I seem to be running a rollercoaster of emotions at the moment. On the one hand I am SUPER pleased with how well I am doing. I have ditched the crutch in the house, and now only use it if I am going to be walking more than a couple of hundred yards. My Penguin walk/limp is hardly noticeable and I have pretty much no pain in my left hip (recent op leg) at all. I get achy there, particularly on the outside of my thigh and I can still feel it is weak.
I just checked back at 10 week post op post from when I had the right one done. I am really way ahead of where I was. Back then I had only just got down to one crutch and was doing a very pronounced penguin walk without it. I also could not sand on my op leg whilst lifting the other so I am over and above where was back then. So I don't know why am feeling so glum today.
I went to my first hydrotherapy session last Tuesday. It was a bit of a trek to get there. The pool has moved into the new hospital building at Bristol Southmead and to get there, you have to park on a multistory carpark, get the free shuttle bus to the main building then walk the length of the main building to physio/hydro. I was glad I had a crutch. The pool was lovely and warm and deep. Exercises I did were walking up and down, knee lifts, moving leg out the side and also backwards, walking up and down a step. Very tiring but worth it.
At dry land physio on Friday, she was pleased to see I had ditched the crutch for short distances but seemed concerned I wasn't doing my exercises enough, she said I should be doing at the least the following, 3 times a day:
2 sets of 15 clam shells on each side
2 sets of 15 single leg bridges, each side,
1 sets 15 quad raises whilst lieing on front, each side.
Quad stretches
flexer stretches
Start adding exercises on the swiss ball
2 15miniute walks a day.
All of that 3 times a day seems like a lot around everything else. For the last 3 days I have managed to do the whole set of exercises twice a day, squeezing in some extra clam shells at bed time. But I am so bored with it all. Its brain numbing doing the same thing, counting reps and sets. But I know I need to do it in order to get fit enough to do all things I want and need to be doing.
I went to see my Alexander Technique tutor today and it felt nice to get a fresh set of eyes on me. I'd not seen her since before my op. She was really pleased with me and gave me some pointers and things to think about with my gait and sit-stand technique .
I was having a think about things as I was driving home and I think I am not actually glum. I am super pleased with how well am doing. I'm just exhausted by it all, and frankly, bored. The rotten Uk January weather does not help. I don't mean to wish my life away by any means but I think my body & mind are yearning for warmer, longer days . And also for days where my world does not revolve round thinking about my gait, my hips, my hip flexors, and my glutes!!
I always knew January was going to be tough. That would be all about putting effort and hard work into getting back to work properly in February. I just need to grit my teeth and keep on keeping on.
One of the good things about our wet yet warm January, picking early daffodils for the houses
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