Hip surgery recovery week 12 feels like a quiet milestone. Nothing dramatic happened this week, but I’m continuing to trend in the right direction. The ups and downs are still there, but I’m starting to feel more like myself again, and that feels like real progress.
Monday
I officially hit 11 weeks post-op and it was probably my most productive day yet. I did some light cleaning in my bathrooms and even vacuumed for the first time. I made my bed and tidied other areas of the house. I had physical therapy later in the day and overall felt the closest to normal that I have in a while.
Tuesday & Wednesday
On Tuesday, I spent a good part of the day out of the house working from Panera. On Wednesday, I was able to attend Bible study for the first time since my surgery. Physical therapy and other appointments had kept me from going sooner. After that, I took my daughter to a doctor’s appointment, and later that evening we went to my niece’s musical performance. She did awesome, by the way. My hip held up really well and I kept thinking, I’m starting to feel more normal again.
Thursday & Friday
Thursday was pretty uneventful aside from physical therapy in the morning and a baseball game that night. On Friday, I took my daughter and a few of her friends to Urban Air and then out to eat to celebrate her 10th birthday. My hip was a little sore from sitting for a few hours, but overall it handled it well.
Saturday & Sunday
On Saturday, we had a birthday party for a few hours. When we got home, I was feeling sore. I wanted to get some laundry done, but my body was telling me to rest, so I listened and laid low the rest of the day.
Sunday morning, we had a baby shower and I was still pretty sore, especially in my groin. I used my crutch for the first time in a week, but as the day went on I loosened up and started to feel better. Later that day we had soccer, and it was a long walk from the car to the fields (without my crutch), probably at least a quarter mile. I was a little unsure how it would go, but I ended up doing fine. My hip handled it well. It just goes to show that pain can really be up and down, even from one day to the next.
Physical Therapy
We are slowly adding more movements into my routine. I am now able to use the stationary bike for 15 minutes at a time. My strengthening exercises include leg lifts, clamshells, bodyweight squats, side leg lifts, and side steps with a band. I also have a few mobility exercises like child’s pose rocking and windshield wipers. I am definitely noticing improvements in my quad and knee strength.
Medicine
I did not need to take any muscle relaxers this week, and I haven’t taken any narcotics in at least a month. Tylenol has been minimal, but I do take three Advil in the morning. I’ve also been taking omega-3 and curcumin supplements, as research suggests they may help with inflammation.
I have not been using my ice machine, but I do think it would help on my sore days if I could remember to use it in the middle of everything else going on.
Day to Day Living
Day-to-day tasks have become much more manageable. I can do most things around the house like laundry, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning toilets, and dishes. Things like scrubbing the shower or doing yard work still feel like too much right now. I probably could do them, but I know I would pay for it after.
The most painful part of my day is still the morning. I usually wake up tight, and that is when the pain is the most noticeable. As the day goes on and my muscles loosen up, I don’t notice my hip as much.
I’m really looking forward to the day when I don’t have to think twice about going for a walk or a hike.
Follow My Day-to-Day
If you want to follow along more closely, I’m sharing daily updates on Instagram and Facebook. Right now I’m doing a simple challenge of reading for 15 minutes a day instead of doom scrolling, along with sharing my journey recovering from binge eating disorder. It’s all real life, in real time.
You can find all of my weekly PAO updates HERE.