@gingerw I agree that staying active is important. Unfortunately, it took over a year and a half for my doctors and me to figure out why I was having debilitating hip pain after bilateral total hip replacement. In the meantime, I was unable to do the PT that I was supposed to start on Day 5 after the first replacement because of unrelenting pain. I was unable to convince the gate keeper nurse of the seriousness of my pain complaint. The cause, a femur broken on Day 5 at a PT appointment, was revealed at my six week followup appt with the surgeon. In hindsight, I wonder if I was stupid to take his recommendation to do the second replacement at week 10. I also should have insisted on another follow up before the routine two year mark which is coming up this spring.

Another undiagnosed problem further exacerbated the pain problem. It turns out that in addition to the gout that was found in my toe in 2022, I also have pseudogout. My Mayo nephrologist (who has gout, too) arranged for a Dual Scan CT which is the only diagnostic scan I can have that would reveal pseudogout. That scan may have unveiled additional gout. Both pseudogout and gout deposits are/were scattered throughout my pelvis. I accidentally came upon a pain solution when a second toe developed what I thought was gout on a trip to NC over a weekend last October. To confirm my suspicion, I took the analgesic colchicine which only relieves gout and pseudogout pain (and Familial Mediterranean Fever which as a person of Japanese descent is unlikely to be my problem.) Ordinarily I would have contacted my nephrologist but having read that colchicine is most effective during the first 24 hours after pain appears and it had been 36 hours, I took the initiative.

Now that the pain in my pelvis is under control, I have finally been able to go back to PT to learn the exercises I should do to recover from hip replacement. Amazingly, it is not too late to be effective. This week, for the first time since 2022, I was able to walk three miles. The trail was almost completely flat so it was not a strenuous trek.

The next time we have decent weather (it's snowing a bit as I write), we're going to see if I can get off my bike. I have very mild neuropathy in my feet and hands from velcade treatment for ITG. My husband is prepared to catch the bike so I dismount safely. We tried this last summer when I was trying different activities in an effort to stay active.

BTW, my nephrologist said no topical NSAID either. I am limited to acetaminophen (and colchicine). I was given one Aleve after each hip surgery even though I told my surgeon that my nephrologist had said no Aleve. When I found out, I hoped the surgeon contacted my nephrologist who had provided a list of acceptable meds and that what seems to me to be a small amount of contraband did not cause permanent kidney damage.