Hip - Hop- Hooray!!! Made it beyond a month!

October 3, 2020 was the month milestone for my new left hip! Last Thursday marked week five postop!!! YIPPEE!

As with any major surgery I am still in a recovering phase. And, honestly, I will be in this phase for a bit longer. This does not mean that I am not making progress!

So, what have I been doing you ask.....I have been fortunate to connect with some friends that I have not seen in awhile! I had lunch with my long time friend Martha at Panera - 2+ hours of catching up. Funny thing - we connect as though we have seen each other every week! I love these types of friendships!

I was also able to meet up with my YMCA friend, Toni! We tried Dunkin Donuts - our usual place; however, they do not allow dining in so we went down the road to Wegmans. This worked out perfectly. I truly respect this woman! She is over 85 and still goes to the Y for classes! We connected when she came to my classes and we have stayed connected outside of the gym. I enjoy her friendship and she shows mw that there is nothing to fear in getting older!

I met Cindy Heck at the park for one of my first walks outside my neighborhood! It was wonderful to see her and to spend time catching up. 

My friend Laurie is not working at the moment so I have been able to take long walks with her - and I do mean long!!! Last Thursday we got in 11+ miles! My longest walk yet!!

I had Kim L. in EONS but that changed with a Sunday walk from the Orange Lot of the Lake trail! Again, it was wonderful to reconnect with a great friend.

I have been blessed with some quality time with my friend Twilite! She has recently ended her chemo treatment for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and she KICKED A$$! We have been getting in some nice distance walks. On Friday I had her include 2minutes run intervals! NO!!! I did not run...or even jog...I stuck to my walking!

Of course I have seen my twin, Christina S. I will say not as often as I would like. She is super busy being a GREAT/AWESOME single mom to teenage young man, Charlie - school and virtual school, lacrosse, and teen life! She also works harder than anyone I know - her employer is fortunate to have her. She joined a few Sunday walks which makes the time fly!

Well...as you can see, I have gotten many miles of walking in! And I do mean MANY! I see now how walking is a great fat burning/cardio activity that is kind to joints. I think I will be OK as I recover with a mindset that jogging/running is definitely an activity I need to stay away from.

What else you wonder....

I have gone back to Aspen! I have to say, I was not worried about going to the gym = I knew that policy and procedures were in place for COVID-19 safety. I was dreading the need to wear a mask! well....honestly it is not that bad! Of course I am not going over the top cardio wise but I do get my heartrate up which means I was breathing more heavily and the mask was not unbearable.

I was impressed that all members followed the mask rule. Some of the men could pay attention to the signs regarding "Clean EVERYTHING you touch"......Arrggghhh! I clean before and after use of any equipment.

I have been using the elliptical and strength machines - some free weights too! I have also been going into the cycle room - it looks great! I have been staying within my 90 degree precautions (almost to the 6 week mark so they go away - I think!) so I cycle staying totally upright in the seat. It was an awesome feeling to be able to get back on the bike!

At home I have been riding my indoor cycle, doing PT exercises and using my free weights!

What about PT you ask...

First, I can't say how happy I am that I found my favorite therapist Tim Abel!!! He knows me and therefor he challenges and pushes me to attain the goal of a safe and effective recovery!

Here are most of the exercises I am doing:

        Warm up on bike.

        Leg press on reformer - springs are the resistance and I do this exercise laying down. Started with         both legs, to one leg - springs being added.

        Single leg step press - again a piece of Pilates equipment - spring resistance - pushing and raising,         with control.

        Not sure what to call this - I put the ball of my right foot on a step that is about 6-7 inches high. I            hold a 5 pound ball, with arms fully extended ad twist to right. I have graduated to twisting right to         left. In this position I also do diagonal work, now adding a left knee bend in the action.

        Bridges - went from regular to now using the fitness ball.

        Hamstring rolls - using the fitness ball. roll leg in from fully extended to glute.

        Weighted knee lifts and leg side outs.

        Gravity side leg lifts laying down.

        Squats with resistance band.

        Lateral step ups.

        Holding a heavy weight, walk around the room. No limp allowed!!

        Balance board - definitely a challenge. I think I am going to buy one as I definitely see the                     benefits!

        

I have to say that I am happy with my progress. I was one of the fortunate ones that was able to be active prior to surgery. I am in a Facebook group for Active people with hip replacement and I have read about so many that could not even walk by the time they had surgery. I know these individuals are feeling great with no longer having the debilitating hip pain however I also know that the recovery process can be challenging. I always say this is a "marathon not a sprint" 

In this group I have also become more appreciative of my health insurance. In other parts of the world people have to be on a wait list for surgery; some have waited longer than a year!

I have also realized that ignoring pain does not make it magically disappear! I will use medical technology to keep a status on my joints, specifically my right knee and hip. In my next follow up appointment, October 20th, I will discuss with my surgeon getting an x-ray of my right knee as it is not happy. We have a recent x-ray of the right hip so this can be monitored. Although I am not wanting additional replacements, I will have them if necessary to have quality to my life!

Well....I think I have you all caught up!!! 

Please realize that ALL of you, family, friends, Facebook friends, exercise/runner friends, participants in my classes, co-workers (special shout out to Abbey who has stayed so connected with me during my absence! And to Tracey and Phyllis as well for always checking in!) motivate me to work smart and hard! You give me inspiration! You challenge me!

I am thinking about my "next" ... my retirement job...... cuz y'all know me...I will HAVE to work! I am considering Personal Training with a specialization in women over 40 and individuals with replacements!

Next up...should be "Return to work".............