Post Hip Surgery Relief

Steve McGillen, Level 2 educator, Buteyko Educator since 2013.

My hip surgery(total replacement) booked for April 2020 took a cancellation due to Covid until October 7, 2020.  I'd kept myself busy but with 100 metre walking tolerances, I was sedentary, retired and used control pauses for pain.

The rosy picture painted by the surgeon and the physiotherapist was excellent marketing and the epidural does last into the second day for full pain relief. However, don't kid yourself, Day 2-4, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I could not lift my leg and needed assistance to even move my legs in and out of bed and to navigate a two wheel walker? at a tortoise pace. I was bruised and black and blue from hip to the knee. Yes, I looked forward to my 5 ice packs a day and naps. But by day 4, I needed a schedule. I craved some order from this open...do what you feel or do what physically you can do...and get up every 2 hours and do your exercises..

The physio mantra...do your exercises...15 min..@3 times a day.......ok? ok.  It was easy on the morphine.   

So, I grabbed my Buteyko Workbook and did a foundation set after every ice pack session.  The benefit was there. The comfort in the calm.  The quiet in my breathing. I gained a stronger ability to focus and some control. The morphine for me addressed the pain but the brain fog, wow...Doing a set provided clear simple work. The joy of being on task was refreshing as each day was unpredictable. It was a guess as to which leg part would work or hurt and to MacGyver a solution with the home options of: heat, cold, massage, naps, medication, water, food and yes, breathing .  

In closing, it's been three weeks with improvement and I've now graduated to a 4 wheel walker. My daily 5 foundation sets are my comfort, my efficacy and my friend.  As for Covid, I'm into 4 weeks isolation as a patient with no visitors. I honestly have not watched TV.   I technically know the body’s immune system but in reality, it's a wonder how it works.  I still use my back-up systems: hoping, praying, dreaming and laughter.  Well, it's been a necessary but frightening, humbling experience. My titanium hip is in, structurally sound to date and I can set some new goals.  I am grateful.