Post-surgery Week 9

For the complete story please review my previous blogs on this subject:

The surgery
Post-surgery Week 1
Post-surgery Week 2
Post-surgery Week 3
Post-surgery Week 4
Post-surgery Week 5
Post-surgery Week 6
Post-surgery Week 7
Post-surgery Week 8

Week 9

Day 57 (Thurs) – I’ve felt pretty good this week.  I know the physical therapy is really helping me get stronger but unfortunately I also know I’ve a long way to go.  I’m looking forward to what tomorrow’s PT session brings.

Day 58 (Fri) – Physical Therapy was pretty fun this time (a little annoying too):  We added two new exercises and I had localized A.R.T. and massage session on my left IT band.  The physical therapist who worked on my leg today actually surprised me by saying that my primary PT had instructed her to work on the IT specifically because he’d noticed it being very tight back in the beginning of the month.  I need to add some stretches and foam rolling to help get that IT to relax. 

I met Charlene after my PT session; to get to packet pick up for the Danny Gans Memorial 5k race and to get our weekly grocery shopping trip done.  One of our local track club members was at the store where packet pick up was being held:  Seeing and talking to him reminded me to appreciate my surgeon and my good fortune of the repairs he’s done for me on this left hip.  The track club member had hip surgery quite a long time before I received mine and he’s still moving very painfully and awkwardly.  I wish him the best and I hope my recovery continues to go well (and completely).

Day 59 (Sat) – My routine lately has been to get up early, check my email, log into my ChiRunning lessons, watch the lesson and download the audio lesson, and then head out for an running/walking even with my sister.  I enjoy this routine; it engages my mind and body, and it helps me focus my mental energies somewhere other than inward.  This morning’s ChiRunning class was to teach us about stabilizing and relaxing our shoulders while walking and running.  Keeping your shoulders stable keeps you from expending extra energy and it helps keep your balance control in your hips (in your core).  With my walking and running style, the mental focus of “feeling” of being pulled from my sternum is a great fit.  I put it to practice in today’s race; it felt perfect especially traversing the bridge over Interstate 15.

This morning’s racing event was the Danny Gans Memorial 5k and 1 mile walk/run.  I had my concerns about the weather with all of the rain and cool temps but it turned out pretty darn good.  My sister Charlene, my nephew Eli, and I arrived early so we didn’t have to stress over parking and so we had plenty of time to get warmed up.  I took advantage of the shopping center’s open air layout to weave between buildings as well as walk up and down stairs to the second story stores.  I need this warm up time to ensure I don’t strain my recovering hip and core muscles; it also lets me listen to my ChiRunning/walking audio lesson (via the file I’d downloaded to my phone) and practice the lesson I’d be applying.  I’ve run this particular route many times with other races so I knew what was coming and could sink into my lesson and enjoy the activity.  I set myself a stronger pace than at last week’s Operation Jack walk, shooting for anything less than 15 minutes per mile (I even passed a few people, whoohoo).  I did have a moment of concern when we came to a hairpin turn; my left thigh’s abductor muscle spiked an instant of pain and felt very weak.  Once I competed the turn and began a more balanced straight walk the pain and weakness didn’t continue or return.  I need to remember to tell the Physical Therapist about that.   My sister, who finished long before me (and took 3^rd place Female masters), met me at the 3 mile mark to complete the final .1 miles with me.  I should have appreciated it more, we’ve done as much for each other many times, but I was still very much focused on my ChiWalking lessons and maintaining a good pace.  I ended up finishing with a 14:30 pace which was a full minute per mile faster than my previous race, I’m cool with that.   

After I took my family home and returned to mine I felt very restless and a bit irritated.  To expend some of that extra energy I got back into my race clothes, strapped on a pair of my retired Altras and headed out to the local mountains for a fast paced trail walk.  Applying ChiWalking disciplines to rough trail walking is quite a challenge but fun too.

Day 60 (Sun) – The recovery period is nearly complete, just 30 more days to go.  I feel that my patience is being tested more by not being able to run in these races more than it is by the various aches and pains I still have.  I try to put aside what I could do at the beginning of the year; I’m not that runner anymore.  This process, and the one to come, has changed me in ways that I’ll have to learn.  On the positive side I have a lot of training to fall back on but I can’t ignore that my body has been irrevocably altered.  What the future brings, who knows.  I hope that I become a better runner from this (and a faster one); it’s why I am going through all of this. 

 

Day 61 (Mon) – The best part of a work day is when you’re so busy you don’t notice the passage of time.  The worst part of a work day when you’re recovering from hip surgery is when you get so busy that you can’t get up at least once an hour to walk around and stretch cramped muscles out.  Thank goodness for home physical therapy.  

