I cut my fingernails yesterday.
See, the title said it was bizarre. Actually it's more proof that my body has been putting its energies elsewhere. Fingernails are meant to grow at around 3mm/month and I find I'm trimming them every ten days or so. But I've gone over five weeks between trimmings, i.e. since before the operation. It's a similar story with my hair, now I'm not exactly blessed with a lot of hair but again it's hardly needed cutting since the op. In fact I've lost weight over the Christmas period so there's still some repair work going on, though I've also lost muscle mass and tone so actually look fatter.
One thing that has markedly improved is the state of the operation scar - it's looking decidedly reticent and is well on the way to complete healing. There'll always be a mark of course but already it's beginning to look like a mere scratch, albeit one that's 15cm long.
My mobility is also improving: I'm walking without crutches around the house and only really need one crutch when outside just to steady myself. I can walk for a couple of miles without much problem so the main thing will be to keep on doing the exercises to work the ancillary muscles which will help to stabilise the joint.
Yesterday was also the last day of injecting Fragmin - phew! At least I'm now qualified to give subcutaneous injections to an orange :-)
Well that would appear to be it for this year. Somewhat eventful though not for the right reasons and I've seen more than enough of medical staff and the inside of hospitals to see me out. Here's hoping for an improving year.
All the best and Happy New Year!
Showing posts with label hip replacement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hip replacement. Show all posts
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Another Week Gone
Things have improved dramatically over the last week!
First: I'm now able to lie on my (non-operated) side when in bed. This has made sleeping somewhat easier though I'm still waking up at rather silly times in the middle of the night. I didn't try and push this, it just happened and I round that I could roll over. I caught myself rolling over on to my front a couple of nights ago, which is a bit too much too soon I think. Most of the bruising around the wound has gone and it isn't too sensitive to touch.
I'm also able to take a few steps without crutches. I need to be close to something that can act as support but it's a definite improvement. Again it was an accidental discovery: I'd get up and walk to make a cup of tea and then realise that I'd left my crutch by the table. I don't want to push this as my gait isn't correct at the moment and doing too much will ingrain those motions in my muscle memory and potentially cause problems down the line.
I still need a power nap or two through the day, though yesterday's lasted most of the afternoon! I think the body is using all available energy to repair itself as I'm eating as much as I would normally.
My gait is actually correct now when I'm walking with crutches rather than the curious swinging to the outside of the body that I had previously particularly on the injured side. Now both feet move forward in a straight line.
I had the wound dressing removed yesterday so last night was a little bit delicate as I kept catching the scar on the bed clothes. The scabs will soon go though. I've another two weeks of anti-thrombosis injections to go, I've actually got used to self-administering them now.
If the next week or two show the same level of improvement then I'll be very pleased.
First: I'm now able to lie on my (non-operated) side when in bed. This has made sleeping somewhat easier though I'm still waking up at rather silly times in the middle of the night. I didn't try and push this, it just happened and I round that I could roll over. I caught myself rolling over on to my front a couple of nights ago, which is a bit too much too soon I think. Most of the bruising around the wound has gone and it isn't too sensitive to touch.
I'm also able to take a few steps without crutches. I need to be close to something that can act as support but it's a definite improvement. Again it was an accidental discovery: I'd get up and walk to make a cup of tea and then realise that I'd left my crutch by the table. I don't want to push this as my gait isn't correct at the moment and doing too much will ingrain those motions in my muscle memory and potentially cause problems down the line.
I still need a power nap or two through the day, though yesterday's lasted most of the afternoon! I think the body is using all available energy to repair itself as I'm eating as much as I would normally.
My gait is actually correct now when I'm walking with crutches rather than the curious swinging to the outside of the body that I had previously particularly on the injured side. Now both feet move forward in a straight line.
I had the wound dressing removed yesterday so last night was a little bit delicate as I kept catching the scar on the bed clothes. The scabs will soon go though. I've another two weeks of anti-thrombosis injections to go, I've actually got used to self-administering them now.
If the next week or two show the same level of improvement then I'll be very pleased.
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Day Fifteen
As is usual with complicated things like the human body, not everything improves at the same rate. So while I'm definitely moving around a lot easier I still have to lie on my back to sleep (or rather moan about not sleeping). It's a pain to wake up every morning around 3am and not be able to get back to sleep.
