How can you not be happy on a beautiful day like today? I'm not sure what happened this morning but I woke up and I just felt great. Maybe even a little hyperactive. All a little strange really. I reinforced the hyper with a little caffeine and I think that the proper adjective for me this afternoon is 'bouncy'. Not that I'm jumping around the office this afternoon (still a little while before the femurs will like that), but I was jumping around the pool this morning. I had a good session today and spent an extra half hour in the pool literally jumping around. I'm wondering if the muscles will ache a little tomorrow. It will be a good ache, so I'll accept it gratefully! (Well there may be minor whinging if it's really bad but in a positive and amazed way!)
It's starting to feel like the more I do, the more I can do. I've never felt like that before. It was always the more I do, the more I have to figure out what I can not do to balance it out. I'm sure that at some point there will be a wall that I will fly into head first and I find what my new limits are. They are moving so quickly at the moment, I'm not really keeping up with them which is why it seems like I can keep going forever at the moment.
I'm at work at the moment, having a little afternoon break while my printer goes to work. It's been a good day here too. I'm slowly starting to take on more work and getting on top of the handover from the previous person looking after a lot of it. It has been a big week so far and I'm just half way through. I'm likely to have a few more big days this week and I'm actually ready for them.
Showing posts with label Hydro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hydro. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Progress Update
This morning I got out of the pool using the steps. This wasn't something that I could do pre-op so it's a pretty big step (literally and figuratively!). I led with the left which is the side with the greater range. I did need to pull up a little with my arms until my right foot was about 30 cm from the pool floor. From that point on, there was more weight through the left leg to bring the right side up. I went up step at a time with the same side so the next goal will be to alternate and then to start with the right leg up.
Next week I'm going to start pilates again. I was cleared by my physio to do this a couple of weeks ago but I wasn't quite ready for the getting up and down off the floor. The actual exercises I was and am looking forward to. It means that I'll probably miss out on hydro for a week or two while I realign all my appointment times to fit everything in. I'll still go to the pool on its new day - it will just be on my own until everything fits together properly.
Next week I'm going to start pilates again. I was cleared by my physio to do this a couple of weeks ago but I wasn't quite ready for the getting up and down off the floor. The actual exercises I was and am looking forward to. It means that I'll probably miss out on hydro for a week or two while I realign all my appointment times to fit everything in. I'll still go to the pool on its new day - it will just be on my own until everything fits together properly.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hip Flexion Ranges
I realised something on Friday at hydro that I forgot to mention. I have been a bit hard on myself about my hip flexion ranges and how slowly they are moving now. On Friday, I tried to get out of the pool using the step ladder, which I knew I couldn't but I wanted to try anyway. I was about an inch off. I remembered that a few weeks before I went into surgery, we had to use the outside pool and it doesn't have a ramp. Reese had to help me get out of the pool because I couldn't do it then. This is good news to me.
It will be interesting to see if I'm still on that plateau or whether the ranges have increased again. I'll try again each week to see if I'm any closer to that bottom step. I'll have to figure out the range next time so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm aiming towards.
It will be interesting to see if I'm still on that plateau or whether the ranges have increased again. I'll try again each week to see if I'm any closer to that bottom step. I'll have to figure out the range next time so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm aiming towards.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Back to work planning
Today I went into my old office to plan going back. This is a little bit more complicated than just going back to work since I don't really have a full time job to go back to. This was one of the reasons that we decided to have the operation now. There may be some opportunities to increase my work load but it really will be a case of wait and see. To start off with I am increasing my one day to three days a week and starting a new project. In a lot of ways it's good because I can go back sooner than I would had I been trying to go back to a full time position. I'm not sure I have the energy yet for a full time job as well as the rehabilitation exercises that I still need to do. The positive side of this arrangement is that I have all week to get everything done. About 25% of it needs to be done by Wednesday and ideally I would have it all finished by then but I do have some room to juggle things around a bit. The juggling room will let me make sure that I get all of my exercises done. I know that I have more activity on the days that I go out but this doesn't cover all of the muscles that really need to be worked each day. I've heard stories of people that don't continue with the rehab and are limited because of it.
