6 weeks on.... 'Tis the season to be jolly!

Well....the great news is I passed my six week check up this morning with flying colours. I didn't see Gandalf (my wizard of a surgeon) but his trusted registrar (who I have called Legolas - a messenger elf, from The Lord of the Rings) who was responsible for stitching me up so neatly! And yes, I am taller than him!

What did I need to do to pass the test ?

• The wound, which looks like a zip line now, was scrutinised and declared to have healed very well.



• I had to hold hands with Legolas (very nice!) and stand on one leg and balance..each leg in turn.



• I said I could walk for 50 minutes. There were pleasing gasps of surprise and much praise from Legolas at this information.



• I demonstrated walking without sticks. Legolas said 'That looks extremely normal'.



• Legolas, WPH and I reviewed the 'before and after' X rays and concluded the whole operation had been a huge success.

So what can I do now?

• I can wean myself off the sticks.



• I can move back to 'my' side of the bed. Many thanks to WPH for the temporary lone of his side!



• I can have a bath instead of a shower......Oh the joy and rapture of tomorrow morning's bath!



• I can drive again when I have shown WPH I can do an emergency stop!



• I can sit on a normal height chair

Altogether I feel like a normal person again. I thanked Legolas profusely and offered to give him a hug (I was feeling very excited...even euphoric at this stage!). In the end we smiled and shook hands. And that, as they say, is it. I don't have to go back for any check ups...amazing. My cobalt chromium stainless steel and high impact polyethylene hip joint should see me through for the next twenty years or so....and may be beyond with luck.

I am one very happy Lady Hip and I am going to celebrate my good fortune. CHEERS!

Physical and mental workouts

I hope readers will forgive the constant reference to achievements but having undergone major surgery I suspect it's only natural to want to return to 'how I used to be' as soon as possible. Perhaps too, it is the thought of my follow up appointment with the surgeon next week which makes me concentrate on physical milestones. This week I have increased to twenty five repeats for each of my 7 daily exercises, as well as walking round the University Parks (2.2 kms) on two successive days in glorious sunshine. Gandalf (my wizard of a surgeon) has the power to allow me to drive again next week, so not surprisingly that is quite an incentive to do the daily leg therapy. WPH thinks it is like watching a ballet bar workout, although fluffy slippers don't look quite as good as ballet shoes! (NB -no picture here- just use your imagination!)

One impressive student jogger managed to lap me five times during my fairly brisk walk around the parks.....however I couldn't help wondering how his hips would be at my age!?

There have been some mental improvements this week too as the weird after effects of the operation anaesthetic have finally disappeared. I concentrated long enough to finish a diabolical sudoku. YES! Strangely I completed the previous diabolical sudoku during the morning of my operation day...I must have been more focused than I remember!

These knitted Christmas tree decorations are destined for the grandchildren and each took about an hour to finish. Searching on the internet for the patterns took far longer....but I now know there are the most amazing knitting patterns out there!

Finally, having been inspired by a recent post on the Listwriter's blog, and needing sustenance after the mental and physical exertions of the week, I set to work in the kitchen and baked a cake. This was the last slice....mmmmm

Four weeks later....

I can hardly believe that four weeks have now passed since I received my amazing 'spare part'. I thought a quick progress check would be appropriate as we enter December and I continue to celebrate the loss of the grinding arthritic pain. I can now

• walk around the house with only one stick.

• stand confidently with NO STICKS (but only when it is safe to do so)!

• stand and iron again with pleasure.

• mop the kitchen floor.

• walk to the local shops and back again (approximately 1 mile).

No wonder I feel so excited!

Out and About

Escaping outside for a daily walk has been more tricky with the recent weather but I was quick to see a break in the clouds this morning and took my opportunity. Having conquered all the nearby bridges (slopes are much more demanding for the new hip) I now have a greater choice of routes. My first stop was down by the canal to see the narrow boats at their moorings. I was able to admire the hardiness and ingenuity of the owners... solar panels, bicycles, plant pots full of herbs and winter fuel, amongst other things, are stored on the tops of the boats. WPH, detecting a glint in my eye assures me life would be difficult for someone with a dodgy hip on one of those!

Moving on I couldn't resist pausing by the bullrushes, which provide hiding places for so many birds, in the wildlife corridor which runs behind our house. There were birds around ....but all too quick for my camera!

I was also glad to see there is more than enough natural food around to keep the tits, finches, robins and occasional sparrows happy this winter. The seeds and berries together with nuts and fat balls in garden feeders suggest the birds of ox2 could soon be fighting the flab!

Before returning home I walked up onto one of the main bridges over the canal. From there I could look down on some ducks who were admiring a new piece of canal bank reinforcement. In the Spring water plants will emerge from these sausages of sacking and soil. Meanwhile they provide a handy perch for the ducks!

