Can You Believe?

Progress ... continues.

I've noticed in the past 2 weeks an increase in my confidence and range of motion.  For years preceeding my hip replacement - and in the 6 months since - bringing my right foot up to the top of my left knee whilst sitting down remained impossible.

Even since surgery - I can do it but I must lean back quite a bit to get it there and then - it's tight and not comfortable.

That changed suddenly last night.  I was sitting on the edge of my bed to put on a pair of shoes - and quite without thinking about it, I brought my right foot up to rest on top of my left knee.

It just - happened.  No leaning back. No thinking about it. No effort at all.

It was just - magical.  There have been other similar "WOW" moments in the past 2 weeks.  I've been told that the 6-8 month post-op period is one that can sometimes be filled with this kind of random and sudden progress.

Which is just fine by me!

Free to Move About the Country

I had a wildly successful, better-than-I-had-hoped, 6 month post-op check-up this past week.

Right hip: implants have settled in perfectly. No gaps between bones and implants.  The entire hip prosthetic is positioned precisely where it belongs.  Bone healing is finished and it's flawless.

Of course! As am I... because...

Left hip:  perfectly normal in nearly every way.  Socket coverage is exactly what it should be.  There is a very tiny amount of arthritis that has formed however my wonderful, god-sent surgeon indicated that it will be many years before I have to deal with it - if ever.  It is quite possible that the arthritis progression will stop now that my walking and gait have equalized.

We believe that the issues I've been having on the left are solely related to muscular adjustment from all the years of the left compensating for the right.  Plus my activity level in general has increased in the past few months - putting a normal strain on muscles that have not really be treated kindly or normally.

I could not stop smiling all day after the appointment.  In fact, I'm smiling now knowing for certain that both of my hips are in great shape.

Now life can truly begin. No limits. No worries. No pain.

Since music is one of the most essential foods of my life, I give you the musical representation of how I feel - the fantastic Gloriana and their latest hit - Wild at Heart:

I ain’t here to do anything halfway
Don’t give a damn what anyone might say
I just want to freefall for a while

Is This Thing On?

Testing, Testing 123...

Life is funny - just when you think you are on your way to a new world things conspire to work in the opposite direction.

This may be nothing - I'm HOPING it's nothing.

My left hip - which has never given me trouble in 46 years - is giving me trouble in the past month. Identical pain to what I had on the right - sharp pains in the groin, dull ache on the outer hip. I hesitate to call any of this true pain, given the intestinal fortitude I showed for 20 years with the pain on the right.  The left is causing me discomfort - the fact that it's the same discomfort I had on the right is - unnerving.

No.

No.

No.

I'm working hard not to focus on this latest development.

It could be the muscles on the left finally relaxing and being used properly, instead of compensating for the damage in the right hip for 20 years.

It could be that I've been enjoying my summer, wearing sweet sandals everyday. These sandals don't provide much support so it could all be stress from that. 

I have my 6 month - I can't believe it's been that long already - check-up on August 20. I've contacted my surgeon's office to advise them I want x-rays of the left hip.  So I'll know on August 20.

I need to know.  I just don't want to know.

Shit.

OK, One Last Time - again

I am changed forever. I will never forget what it felt like to be in constant, excrutiating pain – if only to remind me every day how joyous my pain-free life is. I will never take this for granted.

One Last Time...

The Super Hip Chick - a marvelous resource for everything "hip" - requested more pics of our vacation.

If you go here - you'll find a photo album complete with descriptions.  A few of the best are highlighted below.  They don't enlarge too well from here, but in the previous link they will.

Grand Turk Island, The Turks & CaicosSt. Thomas, U.S. Virgin IslandsFort of San Juan, Puerto RicoThe Boys, Ziplining in the Rainforest, Puerto RicoJim, happy dancing for his pain-free wife!Me, living a pain free life!!!