Richard & Thea Seibel's Web Site |
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Notes to potential hip replacement candidates reading this: 1. I had both hips done. 2. Everybody’s time frame will be different. Just use this as a guideline for one patient’s experience and timeframes. I had both hips done at the same time by the same doctor. The right hip is probably 3 weeks behind the left in terms of the recovery as of this date (March 25, 2001). NOTE: I have been told my recovery time was unusually fast. Do no be surprised if your time is slower. One person I talked to was quite frustrated with her progress because it is not as good as documented here, but was normal. 3. I was very happy with Dr. Goldman (I have heard from unbiased sources he is exceptionally competent), Morristown Memorial, and RIMM and can recommend all 3 very highly. 4. I was 52 when I had the surgery and extremely active prior to fall when I could not walk more than ½ mile anymore. This probably helped my recovery significantly. 5. When rehab time comes, do at least what the PT recommends. Do more only with permission. 6. DO NOT undertake new activities without the express permission of the relevant professional. After the initial surgery, the minor milestones are usually monitored by the PT (with the advice of the orthopedist), the major milestones are usually monitored by the orthopedist. 7. Build up a strong upper body as much as possible prior to surgery, especially the triceps – this will help with crutches and getting in and out of bed. 8. Follow the orthopedist’s advice with respect to weight loss. 9. If at all possible, practice with the crutches – especially on stairs – before surgery. This possibly saved me from a rather nasty fall on the stairs. 10. Do not be put off by fear – my experience and multiple people I have talked to is that this is a miracle. The day after surgery is, well let’s just say that the pain is now only an academic memory. My surgery was Wednesday, by the following Monday I was 100% pain free. I have not taken a single pain killer – even an aspirin – in over 2 months. 11. My time frame to feel like I was restored to “normal” was about 2 ½ months – but I had both done. Your experience may be different. And it was 1 year before I was 100%. 12.
Do some research prior to surgery. Recommended books are: 13. Develop a positive attitude about what is coming. It will help immensely. This is a solution to a serious problem. Look forward to it. Rehab can be fun! (It was for me!) 14. If you are a Type A personality, learn patience – the nursing staff I encountered were very pleasant, extremely competent, but you are not their only patient. My needs were always attended to in a timely manner, but not always within a second or two. Plus you are not going anywhere anyway J 15. Try to develop as much independence as quickly as you can – it will make you feel much better (however, do remember the staff is really in charge). 16. Test the call buttons when moving into a new room (failure to do this led to my only bad experience at RIMM). Oops – I was wrong, the other bad experience was the special toilets did not arrive till the day after I got home. Funny now, not so funny at the time. 17. There are some “gotchas” sprinkled throughout this document. Please look for them. 18. Keep a diary – it will help on the “down” days. It will let you see how far you have come. Plus it will give you something to do at rehab. 19. Once I went off medication before the operation, I went downhill rapidly. Medication worked better than I expected Tues Dec 26thCannot walk to back of drug store without using crutches – and at that cannot put any weight on right foot. Wed Dec 27thSurgery, after pinch of epidural (12:25), remember nothing. Thurs Dec 28thGot out of bed to walk to door and back. 10’. Made it. Very hard. Sat 10 minutes in wheelchair. This was the maximum I was capable of. After epidural wore off, most incredible pain I have ever
been in. Morphine barely touched it. In & out of bed very painful. Beginning
to think in a long history of really crazy things I have done, this is by far
the craziest. Wishing I had gone sequential, but too late to change my mind.
