The Day Before
I attended physio, did some new things, including more standing exercises that involved full range (but still within my restrictions). The video of the squats was shown in my November 6, 2017 blog post since I didn’t have a video with the modifications.
I usually start to get nervous the day before follow up appointments. And this wasn’t any different. Not because anything feels wrong but because I just never know. Maybe something shows up on the x-ray that I can’t feel. I lived for years with problems I didn’t know the extend of. So just some nerves, normal nerves. Things that just don’t let me fully fall asleep at night. (It may also be due to the anticipation of being able to work away from crutches… so many thoughts and possibilities, no wonder my brain never stopped moving).
Follow Up Day!
This was the day I’ve been waiting for. All the work leads up to this check point. Things are feeling great but there is always the feat that something inside is off or not how it should be. The x-ray tells all today!
Once in the hospital I checked in at the fracture clinic, got my x-ray requisition, a ‘Falls Risk’ wrist band (say that 5 times fast) for the first time ever and waited.
Waiting is always the main part of the hospital trips. The x-ray was quick and easy. They get you to lay in two positions: flat on your back (for a pelvic and single hip image) and half up on a wedge (for an angled image of your operated hip). They cover all the angles.
Time to wait again. Once I was called into the clinic and I wait a little longer, I am seen by a physiotherapist. They run through a couple of physical tests. Flexibility (moving around the leg and hip) and strength based on the knee and ankle resistance. She said I was very strong after the tests were completed and that things seemed good. Yippee!!
Next I would wait for the surgeon to speak with the physiotherapist and review the x-ray. Based on these analysis he would give me the next steps.
I was anticipating weight bearing restrictions to be removed but to still have some restrictions for the following 6 weeks (as I did after my first hip replacement).
Nope!
While my weight bearing restrictions were removed (as anticipated) everything else was too! I was so insanely excited!! I can’t even describe it. I thanked my surgeon, repeatedly. He asked if I regretted my decision at all. I told him, no way. I couldn’t be happier and more pleased with the results.
Leaving the Hospital
I used both crutches to leave the hospital but did try a couple independent steps in the parking lot. They didn’t go to badly, pretty well actually. Unlike my initial step following my first hip replacement (in the same parking lot) which resulted in my boyfriend laughing at me for about an hour cause it was kinda a huge hilarious fail.
Walking with a Cane
We went out to lunch to celebrate. I had packed my cane in the car for afterwards ad used it to walk into the restaurant. I was a little twisted and wobbly but it was a nice change. Below is a video taken once we got home of me walking:
The next surgeon follow up was set for 3 months in the future! At the 1 year mark from my first replacement.
The Following Day
I went to Physio and my therapist was happy to hear I was off weight bearing but shocked to hear I didn’t have any restrictions at all! And honestly, I was still in shock as well.
We went over some exercises and safe ways to do them. Squats, balance exercises and he provided me with some sheets of water exercises for the lake at the cottage. Basically, anything I wanted to do above water (and can’t right now) I was allowed to do in the water. Water therapy is the BEST!
He also had very good advice on protecting my incision while I was in the water. So I had a small pin hole at the bottom of my incision still from the close up stitch. To prevent water from getting inside he recommended using new skin and Vaseline while in the water to create a barrier, and then some polysporin once out of the water to clean and disinfect it.