The last two days have been
CRAZY PANTS!
On Tuesday I'd decided I was in for a long slog of recovery, and that I was going to have to cultivate patience, however difficult, for the slow climb ahead - and I hasten to add there's nothing wrong with that!! That was also my first PT appointment. At first, she was surprisingly helpful - I wanted to show off my walker skills, but the therapist said slow down, hot shot, you're not SUPPOSED to become a better walker pilot - you're SUPPOSED to use it to get RID of the walker.
Oh.
So, point 1 for the therapist. Yay! Then she scored again by showing me how easy it was to use a cane. Big revelation! The ground shook! A way forward! 2 points for the PT team!
But then she blew it by getting out those same exercises that everyone gets, when it was blatantly obvious that the muscles groups she had me working were already reasonably toned, and that my adductors were if anything TOO strong, stiff, and tight from anchoring a dodgy hip. I assessed a 5 point penalty for PT, which put them in jeopardy of getting axed.
Tuesday night I had the sads. I felt sorry for myself, sore from what I considered a useless waste of hit points, and discouraged that my PT seemed determined to see a generic hip replacement patient instead of me and my needs. And I had to pay ODIC dues with pain, which meant more Oxycodone to sleep than usual, which made me queasy and dizzy when I got up. Bone-obo was a crabby, crabby boy.
Yesterday I had a bi-annual checkup with my regular doctor, a guy I've known for years, and while we were reviewing the meds, he gently suggested I try something else to control the pain at night: Meloxicam (which I've used a good bit with good tolerance and no side effects) and Arthritis-strength Tylenol. (I love Dave - he's the type of doctor that assumes you want all the details on everything he does, and is happy to talk recent studies and anatomy to whatever level you want.) Meh, I thought. Why not?
This morning something felt ... strange. It took a minute to realize that where there is usually a persistent low-level ache there was nothing. Nada. Got up, grabbed the walker, and set off for the loo. I kept one finger on the walker the whole way, then one finger under the walker, and went in search of my cane. And it. Felt. AWESOME! Great! Natural! Still sore when I put weight on the operated leg, sure, but easily tolerable, and no lingering after-ache. My PT had said not to switch over before her go-ahead, but no WAY was I giving this freedom up!
Had another PT session for today - going into it, I was 3/4's of the way to bailing (as you can tell from my posts around that time), but I thought I'd talk to the PT and try to get her to see what my individual needs were first. And lo: she saw! The cookie cutter exercises were disappeared, replaced with things that make sense, and she saw that one of the best uses of her time was to start loosening up all those knotted flexors and adductors, which she set about to do with gentle massage.
("Are you okay with this," she'd ask constantly.) So yeah. I'll stick with the PT for a while longer.
So, good day. I'd dared to hope I'd make it to opening night for "The Incredibles 2" with friends, and now? Lookin' good!
United States
good for you.
