👯‍♀️ Hips and Knees part 7

I also have horrible memories of cod liver oil capsules at infants school in the early 1950s. To build us up after the war! I didn’t mind the milk though and still like it. Loved the malt and have the bad teeth to prove it!!

Hi Charleygirl, no, apparently it’s olive oil (Mediterranean diet and all that) and the ordinary run-of-the-mill supermarket ones will butter no parsnips, as my old Granny used to say. It’s got to packed with the magic ingredient: polyphenols, and these get lost along the way in the production of most of the oil that hits our shelves, especially if it is not cold pressed. I had my first taste this morning and was pleasantly surprised, it’s not too bad at all & leaves a slight peppery taste at the back of the throat. I have awful memories of cod liver oil and malt during the war …. (And GG is fine, by the way!)

TBW is fine Charleygirl. GN isn’t ideal for those of us with failing eyesight.

grammargran this is just a personal observation but would cod liver oil not be better than plain olive oil? That is what we were given as children. Be careful as the prices vary. Morrison's reasonable at £4.99 for starters but look for strength.

Yes SL is fine CG…
As for milk I used to 3njoy a glass of cold milk from the fridge, but for some un remembered reason stopped. I have just a dash of milk in tea.
More recently decided I should drink more, so add a little to my morning oat, fruit and yoghurt breakfast.

I am not a fan of cold milk either. Being forced at school to drink the milk which had been warmed by the radiators, yuck. I drink a Americano with a little cold milk. About 3 times a year I have cereal, but the milk is straight from the fridge. I use as little as possible.

Would people object if I shortened their names to eg tbw gg and sl?.These are not everyday words and my eyesight is such I am having major problems. I can capitalise if wanted. It may look better I think.

I have problems signing an official form and I can no longer write in a straight line. A good job I am 83 and not 38.

I am with you re hot milk Charleygirl.

Grammargran I agree with silverlining and teabagwoman. You need to see a GP, get hip and both knees xrayed, (you will possibly have to ask for the knees), and then whilst that is happening, ask your GP to refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon. Have you chosen one?

You need to see a GP, and not a receptionist blocking your way.

I can't think of anything else you could be doing. Which joint is the most painful in bed?

The thought of hot milk (or any) makes me feel sick!

That’s miserable Grammargran, but don’t give up hope. I know these days it’s a hassle but please get a gp appointment. Physio and painkillers may improve life while you wait for surgery. I had a THR a year ago and was doing very well until my knees and ankles decided to complain. Physio has definitely helped as has being advised to exercise more gently. I’m now trying hot milk with a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of black pepper each evening. To early to tell whether it’s helping yet. But I’ll report back in three months time.

Hello Grammargran good to hear from
you though sorry anout your problem either the other hip. No doubt the knees are complaining due to inevitable compensatory pressure.
You seem to be keeping as fit as you can on your bike and that will help your case for your other hip to be looked at.
As for olive oil it Cant do any harm , we all had it as children but bite thd bullet and get an appointment to discuss with your gp. Keep in touch and good luck.

PS - re fungal nail infections, my podiatrist says there’s no cure, so how do you get rid of them in the event of surgery?

Hello everyone, just been reading through this thread (which has taken me ages!) to catch up on everyone, and to have a quiet whinge of my own. Nearly two years after my THR, my other one is giving up the ghost, and my knees are protesting! I am so disappointed! It’s not helped by the hard fact that I am now 87 and I have no wish to see out my declining years as a shuffling wreck, hardly able to move. My back won’t let me stand for too long either. I can’t walk far, but I have an exercise bike & use that everyday. I am also contemplating downing a daily tablespoonful of olive oil. Has anyone heard good results of that? It’s so b****y hard to get a doctor’s appointment these days to even start the process of getting xrayed, then on to a waiting list for a second THR. I paid for the first. Time was not on my side before, even less so now! Advice and help in the meantime please from all you lovely people whom I’ve got to know so well over the past two years. x

You just need a small area I would have thought, to keep costs down.

You described my trip to the local shops perfectly. To help, the pavement slopes towards the road. It is a long street and a few people also have trees which overhang on to the pavement. These are not cheap houses, around 1/2 million but I suspect many are rented. I don't know what the answer is.

I know just what you mean about rollators and uneven pavements. Add in cars parked on the pavement, scooters and bikes whizzing past and recycling bins left out and every trip is an adventure! I will have a think about having paving laid, probably expensive but may be worth it to keep my garden accessible.

All I can suggest teabagwoman is to get somebody to lay planks of wood making a safer path for you especially if using a stick or other items. The deep gravel was a good idea at the time!

My garden is small so I had it block paved a few years ago. Would that be an option for a small part?

Where I live is very hilly and I prefer a flat surface with decent pavements. I know, dream on! Sometimes I use a rollator ansd it has problems with the cracked pavements.

Walking on dunes is very hard work. I have to walk over quite deep gravel to get to part of my garden and I’m finding that difficult enough.

I am bumping this up. No time now, will return later.

I think walking on dunes is really hard for everyone, so don’t worry too much about it. I love the beach but avoid walking on loose sand as much as I can. Enjoy your break MayBee.

I’m hoping that it will make me walk more upright as my main problem is the way I now walk makes my back ache and walking so slowly is very tiring. My partner walks our dog all the time these days and hopefully I can join them. I just had a light bulb moment at the mobility shop and realised that it’s the sort of thing that is sometimes only used for a short period of time and then passed onto charity shops. A bit like when Winnie was a puppy and I realised that marketplace was full of dog crates and fireguards ( I used the latter to protect my books and furniture). I can ignore a certain amount of pain when I’m walking; it’s confidence I need to regain.

I was able to stop using my rollator after I had my hip replacement but now my knee and ankle have got worse I’ve gone back to it. I can walk further and faster with it, get envious looks when I can sit down on it in the queue in our chemist and find that while people ignored my white stick (I’m partially sighted) they give the rollator a wide berth.

The weird thing is that I can walk uphill quite well: same with stairs. No problem leading with my bad leg. Wonder if it’s because I’ve always thought one of my legs was shorter than the other one? I’ve always walked with a waddle.

I use mine when walking to the GP surgery and pharmacy. Mine folds but I don't have the strength to do it. I can't use it on a bus because I don't feel safe if the bus is busy and also getting off would be a problem.

I don't care what other people think. I still use my stick if e.g. somebody is taking me somewhere in a car.

Mine cost me a tenner. It was meant to be part of a trial which never happened.
Although it has brakes, it is not a fan of hills and the pavements here are a disgrace, so I have to be careful, I don't end up face down,.

I’m at my partners for four weeks and am making an effort to do my knee strengthening exercises each day. I can still walk on the beach but am struggling with the walk across the dunes to the beach; my walking is painfully slow. So today I went into a mobility shop to see what sort of things they sold. I tried a rollator and found walking much easier. It was nearly £200 though. I explained to the sales assistant that I was only here for a while and there wasn’t room in the car to take it back. As I was leaving I asked him if they hired them out and he said they did. Why didn’t he suggest that to me?? Anyway there’s a huge charity shop nearby so I dropped in there and found one for £15 so I bought that and am going to try it out. Obviously can’t walk across the dunes with it but am going to try it on the pavement. Can’t quite believe that I’m using one; I feel as though I’m a different person; I’ve walked everywhere all of my life; how can this be the new me? But I need to push myself for when I eventually get to see a consultant again ( if that ever happens).

Thankyou again

Exercise your other knee muscles and life will be easier post op. I had more pain in bed at night so that made my decision easy. I hope you don't have to wait long. We will be here to help you post-operatively.