Of course I get round this by having naps through the day - they aren't planned, I suddenly start feeling very tired so I hobble up to bed and by the time I've lain down I'm both shivering for some reason and nearly asleep. Yesterday my power nap lasted about 90 minutes. I'm probably getting my usual amount of sleep, just not in one block.
One odd thing that I think is due to not being able to turn around in bed is that it feels like my ITB has flared up again. It can hardly be over-training! It must be due either to the constant position when I'm sleeping or possibly the knee realigning itself back to normal when I'm moving around.
I had the wound dressing changed yesterday and this was the first time I'd had chance to look at it, it's certainly a long scar, possibly 25cm or so. Currently it looks all a bit crooked as the flesh underneath is still settling down. The nurse did offer to leave it open as it looked OK but I thought it best to cover it up again to provide a bit of protection.
Still, I suppose it's early days yet, it's another month before I go back to see the surgeon and another six weeks after that before the restrictions about bending, sitting, etc. are relaxed. I'll just have to be patient.
Of course I get round this by having naps through the day - they aren't planned, I suddenly start feeling very tired so I hobble up to bed and by the time I've lain down I'm both shivering for some reason and nearly asleep. Yesterday my power nap lasted about 90 minutes. I'm probably getting my usual amount of sleep, just not in one block.
One odd thing that I think is due to not being able to turn around in bed is that it feels like my ITB has flared up again. It can hardly be over-training! It must be due either to the constant position when I'm sleeping or possibly the knee realigning itself back to normal when I'm moving around.
I had the wound dressing changed yesterday and this was the first time I'd had chance to look at it, it's certainly a long scar, possibly 25cm or so. Currently it looks all a bit crooked as the flesh underneath is still settling down. The nurse did offer to leave it open as it looked OK but I thought it best to cover it up again to provide a bit of protection.
Still, I suppose it's early days yet, it's another month before I go back to see the surgeon and another six weeks after that before the restrictions about bending, sitting, etc. are relaxed. I'll just have to be patient.
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Ten Days Gone
Well, nearly. Things are getting a lot easier though the bruising and scar tissue do give occasional twinges. Getting in and out of bed is a lot less painful and I switched to using just one crutch on Friday but if I go outside for a walk round the yard then I'll still use two. I'm also able to shuffle round for a step or two without crutches but I do need to have something to hand just in case.
The biggest problem I'm having is sleeping - I'm just not used to sleeping on my back. The other night I awoke to find myself halfway through turning on to my (good) side, I suspect the pain from the wound woke me, it took a moment or two to ease myself back. The following day things were a little more sore than usual. The solution is to put a pillow between your legs. In itself it doesn't offer much resistance but it drags against the duvet so is quite effective. Until that is last night when, half-asleep, I found myself almost on my side. Another gentle easing back down. I don't feel as sore this morning so hopefully that means I haven't done any damage.
The current concern is that I'm coming to the end of the course of painkillers that I've been given: paracetamol and codeine four times a day. I've been dropping the frequency of codeine down over the past couple of days so that when I do finish it won't be such a shock.
If the next ten days show the same improvement then things are definitely going in the right direction.
The biggest problem I'm having is sleeping - I'm just not used to sleeping on my back. The other night I awoke to find myself halfway through turning on to my (good) side, I suspect the pain from the wound woke me, it took a moment or two to ease myself back. The following day things were a little more sore than usual. The solution is to put a pillow between your legs. In itself it doesn't offer much resistance but it drags against the duvet so is quite effective. Until that is last night when, half-asleep, I found myself almost on my side. Another gentle easing back down. I don't feel as sore this morning so hopefully that means I haven't done any damage.
The current concern is that I'm coming to the end of the course of painkillers that I've been given: paracetamol and codeine four times a day. I've been dropping the frequency of codeine down over the past couple of days so that when I do finish it won't be such a shock.
If the next ten days show the same improvement then things are definitely going in the right direction.
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Well, 'tis done!
When the surgeon had mentioned back in July that I might be home within a day, I really didn't believe him. On Monday morning at 1130 Cath dropped me off at Airedale Hospital and I walked in ready for my hip replacement operation. At 1800 on Tuesday evening I was back home, done and dusted!
On admittance I got asked lots of questions, most made sense though the question about when I'd had my last period was a bit strange - apparently one bloke had replied "not since my hysterectomy!" I suppose they have to cover all the bases. A blood sample then it's a visit from the anaesthetist who persuades me to have a spinal rather than a general anaesthetic though I request that I be sedated as well, I'm not too keen on the idea of listening to an operation going on when I'm the subject!