What a day!

When I first started this blog I hoped that others, who might have to undergo hip replacement, would glean some useful information and encouragement from my experiences. Today has been such a good day, :-), full of firsts and so much better than yesterday.

I had been warned about 'good days' and 'bad days' and yesterday certainly belonged to the latter. I won't dwell too much on why or how I felt...suffice to say I had my 23 wound staples removed at 9a.m. by the practice nurse and on Sunday morning I had decided to stop taking the powerful pain killers I was given during my hospital stay (and for as long as I needed them when back at home). Having spent some time on the web this afternoon I now realise yesterday's 'roughness' was caused by the classic withdrawal symptoms from an opioid. What a relief!

So back to today. :-)

I woke up feeling refreshed, (always a good sign). I no longer needed prunes for breakfast (apologies to those who feel 'too much information!'), my daily exercises were less arduous and WPH suggested that as the sun was shining we would have another outing. This called for a change of clothing. I discarded my 'nursing home' baggy trousers and put on my slimline Gerry Weber jeans (a first). What a great feeling!

Having decided to visit the newly extended and refurbished Ashmolean Museum we made an early start. As we came out of the house the winter jasmine looked stunning in the morning sunshine. We drove into Oxford promptly and managed to get a parking slot right outside the entrance.

WPH was in charge of my wonderful cushion (essential to ensure any chairs are the right height for me when sitting down...) Have cushion, will travel.

We meandered slowly through some of the galleries in the Ashmolean, including those with beautiful Renaissance Art and musical instruments. I used the new lift and amazed myself by being on my feet for just under an hour, before we sat and enjoyed a coffee in the basement cafe.

We exited via the excellent shop and were home in time to phone our friends, Alan and Pat, for an update on la vie Francaise. The latest news is....wait for it.... all fosse septiques in France (septic tanks to les Anglais) are being inspected to see if they conform to new EU regulations. 'Oh joy' we said to each other and burst out laughing!!!

For Francophiles I can recommend, as essential reading,the following book (kindly sent to me last week by a good friend) Talk to the Snail - Ten Commandments for understanding the French by Stephen Clarke.

Lunch was an excellent mackerel pate made by chef WPH. Delicious..mmm.

After the mandatory daily rest on the bed, I then decided to take a second walk of the day, (another first) having counted my visit to the Ashmolean as walk number 1. I decided to walk solo, (yet another first) without my minder WPH, as he needed to do some shopping. Walking solo was rather reminiscent of driving solo for the first time.

Q Which route would I take?

A The one I took yesterday.

Q Would I do anything daring along the way? You know me!

A Yes, I decided to extend my walk and take in an extra 100 metres.

Q Would I get home in one piece?

A Yes - the feel of returning independence was fantastic!

Today has been a really good day.

A weekend of outings

It is great to feel I am returning to normal life, (whatever that may be). I took my first car journey as a passenger yesterday morning when we went up to Headington to Waitrose. Although I sat in the car while WPH went to purchase Greek yoghurt, the outing provided me with a welcome change of scene as well as an opportunity to people watch. I even spotted two former parents from school in the car park!

It was also good to use my coveted blue badge for the first time. I applied to the County Council for the badge in October having filled in a lengthy form, downloaded from the internet. One of the questions which I had to answer was to estimate the time it took me to walk 100 metres. My GP was contacted to verify my statements and then I waited to hear if my application had been successful. It seemed appropriate that the badge came through the post on the day following my operation...I know that I will appreciate the benefits of the blue badge to enable me to access otherwise inaccessible places during my recuperation.

In the afternoon we went to see and cuddle baby Ben. He is thriving and seems to be settling into a good routine of waking and sleeping. He is a month old today and life would seem strange without him now.

I have managed two walks today; the first this morning around the block and the second meandering slowly through the streets of Woodstock after enjoying a cup of Earl Grey and a toasted teacake in the Blenheim Tea Rooms. Life is definitely returning to normal at last!

Helpful Housekeeper

On Thursday evening we said goodbye to our younger daughter, Alice, who had kindly spent four days helping her 'old folks' following my return home from hospital. She arrived with a box full of organic vegetables, (full of healing properties), from Abel and Cole and soon took over the kitchen. I could hear plenty of laughter from upstairs as she and WPH put the world to rights and the meals on the kitchen table. Her lamb tagine with pomegranate couscous was a triumph, as was the chicken soup with chunky vegetables and pork with mustard and cider sauce. Cooked breakfasts suggested WPH and I were staying in a 5 star hotel.Life has quietened down since Alice's departure....we certainly realise how much we appreciated our energetic temporary housekeeper! However WPH has returned to full time kitchen duties with renewed enthusiasm...as they say 'a change is as good as a rest'.