At about 3 months post-left hip replacement it was time for a long weekend away. This was a yearly weekend away that I always look forward too! There is usually about 20 of us that either stay in a cottage or camp outside. This time around I was awarded a bed in the cottage… yeah recovery!
I wasn’t as uncertain about myself or my environment as I thought I might have been weeks earlier. The trip out east really helped with that. The cottage is right on a lake but up on a bit of a cliff. The stairs down are a little scary even when your able bodied. But luckily there is a new trail that is much easier to use.
While I was feeling confident and capable (for the most part) this is the first time my rugby friends have hung out with me for more then an evening since surgery. Since I have now had both hips done, in the year since we were last up north, they all had a ton of questions. Along with the questions about the process, healing, rehabilitation and everything in between there were a lot of questions on how they could help me.
As much as all the assistance would have been awesome, I mean who doesn’t want to be waited on, I didn’t need the help. Things were great and my boyfriend didn’t even need to do anything for me anymore. I was independent!
Individuals, who I had not seen a lot through the winter, or only in passing at the rugby club, had a LOT of questions (I honestly wish I wrote them all down).
I’m not sure if it was because of the amount of time we were together or the booze but everyone felt free to ask me all the questions they had been holding onto. They were surprised about parts of my answers and amazed about how intense the journey had been at times, especially since less then 3 months following my surgery I was looking great.
We did a lot this weekend, we are active and competitive people. Here are some of the activities that occurred throughout the weekend and my experiences three months out of a hip replacement.
Beach Volleyball
We always play beach volleyball and heading into the weekend I wasn’t sure I would, but I knew I would try. I’ll be honest, I felt a little crunch the first time I went for the ball, but nothing major or concerning… so I kept playing, and played all weekend. I loved it. No other weird noises or sounds or feeling so all good! Great for flexibility and strength right?
Cupping
The evening before the Beer Olympics Juan did some cupping on me. Which turned into a cupping party for others that have always been intrigued and interested in it. Some of the guys found it weird and others really enjoyed it.
Beer Olympics
This is a staple of this weekend! There are always 6-8 games/rounds. Traditionally, I have always been a key in the relay race. This is where you chug a beer, spin around a paddle 10x, swim out to the barg, get up, do 10 push-ups and swim back. I definitely wasn’t including myself in that this year! So instead I counted the other persons/teams push-ups. I didn’t want to mess something physically up myself or let down my team (cause we’re kinda competitive),
However, following all the games I challenged myself to a solo relay. It started with no one watching… that didn’t last long. I just wanted to see if I could do it or not. Of course, I knew my strength, mobility and speed weren’t great but I just wanted to complete it. And I did, with lots of embarrassing cheering from everyone else. Cause while I wanted to do it quietly, my bf got everyone to cheer me on (what a sweetheart). It was a great experience, I was very proud that I was able to get through it.
Trip to the Neighbours
On the Saturday night we were invited to go over to a neighbours across the lake. And since we had all been drinking we walked over. It was about a 15 minute walk, no big deal, nice little stroll with flashlights.
Later, when it was time to head home (I must have been feeling very independent) cause I just started walking back with some friends… without the bf. Who, unknown to me, was arranging a boat ride home for me. While the walk was a bit hard from the cardio perspective (it had been a long day), it was manageable.
Needless to say my bf wasn’t to happy I had left without telling him. He still worries about me on certain things, including walking in the dark. Sometimes he remembers better then me that I’m still recovering from a major surgery.
Pottahawk
First of all some of you may be wondering what the hell a pottohawk even is. It’s when a bunch of none motorized floating devices meet up in the water (middle of the lake in our case) and connect together. We do it every year and sing songs (and have a drink… shhh). Last year, I was in a canoe, had a lot of pain in the hips but that didn’t slow me down cause I jumped in and swam back.
This time I was in a flamingo floaty! I swam out with the floaty, chilled and swam back. I love the water! Swimming back was tiring and hard but I headed back before the boats cause I wanted to shower and warm up a bit. Well, half the people made it back before I did (understandably).
Heading Home
Sadly, the weekend must come to an end. On Monday I felt strong and in NO PAIN for the ride home. The weekend went really well and allowed me to keep active and moving (something I always loved about the August long weekends away).