The Surgeon Is Happy I'm Happy

Stella and I started our day a little before 5:30am. Heidi is slowly moving into her winter mode and sleeping later each day. She may have been back on her dog bed sawing logs as they say, but Stella was wide awake and was demanding breakfast kibble. It didn't matter that it was before sunrise and it didn't matter that Heidi wasn't standing beside her ... she wanted food and she wanted it now.

I followed the daily procedure though and she didn't eat until Heidi finally walked into the kitchen a little after 7:00am. I never get tired of seeing the sun rise over the Mule Mountains and gradually move west to where the horizon that borders my fence lights up. It is a great way to start the day.

It was going to be a big day today, an important day ... I had my 6 week appointment with my surgeon and a new updated set of x-rays. For once I had some things to do in the morning that could get me through to 1:00 pm. To say the least, I was a little anxious to talk to him and see what my next plan would be.

I spent my first hour at Best Buy as they tried to move my account to a new iPhone ... the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The only thing different in this transaction it was just THREE days ago I was doing the same process to get the iPhone 11 Pro ... too small. It bothered me. It was (point) .3" larger than my big 8+ but it felt small. Old eyes need bigger screens, if you know what I mean. Little did I know that a few friends scattered around the old USA was going through the same decision process on whether to go back to big or move to small or stay with what they had in their iPhone.

While Stella was left in her crate I left the patio door open so Heidi could enjoy the outside. When I walked in a few hours later, it would have been a great photo. She was sound to sleep on the patio laying in the sun just like any basset hound would. About the time I got the camera in position, she heard me and woke up, walking inside. A missed opportunity.

This is their normal post-breakfast position ... fat and happy in the computer room.


I walked into the lobby of the doctors office 20 minutes before my appointment. It took 25 minutes to finally get checked in because in the era of computers, data entry and all that other crap ... like "attention to detail" ... they had no record of my appointment. They did when I reached into my wallet and handed her the card that she filled out one month ago. "Look familiar?"

About 30 minutes after that I was called for some fresh new x-rays. I wish I could stand next to the doctor and look at them at the same time he does. I'd just be happy to see them sometime, day or night. I went back outside in the lobby to wait another 29 minutes before my name was called to see the doctor. Nurse first, doctor second ... throw another 10 minutes of waiting before he walked in.

I admit that I followed the suggestion of a friend and blog reader ... take my cane with me to show them I was following the rules. With my sick sense of humor I walked off the elevator into the crowded waiting room with the cane on my shoulder with a walk of a fully rehabbed patient. Yes, being a jerk at times is part of my DNA.

The report was short and sweet until I asked him if he minded if I ask some questions ... located in the "Notes" program on my phone.

1. How many pounds can I left if I am not having to squat ... such as a 40 lb bag of dog food.
          - "you can lift as much as you want as long as your feet and knee is pointing straight"

2. Can I start riding my bicycle indoors on a trainer?
         - "yes, you can ride your bike. Listen to your body"
         - "with your riding experience you will know what you can and cannot do."

3. Can I use resistance bands to start upper body exercises?
         - " you can do all the exercises you want for upper body strength, including weights"

He told me that I no longer have any restrictions. I can do everything I normally do. "Your x-rays look great and your hip looks great" BUT there are two things you cannot do ... "twisting of any kind and be sure to watch your knee or leg, that you are not twisting it or turning it in."

I mentioned to him some of the issues I had in the past, how I felt on the good days and how I was trying to walk for longer distances. He was all for that. He told me he wanted me to keep walking a lot and there were a couple of exercises he wanted me to do.

1.  Standing, balance yourself with your hand on a wall or counter, stand up straight and swing your straight leg out to the side .. "do a million of those per day and when you reach a million do a million more" ... I got the message.

2.  I waited for the 2nd one ... he said two of them .... there was nothing else except to walk as much as possible ... "ride your bike as much as you want".

I can do all normal activity from now on. Yes, there will be some soreness and like he said for the next 6 months I will see rapid improvement but there will still be bad days. It should be an interesting trip with notes like that.

"You don't need to use your cane anymore."

That was good to hear, I was tired of faking it.

