More Progress!

 

Yesterday was an important day in my recovery.  For the first time in many weeks, Jim and I went to get groceries together.  With a storm forecast for today, Trader Joe’s was so busy.  We have never stood in lines that long before to check out.  But we left with $140 with of food—many items that will be new and fun for us.  Plus some of our favorites like almond coffee cake and salmon and my almond granola—and our favorite ice creams and chips.  We know our prices and coffee and wine are usually good buys.  

I pushed the shopping cart which serves as a walker,  but I was not in pain as I have been so many times shopping before surgery.  I was very aware of my progress in recovery and very grateful.  

Maybe soon I will be walking farther without the cane as I am doing in the apartment now.  Maybe we can make that trip to the Princeton Art Museum that motivated me to face the surgery.  Sometimes I just stop and think that I no longer have to dread the surgery—it is over and I am healing well.  And I am thankful!

February 26:  An important big step—literally and figuratively.  I told Jennifer, my physical therapist, that today was my last day.  At some point, I may get another scrip and work on my core to ease an aching back but for now, I am done with the waits and the copay which has doubled this time around and the busyness of that big facility.  Jennifer is always cheerful and thanked me for allowing her to come along on my journey!  The business plan for her is to have three or four patients going at one time and it seems hectic even though she is calm.  I can do almost all the exercises at home with the exception of the recumbent bike.  I can make sure I do some good walks outside the apartment each day.  Jennifer suggested to keep hydrated and drink coconut water to prevent the RLS that continues to worry me.  She said to mention magnesium to the doctor.  I hope that issue will just go away and I won’t have to trouble Dr. Culp’s care team again.  

I have 3 1/2 days of drugs left so that too is close to the end.   The “year of the hip” is almost over!  

Progress!

I had my second outpatient PT session with Jennifer this morning.  I have had three nights now without RLS (restless leg syndrome) and am hoping this means that whatever was causing that problem has healed.  So I don’t have to contact Dr. Culp’s Care Team at POA for advice on what to do next.  I am making progress in the 30 days worth of drugs—over half way through them.  

Plus I have caught myself walking across the bathroom or kitchen without a cane and felt OK doing it.  Jennifer checked my gait and said I could walk without the cane as long as I felt safe—better to use the cane than to be a “furniture walker.”  I understand that term because I want to hang on to the counter or table when I walk without a cane.

We were not happy to learn that we owe $45 more each per month for our UHC Medicare Advantage plan.  And now we have learned that our $25-40 copay has gone up to $50 copay.  I mentioned this to Jennifer complaining that Trump has not cured inflation and she said not to go there and that he has done good things.  I disagree completely but find it hard to understand that she must be a Trumper!  

I will do another few weeks of PT although I feel I could do the exercises on my own and not have to go to that busy venue.  I don’t like being there as kind and affirming as Jennifer is.  I hope to cook a supper tonight for the first time really—except for the Valentine’s dinner of slow cooker lasagna that we did together.  Probably I’ll ask for Jim’s help again tonight.  We have had several meals from friends and family and leftovers from them as well as the slow cooker lasagna which made three meals. 

 I am so thankful that I got through the second surgery and am walking without pain.  I was a bit haunted by the hard parts of it last night when I thought about going back and giving some suggestions to the nursing team on the survey I was asked to complete.  Some nurses were very competent and kind, but in the middle of the night, two of them carried out a procedure without telling me how or why it was being done.  I asked questions and was not given much of an answer except to say that no, it would not cause an infection.  It was scary and I had a very hard time getting any sleep afterward.  

Best to forget the traumatic parts of the operations and hospital stays and focus on the improvement—and hope there will be no need for repeat operations.  

Happy Birthday, Jim !

 

Jim’s birthday is a day after Valentine’s Day so it often means a two day celebration.  This year it was a three day celebration.  We made slow cooker lasagna together for Valentine’s Day.  We wrote each other notes as we often do.  Jeff and Susan brought us Olive Garden take out to celebrate Jim’s actual birthday and we shared an ice cream cake.  Then today, Laura ordered subs from Subway and Jersey Mike and Jeff and Dan and Alex joined us for lunch.  Sam and Ruth came too as it was a day off from school.  I made brownies for dessert.  It was good to sit around the table and share stories of travel and times past.  And now it is quiet again.  It was a great start for Jim’s beginning his 9th decade as Susan put it!  80 seems old but it is a reason to be grateful to be here and in good health and able to enjoy family.  I will try not to think too much about what has to lie ahead of us and just be thankful for today!