I'm at 10 weeks post op tomorrow. Statistically 80% of the improvements happen within the first 12 weeks, so I really need to make sure that I follow the program and stretch it out. I guess it is all averages out though and there are a lot of people's stories that I have read who are up an walking a few miles within a month. Surely that has to sway things the other way a bit and I'm just on the other side right? The ones that still see steady improvement over a longer period of time in the beginning.
I'm not sure if it is my imagination or whether there are some real changes in the last few days. I'll ask Reese when I see him at hydro in the morning. Today I felt good so I know that I can push a little bit more in the session tomorrow. The knot in my shoulder has almost worked it's way out and my burn doesn't hurt anymore so it's been a good day.
I'm at 10 weeks post op tomorrow. Statistically 80% of the improvements happen within the first 12 weeks, so I really need to make sure that I follow the program and stretch it out. I guess it is all averages out though and there are a lot of people's stories that I have read who are up an walking a few miles within a month. Surely that has to sway things the other way a bit and I'm just on the other side right? The ones that still see steady improvement over a longer period of time in the beginning.
I'm not sure if it is my imagination or whether there are some real changes in the last few days. I'll ask Reese when I see him at hydro in the morning. Today I felt good so I know that I can push a little bit more in the session tomorrow. The knot in my shoulder has almost worked it's way out and my burn doesn't hurt anymore so it's been a good day.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Back to Hydro
Now that I am back driving, I've started hydrotherapy again.
The weather is cold but the pool is inside and the water is heated.
The session was awesome. The feeling of walking in the water is amazing. The movement is fluid, there is no joint pain and it really does give me an idea of what things will be like on land very soon. I'm due to go back again on Friday. I'm going to have a break from the pool tomorrow and head into my office and organise when I'm going back to work a few more hours each week. I'm hoping to soon be strong enough to go to the pool each morning for an hour and then head into the office for a few hours each day.
I think that the pool exercise will help get to the next level of strength and ability pretty quickly. We started off pretty slow with marching laps forward, backwards, sideways. There was also bicycle like exercises and heaps of stretching. I also got to jump which was pretty cool. I was in the water for an hour today and felt really good when I got out. I'm not sure if the muscles will be a bit tired still tomorrow but they are doing pretty well at the moment.
I have managed to get a knot in my shoulder which I am trying to work out using a trigger point ball. That's pretty much the only thing that hurts and I have absolutely no idea how I've done it. Between that knot and a burn on my finger (stupid cooking accident) it really does look like things are getting back to normal!
The weather is cold but the pool is inside and the water is heated.
The session was awesome. The feeling of walking in the water is amazing. The movement is fluid, there is no joint pain and it really does give me an idea of what things will be like on land very soon. I'm due to go back again on Friday. I'm going to have a break from the pool tomorrow and head into my office and organise when I'm going back to work a few more hours each week. I'm hoping to soon be strong enough to go to the pool each morning for an hour and then head into the office for a few hours each day.
I think that the pool exercise will help get to the next level of strength and ability pretty quickly. We started off pretty slow with marching laps forward, backwards, sideways. There was also bicycle like exercises and heaps of stretching. I also got to jump which was pretty cool. I was in the water for an hour today and felt really good when I got out. I'm not sure if the muscles will be a bit tired still tomorrow but they are doing pretty well at the moment.
I have managed to get a knot in my shoulder which I am trying to work out using a trigger point ball. That's pretty much the only thing that hurts and I have absolutely no idea how I've done it. Between that knot and a burn on my finger (stupid cooking accident) it really does look like things are getting back to normal!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
One Month Post Op: Home for two days
Wow, what a relief to actually be here. I'm tired and it's still difficult to do day to day activities but I am finding ways to do what I need to do. I'm finding that these activities are achievable and slowly getting easier for me.