Note: part of the problem with pain was probably mine. I hated the feeling of
the morphine and did not use it until I couldn’t take the pain anymore. By
then it was too late – I could never catch up. Take the morphine before you think you need it. Fri Dec 29thOut of bed OK, back is very painful, but not as bad as Thursday. Walked 25’, sat 1 hour. Catheter out. Had problems urinating until the nurse said if I didn’t do at least 200 CCs she would put the catheter back in. Did 300 CCs. Amazing what a bit of incentive will do. Sat Dec 30thTransport in snowstorm => no PT. Missed it. Fresh air – the few seconds of it were great. Tried bribing EMT but $7 (all of the money I had on me!) did not cut it. RIM very short staffed and it showed. Back stiff and uncomfortable from being in bed so long. Bad problem with roommate – snore, talks in sleep, and very negative. 4:30 he needed nurse, buzzers didn’t work and I was convinced Daphane (who later turned out to be the nicest person) was ignoring the buzzer. Called to general information number and got connected to 4th floor and straightened out the problem. Sun Dec 31stNew room, roommate. Great! Walked 160’. No pain out of bed. 1 hr PT. 9 hours out of bed. Still rough getting back in to bed. Big day – 1st BM since Tuesday and it was world class. Good day, but tiring. Freedom – in wheelchair for the first time!!!! Mon Jan 1Another great day! NO PAIN!!!!!!!! (except for PT showing me how to roll on side) 1st day in 3 years. Had a great chat with Daphane. She is from Guana in the Caribbean. Marvelous person with a great sense of humor. Impressed me – she is probably quite intelligent. Amazing what happens when you treat the staff with the respect they deserve. Milestones: 1. No pain 2. In & out of bed in PT by self (vinyl surfaces) 3. Into bed by self 4. Walked a lot – limiting factor PT’s time. 5. Had appetite for first time with dinner No BM Much more comfortable getting in and out of bed. Talked to other patients. Adrenaline rush – hard to settle down. Almost forgot – had noise reducers. Big help with the ambient noise. PT mentioned that was a bilateral a month ago who walked on 2 canes 1 week after arriving here. Tues Jan 2Another great day! Milestones – 1. Walked on crutches for 1st time. Did somewhere between 800-1000’. Did 4 steps 3x, then a real flight of stairs. 2. Peed standing up using crutches. 3. Have permission to go from chair to bathroom on own. Problem – can’t handle foot paddles – will get checked tomorrow. 4. PT long, but not tiring. 5. Went outside – threw snowballs at Dad and Fran. Concerns: 1. Still on adrenaline rush. I am now beginning to get concerned. I am having far too much fun and am very hyper. Bouncing all over the place like Mike Gordan. Hard to settle down. 2. Almost made a fatal mistake. In my excitement to go the bathroom on my own, I had forgotten to lock the chair. Fortunately my roommate asked his wife to check. Quite embarrassing. Other saving grace – I could not move my foot paddles and had abandoned the bathroom attempt as not feasible. This is a big warning. Note to self – always lock chair when stopped – even on flat terrain and not necessary. Habit may save a revisit. 3. No BM. 4. Slight headache in the morning – potential migraine. Other: 1. Entire room – staff and patients - get a big chuckle out of “I’m pregnant” as I stand up. End of Week 1Wed, Jan 3Another great day. No Darvon for pain! Milestones: 1. Walked on crutches from therapy room, top elevator to outside. Then to back of building, then up the stairs. This is a LONG ways. Took 15-20 minutes. Unbelievable to be outside on crutches! 2. Walked on cane 50’ in morning. 3. Walked on cane 450’ in afternoon. 4. Tired for the first time. Notes: 1. Right leg much weaker than left. Reinforced decision to go bilateral. Get left leg while it is ½ decent. 2. Shook poor dad up when I called. I broke down emotionally and cried like a baby. Could not talk. He was quite concerned something was wrong. 3. Had Doppler last night – all was well. 4. Pain for a few minutes last night, then passed. Probably overdid one exercise. 5. Doppler was at 6. Just to aggravating to get back out of bed and back into bed, so I stayed there. Thurs – Jan 4Plateau day. Had expected it earlier, but yesterday was really a big day. Nancy (PT) did not want to push it. Milestones: 1. Lunch appetite for the first time. 2. Went to pee without staff around for the first time. 3. Dressed myself in morning except for the special socks. Did practice with other socks. 4. 3rd BM since the 26th of December. Needed a suppository. A bit bloody afterwards – I have hemorrhoids now. Still, felt SOOOOO good to go. 5. Expecting 1st shower tonight. Doc says it should help with the fungus. Really looking forward to it. Will say tomorrow how it felt. Normally I am not a big shower person, but here … 6. Shared a bed with a beautiful blonde who squeezed my hand tight as she tears were coming out of her eyes and she was screaming. OK. story is not as good as it seems – she was in intense pain during PT and holding my hand helped. Notes: 1. Expect pain tonight as I worked hard on the leg raises. 