So I can see that hiking some of these trails in the area are on top of the list. The hikes may not last long but at least I'll be out in the country with the phone camera in hand and not on neighborhood sidewalks or doing laps around the backyard. Although ... I like walking laps for 10 minutes or so.

I was happy with the news. I was happy to hear the hip looked good on the x-rays. It was Day 44 today and got a clean bill of health I guess. Now it's time to get those muscles back in shape slowly but surely. I was happy I can lift the 40 lb bag of dog food, that I can now bend over to pet Heidi, clean dog ears and eventually cut hound toe nails.

Ironically today was the first day I was able to put on my right sock and tie my right shoe without some pain in the hip. Since I can now bend over past 90° I can do some exercises to make that move much easier and the soreness will eventually go away.

It was a great day in the Wild West today.

The Danger Zone

I hope I an not starting a new routine of waking up around 1:00am, wide awake and unable to get back to sleep for a couple of hours later. Soon after waking up and seeing the reflection of the moon lighting up the bedroom the sound of coyotes filled the air. I wondered just how close they were because they sounded as if they were just on the other side of my fence. At that time of night you can get a lot of thinking done. There was nothing major on my mind but I did think of a few interesting topics.

I am what I consider in a danger zone now. I feel so good that more and more I am forgetting that I have a hip that is still healing and will not be finished for almost 50 more days. It's that kind of feeling where I might become complacent, not as focused on how I move my right leg which affects my hip. I still have to separate good pain and bad pain, although pain is almost a memory now. Soreness is more like it and I know I have a lot more ahead of me as I start an exercising program.

Saturday's morning sunshine is just peaking around the corner of the patio. It was a cool 48° and I may have looked strange wearing a sweatshirt and gym shorts, no shoes. Luckily I'm hidden when I am on my patio. It still beat the weather I would have felt this time last year with rain and temps in the 50s. Our day of course started like all the others only today is "Football Saturday", with games starting at 9:00am.

By the time I ground a bag of coffee and made myself a cup, the hounds were attempting for the second time today, getting their breakfast served. They did try as soon as we got up, a little past 5:30am but now was time. I grabbed "the grabber" and lowered their bowls of kibble to the floor.

Another sign that I am healing is that I can bend over probably more than I should and feel no pain or soreness. Yet I still put a hand on the wall to brace myself, lift my surgical side leg up so my hip stays at 180° as I bend over to pet Heidi or pick something off the floor. "The grabber" by the way can pick up a coffee bean off the floor, it's that good of a tool.

This is the mystery of the week. Every day or night when I see the blanket's corners folded like this, I straighten the blanket out flat. At first I thought the wind was whipping around the patio and making it turn up. Last night as I stood at the open window at 1:30am, there was zero wind and the whole SE Arizona area was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop on the desert floor.

I like thinking outside the box about stuff like this. It makes you wonder.

With a full stomach, Stella was ready to start another day. She wonders when we will be able to start walking again. I also have to do some testing myself to see if I can even walk a half mile. I have before but not that many times. I'll ask the doctor again on Tuesday when I can walk the bloodhound again. I can't wait to get back to that routine first thing in the morning ... things will seem more normal after we resume those walks.

Heidi spent a lot of time this morning exploring different parts of the yard. Yesterday she was laying in the sunshine on the patio with Stella. She is loving these lower temperatures and the high afternoon temps near 80s seems to agree with her.

All of these photos today are a mix between the iPhone 8+, the older Nikon D3200 and my new Nikon D3500.  I can tell the difference between cameras and my suspicion of years ago was true. It's only been a few hours but I am happy with my new purchase.

A thought I had last night at 1:00am ... does it do any good to take the Bayer Low Dose 81mg Aspirin? It was prescribed by the surgeon. I need to take it for 6 weeks after my surgery. With my AVS I am assuming I need to take it every day for the rest of my life. Yet, recently medical news was online stating they had found it didn't make that much difference for people with heart issues.

Which is it? A requirement or a take a chance and follow the most recent study?

Something else I was thinking about while I laid in bed wide awake ... a "plant based" diet. As you know I have tried different eating styles in the past five years and all of them making a positive difference for me. A friend in Bisbee changed to a plant based diet after his open heart surgery. I met another blogger last year that did the same thing, both people claiming it was the only diet to follow if you had heart issues.

