Congratulations, Bart! The pain will pass and you will be better than new! Imagine the beauty of all the future gardening seasons without that pain! Kim

Sending best wishes, Bart - so glad to know your operation was deemed a success, and I hope you'll soon begin to actually FEEL better.

As others have suggested, it may not be a bad thing necessarily to have to step back sometimes and take time for reflection, planning, relaxing (remember that??!) and being kind to oneself... not necessarily easy, especially for those of us for whom stillness and 'letting go' of control seem contradictory to our habitual internal narrative, but definitely possible..

IIUC, most of your roses would be wonderfully hardy survivors, since they've been raised to manage without too much cosseting, and this will no doubt be to their great advantage now, as you take whatever time you need for your own essential self-care, and healing.

Wishing you - and your garden - everything you need for your ongoing health and wellbeing, in every way.

Great timing Bart! You'll be all ready to go by Spring hopefully. Good luck going forward on your health like Lisa says.

Bart, congratulations on getting the surgery done (and thanks for saying so on the forum). I hope you get to feeling better soon, and find yourself once recovered beautifully mobile! Melissa

So very happy to hear your update Bart. Hoping your pain will ease soon.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Don't believe the stories that people are out walking a mile the day of surgery. That may happen on rare occasion but it's certainly not the rule. You'll be up and around soon!

Good luck bart, I hope your recovery goes well and thank you for updating us on your condition. I read with interest your previous post on this subject and found the responses very helpful and encouraging. I'm getting a diagnostic injection next week into my hip to see if my pain goes away. If it does, I'm likely going to have a hip replacement in the near future too. I wish you well and hope you're back in the garden soon!

Ann

O, thank you all from the heart for all your good wishes!!! To be honest, I kind of did post this with Lisa , Moses, and now you, too, Ann-and any other member who is awaiting hip replacement-in mind. PLEASE feel free to ask me any questions you want about my experiences (don't worry too much about being "prying". I think of a dialogue in one of those great Sergio Leone films with Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. The Clint character asks the LVC character a question, and adds something like "if I'm not being indiscreet" and LVC answers "questions themselves aren't often indiscreet; the answers can be". ). Now, everyone is different; that's as certain as "death and taxes", but still it might help to hear about someone else's experiences,and if you feel that way, ask.

Alas and alack, Sheila! Here in Italy, this is the WORST timing for a gardener to be laid up! Our ideal planting season is NOW; even by March the sun is starting to get very high and hot at times, so you want to get your babies planted in the cool, rainy autumn, while the sun is low and the days are short. Spring is far too late. It would've been better if I could've had it done back in early Sept,as originally planned, but another far more urgent onco issue came up that forced us to put it off until now. Like Melissa, I'm happier getting my new stuff planted out by Christmas. I have at least five plants that are in the maximum-size vase that I can handle,and these all really should go out this fall/winter; I don't think they can take another year in their pots.But from all I've read, you can only start thinking of doing real labour at 3 months after the operation-that would be end of January/beginning Feb for me (I'll have to use the pick and drag bags of native soil in order to plant these guys). What do you think, Melissa? Any advice? Maybe plant them out at that time, but start watering them early, way before I'd usually start? Provide shade structures?

Thanks again bart!

Ann

Oh Bart, I forgot you were in planting mode, and my timing idea was off base. I was thinking of you enjoying the Spring flush in relative comfort. I'm hoping your husband or kids could help with the planting. Wish I could.

I am so happy that it’s behind you, and can only get better from here. I wish I were so lucky.

I personally am a wimp when it comes to pain. The nagging constant pain, I’ve gotten used to. It’s the sharp, “take your breath away” type I’m worried about. I’ve had 5 surgeries in my lifetime. I can easily rank them from 1-5 in terms of painfulness. Since you did say not to worry so much about “prying”, have you had other surgeries to compare this one to?

Since we’re being candid here, I consider “having my tubes tied” to be the least painful one. My next “less painful” surgery would be my appendectomy. I’m scared about the first few days, when the pain is at its worst. If this is too personal, please just ignore my question. Thanks, Lisa

Lisa, my husband had a hip resurfacing and an appy and he says the first week after the hip surgery is no picnic, but you feel better every day after the surgery and it is such a relief to get back in the game. We'll hear what Bart says too.