2. Fun talking to some of the older people. Their eyes just lit up. 3. Leg lefts were HARD! Hardest exercise done here. Could only do 3. Poor Nancy – I let out one of my better kiais and shook her up pretty badly. She did not expect the noise and thought I was hurt. Came running pretty quickly and muttered something about cardiac patients being present. Incredibly hard! Doing 3 sets on each leg was as hard as the “slippery” spot on Imaginary Face (5.9). 4. Legs loosen up as I walk. Really stiff doing morning pee which is 8’ tops. Then did 450’ on cane. 5. Haven’t used crutches now in 2 days. Will use at home though. 6. Super-care – Nancy is incredible, staff is great. Could not imagine better. 7. Have a fungal infection for which I am being treated. 8. Upset Mike (the climber/PT). Asked him when he thought I would be ready to climb. He politely said I should talk to my doctor. Was nice enough however to discuss why – and not just a PT giving medical advice. Fri Jan 5thNotes: 1. Shower last night was GREAT!!!!! Unbelievable 2. No pain despite the leg raises. 3. Fungus is clearing. 4. Figured out if I do heal slides before getting out of bed, easier to get out of bed. 5. PT said I had an easy day yesterday because Wed. was hard. Wise decision. 6. Heel exercises are a good morning waker-upper. Loosens up the joints after a non-mobile night. 7. Use crutches for long walks. Milestones: 1. 1st time directed to walk without PT around (on crutches) as part of PT program. 2. WALKED WITH NO SUPPORT!!!!!!! – no cane, no crutches. Of course I was on the parallel bars so if there were a problem I could grab the bars. Did maybe 10’. Time was the limiting factor. 3. Figured out I did not need help to get ice. 4. Dressed head to toe by self. Only support needed was getting clothes organized. 5. Drank out of a water fountain. Disappointing and not all that tasty. Probably am not interested in repeating this for a while. Sat Jan 6thNotes: 1. Only 1 hour PT today due to the weekend schedules. 2. Still nervous about snow on Monday. May want to leave tomorrow if I am cleared. I.e. the rash has cleared sufficiently. 3. Walked 35 minutes or so before PT, 30 –35 minutes in afternoon after therapy. Went outside. Almost escaped, but did not trust the ramp. Afternoon walk was nice – we went outside and it was GREAT! 4. REALLY tired in the afternoon. I even got back into bed and took a nap – and I hate getting back into bed. Not too bad getting back in this time though. 5. Lucy, the PT aide told me something really dumb – “You cannot overdo these exercises”. She does not know me. Wound up telling her that she has to be very careful who she tells that to. Last week when Patricia asked to do 3 sets of 10 of something I asked if I could do more. She told me that in my case she meant precisely 30 as otherwise I would do 6 sets of 10 – and she is right. 6. Lucy was funny, really nervous about my movements. Showed off in front of Dad that I could walk (on parallel bars of course) – and she came over in somewhat of a panic. 7. I am really impressed with the staff here. Anybody can work with somebody like Vicky, Bob (my roommate who intelligently knows what he can and cannot do), and me. Very hard to work with non-responsive people. Milestones: 1. Had BM without “artificial” aid – i.e. no suppository. 2. Walked 50-60’ without cane or crutches. 3. 5!!!! Leg raises – although I still need a washcloth in my mouth so as to not disturb the other patients. Sun Jan 7thREALLY tired this morning. In fact slept for 2 hours after breakfast. Roommate had 2 major issues (12:30 and 5) which disturbed my sleep greatly. Between lack of sleep and overdoing it a bit yesterday, I was as tired as after 5 or 6 hard days on vacation. I am not surprised though as I have had 5 hard days in a row. Had Mike for PT today I felt tired and he just basically did a few stretching exercises to get things loosened up. It’s OK though, I have been pushing hard for almost a week and a rest day is reasonable and normal. Milestones: 1. Easiest BM since I have been here. Going home tomorrow. Will be interested with the snow. Football game continues, so I’ll be going to bed now. Mon Jan 8thHome!!!!! So good to be in my own bed. Think I violated hip precautions a bit getting into the car. Concerns about weather not warranted. Got home fine. Problems:
Dietician said hold weight for one month, then lose what I can. Tues Jan 9th
End of Week 2Wed Jan 10th
Thurs, Jan 11th
Fri, Jan 12
Sat Jan 13th
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Mon, Jan 15th
Tues, Jan 16.
