8 Weeks Post Op and Back in the Swim!

 I have been so busy getting better that I have neglected my blog, I do apologise! Firstly, since my last post I have noticed a small improvement every single day.

At just over 6 weeks post op, I had my consultation with Mr D at Ross Hall, and also a live physio therapy session. (I have been having online physio sessions where my exercises were gradually ramped up.)

I saw the Physio, Jackie, first. She asked me to walk up and down. I was trying hard NOT to walk with what I now know is “Reciprocal Gait” (Not Popeye gait, as I had called it!) I still had a slight “sway”, but evidently this is normal as the muscles have become used to the reduced gap in hip joint. The exercises you have to do is meant to re-educate and strengthen these muscles, so it is very important to keep doing them.

I am no longer walking with crutches, but still use 2 walking sticks for longer walks. 

The physio was pleased with my progress, and gave me a few new exercises to keep working on. These involve the use of an exercise band tied into a loop for abduction (lateral movement) and taking the leg backwards. I was also advised to try walking sideways with the band around my thighs. In addition I was to do “Bridge” exercises with the band around my thighs, and walk up and down steps leading with both legs. 

Mr D was also pleased with my progress. He checked my gait, and said that it would right itself if I kept doing my exercises. 

“Can I swim yet?” 

“Yes, swimming is great exercise, but avoid breast stroke as the ‘frog legs’ aren’t advisable yet. It’s still early days and you are still at risk of the hip dislocating with extreme movements.I would wait until at least 12 weeks.”

“And yoga?’

“Same thing - twisting and forcing your leg into extreme angles is not advisable yet. There is still quite a lot of healing and strengthening going on.”

“What about bending? I’ve been using ‘golfer’s lunges’ to pick stuff up off the floor”

I demonstrated my golfer’s lunge - leaning forward over the good leg and lifting the back leg up behind me. 

“Yes, but just be careful your back leg doesn’t cross your midline when you do that.”

At this point he got down on one knee, effortlessly. “This is better than bending’

I did marvel that his knees didn’t sound like a goat chewing a tin can the way mine do, before ‘taking the knee’ myself, and then frantically grabbing at a chair to hoist myself back up. 

“I need to work on that” I said.

“Yes. Well, you might be thinking that you are walking ok now, and are pretty active, so maybe you don’t need to do your physio. But you really must. It will help your muscles switch on again and strengthen the soft tissues that have become weak. That’s my little pep talk over.”

“I will be doing the exercises on both legs. Much as I’m grateful for all you have done, I really don’t want to come back for my other hip.”

“I don’t need to see you again, you’ve done very well, and will continue to improve. But if you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. It is no trouble at all.”

I thanked him for everything and left. Walked tall and straight to the lift and out of the hospital to the car.

Cold water therapy

In preparation for my return to the sea, I had been turning the shower to cold every morning. I had worried a bit about getting in and out of the sea, but now I had the all clear; so the weekend after my appointment, I returned to the beach for my first swim in months. I took a stick to help me negotiate the rocks. I was greeted by my mermaid friends, who had been swimming all through the winter. 

It was so good to be back. Gingerly, I walked into the water. I don’t dive in, I gradually immerse myself until my elbows are submerged, controlling my breathing to prevent the ‘gasp reflex.’ Entering water that is around 11 degrees can make you become quite religious!

“Oh My God that’s FREEZING.”

“Jesus that’s cold”

But it was up to my neck now and I was swimming sedately using my hybrid stroke of breaststroke arms and front crawl feet. I swam and chatted half way along the bay and then back again. As I was not acclimatised I didn’t stay in too long. My mermaid friends were very attentive, and one of them offered an arm to lean on as we walked out of the water and up the beach. Huge thanks to Rhona for taking the lovely pictures of me back in the swim! 

The operation site had been quite hard to touch, and a bit lumpy and hot. This is quite normal, and it can take up to a year to return to normal. The cold water felt so good on it, soothing and cooling it down.

Cold water therapy has so many health benefits, but for me the anti-inflammatory properties during my swims are the most noticeable. I also feel ready to face the rest of the day, and really miss it when I don’t go. You do get a natural ‘high’, plus the post swim coffee and chat is a great way of putting the world to rights before breakfast. 

So, 8 weeks post op and here’s what I’ve noticed.

• Arthritis pain is gone
• There is still some stiffness if I sit for too long
• Walking up and down stairs is much easier, but still needs a bit of effort.
• I’m sleeping well, but not on my operated side yet.
• I’m driving, and have been since 6 weeks
• I can put my shoes and socks on, but it’s still a bit of an effort to tie shoelaces
• The most I have walked in a day is 7,500 steps but I intend to push that to 10,000 in the next week 
• I can walk up the hill behind my house, which is pretty steep and takes about 20 minutes
• I am no longer taking any pain killers
• I actually enjoy doing my exercises, and will be starting my Pilates classes this week
• I have been swimming for almost 2 weeks now and I love it because it eases the inflammation 
• I can open my leg to the side and drop my knee out with almost the same range of movement as my good leg.

Finally, I am delighted with my lovely new ceramic hip and hope it gives me many years of service.

If you are waiting for surgery and at all worried all I can say is this; you have lived with pain, limited mobility and limits on your lifestyle for some considerable time now. In the 8 short weeks since my operation I have regained so much of the old me. I have probably done a bit more gardening than I should but my body tells me when to stop and I do listen. I am currently sitting in easy pose with both knees dropping out to the side. I haven’t been able to sit like this for about 6 years!

So don’t put it off any longer, get your name on the list and get yourself as fit as you can be before you go in to hospital. Thank you for reading my blog and good luck 😉 xx

And finally, here’s a lovely poem sent to me by my yoga teacher friend, Pat Irving. 

Self-Observation Without Judgment

by Danna Faulds

Release the harsh and pointed inner
voice. it's just a throwback to the past,
and holds no truth about this moment.

Let go of self-judgment, the old,
learned ways of beating yourself up
for each imagined inadequacy.

Allow the dialogue within the mind
to grow friendlier, and quiet. Shift
out of inner criticism and life
suddenly looks very different.

i can say this only because I make
the choice a hundred times a day to release the voice that refuses to
acknowledge the real me.

What's needed here isn't more prodding toward perfection, but
intimacy - seeing clearly, and
embracing what I see.

Love, not judgment, sows the
seeds of tranquility and change.