I've had 2 other "regular" surgeries (quadrantectomia on my right breast, and getting my ovaries removed), plus a bronchscopia and the Gamma Knife radiotherapy thing to reduce a thingie in my cerebellum (it was the urgent necessity to do this that forced us to put off the hip surgery). In ALL these cases, for me the absolutely worst thing was the anxiety,agitation and anguish that preceded the operations. I remember no pain from the breast thing ,just a horrible pervasive sense of ill-being afterwards, probably due to the combination of acute terror and the anesthesia . The people that did my ovary one were smart and gave me a sedative before the anesthesia,and afterwards we were all given morphine,so I remember just about no pain at all. The brochoscopia was anguishing and terrifying, but not really physically painful since I was sedated. The actual Gamma Knife treatment was painless; the only painful part was that they have to fix this square box-like thing on your head so that they can make said head totally immobile for the radiation,and to do this they have to screw it onto your cranium! They give you local anasthesia, of course, but that did physically hurt a bit anyway. The hip surgery was kind of like all the others: the psychological terror and anguish so far out-weighed any physical pain that to me, this latter was negligible. They gave me Valium or something the day before, and sedation during the operation. It was wierd; I was aware during the operation ,sort of, but it was like I was dreaming of someone hammering on a piece of wood that was situated between my legs or something; not painful at all, actually sort of interesting. However they did give us morphine afterwards. Now,it's 9 days after the hip operation, and I can honestly say that the pain is by no means worse than what I'd been induring from this hip for months and months before- and I'm having a "bad" day today,and still say it. So, no, it's no picnic,but now I can finally stand up straight again, and lie with my right leg flat on the bed. I find it very hard to abide by "da Rules", though; sleeping only on my back is very hard, and I wake up too early with my back hurting because it wants me to turn on my side. Also, not turning the joint inward is hard. But if I had to sum up,as I said before,it was more the psychological aspect in all the cases that caused me pain. Just remember not to be shy about asking for sedatives!

Sheila, would your husband say the appendectomy was “a piece of cake”, compared to the hip surgery? I feel like mine was, compared to some others.

Thank you, Bart. I’m sorry that today is a hard one for you. I sincerely hope the days get easier and easier for you. I know what you mean about the worry and anxiety before the surgery is performed. I’m actually shocked that you were not 100% “out” during the procedure. I would prefer to be completely under general anesthesia. Your “dreaming of having someone hammering on a piece of wood that was situated between my legs”, sounds scary to me, but it sounds like it didn’t alarm you at all. I’d rather not hear any hammering, or any sounds at all, for that matter. The thought of “hearing hammering” makes me afraid of the anesthesia not being powerful enough, and of feeling the actual surgery happening without being able to indicate that I was feeling it. Maybe that’s a completely irrational thought.

Bart, I have a feeling you’re a stronger person than I when it comes to this sort of thing. I’m sure I don’t do myself any favors by anticipating and fearing extreme pain after awakening from surgery. Three times I’ve awoken feeling alright, but twice my very first awareness was of pain and moaning. The pain was hard to keep under control, and I dread the thought of that.

It sounds like I’m going to have to wait a while before it gets done, so I won’t start worrying about it now. Thanks for your help, and try to obey those orders. Please keep us updated with your recovery. May it all get easier from here! Lisa

Lisa, Joe did not think his hip resurfacing was worse than the appy. He thinks you should look at the LA based Joint Replacement Institute, Dr. Schmalzried. The hip resurfacing is so good for younger patients. I bet you'll do great. The Drs. will love you, trust me.

Bart - I'm so glad you chimed in to share this with all of us! We love to be a support for you and others in this community, and we've had a mini "hip surgery survivor" or "to be survivor" subgroup going for a while. It's good to hear that the surgery and immediate results were less stressful than you'd feared, and that you had good help to manage the aftermath. I agree with Lisa that I wouldn't want to have been awake during my surgery, since the hammering and sawing isn't a sound I would appreciate even if it weren't sawing on me. You have a stalwart spirit and a great attitude to help you manage the recovery. It is hard to follow "da rules", but as my PT reminds me, "pain is a powerful motivator". It's important in this recovery period to listen to your body and not do things that feel wrong even if you used to be able to do them. Your muscles and tendons and other structures need time to realign and strengthen, as well as gradually undoing the walking and posture patterns we all build up because of the dysfunctional hip for years beforehand. Just remember to do as much stretching as you do strengthening to keep things flexible, within the guidelines of your doctor and therapist.

