Hip Surgery Candidates

If you are waiting for your surgery date to arrive and find yourself stressed and overwhelmed by it all, this site can be good medicine for you.

The Hip Surgery Coach

 

 

Concerned about your upcoming surgery?

 

Are you scared?

Overwhelmed?

Feeling alone in your pain?

Could you use some support?

 

You Can:

 

Find peace of mind

Manage your pain

Eat for faster healing

Organize for recovery

Motivate your caregivers

 

The Hip Coach is a phone call away!

 

Call now for your complimentary 15 minute phone consultation!

 

415-571-7702

 

 (Messages returned within 24 hours.)

 

 

Naomi Colb BS, RDH, HHP is a grateful, active veteran of total hip replacement surgery and an experienced Holistic Healthcare Practitioner and coach.

 

 

How to Ask for Help: The Patient’s Guide to Managing Caregivers

Hello!  If you are reading this, you are likely facing a hospital or hospice stay and may be feeling powerless to ask for the quality of care you know you deserve.  Are you afraid of being seen as “high maintenance’, a pest, self-centered, demanding, needy or a whiner?

 

You are not alone.  Many people endure kinds of inconveniences, discomforts, injustices and live lives of quiet desperation and resignation because they fear the judgments of others if they speak up for their needs and desires.

 

I was once a shy and fearful person who simply went along with whatever others were doing and never asked others for their cooperation in fulfilling my needs.

 

I have been fortunate enough to come across some teachers who shared some tips on having other people enthusiastically do what I requested or invited them to do.  In this article, I will share these powerful tips.  They may seem simple and obvious, but as you consciously begin integrating them into your life, you will notice and enjoy a marked the difference in the way people respond to you.

 

You may also begin to notice that when you leave one of these elements out, the result will not be as desirable. You will soon master the art of asking by noticing how you are “being”, when people say, “Yes”, and when they say, “No.”

 

Here are the 7 Tips:

 

Tip #1.  Before asking for help, ask to ask.   People are busy and their attention is not on you and your concerns.  Ask them for a moment of their time and attention to consider a request you have.  This respects their time and attention and lets them know you understand that it is a gift they are giving you and that you appreciate it.  This begins to establish a sense of warmth and connection, so that your request is more likely to be received and fulfilled.

 

Tip #2 Once you have their attention, thank them for taking a moment to talk with you.  Let them know that you genuinely appreciate some quality of their character or the way the two of you relate.  This will deepen your connection.

 

Tip #3 Communicate as an equal soul.  Have you noticed how irritating it can be when someone asks you for something and they are apologetic or whining, begging or overly

respectful?  On the other hand, have you noticed how infuriating it is when someone orders you about in a disrespectful, demanding and condescending tone?  Effective communication occurs between equals.  When you appreciate yourself and appreciate the other person, your request lands cleanly, without emotional reaction.

 

Tip #4 Ask the person who can fulfill the request, or who may be able to find someone to fulfill the request.  Be specific about what you are requesting, so it is easy for the other person to imagine what it would be like to complete the action you are requesting successfully.

i.e. Would you puff up the pillow and place it under my neck?

 

Tip #5  Put the offer on the table between you.  What I mean by this is…  Consider that the offer is not YOUR offer or request.  It is THE offer or request that you are energetically putting in between the two of you for consideration, without attachment to the outcome.  When the person you are asking senses that they are free to examine the time, attention and resources it will take them to fulfill your request in light of their own goals and values and that you will not take a “No” personally, they will more likely find a way to say, “Yes”.

 

Tip #6  People want to say, “Yes!”   Right now, say, “Yes”,  and then say, “No”.  Notice how your body feels when you say, “Yes!”, … and how it feels when you say, “No”.  Do you notice any opening and relaxing feelings as you say, “Yes!”?  …any contraction or closing when you say, “No”?    Our reflex is to say, “Yes!” , and to move toward the pleasure of connection and relating that agreement brings. 

 

People usually want to say “Yes!”   …AND…they have reservations or concerns that stop them from immediately promising to do whatever is requested.  It’s not because they don’t like you or don’t want to help.  They were simply headed in a different direction and had already prioritized their time, attention and money.  In order to say “Yes!” , they most likely have to re-arrange their life to join your team.  They may hesitate as they begin to get creative about adopting your priorities.  Be silent after you ask while they sort this out.

 

Tip #7  Next to , Please”, “Thank you.” is one of the most powerful expressions we have. Thank the person for their help.  Don’t you feel fulfilled when you have done something for someone and they genuinely and specifically express appreciation?  People will remember your appreciation, or lack of appreciation, the next time you ask.

 

OK, let’s review the 5 tips:

1. Ask to ask.

2. Appreciate the person and your relationship.

3. Ask as an equal.

4. Give clear direction.

5. Put the offer on the table.

6. Know that people instinctively want to help….and they may have to take a moment to find a way to say “Yes”.

7. Say , “Thank you!”

 

 

Congratulations on taking a leading role in your healing process. These tips will support you in receiving the quality of care you need for rapid recovery. 

 

 

 

My Story

Are you facing hip replacement surgery?  Are you feeling alone in your pain, weak and terrified?  Are you worrying about how you will handle your commitments during your recovery?  Are you afraid of surrendering to anesthesia and the medical team? Are you fearful of post-operative pain and complications?

