“What else do you think?”
“I think” said the horse “you are doing better than you think.”
Jingles & AO ~ Dr.D ~
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“This storm is making me tired,” said the boy. “Storms get tired too,” said the horse, “so hold on.”
”We don’t need to fight the storm,” said the horse. “If we are still, it will pass.”
”What is the best thing you’ve learned about storms?”
“That they end,” said the horse.
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“Do you have a favorite saying?” Asked the boy.
“Yes” said the mole.
“What is it ?”
”If at first you don’t succeed, have some cake.”
I see, does it work ?”
”Every time !”
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@Dr_Doolittle I hope you’re ok and your team is managing your pain.
Thinking of you and jingling!
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Hey folks - sorry for the VERY tardy update!
I’ve been a bit reluctant to post and of course the more time that goes by the more I have to update - so being the procrastinator that I am…(And long-winded when I DO post! sigh)
Anyway. I want to thank @Zu_Zu for the “boy and the horse” quotes; they really helped buck me up during the first several days post-surgery, and I would check COTH every morning hoping to see a new “inspiration” - it made me tear up every time. You are, as always, so incredibly kind and I am incredibly grateful for your support. 
Surgery went well. The surgeon is VERY highly rated and with good reason; though I wouldn’t say he has a warm and fuzzy bedside manner - typical “matter of fact” handsome orthopod carpenter. I got the requested meds from him beforehand (and more from my pain doc/Osteopath - a more “generous” supply) - and it’s been sufficient for my needs.
The hardest part was getting showered TWICE both the night before and at 5:00 AM the morning of; I was in considerable pain and thank heavens my husband was able to help me. I was loaned a shower chair which was a Godsend. It was ugly nonetheless, but we got me through it.
We got an electric recliner (another godsend) and I have a grabber, a shoehorn, a good cane (which of course caused me to have an asymmetrical gait for well over a month pre-surgery and messed up my knee and back and caused my tibialis muscle to go into painful spasm), and they gave me a walker post-surgery. The one DH got was not as good (I taught my final dog class using it), but thankfully we were able to return it.
Luckily despite my extensive spinal arthritis they were able to get the epidural in (score!), so I wasn’t groggy post surgery, but was in considerable pain. I just lay there and cried and screamed, tears kept rolling down my face and they dabbed them away, the nurses were kind and sympathetic. This went on for a while but finally subsided (they had given me pain meds PRE-op: Tylenol; Celebrex; Oxycontin; Lyrica), and the surgeon was a bit surprised that I had so much pain, but that’s just me - grooves in the old pain pathways. 
He said the surgery went well and that it was “pretty darn bad” (well no kidding - glad to be RID of the damnable hip and have a better one!), and though I was still in pain I had to of course get up and use the walker with the help of the nurses, climb some small stairs, do some turns, etc. I sucked it all up and soldiered on through, and I was able to leave the hospital (in a wheelchair) and DH and DD got me gently into the car. After climbing the stairs to the TH they set me up in my recliner and I draped myself with ice packs. I am grateful to whoever recommended the ice system and the Torex ice packs (I believe that was @Simkie - they are great!) - I even used the Torex soft ice packs pre-surgery. Good stuff!
Also, gentle thanks to @RMJacobs for the solidarity. Sister. (Misery does love company!)
The first few days were rough, of course - but I was surprised that I was able to negotiate the stairs (with DH there with me every step of the way) to go up to bed that first night. I’ve just been very, very careful - and stayed ahead of the pain to the extent that I was able. I have Percocet and Tramadol (and started on the Celebrex - not sure whether it had any effect but then again I take anti-inflammatories daily), and was taking two pills 3 times a day to manage my pain - which was actually less than after my breast reduction surgery when I was in agony that felt like it would never end. (Needless to say, the constipation was epic…) Since it’s important to move a little even at first, that enabled me to function somewhat at least - and I took my Juven religiously along with my supplements. I already eat a very healthy diet so just continued that, though my appetite is/was not the best so I have kind of had to force myself to eat; small meals only.
Interestingly, my terrible low back spasms calmed down after surgery! (low back is always tight and sore but the pre-op pain was exceptionally bad), and the arthritic knee wasn’t terribly inflamed afterwards so my surgeon must have taken care with that; I did discuss this with him. One of the main pains in the ass was (and is) my spasming right tibialis muscle. It continues to fire, randomly - and initially kept me awake at night so I had to sleep with a heating pad (with auto shut-off) draped over my leg to control the spasms enough to enable me to fall asleep. I already sleep on my back with a pillow under my knees, and other than needing cold packs for the incision pain and the heating pad for the stupid shin muscle I’ve been pretty comfortable sleeping - 7-8 hours through the night other than the random pains and pee breaks. My DH has been wonderful - helping me with everything and leaping up to grab ice packs when necessary in the middle of the night. He’s a GEM.
