My Sojourn with Health

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Happy Hip Update




Hi , I know it has been a while since I have written anything so I thought I would do a update.
In my last entry I have just finished up physical therapy post hip replacement. From there I was hoping to head back to gym which I did but it took some finagling. Approximately end of May/ Beginning of June I was able to rejoin the Gym! This was very exciting and yet intimidating.
I briefly felt as if I was starting this journey all over again from the very beginning. You know the gym seeking, feeling judged by “Gym Rats” (yes I know that's a stereotype! LOL) , I hate this but must do it very beginning! Despite my excitement and deep desire to be back in the water and moving again, the emotional stuff felt raw and unfortunately too familiar. Thankfully my desire to be exercising again and get back on track with my health goals was greater than my fear and anxiety. I also am blessed to have great friends, one of which resigned for a year with me, making the process easier to manage with support.
So all signed up and got new gym card and ready to go! I started with a couple times a week, just easing myself back into it. I also had to meet and learn about the new instructors who have come since I was last at gym. The new instructors thing was yet another emotional hill to climb, much like going in and signing up. I think I was caught off guard by just how anxious this would make me but in hind sight, it is change and of course change makes all of us anxious especially in areas of life that we already struggle. So I went saw familiar faces and was comforted by this but then saw the new faces of instructors I did not know and who did not know me. I think in retrospect part of my anxiety with the instructors was they did not know me. My previous instructors had known me for years and so we had a established relationship as well as understanding of my limitations and strengths, now I was unknown. Regardless I of course pushed through and have now figured out the instructors, who has the workout styles and intensity I want and need as well as personality. I know for some this may sound silly but these are things that are important to me as my workouts are about my health and thus my life so it needs to be a good fit. I also have come to realize my workouts are my therapy so if I have a bad therapist (instructor) or one that is not a good fit that doesn't work for me!
Happily I can report I have figured out which classes and days are a good fit and I have been back a few months now so I have built my number of days back up to the full 4 days a week. This is so great for me, because I feel like I am finally back on track. Being out of that horrible hip pain and just dealing with the everyday, every-Woman , aging daily pains is so amazing. I can manage that and I am beyond grateful that this is where I am and excited to see where I am going.
OH, I also had my 1 year follow up with my Hip Surgeons P.A. And he said everything looked great and in fact he was glad to see some ligament/tendon/muscle thingy that runs along hip and sometimes doesn't stay in a proper placement after the surgery was in fact well placed and better than most, and he was very happy about this! I have NO idea what it meant but if he was happy I was ecstatic! 
The last thing I wanted to share before I end this entry, was this week after working out I had a moment! It was one of those moments I have not experienced in SO LONG I was nearly moved to tears with Joy! (yes I am dramatic, but so is life) I noticed a change in my body. I happened to look at my arm and saw that old friend of mine, a wee bicep! Laugh all you want, I was thrilled to see a little definition had come back to my arm after the years of not getting properly worked out! Anyway, it truly is the little things that matter.
So that's the update, let me know if you have any questions or comments. You can leave them on the blog page if you want, just do it anonymously but if you do please leave name in part of comment, THANKS

Monday, March 18, 2019

Happy Healing












So the journey continues. So I am just 2 weeks out from completing the physical therapy post hip replacement. Hip is feeling really good. 
Muscles are slow to remember they can and do work, but I am getting there. I have realized that the hardest part of this work is getting the mind and body to work together. Getting my mind to understand that even though it has been so long, if ever, that I have been able to use my hip without any hesitation or precautions, it now is stronger than ever, dare I say Bionic! LOL. I find myself compensating in ways I always have for my body and it’s limitations but now I do not have to, but I have to train my mind to KNOW it is capable. I remind myself daily I have a hunk of metal in my body so I can handle these stairs or my leg can handle putting my whole weight on it and I do not have to baby it. Simple life things that I have adjusted to and that others take for granted I am now having to re-learn or retrain my mind to get me to do things AND for that I am excited!

What I love the most is when I catch myself doing something I haven’t done in a while, due to limitations, and I realize I did it without thinking or worrying.  I had an especially exciting moment this past weekend when I realized that for a few weeks now I have found myself looking for things to do outside of my house. Looking for errands to do after work.  Looking for places to go and chores to get done. This may sound like a normal occurrence for you, but let me explain why this was such a huge moment for me.
For my entire life I have spent every day trying to figure out how to make it through the day with the least amount of pain both physically and emotionally. Physically I wander the parking lots looking for the closest spot so I don’t have to walk far. Or I avoid going out because I do not know what the environment will be like, how many people, seating etc.  
Emotionally, who will be there? Can I blend into the background? Will I stand out? Will there be “haters”? Fat prejudice is alive and well so when you are obese you think about these things.
As I lost weight some of these things changed slightly, and then I started having Hip issues and they came back and some even got  worse. So when I realized this weekend that I was not doing some of these things it made me realize my patterns are changing. My weight has gone down and thus I think of these things less and less AND my hip pain has diminished to the point I am not trying to avoid things and I am not trying to stay home in my safe little world. My world is opening up more and more each day.  This is exciting beyond words, it is literally like a new beginning, a fresh start!
I still have a ways to go but I am so much farther than I realized and to see that my thought processes are changing makes me excited.  Im not spending so much time thinking about my pain and that frees my mind up to spend more time thinking about the Joy and excitement of my future.
Speaking of future… I will be heading back to the pool for my beloved Aqua Aerobics soon and I cannot wait to be back in the pool splashing and singing along with the music! I love being a Mermaid! 


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