 

Hello!   My name is Naomi Colb and I am an active and grateful veteran of hip replacement surgery.  I invite you to take a leading role in your healing process and use this time to re-think your self-care choices to get the most out of your tiime here on earth.  Here is a link to my FREE e-book:                                                       Hip Surgery: How to Recover Rapidly

Future entries will include information, inspiration and suggestions for easing your journey as you get ready for and then recover from your surgery.   

 

At 55, I was feeling old and depressed.  I experienced increasingly intense pain before my full hip replacement surgery.  I could barely walk, sit or sleep. 

 

Committed to finding a natural solution, I took supplements that promised to rebuild the cushioning in my joints, (synovial fluid), tried a series of complimentary therapies including acupuncture, Reiki, Rolfing, all kinds of therapeutic massage and network and traditional chiropractic to address my discomfort. 

 

As my condition intensified, I tried numbing the pain with topical applications and took over the counter painkillers daily, which I knew was not great for my stomach and liver.

 

I finally had the hip x-rayed.  There was barely any cushioning in the joint. The surgeon told me that full hip replacement surgery was the only option. 

 

Even when my surgery date was set, I was still looking for alternatives.  I was asking my surgeon about joint fluid replacement injections, a less invasive solution that works for other joints, but apparently not for hips.  I continued to take supplements and research other possibilities on the Internet.  

 

Finally, I faced the grim reality that in 6 months my thigh was going to be cut open and a metal prosthetic hip joint and thighbone were going to replace my original bone for the rest of my life. I was terrified.

 

How would I care for myself during my recovery?  How would I pay the bills?  Could I trust the medical team?  I had heard such scary stories about operations and hospitals. Would I have post-operative pain and complications? 

 

I am usually a positive person, but I at that point I was only looking at the negatives.

 

As I began to share my fears and fate with my community, I found that many people had relatives and friends who had gone through this experience and were now out of pain, walking normally and living full lives.

 

At one gathering, a friend introduced me to a woman who had gone through total hip replacement a few years prior.  Seeing my level of anxiety about my approaching surgery, this angel took me to the ladies room to show me her barely visible scar and generously shared all her tips and resources with me.

 

She strongly recommended that I buy and use the book and tape (or CD) created by Peggy Huddleston, “Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster”. 

 

Peggy Huddleston’s book and tape set helped dramatically reduce my anxiety before surgery, use less pain medication after surgery and heal faster.

 

After reading the book, I took on my surgery and recovery like a project.  I created checklists and timelines, prioritized and delegated whatever I could and asked for information and support from my many holistic practitioner friends. 

 

As I continued to attend community celebrations on crutches, my spirit and my vision for my recovery inspired my friends.  I was determination to hike into the mountains for a 3-day fasting Vision Quest and then attend a campout festival in the Nevada desert with them soon after my surgery. They jumped in to support me. 

 

My community came to my pre-surgery party; drove me to the hospital; held my hand in the waiting room; visited me in the hospital; drove me home from the hospital; brought DVDs to keep me entertained, and gifted me with energy healing sessions as I was recovering.

 

A perfect stranger noticed my pain as we waited for the underground

train.  She inquired if I was going for hip surgery.   When we discovered that we had the same surgeon at Kaiser, she gifted me her top-of-the-line walker, decorated crutches, shower chair and high toilet seat, which she no longer needed!

 

I posted a free ad on the local resources networking site, offering to trade lodging for post surgery care.  Henry Liu, a college student at the time, responded and proved a wonderful caregiver!

 

Henry had never prepared a meal and enjoyed learning to prepare my simple foods.  He was kind and gentle with my fragile body in the weeks immediately after surgery when I needed assistance to even go to the bathroom!  We became lifelong friends.

 

I found myself excited after surgery because I was finally out of pain, though very weak.  I was enthusiastic about my prescribed physical therapy exercises because I was conditioning my body for the exciting adventures I had planned that would require me to be fit. 

 

The physical therapist who came to my home felt almost unneeded. I would take my pain medication 30 minutes before my exercises, so that they were at maximum effect. Then, I put on my dance music and danced my exercises!!

 

After my surgery, I quickly recovered my ability to move freely.

To celebrate my recovery, 7 months after surgery, I hiked 3 miles off trail into the mountains for three days of solitary fasting and meditation.  I was intent on discovering the purpose for my life’s extension and the nature of the legacy I was meant to leave on this earth.                       

 

To my delight, I realized that the most valuable gift I could possibly leave behind would be my own vital and enthusiastic aging.  I was inspired to share my enthusiasm for living and my new level of self-care and lifestyle choices with others.

 

Two months after my Vision Quest, I went to the Nevada desert to celebrate life with 35,000 other radically self-reliant and creative individuals at the Burningman festival.

 

I am excited for you as you begin this journey to recovering, optimizing and sustaining your well being for the rest of your life!

 

I encourage you to embrace this challenge as an opportunity for personal growth and awareness of the amazing healer within you as well as an opportunity to receive and appreciate the love and generosity of your caregivers, family and larger community.

 

I have created an E-book, Hip Surgery: How to Recover Rapidly to guide you  as your surgery date approaches.  If you send your contact information to msnaomicolb@yahoo.com , you will receive a complimenatry holistic lifestyle coaching session.  I wish you a speedy recovery and would love to hear about the fabulous experiences you are having with your restored mobility and vitality:)