Day 62 (Tue) – My left knee felt uncomfortable today, thanks to the tight IT band.  The inner part of my knee has ached periodically through this recovery period but I hadn’t mentally tied it in to the IT band.  I’m not running but I am learning.  I had another busy day at work so I didn’t get a lot of walking in again; the best walking session was after work on the way to the bus stop.

Day 63 (Wed) – I had a follow up appointment with my company’s medical facility, at the work site.  They wanted to know how my recovery was progressing, if they needed to advocate for me with my boss in case I needed relief from work activities, and they wanted to know if there was anything they could do for me to help in general.  It’s nice to have that level of support at work, especially so far from home.  The company doctor that visited with me did take the opportunity to tell me (again) how much he loves having had his hip replaced and how good it feels for him now.  I’m very happy for him but I’m hoping that these surgeries I’m having will allow me to keep all of my original parts for the balance of my life.

ChiRunning Online School 

Post-surgery Week 8

For the complete story please review my previous blogs on this subject:

The Surgery
Post-surgery Week 1
Post-surgery Week 2
Post-surgery Week 3
Post-surgery Week 4
Post-surgery Week 5
Post-surgery Week 6
Post-surgery Week 7

Week 8

Day 50 (Thurs) – While I’m not close to running again, I think I am getting closer to being healthy and whole.  I find myself passing the days without having to be attentive to how I move or how I walk:  I can’t quite take walking and moving for granted but it is closer. 

I think that I am at the point where I won’t see a lot of big or obvious changes going forward, everything will probably be subtle and quietly sneak up on me.  I know that I will have minor aches and pains which will come and go, I’ll feel strong some days and weak others, but that’s just kind of “life”.  Returning to a sense of normalcy is good in my mind, so long as I also continue to learn and improve myself.

Everything I’m doing now is so close to how it felt while I was marathon training, except the running part.  The hardest part to deal with is I feel so close to being healthy that I want to run, just lean into it and feel the air rush around me.  Of course I won’t do it:  I may feel that I’m ready but I know my body isn’t.  I also won’t go against my doctor’s orders just to fulfill my own desires.  Just because you “want” something doesn’t mean it’s something you actually need or that it’s truly in your best interest.  Better to be left wanting sometimes than to cause more damage.  I guess I’ve entered the 40 days of frustration period of my recovery.  Heh

Day 51 (Fri) – I had physical therapy today.  You wouldn’t think I look forward to going to these PT sessions but I do:  It gives me a measurable example of my progress in recovery.  Today was another positive step forward; I was given a few new exercises to do, we increased weight on a few of the existing ones, and the physical therapist gave me an A.R.T. session (A.R.T. means Active Release Therapy). 

I picked up my sister after the sessions, since my PT facility is only a few minutes from her house.  We went out to get some grocery shopping done and then have a nice lunch.  It’s nice to get back to the old race routines like this; an easy relaxing day before the coming stress.

I called it an early day after that due to the race tomorrow, even walking it is going to be a big push for me.

Day 52 (Sat) – Today was the Operation Jack Elimination Challenge and 3 hour Challenge.  Though I signed up for the 3 hour challenge I knew I wasn’t going to try walking for that long; I didn’t even want to be out there that long.   

I was able to walk for 1.5 hours (including a 10 minute rest break) and racked up a little over 5 miles.  That’s my longest “single” walk since before my surgery.  The real treat was that I finished with an average pace of approximately 15:30 min/mi.   I’m pleased with that especially with the design of the race location. 

The race was held at the Kellogg-Zaher Sport Park, around the many soccer fields on a nice paved track for pedestrians and bicyclists.  The track is laid out as a big loop, literally up one side of the various fields and then down the other.  The elevation difference is only 100 feet from the top of the loop to the bottom but at 8 tenths of a mile for each up and down it was a good challenge for me.

Thankfully, my ChiRunning lesson today really helped me walk that long and far.  The lesson was about not using your legs to try powering through a walk or run; you should be using your mind and gravity.  I definitely couldn’t have powered through today’s event, especially for such a long walk so soon after getting off of crutches.  I let my lessons in ChiWalking help me establish and maintain good form, coupled with the right amount of leaning to use gravity I was able to go much further than I could have by trying to push through. 

The Top of my right calf started to cramp this afternoon after I got back home.  I thought I’d had enough water while walking and after but evidently not.  It was much hotter this morning than I thought while on the course, that and extended exercise really irked my calves.  Hopefully ice, stretching and essential oils will deal with the muscle pain before it goes too far. 

