Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement (April 2006)

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Tuesday 4/11/06 - 8 Days Post Surgery

6am: Good morning. I dislike starting my journal writing about pain. It seems so negative and I feel very up and positive. I even thought of starting this journal each day sometime in the afternoon when when I'm feeling most flexible and energetic. That doesn't quite work for me though.

So here it is, 6am and the first thing I'm going to mention is the pain because that is what woke me up. It's not awful, relentless or unbearable. The truth is though, that after hours in bed, when the night time pain meds (Tylenol PM) wear off, the pain wakes me up. And by the time more pain meds (Tylenol) have kicked in, my body has passed the point of wanting to go back to sleep. It's mildly annoying and if that is all I have to complain about, which is true, I'm a very fortunate person.

I actually slept 6 hours straight last night. That's very good. And now that I'm sitting up and have 2 Tylenol in me, I feel no pain. I'm looking forward to the rest of the day.

1:30pm: Megan, my physical therapist, came for an hour today. For the first 20 minutes she massaged the incision and surgery area. The area is tender but it felt good. This will help reduce the swelling and break up the scar tissue. I then did a set of exercises so that she could measure and help extend my range of motion. She then introduced me to 3 new exercises. I feel very tired after that. 

4:00pm: I wanted an item at the store. Chuck wasn't inclined to leave the house and take me. I assessed myself and determined that I was well enough mentally and physically to drive. I would be no more a hazard on the road than I was at any other time. All worked out well.

9:00pm: We went out with friends to a lecture at the University of Arizona. It was an excellent lecture and good to be out of the house. I found their chairs uncomfortable. They were either the wrong height, tilt or shape for me and my hip SQUAWKED. My hip was obviously fatigued from physical therapy work earlier in the day. My pain level while walking to the car and to the house was raised,  it was taking more concentration to keep my foot and knee pointed forward and my gait was more noticeably 'off'.

It's time for bed. Good night

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