This morning I sorted out my cereal for breakfast, a cup of water and the pills that I would need to eat after and sat down in the sitting room to eat it - all on my own. It may seem like such a little thing to some but there is an effort and thought required to put all the pieces of the process together. The first thing that needs to be done is to find somewhere near the wheelie walker to put the crutches where I can reach both and they won't fall over. The reason I need the wheelie walker is that when you are using two crutches you can't use your hands to carry anything which is required if you don't want to eat at the kitchen bench. Then it's a case of getting everything you need: a bowl, a cup, the cereal, the milk, the pills. You need to be able to sort out obstacles, like moving the stool that you left in front of the pantry door last night so that you can actually get the cereal out. Set it all up and then put the cereal and milk away again. Then it's get the wheelie walker carefully over the little tiled lip between the kitchen and the sitting room without spilling anything. Getting into the chair getting close enough with the walker so you can still reach everything once you have sit down and then doing the reverse and getting things all away again.
Real food is such a wonderful thing. Even if it is just my choice of cereal. It has been so much more than that since I've been home though! My husband cooked my favourite risotto the day I came home (chorizo, mushroom and baby spinach). I got to be a helper and instructor. I think that my husband will soon weary of the instructor component and will be more comfortable with me navigating the kitchen and preparing meals again. I've also had real salads, grainy bread and cereals and even toasted hot cross buns (they were frozen for my return home since I missed out on easter - and frankly missed out on hot toasted bakery/bread items in hospital). There are real green beans in the fridge (not icky overcooked frozen ones) and other fresh vegetables that I'm looking forward to in the next couple of days. My tummy is so much happier. I am so in love with real food! (I am a little curious as to whether I came home with any vitamin deficiencies. I didn't get any final bloods taken and I'm not that curious I want to brave a trip to the doctors just yet, so I will just have to wonder)
Day to day at home is more exercise than in the hospital. Activities like breakfast take time and energy to co-ordinate and our house is larger than the hospital room and immediate area that I used regularly while I was in hospital. Even going to the bathroom is more exercise as it's a far longer walk from anywhere I am likely to be inside the house. I've also tried to add the exercises that I have to do into my day to day activities so that I am getting more in. This means that when I'm on my way back from the bathroom, I might do leg lifts at the basin (it's on a solid base and fixed - I'm not going anywhere hanging onto that) or maybe squats. The trip back to where ever I was in the house has to be the long way - past each end of the house, even if I don't need anything from there. I figure that the more that I add in, the more activity I'll have and the quicker recovery will be. I'm ready to be fixed already. I really have had enough of being so reliant on others, though realistically I know I have a little while to go before I'm going to be completely independent.
I am going to have my PT come in twice a week to start off with and we will see how I go in adding to my program as I progress further. I'm hoping to be confident enough to go to the hydro pool in a couple of weeks as well. I've been cleared by the rehab doctor for this but I'm not quite ready for public yet as the walk to the pool from the entrance is reasonably long compared with the distances that I have been walking in one go at the moment. I have a fear of being pushed over and there are always millions of kids at this pool that you need to pass to get to the ramp to get in - I'm sure that as I get stronger this will pass and in the meantime I'll find creative ways to maximise the exercise. My PT is gong to check out some other pools in the area to see if any of the others have a set up which will be a little easier/safer for me until I have a bit more confidence.
It's almost time to start to figure out dinner again. One thing hospital has done to me is make me hungry for dinner much earlier than normal. Not sure what it will be for dinner yet but I can assure you it will be awesome!
This morning I sorted out my cereal for breakfast, a cup of water and the pills that I would need to eat after and sat down in the sitting room to eat it - all on my own. It may seem like such a little thing to some but there is an effort and thought required to put all the pieces of the process together. The first thing that needs to be done is to find somewhere near the wheelie walker to put the crutches where I can reach both and they won't fall over. The reason I need the wheelie walker is that when you are using two crutches you can't use your hands to carry anything which is required if you don't want to eat at the kitchen bench. Then it's a case of getting everything you need: a bowl, a cup, the cereal, the milk, the pills. You need to be able to sort out obstacles, like moving the stool that you left in front of the pantry door last night so that you can actually get the cereal out. Set it all up and then put the cereal and milk away again. Then it's get the wheelie walker carefully over the little tiled lip between the kitchen and the sitting room without spilling anything. Getting into the chair getting close enough with the walker so you can still reach everything once you have sit down and then doing the reverse and getting things all away again.
