New Hip Progress

[fj1289]

Good to hear the progress!  Let's keep the mishaps to a minimum 

[andyoutandabout]

Easy there 'tripod', give your brain time to get used to your new dimensions.
Best of British in your rehab phase.
The World's a mess right now, so stay in bed for 4 months.
We should have it fixed by then.

[red]

We'll, I've been home for a couple of days now, still in bed-rest, apart from trips to the bathroom which I'm making on my crutches.
I hope you guys keep feeding in the trip stories and photo's - I've likely got 4-6 months on my backside, so will be relying on you for my motivation and entertainment 

Millietant,

Please do not dismiss the risks of prolonged sitting or bed-rest.  Bed-sores are a constant threat; they can develop, become infected, and then may be life-threatening.  Check this with your medics.  Find ways to be comfortable in many different positions, and obtain a recliner-chair to let you lay back easily at times when you are sitting (this is not a luxury; it is a necessity).  This mess is not a tough-it-out test for you.  Please take every option to help you survive a bad deal.

Here is a highly-sculptured foam cushion, with holes for your sit-bones.  You would want several like this, staged at different areas of the house.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71EDPL9bZ-L._AC_SX679_.jpg
.

[Millietant]

Thanks Red, all very good advice.

The hospital and physio's were great before and after my surgery. At home our chairs, bathrooms, bed etc were  all measured and checked for suitability to my leg measurements before I went in and a few bolster cushions, chair leg raisers and frames were provided for me. After the first couple of days at home, bed/rest was directed as plenty of time with the weight off my hips and legs in bed, but also plenty of time in motion, doing light Physio exercises, "walking" around the bedroom on my crutches and a bit of sitting in the LayZeeBoy recliner in my room.

Fortunately We have a large master bedroom with a large en-suite bathroom and dressing area, so I can get quite a few steps in without leaving the room. Liz is also fastidious about mattresses, to the extent that she's never allowed me to even see how much she's paid for them and having cared for both of our mums while they were bed bound "at the end" due to dementia and Alzheimer's, sores etc are at the forefront of our thoughts.

If I'm brutally honest, Liz is constantly pulling me back, stopping me from overdoing things, but right now, a few days after my earlier post, I'm feeling REALLY good. The constant pain from my knee all the way up to my lower back has disappeared (could still be a big factor of the extra painkillers) and I can both sit and lie comfortably. On the physio's direction, I'm now going to spend time each day downstairs and/or sitting in the garden, weather permitting (it's near 20C here today). The kitchen is set out so I can make myself a cup of tea easily, with plenty of support to hold onto, and my favourite chair has been set to the right height for me to be comfortable.

I'm still being instructed to not overdo it and to stick to only the lightweight exercises they've prescribed. The biggest fear is dislocation, so keeping most of the weight off the hip, avoiding any twisting and or specific bending, is the key to my progress. They gave me a Perspex board and a cloth covered "donut" to put under my heel while lying in bed, so that I can practice side extensions and knee raises and I have a selection of hard foam cylinders to put under my knees for heel raises. I've also started today using one the frames around a chair, to practice dips, to help build my upper body strength back, so that I can push my torso vertically out of chairs more easily.

The lack of pain has made this first week far easier than I expected, but I finish the Morphine next week and hope it doesn't all get worse from there.

I have a call every other day from the hospital Physio and have an appointment next Thursday for a dressing/wound check. Then on Monday the 4th I have my first outpatient Physio check at the hospital with a view to moving on to the next phase of Physio. They gave me a 90 page, A4 book all about the surgery and the recovery and a separate detailed Physio booklet, so I can always see where I am on the road to recovery. At the moment, I'm on Page 3, with page 2 being the main index page, so I'm not getting too excited 

"Nurse Elizabeth" has just taken ill with a with blood, urine and stool infection and she's been put on antibiotics and painkillers for a few days, so our eldest is stepping up to help with the chores. He recently gave up his full time job to concentrate on his freelance photography work (he's been doing that for a while, weddings, parties, events, portraits etc), so that's a big plus for us too - This morning he walked the dog, took his brother to his Physio appointment, did some shopping and has washed the lunchtime dishes. I think that's the most he's ever done in one day !!  

