The surgery
Recovery - Week 1
Week 2
Day 8 (Thur) – I Drove my car to work today, it was rather
uncomfortable but not too horrible. The
hip naturally ached but the discomfort really felt as though it was coming from
my left shin and ankle, I just couldn’t find a comfortable position for the
leg/foot.
I’m getting a little more confident with the office’s self-closing
doors but they still take a moment’s consideration before trying to get through
them.
The drive home was
actually pretty nice; I didn’t notice any discomfort during the trip at all. I ended up having to stop at a grocery store
on the way home. Unfortunately I had to maneuver
the store without the benefit of an electric cart, they were all in use. All I had to get was some seltzer water but
it was too much to get in the actual quantities I needed, as it was I almost
lost balance several times with just two 1 liter bottles. Even if I wore a backpack to do minor
shopping it would be a major hassle.
Day 9 (Fri) – Normally, packing for a race weekend or any
short trip is almost a mindless activity but not when you’re mobility is
limited. I packed a few things to spend
my 2 night/3 day weekend at Charlene and Billy’s house, it was exhausting (especially
since I had to travel the stairs 3 times).
Having to move the few things out to my car after that was a chore and
by the time I made my way to my sister’s house I ached. I couldn’t wait to find a place to sit,
stretch out, and ice. I’m to the point
where I crave my ice packs as a source of relief from the discomfort and pain
of moving around.
I had 4 moments of near panic during the afternoon and
evening: 2 in the living room when the love seat moved under me while I tried to sit down and 2 in the bedroom when an
office chair and my borrowed bed moved under me just as the couch did
earlier. Hardwood (or slick laminate) floors
are not my friend in this condition.
Day 10 (Sat) – It was an early start to the day: my sister
and I drove up to Mt. Charleston at 5 am for her to get in a 16 mile downhill
run. I was her mobile aid station (so to
speak), driving ahead to meet her at miles 4 and 8 and then returning her to
the start for a repeat of the 8 mile route.
There were a lot of runners taking on the same downhill route, more than
I’ve ever seen there before. I
speculated that they were training for an upcoming St. George Marathon but I
didn’t ask any of them (that would have been rude). I’ll admit that it’s difficult to be
relegated to “observer” but what must be must be, and my future is worth more
than immediate wants. Besides, going out
there with my sister wasn’t about me, it was for her and what she needed. After she completed a good run (in my
opinion) we stopped for breakfast at Denny’s, picked up a few groceries, and
then chilled out at her house for the rest of the day icing and watching TV. Her run and just the general feel of the
morning made for a good day.
Day 11 (Sun) – I slept in a bit this time, got a whole 9
hours total. It wasn’t uninterrupted; I
did have to re-inflate the bed half way through the night as well as my normal nocturnal
needs. I finally posted the blog of my
first week of post-surgery experiences. Though
it took 7 days to write and 3 more to edit, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Charlene said I looked pale a little later
during the morning though I didn’t feel ill or “off”. I did have a few instances of balance issues
after getting up but nothing concerning, I chalked it up to my tendency to move
in ways I shouldn’t. Still, it’s worth
paying attention to just in case.
Charlene, Billy, and I went grocery shopping early in the
afternoon, after they returned from running a couple personal errands. I had a “head shaking” moment after we completed
our first stop; some inconsiderate jerk not only parked his big SUV in front of
the grocery story doorway (a no-parking-zone), he parked it right in front of
me (on crutches) blocking Charlene who was trying to the car up to retrieve
me. People really disgust me sometimes;
they are so self-absorbed that even common courtesy doesn’t matter to them.
After shopping at various places we returned to my house to
get ready for the coming work week: Charlene and I put the groceries away (she
also gathered and then washed my laundry), Billy took care of a weed beside my
house to keep the HOA off my back and also applied some bug spray to keep out
some local ants (so many pests I need protection from). I enjoyed sitting and watching a little
football with them before they went home later in the afternoon, we don’t get
many of those moments to just hang out.
Day 12 (Mon) – The drive to work was uncomfortable in the beginning
but by the time I arrived at work everything felt reasonably fine. A big stretch after the drive didn’t feel so
well though, my hip protested being extended after being cramped so long. I didn’t stay at work very long; my first
post-surgery follow up appointment was just after lunch. Thankfully the drive back to town was easy
and reasonably comfortable for my leg and hip.