At about 1300 the surgeon comes to see me, marks up my leg just to make sure that we get the right one then half an hour later I'm following the nurse to theatre and pre-op. I really wasn't looking forward to this part, the anaesthetist couldn't work out my logic in being afraid of a needle but not the surgery. Then it was through the doors in to theatre.
I can't remember a time in my adult life when I have been as frightened. I've soloed alpine routes and hard rock climbs but have always been able to rationalise my emotions, but now I just couldn't do it and was shaking uncontrollably. Well my top half was, my legs had gone to sleep and we're just lying there. A squeeze of the plunger and the sedative took effect.
I came to about an hour later with the operation still ongoing. On the other side of the curtain it sounded like the seven dwarves were at work hammering away at the insert. It was utterly bizarre to be lying there talking to the anaesthetist and his assistant whilst just a metre or so away the surgery was still under way. Another twenty minutes and they were done and I was wheeled in to the recovery room.
After half an hour here I was deemed safe to return to the ward which was only a few metres away. It was still only 4pm. By the time Cath came to see me in the evening the anaesthetic was just beginning to wear off and I could start to wiggle my toes. Half hourly blood pressure, pulse and temperature checks meant that I didn't get to sleep until around 2am so by morning I was pretty tired.
After breakfast the Physio arrived with a Zimmer frame. One trip around the room on that and it was straight on to crutches and up and down the ward corridor. "Just keep at it and we'll be back this afternoon to sort you out on stairs". The rest of the morning was spent doing increasingly long walks in and around the ward.
By afternoon I'd had another visit from the surgeon and the Physio had got me walking up and down stairs so once my latest blood test had come back I was free to go. One last thing was being shown how to self inject the anti-coagulant drugs then it was just wait for Cath to take me home.
Initially getting in and out of bed was painful but as the swelling/bruising has gone down then this has got easier. Having to sleep on my back is awkward as I'm not used to it so I'm getting fitful sleep at the moment meaning that I need naps through the day.
The impingement pain in my hip has gone, not just reduced, gone. There's still the pain from the op itself but that's easing all the time. Due to being restricted in the movements I can do for the first three months I don't know how the rest of the hip is shaping up, I'll have to be careful as otherwise it could dislocate.
I'm in awe of just how quick and efficient the whole day was, twenty years ago hip replacement patients spent two weeks in hospital now it's just one to three days.
The surgeon has done his bit, the rest is up to me.
On admittance I got asked lots of questions, most made sense though the question about when I'd had my last period was a bit strange - apparently one bloke had replied "not since my hysterectomy!" I suppose they have to cover all the bases. A blood sample then it's a visit from the anaesthetist who persuades me to have a spinal rather than a general anaesthetic though I request that I be sedated as well, I'm not too keen on the idea of listening to an operation going on when I'm the subject!
At about 1300 the surgeon comes to see me, marks up my leg just to make sure that we get the right one then half an hour later I'm following the nurse to theatre and pre-op. I really wasn't looking forward to this part, the anaesthetist couldn't work out my logic in being afraid of a needle but not the surgery. Then it was through the doors in to theatre.
I can't remember a time in my adult life when I have been as frightened. I've soloed alpine routes and hard rock climbs but have always been able to rationalise my emotions, but now I just couldn't do it and was shaking uncontrollably. Well my top half was, my legs had gone to sleep and we're just lying there. A squeeze of the plunger and the sedative took effect.
I came to about an hour later with the operation still ongoing. On the other side of the curtain it sounded like the seven dwarves were at work hammering away at the insert. It was utterly bizarre to be lying there talking to the anaesthetist and his assistant whilst just a metre or so away the surgery was still under way. Another twenty minutes and they were done and I was wheeled in to the recovery room.
After half an hour here I was deemed safe to return to the ward which was only a few metres away. It was still only 4pm. By the time Cath came to see me in the evening the anaesthetic was just beginning to wear off and I could start to wiggle my toes. Half hourly blood pressure, pulse and temperature checks meant that I didn't get to sleep until around 2am so by morning I was pretty tired.
