Six Weeks: Swim, Swam, Swum

I know that I am blogging way too much lately, but so much exciting stuff is going down. Today was my first pool outing since surgery.

I am lucky to have a warm water therapy pool just a short drive from my house. They also have an olympic-sized pool right there for when I graduate from the baby pool. For now though I'm happy as a clam floating around in the 98 degree bathwater.

I wasn't really sure what to do when I got there. Not only was I the youngest person by at least 30 years, but Dr. Mayo did not give me any pool exercises and he actually seemed reluctant to even let me go in the pool when I asked him. He said I could go at six weeks (yeah, that's Wednesday, but come on ...) but didn't tell me what I could and could not do. So I stayed with my usual restrictions. No straight leg raises or abduction or weight bearing ...

Wait a minute. Weight bearing? If I walk in the pool am I really weight bearing? In theory I am allowed to put up to 44 pounds on my operated leg. How they came up with 44 pounds is beyond me, and it's not like I am able to tell accurately how much weight I'm bearing anyway. I have just stuck with the concept of "toe touch" until now. But in the water I did some actual walking in the shallow end.

It was very odd. My body is so used to NOT walking that every time I stepped on my right leg my torso would scrunch up in a futile attempt to not bear weight. Even in the pool I had a pronounced waddling limp. It got better over time, but boy, if this is any indication, real walking on land is going to be, um, rather challenging. I had hoped walking, which I've been doing for almost half a century, would be a skill I might easily reacquire. Now I'm thinking not so much.

Over the course of an hour I did lots of floating, some range of motion exercises, a little walking, more floating, and some paddling with just my arms in a feeble attempt to get my heart rate up (kicking my legs did not seem like a very bright idea even though it's not on my restriction list).

Today was the first time in almost six weeks that I've done any activity which resembles exercise. I am sure that I overdid it. Based on the pain that's just starting to become apparent in my right groin and buttock, I'm sure I will find out in the next 24 hours just how much.

Back to work

I'm almost 5 weeks post RPAO, and I'm going back into the office part-time tomorrow (I've been working from home part-time since week 2). I work for a financial services company doing product development, so I do a lot of sitting during the day either at my desk or in meetings. I am lucky that my job does not require much standing or walking since I'm still on crutches. Sitting may be difficult for long stretches but I am prepared to deal with that. I had originally planned for 8 weeks off work so I am happy to be ahead of schedule.

Next milestone will be going to the therapy pool starting next week. I've joined a pool near my house and I look forward to walking in the water and doing some easy range of motion exercises.

Long-term goal: If I continue to do well, and physical therapy goes well, I would like to try putting on my skates some time in October. Harlick is refurbishing my boots and should have them back to me next week. My goal is to do some light stroking and edges. It all depends on my strength and balance. This is a pretty aggressive goal for someone who is still on crutches, but it's something to shoot for.

Farewell to Fragmin

Today was my last Fragmin (anti-coagulant) injection. To say that I am happy about this is a gross understatement. The injections weren't really all that bad, and didn't really hurt (just a bit of a sting), but I just never quite got used to giving myself a shot in the abdomen each morning. I dreaded it each day.

And a cheery adios to my elastic TED stockings as well. I actually ditched them yesterday since my legs are not swollen and we are experiencing a heat wave here. Plus they were pretty stretched out and I don't think they were compressing anything.

I've been looking forward to these milestones. Next milestone? I can stop taking iron supplements (they do yucky things to my digestion) in just over a week. After that? I get to drive and go to the pool in 3 weeks and 2 days! At that point I will also go back to the office part-time.

Viva Las Vegas

Where are the penny slot machines?

Day two of my trip to Las Vegas. I am here for nothing more than relaxation, while staying at Mandalay Bay.

I arrived with a cold, and on day one did more walking than planned (Portland airport, McCarren airport (which is huge), hotel (we are at the end of a very long corridor), to and from "O" last night from valet parking, to dinner, around casino. I have not yet given in to the temptation to get a wheelchair and let my cohorts push me around. Not yet.

This morning I decided to go out to the pool and bake my cold a bit. My hips were less sore than I thought they would be after yesterday. I found some shade (I am a pasty white Northwest Pacific native, and it's 110 degrees here), and got into the pool. After seeing "O" I was inspired to do some aquatherapy.

I'm sure the lifeguard and people lounging in the heat thought it was pretty funny to see pasty white woman with hat, sunglasses and mega sunscreen walking briskly up and down the length of the 4 foot deep pool over and over again, and even JOGGING. Yes, jogging, something that I can do in the pool without pain. I must have walked across the pool 100 times, and then did a bunch of pool stretches a la "O." I could actually move in the water without pain, although I might have overdone it. We'll see how sore I am tomorrow. I felt like I could have walked for hours!

I don't like swimming (Chlorine! Cold water!) and don't really have access to a pool at home, but this was nice. If we had weather like this I'd swim every day. After surgery I'll join a club with a pool at least temporarily because I know this will be good for me.

Tomorrow Cher is on the agenda, along with the Barry Manilow store. That's right, Barry, who despite two hip replacements is still dancing and giving a great show well into his 70's. We saw Barry's show in Portland a year ago, and the Barry store is definitely on the "to do" list. I'll see if I can find out the name of his hip surgeon too while I'm at it.

P.S. - I STAND CORRECTED by Crissy, who is evidently a Barry Manilow fan; in this post I erroneously reported Barry to be "well into his 70's" when he is, in fact, in his mid 60's, but still fab. Also, according to reliable source Crissy, Barry had labral repair and not a hip repacement; many hip chicks reading this can relate. Blogs are not checked for accuracy by the blog police, and I don't pass myself off as a serious journalist, but I don't want to get nailed by other Manilow fans (myself being one) for perpetrating misinformation. THR or not, Barry's still the HIPPEST in my book.

More on Manilow

Note however that the article in the link above, from 2006, states that Barry was 60 years old. Wikipedia confirms Crissy's report of Barry's birthdate (he will turn 66 on June 17th), but clearly some confusion regarding Barry's age abounds in the press.