While reading Facebook during this two hours of 'wide awakeness' I ran onto a blogger I use to follow that must do his writing on his Facebook page now. Years ago he was blogging about his dog Atticus. He was having some medical problem about the same time I stopped reading his blog. Well last night I see he is also on a plant based diet, taking less meds, seeing less doctors and has lost 140lbs.

Yet, just like the medical study on the benefits of taking low dose Bayer Aspirin, there are studies that says it makes no difference to the heart if you are eating plant based, Keto or Paleo. Most things I've read suggest the Mediterranean Diet and following 'moderation' when it comes to eating red meat or all that good fat ice cream.

So which is it? Follow your intuition, the latest medical study or the most consistent information?

After I made the big camera purchase last night, I wondered if I would have bought the new Apple Phone 11 Pro if I had the phone with me instead of leaving it home to take a video of Stella while I was gone. I will say that with my watch, my phone anymore is basically just a camera for low light conditions and close up, normal portrait type shots.

I can reply to text and email verbally on my watch. I can get the same GPS info on my watch and people tell me that the phone calls are more clearer than the phone, when using the watch. With the new Series 5 with the cellular feature, I usually leave my phone at home now when I am out and about.

I don't do it a lot because I don't trust myself, but I like the phone WITHOUT a case best of all. It's dangerous to do that because my cheap Speck case has saved my phone a few times when I dropped it on the title floor or on a concrete driveway or carport. It does happen for one reason or another, just not age related. Still, I like it without a case.

So as I operate this morning taking photos with the iPhone, adding what food I eat into the Cronometer app and checking mail ... the phone feels "new" without the case. The photos are sharp and clear ... all of this talks me out of going to Best Buy on Sunday (too much football to watch today) and trade the 8+ for the 11 Pro. No, I don't need it.

Such a change from 12 hours ago or a little more as Stella was seen on video trying to dig right though that door jam to get back inside the house. That is her normal position about every morning when I am out on the patio, just to let me know that she misses her walk.

No matter how much stuff she had damaged the past 4 years and 2 months, she is just a great hound. She has a unique personality that gives you a laugh a day and almost more than just one. She is laidback as long as I am home with her or she is with me in the car. She doesn't mind going to the vet, doesn't mind seeing new people or dogs in the neighborhood ... she is just a great bloodhound.

She catches up on her sleep when I spend the day watching football.

Heidi couldn't make up her mind this morning if she wanted to go back to bed on her dog bed or hang out with Stella and I. She made numerous trips to the bedroom, tried the computer room and numerous trips outside to stand and think. She likes the warm sunshine ... always has.

She is also a great hound. After 8 years I cannot remember one thing that she done that she shouldn't have. A perfect house dog. I still wonder what caused all the times she would be found in the animal shelter before GABR rescued her?

I have a neighbor a couple of houses down that is moving out. Stella was more than interested in all the different people pulling into his driveway or in front of his house. At first I thought he was having all of his friends stopping to help him move but found out later he and his wife were having a garage sale.

I've seen some serious yard sale buyers this morning. This people out west don't play around when they shop for the best deals. They are towing large trailers that show they have made other stops before here. Pickup trucks are packed and strapped down with more things than you can imagine. Just a little different than the yard sale buyers back in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

I told you that Heidi was moving around a lot this morning ... can't make up her mind where to finally lay down.

While the hounds enjoyed their day inside the confines of home today, I watched the IU game on my computer, taped the UW-Oregon game on tv to watch Sunday morning ... and was amazed that I am doing more activity than I have since my surgery. I drove downtown to pick up some center caps at Toyota for my new wheels ... no sign of soreness in my hip.

I'd like to drive or hike up to the live of the 'yellow'. That is something I could not capture standing on my patio until I tried the new 70-300mm lens.

I also took my longest walk yet this morning and did another at the halftime of the IU game. In total I had three walks that were longer than a half mile each time. I feel that I was more flexible today for the first time but still aware just how far I could bend over.

