So last week, I quietly celebrated the two year anniversary of my hip replacement surgery. If you'd like to see a video of the proceedure, (not my proceedure) you can click here. I have to warn you though, the surgery is tough to look at. Yes, those were hammers they were using. It's not a really delicate surgery. My physical therapist told me that if plastic surgery was like artwork, hip replacement surgery is like wood working, or more like nailing two two by fours together. Nothing really delicate at all. But for the surgery itself, I was unconscious, and they might as well have hit me in the head, because it doesn't matter. Recovery was sort of rushed along. I learned to balance on my good leg. I took a shower at the hospital on day three. It was awkward because the nurse was with me for that. Her specialty was occupational therapy, but it was also to stand next to the shower and make sure i didn't fall out. Weird having some young good looking girl standing outside of the shower like that. She saw me in my boxers, and I'm kinda proud. But I didn't fall and she didn't have to help me up off the floor.
For those of you that knew me at the time, I moved slowly. I didn't do stairs for a while. There was pain, but there was a lot of pain before the surgery. I did a walker for a week or two, then a cane, then i just held onto things a little tightly as i walked. It was rough for a bit, but it seemed to get better quickly. But for two months I was like a baby learning to walk. Normal activities took great concentration. Going to the bathroom was like a well choreographed ballerina. (my hip is aching just thinking about all of this). But, I eventually learned to walk again, and eventually got rid of the cane. The physical therapy was cool because insurance paid for the trainers to come to my house, and the other cool thing was that my nurse made house calls, every day or two. And she looked like Heather Locklear, no kidding. She was gorgeous, like an angel. I looked forward to her visits. She took my 24 stitches out one day, and just because it was her, my beautiful health care angel, i kept from weeping like a baby.
The pain killers were a bit of habit. but when my prescriptions ran out, I never asked for, or had another pill. I can totally see how pain pills become addictive. You start to pre-empt the pain, and before you know it, you're taking a dozen a day, on a regular schedule. Can be scary.
So after year one, I decided to try and get into shape. I'd lost a lot of weight leading up to the surgery but it was time to get my cardio levels where they should be. And i walked and i walked and i walked. Now, two years later, i run some, i walk some. Four miles of walking and running happen at least 3 times per week (most weeks, although for some reason I did take about 2 or 3 weeks off recently). And when i'm on the trails or at the Y on the treadmill, i don't go 60 seconds without thinking about my bionic hip. And yes, I feel it, but it's not like pain. Not like the pain I had before the surgery. I need to be careful, but even if I over do it, it's like a dull ache, not so much pain involved anymore. And if ever I feel like it's not feeling right, I just stop and walk home, or stop and get off the treadmill.
Advil is all I'll take these days. I've had the opportunity to have some of those pain pills since my prescription ran out. But i haven't taken any. So, I'm proud of myself for that. And I'm proud of myself that i can play basketball and do layups. I can't jump nearly as high as I used to be able to, and i can't land on that leg when I do jump. But it's ok, because i couldn't jump at all before the surgery, and I wouldn't consider walking or jogging at that point. So my bionic leg is happy. I'm happy with it. I'd prefer not to have to do it again on the other hip, and there's no indications that i'll need to do that. But if I do have to, I just say bring it on. I've handled one, I can handle another.
Yesterday, at Junle Jim's, I saw an old guy, maybe 75 or so, going through the checkout lane with his wife. And I noticed that just below the hem of his shorts, where his legs should be, he had two prostechtic legs. That's two. TWO. He had no legs from somewhere just above his knees. he walked on them, he lifted grocery bags, he walked out to the car, with no cane, no help, no nothing. I thought of two words...tecnnology, and willpower. good for that old dude. he lost two legs and just said, "well, just give me some replacements doc, I still gotta walk." And walk he did. And walk I did. And walk I do. And I walk and I walk and I walk.
For those of you that knew me at the time, I moved slowly. I didn't do stairs for a while. There was pain, but there was a lot of pain before the surgery. I did a walker for a week or two, then a cane, then i just held onto things a little tightly as i walked. It was rough for a bit, but it seemed to get better quickly. But for two months I was like a baby learning to walk. Normal activities took great concentration. Going to the bathroom was like a well choreographed ballerina. (my hip is aching just thinking about all of this). But, I eventually learned to walk again, and eventually got rid of the cane. The physical therapy was cool because insurance paid for the trainers to come to my house, and the other cool thing was that my nurse made house calls, every day or two. And she looked like Heather Locklear, no kidding. She was gorgeous, like an angel. I looked forward to her visits. She took my 24 stitches out one day, and just because it was her, my beautiful health care angel, i kept from weeping like a baby.
The pain killers were a bit of habit. but when my prescriptions ran out, I never asked for, or had another pill. I can totally see how pain pills become addictive. You start to pre-empt the pain, and before you know it, you're taking a dozen a day, on a regular schedule. Can be scary.
So after year one, I decided to try and get into shape. I'd lost a lot of weight leading up to the surgery but it was time to get my cardio levels where they should be. And i walked and i walked and i walked. Now, two years later, i run some, i walk some. Four miles of walking and running happen at least 3 times per week (most weeks, although for some reason I did take about 2 or 3 weeks off recently). And when i'm on the trails or at the Y on the treadmill, i don't go 60 seconds without thinking about my bionic hip. And yes, I feel it, but it's not like pain. Not like the pain I had before the surgery. I need to be careful, but even if I over do it, it's like a dull ache, not so much pain involved anymore. And if ever I feel like it's not feeling right, I just stop and walk home, or stop and get off the treadmill.
Advil is all I'll take these days. I've had the opportunity to have some of those pain pills since my prescription ran out. But i haven't taken any. So, I'm proud of myself for that. And I'm proud of myself that i can play basketball and do layups. I can't jump nearly as high as I used to be able to, and i can't land on that leg when I do jump. But it's ok, because i couldn't jump at all before the surgery, and I wouldn't consider walking or jogging at that point. So my bionic leg is happy. I'm happy with it. I'd prefer not to have to do it again on the other hip, and there's no indications that i'll need to do that. But if I do have to, I just say bring it on. I've handled one, I can handle another.
Yesterday, at Junle Jim's, I saw an old guy, maybe 75 or so, going through the checkout lane with his wife. And I noticed that just below the hem of his shorts, where his legs should be, he had two prostechtic legs. That's two. TWO. He had no legs from somewhere just above his knees. he walked on them, he lifted grocery bags, he walked out to the car, with no cane, no help, no nothing. I thought of two words...tecnnology, and willpower. good for that old dude. he lost two legs and just said, "well, just give me some replacements doc, I still gotta walk." And walk he did. And walk I did. And walk I do. And I walk and I walk and I walk.
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