The hip replacement adventure moved into a new phase today, when I got my incision wound staples removed and was officially released from at-home nursing and therapy care.
I’m on my own.
My Physician’s Assistant, Bruce McPherson, shared with me this morning x-rays of my left hip. The metal spike (titanium) is perfectly placed within my femur and the new head is securely seated in the ball joint. Hooray for expertise!
Tomorrow will be two weeks from surgery. I was off the “walker” in about 3 days, and off the cane by another 4 days or so. I’ve been hobbling about without assistance for about one week now. I’m sore and stiff, but, with every day, I seem to get a fraction better.
I’ve been walking the dogs (separately) for a couple of days now, just a block or two at a time. My hip muscles are pretty stiff, and they are pretty sore after the walking exercise.
My in-home physical therapist visited today, basically to release me from further treatment. They’d been by maybe four or five times since surgery, and have basically encouraged me to do as much walking as possible. No specific exercises were recommended.
My instructions going forward are to work (at our local Sun City Mesquite community center gym) on a Lifecycle recumbent bike for a week or so, and graduate to the Eliptical unit as soon as my muscle stiffness allows.
It’s a pleasant environment in our gym: not many people there, excellent equipment, and I have a view of the pool and golf course through the large window. I’m going to put in at least 30 minutes a day on the Lifecycle for the next week.
It’s about time that I got some use out of my H.O.A. dues. (Maybe I’ll actually get my ass in shape this year!)
My immediate goal at this point is to be able to ride my bike (the one my friend Sandy has provided me) within 3 weeks. That would put me at about mid-December, just in time for the holiday season.
BTW, Charlie and I have just finalized our end-of-year plans. Our son Tim, wife Shanon, and grandchildren Joshua, Jessica and Craig are coming to Mesquite to visit us for 3 nights beginning on December 20th.
(BTW, our home is now in Christmas decor mode, ten days before Thanksgiving. That happened because my son Jonathan was here with us for the ten days after surgery, and Charlie took advantage of his muscles to get a bunch honey-do’s done. As usual, the Christmas decor is outstanding, which is always the case when Charlie sets her mind to it.)
The parents are going to stay in our guest room, while the “kids” will stay in our RV, which will be parked at the Casablanca Casino RV Park just down the road from our house. That will give everyone a chance to spread out.
When our kids and grandkids leave town on the 23rd, Charlie and I and the doggies are going to hop in the RV and head south to Yuma, Arizona to spend the rest of the holiday season with our good friends, Dan and Peggy Quinn. They have an own-your-own-lot mobile home property there in Yuma which has hook-ups for one additional rig.
They also have a Boston Terrier pup named “Katie” who (hard to believe!) has more energy than Baby. So, we can anticipate those two going at it hammer and tong.
If everything goes well, I can see myself ready for some hiking activities and possibly doing some crude golfing by New Year.
Fingers crossed!