I even forgot to take my cane with me when I went to the Toyota Dealership. I took the cane with me on the three long walks but never needed to use it. I could feel my hip and upper thigh getting stronger with each walk. Still, in back of my mind I hear a little voice telling me to be careful and not blow this improvement by being too over confident.

With a stiff breeze throughout the day, the house stayed cool, and the hounds spent more time outside than they did inside. I was even able to walk to the mailbox and back where Stella never woke up and never knew that I was gone.

By late afternoon after seeing another one of those fantastic night photos taken by the new iPhone 11 Pro, my brain cells started scrambling and I was about to pull the trigger on purchasing the new phone. My 8+ is just a couple of months shy of being 2 years old. So this afternoon as I was walking laps around the inside of my yard between ballgames I took some photos with the 8+.

All of that vacant land is behind my fence and where I heard coyotes and the javalinas the other morning. I wonder how brown all of that will be during the winter months.

I took this while I was walking and didn't stop to take the photo. For some reason the Activity app on the phone was not synchronizing with my two different watches and wasn't recording all of my steps or walks today. So after a little searching on the internet I found I should get to a better location for GPS service. I carried the phone with me while I walked and eventually things started downloading.

I also noticed today while I did normal activity that my right leg was moving in a natural direction and sometime that included moving to the right at a sharper angle than it had since my surgery. What is mind boggling is just how good I feel compared to just a week ago when I was crawling into CVS to pick up the muscle relaxers.

I am anxious to see what the surgeon will suggest for my next phase of rehab. There will be some soreness involved but it will be the good kind as the muscles and tendons start getting stretch back to their normal positions. I'll be sore again as I get 'in shape' ...

It was really a good day in the 'hip department' today in the Wild West.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

Last night as I watched the richest team in MLB and a winner of 106 games out of a 162 regular season games, blow a lead in the 8th inning due to some poor managerial decisions ... the pain in my hip and groin returned. It felt better to walk around the house, instead of sitting in a chair with my 4" memory foam pad. Confusion rang loud but it was not about what the LA manager was doing ... it rang loud because my leg/hip did a 360° turn giving me the chance to experience more pain than I wanted.

I had already taken my second and final dose of Ibuprofen and Tylenol X-Strength. I take that dose every 12 hours. So I picked up the booklet they gave me at the hospital the night before surgery and re-read the sections on post op rehab.

It was disheartening in a way.

"Early on, you will see fairly rapid improvements. Your progress may slow after the first two weeks, but don't get discouraged ... this is normal !!!"

Then it dawned on me that I will never run again. I'm not a runner and around here the only way I would run would be turning myself into a jogger and that was not going to happen. I only ran back in Indiana when the bloodhounds would take off running after deer and out of my line of sight. So it's not really a big deal but there was something to think about when seeing the word "never again" in my mind ... Running is listed under "Avoid Higher-Impact Exercise"

I quit going to the "Hippie" forum because of all the horror stories and negativity where hip replacement surgery did not work out well for some people. I never went there that much anyway, just to ask a question and seeing my list of answers. Reading some of the comments or posts from others that continue to have problems with their hip made me feel very very fortunate with a little pain from time to time.

Maybe it was a sign to pay attention to with this new kind of pain. Or was it when I get a text from that friend that was going to come over and set up my bike on an indoor trainer (in garage), attached to the back wheel where it spins with magnetic resistance while I ride. He forgot about coming over and let me know about start of the bottom of the 10th inning in LA.

He will be by this morning to mount the bike on the trainer but the way I feel this morning after taking the meds and just a little coffee, riding anywhere seems like nothing but a rumor. Where yesterday riding a bike indoors to start my comeback, seemed as close as a couple of weeks away after my surgeons approval on the 22nd, last night made me wonder if I will ever want to ride again.

How good I felt yesterday during the day, I felt just as bad last night and so far this morning.

It could be this hard form fitting seat cushion I have been sitting on. Amazon recommended it as did the 4,5000 + reviews. It might form fit to my butt but after a week of using it, it's hard as a rock. Did this play a role in new muscles becoming sore? I ordered my 3rd different seat cushion yesterday and it should get it tomorrow.

