In many ways, things are great. I
am down to 1 crutch now at last. I spent last week flipping between one and two
as I getting all sorts of aches and pains in my other hip and back. Went to
first physio with Donna on Friday. She is really pleased with me but I can tell she
thinks I should be off the crutch by now. Things is, I list to the right side and waddle
a bit when I go “Free style”. Last Wednesday I strained a rib in my back which
I have done a few times in the past. It is very painful, like a pinching pain
and hurts to breath. I also had pins in needles in my right arm/hand because of
this. Donna sorted that out with some massage and two acupuncture needles. She
then got me on the Swiss ball which was very hard to start with as I couldn’t
balance myself. She said this was an important exercise to so as it will teach my
muscles to balance my body again. So I have 5 exercises to do on that every day
now. She also got me holding a rail and trying to do knee lifts. I could lift
my op leg no problem, although not to 90 degrees. But I could not lift my left
leg at all (because this involves standing on my op leg). The muscles for doing that
are obviously still asleep, though I can do it in the pool. So that is another
exercise to work on. I also have to do the abduction and backwards swinging of my
op leg whilst holding the back of a chair, 15 times each as well as the knee
lifts (or attempted knee lifts). I am to continue with the exercise bike at no resistance, increasing
the time.
By Thursday last week I found
that I could climb the stairs one after another fashion by holding the hand rail
in my left hand and carrying my crutch. And I could come down one after the
other so long as my crutch accompanied my op leg, holding the hand rail with my
right hand. So I am glad I can do the stairs quicker, one at a time was
becoming VERY boring!
My new walking stick arrived in preparation for
not needing the crutch. It is lilac. I had a go with it, but my hand wobbled
about on it as I am obviously still needing to bare more weight than a walking stick
can cope with. Hopefully I will transition to it soon. Something I never
realised before my op was that if you use a
stick or crutch, you should use
it on the opposite side to your bad leg and move it forward at the same time as
you bad one. Try to do it any other way and you will fall over!
I had a busy weekend at home.
Because I can do the penguin walk with no crutches, I found myself doing the
vacuuming and mopping and few other odd jobs with no cructhes. I also went to
see my horse on my own for the first time. I took one crutch and someone had
already brought him into the stable for me, so I just groomed him. It was nice
to spend sometime on my own with him after so long.
I really felt like I had overdone it when I woke
up on Monday morning and spent most of the day resting on the sofa. I went out
a 3pm to do a couple of jobs and then to hydro, first time driving myself there, and first time in the group session. I coped Ok, we all just get
on with our exercises and the therapist comes and round help you if you have
any problems. My hip and back felt quite tight and pinchy in the pool and I
didn’t feel I could cope with the new lunge exercise so we have saved that one
for next week. I didn’t get home until 8pm so had been out for 5hrs, the
longest since my op, so I was really tired.
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