Real food is such a wonderful thing. Even if it is just my choice of cereal. It has been so much more than that since I've been home though! My husband cooked my favourite risotto the day I came home (chorizo, mushroom and baby spinach). I got to be a helper and instructor. I think that my husband will soon weary of the instructor component and will be more comfortable with me navigating the kitchen and preparing meals again. I've also had real salads, grainy bread and cereals and even toasted hot cross buns (they were frozen for my return home since I missed out on easter - and frankly missed out on hot toasted bakery/bread items in hospital). There are real green beans in the fridge (not icky overcooked frozen ones) and other fresh vegetables that I'm looking forward to in the next couple of days. My tummy is so much happier. I am so in love with real food! (I am a little curious as to whether I came home with any vitamin deficiencies. I didn't get any final bloods taken and I'm not that curious I want to brave a trip to the doctors just yet, so I will just have to wonder)
Day to day at home is more exercise than in the hospital. Activities like breakfast take time and energy to co-ordinate and our house is larger than the hospital room and immediate area that I used regularly while I was in hospital. Even going to the bathroom is more exercise as it's a far longer walk from anywhere I am likely to be inside the house. I've also tried to add the exercises that I have to do into my day to day activities so that I am getting more in. This means that when I'm on my way back from the bathroom, I might do leg lifts at the basin (it's on a solid base and fixed - I'm not going anywhere hanging onto that) or maybe squats. The trip back to where ever I was in the house has to be the long way - past each end of the house, even if I don't need anything from there. I figure that the more that I add in, the more activity I'll have and the quicker recovery will be. I'm ready to be fixed already. I really have had enough of being so reliant on others, though realistically I know I have a little while to go before I'm going to be completely independent.
I am going to have my PT come in twice a week to start off with and we will see how I go in adding to my program as I progress further. I'm hoping to be confident enough to go to the hydro pool in a couple of weeks as well. I've been cleared by the rehab doctor for this but I'm not quite ready for public yet as the walk to the pool from the entrance is reasonably long compared with the distances that I have been walking in one go at the moment. I have a fear of being pushed over and there are always millions of kids at this pool that you need to pass to get to the ramp to get in - I'm sure that as I get stronger this will pass and in the meantime I'll find creative ways to maximise the exercise. My PT is gong to check out some other pools in the area to see if any of the others have a set up which will be a little easier/safer for me until I have a bit more confidence.
It's almost time to start to figure out dinner again. One thing hospital has done to me is make me hungry for dinner much earlier than normal. Not sure what it will be for dinner yet but I can assure you it will be awesome!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Two days to go
I woke up sore and tired again this morning after a restless night. I think that it may well be a conspiracy to take you off medication before an op like this. Maybe it has nothing to do with blood thinning properties, more that they want you to remember how bad it can possibly get before they put you in and fix it up. Kind of like under promising and over delivering.
At least I woke up mentally positive. There are two days to go and then the physical stuff will at least be on the mend, permanently and I'll have much better pain management meds too :) A little nervous about how much I might need them but overall positive. I'm hoping that the visible improvements that I will see and knowing that there is an actual end date for the surgical pain will be enough to help overcome the pain hurdles. I've been told that you shouldn't be a hero with pain meds and don't let it get to the point where you can't handle it anymore as it takes time then to get it under control. It's very different from the 'tough it out' attitude that many of us learn and live with. The other tip that I got was to use pain meds about twenty minutes before the physio arrives.
I had hydro this morning and that helped loosen things up a bit and I felt a bit better after that. It was the last session before surgery and was a little bit slower than what we were doing last week. I'm generally just a little bit slower at the moment. Thankfully there isn't really a need to speed it up - so it isn't too much of an issue. Not sure that I could have handled another full work day today so it's just as well that I finished things yesterday. Being finished and not completely up to my regular activities on Wednesday, I had changed the hydro until today from Monday and am skipping the last pilates slot as I really didn't think I'd be up to it today. Unfortunately I was right, though at least I was prepared and got to make the most of the time and feel better for it.
