On the other side....

I made it through surgery on Tuesday, 8/30.

It went well. The surgeon said there was no bone necrosis. There was only slight metallosis around the hip joint. So it's good we got it out now instead of waiting.

On Friday, 9/02, I was transferred from the hospital to a nursing home rehab facility. The facility was dated, but the staff was great. I felt kind of like I was in a MASH unit. :D

On Thursday, 9/08, I came home to our ground level.

On Saturday, 9/10, I made it upstairs to the third level where our bathrooms and bedrooms are. I will pretty much hibernate up here until I see the surgeon on 9/28.

I can manage the nerve damage much better at home than at a medical facility.

Recovery from lateral revision hip replacement surgery has quite a few movement restrictions. From my understanding all these restrictions are to give the new joint time to "set." We don't want it to jostle out of place.

One of my restrictions is that I can put no weight on my surgery leg until after I see the surgeon on 9/28. I can use my toes and ball-of-foot for balance only; it's called "touch down weight bearing," which means I can only touch, but not bear weight. So my nerve-damaged arms support my weight when I use my walker. I can bear weight on my good leg, of course.

Maneuvering stairs is quite a feat. It takes one person strong enough to bear my body weight for me to maneuver up and down stairs.

I have to ascend stairs backwards. With the walker on the ground level and my backside facing the stairs, I put all my weight on my arms on the walker and hop backwards with my good leg up to the first step. I then put the back legs of the walker on that step and bring up my surgery leg. My helper then holds the front of my walker which is in thin air, while the back legs of the walker are on the step. With the helper braced and holding the front of the walker bearing my weight, I repeat the process. I put all my weight on the walker and hop up backwards with my good leg to the next step. We repeat the process with each step. It's hard work and a session on trust.

To come down is similar, except I descend face forward as my helper bears my weight as I come down. When I descend I start with my surgery leg first, instead of my good leg.

We have a tri-level home, which means we have a ground level, nine stairs to the mid level, and then seven stairs to the upper level.

There is no way, no way, I could have done this in 2013 or 2014 or 2015. My arms and legs simply would have not had the strength to do all this. Hubby and I have just looked at each other and shaken our heads in amazement. It has been since I added the Charlotte's Web hemp extract that I've gotten stronger. It was adding the Charlotte's Web that has enabled my body to be strong enough to bike that has allowed my legs to get some muscle mass back. Also, getting my vitamin B6 down to normal range and getting my iron levels closer to normal range have also helped.

I have a barrel of stories, of course, from the hospital and rehab and since I've been home. I don't know if I'll ever get them recorded.

On a different subject, I really don't like election years.

*~*

A photo of my recovery cocoon at home. Thanks to my friend Joy for cleaning it and getting it ready. The room is my daughter's old room. She moved out in 2007ish(?), and it had become the catch-all room. Now it has caught me..until my release when I have my wings...