This blog continues my tale of woe in getting a hip replacement removed and a new one installed. (It is going all right, but let’s just say I’ve been in a better mood . . . .)
Anyway, after several days of hospitalization, I was shipped off to a rehabilitation center where I was expected to recover some strength, regain my ability for self-care and begin physical and occupational therapy.
And you know what? I was a very, very desirable woman at that center. I’m talking HOT! Even though I’m a senior citizen, I was younger than most of the others, and it was reasonable to expect I would return to my former activities. (I get that many others have serious health issues and will not return to self-sufficiency. Many work hard to maintain their dignity and eek out some control over their lives – this blog simply is meant to be a light-hearted description of my personal experience.)
The CNAs and nurses were happy I was high-functioning and didn’t need a lot of attention. It was clear from the first days the physical therapists all wanted me in their schedule – I was upbeat, cooperative and pushed to do more. The occupational therapists were the same. Sometimes other residents refused to go to rehab in the morning, taking a bit longer to rouse from their sleep or to savor their coffee — so there were times when a therapist would come into my room with hopes I was ready to go with them – and I always, always was ready. In fact, I’d like to have had more daily sessions.
With hip revision surgery done from the posterior, the expectation is the patient will use a walker or rollator for the first six weeks, even though full weight can be placed on the injured leg. Not me! A few days before my discharge a physical therapist recommended I try a HurryCane. Wow! I was free of pushing a clunky rollator around, I stood taller and moved more quickly. My surgeon confirmed that if PT thought I was ready for a cane, then I was.
I was discharged from the rehab center after a week so my transitory attractiveness has waned – back to reality! Quite frankly, despite all the attention, there’s nothing like being able to sleep in your own bed. I know it is necessary, but sleeping on plastic-covered mattresses and pillows just doesn’t make for a good night.
Now I dream for hours of dragon boat racing and bicycling with my friends again.