Dearly Beloved,

Happy Sunday to all of you! Hope you are having a fun and relaxing day. I am chilling out after doing too much yesterday… Still trying to figure out balance of rest and activity, which is a challenge, because it seems to change by leaps and bounds now.

Something major shifted on Day 15 (Wednesday). The best way I can describe it is that my body stopped fighting the implant and began to embrace it. My muscles began to release and the pain levels decreased significantly. It was like my body said, “Wow! There’s a super strong hip here! Let’s see what we can do with it!” Since then, I get stronger and stronger each day. I walk around often without the cane, picking it up when I get fatigued or my form falls apart. (I will get some video footage for the next update of my walk.)

At physical therapy this week, I had the therapist show me how to get on my hands and knees and stomach so I could do more of my yoga. That felt soooo good! I also started walking more—did a whole block and a half yesterday. I’m trying to find the right mix, day-by-day, of exercise, stretching, standing, sitting, reclining, resting. Some days I do better than others.

The pain has been much better since Day 15. Since then I’ve been using about 5 ibuprofen every 24 hours, a glass of wine at night, and Benadryl to sleep. If I have a rough night, I take a Valium. This works great. I also have a magical marijuana salve that does wonders for all my sore muscles and feels great. I love that stuff, because it has no side effects and is great for my skin too (also smells nice). It takes effect instantly and lasts for a few hours.

The exciting part of the week, was my post-op appointment on Friday where I had my bandage removed and got to see the incision for the first time. It is 6 inches long and all the stitches are dissolvable. The bandage stayed on since the surgery and it pulled off so much more easily than I’d expected. I was told not to touch it until the one month mark, or put anything on it, except to protect it if necessary. I can shower normally and just let the soap and water run over it, but don’t scrub it. Yay! No more Glad Press n’ Sealing my butt before showers!

They also took more xrays (below). Just for fun, I also included the before xray. The surgeon’s assistant showed me that they got my leg length spot on! (Bottom of the pelvis now lines up evenly.) He also showed me where the cinch (knot) is in the zip-tie (wire) around my femur. It is in the front and off to the side of my thigh. Neither one of us could feel it, which is good and I hope it stays that way. It would require another surgery to remove it. Like he said, “You don’t want to do that unless it is REALLY bothering you.”

                July 6, 2017                                 October 6, 2017

He also explained that they had wanted to go deeper into my pelvis so they could get more coverage over the cup and get that second screw (one on the outside) deeper into my pelvis, but my pelvis was so thin, they were afraid they would punch through the back wall, so they stopped. I think they did an amazing job, considering the narrow margins they had to work with!

He encouraged me to lose the cane as soon as I can and said they will see me in a month. Then I should be cleared to do most things (or at least begin trying). I have two more weeks of physical therapy. Hopefully after that, I can drive.

Life is beginning to normalize slowly and I feel so much better and more inspired than I did as of my last update. The hip doesn’t feel so strange anymore. Scott is happy to have more help around the house and in the kitchen, even if I sometimes suddenly announce that I have to go sit down in the middle of something… Now shorter rests will quickly get me back on my feet again.

So, it’s up and out from here!!

The weather is beautiful and all the trees are changing. Here’s a picture of the view out the living room window, where I spend a lot of time.

Fun observation of last few days: It appears that I am also going through the final stages of peri-menopause alongside my hip adventure. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to involve a lot of unpleasant symptoms for me, except the occasional mild hot flash. The upside of doing these two things simultaneously is 1) you get it all over with at once and 2) there’s always an ice pack around when you have a hot flash!

On that note, enjoy your Sunday evening. Know I love you and am thinking about you. I’m starting to find the energy and time to respond individually, so will probably move to weekly updates now. Looking forward to connecting with each of you when the time is right. I am so thankful for your presence in my life, know that I love you.

Blessings,

Rhonda