Instead of pilates, I went visiting and took cake with me. It's nice to be free to do things like that when the mood strikes you. I got a chocolate cake from the bakery down the street that I haven't been before and it was truly awesome. I haven't had a huge amount of sugar lately so the sugar rush was a little weird but also awesome. (I must admit after my long haul work day yesterday I did have a Coca Cola in a glass bottle which was freaking amazing - though I think that it may well have unlocked the sweet tooth as I also had a little hallow easter egg tonight too which hubby brought back with him from Melbourne - it was awesome too. There are still five left which I am trying to stay away from so I can have some later but they looooook at me saying eat meeeeee! We did have lots of veges for dinner and I'll need to make sure I eat lots of good nutrients tomorrow to prepare for fast healing and healthy red blood but chocolate today is all good since I've been getting all the good nutrients for a while now when I started the prep about a few weeks before the blog :)
The day didn't step up a notch at all. It stayed at the same cruisey pace and culminated in an afternoon nap which was awesome. Think I managed to be completely out for about an hour and a half which is probably a longer stretch than I managed all night last night so I was pretty happy with that.
The evening was pretty low stress too. Visit from my sister and her fiance and I got presents :) Not sure what is in there, they are special ones marked with different times during my hospital visit to keep me occupied . Very sweet and very cool (and oddly heavy so I am quite curious) :) I'll keep you posted on that one.
The big decision of the day is whether or not to upgrade from my beloved kobo to the kindle
for my hospital reading. The reason that I am seriously considering it is the fact that the books that I want to read while I'm recovering are twice the price in the format for the kobo than the kindle and the kindle has access to more books and it has the wireless and 3G access so doesn't need to connect to a computer to get new books to read. The new kobo does the wireless thing (but not 3G so probably just as useless as not having it in hospital) so it really comes down to the cost of books. With the Aussie dollar as strong as it is at the moment it's even better for me as a consumer. (Apparently its not that great for our economy as predictions have us getting to $1.10 USD, though there is always something that isn't good for our economy, mostly lately it has been natural disasters but I digress) I do have some books to read while I make the final decision on this one.
Pretty much ready to attempt sleep again. Hopefully I'm exhausted enough to just pass out regardless if I'm comfortable or not. Wish me luck :)
[edit: The kindle is on its way! 7 April, 2011]
At least I woke up mentally positive. There are two days to go and then the physical stuff will at least be on the mend, permanently and I'll have much better pain management meds too :) A little nervous about how much I might need them but overall positive. I'm hoping that the visible improvements that I will see and knowing that there is an actual end date for the surgical pain will be enough to help overcome the pain hurdles. I've been told that you shouldn't be a hero with pain meds and don't let it get to the point where you can't handle it anymore as it takes time then to get it under control. It's very different from the 'tough it out' attitude that many of us learn and live with. The other tip that I got was to use pain meds about twenty minutes before the physio arrives.
I had hydro this morning and that helped loosen things up a bit and I felt a bit better after that. It was the last session before surgery and was a little bit slower than what we were doing last week. I'm generally just a little bit slower at the moment. Thankfully there isn't really a need to speed it up - so it isn't too much of an issue. Not sure that I could have handled another full work day today so it's just as well that I finished things yesterday. Being finished and not completely up to my regular activities on Wednesday, I had changed the hydro until today from Monday and am skipping the last pilates slot as I really didn't think I'd be up to it today. Unfortunately I was right, though at least I was prepared and got to make the most of the time and feel better for it.