End
of Week 3
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Thurs, Jan 18th
Fri, Jan 19th
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End
of Week 4 Wed, Jan 24th
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Sat, Jan 27th
Sun, Jan 28th
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Tues, Jan 30th
End of Week 5Wed, Jan 31st
Thurs, Feb. 1st
Fri, Feb. 2nd
Sat., Feb. 3rd
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Tues, Feb 6th
End of Week 6Wed, Feb. 7th
Thurs,
Feb. 8th
Fri,
Feb. 9th
Sat.
Feb. 10th
Sun, Feb. 11th
Mon, Feb. 12th
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End
of Week 7
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End
of 1st week of stretching Mon, Feb. 19th
Tues, Feb. 20th
End of Week 8Wed, Feb. 21st
Thur, Feb 22nd
Fri, Feb 23nd1. Weight 184.0 2. In and out of car the normal way. 3. Tied shoelaces with foot on floor Sat, Feb 24th1. Weight 183.5 2. Almost stood up without aid 3. Clipped my toenails – hard and required clever contortions, but did it! 4. Got into hot tub (height standard door width) without using foot stool. 5. Lifestep 20 minutes (like the good old days) at 9.2 floors per minute (not like the good old days which were 16+ per minute) 6. Visited climbing gym – in sneakers did left foot, right foot, left foot then came down. Sun, Feb 25th1. Weight 182.5 2. Stood up without aid 3. Tied shoelaces with one hand on each side of foot 4. Tied shoelaces with foot in air 5. Much easier to get into external hip rotation position (lay on back, place ankle on knee) End
of 2nd week of stretching Mon, Feb. 26th End
of Week 9 Wed, Feb 28th
1. Weight 183.0 2. Got right sock on the normal way – i.e. right ankle over left foot as I put the sock on. Thur, March 1
1. Weight 183.5 2. Got both socks on the normal way in the evening. Took great effort. 3. Touched toes (cheating a little) Sat, March 3
1. Weight – afraid to check. Took brother and his wife and son to Oakland pizza last night. A great meal was had by all. 2. Visited RIMM (rehab facility). Chatted with some of the staff that was there when I was. 3. Went to Jockey Hollow for a little walk – 6-7 miles on trails! First time on trails since end of August! Negotiated snow and soft ice also. Classified as a walk since doctor since I am not cleared for light hiking till the end of the month J Sun, March 4
1. Weight – afraid to check. Ate a bit too much yesterday J. 2. After morning stretching, put socks on the normal way – still hard though. 3. Not stiff after yesterday, a bit tired though. End
of 3rd week of stretching Mon, March 5th
1. Weight – 184.5 2. Walked to PT. Due to bad roads and snow, walked in my ¾ shank hiking boots. First time they have been on since August of last year! 3. Shoveled part of driveway trying to get crust off so when Barry comes it won’t be as bad. I did about 2/5 of the driveway – just the top part though. 4. Dr. Goldman says I can XC ski as long as it is flat and I am careful!!!!! Looking forward to tomorrow when there should be a foot of snow on the ground! Tue, March 6th
1. Weight – 184.0 2. Disappointment – not enough snow to ski, sigh L 3. Shoveled path up the steep part of the driveway. Tiring as the snow is crusty and heavy. At least Barry will have a path. Given a couple of days I could have done the whole thing with Thea’s help, but PSE&G is supposed to be here in the next few days to install gas line so cannot wait. 4. Flexibility is getting better, but tying the shoelaces of my hiking boots is still interesting. Also, I cannot consistently touch my toes (even with a bit of a cheat). End
of Week 10 Wed, March 7th
1. Weight – ???? 2. Last day of PT – will miss it. Everybody at the rehab facility was very good. Thur, March 8th
1. Weight – 183.5 2. First massage since December – felt great, especially in the right leg which has been the “trailing” leg. Sat, March 10th
