It has been a while since I have posted. I cant believe it has beem almost 6 months since I had my left hip replaced! I am still very pleased with the results, the leg length difference is not holding me back.I have been out in the field, hiking up and down hills, walking through mucky fens, and splashing through streams. I may get a little wonder depending on the pace of the group I am with but my hip has no pain and its not locking up or slipping out on me. I no longer feel the fear of maybe having to call for a rescue! It is wonderful! That bone on bone pain is gone!I still get muscle stiffness and my nerves still zing or tingle. But I can roll out the muscles and do stretching exercises and it helps so much. I still see the chiropractor monthly to keep my SI joint and back all aligned because I sometimes walk funmy or I have been driving/sitting too much.I have been walking with a goal of 6000 steps per day and get it most of the time. I have been counting calories and carbs and such too. I need to get my whole body in shape so I don’t need any other replacements.Life has been so busy lately. With school starting for B (3rd grade) and me taking lead for the confirmation and youth group at our church. We have a great team but still need more volunteers! Of course there is work and ⚽ practice and games, not to mention cub scouts and popcorn sales (anyone want some?)!With all of that going on, I have to remember to take time to recharge, pray and find joy. The picture I am including with this post is from tonight. A beautiful double rainbow.Peace.

I can’t believe that it has been 12 weeks since I had my left hip replaced! I saw my surgeon today and we are both pleased with my recovery thus far. I have full range of motion back. Though I don’t think I can sit criss cross applesauce yet! I have no real desire to try!

I have been walking about 2 to 4 miles a day. I can go up and down hill now. Downhill is the hardest. I still take a trekking pole with me on long walks or hikes. I have been on the field in muck boots hiking through a fen! I was exhausted but it was great.

I still have some nerve and muscle pain but it’s normal.I see my surgeon again in 3 more months.It is so good not to have the horrible pain I used to have!

If you are suffering with hip pain, I encourage you to see a good orthopedic surgeon! My surgeon asked me if I would do it again. And of course if my other hip goes, I will have it done by him if he is still here! Hopefully it will be a long time from now though.

A nice evening hike

Tonight I went with the family for a nice hike at the local Audubon Trail not far from where I live. The trail was about a mile long and went up and down hill and was definitely an outdoors experience in this heat! My hip felt GREAT! My leg did great too. We went to Kroger (grocery store) afterward to pick up a few things and I felt myself start to limp and my back/SI joint start hurting. But I assessed my posture and found I was slouching amd quickly corrected myself and no more pain! I will probably be sore but it’s the good kind of sore – the kind that lets you know you are alive!

I also had PT earlier this afternoon and posted a picture on Facebook with an ice pack on my leg saying that was my favorite part of PT – the stim and ice! Well it feels great and after the work out it feels really wonderful. But… I actually do enjoy the workouts too. It feels good to be getting stronger.

Oh I must tell you about this great restaurant in Ellisville, MO called Malinche. It is so good! It’s kind of a tapas style place and reservations are recommended but so very worth it! It’s in the plaza on the corner of Manchester and Clarkson I think. Here’s a picture of my plate – a sort of taco al pastor but it was called something different and was way better than I have ever had. Flavor explosion! What are some of your favorite eating spots?

Peace my friends. I will be praying for you!

Tomorrow marks 7 weeks post left total hip replacement. The progress I have made these 7 weeks is pretty amazing. I was very impatient for a while (just read my earlier posts!) But I have taken time to really assess my progress and it’s pretty stinking amazing for a major surgery!

When I first got home from the surgery I could barely lift that leg! Now I really can! I can do things now that I couldn’t do before the surgery because of the pain from the osteoarthritis. Like tying my shoes without getting in crazy positions! So many little things.

I have to credit my new outlook from advice from my friend and former pastor Fr. Charles Pardee. He helped me through some really hard times in the past and he always told me to look for the small wins, the many little things, when put together make lifes problems seem small. He also taught me to bear my crosses bravely. And this is just another small cross to bear really.

Fr. Charlie passed away on June 9th. His funeral mass was this morning. I have been so incredibly sad. I will miss him so much. I miss him so much. Rest in peace Fr. Charlie! Pray for me Fr. Charlie!

