Hi all,well can't believe i'l be 4 weeks post op on thursday.
Feeling well in myself.
Back pain that i had pre op has gone and the constant sweats i was getting through pain and discomfort have ceased too.
Im still using two walking sticks as i still have some swelling and op pain which i hope will ease as time goes on.
Have pulled my rib area and under left arm through overdoing it with going up and downstairs using walking sticks.So am struggling now to get about.im still doing bed exercise and walking around my home as much as possible but get tired.Am trying to get a balance between exercise and rest.Am i expecting too much?
A glass can be half full, half empty or too small. So, I guess it all depends on how you feel. More importantly: What your body is telling you.
Our recoveries vary on so many factors:
Approach, age, health, other medical factors (previous conditions as well as complications from the surgery), support system, professional advice but to name a few elements.
You have undergone major trauma. To put that in context, if you had "just" broken your leg, you would be in a cast for 6 weeks before you could do anything.
Take your time as, the stronger foundations you can lay in the beginning, the stronger the body will be in the future.
It sounds like you are doing well Michael. It's good to have expectations as long as you can accept that you may not reach them. Plus you hurt yourself by doing too much on the crutches but now you know when your rib is better you'll be more cautious.
I agree with previous comments - You are doing great and yes, expecting too much probably - These weeks are so interesting .. we can do more, feel better, challenge ourselves and then wham !!! feels like a set back -
Healing is taking a lot of energy - and you are still early in the recovery - all still very fragile -
Have you seen the THR video on youtube? not for the weak of stomach but, to me, an eye-opener - I did not know the extend of this major surgery ..
That balance is hard to get isn't it? You're feeling great - you want to do more, you overdo it, make those healing tissues sore and you feel a big, fat failure. A year it takes Michael, a whole year to heal from this operation so 4 weeks is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Be kind to yourself, slow and steady is the way to go.
I see our different recoveries as all having one common denominator - our healing is tidal.
It doesn't matter what we are all doing at different weeks (healing is only relevent to us as individuals) but what I have learned is that we do a bit, we do a bit more and then we retreat to the sofa for a rest and then we do a bit more again.
I will be 5 weeks post op on Friday and am 8 months post op from my first hip. I presumed that, apart from mental preparation, it was going to be tougher this time. My first new hip is still only a baby and with so much pain in my 'waiting' hip I couldn't guage how it was doing.
At nearly five weeks now I am amazed at how strong the first hip is and my recovery has been good. I had a drive down the (private) road yesterday and walked slowly to our local shop and back. In the afternoon I rested on the sofa with a film.
Can I just suggest that when you go upstairs you may find it easier to use one stick and the handrail. It sounds as if you are damaging yourself by relying on the sticks which are probably in the wrong position - just a suggestion.