Lisa and Moses, if it's any comfort, remember that you already have a better tolerance of pain because of the prolonged chronic pain you've had from a hip that causes you agony for simple sitting, lying and walking movements. I have found that my pain scale from 1-10 is very different now from people who haven't experienced chronic pain. I've heard people describe recovery from a C-section or appendectomy as a 10, but for me my C-section recovery was more like a 4. In my world, that is consistent discomfort but nothing that keeps me up at night. A 5 is pain that keeps me up or wakes me up without relief, a 6 makes me cry, a 7 makes me want to throw up, and an 8 makes me pass out. I've never experienced a 10 on my scale, which has been described to me as "getting your leg sawed off without any anesthesia".

The only 8 I've ever had was having a huge heavy window in an old house hurtle down and slam into my hand unexpectedly. I woke up a few moments later on the floor moaning and clutching my hand and still seeing stars. Before surgery, my hip ranged from a 5-6, with a 7 for the two days I had to be without my Gabapentin and Ibuprofin in the days before surgery. After hip surgery, I would rate things a 3 at rest and occasional 4 when moving or getting up at first, fading to a 3-4 which is where I live these days with back and other neck issues. I'd say my hip replacement surgery was equivalent to my c-section recovery because I had medicines to handle the first 24 hours of the surgery pain, then cautious movements and things I avoided for a while if possible. My shoulder repair of a full thickness rotator cuff tear was probably a recovery of 5, since I couldn't turn over and it kept me up at night.

Bottom line is that you've already been through the worst on the way up to the surgery, and it's going to be soooo much better to get it on the road to healing. Just don't push it too much and take care of yourself! Bart, we hope to continue to hear good news of your recovery. Do keep us posted.

Cynthia

Good luck with your recovery, Bart! I bet you'll be feeling much better soon. Next spring you'll be able to garden twice as well as before, no doubt. :)

Bart, I don't have any planting ideas you haven't already come up with: plant only those plants that have to come out of their pots now; plant as early as your health permits, which won't be as soon as you'd like; start watering when the plants show signs of drought stress, or it stops raining and gets hot. You already know this. If you can give shade protection, so much the better; there's not a plant in my garden that's not better off for some protection from the summer sun.

Good luck, in everything! I had no idea there were so many people needing hip replacements.

Hope you heal very quickly. I appreciate your posts. With care, Nancylee

here in Italy at least, they usually do NOT give total anesthesia for this operation, methinks. BUT, Lisa,I swear, I did not feel a thing. As one gentleman in the hospital put it "it's like it was happening to someone else". It was as if I was dreaming(I heard no sawing sounds, just this curious hammering-on-wood thing. And it was not a violent, whacking sort of hammering; it was like a gentle-but-firm sort of tapping),and the sedation makes you very, very calm and detatched.You ever had a filling done with local anesthesia by the dentist in your teeth? Well, I have, and that is much worse than what I "felt" during this operation. I am quite, quite sure that if you gave any sign of experiencing pain, they'll be there in a jiff with a potent knock-out drug. Remember that total anesthesia can be risky. But when the time does come for the operation, I sincerely hope that you will have an intelligent,compassionate surgeon and operation team,to whom you will communicate your fears,so you can ask for the "extra-strength" sedative,etc.Keep in mind that the surgeon and her/his team do NOT want you to be in pain and agitated; they can't work if the patient is in that condition. So do make your fears clear to them,so they will be sure to give you the right stuff. " The thought of “hearing hammering” makes me afraid of the anesthesia not being powerful enough, and of feeling the actual surgery happening without being able to indicate that I was feeling it. Maybe that’s a completely irrational thought." That IS a terrifying thought, but I seriously don't think it works that way. One of my room-mates in the hospital had to have both knees done, and in total it took 4 hours. They had to have her awake enough to be able to communicate with them (I forget why), but of course had to give her lots of anesthesia for her to be able to go theough such a long operation. So I think that the anesthesias they use are quite selective. But again, be sure to communicate your fears clearly to the medical staff/surgeon involved, without being "too ashamed to admit" your fears, rational or irrational. Also, this is a team that will be working on you,with all kinds of monitoring machines. I think that if you WERE feeling pain but couldn't verbally communicate it, this fact would show up on all the monitoring devices they have, because when a person is in pain, it doubtlessly alters their heart-rate, breathing, etc, because it is a form of stress. But I sincerely don't think this will be an issue.