1. Weight – 182.0 2. Went to Jockey Hollow again. Did a bit more 6+ - 7 miles. A lot more tiring since there was a lot more snow. 3. Went swimming yesterday. A lot more fun if not the only option. 4. Clipped toenails easily while sitting in bed with ankle next to knee. A lot easier than the last time. Sun, March 11th
1. Weight – 184.0 (pizza and Wendy’s was good – will need to start dropping some weight soon though) 2. Slept restlessly last night. Right leg was “hiking” tired after yesterday’s efforts. 3. Bailed on climber and Lifestep – right leg too tired. Did do 24 minutes on stationary bike. 4. Spasm like feeling in leg is gone, but occasionally hear a clicking in right leg – PT says ITB. 5. Back is still tight. 6. Somewhat easier to put socks on in bed than on chair. End
of 4th week of stretching Mon, March 12
Tues, March 131. Weight 182.0 2. Lowered myself to ground using no external support for the first time. 3. Stood up without hands on knee for extra support for the first time. End
of Week 11 Wed, March 14th1. Weight 181.0 2. Still sore to sit too long. 3. Still have overall discomfort in outside of thighs. If still there on the 26th when I see the doctor, I’ll need to ask if that is because of overdoing it. Have cut down on stretching to twice per day in case that is the issue. Sat, March 17th1. Weight 184.5 2. Went to local moderately hilly park. Lots of snow/ice yet. Did better than last week as there was much more elevation gain. Joined AMC hike when they were on the second half. 3. Not as tired as previous week. Sun, March 18th1. Weight 181.5 2. Slept well last night. Not as tired today as the Sunday after last week. 3. Walked home from gym in 15:10. Not as good as my best time of 13:20, but getting there. 4. Took garbage down our steep driveway for the first time. 5. Still have muscle (ITB?) sliding around making a funny noise. 6. I tried standing up using the right leg – ITB really acted up. End
of 5th week of stretching Mon, March 19th 1. Took garbage down driveway for the first time. End
of Week 12 Mon, March 21st
Sat, March 24th
1. Weight 183.5 2. Went on walk with club at Harriman. Did quite well, although I had to be very careful going over the ice covered boulders. Also there was a steep stretch I had to go over horizontally that was quite icy. Quite nervous over the latter as a fall was possible. Mountaineering and climbing skills really paid off. Problem was I did not have the flexibility to easy go from “safe” spot to “safe” spot. Doubt if Dr. Goldman would have been very happy if he so me on the steep stretch – and I wasn’t too comfortable either – far more nervous than any of the climbing/mountaineering I have done in the last few years. Total distance was probably about 6-7 miles, but far more hills than I have done – including one very steep section. Did fine, including right hip. Sun, March 25th
1. Weight 183.5 2. Back a little stiff this morning, but other than that, no symptoms from yesterday. In fact, did full workout (walk to gym (20 minutes each way), 1 hour weights on upper and lower body, 20 minutes on Lifestep (set a personal record since surgery), and walked home. Then walked about 45 minutes shopping, then 24 minutes on bike, 20 on Climber). Feel great. 3. Flexibility is coming back – less uncomfortable every day putting on shoes and socks. 4. Started leg raises with weights 4 or 5 days ago and it seems to have helped with the “clicking” Mon, March 26th1. Dr. Goldman said I am cleared for everything. Wed, March 28th
1. Back to climbing gym for first time since failure at end of August last year. Felt great, although I was conservative and did only 4 climbs. Right hip bothered me a bit, but not too bad. Did 24 minutes on bike and 20 minutes on climber when I got home. Did G1/G1+ (5.6/5.6+). When I left last year it was at G2/G2+ (5.8/5.9-), but this was not a surprise. Sat, March 31st
