Months After Surgery

The first big milestone is going for the six week check-up. This consists of the surgeon reviewing an x-ray to ensure that the new hip is not moving in places that it is not supposed to. Everything looked good for me, but in reviewing the x-ray the surgeon (Dr. Colin Burnell) simply looked up and asked me "when are we going to do that other hip". I knew this was coming and originally I had wanted them both done as soon as possible, but at six weeks I was still feeling weak. We set a tentative date for about 4 months down the road. If I had the surgery at that time then I would be able to get out and walk around during the summer.

I had started back to work the day before my six week assessment with the surgeon. I did feel weak during the day and sitting for long periods at a desk was not comfortable. I sort of worked shorter days for the first week or so and after that I felt relatively normal.

It seems to me that there is also some mental recuperation that has to take place. One of the things I noticed after the surgery was that I was a lot less interested in playing Chess or doing Crosswords than I had been prior to the surgery. I did start playing Chess more but I am still not that interested in Crosswords at this point. I also did not care for watching movies that much, about an hour is the most that I could concentrate on. I did listen to a set of podcasts related to Science from the CBC, but most of the time I would read. It was easier to finish off older books that I had started rather than starting new books and, in general, it was easier to read non-fiction. For some reason or another I find reading fiction to be more effort as I grow older, most of what I read is non-fiction. Activities like writing are also more tedious than usual.

Anyhow, after the six week point I really noticed that I started to have more energy and I started pushing myself a little bit more in the gym. My appetite was also improved and I started to put on weight. In general my cardio improved faster than my physical strength. I bought a heart rate monitor and a data logger in order to monitor my cardio a little closer.

I do not experience pain with the new joint, when I work out the next day I feel a different kind of "stiffness" almost like the joint is pushing outwards against the muscle. What is probably happening is exactly the opposite, as the muscles are strengthening they are tightening around the joint and because it is foreign I perceive it as an internal pressure.

I was also worried that I would develop a limp or peculiar gait but it all disappeared over time. By about three months I was riding my bike outside and taking my dog for a walk! At this point I have about 6 weeks to go before the next surgery so I am really focusing on getting in shape and perhaps losing a little weight. I am also practicing getting out of bed and out of chairs the way I know I will have to after the next surgery.