For me, there was no extreme pain afterwards. The only 'moaning myself awake' came in the last months before I went in for surgery. The nurse had to wake me to give me my pain meds, which I definitely wanted, but it never reached the 'OMG I can't stand this' level of, for example, labor. And I am very wimpy about pain. I purposely didn't do a lot of research about the procedure so that I wouldn't have such vivid imaginings beforehand. Never had even a moment of regret.

I'm thinking I must be some sort of slug since with the few operations I've had (hysterectomy, cholecystectomy, cardiac stent placement) I never felt any significant anxiety at all beforehand. Perhaps it helped that I worked in a hospital and so felt somewhat at home in that setting, and also knew that my doctor was a very good one.

Like Lisa I've had the fear of being operated on without the proper anesthesia, no doubt because of horror stories I've read where that happened, and what helped me was to communicate that fear to the doctor before surgery, and his assurance that this would not happen. They've heard it all and it's much better to get it off your chest and go into surgery with a calmer frame of mind.

bart, I'm so happy you've had the surgery and everything is well, except of course for residual pain. Considering what you've already been through, and with it hopefully decreasing steadily, I'm looking forward to a better future for you. You very much deserve it, with all you've had to bear. Best wishes, my friend.

That is so sweet of you, Ingrid. Sad to say, I'm still in a lot of pain. I don't want to take the opiate pills they prescribed; they gave me shortness of breath, for one thing, and then my family doctor told me that this medication caused him to faint, and gave him hallucinations for some time afterwards (he had his hip replaced 2 years ago). Plus, it's hard on your lungs, and my lungs are so delicate by now. So I feel depressed: I still am in pain, yet now, unlike before the operation, I have all these movement restrictions, can't drive, etc. I guess I've just been through one thing too many: after months of being ill and invalidated from chemo, and now, more months to be stuck at home,feeling unwell...I know of course that I have no right to complain, so many people are so much worse off,both with health and other things (I think of our forum friend Beth who has lost her home due to the fires). And, logically, if all goes as it should, I ought to get well. But it is not fun.

I bet having worked in a hospital DID cause you to be less anxious...

Wishing you the best, Bart. I wish we could help with your planting chores. Going into the hip surgery depleted from chemo makes your situation especially hard sadly. Maybe you should eat chocolate or ice cream to help with it all.

bart, you very much do have a right to complain, and I'm so sorry that you can't take something that would significantly ease the pain. Yours might be a case where medical marijuana might be something to try. I just checked and it is available in Italy, but with your lung issues smoking it might be out of the question. I wonder if there might be some herbal products that might help.

I agree, Ingrid. If Italy is anything like CA, the MM should be available in capsules or “edibles”. On my Dr’s recommendation, I have tried it exactly twice, once as a capsule and once in an edible form. It DID help tremendously for my muscle spasm, and neuropathy pain, but I didn’t like the side effects at all. The paranoia and the fact that I ate everything in site, just wasn’t worth it for me. I didn’t like the feeling it gave me. My Dr. did suggest that I try other types/strains of the plant, but I was very reluctant to keep trying different strains. It really was VERY helpful for my pain, but by then I was leery from my first two attempts. Plus, there’s still such a stigma attached, that I even hesitate posting the fact that I have tried it, even though it was legal, recommended by, AND under supervision of my MD. My Dr. insists it’s MUCH safer than the other pain meds available. This was several years ago, and I might reconsider it if I felt the need. It’s certainly not nauseating, actually just the opposite. I’m told it’s very helpful for chemo patients with nausea and/or pain. I was absolutely shocked at the increased appetite effects!

