Does recovery = insanity? Let’s just say I have my moments. Recovery from my hip replacement surgery is going very well, but the frustration level is high at times; the time has gone fast in some ways and slow in others. I won’t give you all the gory details here, but I’ve posted some in my blog.
I am under strict rules for movement (for three more weeks); no bending down, no angles past 90% with the hip joint, no twisting at the waist, no moving my leg past median line. Blah blah blah. I am so bored with these freaking rules. I do have a better understanding for people who need help to do everyday activities for sure-things we take for granted; putting on pants, socks; shoes; dropping my breakfast on the floor and having to sacrifice it to my dog cause I don’t have my picker-upper tool handy; most of my movements must be methodical and I have to think before I act; maybe there’s a lesson in this; most definitely a song. Good news is, I’m back hiking and on the stationary bike – relief.
I naively thought I would bounce back within a week. Hey, I’m a Pisces; we love to dream. Surgery took more energy from me than I had anticipated. Here are a few things that kept me sane in the early stages of recovery.
1) Friends and Sex In The City: for the first few weeks, I was exhausted and my concentration was shot. Friends is still one of the funniest comedies ever. The characters’ idiosyncrasies remind me of my own friends. Sex in the City -I would swear at Carrie Bradshaw for whining, and wait for sexy Mr. Big to make an appearance. Those were the only two shows that could hold my interest.
2) Reiki: I have been a Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) Master Practitioner for over five years. Reiki is a type of Japanese energy healing. It’s something that’s been a part of me even before I studied it. When I broke my ankle (listen to 7 Pieces on Monsters) almost seven years ago and was getting from the trail to the truck and then to the hospital, using Reiki kept me from going into shock, kept the pain down, and helped me heal quickly. So after hip surgery, when I was laying all morphed up in my hospital bed and the anesthetic was slowly coming out of my lower body, I began to do Reiki on myself.
3) Chocolate: My Man Nurse Lee was my dealer. Yes, I know it’s not healthy to self medicate, especially when for most of the day I wasn’t doing a whole lot physically, but it made me happy. I wasn’t on any other medication so there was no risk of complications (although I’m paying for it now).
4) Physio: It amazed me how those silly little exercises made me stronger. Physio is something that helps me be in control of my recovery. If I do my exercises, I get more mobile, if I don’t, I don’t get more mobile. Simple as that.
5) Support: My surgeon and all his co-pilots, the Nurses at UBC, my Mom and Dad who drove me to my appointments and helped clean my house ( I can’t bend, couldn’t drive), all while putting up with my crabbiness. My regular visits from my coffee Sista, and all the emails and notes of support; I am humbled by the love. And I can’t forget my Man Nurse Lee (I can’t recall when he started calling himself that). He has gone above and beyond what a mate needs to do or should have to do, believe me; but I have yet to convince him to shave my legs.