Charlene met me at my house and then drove us both to the
doctor’s appointment. We didn’t end up
seeing my surgeon during the visit, his Physician’s Assistant (PA) met with us
and quickly removed my sutures. He showed
us a series of pictures of the inside of my hip that the surgeon captured
during my procedure: The labrum both
before and after being reattached to my hip (using two anchoring sutures), my
torn and then trimmed cartilage, and my femur after being shaved to the proper
shape. The PA confirmed that I must
continue to use the crutches for 30 days total after the surgery, though he did
say that I can put a little more weight on my repaired hip/leg. I can put light weight on the ball of my foot
so long as I don’t touch my heel to the ground.
I asked him why my left foot turns purple when I am upright; he said
that it is normal for that to happen since the foot and leg aren’t being used
properly right now. Once I begin putting
weight on it again it should begin acting and looking normal. Charlene asked about when I could start
physical therapy; he said I could actually start now but I still cannot put any
real weight on the foot meaning that physical therapy would be limited as far
as the left leg would be concerned. I’d
rather wait, therapy isn’t free and I’d rather go for the full effect. Charlene also asked if I would be limited to
walking specific types of terrain, short distances, or short lengths of time;
the PA said that I would only be limited by fitness and comfort levels. We also discussed that I may have to relearn
how to walk since the femur will move a little differently than I was used
to. We also asked him if I should expect
more pain on my right side once I’m able to walk and run again, while I wait
for the next surgery which will repair the right femur and labrum as well. The PA didn’t think I would have extra
difficulty with my right side between surgeries but he did encourage me to pay
attention to how it feels.
Day 13 (Tue) – The day started off rather poorly thanks to
someone parking a company vehicle in my preferred space. Normally I don’t have such a thing but while
I’m on crutches there is literally only one good parking space at my building
that is compatible with a handicapped driver’s needs. There are no actual handicap parking spots in
my parking area, I have to hope to get the one that is closest to my entrance,
on level ground, and is wide enough for me to fully open the door enough to get
my crutches and myself out of the car. This
time I had to park on the opposite side of the building from my door and then
carry my lunch bag and my backpack with several bottles of water in it for a
distance that is very tiring on crutches when carrying nothing. Then add in the general difficulty in getting
into the building while on crutches anyway; all of the exterior doors open out,
they are excessively heavy, and they are self-closing fire doors. Needless to say I was rather grumpy the first
couple of hours.
I’ve noticed that my left quad seems to ache a lot lately. I have to assume that I keep it in one
position too long sometimes so I must try to ensure to put it through range-of-motion
exercises periodically. I have no
problem admitting to looking forward to walking and exercising again. I know it’s going to be painful for a while
but at least it’s a productive pain.
Is it weird to admit that I enjoy icing my hip and
thigh? It’s such fast relief for the
pesky aches I get routinely. I haven’t
taken any painkillers since waking up in the outpatient post-op waiting room:
The icing routine has been my preferred method of taking care of the aches.
Day 14 (Wed) – I am two weeks into my recovery now and I’m
really eager for some visible forward progress.
I know that the healing for this type of thing is all internal and can
only be experienced by feel but I do wish I could see something being repaired
(other than my 2 half-inch incisions).
These invisible hurts kind of mess with the mind and it’s difficult to
express out loud how you feel when all anyone sees is a lean, able body. There are too many people willing to doubt, willing to take a negative view of what others are going through. I don't care what the doubters say, I don't allow those kinds of people to be in my small circle of loved ones, but when I'm already feeling down the negativity has an effect. These
invisible hurts already mess with your own mind after a while; is this going to
last forever; the aches just keep coming back; is that a new pain; am I
actually feeling pain now or am I just convincing myself that I am; am I making
other things worse by babying this one part; I hate having to ask for help; if
I move wrong am I going to ruin all the progress and have to start all over
again? When those normal, doubtful thoughts and feelings are compounded with external negativity they increase the burden you already carry and they slow the healing process. Think of it as a dark example of
the connection between mind and body: A healthy mind leads to a healthy body also
works as a sick mind leads to a sick body. The trick is to not wallow in the negativity: You will feel it, it's in our flawed nature, but you don't have to hold onto it. Allow it to leave you just as you allow your breath to leave you.
I refuse to allow my doubts and fears to define
me, to define my life. I’m not afraid to
admit them to myself, turning away from your own truth is just another way of
allowing fear to rule, but I won’t allow them to be in control. As for this injury, I look at it like this: It took me over two years of continual
training to reach a single running goal, this goal is only going to take a few
months and I can do that standing on my head (or on one foot as it were). It still hurts the same but I know it is temporary.
You are doing great!
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