Greetings, fellow hippos.
I will share a few highlights I have experienced so far:
I was awake, lucid, and conversational during most of my surgery. At one point my leg was in a weird position, and I wanted them to remove the drapings so I could see what they were doing. They politely refused. I remember having conversations with the surgery nurse, and she calmly kept me posted about my progress.
I went into my surgery in pretty good shape. I had started two months before surgery lifting weights, doing core work, and walking hard, averaging 10,000 steps a day. Therefore, I was in a good position to be able to use my upper body to maneuver my lower body around with little difficulty. My stamina was pretty high, and 20 years of martial arts training have given me powerful physical awareness, balance, and the idea of mind/body integration.
My best friends post-surgery were my wife, who has taken great care of me, CBD ointment, arnica (both topical and systemic), lots of ice thanks to my Ossur Cold Rush machine, and visualization. I hired thousands of skilled Japanese carpenters, microscopic and yet incredibly powerful, to begin the repair work on my surgery site. I imagine them pounding cement into the joint between the bone and the cup, and skillfully and artistically crafting a brand-new hip. They use tiny saws and chisels to create from scratch a new joint, an exquisite temple of worship, a pagoda of unparalleled beauty. I greet them each morning, “Ohayō gozaimasu, Senseis! Domo Arigato!” I check on the work and it is progressing quickly and well.
I was off the walker in four days, and today, day 10 post, I have weaned myself off the cane and upgraded to trekking poles. I’m off the drugs, with the exception of ibuprofen in the evening.
The hardest part has been trying to sleep on my back. I am a side-sleeper, and it’s taken some practice to learn a new way.
In general, the experience has, so far, been much easier than I thought it would be. It feels like I’ve been ahead of the curve, thanks to lots of preparation, discipline, and work. I am so grateful for my aikido training. It has made a world of difference for me, even though we have all been unable to train due to COVID for a year now.
I will keep you updated as things progress.
I will share a few highlights I have experienced so far:
I was awake, lucid, and conversational during most of my surgery. At one point my leg was in a weird position, and I wanted them to remove the drapings so I could see what they were doing. They politely refused. I remember having conversations with the surgery nurse, and she calmly kept me posted about my progress.
I went into my surgery in pretty good shape. I had started two months before surgery lifting weights, doing core work, and walking hard, averaging 10,000 steps a day. Therefore, I was in a good position to be able to use my upper body to maneuver my lower body around with little difficulty. My stamina was pretty high, and 20 years of martial arts training have given me powerful physical awareness, balance, and the idea of mind/body integration.
My best friends post-surgery were my wife, who has taken great care of me, CBD ointment, arnica (both topical and systemic), lots of ice thanks to my Ossur Cold Rush machine, and visualization. I hired thousands of skilled Japanese carpenters, microscopic and yet incredibly powerful, to begin the repair work on my surgery site. I imagine them pounding cement into the joint between the bone and the cup, and skillfully and artistically crafting a brand-new hip. They use tiny saws and chisels to create from scratch a new joint, an exquisite temple of worship, a pagoda of unparalleled beauty. I greet them each morning, “Ohayō gozaimasu, Senseis! Domo Arigato!” I check on the work and it is progressing quickly and well.
I was off the walker in four days, and today, day 10 post, I have weaned myself off the cane and upgraded to trekking poles. I’m off the drugs, with the exception of ibuprofen in the evening.
The hardest part has been trying to sleep on my back. I am a side-sleeper, and it’s taken some practice to learn a new way.
In general, the experience has, so far, been much easier than I thought it would be. It feels like I’ve been ahead of the curve, thanks to lots of preparation, discipline, and work. I am so grateful for my aikido training. It has made a world of difference for me, even though we have all been unable to train due to COVID for a year now.
I will keep you updated as things progress.
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