Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy 4th of July and 5 Weeks Post-Op!!

"Those who reap the blessings of freedom, must undergo the fatigue of supporting it." ~Thomas Paine

Today is a special day for me as being a Veteran, I feel that today takes on a special meaning for me. I have always loved celebrating the 4th of July and fondly remember heading down to the river and watching what in my opinion is still the best fireworks display I have ever seen anywhere. Dubuque puts on such a great show with the fireworks being set off to patriotic music played on the local radio stations and for it being a small town, the length and quantity of fireworks puts other shows I've seen to shame. Ten years ago today, I celebrated the birth of our great nation in a sandbox thousands of miles away from my family and friends. Being with my comrades and battle buddies on this day, however, strengthened our resolve and reassured us that we were there, doing the right thing, doing our part. It is hard to believe it has been so long, and I truly believe that the experiences I had being so far away from home, has helped me tackle the challenges I am currently taking on, and have shaped the man I have become. Anyways, on to the post.

So today also marks my 5 week post op point. Overall I feel great, albeit a bit antsy being around the house by myself many days. I had another appointment with my PT Charlie yesterday to review my progress and plan out the next couple of weeks. I had been experiencing some tightness and soreness in my abductor and iliotibial band area, which started earlier in the week. He massaged it out a bit and provided me with a stretch to start doing to alleviate the tightness. He also suggested cutting back the cycling to once per day as he felt I was doing plenty of exercises and possibly overdoing it a bit. Overall it was a great appointment as he said I can begin to increase weight-bearing over the next week in preparation of going to 80% next Thursday and starting Monday I can begin working on balance on the surgical leg while chest-deep in the pool and standing solely on that leg. He even was optimistic enough to suggest I would be ready to tackle a marathon in the fall of 2014!! That is sooner than I was thinking/planning as I was aiming for the The IMS Arizona Marathon in February of 2015. While this is encouraging, I will continue to be patient and take things as they come, knowing that I will eventually get back to better than before!

4 comments:

  1. Hi Jeff:

    This is really useful stuff. Like you, I'm very active (or was, at least - until the labral tears got too painful for me to do my usual HIIT & weightlifting), so I really appreciate your POV on recovery. Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Lucy! I appreciate the feedback! What kind of active background do you have? Have you had surgery yet? If so, what all was done? I'm interested in hearing others' POV and experiences.

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  2. Hey Jeff!

    Nope, no surgery yet - I'm getting my right hip done on 7/31 by Byrd; left hip will follow somewhere in the 6 week - 3 months later timeframe, depending on how my first hip does in PT.

    Anyway, my activity was sort of twofold - the usual up and down all the time stuff that a SAHM of two small kids (2 and 4) does, and my weightlifting and high-intensity interval training. Lots of burpees, kettlebell work, frog jumps, all that stuff. More than anything, I miss my heavy lifting! I hope to be able to squat heavy again someday, but I'll take it day by day. I definitely don't want to trash my new hips once they're done. :D

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    1. Ah yes, deep squats will do this to you! You sound like a Crossfit athlete? I was beginning to use Crossfit once a week to supplement my marathon training prior to the surgery...awesome workout! Best of luck to you and let me know if you have any questions about recovery, helpful items to have, etc.

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