For those of you who have been through this you know the drill; up in the morning, pee (of course I always have to pee in the middle of the night and couldn’t always make it quickly enough the first 4-5 days so wore a diaper - how humiliating!), sit to brush my teeth, carefully down the stairs and into the recliner - DH waiting on me and fetching me things.
Ice packs, heat packs, I live on them.
The incision has healed remarkably well; very little swelling, no heat, just tender. The swelling was pretty much completely gone about 5 days post-surgery - the P/T remarked on how good it looked and felt when she manipulated the leg on Friday.
First P/T (last Tuesday) was VERY gentle and I wasn’t able to do much at all - just some easy mobilization exercises which caused my stupid muscles to tighten up and start spasming because I CAN’T REALLY STRETCH and that has been a source of a lot of frustration. ARGH!
I’ve been doing as many of the isometric exercises as possible every day (again - the one limiting factor is my tight muscles, thank god for heat packs!), but I feel weak and like I’ve lost a lot of my stamina - which I guess is to be expected. I try to get up regularly and walk around with my walker (cane for stairs), and I have been able to get outside and walk on the sidewalk - I try to do this daily - and have increased my “range” over the past 4 days. It feels SO good just to MOVE, and our TH is small and rectangular so there isn’t much room to go back and forth; I do what I can.
I have been weaning off the opiods over the past several days and am now taking only one in the morning and one at night. Goal is to go back on the Tramadol - hopefully by two weeks in? I have been taking stool softeners and Miralax (that stuff is GREAT!), and of course I eat a lot of fruit and veggies and drink a ton of water and take Metamucil - and my daughter got me some prune juice so I add some of that to my Juven in the evening. The mail is moving. Thank heavens.
One of my friends/students (horse student) got me a wonderful, absorbing book called ‘Horse’ by Geraldine Brooks (not “about” horses per se but a horse is a central character) - it has really helped pass the time because I get “TVed out” and a little fried after hours of perusing COTH threads. (Funny - my DD saw the book over the weekend and said “I was going to recommend this to you and want to read it myself!” so I will lend it to her when I’m finished. (Little brag here: My DD got her first book published last year and just finished her second - a spy thriller. This while holding down a demanding F/T job as a journalist!)
My friends have been great (I don’t have many close ones, but they KNOW me), and we are obviously like-minded. My one friend (dog student/neighbor) gave me healthy snacks and nice butt wipes and dog chews - the horse friends have given me little treats and books and lotion, and my DD got me beautiful flowers for Mother’s Day, and has been exercising the dogs for me, bless her; she was here the whole weekend after my surgery and came back over last Friday - stayed until a couple of hours ago.
My second P/T appt. went much better and I was able to do more - was on the recumbent stationary bike for ten minutes (without resistance) and it felt fantastic to just move my muscles!!! The P/T was very impressed with how well I did everything (even though I feel like a weak POS at the moment); I briefly told her about my “usual regimen” and she said “you should give seminars to my other patients!” (I’m guessing most patients my age don’t ride and work out 7 days a week, LOL), and said I was “a hip replacement star.” She probably says this this to everyone but it felt good, and further motivated me. I picked her brain about what I was allowed to do and how I was allowed to move, etc. - and asked about core strengthening; she told me she would show me “the bug” which I’ve heard of before, but we ran out of time. I can always Google it. I’m doing corework in my chair and little pelvic tilts - it’s SO easy to get weak and lose muscle as one ages, and really hard to regain it. I can only look longingly at my physioball and foam roller and inversion table. Ugh.
I have my next P/T appt. tomorrow, and the follow-up with the surgeon on Tuesday; I assume he will remove the dressing to check the wound and put a new one on.
And my DH took me out to see my beloved homebred mare today! She was very glad to see me, nuzzled me and licked me on the neck - cautious DH wouldn’t “allow” me to enter the stall so I just petted her and gave her treats over the stall grate. I’m dying to get my hands on her, but maybe next weekend. I plan to pepper the Dr. with questions about recovery (and what I’m “allowed” to do), but I am being a good patient and following ALL directions and being careful - maybe too careful? Hard to gauge - though I have been following the Hip Replacement for Horse People FB group along with asking questions (they have been very helpful and supportive), and outcomes are highly variable. It does help that I was in shape beforehand, it does not help that I had an altered gait leading up to surgery because it effed up other body parts - but apparently that’s not uncommon.
