Outpatient Hip Replacement...

[BigAl52]

Im pretty sure Evans routine will include a yellow scooter. Guessing extra effort is taking place so Evan can get back to scootin

[ESquared]

Im pretty sure Evans routine will include a yellow scooter. Guessing extra effort is taking place so Evan can get back to scootin

Look for new thread. "New Hip Incentive"

[JEBar]

how are you getting along today ????

[Grunt67]

Glad everything turned out ok, Evan. Sounds like, with some therapy, you're good to go. Wish you the best.

[ESquared]

how are you getting along today ????

Thanks for asking, JB! Don't have anything to compare it to, but doing pretty well, I think. Been up and around, up and down some stairs, trying to get back to bearing weight on the fixed leg. Getting my own meals fixed and cleaned up. Might be sorry (and sore) tomorrow, just in time for PT.

Need to get off these morphine tabs. Don't like the way they make me feel, even though they do seem to knock down the pain for a few hours. Tomorrow AM will be the last, I'm thinking.

My next goal is to be off the walker and on the cane by this weekend!

[JEBar]

understood on the morphine .... it pays to get off of it ASAP ... it still amazes me just how quickly they get folks up and around after such a surgery

[ESquared]

Maybe it's a matter of being highly motivated and very task/goal oriented, or maybe it's just plain dumb luck, but my rehab/recovery seems to be going pretty well. On Friday, I had my 2nd PT session (with a new guy, while the previous gal (who is great) took a birthday holiday), where I got detailed instructions on how to best use the cane (same step as injured leg, short strides, hips under you, stand up straight!). So, bye-bye walker. Folded it up and haven't used it since.

The other thing the 'new guy' said to me, almost in a way that he didn't want others to overhear, was, "You know, the best therapy you can do is just get out and WALK if you can." Made sense. All these table exercises and stretch this/flex that are essentially the same things you do when pounding the pavement, right? Filed that away.

Then, yesterday, with "sitting around pain" being about a zero (on the 10 pt scale), I decided to take the New Guy up on his suggestion, grabbed the cane and headed out. Nice day, flat street, good pavement, so...10 minutes out, 10 minutes back. No land speed records, but a 20-minute walk was 10X (at least) the duration I've been able to endure over the past several months. Felt more like a full body workout, got my blood pumping, sweat glands working, and got home really full of myself. Can't remember the last time it felt that good to need a shower!

BUT FIRST, "just one more thing" (as Columbo used to say). Thought it over and decided to give myself the car keys back and run some errands. My only conversation with the Doc about returning to driving was back in December, when he said it was a very individual thing to decide, but his only criteria was that the patient not be on narcotic pain meds. Well, my last day on those was last Wednesday (day 2 post-Op), so it became another challenge to tackle. The hardest part was the little swivel move to get my legs in the car once I got my ass planted in the seat, but working the pedals was a breeze. With no one to tell me not to and the dog always up for an excursion, off we went!

So, another walk (or two) today on a nice, cool but sunny Sunday, and maybe I'll just drive myself to PT tomorrow! Not bad for under a week!

[markiver54]

Fantastic Evan!
Love hearing good reports like that! I knew you would recover quickly. You are quickly on your way to a better quality of life.
Very happy for you!

[JEBar]

OUTSTANDING .... sounds like its going well and you are most certainly on the rebound

[cooperhawk]

I hope your therapist is as good looking as mine was.
She was a doll and I always enjoyed going to see her even though it cost a little pain. Takes the edge off. Just do what they say and you'll be fine. I know quite a few folks who have had this and the more you go for it the better.