Who cares about recovery when the Royals are being so awesome? (week 6)

BASEBALL! After the longest playoff drought in baseball, the Royals are back to back ALCS champions. As much as I love and miss Kansas City, if not living there means they go to the World Series every year, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to seriously consider. It just makes me so happy to see these guys succeed, because they still are seen as the underdog - no one even favors them against the Mets - and I always root for the underdog. Unless it's the Olympics.

The Good: Recovery is still going really well. I had my 6 week post op appointment with Dr. Genuario and he was really pleased with my range of motion - he said he was looking for an easy movement to 90* and I had 110*. I'm such an overachiever. He said it was normal to have pain and stiffness at the end range of motion, to have a hard time crossing my legs and to be sore and stiff after a long day of doing pretty much anything. I have the okay to start lap swimming (freestyle) and using the elliptical (start with 10 minutes and move up from there in 5 minute increments) and outdoor biking, although the potential for falls makes him a little nervous. He also suggested getting on a walking program, so I downloaded Hal's walk a 5k program.

I have to again say that, while there are a lot of things I am unhappy with in Colorado, and that my emotions leading up to and after surgery probably would have been a little better if I had been closer to my support network, I consider it a huge blessing that I found myself here and having this surgery with Dr. Genuario and Steadman Hawkins Clinic. They simply have a great plan of care that they clearly have refined over the years from the time that they developed this procedure (yes, SHC was the group that pioneered hip arthroscopy). I have full faith that, as long as I am a good and compliant patient, I will continue to have a smooth recovery and will be enjoying nearly a full year of running in 2016. I am just so excited and hopeful at the moment.

The Bad: Not necessarily bad, but I am noticing a lot more stiffness now that I am regularly back in the office, in my routine and not always getting up to move around every hour. I am trying to decide if I am ready to go back to a standing desk, what type of chair I should get (my cheap Wal-Mart stool is not going to cut it anymore) and if I need to buy new work shoes for the winter, as my go-to winter shoes all have baby heels.

Dr. Genuario reminded me of this when I saw him this week - although I feel pretty good most of the time, I am still healing. My scars reflect what is going on inside - right now they are red and stiff, so my hip is red and stiff. I can't be stupid. So, when I got invited to take a day trip to Breckenridge, as much as I wanted to say yes, I knew that 4 hours total in a car, plus whatever walking around we would do in Breckenridge, would just be plain stupid.

Don't be stupid.

The Ugly: The Blue Jay's loss Friday night. Hehe.

The WHAAAAT?: I was talking to one of my co-workers about surgery - he had his knee scoped years ago - and he mentioned to me that now, he can't even remember which knee he had done. He thinks it's his left, but he's not entirely sure. I cannot imagine a life in which I don't know my right hip gave me trouble. But, I also blog about it, so I'm not likely to forget.

Why my surgeon is awesome: my physical therapy and 6 week post-op appointments were back-to-back, so as I was finishing my final exercises, my therapist actually went over to the clinic side and checked me in so I could get in right away. She said that when she went over there, they couldn't find me by my first name, but as she was saying my name, Dr. Genuario walked by and said, "Walsh? Right hip?" So, the guy that operates on professional athletes can remember the name and the exact joint he fixed. I really like that about him.

Play by Day:

Sunday
40 minutes on ex bike at the gym, followed by PT exercises. 24 Hour Fitness is a ghost town at 3pm on a Sunday. It was awesome.

Monday
rest

Tuesday
Back, bis and tris and PT exercises - no cardio.
After the gym, was walking Jeff and felt a huge "pop" on my surgical leg and then it hurt. But I had to get back home so kept walking and the pain went away - likely some scar tissue breaking up, man was I worried for a few minutes!

Wednesday
6 week post op
Dr. Genuario: Brianna (my PT) tells me you're killing it.
Me: That's how I roll.

Things added to PT: lying leg raise, single leg bridge, lateral walks. Should be stretching every day, but doing pt exercises every other day.

Stretch quads/ hip flexor
Bird dog x15
single leg bridge 2x12
side lying abduction
plank 2x30s
hamstring curls on ex ball 2x15
slow step up & down on surgical leg 2x15
calf raises 2x15
standing adduction/abduction series with ex band 10 each direction
lateral walks with ex band 15 each direction
squats (deep as possible without pinching) 2x15

Thursday
10 minutes on elliptical - felt amazing! I could have sworn my hip was bionic.
20 minutes on exercise bike, followed by stretching of quad and hip flexor

Friday
Work potluck. Had chocolate cheesecake. and then my stomach got mad. One of these days, i'll actually stop trying to eat sugar.
Chest & shoulders and PT after work.

Saturday
1.4 mile walk with Jeff (in addition to our other walks. Had intended to do only 1.25, but I didn't bring Tjom and I figured the route I took was close to 1.25. Following the Hal Higdon walk a 5k program.