I hope you’re doing better today, Bart! Hang in there. You have been through so much recently, that you really need to be pampered and take all the time you need to recover. Lisa

Bart, pretty soon you can run faster than me with your new hip! Go Bart! There is a 85 yrs old hiker in my hiking club who has replaced his knees and hips, I couldn't keep up with him on group hikes. That's Bob in green:

Lisa, my husband said you could go to a marijuana shop and tell them about your side effects, and they might be able to recommend a different type that won't give you those feelings. It's infuriating to think that the liquor industry lobbied to have liquor be legal and marijuana illegal back in the 30's so they could make their billion dollar profits, while more than 55,000 people are killed by drunk drivers every year, and no one to my knowledge has ever been killed by a car-driving junkie. As usual, follow the money .........

Also,I want to add that I was presribed this opiate medicine, "Targin",for pain,as well as an anti-inflammatory drug, Dicloreum, which is like a prescription-level ibuprofen. They gave me both in the hospital; the Targin gave me shortness of breath,and once I got home I stopped taking it. My regular doctor approved enthusiastically; he, too, had a hip replaced, and this Targin made him faint once-while sitting down, mind you-and gave him mild hallucinations for a while after,so he is against it. Plus, what with my delicate lungs, it really is not ideal for me. Now, I'm NOT totally against opiates; I am so, so grateful that here they give you morphine after a painful operation; it is a fact that experiencing a lot of pain really slows down the healing process. Opiates do indeed have an important role to play in medicine. But I think that MM would be a much safer alternative for cases like mine of longer-term post op pain,or chronic pain, than opiates like Targin.I don't think MM is available here.

Summersrhythm, thank you so much for your vote of confidence! I am doing a bit better-less pain,able to get around the house with only one crutch,but it is a long, slow road, and I have to fight off frustration, depression and irritation all the time. Plus, I am very fatigued, sleep very late , and still feel tired!! I want to feel GOOD again,so much, and it is so hard to be patient and maintain faith. O well...next week I have my first check-up; one month after the operation. Hopefully after that I'll at least be able to take a real shower and sleep on my non-operated side...

Bart, after my surgery, not hip, but female. The worst part was the fatigue and sleeping on my back.

I just looked at the fatigue as a chance to rest and read and nap.

I had never had a chance to lounge and here was my excuse to do nothing. Soon enough my strength returned and my lounging days were over. But I remember the energy that it took just to shower, forget about hair and makeup.

In 6 months from now you will be so much stronger. Be good to yourself, tell your body what a good job of healing it is doing . And know that each day your body is working really hard to heal.

Best wishes for a speedy healing Bart

Thanks for the update, Bart. I’ve been wondering how you were doing. Hang in there. Your body has been through a lot, and in my experience, it takes longer to heal from surgery if going in already somewhat depleted. I once had 3 surgeries in 9 months, and it took me forever to recover from the 3rd one. My 3rd surgery was medically necessary, but one that could have,(and should have) been delayed so I was in better shape going into surgery. It took me so long to recover, and I had so many complications, that I became very depressed. I thought I’d never feel “right” again, and remember wishing I hadn’t even had that last surgery done. Now, of course I’m glad it’s behind me, and I’m fine. So I completely understand your frustration and depression while healing. Sometimes the mental component can be worse than the physical pain. I’m sure not being able to sleep comfortably adds to your tiredness.. I bet you’ll find yourself feeling better faster once you can sleep on that side and shower properly. Showers have a way of making me feel human again, after a long illness.

I haven’t heard of Targin before. I’m surprised you weren’t switched to something else due to the side effects you were having. It sounds so soon to be without anything for pain other than a strong anti inflammatory. (If I’m understanding correctly, that you stopped taking the opiate as soon as you got home.) But, you’re better off stopping that sort of medicine sooner, rather than later.

Ingrid, the MM also was quite expensive in the capsule form, and as you can guess, not covered by insurance. I’m on disability, so my insurance would probably be the LAST one to ever cover it. I agree alcohol is FAR more dangerous!

