I’ve scheduled my left hip replacement surgery.
Yep, I’m old, and my hip is worn out. My recent hikes with son Jeff and wife Carol, when they visited here, were the final straw…according to Mr. Hip Socket. He’s bitching and moaning every day now, keeping me from walking the dogs more than a couple of miles without debilitating pain.
I think Mr. Socket knows best, and he’s telling me, “It’s time, Sir!”
My left hip discomfort started several years ago, as a dull pain with occasional incidences of “Owww…that hurt!” It has progressed, gradually over the many months, to the point that I can’t bend down to tie my shoes without sharp pain. Routine tasks, like walking on pavement, are now labored, particularly if I’ve sat for awhile. For example, walking into WalMart from the parking lot: actually, more like limping. Get me a cane.
I used to snicker, cruelly, to myself when I would see the old geezers hobbling up to the entrance. I’d think, “I’m an athlete…that will never happen to me!” Well, that’s probably the EXACT REASON why I now have a hitch in my giddy-up: I abused my body playing sports like baseball, football, basketball, skiing, golf, bowling, competitive swimming, etc. And, messing around in the great outdoors.
I’m now that old geezer, with all of my joints either worn out or wearing out, and infested with arthritis. My body is saying, “Payback is a bitch, Sucker!”
Unfortunately, I’m going to have to endure a few more months of pain. We leave for our RV vacation in 30 days, and will be gone for three months…staying, for the most part, in cool, coastal areas. Beautiful, but not so good for joint pain.
The surgery is scheduled for November 5th, which used to be my birthday.
(Explanation: My Mom lied to school authorities when I was 4-ish to get me into kindergarten sooner rather than later. She said that I was born on November 5th, rather than December 5th. Had she not told the fib, I would have had to wait an entire year, and would have drove her nuts around the house. So, I ended up the youngest guy in my class, as opposed to the oldest. I think it stunted my social development a bit, but…hey!…anything for my Momma.)
I’m not sure how the surgeon is going to do his work, but he will be replacing my femoral head and ball socket with hardware that looks like this:
I’m hoping my surgeon, Dr. Scott Parry, gets a good night’s sleep and uses new prosthetics. I don’t want to have a hassle with Amazon.
From what I’ve been told, the recovery time from total hip replacement is about six weeks. That should result in me limping through the Holiday season 2019.
With no complications, I should have a Happy New Year…hip-wise.