Oh - and I got trigger point injections into my QLs (and that damnable shin muscle) on Wednesday - had to lean over a chair because I can’t lie on my stomach, but it helped a bit.
So…Onward and upward.
A sad note during all of this. My sweet older Whippet has had labored breathing for a few weeks so we took her in last Tuesday (DD did), and they did a bunch of tests; she is excreting protein in her urine (thought she had a UTI but no), and her heart murmur has increased from a 3 to a 4 in the past 18 months. On Saturday she had a syncopal episode, and was gagging and coughing overnight so we took her into the emergency vet; they did x-ray and US and they diagnosed CHF. She has 3-6 months, on meds. She’s 13 and in otherwise good health (and has had a wonderful life), so we are doing palliative care and she will be on the heart meds for the duration. Those two appts. were $2,300 - I usually pay for dog and horse related expenses but no moolah coming in right now so DH covered it - and a canine cardiologist would be another 1-2K (we live in a VERY expensive area), and wouldn’t really buy her that much time. So much going on, but we’re all hanging in there.
Sorry for the novel!! I just wanted to update for interested parties and let you all know how it was going, and I am incredibly grateful to all of you for the help and support.
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It sounds like you are doing great. Pretty much everything sounds well in hand. So sorry for the spasms; that’s got to be very painful.
I read “Horse”. It was quite good. Now I am reading Demon Copperhead which just won the Pulitzer prize. If you like Kingsolver, I highly recommend! I recommend any of her books.
Hopefully, you are at the point where every day is a little better. Your family is amazing, as are you!
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I am so glad to see you posting. Successful surgery: yay! Sorry you had bumps along the way, but hopefully things will keep improving.
Hugs,
Rebecca
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Thanks Rebecca
Just back from PT, arthritic knee was bothering me on the stationary bike (and with some of the standing exercises), and my left glute went into spasm when they were having me do leg lifts with bands - so I had to pummel it with my fist. When I was lying on the table on ice at the end, I was able to stretch my left hip and Glute with my arms - which felt great!
I’m moving pretty well now, still using the walker and a cane and feeling “uneven” because my right leg is now longer than my left (or at least it feels that way!)
Main issue is my tight muscles, and until I can get into a pool to swim I can’t really stretch them like they need to be stretched. Argh.
Have the follow-up with the surgeon tomorrow, so plan to ask him a bunch of questions based on his exam and how well I’m healing; fingers crossed that I’ll get permission to do a little more! 
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Yeah, the body parts (knees) that compensated for the sore joint will still be sore themselves. I had my knee injected, perhaps that would help you.
I do know of a friend of a friend that had to have additional surgery because one leg was longer than the other after hip replacement. I am truly hoping you do NOT have that. I hadn’t heard of that before. Talk to your surgeon.
You do sound better! Hugs and healing thoughts sent your way.
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Thanks @iberianfan - yup - figured as much, and will ask the surgeon today when I can get it injected! Would have done it before the surgery, but no injections allowed within 2 1/2 months so it was what it was.
YEEEK re: uneven leg length. Since he mentioned that my right leg was shorter pre-surgery, it’s obviously going to feel uneven now - but for how long? My osteopath suggested a little riser in my shoe, surgeon said no – I’ll ask him to assess it today.
Struggling with some measure of frustration because of all my tight muscles 
I’m doing more moving around and walking and activity, and stretching as much as I can - using heat and tennis balls and I have a vibrating ball with heat that I’m using on my back right now, but things tend to go into spasm and I can’t decompress my spine at all. I feel “bound up”!
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I know that wasn’t directed at me, but I took the advice people gave on knee injections, and mine will be done next week. I can’t wait! I got off my bike today (riding felt OK) and just struggled up the four steps from my garage. Luckily, I don’t have to climb our much longer staircase because i invested in a stair lift. I couldn’t live here without it.
Dang knees.
Rebecca
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I think PT will help with the tight muscles. I’ve never really had that problem, but Pilates has been a lifesaver for me, getting me more flexible and just stronger. It involves a lot of stretching, but I know you are a ways away from doing that!
