Surgery :: Post 05

This is my first post-surgery update.

Tuesday's surgery went well, from my perspective. It was delayed 90 minutes as the person scheduled to go in front of me was late getting to the hospital. I woke up in the recovery room at about 5:00 PM and was taken upstairs to my regular room. Sleep was haphazard that first night, but pain was under control.

I had a course of radiation therapy on Wednesday morning, about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish. Physical Therapy (PT) started that afternoon. I had two more courses of PT today, and have one more scheduled for tomorrow. Other than weakness, I'm in good shape, with no real pain to speak of. I'm now standing on my own and walking with the help of a walker. After the two rounds of PT I sat in a chair for an hour; it's a welcome change from laying in bed.

I'm scheduled to be taken to Manor Care in Libertyville tomorrow, either late morning or early afternoon.

The surgeon spoke to me yesterday morning. He told me that my hips were pretty much fused in place, due to the arthritis, and it almost led to him doing only one of the joints. Normally, he said, he dislocates the hips before cutting away the bone; in this case, he cut the leg bones while still in my body, and had to use every trick he knew to complete the surgery. Pays to have the best, I guess!

So now it's on to more PT. I'm much better able to move around than on Tuesday. Hopefully, improvements will continue at the same pace on into the near future!

Thanks to everyone for the prayers, kind wishes and compassion. I hope to return to normal living quite soon!