I don't forget that I did something yesterday for the first time in 31 days. First time for that bionic hip joint. I drove my car. I got into the drivers seat just like I was instructed and did in my neighbor's Jeep Liberty when he picked me up at the hospital, then two weeks later taking me to my follow-up doctors appointment. I slowly swung my legs and feet into the floorboard area. I got in and out of the car a total of 8 times ... was that 8 times too many even after doctor's approval to drive?

Maybe it was more total steps for the day than I normal take? I took less walks limiting my max time to 10 minutes and had most of my short walks ending after 5 minutes. I felt good after each walk. Like I said earlier ... it feels better to walk than sit in a chair past the 30 minute mark.

The key for healing the hip is no twisting, no bending past 90°, no sitting in a couch or soft chair where you "sink in" and your hips end up being lower than your knees. Always keep the hips higher than the knees even if it so slight.

Then again .... since the pain has stayed with me after a night of sleep, the mystery question has always been "What do I do in my sleep with that right leg and hip, that I am not suppose to do?" Is that what wakes me up in the middle of the night ... a sharp pain that disappears just as soon as I open my eyes? We'll never know will we unless I turn my iPhone into a video recorder with the lights off.  LOL

So I'll do a little walking this morning while I wait for the sun to rise. The hounds are back to sleep after the 4:30am wake up call to go outside. They begged to be fed at 4:30am when they came back inside but finally relented and head back to the dark bedroom for Heidi and the computer desk corner for Stella. They have a good two hour wait before kibble is served. It is hard to say no to wagging tails and sad eyes looking straight at you.

I am going to post this now, with no photos because I felt like writing about it right from the start day. Sometimes as a blogger you have an urge to write and publish a post even if it is not the regular time and no photos are involved.

I'll post again later tonight for those east of the Mississippi River or late afternoon for us in the West .... photos will be added and an update on how my day went. I have canceled my car trip for today (unless I start feeling better) and will spend more time walking and standing than sitting. I'll add more time laying in the prone position in bed today ... and see what kind of results I have.

I will still walk those short walks and I'll apply ice when needed. Ice seems to be my best friend through all of this or maybe a close second to coffee.

I am going to assume all the pain around that hip area and now up by my pelvis is nothing more than a sign that things are healing inside. I did a visual inspection and there is no swelling or discoloring of any kind. My hip bones are level which means my legs are the same length, and the right side looks as normal as the left side.

No matter how I feel it will still be a great day here in the Wild West ... seeing the mountains in about 45 minutes will make me feel that much better. Sitting in the sunshine later this morning will make me feel that much better. Seeing Heidi begging me for food ... lets me know she really is feeling good. Hearing Stella howl for food will make me laugh ... all things to help me forget the pain I feel.

I can't stop saying that I love where I live ... moving here was a life changing decision.

Did The Rest Days Hurt Me?

I slept so well Sunday night that I overslept this morning for the first time since I moved here. By the time I heard Stella whining and seeing her standing by the bed, the sun was already up and it was close to 6:30am. I grabbed the walker like I do every morning to get all the muscles and joints lined up as I walk down the hallway to the kitchen. Things felt different today and not in a good way.

On purpose I decided to take some time off from taking long walks outside over the weekend, calling it a rest day. I was beginning to question that decision as I flipped on the lights and let the hounds outside. None of the things I was feeling was pain but soreness. My knee was sore, for the first time in a long time my lower back was really sore, the side of my hip felt like there was a huge rock inside it and my groin was sore.

It sure felt like something happened in my sleep, where the leg may have moved in a way it's not allowed. Like too far to the right??? Or did I try to drag my heel up, bending my leg at the knee to loosen a tight leg? Whatever it was, I wasn't feeling good and I was a little concerned.

It wasn't even 7am and the hounds were begging for breakfast. They are both back to their old ways of demanding breakfast kibble as soon as they walk back inside the house. Stella will howl, Heidi will start barking. Both things you don't want to hear that early in the morning.

As I walked around the kitchen my leg started to relax a little and started feeling better. Some of the soreness went away in the knee, the groin and lower back. What concerned me was the feeling I had when putting weight on the right leg. I could tell the difference when I used the walker. It hurt a little at the top of my leg when I tried walking ... is that why it felt like a rock (not misspelled) was inside my hip?