1. Joined AMC again for an 8 mile relatively flat hike (i.e. only 1 real hill). Did fine, although limped a bit the last hour as right hip is still a bit behind. Wed, April 4th
1. Back to climbing gym for seoncd st time since failure at end of August last year. Felt great, although I was conservative and did only 5 climbs. Right hip bothered me a lot less than last week. Climbs were much stronger. Did 24 minutes on bike and 20 minutes on climber when I got home. Sat, April 7th1. BREAKNECK!!!!!! First time since last June. Did great! Did most of the scrambles. Did not go full way to the towers, but did about ¾ of last year. Not quite ready to do the full thing, but not too far away! Maybe 2 weeks I can do the whole thing. Will check with Gary and Renee if the they wish to have a reunion hike on the 21st. Be great to say I did whole thing < 4 months after THR * 2. 2. Weight has been fluctuating between 181.5 – 185. 3. Still uncomfortable putting shoes and socks on. 4. Am doing step-ups at work, personal trainer there suggested I lower it to a bit less than knee high and do it right at lower heights, than move it up. Will try it. Step-ups really seem to have helped with the climbing/hiking. Wed, April 111. Did 5½ climbs at the climbing gym. 2. Tried a 5.8 (level I climbed at last year). Could not quite do the crux, but came close – maybe 2 weeks. 3. On-sited 5.7 Sat, April 141. Led a solid 3 pace yesterday on Schenemunk. Probably about 9 miles. As fast as I have moved since last July. Really good sustained pace. 2. Putting on socks is still uncomfortable. Wed, April 181. Did a 5.8 in the climbing gym!!!!! Basic level I was climbing at last year, although still have a ways to go to do it solidly. Sun, April 211. Tried doing all of Breakneck. Sadly, succumbed to the heat – had really bad cramps and could not do it. Wed, May 2 1. Did a 5.8 face climb easily – no problems. Finally got my weight over my feet in a decent position. Did this climb on the second try (first try was on Sunday). Last year, this climb would have been a 3 or 4 day project as it does not fit my style. Goldman said I would climb better than last year and this is the first sign! Memorial Day weekend, May 26 – May 281. Weight holding around 180 – would like to get a few more pounds off – maybe 5 2. Great weekend! No pain, minor discomfort for a few minutes on right hip on Sat, Sund, but nothing significant. Nothing on Monday. 3. Sat. did Mansfield with some extensions – maybe 8 miles, 3500’ total. Nothing. Came off, not even tired. 4. Sunday a little concerned about the first back-to-back, but no problem. Weather was bad, so we did a short hike, maybe 6 miles, 1500’. Feeling really good, one of the other hikers and I left the others to do an extension. Went real fast for an hour. Again, nothing. What a pleasure not to have pain management. 5. Monday, 2 other hikers and I got up at 4:30AM to do Mansfield before breakfast On the trail by 5:05, finished at 8:50. Could have gone faster, but wanted to enjoy the views coming down. Really cloudy on top though and quite foggy. One magical moment when the clouds opened up for a few minutes and we saw Lake Champlain and the valley for a few seconds. We raced across the ridge because I was concerned about the weather and being in a very open, exposed area if the weather turned. Fortunately, the weather held, as did our racing. Wed, June 6, 20011. The 5.9 I have been working on is killing me. One hold from the top and I keep falling off. Then get up and do it easily. Sigh. 2. Did all 5.8s easily today (4 of them). And last year these would have been hard. OK, the new 5.8 I missed a key hold, gave up, then saw it as I was being lower. So I got on the route and did it easily. 