Well, mostly human, a little bionic. After my last entry, in June of 2023, I had my left hip replaced. It was an anterior incision (in the front) and I am now a year-plus out and back to doing 90-95% of my practice.
In about April or early May of 2023, my PT, my doctor and I came to the realization that nothing was working. If anything, my hip had…disintegrated. Now, I’m no expert. But I can see what a NORMAL hip looks like. And then there was mine. There was no ball and no socket. There was a solid block of…mess. By this time, I was walking with TWO canes, and bent over at about a 45-degree angle. I had lost 20 pounds, and was in extreme pain.
It was time. It was, to be honest, PAST time. After the last PRP treatment failed, after my hip actually locked in an upright position in PT and it took me two full minutes to get it to release? Yeah. Remember how I talk about looking for fireflies instead of fireworks? Well - I ignored my own body. To my peril, I might add.
I was luckily able to not only get subs with my fabulous studio teachers, but to work from home for about 3 months, at my office job. AND - I was extremely lucky to get surgery scheduled about 3 weeks after I decided to do it. They called me the day after I met with my surgeon and said, “How about June 23?” I said, “Really? Oh yeah!” It was my grandma’s birthday, which means I’ll always remember my ‘Hip-aversery.” I sailed through surgery, though my surgeon said he did have a “holy crap” moment when he got in there and physically saw how bad it was. I woke up and they asked me about pain meds, and I said, “Why?”
Honestly, the amount of Tylenol I was taking prior to surgery (because I’m on blood thinners, that’s all I had available to me), and the amount of time I spent underneath an ice pack — it was ridiculous. So to have the new hip, it was a 180-degree change. There was no pain. I felt fabulous. Well, considering that I’d just had major surgery.
They wasted no time in getting me up and around, and by day 2 in the hospital, I was doing stairs, with the help of the PT. I did 12 weeks of PT as an outpatient and slowly resumed my yoga practice. My PT said what my teachers always said, “Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD.” So I took it easy.
There are some poses I’ve broken up with. I do pidgeon now with a bolster. When I do it. I still can’t step forward in a downward dog, but I’m working on that. I haven’t done a full squat yet; and I may never do it. I’m careful about external rotation of the hip — I’m hypermobile everywhere BUT there. We call it “The Normal Joint.”
If you’re facing a hip replacement and you feel unsettled, I’m happy to talk with you. I’m not a doctor or a nurse, or a PT. But I am a patient. I can tell you about my experience. Believe me, I put it off. Far too long, I feel. Luckily, my other hip is 100% fine and shows no effects of overuse from the year that I thought I could “fix it” and I’m back on my bicycle.
The two worst things: the post-procedure poop (seriously) and compression socks. Hubby had to help me put them on; I wore them for a week, and my PT looked at my leg and said, “Yeah, nope, time to take them off for good!”
This is a classic “listen to your body” scenario. Live and learn.
