It's been 12 days since I last wrote. It's been challenging and rewarding. Gosh, that's such a cliché but it's true. This past August 20 I underwent total hip replacement surgery on one side. The first couple of days, no, really the first 4 days were pretty rough. It's been getting gradually better each day since. After I first got home on the 3rd day after surgery, I was pretty much confined to a recliner in the middle of our living room. I could get up with a lot of effort and very close supervision for a short walk to the restroom and that was just about it.
Now, I'm sure there are those of you who have recliners that you absolutely love. I'm sure your's is the most comfy chair in the house. Well, when I'm finally done with this re-cooperation I am inclined to find a way to personally drag this baby in the back yard and burn it! I can do it. I may have to take a pry bar to it, but I can do it. Granted, it has served me well when I wasn't able to climb into my bed those first few days. And, granted, with proper enhancements of additional pillows (5 at the moment) it is reasonably comfortable for a few hours. However, being mostly confined to it during the daylight hours for the past 8 days has left me with a longing for something a bit more caressing with supports arranged properly for those of us with shorter stature. The upholstery is worn at the edges to reveal an entirely different upholstery underneath. I'm seriously tempted to rip the outer layer off just to see what's underneath. This 12 year old, threadbare chair has got to go.
Trying to work out how to get into our bed has been entertaining. Now understand, I can't lift my foot forward and up two inches yet. My bed has a seven inch tall step just to bring the mattress top to my hip level. I needed another three or four inches of height to bring my body to a level so I could sit on the side of the bed and inch my way across in proper hip replacement precautions fashion. The whole process would be hilarious if I weren't scared to death of knocking my brand new hip out of joint while I squirm across the mattress. We ended up finding a shelf we'd fashioned to elevate a computer monitor a few inches. It was wide enough and sturdy enough for me to stand on. There was still the problem of me not being able to maneuver safely on a, now stacked,10 inch tall platform only 12 inches wide.
Our solution is that I have to back up to the bed like a semi trailer backing into a loading dock. I keep waiting to hear a back-up beeper going off. I can reach back with my good leg and step up on the top of the stack while keeping my hands firmly planted on the handles of my walker. At this point I was in some danger of loosing my balance and falling over face first into my knitting yarn stash. The stash is sorted in plastic bins so that's a doubly bad idea. I've gotten much better at this with practice but I still don't dare try it without supervision.
I get really cool tools to play with. First, there's the walker. I'm learning to love the walker. It lets me escape the recliner. I look for excuses to go get a snack or check out the window for something just to escape the recliner. I really appreciate my dad letting me borrow his walker. Another cool tool is the grabber. It's a light weight, three foot long pistol gripped rod with a trigger that operates a pincher at the end. I can pick up a receipt laying flat on the floor. I can snag an impertinent child's cheek if they dare stay within my range while dishing out some good natured teasing. Another tool is the sock tool. Imagine how you'd put on socks if you couldn't reach your feet. The solution is so simple it's amazing. The tool is a shaped half tube with a couple of ropes attached at one end. You slip the sock on the tube, toss it on the floor while holding the ropes, stick your foot in and use the ropes to pull the half pipe out. It's great except that it's a one size fits all (translated to men's size 12 4E) kind of device and I have very small feet. Several of my little hand-knit-to-fit socks are stretched to the max on this device. Having someone gently slip my fitted socks on my feet is so much nicer.
This is an ongoing adventure. I have physical therapy homework that challenges my faith in my ability to recover. So much has been gained. So much has been lost. What I regain is almost entirely up to me.
I picked up a quotable quote today at church. I think I'll make it my theme for this week.
"If you're sitting around waiting for something to happen, ain't much going to happen. You have to get out and do something."
- Wallace Donaldson 1 Sept 2013
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