Moving Right Along

The ability of the human body to heal itself never ceases to amaze me. 

Here I am, 4 weeks post total hip replacement and I am walking around the block (with crutches). Hubby tells me I am walking faster at this point than I was 4 weeks pre surgery! Athletic therapist says he is transitioning me to a cane next week! Woot woot! 

There are still a whole whack of things I am working on and I am doing my best to keep the little frustrations at bay. Hubby is so good at calming me down, so is the AT, I know that each person is different and their recovery will be unique. I need reminders that my situation pre surgery does indeed affect my recovery. I wasn't even able to lift my leg up pre surgery from a lying down position before, so why would I suddenly be able to do that now? The surgeon cut through all of muscles on that side of my hip, so of course I'm going to have trouble with moving for a while.... Baby steps!

I will be able to switch to my cane shortly, but I don't want to fall and cause any issues at all. I am doing my exercises, going for walks, and attending my athletic therapy.  Last week I rode a recumbent stationary bike for the first time in years! This week, I was able to pedal twice as fast as last week, and for 20 minutes!

Here I am getting out the other day to scrunch some leaves!

So much excitement is happening. 

The Boys are cooking fabulous meals to keep me nourished! Turns out, they are awesome cooks!

The staples came out and my scar looked soooooo ugly. It was gross. I even asked the nurse if he would take a picture of the staples for me..... 

This week, it looks skin is healing. The muscles are healing.  I am moving and the only pain I feel is surgical healing type of pain.

So. Much. Good. 

This Shit Is Fixed!

Fixed and recovery is in progress!  Sorry I haven't update you lovelies sooner. I have been sleeping. Lots. Like, so much. Everyday I say "I really need to do a blog post" but then my peeps get here to look after me, make sure that I eat, take my pills, rest up, and don't do anything stupid, which is difficult considering I am on some pretty good narcotics! I even have a sample of my texting prowess while under the influence...

Yup! Hubby saved this one and posted it on Facebook! Soooo funny. 

Surgery went well. Really well.  Both feet now face forward! Woot woot!  I seriously thought people were lying to me when they said I would wake up from surgery and there would be no hip pain.  Well, they were right. The only pain that gets in the way of anything is surgical pain and even that's been kept to a minimum with proper medications and rest. Doctors are well aware that excessive pain will hinder recovery so they try to avoid as much pain as possible. I like these guys!

I really want to write a longer post that bores you with the whole story of surgery day and my hospital stay, but I really wanted to give you a quick up date. Let's see where Where this takes us.

I am currently hobbling about with crutches. Sometimes I move live a fish out of water, but I'm moving. My left foot faces forward because my left femur is actually sitting in an acetabulum of its own. No more of this free floating femoral head shit.  That shit is fixed! 

All in all, my hospital stay was fantastic (except for the food, but that's another post and rant altogether). The doctors, nurses, and health care aides were all fantastic. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. The care they provided me exceed all expectations. I even tried to convince one of the aides to come home with me. I even had my own room. Talk about luck! I slept so well. Once the door to my room was closed for the night, I was down for the count. I couldn't have asked for a better set up. They even said to me on the Monday, 'you could go home today, if you wanted, but we don't need the room tonight so you can stay until tomorrow if you'd like.'  I have never heard of that before. I actually chose to stay! My. Own. Room!  I went home the next morning around 9am when Hubby picked my up.

Hubby and the Boy have been out if this world looking after me! Reminding me to watch my precautions, drugging me, tucking me in, monitoring swellings, driving me around town....

My sisters have been awesome too! So have my nephews and dad. Little nephew will snuggle in bed with me and watch his nursery rhymes. He also loves to bring me my water bottle. 

My fabulous friends also pitch in. They come to 'Lori sit' when both my boys are at work, bring me lunch, and come to visit.  

There is so much awesome going on, I could explode. But I won't. 

Monday my staples come out. Thank goodness because the incision is starting to itch. 

I think there's 33 staples....we will count on Monday!

I know I still have a long road ahead of me, but so far, I have been truly blessed.  

Now that I have bored you with happiness and sleep, I need a nap....or some more binge watching the Mindy Projecf on Netflix....

Also. I will work on my boring hospital story! 

Thanks for being there everyone! Love you all.

Quick flashback to the days of the dreaded cast!

Let's Get This Shit Fixed

Tomorrow is the big day.  This is happening!  New hip day is here!

There comes a point when the 'what ifs' just don't matter anymore.  In reality, the what ifs should really be debunked and left behind, but if you are like me those sort of things haunt your thoughts way too often. 

Especially on the eve of a life changing event. 

I do call this hip replacement a life changing event because it is a life changing event. 

This is a problem I have had since birth. I have literally gone from being a brat in a body cast, to being a brat with a cane.... Sure, after the initial body cast and recovery, I have had a fairly active, normal life. That being said, I have spent the last ten years slowly retreating from the activities I love due to pain, discomfort, and fatigue. It is quite the thing to rethink a fun outing becase there will be too many stairs, too much walking, the chairs won't be right, or the toilets might be too low.... Seriously. That's what happens. Two years ago, Hubby suprised me with a fabulous spring break cruise and I still feel bad about how much napping I did and how little I was able to explore the cities we visited. 

I have inadvertently alienated myself from many people and fun things.  Not intentionally.  But it happened nonetheless. This sort of thing just adds to the stress. 

No matter what life has dealt me over the years, I have persevered. Whether it be a physical impairment or emotional strife, I have made it through. We have made it through. (With the help of some very special people). Family and friends really do make or break any difficult time. Sisters who calm me down when I need to vent, Hubby who calms the panic, the Boy who knows just how to make me laugh, and friends who build rails, text and call and just help encourage me, including my blogger buddies.... 

I love you all so much. 

We have been through so much this year. 

It only gets better from here!

Let's get this shit fixed!

I will let you know how it goes!