Instead of pilates, I went visiting and took cake with me. It's nice to be free to do things like that when the mood strikes you. I got a chocolate cake from the bakery down the street that I haven't been before and it was truly awesome. I haven't had a huge amount of sugar lately so the sugar rush was a little weird but also awesome. (I must admit after my long haul work day yesterday I did have a Coca Cola in a glass bottle which was freaking amazing - though I think that it may well have unlocked the sweet tooth as I also had a little hallow easter egg tonight too which hubby brought back with him from Melbourne - it was awesome too. There are still five left which I am trying to stay away from so I can have some later but they looooook at me saying eat meeeeee! We did have lots of veges for dinner and I'll need to make sure I eat lots of good nutrients tomorrow to prepare for fast healing and healthy red blood but chocolate today is all good since I've been getting all the good nutrients for a while now when I started the prep about a few weeks before the blog :)
The day didn't step up a notch at all. It stayed at the same cruisey pace and culminated in an afternoon nap which was awesome. Think I managed to be completely out for about an hour and a half which is probably a longer stretch than I managed all night last night so I was pretty happy with that.
The evening was pretty low stress too. Visit from my sister and her fiance and I got presents :) Not sure what is in there, they are special ones marked with different times during my hospital visit to keep me occupied . Very sweet and very cool (and oddly heavy so I am quite curious) :) I'll keep you posted on that one.
The big decision of the day is whether or not to upgrade from my beloved kobo to the kindle for my hospital reading. The reason that I am seriously considering it is the fact that the books that I want to read while I'm recovering are twice the price in the format for the kobo than the kindle and the kindle has access to more books and it has the wireless and 3G access so doesn't need to connect to a computer to get new books to read. The new kobo does the wireless thing (but not 3G so probably just as useless as not having it in hospital) so it really comes down to the cost of books. With the Aussie dollar as strong as it is at the moment it's even better for me as a consumer. (Apparently its not that great for our economy as predictions have us getting to $1.10 USD, though there is always something that isn't good for our economy, mostly lately it has been natural disasters but I digress) I do have some books to read while I make the final decision on this one.Pretty much ready to attempt sleep again. Hopefully I'm exhausted enough to just pass out regardless if I'm comfortable or not. Wish me luck :)
[edit: The kindle is on its way! 7 April, 2011]
Monday, March 28, 2011
Hydro, GP Checkup and Items off the checklist
This morning started out at Hydro and I was a little bit concerned that we weren't starting off the day well when there was no parking, the hydro pool was full of little germy children and the pool outside was cold. It got progressively better though. One of the outside pools was relatively unoccupied, though cold for the first few minutes it was ok and best of all there were no children's germs. I know I have been harping on this recently, though the upset tummy late mid last week and the sore throat of the weekend has put me into a mild panic that I won't be well for next Friday and I might get bumped. I think that I might just hide away from the public for the next ten days. Unfortunately I do need to go into the office tomorrow for a while and then maybe again on Thursday for a little bit. Next Tuesday is the last office day leaving me to be able to kick back and spend some time with my husband before I go into hospital. Things have been pretty crazy in the lead up, mostly because we both need time off work for more than just a couple of days. A lot of my stuff has been 'housekeeping' type things that I've mentioned earlier (paperwork and the like).
Today's checklist included getting to the GP to get a new referral so that medicare will actually chip in for the operation, renewing a mail redirection, cleaning out some old paperwork and other old junk. Nothing exciting but things that I am unlikely going to want to do for a little while. Hell, I haven't wanted to do these tasks for the last year, the next few months is unlikely to be any different. I'm a little anxious about getting everything done, even though I am sure that some of this stuff really could be put of for a few more months. I guess I have really gotten into the idea of having a clean slate when I get home from hospital, or very soon after that time, that I am freaking out a little bit on the nearing deadline. I'm not actually sure if I am misidentifying the cause of the anxiety and it's actually about the op itself and other associated bits and pieces that is causing the anxiety. I'm not sure. I know that I am looking forward to being on the other side of the op though a general anxiety would also explain my newly acquired OCD about Germs (which really haven't bothered me too much in the past, anymore than anyone else - I do wash my hands when appropriate and take the appropriate risks) and I do realise that I am becoming a little crazy about it just as I am about the other things that aren't neatly filed away in their happy little boxes.
