Much faster recovery than my first hip, with progress measured in days instead of weeks:

•4hrs after surgery, up w/ PT walker to door and bathroom, pee on potty seated, FEELS GREAT! slight soreness w/ weight bearing; flexibility & ROM feels good, would love to do more yet will wait to see what soreness results in AM from this activity

•12hrs after surgery 2 steps almost full-weight bearing in bathroom, doing McMinn seated exercises; 15mg oxy first 12 hrs

•24hrs after surgery crutches downhall/back, seated in chair, cleared by OT for discharge, McMinn standing exercises, crutches on stairs up & down, cleared by PT for discharge; 20mg oxy day 1

•day2 single crutch hallway walking slowly, discharge from hospital, single crutch walking up-down stairs at home; 20mg oxy day 2

•day3 last oxy dose 5mg 7am, McMinn & Reinhart standing exer, squats, walked 20steps w/o aid very slowly w/ focus!, recumbent bike 10min., half mile walk one crutch, bike ride around block

•day4 bike ride to Spring Street*, quad stretch very stiff: from activity? or drugs wearing off? slept great! [* perhaps too early as resorbable stitches still present, what will the surgeon think??, I can say that after sevearl months that no damage seemed done]

•day5 Humane Race 1K Walk w/ one crutch; dinner out

•day6 still need assit to lift leg in/out of bed, lots of exer, cannot do straight leg lift, McMinn seated exer & standing exer, first climbing wall visit and not good to push w/ R leg when flexed - too early; play in playground; walked largely unassisted today w/ concentration

•day7 taiji class did form w/o assist 1x, tired; kneeled/squatted in field planting potatoes; McMinn standing exer; squat w/ no hands heels lifted, did ONE STRAIGHT LEG LIFT! half crutch half unassisted today

 

WEEK ONE SUMMARY - OT cleared first visit, PT cleared 24 hours, no in-home PT; can do all PT exer as per week 6 of last time; ride bicycle, Humane 1K walk, dance/drum class, planted potatoes, drive car; 1 crutch at hospital on day 2, 50-50 unassisted by day 7; swelling managed w/ self txs + TEDs keeping edema from foot; oxy stopped day 3, tylenol down to 2500mg by day 7; can do some Reinhart standing exer; back to work on day 7

WEEK 2 SUMMARY swelling gone day 13; walking completely unassisted all week; ride motorcycle, bicycle to work daily, daily taiji easy to do, can do 3 straight leg lifts; 1500mg tylenol daily

WEEK 3 SUMMARY hiking w/ child carrier, stairs two at a time, canoe onto cartop and lake paddling, steri-stips off, first out-patient PT session and noticed some femoral nerve burn w/ more aggressive anterior stretch which lessens each day as fascia relaxes at anterior joint, see video of dancing at day nineteen! (click here)

WEEK 4 SUMMARY five straight leg raises, can dress pant legs and socks standing w/o support, no time for AM exer and OK for the day, still need two steps to gain balance w/ standing up from sitting, now can lift R leg to bed/chair height, walking normally, mowing grass, outdoor rock climbing w/ packs, canoe and kayak outings, some running, some easy basketball play, I can cross legs at knees - first time in 15 years!

WEEKS 5-10 SUMMARY no longer need any assist of right hand in getting right leg into/out of car seat, no longer any adjustment needed from seated to standing, have returned to rock climbing as intensely as before, have done light trail running in new Huaraches (see photo), and on July 4, I bicycled up the Notch Road to the summit of Mt. Greylock, highest point in Massachusetts, with a rise of 2000' in 6.7 miles. 

THREE MONTHS AND BEYOND my rock climbing has returned to levels twenty years prior, I feel total strength in both legs, groin mobility continues to improve with my stretching program and I now can exceed my fexibility of twenty years ago, there are rare occurances when my hips sqeak when I am doing exttreme range of motion activities (inside feeling, not audible) like very high stepping while rock climbing -- surgeon says to stay hydrated so I drink lots of water :).  

SIX MONTHS post-op I will be cleared for all activities, so while two weeks prior I joined the Greylock Ramble again, last year I was very excited to join in as this was my first hike at five weeks after my first surgery and I was with trekking poles and carrying a child carrier feeling the delicate nature of it all, while now at just shy of six months I have the joy of complete freedom to walk, run, with seamlessness in my hip joints feeling strong and capable -- YAHOO! I HAVE LEGS AGAIN!!

TWELVE MONTHS POST-OP: rock climbing is my main focus and I have complete confidence in all ranges of climbing from carrying packs, hiking steep trails, and climbing the most challenging climbs of my life.  PRETTY FANTASTC GUYS!!  I AM MOST PLEASED!!