Kaiser called today to give me my appt for my second hip replacement: Sept 30. 9 weeks after my left hip was replaced. Two weeks notice is a bit sudden, but I'm not gainfully employed so there's nothing really to plan. I'm actually looking forward to the surgery and recovery and the being able to walk without pain again...
This all started in March of 2008 when I was trying to get fit by jogging. I had started adding miles to my routine and rediscovered the 6-mile loop at Lake Murray. One day I decided to push myself a bit and I ran 5 miles without walking and at 5 and a half miles, I felt a ping and then a sudden sharp pain in the groin. I limped back to the car and drove myself home, took 2 advil and thought that was it.
But that wasn't it. So after a few days of severe pain, I went to the Dr. and got a diagnosis of groin strain. 4-6 weeks of rest should do it. But after 6 weeks and some strong painkillers and a week off work, I was not doing any better....after a few months of pain, I switched doctors and got an x-ray which showed that I had severe arthritis in my hips. How can osteoarthritis, the degeneration of cartilage happen so fast? In one moment I went from pain-free to deep, chronic pain. But apparently, cartilage has no nerve endings so as it is wearing away, there is no pain until the bones touch -- and that's what must have happened that day in March, the last of my cartilage rubbed away, and my bones clashed...
I went through Physical Therapy, standard for a new diagnosis of osteoarthritis, but it only exacerbated the pain. The surgeon recommended replacement. The physcial medicine doctor recommended alternative pain control. I wasn't ready for surgery. I'm too young, I thought. But a few months later, I decided that the pain was too great to continue with guided imagery and cox2 inhibitors....so I asked for surgery.
6 months later, I was checked into Sharp Coronado for the best healthcare experience I've ever had. The aneasthesia wore off without major side effects. The nurses were devoted and kind. The food was great. AND, there was aromatherapy! Lavender shoulder massages, peppermint to help keep me from getting queasy, lemongrass lotion for a morning wake-up. Delightful. They even gave my Mom free lunches! But what was better was as soon as I was conscious I knew the deep pain was gone. All I had to do was heal from the surgery.
It has turned out to be a very fast recovery. Within 3 days of coming home, I switched from the walker to a cane. After 3 weeks, I ditched the cane as well. I was cleared for driving as soon as my stitches were removed. And right now, at 7 weeks post-surgery, I have no pain in my left hip and a wide range of motion. I'm still not allowed to touch my toes...but I can do practically everything else...except the right hip hurts....
So I'm grateful that my surgery was scheduled so quickly. I'll have to miss vending at the Bedouin Bazaar -- which is a shame b/c it's one of my favorite events. But it's a small price to pay for getting my life back. Chronic pain is exhausting and it contributes to depression. It certainly interfered with my ability to work since I could only stand for 15 minutes at a time. And it's, well, painful -- even with cox2 inhibitors and narcotics.
Looking forward to my regularly scheduled life in about 5 weeks....
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