Day Two.
Saturday seems an unusual day to have an operation, so set off arriving at 7am and in the theatre by 11am and out back in my room by 1pm. The nurses at the hospital were brilliant, kind, compassionate, responsive and very patient, though I did wonder given it was the weekend so the surgery list was alot smaller, it meant they had a little breathing space, though still very busy. All the staff were great. I told the anethatist that last time I woke up shivering after the Op - he said he would make sure I was warm enough and yip, to my delight, I didn't shiver this time when I woke up, though I thought it was reaction to the drugs rather than the cold. It was a private hospital, so the food was excellent. I could have done without the pain on the first night after the first opiod pre-op med wore off, but hey we all go through this, and just concentrate on, this WILL get better. I must have listened to a complete audio book on Sat night - as didn't get any sleep at all.
Sunday spent seeing the physio for checks to leave, getting up and walking around, going to the loo etc, prior to coming home. I eagerly stood on my new hip for the first time, with the leg discrepancy issue in the forefront of my mind - grinning away to myself as my right newly operated leg felt slightly longer, rather than the shorter as it has felt for months - What a result!!!! A day later, whilst walking feels unbalanced and odd, I have total confidence that my legs are now at the same length, possibly slightly different, but nothing like I had been feeling since January. I am very confident once the hip has settled in, the muscles are working as they should, swelling has gone down etc. in a few months time, I will be walking evenly. I am so, so, chuffed.
My surgeon stopped by at lunchtime, to report there was the same issue as my other side in that he had to put in a slightly larger cup than he had planned, to ensure no dislocation issues, but it matches the other one. He told me the hip was worse than the other one and really did need to be replaced. I had been putting it off, bracing myself to go through the endless recovery cycle, that will now start.
Sunday night at home was tricky, trying to find a comfortable way to lie in bed, in alot of pain but reluctant to take morphine, as I do have some. Paracetamol and ibruprofen gobbled down, alot of wriggling surrounded by pillows to find the sweet spot to get some sleep. Sleep drifted in - HOORAY!!!!
It's now Sunday. I have completed leg slides in bed. My leg will slide upwards and downwards with a struggle, however my abductors have gone off on holiday and just refuse to work, so gave up with that one. Getting on and off the bed it a big enough challenge - with me grunting and groaning with the effort, attempting to slide back and lift my leg up that just doesn't want to move. The hip flexors are making it very clear that they are not interested in working either.
The dogs are puzzled as they have been kept away from me that has really unsettled them given that I am in the house, but they haven't seen me since I returned home. They can hear me huffing and puffing, then swearing as my phone drops off the bedside cabinet onto the floor. One doesn't realise until they are actually in the situation what a disaster this is, the phone dropping onto the floor. The first effort is to figure out how to get off the bed, with minimum pain. This becomes particularly frustrating when I can't work out where I have put the leg lifter, to help me move my operated leg off the bed, only to realise that it has fallen down the side of the bed that I can't reach. Ok, I can slide my leg off the bed, then, it's hunt the grabber to be able to pick up the phone. Once this is in my hand, I then discover that the phone just slides out of the grabber, so I have to actually get up. This means getting hold of the crutches, sliding the operated leg forward and putting all my weight onto the left hip to pull myself up onto the cructhes. I then chase the phone all over the bedroom floor with the grabber while constantly grumbling, staggering around with the crutches. Once the phone has been retrieved, its then, put the crutches in the right place so I can get old of them, pick up the leg lifter with the grabber, rearrange my pillows on the bed as they need to be in a certain position for comfort. At this point, I need a breather, while bracing myself to wriggle backwards and figure out how to get the operated leg, a dead weight, back up onto the bed, while swearing, puffing and grunting. The whole episode takes forever. I am left lying flat on my back staring at the ceiling, completely exhorsted, with the last thing to go is to rearrange all the pillows for comfort. It's 4am, I am knackered and after this gymnastics, wide awake and in pain.
Oh well, it will get better, I tell myself.
United Kingdom