Hang in there Bart. It’s surely going to get better from here. Lisa

There is nothing I can add, bart, except to also say that your body has been through the mill with all these procedures, one after the other, in what seems to be a very short period of time. Your system must be reeling with the shock of it all. I hope your post-op visit with your doctor will give you a chance to voice your frustrations, and hopefully he'll be able to put it all in perspective for you and give you reassurance that it will get better soon.

Some roses for you.

Rhodologue Jules Gravereaux and Baronne Henriette de Snoy

Thank you all for your encouragement and good wishes,and Ingrid for the rose picture. Kristine, I wish I could look on this as a chance to rest up, but I've been laid up for too long. The chemotherapy was so, so awful,and so much of the time during that long, long dreadful time I couldn't do much other than lie down feeling wretched. I'm sick and tired of being sick! Lisa, I, too, feel "like I'll never feel "right" again",and that feeling augments my anxiety about my lungs, etc...a viscious circle. The mental component is definitely far worse than the physical pain; this latter is pretty minor now, really,though I'm worried that my knee still hurts so much (have to ask the doc about that next Tuesday). Objectively speaking I think I truly am doing better,but the fatigue,anxiety and depression hamper my ability to rejoice in this, which is not good. How much I rely on gardening to lift my spirits and distract me from bad thoughts! But I don't know when I'll be able to get back to my land. I'll have to get the OK on driving first, of course, but what really worries me is the fact that it is on such a sharp slope, and I didn't have time to finish the railing on the steps.

Oh dear. Bart

I did not realize that you have already been through chemotherapy and of course you are feeling very down about the whole thing it seems like it has snowballed and hit you very hard.

Please know that we are all here for you in word and in spirit and in thoughts and prayers that next year 2019 will be a banner year for you and that you will be quickly on the mend.

You are a dear rose friend and we care for you and your health and happiness.

Be well Bart

Oregon Coast, my happy place

Thank you from my heart, Kristine. What a beautiful photo!

You have been through a lot. I think you're courageous to have the hip surgery done...I am a little chicken to do that. For me it can be very difficult to have more than one physical problem at a time. May you get through this difficult time as soon as possible!

bart, if you're not already taking medications for depression and anxiety, they might be something to consider to release you from the vicious circle you describe. They may also enable you to heal more quickly, which is uppermost in your mind right now. We wish all the best for you and a speedy return to your beloved roses.

Don't worry, Daisy, it's never too late to wish someone well, IMO, and the recovery from this operation is proving to be quite challenging for me. At my check-up, the doctor seemed to think I should be able to walk better than I do; my knee really hurts a lot still. I think I have bad tendonitis,and she (the doc) gave me a cure to do for that.Plus, I have to do a lot of PT exercises,and take 2 walks per day ,which is not pleasant,since it's painful and uncomfortable. I have to combat the feelings of discouragement and just DO it,in the hope that things will get better. After all, as my DH points out, I've been really bad off for so long; it's literally been years since I've been able to walk properly. In fact, whilst waiting to check in for the operation,I could see that I walked much worse than any of my fellow future operees-and they all seemed older than me. So it makes sense that recovery for me will take longer. It's just that I've been through so much,and my patience is kind of exhausted.

Ingrid, I am taking anti-anxiety and depression medicines,and have been for quite a while.They do help, but the real "cure" would be to actually get my health and strength back, lol. I hope to be feeling confident enough by mid-December to try to go out to my land ,accompanied by my DH,of course,just to be safe. Actually what worries me most is getting safely down the sharp slope through the garden; I didn't have time to finish installing the railing on the steps.But finally getting back there would probably do a lot to help my mood.

Erasmus, you are quite right, it is really, really difficult to have to cope with these various physical problems all at once. I truly appreciate everyone's good wishes!

Oh, Bart, I wish you well too. Take it day by day then step by step. I wish you fast recovery. This are hard challenges esp when you are so much in pain. Think good thoughts , happy places but you do have everyone's support here. Wish you Best and don't push yourself hard. Steps by steps..........
jin

Hope the recovery is going well, Bart. One of the biggest hurdles is faithfully doing the physical therapy religiously. Too many folks try to take it easier than they should because it hurts. In doing so, they actually inhibit their recovery -- both in duration and extent of recovery. On the flip side, doesn't due to go overboard and try to push above and over what the physical therapists advise -- that way could lead to injury.

bart, I hope you can see your rose garden soon, and hopefully with a cane and your husband's help that time is not too far off. It may not be at its best right now but by spring you should be in so much better shape that you can do some work there, and there will be blooming roses all around you. As I'm getting continually weaker I can identify so much more with the worry and frustration you feel, and also the underlying fear that things will never get better. We have to stay positive, my friend, and look forward to a much healthier and happier new year.