3. Tried campussing (climbing with no feet). Made it up over one floor. Pretty good! Sun, Jun 10, 20011. Finally did the 5.9! Sun, June 171. Did another 5.9 easily. Think this one is overrated. 2. Wall I am trying to climb hands only is 24’. Made 23’ 6” – one hold short of top L 3. Most discomfort is gone, little bit left in right hip Mon, June 18th1. Felt a lot better today – think it was because of the hike on Sat. Been sitting around too much what with the weather and company. Hasn’t done the hip any good. Sun, June 24th1. Did Breakneck. Cramped up a bit, but went slow, rested a lot and finished it. Finally! 6 hours, 20 minutes. 2. First back-to-back hikes. Sun, July 1sth1. Did Breakneck again. 7¼ hours. Hot as blazes – 93 degrees at 6PM. Plus stopped to help a hiker who was in trouble from not enough water. 2. 2nd back-to-back hikes Sun, July 8thh1. Did Breakneck again. 5¼ hours. Time is getting there! Best time last year was 4½ hours. Blueberries were outstanding! Tired at the end though. 2. 2nd back-to-back hikes Sun,
Sept, 9th – back from vacation! Vacation highlights 1. Went extremely well, no pain! No pain! Strange after all of these years, waking up on vacation with no pain and finishing long days with no pain! 2. Did some top-roped rock climbing at the 5.7/5.8 level. Would have been a solid 5.8, but I hurt my shoulder before going on vacation (actually still hurts a bit). Tried climbing one too many times without using my feet and pulled something in there. BTW, for non-climbers, 5.8 is easy intermediate. 3. Did 3 multi-pitch climbs with wife and climbing guide. Went really well. 4. Climbed with feet for the most part instead of hands – what a concept – use feet to climb! 5. Did Assiniboine – 3000’ of technical climbing – 5.5/II! This has been a 4 year quest. First year I wasn’t ready. Next year neither the mountain nor I was ready. Last year, I was ready, mountain wasn’t. Actually guide said if I had done it last year, I would have been one hurting puppy at the end. Took 12 hours (the “real” climbers took 7, but most of the times in the log book were 10-14, so I did not do too badly). Not even tired at the end. And no pain afterwards. Last year, I would have been crippled after a climb of this difficulty. The other climbers were really neat – they were all impressed I did this on a double hip replacement. One even said – “when my legs hurt, I thought of you and they did not hurt anymore” What a nice thing to say. They were as happy for me as I was. Incredible – Dec. 26, could not walk to the back of the drug store without crutches. 8 months, 4 days later – 12-hour mountaineering day. Climbers will know what 3000’ 5.5/II means. For non-climbers, this is a committing day. Nowhere near Everest, but still a serious day requiring skill, stamina, some flexibility, and strength. There were objective hazards (i.e potential rocks on head – think bowling alley and I was one of the pins) as well as a real risk of falling if I made a bad move. Up was fantastic, views were fantastic, down was “interesting” 6. Shook up guide on one of the climbs – said I was having a bit of a problem. He thought I popped the hip. Actually, I could not figure out the move. If I popped the hip, no doubt as to what happened L Christmas, 2001 – Cross Country
Skiing
1. Went very well – I can snowplow! Strange to be able to stop on a hill 2. Went so well extended the trip a couple of days. Normally could only cross-country ski 4 days tops before terror of no speed control on hills outweighed the joy of skiing. Feb 4,5 2002
– Climbing at Joshua Tree
1. Hired a guide and climbed at Joshua Tree – went very well 2. Did solid 5.8 – face style which never has been my strong point 3. On-sighted, no beta a 5.9 4. Got up a 5.10b – never could have done it before (well, actually fell 4or 5 times on the crux) March 10,
2002
1. Breakneck – 4:36 (10 miles, 3300’). 2nd best ever (best THR was 4:24) March 17,
2002