While coffee was being made I thought I'd add 600mg of Ibuprofen to the tiny pill of Bayer Low Dose Aspirin with my morning water. Soon after those muscles felt much better to the point I could walk around the house, inside, without a problem.

It's good to see there is a hiking trail this close to the fence in my back yard. I had the 200mm zoom for this photo so he is on the other side of the natural wash. I've seen him and his dog on this early morning hike before. I hope to be able to hike that trail soon.

By the way my body felt I was going to take another day off today. To keep my feet and ankles from swelling I'd spend more time laying in bed reading a book instead of sitting in a chair. I was beginning to think the amount of time I laid in bed sitting up reading on Sunday was the reason for my sore lower back this morning. I cannot even remember the last time I sat up in bed to read a book.
 

It was going to be another great day here in the high desert. The Aerostat was already at work. I wondered how many photos it has collected of me taking photos of it or of me walking laps around my backyard?

There are times I wonder if Heidi is looking for her grass yard she left back in Indiana. Once I am in shape where I can get on my hands and knees I am going to buy her a patch of field turf and anchor it down on the right side of the patio next to the gate. As the temps cool I am sure she would enjoy laying in the yard in the sunshine ... just not on rock.

She finally gave up trying to find grass and decided the living room rug would work just as good for a late morning nap.

Stella spent most of her time going outside and then back inside a million times looking for that perfect sleeping spot. She finally found a spot that she uses every day before noon.

As I started feeling better I thought I'd test my leg and hip and walk a lap or two around the backyard. This is the first step of getting the shoe on my right foot. Once I slide my foot into the shoe under the tongue, I use the extended shoe horn in back to slide my heel inside. The only hard part is getting the shoe tied after it is on my foot.

I walked slower than I normally do, analyzing what my muscles were telling me. I felt both legs as I walked and they were the same size, no swelling and normal muscle movement.  The right side of my hip was not swollen, it was soft to touch and my incision looked perfect.

I felt so good after three laps that I walked through the house, out to the sidewalk and headed for the end of the block to the left. I continued to walk slowly feeling nothing out of the ordinary nor did I feel any kind of pain or discomfort. Did taking time off hurt me more than walking as much as possible this weekend?

Right after their lunch both of the hounds like to clean their feet and legs before they take their afternoon long siesta.

Stella was sure she had heard a food wrapper, maybe smelled something I was cooking ... she stood up from a deep sleep. I've never seen a dog so obsessed about food as she is.

Throughout the day I took short walks around the yard. I can't because it would cause me to break the 90° bending rule but I really feel if I could stretch my hamstrings I'd feel a lot better. Both legs are really tight of course without real exercises and with the trauma of surgery. It was one month ago today that I wrecked my bike. Tomorrow will be one month since I had surgery.

Towards the late afternoon I felt exhausted and had done nothing all day but read, take short walks along with walking around the house. That led to a nap almost two hours long. Once again, as soon as I woke up all the areas that were sore this morning were sore again ... at least until I walked into the kitchen.

I cannot lay on the floor to use the massage roller on my legs and back because I cannot get up off the floor like I can out of bed. I would love to be able to bend over to where I could touch my toes but that puts my hip past the 90° limit. These 4 weeks of little activity is starting to get to me I think.

As always I never wait to update all of my devices when a new Apple Operating System update comes out. Finally they had one for their desktops (iMac) and laptops (Pro and Air). Unlike things I read on the forums, I've never had problems after doing an update, for the computers, phone or watch. I guess I am lucky in that regard. I am now using the new macOS Catalina.

For those that use Blogger for your blog ... just an FYI ... unlike some others I have not had one problem with blogger working anytime day or night. I upload all of my photos at one time without a hitch. Even after the new Catalina OS update on the iMac I did not have an issue running any of my blogs.

I am finding out that I just cannot sit in a chair for too long. 30 minutes is about as long as I can sit without feeling something in my hip.

So with that ... I'm outta here for tonight. It was a good day but I admit I was a little concerned by the way I felt when I took my first steps of the day.

I can't wait to get back to blogging about day trips here in the Wild West.