[Millietant]

So, a bit of an on the disasters that have befallen us as a family since my last post.

Firstly, our eldest son visited some friends who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, exactly as well after I came home from hospital. As soon as he told Liz, he was banished to his bedroom and as Liz had been the only one of the family to interact with him between his visit and his positive test, she banished herself to a bedroom just in case she tested positive (he had been feeling ill for 24hrs before testing positive.

After feeling ill for a couple of days, Liz then tested positive for COVID-19 and since last Thursday has been really quite ill and confined to her room. Fortunately, I was still able to go for my check up as I tested negative.  That has meant that the two cripples in the family (myself and our youngest) have had to look after ourselves whilst Liz and Kevin have been isolating and doing the same.

Fortunately we have four separate bathrooms and plenty of bedrooms, so we have not had to share the same room over the intervening period. Kitchen times have been organised on a rota to avoid meeting anyone else and we've been cleaning down everything touched/used before anyone else took their turn in the kitchen. Friends have been walking the dog for us and delivering anything we have forgotten to order for direct delivery from the local supermarket. A couple of neighbours have cooked fresh meals for us too (especially great because they're Indian families and I love their food)   

My recovery personally has gone extremely well, I've been able to keep on top of all of my physio exercises and have been quite mobile getting out into the garden and also using my crutches to walk in the street for a couple of minutes, and even using our youngest's electric wheelchair to get some fresh air air with friends who were walking the dog. My first review with the physiotherapists yesterday went incredibly well, they are very happy with my progress and have issued me with a new set of exercises to carry out until my next appointment and review on the 28th of April. The view is that if my progress continues I could be riding again by early autumn.

Kevin has now tested negative and is recovering well. Liz is still testing positive and is suffering from fevers, nausea, coughs, chest pains and general aches. Our family doctor mentioned that without her vaccinations she would probably have been one of those who would have had a very serious reaction to the virus had she caught it in the early days, especially with her Angina (which has only recently been diagnosed) !

Despite the situation being one of those we feared before I came out of hospital, we have managed and not come to any harm, although I'd guess I have pushed the boundaries of what I should have (or shouldn't have) been doing from time to time, but the real positive for me is the accelerated recovery plan they've given me and the potential to be riding again whilst we still have some decent weather later in the year - as Homer would say (not the Philosopher) WOOHOO 

[RPM - Robert]

Glad you can enjoy The Simpsons in your down time. I hope every one has a speedy recovery and before you know it you will be back on two wheels.

[fj1289]

Best wishes for all of you!  Tough times for sure.  At least nothing disastrous has happened like losing the fjowners website!   

Seriously - good job keeping the positive attitude and stiff upper lip!

[Millietant]

6 weeks into rehab/recovery and all is going extremely well. Had another Physio assessment last Thursday and they were really pleased with everything, flexibility is good and strength way better than expected.

I got told off for not using my crutches properly - I'm using them to move around quickly, swinging my legs, rather than using them to support my "walking technique" - so basically, I have to "slow down" and learn to walk properly again. Still can't manage more than a couple of steps without the crutches, but that's what they expected.

I'm off Morphine and on much reduced Gabapentin and Codeine dosages - I stopped the Paracetamol myself a couple of weeks ago. Plan is to come off the codeine altogether in 10 days and to be off the Gabapentin in another 4-6 weeks (all being well). Just gradually reducing the Gabapentin now a bit at a time each week.

Other than a bit of a dull ache behind the incision wound, there's no pain at all unless I try to carry weight directly on my left leg. Got the go ahead to try using the Spin Bike that I have in my home gym as well as doing a bit on the cross trainer. First attempt I couldn't get past 3 mins on the cross trainer, but had no problem on the spin bike (with virtually no resistance) - the only problem was getting off of it 

So, all looking good for getting back on the FJ before the end of the riding season, I just have to keep up with all the Physio exercises for flexibility and strength - I have a schedule and a goal, what more do I need 

[Old Rider]

Best wishes for a fast recovery from me here in Norway 

[FJ1200W]

6 weeks into rehab/recovery and all is going extremely well. Had another Physio assessment last Thursday and they were really pleased with everything, flexibility is good and strength way better than expected.