1. Joined a 4+ level hike (club rates hikes 1-5). 11 miles, 4000’ – felt very strong at end. Almost always in front, even on the last hill. I’m back!!!! March 24,
2002
1. Did Breakneck in a personal record time – including before THR*2 – 4:19, including spending 10 minutes helping some people up the face. Exceptional time. March 31,
2002
1. Did Breakneck in a personal record time – including before THR*2 – 4:05. Not even tired at the end. May 12, 2002
1. Did 17 miles/3500’ cumulative elevation gain with Lisa – a very fast hiker. Got drenched in the rain at the end and a “bit” lost looking for an unmarked trail (hence the 17 miles), but it was great! May 18, 2002
1. Oh, I should mention there is some minor discomfort in the right hip – not sure why, probably from working so hard. Do a 17 mile hike and one hip is a bit sore, I suppose the real miracle is the other is not. Small, but annoying. I’ll ask Goldman about it in December. Although I expect he will have a good chuckle when I say something like “I do 10-17 mile hikes with 3000’+ of elevation gain – why is my right hip a bit sore and my left is not? May 19, 2002
1. Unbelievable hike – 14 miles/5400’ cumulative elevation gain. 3000’ feet is a good day, 4000’ is a strong day, 5000’ is a VERY strong day – and I’m talking about hikers that are young, strong, and fit. – not a hiker with bionic hips. I was the second up the last hill – some kid with 40 lbs on his back ran up the hill and beat me by a few seconds. And they say hiking is not a competitive sport J I heard him catching me and tried my darndest to keep ahead of him, but can’t run, so… Beat everybody else up. And this was a 4+ level hike with very strong hikers. I have never done more than 4500’ before – even before my hips went to sh*&, so it felt really good. Even better – somebody at the end of the hike said he had heard about me and it was nice to attach a name to the face. Nice that people in the club talk about what I can do with the new hips. Even better, when I got home, instead of flopping on the couch, did 2 hours of gardening. Oh, best of all, actually felt better at the end of the hike than at the beginning. 2. Forgot to mention – have been doing yoga at work twice per week now. Think it is really helping – hip area is much more flexible. Wish I had done this earlier. CAUTION: there are positions that are not recommended for hip replacements. Make sure to watch out for these. Make sure the instructor is aware of your medical issues and consult the doctor/PT if required. This is quite serious – some can and will cause a revisit. Not good Memorial day weekend – May
25-27 1. Saturday, easy 7 mile/3000’ day on Mansfield 2. Sunday – easy 7 mile/2800’ day on Camel’s hump so Ira and I did the Pinnacle (1.5 miles each way, 1500 feet). I made it up in 44 minutes, Ira in 46 minutes. Felt incredible to run up that thing (well, actually walk fast – not allowed to run much anymore). 3. Monday – could not con anybody else into getting up at 4:30AM to do Mansfield before breakfast. Flew up 2800’ in 1:40 – and that included 500’ of hard snow and ice. Did the 6-mile loop in under 3 hours (2:59) to be exact. Really moved. Doubt if 50 people out of thousands in our local chapter of the AMC could have done that under these conditions. June 6 1. All is not perfect. Joined a 4+ level hike that turned into a 5. Handled it for 12 miles out of 14 or so, then the legs cramped up. Was with the front group the whole way, then the legs cramped up with a bit over an hour to go. Still, only finished 6 minutes behind out of an hour behind the front people, so that is still pretty good. Could be related to working out 8 days out of 9.
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I can be reached at Richard@RichardSeibel.com
for hip replacement candidates
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