Hip Replacement Surgery

 

We met with Dr. Culp this morning, three weeks after our initial appointment.  I had a list of questions for him written down as Jennifer had suggested.  He answered all of them in a reassuring way so that I felt better about this meeting with him.  He is scheduling surgery several weeks in advance but would try to get me in earlier with cancellations.  So now we wait until we hear from his office.  He said the surgery was minimally invasive, not cutting into muscle and entering from the anterior side.  He said I might go home the same day and I could get up the steps—as long as I did not have to keep going up and down.  He said he could guarantee 99% success-I told him I didn’t ask for 100 %.  The 1% was for complications which can happen with any surgery, I know.  So the process is started and I feel less anxiety for the moment at least.  His office will take care of the insurance process. He said something like he could feel the pain when he looked at my x-ray.  

We celebrated with the IHOP trip we have been talking about ever since we gave up on our Florida trip in January.  It was a senior breakfast of 2-2-2 for me and French toast for Jim and it was a very filling treat.  I emailed my friend Peggy who was praying for me—and emailed Jeff and Susan who were here Saturday when I was not doing well.  Jeff said he would refrain from saying, “It’s another sign you are growing up.”  That was our phrase for him as he grew older—another sign you are growing old in my case.  Maybe I will feel less old in three months—the recovery time Dr. Culp anticipated for full recovery.  

Chaos in Washington, DC

 Every morning, I read the Substack post from Heather Cox Richardson, a historian from Boston College.  It can be accessed free but I pay $50 a year to support her thorough summaries of the news.  It is not a pleasant start to my day.  It is a daily reminder of the chaos in Trump's circle with Elon Musk coming in with a chain saw as he said to cut out government waste.  But instead essential and needed programs are being cut with people fired and then sometimes rehired.  

And then there is the craziest story from Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of the Atlantic and the host of Washington Week which we watch every Friday night on PBS.  He was given an invitation to join a Signal group talking about war plans.  He thought it might be a hoax but he joined and realized it was a serious breach of security on a format that would disappear after a certain number of days.  So there would be no archival record as demanded by law.  That he was included was certainly not intended.  No one asked who he was and when he left no one asked why.  This is the result of having Fox newscasters in charge of cabinets and not qualified, experienced staff--Hegspeth in charge of Defense.  No one in Trump’s circle has admitted any breach or given any apologies.  And so far, no one has lost his job for what might  been worth a court martial farther down the line in the military.  

I hope the Intelligence committee in Congress gets some answers on this.  Trump of course just insulted The Atlantic as a losing magazine which it isn't and has nothing to do with this mistake on his people's part.  And Hegspeth insulted Goldberg when he only released some of the information when those on the post said it was not war plans or classified when it clearly gave time and place for hits.  

Our president has said he wants to take over Greenland—and has not eliminated doing so by force.  He wants Canada to be the 51st state—an idea not welcomed by Canadians.  And Panama too is a place he is looking to annex.  Vice President Vance and his wife were not welcomed in their visit to Greenland this week except at an American military base.

-------March 28. Today's Washington Post reports that the WSJ editorials are criicizing Trump and sees this as a reason for hope for our free press and democracy.  I hope they are right.  It will be interesting to watch Washington Week tonight.  

Every night I pray that God will give Trump and Musk and Vance each a heart of compassion and a stop to their cruelty and deceit.  I am ashamed of our country.  

April 2. The judge that Trump supported and Musk gave away 2 million dollars to voters lost in Wisconsin.  Hooray!  The two congressmen Trump supported in Florida won so the Republicans keep those seats in Congress.  However the margin was less than Trump’s margin of victory in November.  So there is some discontent.  

The cruelty of deporting a man in error and admitting it was an error saying he cannot be brought back from the horrible prison in ElSalvador is so shameful.  Where is the compassion and decency in this administration?  I grieve daily.

A New IPad

 

My laptop died this week.  Rather than get a new one, our daughter-in-law Susan suggested I get an ipad.  She helped me order one from the Apple Store yesterday and Jim went to pick it up today.  I began the process of setting it up connecting it to my iphone and then getting several Google apps.  