After breakfast the Physio arrived with a Zimmer frame. One trip around the room on that and it was straight on to crutches and up and down the ward corridor. "Just keep at it and we'll be back this afternoon to sort you out on stairs". The rest of the morning was spent doing increasingly long walks in and around the ward.
By afternoon I'd had another visit from the surgeon and the Physio had got me walking up and down stairs so once my latest blood test had come back I was free to go. One last thing was being shown how to self inject the anti-coagulant drugs then it was just wait for Cath to take me home.
Initially getting in and out of bed was painful but as the swelling/bruising has gone down then this has got easier. Having to sleep on my back is awkward as I'm not used to it so I'm getting fitful sleep at the moment meaning that I need naps through the day.
The impingement pain in my hip has gone, not just reduced, gone. There's still the pain from the op itself but that's easing all the time. Due to being restricted in the movements I can do for the first three months I don't know how the rest of the hip is shaping up, I'll have to be careful as otherwise it could dislocate.
I'm in awe of just how quick and efficient the whole day was, twenty years ago hip replacement patients spent two weeks in hospital now it's just one to three days.
The surgeon has done his bit, the rest is up to me.
Monday, 18 November 2013
More Pre-op sessions
The next stage of pre-operation preparation has been undertaken: the Joint Replacement Education Group. A large part of modern surgery is self help and active recover and this meeting was all about that.
Not too long ago the mantra for recovery from surgery or injury was "rest". When I was run over some twenty years ago and gained a broken leg for my troubles this was the case. As it happened it was a good summer (apart from the broken leg) and after the initial ten days to a fortnight when my body really didn't want to know about doing anything I'd be out as much as possible, some days walking four miles to meet Cath for lunch then back again. I don't think the hospital was too pleased when I returned their fancy articulated cast in an unrepairable state!
Back to the present day and my ignoring of medical advice is now the norm: active rest and recovery has been shown to improve the post-operative outcome. After all it doesn't look good on the hospital and surgeon's stats if you have to come back for a refit. I was the youngest attending the group, by far! One or two of the others were coming in for their second hip replacement, obviously keen for punishment :-)
The first part of the session was going through the pre-op and post-op procedures. The ward sister also passed round an example of the implant we were going to get - the tang and neck are titanium, the ball is ceramic and the socket is plastic. A bit of Googling reveals that the average femoral head (the ball) is 40-50mm or just a little bigger than a golf ball whereas the ball we looked at was 22mm or so in size. This gives a good basis for the restrictions placed on hip movement in the first three months post-op as there'll be much higher stresses on the smaller joint surface so displacement would be more likely. Some newer replacements are starting to use larger balls to reduce this risk, I'm not sure what I'll be getting.
As part of the active recovery, the ward staff will be looking to have me walking as soon as I get back from the operating theatre and potentially through the night as well. Once I'm able to perform basic
tasks like dressing myself; going to the loo; getting up and down stairs then providing there are no medical complications I'll be discharged. This is usually two to three days after the operation but could be as little as one.
The rest of the session was taken up by physio and occupational therapy and finally the handing out of the various tools we need so that we don't have to bend down - the hip-body angle mustn't go past 90deg, again this is to prevent displacement occurring.
I also had a visit from the occupational therapist to ensure that the house is suitable for me to be discharged to. Again it was making sure that the chairs, toilet etc aren't too low to avoid over-flexing the hip.
Just a week to go now.
Monday, 11 November 2013
Pre-op assessment
I had my pre-op assessment this afternoon. Which was interesting.
Firstly I've shrunk! I always reckoned I was 6ft tall but I'm a bit shorter. It's an age thing apparently. Fortunately my weight didn't go up compared to our bathroom scales so they are reasonably accurate (a Kilogramme or so difference which can be accounted for by clothing).
Then it was on to the ECG, I've never had one of these before and the nurse tried to avoid putting the sticky contacts on too much body hair (:-)) She must have succeeded as they didn't hurt when she removed them. Once all the leads were attached and some advice "Just relax and breathe steadily", she set it going and it promptly had a fit going "wee-wah! wee-wah!" in high pitched electronic fashion. A few more button presses: "Your heart rate is too low - it thinks you've died!" "OK, relax again" Relax?! It thinks I'm dead! This time all went well - presumably the excitement had pushed my heart rate up enough for the machine to recognise I wasn't a corpse.
Then it was a long question and answer session about lifestyle, previous medical history of both myself and of close family. Twenty sheets of questions.