Back to the GP visit: the sore throat isn't anything too bad. I think that the honey, chilli and garlic, lots of water, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (not all together), have kicked it a bit. I got the doc to check it today when I was there for the referral just to help put my mind at ease and it isn't too bad. If it does get worse, I am apparently still allowed to take antibiotics and I have been given a script for that. I think I would double check with the surgeons office first just in case but I shouldn't need them so it doesn't really matter too much. The GP visit was pretty sucky as my normal doctor wasn't there and he is way cooler than the one I saw today. (He's on paternity leave - so I would be an ass to complain too much about his absence). I've only really just started to go to this clinic, I really do like this new doctor and I'm fussy. He seems interested in what is going on and is actually knowledgable about it (he does work on some orthopaedic cases though with a different surgeon - so that helps) but I really think that even if he didn't have the ortho background, he would just be one of those doctors that really takes an interest in people so even though I understood the reason why he wasn't there today, I was still a little disappointed that the replacement didn't really live up to expectation (which may well just me not relating to her as well - not a reflection on skills and abilities as a GP). It is difficult to find these doctors who not only take an interest but you also relate to and feel comfortable with. If you have been lucky in your life and got an awesome doc first go, you should be very grateful!
I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends to help me stay focused on the clean out and this afternoon post doc's appointment was actually pretty productive. I am a hoarder and even knowing this about myself, I was still surprised at just how much 'junk' I've collected over the years and carted around from one house to the next. She'll be back on Wednesday to help relieve the insanity again. We'll head off to pilates at midday and maybe get coffee on the way back home so it should be a good day. Thursday is girls night again, so all in all it will be a good week. Here's to it being a productive and stress free one as well :)
Today's checklist included getting to the GP to get a new referral so that medicare will actually chip in for the operation, renewing a mail redirection, cleaning out some old paperwork and other old junk. Nothing exciting but things that I am unlikely going to want to do for a little while. Hell, I haven't wanted to do these tasks for the last year, the next few months is unlikely to be any different. I'm a little anxious about getting everything done, even though I am sure that some of this stuff really could be put of for a few more months. I guess I have really gotten into the idea of having a clean slate when I get home from hospital, or very soon after that time, that I am freaking out a little bit on the nearing deadline. I'm not actually sure if I am misidentifying the cause of the anxiety and it's actually about the op itself and other associated bits and pieces that is causing the anxiety. I'm not sure. I know that I am looking forward to being on the other side of the op though a general anxiety would also explain my newly acquired OCD about Germs (which really haven't bothered me too much in the past, anymore than anyone else - I do wash my hands when appropriate and take the appropriate risks) and I do realise that I am becoming a little crazy about it just as I am about the other things that aren't neatly filed away in their happy little boxes.
Back to the GP visit: the sore throat isn't anything too bad. I think that the honey, chilli and garlic, lots of water, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (not all together), have kicked it a bit. I got the doc to check it today when I was there for the referral just to help put my mind at ease and it isn't too bad. If it does get worse, I am apparently still allowed to take antibiotics and I have been given a script for that. I think I would double check with the surgeons office first just in case but I shouldn't need them so it doesn't really matter too much. The GP visit was pretty sucky as my normal doctor wasn't there and he is way cooler than the one I saw today. (He's on paternity leave - so I would be an ass to complain too much about his absence). I've only really just started to go to this clinic, I really do like this new doctor and I'm fussy. He seems interested in what is going on and is actually knowledgable about it (he does work on some orthopaedic cases though with a different surgeon - so that helps) but I really think that even if he didn't have the ortho background, he would just be one of those doctors that really takes an interest in people so even though I understood the reason why he wasn't there today, I was still a little disappointed that the replacement didn't really live up to expectation (which may well just me not relating to her as well - not a reflection on skills and abilities as a GP). It is difficult to find these doctors who not only take an interest but you also relate to and feel comfortable with. If you have been lucky in your life and got an awesome doc first go, you should be very grateful!