@RMJacobs, I hope the injections help! I started with steroid injections, but now I do gel, which I think is HA. Like we do for our horses! I am hoping I won’t need knee replacement. Ugh. But I sympathize with the stair issue. I also take Celebrex and that helps.
I think I have to flunk the steroid injections before Medicare will pay for HA. I’ll go there if I need to. I wish I could take NSAIDs, but I have another health condition that precludes them. I actually did not like Celebrex once, when I took it when it first came out. But meloxicam (Mobic) helped so much, until I got pulled off it.
Rebecca
How did your visit with the surgeon go? Are you feeling better?
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@Dr_Doolittle Well, I imagine you’re cantering and even enjoying taking a few oxers by now ?!
Canter on !
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Thanks for checking in! @Zu_Zu - Hahahahaha, no - not jumping oxers just yet…
Overall I’m getting better and stronger (Yay!), and at the appt. on Tuesday the surgeon was pleased with how the incision looked (healing well!) - they took the wrap off - and they took x-rays. He said “your hips are now almost completely even.” Of course the right one still feels higher - but he said no lift in shoe and that the muscles need to adjust; walking has definitely helped me feel more even and balanced, though it’s a process and of course I still feel stiffness there.
I’ve been weaning off the opiods and had to remind my pain doc (who gave me an RX for Oxy as a step down from Percocet) to refill my Tramadol prescription because I would like to get off the Oxy (only taking one pill in the AM and one in the PM) and back on my usual Tramadol. Of course I’m still taking Methocarbomol and Celebrex - will go back to Meloxicam (instead of the Celebrex.) When the pain gets too bad it’s harder to move, and movement is not only necessary (even when I’m still stiff and painful) but it makes me feel better - both physically and psychologically. At least the weather is beautiful now - I love May! - though I have mixed feelings; it’s wonderful to get out into it for short periods, but watching other people do horse (and dog) things in this wonderful weather makes me feel wistful. 
As Don Henley famously sang in his song ‘The Last Worthless Evening’:“there are just so many summers babe, and just so many springs.” This is particularly poignant as one ages.
I had a list of questions, including “when can I get on my inversion table?”, and “when can I get on my Physio-ball?” and “When can I use my foam roller?”, and “when can I get bodywork and chiropractic?” “When can I do planks?” (along with when can I do more with my horse? - riding is a bit of a ways out), and he laughed and said: “NO ONE asks me these questions!”
He said I could do all of the above (carefully), but that with the horse there was a risk of being knocked down or falling and of course that would be VERY bad indeed - so I will be patient. He said I could drive as of 3-4 weeks as long as the leg was strong and stable (he did some ROM exercises), and that I was “Good to go - just don’t do anything stupid.”
Of course, Mr. Dr. D had to chime in with “So doc, she doesn’t want to just be able to walk to the refrigerator and up the stairs and to the car and to the grocery store, she wants to be able to ride cross country again! She regularly competes against 25 year olds.”
Me: “And beat them.” 
I am actually pleasantly surprised by my progress (not to say that I’m not still in pain but it’s mostly from my tight muscles and my stupid arthritic knees; a little from the healing incision. The swelling is localized to the top and is the size and shape of a computer mouse. I have been EXTREMELY dutiful about everything: taking all my supplements, walking, doing the isometrics and mobilizations, stretching (once I got permission to get on the table and roll on the roller it was heaven - though there was a good bit of painful screaming since my back was SO flipping tight!), and I’m stretching my calves on the stairs and the calf stretcher, stretching hammies on a stool while sitting in a chair (can’t go straddle legged yet), and my quads by dropping my foot under me onto a chair while supporting myself. I usually lie on my stomach and use a strap to stretch my leg back from the knee but that’s too much “torque” ATM. I can only do glute stretches on the left side because I cross my body with my foot - so have been using a tennis ball along with my Myo-Storm vibrating ball with heat.
I’ve been doing pretty much everything independently this week (my poor husband needs a break and I have to assure him that “I’ve got this now!”), though standing for any length of time is still pretty uncomfortable - so he cooks if I need something cooked.
(Surgeon said I could lie on my stomach to get bodywork after 3 weeks so I scheduled a massage next week; I’ll bring a soft pillow to put between my hip and the table.)
