Go Ape. Now
I was thinking more about being in a harness thing but he started going on
about how some land you in a cargo net and if I rotated wrong I could dislocate
30ft up in the air. He asked if it was
worth the risk just to tick something off the to-do list. And then the risk of falling. Except I’d be on a harness. I may be dumb but I wouldn’t launch myself
out of a perfectly good tree in a groundward direction if there wasn’t
something substantial holding me in place.
So not sure I quite buy into that argument. He also said about how a new hip is never as
good as the original we’re born with and how we put stresses on it with various
sports, running the risk of wearing it out and of course dislocation. He even seemed to be hinting that doing my
zumba was a bit naughty but I did point out he’d told me at my 3 month check I
could do it. Basically he said at one
time hip replacement was for older people and they’d just be grateful to walk
again, with or without a stick. Now it’s
us youngsters (yesss nearly 52 and I’m a youngster!!) who are the problem
children as we want to have a new hip
and then carry on doing everything we did before. He did then apologise for sounding like a
killjoy (he did) but he was just being realistic. OK I get that but I still want to have a
life, not just a nice new hip wrapped in cotton wool. But to try to help sort this groin thing out
I will try to be good. Before my op I
had said I’d been 5 years unable to do my zumba, dancing or riding so would
happily wait a few months more. Turns
out it’s easy to say that when things hurt like hell but once you’ve lost most
of the pain and got movement back…well I just want to get on and DO
things. Yet again it seems I need to be
patient. How many times have I used that
word in my blogs! For me it really is a
case of ‘God, give me patience but give it to me NOW!!’
I also had my health assessment that we get through our
company’s private health. I did pretty
well and all my ‘ambers’ (no reds and a lot of greens!) were related to my diet and weight. No really? Never thought that’d be the case!!
Having said that I’m overweight which I
knew, I did get a nice ego boost from
the doctor when she examined me. I had
to strip down to undies and as I was lying back on the bed thing she said I was
petite! Beneath all the blubber
obviously. I did like that doctor; aside
from throwing lovely compliments like that at me she also seemed quite happy to
just blame most of my woes on the menopause.
It’s not my fault – it’s my hormones. Sorted!
I also found it quite amusing reading the report they issued after
it. It went on…and on and on. Very thorough, all very good. And they even noticed that I had ‘ a scar
consistent with hip replacement surgery’
Wow, no flies on them! It’s a bit
bloody hard to miss. Even with my
knickers on there’s still a good portion of my 7 inch memento on show.
Glad to know they identified it so well!
And as if I hadn’t spent enough time in doctor’s rooms I
shall be in another in September when I’m being referred about the elbow pain I’ve
had that apparently has its origins in my using crutches! This hip has got a
lot to answer for!
So that’s the whingey stuff out the way. I’m not going to lie and say it’s all fine.
But I’m not trying to put people off. As
I said at the start it has given me my life back in so many ways, and I’m
hoping this groin thing will sort out in the next few months. I still feel far more positive, and I never
blog when I’m having a bad day! I have 2
weeks holiday coming up where I will be out and about. Flying on Friday to Amsterdam, then Saturday we
head off on a big ship to various places in Scandinavia and Russia. Well just one place in Russia but it’s an
overnighter in St Petersburg and it is on my birthday :) I am of course still stupidly hoping I set a
scanner off somewhere. 10 ports/airports…something
has to beep somewhere surely! There will be lots of walking, seriously
lots. I am gonna get soooo many steps in…though
we do have 4 days at sea where my main activity may be walking to food and
drink outlets. I know I will come back
even heavier and then feel slightly depressed but I will enjoy myself on the
way there! And if things get a bit sore…well
that’s what the Martini Bar is for. Au
revoir :)
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