I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends to help me stay focused on the clean out and this afternoon post doc's appointment was actually pretty productive. I am a hoarder and even knowing this about myself, I was still surprised at just how much 'junk' I've collected over the years and carted around from one house to the next. She'll be back on Wednesday to help relieve the insanity again. We'll head off to pilates at midday and maybe get coffee on the way back home so it should be a good day. Thursday is girls night again, so all in all it will be a good week. Here's to it being a productive and stress free one as well :)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Indoor Pool is Closed
I've never been to the pool on the weekend before as I am normally there in the mornings during the week. It seems that the indoor pool is closed for kids and swimming lessons on the weekends which sucks! I went over there this morning with hubby to show him what I have been up to and we didn't get to get in the pool. The outside ones were open - but it was pouring rain, so really not the best plan for the day. I should have realised that today wasn't the day to be doing this activity when I woke up, it was raining and I couldn't find my swimsuit. It is just as well that I found this out now as I would have been pretty pissed post-op making the way over there to get in the pool to find out it wasn't open today.
Wonder if I can pretend to be a kid learning to swim?
Wonder if I can pretend to be a kid learning to swim?
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday's Hydro
Had a good time at the pool today. I feel good after the session and I hope to be the same way tomorrow. We cut out a few of the abductor exercises which I think has made a big difference to how I feel after the session. I think that might be where I was overdoing it. With that minor change, I should be able to take a few more steps forward strength wise. I have three more sessions in the pool (instructed by one of my physios) and maybe another three on my own. It's amazing to think that in as little as three months time, there is a strong possibility that the abductor exercises that are giving me so much grief now might well be easy. Ok so, maybe it won't be 'easy' that soon, though they are going to be significantly easier due to a normal or even near normal range of movement.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Hydro
I started the day off at hydrotherapy with one of my physios. This is only one part of the whole 'plan' to be in the best possible condition for surgery. (There is also another physio appointment, two pilates sessions and other bits and pieces that I will cover in other posts as it requires more detail and will get me off onto another track all together).
I started this last week in addition to my other activities and exercises that are starting to add up. In the water I can do more than on land, so hopefully there will be some additional strength or length gained. It might not be a great deal as I am adding it in so late but every little bit helps and it isn't going to hurt me to be doing that little bit extra. The main focus in the pool are the muscles around the hip, legs and core. There is some arm work, though that is secondary and the focus of other parts of my preparation (Some of the exercises I have from physio as well as in pilates).
I was in the pool for about half an hour today which seems to be enough at the moment with everything else. Last week, I went by myself on Thursday and overdid it a bit and ended up sore for a few days. It's a fine line between doing as much as possible to benefit me and pushing to the point where I couldn't do anything for the next few days. I'm willing to push the boundaries at the moment, though in the coming weeks I'll have to be more careful so that I can get as much done as possible. I think that it might be something that I need to keep an eye on after the surgery as well. I haven't really read too many experiences online as to whether it is possible to push to hard afterwards and end up delaying the recovery process. It stands to reason. I guess I will find out more about that when I actually meet the rehab team.
I started this last week in addition to my other activities and exercises that are starting to add up. In the water I can do more than on land, so hopefully there will be some additional strength or length gained. It might not be a great deal as I am adding it in so late but every little bit helps and it isn't going to hurt me to be doing that little bit extra. The main focus in the pool are the muscles around the hip, legs and core. There is some arm work, though that is secondary and the focus of other parts of my preparation (Some of the exercises I have from physio as well as in pilates).
I was in the pool for about half an hour today which seems to be enough at the moment with everything else. Last week, I went by myself on Thursday and overdid it a bit and ended up sore for a few days. It's a fine line between doing as much as possible to benefit me and pushing to the point where I couldn't do anything for the next few days. I'm willing to push the boundaries at the moment, though in the coming weeks I'll have to be more careful so that I can get as much done as possible. I think that it might be something that I need to keep an eye on after the surgery as well. I haven't really read too many experiences online as to whether it is possible to push to hard afterwards and end up delaying the recovery process. It stands to reason. I guess I will find out more about that when I actually meet the rehab team.
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