9 weeks out

I'm officially 9 weeks post op, and only 3 more sessions of PT! Really 2 more weeks, but I am going out of town so will only go once next week, and twice the following week. But I will be SO HAPPY to be done with PT. Honestly that's part of the reason I am hesitant to get surgery on my left hip this fall, I am just so so over going to PT. Idk if it's bc my therapist isn't there anymore, or bc I can do everything on my own but still have to pay to make somebody make me do it .... Not sure. But mentally it's exhausting and I'm done with it. 

I did start ART (Active Release Technique) last week... And so far so good. After the first visit I noticed a change for a couple of hours. I had my second visit yesterday and I am feeling a really good sore and no pain. The chiropractors (who do my ART) said I should have no pain after 8ish visits- if it worked. There is usually a good chance of major improvement by then in patients. I'm hopeful. My right (op) hip feels better... my left is just meh though. They think I shouldn't have to get surgery on it, and this technique should work. I'm not holding my breath but I would like that very much. 

I do to for my left hip injection at the hospital on Monday. It's the protocol for surgery, so I figure why not. Plus, I've usually experienced the most pain after being in the car for a period of time, and we are going on a 7 hour trip this week, so it's perfect timing to have it done the day after we get home. 

Also, I would like to try running next week ... Maybe Wednesday or so. I'm going to start with 1 minute on, 1 minute off, for a total of 5 minutes. If it feels okay, do that a few times and add a minute or two for a few more times, etc. I'm sure I will be so out of shape that this will also help to ease back into it, hehe.

I would love to be running, even 1-2 miles (!) at a time when it's volleyball season. I loved doing that last year and felt good and active when I was coaching girls to be active. Even if I have to stop in October for another surgery, it'd be nice to get back into it a little. 

Blah feeling

The past probably week or so has been pretty miserable for me. My left non op hip has been screaming at me, and I think it's bc of my trip my columbus for my 6 week post op, and just sitting in the car for a long period of time. I mean, misery. I have been taking either a pain pill or some kind of NSAID every single day since then. My right hip that I DID have the surgery on didn't even hurt this bad before surgery. 

My husband, kids, and I are going on a mini vacation in 3 weeks, LUCKILY my injection is the day after we return, bc that's a 7 hour carride that I know will kill my left hip.

My right one has been just okay ... I definitely feel outer hip pain, mostly where the top of my it band is. The doctor said I might get that for awhile, and I'm not fully healed until 6-8 months post op. Foam rolling has become my close friend, and actually helps quite a bit!

I'm not sure if I'm just overdoing it at the gym, or what. I was doing the gym exercises given to me at PT about 4x per week, but I cutting back to 3, and only doing the other things 3x per week as well. 2 of each being at PT. But I just can't seem to feel normal right now, since my longer carride last week. 

So today and tomorrow I won't be doing any working out other than riding my bike, which feels weird. In fact, I cut back to 3x per week at the gym, plus the 2x at PT. It doesn't seem like a lot, especially to me, but I still have burned out feelings. But I feel like I need to make due with this schedule to help with healing better. By backing off of working out, which is hard for me.

Which kind of means no more yoga, so I basically just wasted that money by buying a month package. Ugh. But I'd rather waste it than to push myself too much and re injure myself.

Yoga

A friend talked me into trying yoga last week ... and there was a package that was for first time guests only, where you can get 1 month unlimited. So I did it, I didn't love it, but is signed up for the package. My main reason was that it's a good stretch, AND I can't really do anything else (besides the lifting I've been doing), so I figured why not?

I have to say, it does help in that if my hip hurts beforehand, I feel better after. 

I probably won't do it after this month is up, but never say never.

My doctor did mention that I could probably start using the elliptical around the 8 week mark, and then start slowllllly running around the 10ish week mark (we are talking, 1 minute on, 1 minute off, etc). 

I might it have a need for yoga after, but I do enjoy it more than I did the first day. 

6 week post op appt

I did my usual trek to columbus to have my 6 week post op appt. I guess we didn't talk much about the surgery other than looking at the x rays, bc my mouth kept going on and on about surgery #2 for my left hip. 

We talked a good bit about possibly doing it in October ... Which would be after my volleyball season ends (I coach), and before my husband starts coaching basketball. That would be 5ish months apart. 

