Here comes a life adventure

[resonant]

Around Christmastime I get to have my right hip replaced.

I'm actually kind of thrilled about this. For literally years I've been slowly working on a lot of pain in my groin muscle. I thought it was tendinitis, and I was using massage and physical therapy and a hot tub and a lot of NSAIDs on the pain. Some movements were unlocking while others became inaccessible.

My own fault for not accessing actual medicine as soon as I should have, but my fellow Americans will understand why I didn't. (The physical therapist my doctor had sent me to had been treating six of us at the same time. "Here's a stretchy band. Follow this photocopied exercise sheet while I work with the person behind the next curtain.")

But now I've had an xray and I have surgery scheduled, and if all goes well then next year walking and yoga and swimming will come back into my life.

I work from home and have never met most of my coworkers; they know me from a headshot and a name, which happens to be one of the classic millennial names. I just put a note in one of my Teams chats: "In case youre confused because most people with this name are young ... I'm not."

If you have tips to share, bring 'em on!

Comments

[resonant]

I love you being all over my comments with your expertise! Also i love the word "prehab."

The booklet mentions protein afterwards but doesn't say anything about beforehand. How *far* beforehand? Luckily I eat meat, so it shouldn't be too complicated.

This is also the first time I've seen information about adding fiber to the diet to counteract the effects of the painkillers, which I appreciate. Normally they talk like adding another pill is all you need to do.

[sinensis]

Re: nutritional optimization--lots of leafy green vegetables are especially good for pre-op patients. And pineapple, if you can eat it, contains an enzyme that is anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving (as well as all the vitamins, etc.) It is good for both pre- and post-op diets.

So glad you're getting the surgery--wishing you the best! I know several people who had hip or knee replacements, and they were transformative.

[pallas_rose]

We have a ton of horrible names of things, so I do cherish when we come up with a good one!

Re: nutrition: honestly, no one knows for sure. The pancreatic surgery paper I think was on the order of a month; my guess is that's probably enough, unless you're malnourished in some way, which is unlikely?

Re: fiber: yes, absolutely! But depending on your colon and the amount of painkillers you take, it may not be enough. I trained in general surgery, so I'm obsessed with the guts and preventing constipation. My rule is anyone who is taking opiates also is offered a senna daily--prevention is better than cure, but we're biased: we are the ones who take out exploded colons (rare! not a threat!). My advice is to have a very itchy finger on the trigger of the back-up drugs :)