PT has been ramping up - I went twice last week and three times this week - and they are having me do harder things incrementally. They put me on a recumbent bike for 10 minutes, then have me do step ups, bands around ankles (bringing leg forward, back, and to the side - 20 reps each), controlled squats (which ONLY really hurts my knees!), leg lifts from a supine position using a strap, heel slides (using a strap), pelvic tilts and glute squeezes, and I roll my quads with a roller thing afterwards. My stupid groin tendon started getting tight after doing my thigh squeezes - stupid weakening adductors!, so the P/T (who is great - I really like her!) massaged my inner thigh before applying heat to it (and ice to the hip) after I did all of the exercises, and was astonished by how tight my muscles were. I said “yeah, that’s why I have to do SO much stretching and use heat and get DEEP tissue massage from young men with really strong hands who can apply a lot of pressure.”
(My observation at P/T was that no one else there does anything with anywhere near the “vigor” that I do; I carefully push through everything and did a few extra “reps” - whereas the other folks who appeared to be around my age and rehabbing were hesitant, slow, and unwilling to push themselves. I also tend to walk faster than most other people but I think this is a “horse person thing” since we tend to be more physically fit because we have to be - and more motivated to get back to a higher level of activity!)
I’ve been out walking (no walker since around Tuesday) and just use my cane - I try to do 3 walks a day and yesterday one of them was 3/4 of a mile - I also ran my dog and took her on a play date on Wednesday - chucked the Chuck It - and my husband helped me run her on the long line yesterday and did the “chucking.” This is where all the training I put in pays off because my Whippet knows not to pull, and is obedient and sensitive to my requests. Such a good girl! SOON we will be able to do more (I keep reassuring her! )
On the “non-P/T” days I’ve been doing at least 45 minutes of the strengthening exercises and 40+ minutes of stretching in addition to walking (which always feels wonderful) but I’m still careful with bending, picking things up (not allowed to bend all the way down to the floor), getting into and out of my chair and the bed, and going up stairs - where I still use my cane 100% of the time. No leg crossing, no rolling my foot to the outside when sitting, etc.
Dr. said he would see me in a month (from Tuesday) to x-ray my knees and and inject them - it’s been WAY too long, and this will definitely help! I also roll my feet because the fascia has gotten extra tight due to my uneven gait. It’s excruciating, but it does help! I want to get back to doing Feldenkrais exercises which I’m going to try today - I can’t cross my legs or twist, but there are a lot of the exercises that are gentle loosening and aligning movements - which I need right now!
When she was working on my tight muscles (CORDS!) the P/T asked whether I had a hot tub (I wish), but I can’t immerse myself until around mid-June. Looking forward to getting into an Epsom Salts bath and also the local pool! I think that sums up my progress so far - and the surgeon didn’t put any limitations on my sitting and teaching so I have THREE lessons scheduled over the next few weeks - first one next Friday!! Obviously I can’t move jumps and poles but my husband will be with me so I can enlist his aid.
I’ll start scheduling dog classes to start back up in mid-June - and they actually ask MORE of me than horse lessons because there is a lot of standing, dog handling, and moving around associated with the training; I am VERY hands-on. I’m going to give that a full 5-6 weeks. Continued fingers crossed, and I am soldiering on through this rehab despite having moments (daily) when I am demoralized and frustrated.
“This too shall pass!”
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Wow, you are so dedicated! You are making me feel like a slacker. That’s probably because I am a slacker.
Rebecca
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I really doubt that - you (like me) are dealing with a lot of physical issues - and that is exhausting! Good luck with the knee injection(s) - I hope they work and make you a lot more comfortable. Stairs (grumble grumble @#$%*&!) GRRRRRR!!!
ETA - too bad about the Celebrex, I haven’t found it to work very well (for me), and I tried it before. Also, I would like to be able to have a glass of wine! (can’t at the moment until I am off ALL opiods), and for some reason you can’t drink alcohol with Celebrex. If it FIXED me that would be one thing!, but ibuprofen/Meloxicam help a little - and probably works a bit better - so I’m planning to go off the Celebrex. I guess it works for some people 
I’m supposed to stay on the baby aspirin for another several weeks as a precaution.
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WOW ~ who asked her all those questions ?! 
I just asked about cantering and oxers 
~ so glad Dr.D hasn’t lost her “voice” ! Always verbose with wonderful words/ phrasing ~
I guess you forgot to ask about when you can vacuum? and well ??? never mind
*btw I stopped the daily quotes or rather I was STOPPED • apparently I was trying to break the Coth rules • posting too often and was told to let others reply but have been thinking of you badgering the doctor with questions • and finally today I dared to try to post here again •
Canter on ~ but try to stay out of jail !
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