Until then, I'm still doing PT. It's been moved to twice per week bc it's getting more intense, as my PT put it. However, the bad news is, my PT changed jobs, so she I won't be my PT anymore. That makes me really unhappy bc she's been following me and working on me since months before the actual surgery. I feel like the other PT at the office, while I'm sure he's great, doesn't know me and my limitations and how I can push things, and etc. Just really super bummed out. 

So anyways, the doctor ordered me a hip injection for my left hip, and also when I go for my 3 month follow up, I'll get an MRI on the left hip as well. So I guess 2014 is the year of correcting my darn hips! 

New PT schedule

Since I'm now 4 weeks out, I was given a different routine for my PT. Man am I sore today! Mainly my right butt, so I'm going to have to even it out so my left butt doesn't look like a huge difference, ha ha. 

I can now add resistance to the bike to my comfort level. Yesterday I just did 2 bc I don't want to push it right off the bat. I was thinking I'd just move up each couple of times. But actually, I was only doing 4-5 before surgery anyways. 

We also did a lot of strength training exercises. In the gym I did:

Leg adductors

Leg abductors

Leg press (maybe like 75 lbs and it was super easy)

Hamstring curls

The machine you stand up at and do one leg at a time for your butt, and then side.

At PT we did:

Leg lifts- 4 ways (front, side, back, side)

Lunges

Walk sits

Walking backwards in squat form with a rope

Romanian dead lifts with 5 lb weights

Stair one leg squats (this was hard!)

Bridges lifting one leg up at a time

Planks

I was at PT for a good hour, too, maybe even a tad longer (& I went to workout on my own before going to PT, so I was SPENT after that). However, she told me to do the gym exercises one day, and the PT exercises the next, and alternate, that way I'm not killing myself every day. I'm at the gym about 4-5 times per week anyways, so that works for me. 

I didn't do anything yesterday though, bc I was so sore! 

But maybe my legs won't be so jiggly after a month of this, hehe. I feel like you can lose definition FAST on your legs! 

4 weeks post op

Yesterday marked 4 weeks from my surgery, and I'm doing pretty well. I would say great, but over the weekend I tweaked my hip a bit. My 2 year old was puking at all hours of the day, and I had to be a ninja and move in ways I didn't know I could in order for her to not puke on my bed or carpet. So, it was a little sore but I'm doing better each day.

Otherwise, my left (non op) is doing awful, as usual. But even more so than my right hip was pre surgery, bc the left is CONSTANT, whereas the right was bad only after certain things. Sigh ...

But I'm up to 20 minute on the bike, but still as level 1 resistance. I will ask my PT when we can move up. 

As far as exercises go, the things that I've been doing that I think help, are: (I don't know technical names)

Glute/quad squeezes (same time). 5 seconds at a time, 30 times.

Inner thigh squeeze with ball in between legs. Hold for 5 seconds, 30 times.

Band wrapped around your knees, bring knees out. Hold for 5 seconds, 30 times.

Bridges, squeezing glutes, with ball in between your knees. 5 seconds at a time, 30 times.

I've also done heel slides, laying on side and lifting leg up x30, and standing while moving leg/hip in circular motion. But those things I think I've moved beyond at this point. My PT did say we will start new exercises this week, though.  I've also only been doing them once a day too, instead of twice.

I've only been going once per week since I'm doing so well, but I imagine it'll be like twice a week once we start doing more intense stuff. 

2 week check up (and 21 days post op!)

I had my 2 week check up on Friday, and so thankful to get those pesky stitches removed. I was just getting sick of having to keep them covered in the shower, and the band aids were starting to irritate my skin too. 

I saw the NP that I really like, and she really reiterated to take it easy, even if I'm feeling good. 

The horrible thing is, my left (non op) hip is feeling worse than my op hip. Ugh. But, I'd rather get surgery #2 over with this year as well, so that I can hopefully be done with them and really get to recovery. My doctor said +/- 6 months they could do the other hip. So at my 6 week post op I'm going to hopefully get the ball rolling, in hopes of a surgery mid October before my husband starts coaching basketball and can't help out as much. 

Even though it's already annoying now, driving 2 hours to and from appointments will really be annoying as can be then. 

Still lifting upper body in the gym, still doing PT twice a day (at home, just 1-2 times per week do I actually go to PT). I will go over my exercises in another post later!