Henry Warner Hip Resurfacing Day 3

Sunday was the third day and I woke up feeling pretty decently.  The grogginess and fog of yesterday had pretty much dissipated.  I also noticed an improvement in the strength of my leg.  I was able to do the “leg slide” exercise easier than yesterday.  This is is an exercise where you lie on your back with both legs extended.  The you slide/draw your operated leg up alongside the good leg introducing a bend in the knee.

I got up and started walking around I soon discovered that I was actually capable of walking quite easily using just one crutch under my non-operated armpit!  I assure you that I did nothing to “push” this.  I just noticed that I could lift up the operated-side crutch and walk without a challenge.  So I pretty much discarded the second crutch on day 3!

Don’t get the idea, though, that I am miraculously back to a pre-operation state.  While I am walking reasonably well on one crutch, I still have a hard time getting in and out of bed, although I am now able to do this entirely on my own.  I also getting a “clunking” and “pinching” sensation at certain positions.  According to what I have read, this is normal for some time after the resurfacing operation, as the muscles that were stretched out of position to access the hip joint take some time to resume their normal alignment and strength.

In particular, the most difficult movement is an exercise where I lie on my back with knees bent and I relax them to the side.  At this point I have a limited range of side-to-side motion without pain.

But good news on the bowels!  Everything started flowing again around noon, although I still have an upset stomach feeling.

After dinner I took a shower for the first time.  Dr. Pritchett has said there was no restriction.  I was actually able to stand in the shower with no support.  I was careful to not make any big movements and I took a quick shower, but there were no major issues.

I went to bed about 11:00 PM feeling pretty good about my progress so far.

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