Amazingly it’s now 2 years after my hip replacement and as I munched the last of my mince pies I wondered whether it had all been worth it.
Two years ago I was redundant, facing a total hip replacement and Covid was beginning to kick off. They were happy times. Or not.
How things have changed. Masks are now a thing, there are people it’s been literally years since I’ve seen, and I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I’ve been to an office.
But yesterday I cycled for 3 hours, walked another hour and still managed to try to make my garden dog proof (actually I failed miserably at that. Who knew dogs could dig so well?). I may have been too young to have a hip replacement, but I can’t really have any regrets. Which is just as well given all the others I have hidden in my closet.
Anyway the first twelve months post hip replacement I chronicled carefully, trying to give a patient’s eye view of what had happened from the initial pain and investigations through to the operation and beyond which you can catch up here:
- Part 1: Midlife arthritis and the underlying problem
- Part 2: Total hip replacement decision
- Part 3: Total hip replacement pre-op assessment
- Part 4: Surgery and hospital recovery: Days 1 to 5
- Part 5: First steps to recovery. Days 6 to 21
- Part 6: Hip recovery limping along. Weeks 3 to 7
- Six months after hip replacement. The review.
- Twelve months after hip replacement. A year in pictures.
However, things improved so much I had little to share beyond the initial achievements. Or did I?
2 years after my hip replacement. What’s changed?
So more recently, has it all been fun and games?
Yes, I needed some physio to help remove some niggling pains (my glutes weren’t firing – a soggy bottom if ever there was one). At least it taught me the value of targeted exercise, which does work if you stick at it long enough however boring it might be.
Yes, I still walk like a drunken sailor, which is a shame as I tried to change this. It’s always slightly disappointing when someone asks why you’re limping, and you have to smile and say it’s just the way I roll.
Yes, I haven’t gone back to the old sports I used to play. Squash, which could take you places other things couldn’t, remains a distant memory. Football likewise. But new things have cropped up. Cycling, Zwifting and even walking are now my staples. I still miss the squash, but as my doctor said, “how old are you?” I was obviously looking good that day.
Yes, there are still people who never saw the scar, but that’s their loss. That said, it never quite disappears…
And finally yes, I miss the pre-hip me, but there’s a lot of things I miss about that, not just my hip!
On the plus side, 2 years after my hip replacement I can do more
Anyway, 2 years after my hip replacement I can now:
- Walk without pain
- Turn over in bed without yelping
- Exercise to my stomach’s content (aka cake justification strategy)
- Chase a dog round a garden
- Survive falling down stairs and breaking my ribs (that’s a whole different story – did I fall or was I pushed?)
- Sit all day at a desk without wincing when I go for another cup of tea
I haven’t tested drunken Dad dancing yet, as Covid put paid to that. But the hips don’t lie, so I’m sure that’s very do-able.
Whilst I can’t turn the clock back to do things differently, in this case at least the wonders of modern science have helped make life better.
That means if you’re in doubt about whether you’re too young for a hip replacement, just do it! Get your life back. It’s now 2 years after my hip replacement, and I’m moving on up.
