Where hip #2 is at.

Having two surgeries for one hip, along with the associated ups and downs, has been draining. It knocked hell out of my master plan for dealing with the work I do at the university. My entire psychology is different: whereas for my left hip, everything was great, improving, progress, this time I've ended up more negative and really cautious and worried and tentative (hence the long delay in posting anything about this surgery). 

At this point, I think I've turned the corner, and within the noise, I'm at the point where many patients would normally be. Whether by chance or due to the extra trauma, I've been experiencing a syndrome that many but not all hip patients face (whether they are conventional or Birmingham); it's the get-up-and-go problem, where you experience sharp groin pain when you stand and try and take your first step; this clears up within a moment or two, but is an annoyance in terms of mobility. I also experience more of this pain after therapy, and I am way behind on the ability to do straight leg raises: it's still hard to get the leg started at all, let alone without pain, though once I start doing the raises, it's no problem to keep doing them or even restart the exercise. But, I am just about walking pretty well without a cane and can do a mile or more with really no pain or fatigue. I'm spinning up my speeds on the bike trainer towards 17 mph, and I've gone as long as 50 minutes. 

Here's a summary of the events and sequence since surgery.

Day 1: Initial right-hip resurfacing surgery on 23 February.

Day 4: back home

Days 7-9: lots of discomfort, sense that something is wrong with joint

Day 12: Visit surgeon; get news that another surgery is needed to replace slipped cup

Day 13 (Day 1): Second surgery, 7 March. New cup with screws inserted.

Day 22 (Day 10): Hold graduate seminar home; using crutches to get around

Day 25 (Day 13): staples out, no infection, implant looks good

Day 27 (Day 15): Use cane for some walking, mix with crutches

Day 29 (Day 17): Back to work full time, lots of stair climbing descending

Day 31 (Day (19): First outpatient therapy

Day 34 (Day 22): First ride on indoor trainer: ~20 minutes, 5 miles (15.1 mph)

Day 48 (Day 36): Indoor trainer, 12 miles, 45 minutes, 16 mph

Day 50 (Day 38): Walking longer distances, basically not needing cane; still need cane a bit after therapy or after sitting for longer periods. Can sleep in any position without any real discomfort. Stretching at therapy starting to feel good rather than painful.