Tomorrow marks 7 weeks post left total hip replacement. The progress I have made these 7 weeks is pretty amazing. I was very impatient for a while (just read my earlier posts!) But I have taken time to really assess my progress and it’s pretty stinking amazing for a major surgery!When I first got home from the surgery I could barely lift that leg! Now I really can! I can do things now that I couldn’t do before the surgery because of the pain from the osteoarthritis. Like tying my shoes without getting in crazy positions! So many little things.I have to credit my new outlook from advice from my friend and former pastor Fr. Charles Pardee. He helped me through some really hard times in the past and he always told me to look for the small wins, the many little things, when put together make lifes problems seem small. He also taught me to bear my crosses bravely. And this is just another small cross to bear really.Fr. Charlie passed away on June 9th. His funeral mass was this morning. I have been so incredibly sad. I will miss him so much. I miss him so much. Rest in peace Fr. Charlie! Pray for me!

I can’t believe it is 6 weeks after I had my left hip replaced. I went back in to the office to work for the first time today! I wasn’t there much because I had several appointments today (chiropractor, mammogram, PT and at the end of the day a hair cut!). But it was nice to be back to some normal life.My chiropractor had my new shoe lift today. I’m not in love with it yet but I will adjust to it I guess. He told me the leg length difference is really about 7mm. That sounds way better but its still greater than than when the swelling is up.My physical therapists were really happy with my gait today. It is getting better but I have to think about it all the time. Like “pick foot up, don’t drag” kinds of reminders to myself. I tripped a couple of times today but nothing bad, no pain other than being embarrassing. I am getting stronger and that is so encouraging.I saw my surgeon yesterday. He is also pleased with my progress. I see him again in another 6 weeks. I hope to be much stronger by then! He cleared me to swim and hike and do whatever my body felt up to. He also said I would pay for overdoing things in the evenings or the next day. So while I want to increase my activity I must be prudent about it!I have been wearing a FitBit Blaze that was my husband’s and it was a few years old. It glitched out and died. I am up to walking about 2.5 miles a day! I ordered a new fitness tracker and it should be herr tomorrow. It helps me keep track of my progress.Friends, I am sad. One of our former pastors from church passed away on Sunday. He was special to me and helped get me through some hard times. Please keep Fr. Charlie and his family and friends in your prayers.Peace.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!

I can’t believe I am 40 days post surgery already! I am getting stronger and my endurance is building up! I am up to over 6000 steps now according to my Fit bit and way more minutes than it shows (I forget to change settings for when I go on a walk)! I am glad I chose to wear the Fit bit while I am walking and made a goal to beat my previous day’s steps. It has really pushed me to move. The physical therapist is also glad I am doing this!Speaking of PT, last Thursday they really upped my game there as well. We added resistance to many of the exercises I was already doing and I started doing leg presses! I am working on doing stairs normally – not just going one step at a time with the good leg up and bad leg down! That is hard work folks! Wow! Oh amd they added on a balance exercise where I stand on this wobbly mat with my operated leg and hold it as long as I can! I did surprisingly well. But man it hurts (in that good, you are building muscle way).

Revealing My New Hips’ Name

Drum roll please!… And the name of my new hip is R2. As in R2D2. When I get my right hip done it will be D2! Why the heck am I naming my bionic parts you ask? Well, it’s because some of the people that are in a Facebook group for us “hippies” (people with hip replacements) started this little trend. So I said why not. But why did I choose R2?I have a Star Wars theme going on you see. I drive a Nissan Rogue and naturally I named it Rogue 1 (just like the movie). I have been a Star Wars fan since the first one came out when I was a kid. I think it was one of the first movies i saw in the theater! R2 is just a very resilient little robot so I am hoping my hip is too!

Building up the Heel

The PT built up my heel on the right shoe at little more on Thursday. Walking is a bit better since the leg length difference is less. But its still not even and the swelling still makes it worse at some point in the day! I wish the swelling would just totally go away already. This leg length difference and the swelling is so annoying still. The swelling is getting better though I have to ice it frequently.I see my orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. I am hoping he will say I can go back to work – in the office and for field visits that don’t require much hiking. I need to work on balance more for that I think. I also hope to get clearance to start swimming or water exercise. I also want to start moisturizing my scar. I do still have some glue and tiny scabs left but those should be gone really soon.Please keep praying for me and know that I am praying for you!Peace!#anteriorlefttotalhipreplacement#myhipsisR2 #gettingstronger #cantstopmenow

