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Post-op day 28.
Yesterday, I had my first post-op appointment and x-rays. Check it out:
I have a hip socket.
It was pouring when we left for the hospital yesterday. I had the hood up on my rain jacket (read: no peripheral vision) and whacked my head on the roof of the car trying to get in backward. As soon as my head hit, my knees buckled, and I dropped into the seat with my legs still outside the car.
I just sat there for a minute, surprised, my head aching, then blinked a few times and pulled my legs in. My ponytail took the brunt of the impact with the car, so I didn't even have a bump. Seatmate was afraid I had dropped right onto my post-op hip, but my hips were fine, somehow. Next time it's raining, I'm wearing a ball cap.
At the hospital, we pulled into the valet area so we could unload the wheelchair and hand over the car. Other cars were apparently undecided on their plans, so Seatmate got as close as he could to the curb and said the hell with it. Then a cab wedged itself between our car and the curb. "Hey! Excuse me!" I called to the driver. "We need to get a wheelchair out!"
"You should pull over to the curb!" he yelled back.
I'm not printing my reply, but he pulled the cab forward and got out of our way. Rough start to the day.
Radiology is always first. Lying on the table for the x-ray was seriously awkward. My hip is still too swollen and freaked out to straighten easily, so it wasn't happy with me. But the doctors are happy with my x-rays and my hip will calm down and loosen up with time.
The doctors bumped me up to 25% weight-bearing, which is a little tricky to figure out. We figured it out by having me walk back and forth on my crutches while the hip team coached me: "No, put more weight on your leg. More. Straighten your knee. There you go."
I've learned that my left knee doesn't straighten completely. The shape of my hip sockets (I know, what hip sockets?) prevented my femurs from going all the way beneath me when I stood, so for probably thirty years, I've been standing with my knees slightly bent. As my hip heals, both the hip and knee will have to learn how to straighten. This is probably a job for my physical therapist.
I'm amazed by how much my hip sockets affect the rest of my body. I bought new shoes over the summer, cute black and white sneakers that look kind of like Chuck Taylors. The first time I wore them, I ended up with a seriously sore butt and hamstring on my right side, where my hip has been reoriented and healed. The new motion of my hip + new shoes = different muscles moving for the first time. I was thrilled. Bring on those sore muscles!
For now, it's back to rest and crutches and tiny, gentle physical therapy exercises. I was also cleared to use my exercise bike (with no resistance on the pedals), which is awesome. And we're thinking about going to the Bruins' preseason game on Friday. Hockey is a great motivator.
So far, so good.
Yesterday, I had my first post-op appointment and x-rays. Check it out:
I have a hip socket.
It was pouring when we left for the hospital yesterday. I had the hood up on my rain jacket (read: no peripheral vision) and whacked my head on the roof of the car trying to get in backward. As soon as my head hit, my knees buckled, and I dropped into the seat with my legs still outside the car.
I just sat there for a minute, surprised, my head aching, then blinked a few times and pulled my legs in. My ponytail took the brunt of the impact with the car, so I didn't even have a bump. Seatmate was afraid I had dropped right onto my post-op hip, but my hips were fine, somehow. Next time it's raining, I'm wearing a ball cap.
At the hospital, we pulled into the valet area so we could unload the wheelchair and hand over the car. Other cars were apparently undecided on their plans, so Seatmate got as close as he could to the curb and said the hell with it. Then a cab wedged itself between our car and the curb. "Hey! Excuse me!" I called to the driver. "We need to get a wheelchair out!"
"You should pull over to the curb!" he yelled back.
I'm not printing my reply, but he pulled the cab forward and got out of our way. Rough start to the day.
Radiology is always first. Lying on the table for the x-ray was seriously awkward. My hip is still too swollen and freaked out to straighten easily, so it wasn't happy with me. But the doctors are happy with my x-rays and my hip will calm down and loosen up with time.
The doctors bumped me up to 25% weight-bearing, which is a little tricky to figure out. We figured it out by having me walk back and forth on my crutches while the hip team coached me: "No, put more weight on your leg. More. Straighten your knee. There you go."
I've learned that my left knee doesn't straighten completely. The shape of my hip sockets (I know, what hip sockets?) prevented my femurs from going all the way beneath me when I stood, so for probably thirty years, I've been standing with my knees slightly bent. As my hip heals, both the hip and knee will have to learn how to straighten. This is probably a job for my physical therapist.
I'm amazed by how much my hip sockets affect the rest of my body. I bought new shoes over the summer, cute black and white sneakers that look kind of like Chuck Taylors. The first time I wore them, I ended up with a seriously sore butt and hamstring on my right side, where my hip has been reoriented and healed. The new motion of my hip + new shoes = different muscles moving for the first time. I was thrilled. Bring on those sore muscles!
For now, it's back to rest and crutches and tiny, gentle physical therapy exercises. I was also cleared to use my exercise bike (with no resistance on the pedals), which is awesome. And we're thinking about going to the Bruins' preseason game on Friday. Hockey is a great motivator.
So far, so good.