Jin, Paul and Ingrid,once again many heartfelt thanks for your kind thoughts. Here's an update (keeping in mind those of you who are going to have this operation done in the near future, to give you some idea of what the recovery period entails, though remember, everyone is different!)

Actually,the PT exercises don't hurt; it's just something you have to keep up with, though a bore. I'm finding it so hard to remember to keep the 90° angle between hip and torso, though, and often screw up; I just forget! (BAD!!!) Another difficulty is that I am supposed to do two walks of at least 20 minutes per day. This is painful some days, since my knee is giving me problems (have to go back to the doctor about that; think it's a soft-tissue problem, like bad tendonitis and/or inflammation of meniscus, since I had an RX done on it in August 2017,and the bones were fine. The hip problem probably caused too much stress on the poor knee...) And this is another reason why this was a very bad time of the year for this operation: it is not pleasant to go out for a stroll with temperatures around 0 Celsius,and cold wind,plus the days are so short... Then. there's the problem of over-doing. The day before yesterday,too intimidated by the cold, grey weather, I decided to venture out to the mini-mall and do some shopping. Well, I wound up remaining on my feet and walking around for at least two hours-probably more-and am still feeling the consequences. My knee and ankle really hurt, even my hip does a bit (and it has not hurt much at all for some time now). So I wound up setting myself back, I'm afraid.

In spite of this, I'm still hoping to get out to my land soon,accompanied by my DH for the first visit back,just to see if I'm capable of doing the slope by myself. I still am clinging to the hope that I'll somehow manage to plant those five roses that should go out within the next month! though I know I will have to be very, very careful and do very, very little at a time. Experience has taught me that things planted out in the spring can't survive the summers here.

The mall was a good idea with regards to avoiding inclement weather while still getting your walk in. If you have a cell phone, then one thing you might consider doing next time would be to set a phone alarm/timer to go off after 20 minutes. At that point you would find a place to sit down for a bit to rest.

As far as the aches, heat or cold packs might help ease your discomfort. I would (if you haven't already) mention it to you PT and see what recommendations they have.

Well, for those of you who have yet to do your hip replacements, here's my up-date. The day before yesterday I finally got out to my land, accompanied by my DH. The worst part was, indeed, getting down the stairs to the central garden. We'd bought a pair of those long, stong sticks for trekking,and these are proving invaluable! I avoid the part of the steps where there's no railing yet, and go down through the part where there's soil (plus, the pointy metal tips help aereate said soil!) My darling DH lugged down all these bags of native soil that I'd collected months ago,but were still up on the road,and I tried working with my pick; it was no problem. So yesterday I planted out one of the potted roses and moved another rose. Today I'm tired and a bit more ache-y than usual, but very happy. On January 5th it will be 2 months since the operation. So, to sum up ,I'd say that I seem able to do a lot,but can't walk and carry heavy things, and have to concentrate carefully when walking about, to avoid falling. Keep in mind that my garden is much more rough,wild and steep than average gardens.

So glad you got out there, Bart.

Me too! I bet it did wonders for your spirit. I’m so glad you were able to get there, and actually plant a rose! I’m impressed. I hope this means you’ve really “turned the corner” regarding your hip replacement surgery. This is good news, and brought a smile to my face. Good for you, Bart! Lisa

Bart, glad to hear you did get out to your garden and did some work there. That's hugely gratifying, as I, and everyone else here, know. I wish you a good end of year, and a healthy, happy, and productive 2019!

The same good wishes to you, Melissa and to all!

This is such a huge improvement, bart, and I'm so happy for you. The two walking sticks are a great idea because your weight is balanced. I can't believe you planted a rose! Happy New Year!!!

Bishop's CastleMme. Leon Pain