Finally it ended with that awkward question in the other direction: "Do you have any questions?". Well yes, it's just that having been bombarded with information, plied with pamphlets, info sheets, more questionnaires I don't know where to start. So some heavy reading material for this evening before tomorrow's Joint Replacement Education Group.
In two weeks' time it will be done. The countdown begins.
Firstly I've shrunk! I always reckoned I was 6ft tall but I'm a bit shorter. It's an age thing apparently. Fortunately my weight didn't go up compared to our bathroom scales so they are reasonably accurate (a Kilogramme or so difference which can be accounted for by clothing).
Then it was on to the ECG, I've never had one of these before and the nurse tried to avoid putting the sticky contacts on too much body hair (:-)) She must have succeeded as they didn't hurt when she removed them. Once all the leads were attached and some advice "Just relax and breathe steadily", she set it going and it promptly had a fit going "wee-wah! wee-wah!" in high pitched electronic fashion. A few more button presses: "Your heart rate is too low - it thinks you've died!" "OK, relax again" Relax?! It thinks I'm dead! This time all went well - presumably the excitement had pushed my heart rate up enough for the machine to recognise I wasn't a corpse.
Then it was a long question and answer session about lifestyle, previous medical history of both myself and of close family. Twenty sheets of questions.
Finally it ended with that awkward question in the other direction: "Do you have any questions?". Well yes, it's just that having been bombarded with information, plied with pamphlets, info sheets, more questionnaires I don't know where to start. So some heavy reading material for this evening before tomorrow's Joint Replacement Education Group.
In two weeks' time it will be done. The countdown begins.
Monday, 28 October 2013
Weight Loss and a Different Future
Like most well in to middle age I'd put a bit of weight on over the years. To be a bit more precise in the last 25 years I'd put on nearly 20Kg (3 stone). In my early to mid twenties I was both very active doing lots of climbing, walking and running as well as having a physical job - scaffolding. There wasn't much chance to get fat as there simply wasn't time.
Following a road accident in which I was run over I was advised to retrain and avoid physical work, or as it was put at the time: "you should seek work of a more sheltered nature". So I went to university and studied Computing Science. Since then my work has been sat at a desk typing, writing and debugging code. It's also fair to say that I've a healthy appetite and I was taught not to leave an empty plate.
Hence the increased weight. Unfortunately this has had an impact (literally) on my health. Around two years ago I began to have trouble running. At first I thought it was a groin strain that I'd picked up slipping on ice but even after a few weeks' rest the symptoms would return. My wife persuaded me to visit a physio. The physio said that my hip was as stiff and immobile as any she'd seen and suggested that I have an x-ray to check if I'd got any underlying skeletal problems.
The result, to put it bluntly, wasn't what I was expecting or wanted to hear: severe arthritis.
A year on and the pain was getting worse, at times it would reduce me to tears, ripples of tension shaking my body. Something had to be done. First off was visiting my GP. In the meantime a bit of research (AKA Google) suggested that weight loss would help alleviate the symptoms. Each kilo lost equates to around 3 kg of stress on the joint when moving. I don't know where I read about it but I settled on the 5:2 diet which consists of five days of normal eating and two days of severely restricted calorie intake, just 600KCals per day. It is equivalent to a weekly 25% calorie deficit.
In the four months from early April I lost 16-17Kg (roughly 2 1/2 stone). To see what that's like, head to a supermarket and pile up 16 bags of sugar. Even better, try carrying it. I haven't been this weight since I was in my late twenties. I'm significantly lighter than I was when I did my Bob Graham Round! Clothes now just hang off me - it's like being a child trying on my dad's jackets. I've gone from nearly being on the last, largest, hole on my trouser belt to making two extra holes at the opposite end. What's ironic is that early in the year I went through my wardrobe trying on all my clothes and sending those that were too small to charity shops. I'd fit them all now! For friends who hadn't seen me in the interim it was a bit of a shock.
The GP visit led to a referral to the local hip consultant in mid July. "You are a bit young for a hip replacement" was the first comment. The next were: "It's bad and will never get better" and "We can replace it whenever you want". As it happened I'd lost about 10Kg by this time and wasn't have much problem with the hip. Whether this was just the weight loss or the fine weather we had this summer I'm not sure. I decided to wait a while and see him again in October.