A Walk Outside

 I had my last home PT appointment today and was given permission to graduate to a cane from the walker.  Hoping to fall asleep a little better tonight, I decided to get some fresh air.  I went down the 17 steps slowly and then walked back and forth outside our apartment on the sidewalk.  Jim was right there and I took his arm for extra help.  

I feel good to have made progress.  I walked without pain.  I didn’t hear that strange clicking in my hip as I went up and down the steps.  Soon I hope to be walking without even a cane!  Surgery is no small undertaking and I have had my issues but I hope we can say it was a great success.  

February 14 I’ll add to this post that yesterday was another milestone.  We went to Dollar Tree and I did some shopping.  I am not up to a major grocery shopping trip yet; Jim did that today.  But I made apple crisp for Valentine’s Day and we made slow cooker lasagna together for a special meal.  I have no pain and have not even been tempted to take the OxyContin that is available to me.  I do have issues with RLS—restless leg syndrome, sadly around 1 am, but hope as my body heals, that will improve too.  

Follow up Appointment

 This morning I had my follow up appointment with Cory Weeks, one of Dr. Culp’s PAs.  He asked if I had any questions and of course, I did.  When I finished with them, he said, “Is that all?”  Good!  That didn’t make me feel bad for my concerns.  

They took an x-ray and it looked good. I still don’t completely understand why the left hip was the one to hurt after surgery—something about how it was put in a stirrup and moved around when the right hip was repaired.  The restless leg syndrome is because of the strain put on the muscles with surgery.  I can keep taking the muscle relaxer I guess.  Last night it was really a problem and I was not able to relax until it eased up—thanks to some drugs and a heating pad—borrowed from Jeff and Susan because ours died from overuse maybe!

So all good.  Next appointment is April 13.  So my goal is the “year of the hip” will be over by March 3.  I may not be totally over all of this by that time but I am making progress.  

I feel well enough to try to put out some inquiries about a way to celebrate our birthdays—they will be milestones this year.  

Day Four

 

Flowers from the Conways

Jim has gone to Grace Notes Choir without me.  I am doing well, but not up to that yet.  My friend Peggy came to visit.  Jim had the door open for her so I would not have to go down the steps.  As she was leaving, Dan and Alex called from Hawaii so it was great to do FaceTime with them.

Day Two was a good day with two church services live-streamed.  There was a regular service in the morning and a celebration of Dr. Davis’s 25 years at Nassau Church in the afternoon.  That service was very touching with beautiful music and a powerful sermon that expressed without holding back at all the despair that many of us feel about the political situation in our country right now.  The sermon by Rev. Vernon Boyd was titled “How do you find God in a nightmare?” The answer was to keep praying, to use the gifts God gives us of worship and Scripture, and to remain hopeful.

I was grateful to have no pain but spent the day shivering with cold—due to ice packs or maybe still a reaction to surgery.  Plus we got to watch a great ND women’s basketball game with a win over Boston College.  Hannah Hidalgo was at her best with points, steals, and even rebounds.  

Day Three was harder.  I had no appetite and had to force myself to eat a little. My physical therapist Justin came and did some vitals and put me through a few exercises.  He was concerned about my low oxygen levels and fast heart rate and said that if I was out of breath while resting to go to the ER.  Nooo!  That thought terrified me.  I looked up oxygen levels of 80s and that is  low but he did not send me to the ER at once so I tried not to worry.  He can check them again tomorrow when he comes.  How nice to have home physical therapy paid for by United Health Care for two weeks.  I scheduled outpatient therapy after that with Jennifer again.  

Day Four is definitely better.  I struggled with hip spasms at 1 am and finally decided to take the risk of self-medicating with an old prescription of a muscle relaxer.  That helped and I went to sleep!  If it is as bad again tonight, I will call the doctor’s office to get another prescription unless they tell me it is too much drug interaction with the nine or so medications I am taking now. I know today is better because I was hungry for a bit of lunch and am really looking forward to the chicken soup a friend is bringing for supper.  Yesterday I had little interest in reading but today my mystery book had me in another world for a while.

