Bad Hip Day

Damned69

I have been cool with my mortality for most of my life, and the fact that physically, the process of dying begins at 30. As amusing as the thought was of discovering I was the one immortal man, I have, since that age, undergone the gradual process of physical decline by experiencing a series of sudden losses that have acted as mileposts. First to go was my head hair. This was followed by virility, 20/20 vision, the autopilot (performing tasks without paying them attention) ligament suppleness, and now the sudden failure of my hip.

What I'm not so cool with is that these losses have got progressively more distressing and painful. The M*A*S*H theme tune SUICIDE IS PAINLESS got it right!

The sword of time will pierce our skin

It doesn't hurt when it begins

But as it works its way on in

The pain grows stronger, watch it grin!

So whereas in my twenties I would have the odd Bad Hair Day, I now in my late fifties get the odd Bad Hip Day. Mooching around the house, where there are lots of things to lean on, isn't really a test of the hip. That comes with the hobble to the bus stop or Tesco Express. The first few steps are painful anyway, but on a GOOD hip day, it settles down, so that so as long as you keep those steps small, you get no more than the standard grumbling soreness, which builds gradually as you keep hobbling. But on a BAD hip day, every step hurts, no matter how you adjust your gait and stride. The focus settles on when you can be seated, the last bastion of pain-free experience.

Worst case scenario is a bad hip day on a work day. As I can work stood but not walking, once I've got there I get by, though the soreness is noticeably stronger. I don't like taking any painkillers on a work day because concentration, especially now I have no autopilot, is paramount and I don't want my senses dulled. I suspect that eventually I will have to work sat - watch this space. On a day off I resort to a feast of Naproxen and Paracetamol and only reluctantly get out of a chair.

Bad Hip Days are impossible to predict in advance. I've often heard that damp and cold weather make them more likely. I'm struggling to see how one causes the other, but of course just because you can't detect the nature of a link doesn't mean there isn't one. Interestingly, here I am having a bad hip day and it's damp and drizzly outside. I'm too early into this experience to know if the two genuinely coincide.

I've already found that acceptance and adaptability are crucial on bad hip days, adjusting activities accordingly. They're not going to stop happening any time soon so I need a coping strategy in place, and very importantly, keeping everyone relevant in the loop. If I'm having a bad hip day, they will have to adapt and adjust also!

Licklelilly

https://www.cloudywithachanceofpain.com/the-project

Have you heard of the above project? I remember before my hip op 5 weeks ago (seems another lifetime ago) I would get notifications on my phone warning me when a sharp decline in air pressure was imminent. To be honest though, the last 6 months before my op it became useless as I was in pain constantly by then.

stickywicket

The process begins at birth. We have built-in obsolescence😉

We used to have a fun 'MASH unit' on here some years ago but I expect that died too. I loved the programme and liked the song but it is a bit dark and was even for the series. Maybe we should try plans ABC etc etc etc before opting for plan Z.

Lilymary

My worst hip days, when I would be on my feet walking around all day, were unfortunately but necessarily the days when I needed to be most focussed. I had no choice, I HAD to take more painkillers to get through it, and I compensated by consciously concentrating even harder, double checking what I did to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. That together with the pain (despite doubling up on drugs) and reduced mobility meant that everything took twice as long, but the end justified the means. I’d then spend the next few days recovering, gradually reducing the pain killers.

I now question why I continue to push my body through that, and hope to modify my work around what my rather battle-scarred body can accommodate. Time will tell.

Licklelilly

You have a very good point!!! Why didn't I question this sooner? Right, I'm going to reduce my codamols further and aim to be off them by the end of the week, saving just the paracetamols for pain. Thanks for bringing this to light. My partner is not too keen on opiate-based painkillers, he also said pain is the body's way of communicating. Let's hope I haven't damaged my hip by pouncing too soon....gulp....we'll see!