How do you measure progress after a major surgery? There are days when I think my progress is so slow and I get impatient with myself and wish for more. But the truth is, I have really come pretty far since the surgery.I remember when I was in the hospital and PT came to my room to do the exercises that I had already been doing at home. I could not lift my left leg up at all. The therapist basically had to do several of the exercises for me. My leg was hurting and weak. Yesterday in outpatient PT, I realized how far I have come. All of the basic exercises were easy and we are now adding more resistance and some weight. I could do all of the exercises that wanted me to do! Sure the last 10 reps had me working extra hard but it felt so good! I am feeling it a little this morning but that is good pain! My range of motion and my endurance are really increasing!I am still swelling though and sometimes it feels like my quads are being held in a tight band that makes me stiff. Most times I can push through it but it makes the leg length difference so much worse. Speaking of which we built up my shoe a little more yesterday at PT and when the swelling isn’t bad, I am much more even! Not all the way yet but getting there. It makes walking without a cane so much easier!I went shopping yesterday ( because walking in AC is nice) after PT and it was nice to do some more “normal” things. I overdid it but I went home and iced and all was well again. I felt goos enough to go to my friend Stamping Up© open house. I haven’t done that in so long. That was so much fun! My mom went with and we had such a nice time. We even signed up for another class in July!My moms new house here in Missouri will be ready to move into today! It will be nice to have them so much closer! She is really excited to move in. She has been staying with us this week since their house in Illinois sold quickly and closed a couple of weeks ago. I am going to drive up to the new house this weekend with my daughter and some of her friends to help them move in. This will mark the lobgest drive I have been on post surgery but its only an hour. I will wear compression socks and take my ice. I won’t be doing much but “supervising” but it will be fun.I see my surgeon next week. I am happy to show him my progress. I am still depressed a little about the leg length difference – ok more than a little. It really is going to squash a real field season for me. Hiking isn’t going to be pleasant or fun yet. Hills are really hard right now. Uneven ground is unthinkable. I use a trekking pole to walk on our flat gravel private drive. I can’t even fathom putting on waders or even my muck boots and trying to walk in a stream. It’s hard enough when you are even legged! Ok must stop dwelling on that before I am totally bummed out again. My healing is progressing nicely. I am using a fit bit to track my progress and most days I am increasing the number of steps I am taking. Don’t push a cart and expect it to count your steps correctly! Just saying… I went to Menards with my mom and walked all over that store and it counted less steps than from my house to my mailbox! Anyway I am up to over a mile and a half a day or roughly 4600 steps. I’ll leave you with a picture I took while walking of some pretty flowers.Please continue praying for me! I am praying for you!Peace.

It is day 31 post op. The pain in my hip was gone immediately after surgery and that is a tremendous relief! The surgical pain, swelling, plus the nerves and muscles all waking up and realigning has been another story. However, the last two days have been so much better on the pain amd swelling front! I mean I still swell and have to ice especially after exercise but it is so much more tolerable! Thank you Jesus! I have been praying for this! Today, I even walked a little ober a mile. Not all at once but throughout the day and I call that a win!But there has been one step back and it really has almost nothing to do with surgical recovery. I have a sinus infection folks. It really sucks. I have been battling allergies since before surgery but they finally got away from me and I knew I better call the doctor to get it taken care of. You see, any infection can decide to go and get settled in a new implant (a.k.a. my hip – which I am calling R2 (more on that in another post). So I am on antibiotics now and the doctor thinks I caught it early enough not to worry about it affecting my hip. Phew.So I am attaching a photo of my funny shoes. I found if I wear the croc like shoe (it’s actually Sketchers) on my right foot with the little gym shoe from Wal-Mart on the left, I am pretty evened out. I wear my real gym shoes with lifts when I go out for a walk or out in public don’t worry! But just to slip on in the house or to let the dogs out this is fine.Peace friends. Keep praying for me! I’ll be praying for you!

I have never been so happy to drive! Today I had to drive myself to the chiropractor and then later to PT. It was glorious! I love the simple blessing of being able to drive again!My first appointment today was with the chiropractor. He was surprised about the big leg length difference but he had a better shoe lift than what PT was offering. Well he didn’t have my size so it is on order and it’s coming from a company that is only about 20 miles from here in Cuba, MO. I like supporting local businesses! And now they will be supporting me quite literally! 😆! This lift will lift my whole foot not just the heel. It will be much better for my right foot itself. He also adjusted the rest of me. He has been so instrumental in keeping my pain bearable before the surgery and I am happy he can keep helping me afterwards! If you need a good chiropractor I can give you a recommendation!PT went well too. I don’t need the cane much except for long excursions and my therapist said I need to take it with me everywhere in public if only to keep people from josteling me amd making me fall! They did a goals assessment for my doctor and me and themselves of course. I think my goals are almost halfway met. I am off the walker and almost not dependent on the cane. But still have swelling and the LLD. I also have very little endurance and strength. It is progressing slow and steady. I have to be pleased with that.There is no more agonizing hip pain which is a huge blessing. If you have been waiting to do this surgery, I recommend you go do it before you lose all of your strength in that hip and leg like I did.As always please pray for me – especially for patience through this slow recovery. If you want any prayers, just leave a comment below!