I have to be patient with myself and be so grateful that I am walking with the walker without pain.  I have a spreadsheet with pen and paper for all the drugs to keep track of them.  I am trying to do my exercises and breath gadget.  Surgery is not a small thing especially when one is my age.  Peggy reminded me that I am no “spring chicken.”  But I tried to avoid it and this was my last resort and maybe I will be mobile by the end of the “year of the hip” on March 3. That is my goal!

Jim came home with a card from Grace Notes Choir and a little bag with muffins and tea from one of my choir mates.  How lovely to be remembered.  And the orange tea is perfect because I am forbidden alcohol while taking Tylenol for the month.  

February 4. Justin, my PT, just left and my oxygen levels are improved so no worry there.  Cory, part of “Dr. Culp’s care team”, texted me to say that a prescription for the muscle relaxer would be called in.  CVS texted to say it was ready.  Hooray!  Good things are happening.  Justin gave me new standing exercises to do but stressed the main thing was to do a couple of laps walking every hour.  I can do that easily enough.  

Day One

 I have had breakfast, I have showered with Jim’s help, and I have taken four, no five drugs.  I woke up several times last night which is not unusual for me  and I even lay awake for a while a couple of times.  But as I did, I felt such peace of mind.  Which is also unusual for me!  I kept thinking that I didn’t have to face surgery.  I made it up our 17 steps.  I didn’t need a catheter or urology appointment.  I was home with my husband.  

I did struggle to get in and out of bed and will ask the physical therapist to go over that with me to see if we can make it easier and less painful.  I do not look forward to the PT session with meeting still another person and going through the exercises.  There should be two weeks of home therapy and then I will try to schedule Jennifer again at 727 State Road for a few weeks.  

Jim will go to get groceries at some point today.  Jeff and Susan are bringing supper and I hope they can join us.  Maybe I can get a brownie mix and put that together because that is always a hit with Jeff at least.  We have laundry to do.  We have done our morning NYT Spelling Bee and Jim will go outside and try to find our weekend NYT paper.  I don’t know what is in store for sports today but there should be something.  

Now just to have more mobility and less pain in my legs—sadly, both of them after whatever went wrong during this surgery to affect the previous one. The PA acted as if that happened often and an x-=ray showed that the first replacement was still in the right place.  She referred to when they saw the bone they have to brace the other leg. I don’t want to think about that too much! So I will have to be patient.  

During the wakeful times last night, I thought about the medical personnel who stood out as kind and competent caregivers.  I thought  of Cassidy in the recovery area who must have needed to act quickly when my blood pressure was perilously low.  I woke up to oxygen tubes in my nose so that must have been an issue too—and I guess that was why I had to spend the night.  I think of Nicole in the transitional room who was so kind—and referred to herself as. a “toe person” because she monitored oxygen on the toe, not the finger.  And then Michael Katsman who somehow became the point person to decide on a plan  for discharge.  He was my hero! And Hina, the social worker, who was so concerned about my getting up the steps and wanted to schedule Medical Transport.  She was overjoyed when I told her that I had contacted my son and he would supervise my getting up those steps—a younger man than my husband of many years.

So…gratitude today.  There is more recovery to be done but I don’t have to dread a surgery again I hope.  Unless the first hip needs a ‘revision” but I will put that out of my mind for now.  

A few hours later:  Page came and did an introduction to my home physical therapy.  She checked my blood pressure, pulse rate, and incision.  She gave me a quick mental check and yes, I remembered three words and knew what day it was and what month it was.  She noted that my ankles were swollen.  That is why we had a hard time getting my shoes on this morning.  She went over my medications.  Next week Justin will come a few times to do the actual therapy although Page put me through a few early exercises.  She also gave me some suggestions to get into bed easier.  I feel very grateful that we can have home physical therapy paid for by United Health Care.  I don’t have to go anywhere for a couple of weeks until we see Dr. Culp again on February 9.  

Jeff and Susan have ordered pizza and will be here around 6.  We have brownies in the oven. We have a load of laundry in the dryer.  Life is good!