 

Day 53 (Sun) – I’m happy to say that there isn’t much to say about today:  I stayed home all day and relaxed.  The only things I did, other than riding my exercise bike, were laundry and watch football. 

I did give some extra attention to my cramping calves; they seized up a lot overnight.  I massaged them with essential oils again, stretched them both out as much as I could, and treated them with Heat and Ice.  I also drank a lot of electrolyte fluids as well as took electrolyte pills.  It all helped a little over the course of the day but man this stuff hurts.

Day 54 (Mon) – It’s difficult to appreciate how much (and how little) 20 pounds is until you have to start counting water bottles and salad mix for work, just to be sure you don’t exceed the limits your doctor has set while you recover.  Just so you know; a 1 liter bottle of Seltzer Water (unopened) weighs 2.5 pounds.

While thinking about my pesky calf pain I realized today that my left hip and leg feel very good right now.  I haven’t been feeling any odd aches or phantom pains, I’ve felt pretty normal.  I haven’t even felt a need to ice them, other than after the long walk on Saturday and that’s just standard race practice for me.  Saturday’s long walk didn’t leave me sore or weak at all.  My biggest problem right now is the lingering cramping in my calves.  I’ll take that progress. 

Day 55 (Tue) – I walked around my building quite a bit today, in hopes of working the tightness out of my calves.  I even did a backwards loop once to change the muscle groups and use.  The walks felt good, except the darn calves.  They actually ache more at rest than they do while walking: They’re at their most painful when I change from sitting to standing.  I wish the calf cramps would release and just go away; thankfully it hasn’t affected my hip. 

I’ve been using my ChiWalking techniques, even for short talks, to ensure I don’t walk funny just to favor the sore muscles.  At the moment the only thing that my calves are interfering with is my ability to stretch out the left hip.

Day 56 (Wed) – Week 8 is behind me now, only 4 more to go (Plus a few days).  I feel mostly positive and healthy after all this time.  Granted, I’ve had my days (I’ll have more, it’s just life) of being down but they don’t define me or how I feel about this entire process.  I’m getting stronger, I like that.

I feel like my hip needs to pop; no way I’ll do that though, not at all comfortable with the idea. 

I’m always analyzing how I feel and what makes me tick, it’s a habit.  I noticed this week that my left foot is starting to go pigeon toed again.  I was pigeon toed as a child but I trained myself out of it during my preteen/teen years.  Now I’m wondering if my femur defects caused me to be pigeon toed to start with.  Twisted femurs are one reason people become pigeon toed.  While my femur wasn’t twisted it was improperly shaped and therefore didn’t move correctly.  I’m going to have to train that out of myself again.  Oh joy.

I had my body fat was measured at work today as part of a general health assessment.  Our insurance company requires a basic physical (including blood work) every year so we can maintain a “Discounted” enrollment rate.  We’re not stupid enough to believe that, the insurance company is actually threatening to raise our rates if we don’t give them what they want.  The machine our medical clinic uses reported that my body fat is currently at 5.6%.  That was rather surprising: Humans need between 2 to 5% body fat to live and function, elite athletes are between 6 and 13%.  My body fat measured low last year but I’d been marathon training for almost 3 straight years, it wasn’t really surprising.  Now that I’ve been down for essentially 8 months I expected it to be much higher:  I need it to be a little higher, I’ve literally no fat reserves to help my body fuel its own recovery.  In the future, when I begin running and training again, I’ll have to take this into account for my run fueling strategy.  I initially trained myself to run using my fat reserves as fuel, I don’t have those anymore.

ChiRunning School web page 

Post-surgery Week 7

For the complete story please review my previous blogs on this subject:

The Surgery
Post-surgery Week 1
Post-surgery Week 2
Post-surgery Week 3
Post-surgery Week 4
Post-surgery Week 5
Post-surgery Week 6