I got told off for not using my crutches properly - I'm using them to move around quickly, swinging my legs, rather than using them to support my "walking technique" - so basically, I have to "slow down" and learn to walk properly again. Still can't manage more than a couple of steps without the crutches, but that's what they expected.

I'm off Morphine and on much reduced Gabapentin and Codeine dosages - I stopped the Paracetamol myself a couple of weeks ago. Plan is to come off the codeine altogether in 10 days and to be off the Gabapentin in another 4-6 weeks (all being well). Just gradually reducing the Gabapentin now a bit at a time each week.

Other than a bit of a dull ache behind the incision wound, there's no pain at all unless I try to carry weight directly on my left leg. Got the go ahead to try using the Spin Bike that I have in my home gym as well as doing a bit on the cross trainer. First attempt I couldn't get past 3 mins on the cross trainer, but had no problem on the spin bike (with virtually no resistance) - the only problem was getting off of it 

So, all looking good for getting back on the FJ before the end of the riding season, I just have to keep up with all the Physio exercises for flexibility and strength - I have a schedule and a goal, what more do I need 

Dean, I just found this post, and the topic strikes close to home.

It's good to read that all is well and continues to improve, that is what you want. If something botched, by now you would know it.

Fantastic news!

And the Burger 400 is fantastic, as is the big brother, but it is HEAVY.

[Millietant]

Just had my 12 week check-up and strength/physio assessment.

The great news is that my recovery has been at going at twice the expected speed. I passed all the physio tests, completed all the exercise tests and I've been completely painkiller free for 2 weeks now.

I know I came off the painkillers too fast and too soon for the docs, but I'm glad I got it out of the way as fast as I could - the withdrawal wasn't pleasant though, I now sort of know what a junkie feels like when they try to stop (stomach cramps, uncontrollable shakes, cold sweats, sleep issues, loss of appetite combined with unusual cravings etc etc),  it the worst is over with  

The crutches are now in the bin and I'm working on a gradual distance-increasing walking plan; I also got the go ahead to start cycling again yesterday, so I had a little ride out today and covered 18 miles. I used Liz's e-assist bike as there are a couple of steep hills close to home (and I'm supposed to avoid hills for a week or two). I only used the assist briefly a couple of times and arrived home with still 100% battery power showing  

I'm still a little way off riding the FJ, purely because my left leg/hip strength isn't where I need it to be before I can be confident of holding the bike up at a standstill (I really don't want to drop it !!). The good news is that I have exercises to do each day that are designed to give me that strength and stability and have targets for repetitions and weight as a guide to when I should be OK. Doc reckons that at my current progress rate, that should be in about 4 weeks.

The only other thing I'm banned from doing at the moment is heavy lifting and carrying, but again, that should sort itself out over the coming weeks as my strength increases.

They normally expect people to reach my recovery level after about 6 months, so I've got an open appointment at the hospital for the next 3 months, just in case I have any set-backs, or want any further advice/assessments.

Fingers crossed, yesterday was my final trip to hospital and everything will continue to go as I want.......and I'll be back riding the FJ soon.

Thanks for all your well-wishes guys, it looks like they worked  

[red]

Dean,

Sounds good!  I know you want to rush back into full health now, but make haste slowly.  These things do take time.  Setbacks can be costly.

Best wishes,

[fj1289]

Awesome work and progress!

Another Moditis overachiever - finishes with the bike and starts on himself 

[Pat Conlon]

Great progress Dean...take care, you'll be riding before too long. Kookaloo!

[Old Rider]

Good to hear about your progress !   I have one recomendiation and that is to not place the bike on centerstand the first months .I had some hip pain many years ago and found it was from placing bike on
centerstand.It places big stress on the lower back nerves and out in the hip.