Jeff and Susan came over this evening and brought supper--and then Susan helped me with a "tutorial" on how to use my ipad.  I was about two or more steps behind her as she was swiping up and down and sideways.  But I hope I have learned something and it will become instinctive as I get more familiar with my little gadget.

An immediate problem was downloading this photo so I will have to ask her for more help.  But I worked around it, sending it to Jim, downloading it on his laptop, and then creating my blog on his machine.  Success!  And enough for tonight.  Not more screens until tomorrow!  

I am so grateful for my IT expert, my daughter-in-law, and her patience with me and the time she gave me out of her busy life.  

Slowing Down

 I have written before about being OK with a more limited life.  We have travelled a lot and have many good travel memories.  I am quite content with staying home with my laptop connection to the world, books to read, NYT puzzles to solve, and a husband to keep me company each day.  But I have also been aware that even in this smaller environment, my life is slowing down.

The walker helps me with mobility.  But  I can't jump up quickly from the sofa or bed to walk across the room to get something.  I get up slowly, making my way to the handles of the walker, and then steadily finding my way around furniture to wherever I need to be--the kitchen, the bathroom, the closet.  It is a more deliberate journey.  Carrying items while pushing a walker is a challenge.  Conserving steps by making two or three stops along the way is a goal.

I have yet to take the walker anywhere out of the apartment except for one short walk outside in which we picked up mud on the wheels.  For grocery shopping and church and our Lenten group meeting, I stuck with my easily accessible cane.  

I received a denial of benefits from United Health Care for 18 physical therapy visits but approval of 12 visits.  This is not a problem because I have used up only five visits and have just one more scheduled before I meet with the doctor to get more information about hip replacement surgery.  I assume they will approve of that with the doctor's recommendation.  And after that, I can use more of the physical therapy appointments needed.  I have happily paid my $25 copay for the assistance and accomodation suggestions Jennifer has given me--and the emotional support and advice she has provided too.  

 I am hoping that the day will come when I can walk without any assistance from a cane, a walker, or even my husband's arm.  

My Good Husband

 

My very dear physical therapist Jennifer at Princeton Orthopedic Associates suggested I use a walker instead of a cane.  I was resistant feeling like it was another blow to my pride as the cane was a year ago.  I had made my peace with the cane however and will probably be thankful for the walker too.  

I ordered the walker from Amazon.  It was inexpensive enough not to bother with getting a scrip and using insurance. It came within a few days.  I gasp when I open up a package and see that some assembly is required.  But I have a very patient husband and he went right to work and put it together in no time at all.  It really just needed the wheels to be put on and then adjusted for my short height.  So this is another big step in the aging process and a reminder to be thankful for kind and helpful medical people.  I can be thankful to be alive and will hope for an easing of pain.  I can stand up straighter with the walker and feel more secure.  I will have to try a longer walk outside tomorrow. 

I posted this photo on Instagram and saw that among the likes were ones from Jasper and Katie.  My grandchildren liked their aging grandmother's posts.

A Concert in our LIving Room

 

Last night we had guests for a pizza supper.  A former student of Jim's and her husband and son were in town for a conference so they were able to spend some time with us.  The son is 14 years old and is an amazing violinist.  He played a concerto for us and it was a joy to hear and to watch his fingers fly over the strings. 

 I was so bold as to ask if he had any pieces with piano accompaniment so that I could make some music with him.  They brought along Vivaldi's Four Seasons and I thought I could try the first page or so of the Autumn piece.  And I did--and although I missed one key change along the way, I kept up with him and we ended at the same time--no small accomplishment!  So some day when Joseph is a famous violinist, I am going to say that I made music with him in our very own living room! 

TMI

 

My new cane

This is TMI for any readers I have but worth recording for our own memories because it has been a week of medical appointments and some progress.  Monday I had a six month check of my A1C which I dreaded because I meant to lose more weight and I meant to eat fewer chocolates.  While I was there, I asked my primary care doctor for help with my hip arthritis which has worsened over the last months.  He gave me a script for an x-ray and to my amazement, I was able to schedule that for a few hours later.