Week 7

Day 43 (Thur) – I intentionally walked around the office stiff legged today, to test the hip movement and to make sure I remember what it feels like to fully extend the leg.  It seemed like a goofy thing to worry about but when you don’t use a limb for a month nothing really feels right when you start up again.  I also noticed today that I have some hip discomfort when I walk backwards; I need to work on that.  It’s because walking backwards stretches the hip flexors I’ve no doubt.
Day 44 (Fri) – Today was fun at PT:  We changed the routine to include more machine/weight based exercises and less of the body weight ones.  The Physical Therapist seemed pleased with my progress in strength and flexibility (though it’s not exactly by the book since I do more at home than in the office).  When testing my range of motion we discovered that my left quad was very tight.  He had to spend a few extra minutes working on it to improve the range of motion.  I will definitely have to pay extra attention to stretching going forward. 
I bought some exercise gear on the way home; a tube based resistance system for at house use, an inflated balance disk for balance training (already had one my sister loaned me), and a movie (to exercise my imagination.  Heh).  I weighed myself today:  I’m down almost 3 pounds since the day of surgery.  I am very sure that the weight loss is actually due to muscle loss along with a little fat gain as opposed to weight/fat loss; I feel soft and my waistline has expanded.  I was rather pleased all evening that my leg/hip felt really good all day long, and I was moving better, after the morning’s physical therapy session.
Day 45 (Sat) – I didn’t tell anyone ahead of time but I had a little “personal” adventure planned for this morning:  I woke up reasonably early, got dressed, watched and practiced my ChiRunning lesson 2, and then went to Wayne Bunker Park for a 2 mile walk.  It would double last week’s long walk but I knew I could do it.  I didn’t know how comfortable I would or wouldn’t be in the process but I knew I could accomplish the task. 
The first mile felt very good; It easy to maintain focus on my ChiWalking form (keeping the crown of my head tall and my back straight but relaxed) and moving from my center/core (called the lower Dantain or energy center in the martial practice t’ai chi).  The second mile wasn’t easy but I was able to refocus every time I felt myself drifting and adjust my form when I felt areas of discomfort. 
The park setting and weather were so comfortable and peaceful that I really felt an emotional and mental release of stress.  We don’t find nearly enough of those moments in life.

Day 46 (Sun) – I felt a little restless this morning while cleaning around the house so I hopped on the exercise bike for 20 minutes, stretched out, and then spent 3 minutes balancing on the stability disks.  I think part of me wanted another day like yesterday but that moment was passed.  The exercise was good enough to settle me down for the rest of the day. 
I realized this afternoon that I’m still sometimes looking for my crutches when I get out of my recliner.  It was rather amusing to catch myself doing that, 30 days of a repetitive action really does create a habit.  hah
Day 47 (Mon) – I worried this morning that I’d hurt myself by carrying too much weight from the bus stop to my office with a full backpack and a heavy lunch bag, the outside of my left hip ached all day long.  I think it’s more likely to be a result of the stormy weather though; my left arm does the same thing.  It’s hard to fight off these worries and doubts, constantly worrying that some phantom pain is a signal that I’ve hurt myself again.  I’ve gone through this before with my left arm, the humerus was crushed near the end of 2000 when I rolled my pickup truck in Idaho.  I had several years of worry about damaging it again every time I lifted something heavy or landed heavily on it.  It was a valid worry during the initial months of recovery, sure, that was why the doctor restricted how much I lifted.  After he lifted all restrictions the bone was just as safe as all the other bones in my body.  Now, with the labrum and bone repairs in my hip, I find myself developing the same types of worries.  I’m pretty careful to follow the doctor’s orders and restrictions but when I push the envelope these things start creeping into my head.  I’ll control these worries but I’m certainly not looking forward to them, especially when I try to live a normal life again. 
It’s so tempting to defy instructions while doing my exercise walks:  I just want to lean a tiny bit more, to move beyond my ChiWalking, and start to run.  I know I have to be patient, it’s much too soon to subject my hip to that kind of pressure.  In fact, my body is very quick to remind me that I can’t handle it just yet:  While walking to the bus stop tonight I stumbled over something and had to take a hurried step forward to catch myself, my knee and hip both almost gave out.
Day 48 (Tue) – I have to wonder if my pronation habits have changed:  One of the lingering issues I’ve had since being allowed to walk without crutches is that my left foot begins to ache quickly where the toes bend when stepping forward.  Today I paid special attention to how I walked, how my foot moved, and landed.  I felt as though I were pushing off more on the outside of the foot rather than the entirety of it.  I will try to make sure the way I bend the foot and lift it off the ground is more evenly used by being sure I feel the big toe during the process.    It’s really hard to tell if I’m right or wrong in this but I need to trust my instincts.
Day 49 (Wed) – Week 7 done and gone, how time flies; I even forget sometimes that it’s only been a little over 2 weeks that I’ve been allowed walk without the use of crutches. 
I know I have a lot of healing yet to do, and a lot of strength to regain, but it’s hard to not be impatient.  It’s also hard to face how much longer I have to go through the frustration and ever-changing aches and pains.  I’m usually pretty good at taking the world as it comes at me, especially since so much is beyond my control, some days I’d just rather have the easy route before me rather than the long climb.  Still, this is the way life is and it’s what I must live with. 
I have to laugh at myself knowing that I’m going to do this to myself again.

ChiRunning School web page