As October approached I began to get different pains, not as short and intense as before - I think the weight loss has reduced the likelihood of these, but niggling pains that would wake me up several times most nights. My right buttock also continually felt as if I'd been kicked by a horse. So at the next consultation I took the decision to get the hip replaced. "We'll put you on the queue and it will be twelve to sixteen weeks before your operation".
So it was a bit of a shock on Wednesday evening to get a letter saying that my operation had been scheduled for late November! To say my jaw dropped when I read the letter is a bit of an understatement. The whole timescale was suddenly compressed: there are blood samples to give; pre-op assessment; another physio session; a session at a Joint Replacement Education Group; a visit by an Occupational Therapist checking furniture height at home (chairs have to be high enough so that my hip doesn't bend past 90degrees) then it's the operation.
After that it's a couple of weeks of inactivity then many weeks of recovery. The hard part for me will be not pushing too hard and trying to do too much too soon. I've got to let the joint stability build up, push it and I could pop the joint apart and need a revision. It will be a balancing act between boredom and improving.
Whatever happens, my future will be different.
Following a road accident in which I was run over I was advised to retrain and avoid physical work, or as it was put at the time: "you should seek work of a more sheltered nature". So I went to university and studied Computing Science. Since then my work has been sat at a desk typing, writing and debugging code. It's also fair to say that I've a healthy appetite and I was taught not to leave an empty plate.
Hence the increased weight. Unfortunately this has had an impact (literally) on my health. Around two years ago I began to have trouble running. At first I thought it was a groin strain that I'd picked up slipping on ice but even after a few weeks' rest the symptoms would return. My wife persuaded me to visit a physio. The physio said that my hip was as stiff and immobile as any she'd seen and suggested that I have an x-ray to check if I'd got any underlying skeletal problems.
The result, to put it bluntly, wasn't what I was expecting or wanted to hear: severe arthritis.
A year on and the pain was getting worse, at times it would reduce me to tears, ripples of tension shaking my body. Something had to be done. First off was visiting my GP. In the meantime a bit of research (AKA Google) suggested that weight loss would help alleviate the symptoms. Each kilo lost equates to around 3 kg of stress on the joint when moving. I don't know where I read about it but I settled on the 5:2 diet which consists of five days of normal eating and two days of severely restricted calorie intake, just 600KCals per day. It is equivalent to a weekly 25% calorie deficit.
In the four months from early April I lost 16-17Kg (roughly 2 1/2 stone). To see what that's like, head to a supermarket and pile up 16 bags of sugar. Even better, try carrying it. I haven't been this weight since I was in my late twenties. I'm significantly lighter than I was when I did my Bob Graham Round! Clothes now just hang off me - it's like being a child trying on my dad's jackets. I've gone from nearly being on the last, largest, hole on my trouser belt to making two extra holes at the opposite end. What's ironic is that early in the year I went through my wardrobe trying on all my clothes and sending those that were too small to charity shops. I'd fit them all now! For friends who hadn't seen me in the interim it was a bit of a shock.
The GP visit led to a referral to the local hip consultant in mid July. "You are a bit young for a hip replacement" was the first comment. The next were: "It's bad and will never get better" and "We can replace it whenever you want". As it happened I'd lost about 10Kg by this time and wasn't have much problem with the hip. Whether this was just the weight loss or the fine weather we had this summer I'm not sure. I decided to wait a while and see him again in October.
As October approached I began to get different pains, not as short and intense as before - I think the weight loss has reduced the likelihood of these, but niggling pains that would wake me up several times most nights. My right buttock also continually felt as if I'd been kicked by a horse. So at the next consultation I took the decision to get the hip replaced. "We'll put you on the queue and it will be twelve to sixteen weeks before your operation".
So it was a bit of a shock on Wednesday evening to get a letter saying that my operation had been scheduled for late November! To say my jaw dropped when I read the letter is a bit of an understatement. The whole timescale was suddenly compressed: there are blood samples to give; pre-op assessment; another physio session; a session at a Joint Replacement Education Group; a visit by an Occupational Therapist checking furniture height at home (chairs have to be high enough so that my hip doesn't bend past 90degrees) then it's the operation.
After that it's a couple of weeks of inactivity then many weeks of recovery. The hard part for me will be not pushing too hard and trying to do too much too soon. I've got to let the joint stability build up, push it and I could pop the joint apart and need a revision. It will be a balancing act between boredom and improving.
Whatever happens, my future will be different.
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