Use Your Body, Then Go Bionic

I've had a new hip since July 21, 226 days already. A few updates.

My usual preamble. I am not writing this because I think any reader is breathlessly waiting to hear more about my joints or because I find myself so damned interesting that I just have to tell someone. It is to help benchmark the quality and timing of recovery in order to make decisions about hips as yet unattended to. Anyway, yada, yada.

I am well past the point of wondering if my hip (surgery was on my left hip) has recovered to the point that it is better than before surgery. Now I mostly compare my left hip to my right hip, and for the most part, the new hip is better. I am skeptical about the experience of others who said they were running marathons 6 months after surgery. Skeptical at least that this body could have done that. There are yet others who are complaining a year or more after surgery that they thought it would be better than it is. Different strokes, but I'll bet those marathoners were in more pain than a person should be and that the late bloomers need to get out there a little more and work through some pain.

A few benchmarks since I blogged last. Downhill skiing still hurts some while I ski, but about equally in both hips. The pain has switched from hurting while there was compression pressure on the joint to mostly being in the upweight and weight transition phase. The result is that I am still having a hard time connecting quick turns, which is about my favorite thing to do, but not so bad at fewer, longer turns. Cross country skiing is not painful any longer. Notably, and a big deal for me, is that there is no longer residual pain after I ski. I used to limp around for days. Hiking and walking are nearly pain free.

I tried jogging on a treadmill for a half a mile a couple times a week about 6 weeks ago. That didn't work out. This last week I tried it again. My left hip still hurts a bit while doing the jogging, more than the right, but there was no residual pain. I think I am now at the point that I can start adding a little uphill jogging to my getting around. I am pretty happy about that.

My lower back was chronically sore before surgery. Time at the telescope stooped to the eyepiece tracking a star for a photo, for instance, was about tuning out the impressive back and hip pain. That is gone now and my lower back is rarely sore.

I still believe that my body weight is a limiting factor to reducing my remaining hip pain. I've tried several different ways to lose weight and have not succeeded. To the contrary. But, as they say, if at first you don't succeed . . . try something different! My point is that with the new hip losing weight would pay larger dividends than ever. Either way, I can see that I now have a lot longer in my life to be a lot more active. I was feeling rather old and feeble for awhile.

So get out there! I'll give you the name of a terrific surgeon if you need it!