The x-ray came back already that afternoon as "serious osteoarthritis" and my doctor via his aides gave me the name of a hip specialist.  I was able to schedule an appointment with him for next Monday.  The office person at Princeton Orthopedics told me I had to have a disk of my x-ray to show him.  More on that later as I wondered why electronic transmission was not possible.

I anxiously awaited the glucose and A1C results and they came in on Tuesday with a diagnosis of "mild diabetes" and a recommendation to "limit simple carbs and sweets" and drink more water.  I eat very few simple carbs but I do succumb to sweets and I certainly could drink more water.  I felt I was given another six month reprieve to try to do better and am so glad I don't have to take any more drugs with unpleasant side effects.  (We hear too many ads on TV!) 

So then there was the hassle of getting a disk which had to be ordered from Medical Records at the hospital where I had the x-ray.  I went through an interminable phone chain without success and finally talked to a real person who put me on to another real person.  I ordered the disk and said I would pick it up that afternoon.  It was pouring rain but we made the trip to the hospital.  I asked for directions to Medical Records and hoped it wouldn't be a great distance as I walked along with my cane.  "Take a left and then another left" I was told.  I had to ask for help twice while walking the long corridors with multiple places to take a left. But I succeeded and when the clerk saw me pull out my reading glasses to fill out the permission form, she asked me for my driver's license and did it for me.  I thanked her, left with my disk, and hoped to be able to take a right and then another right to reverse my directions and find the entrance.  Happily there were exit signs and I came close enough to the right place to text Jim who picked me up after a very short wait in the rain.

So, progress and relief and maybe next week I will get some help for the arthritis--not hip replacement surgery which I have vetoed but maybe a cortisone shot or some temporary relief.  I felt weary at times this week of advocating for myself but also grateful for kind medical help and really quite prompt results for tests and xrays via voice mail messages.  And I am very grateful for my husband who was my chauffeur and has had to listen to my laments.  

---------------------An update on March 9:  I saw Dr. Culp at Princeton Orthopedics this morning at 8:40.  He showed me my x-rays which were not reassuring.  Because there are cysts on the bone, he cannot do a cortisone shot.  He said I would probably need a hip replacement but for now he gave me a script for physical therapy.  I was happy to be able to schedule that evaluation for tomorrow already.  My primary care doctor suggested Tylenol Arthritis instead of more Aleve.  So I have a plan--not the plan I hoped for but I feel cared for at least.  And I really have not had as much pain yesterday and today so that makes me more optimistic! I just have a sense of my body betraying me-- a look inside at those x-rays which showed damage that cannot be undone.  But it is not life-threatening just a recognition of aging and deterioration.

---------------------March 12  I went to Physical Therapy yesterday where a very kind Jennifer did some stretching of my left hip, taught me an exercise and then put me on a bike.  All good except for the bike and I have been in more pain since then.  She stressed that they did not want to cause more pain so we will have to figure this out tomorrow on my next visit.  I am discouraged!  They may send me to a hip replacement yet.  Apart from my own issues, I was quite interested in the whole business model of a very busy large room with two therapists working with multiple patients and various aides helping.  Jennifer did not appear to be rushed and certainly seemed to be focused on me.  I was a bit taken back when she suggested a walker instead of the cane.  That seemed to be a step back and a blow to my pride when it was hard enough to accept a cane!  I said not for now --but I will listen to her reasoning tomorrow!    

---------------March 13  Another PT appointment.  Jennifer is really lovely and I am thankful to work with her.  She said she would like to drive me to a hip replacement surgery-- it will only get harder to do it as I wait.  I tried the walker and ordered one from Amazon for only $34.  Not worth bothering to get a scrip and Medicare for that.  I can use it at home--and walks--and for my pride's sake, stick with the cane for church, etc.   And I am not in the pain that I was on Tuesday evening.  I turned down the offer to do the bike again!  It was a torture machine for me!