It has been three weeks since I added a large piece of metal to my body! Surgery was successful, my follow up appointment which included an X-ray was two weeks after and I am happy to say the Surgeons P.A. is still in agrees that I am a Medical Unicorn! I was able to go to the appointment just using the cane and not the walker. I am off the walker totally and have been for some time. I am off the pain medication with the exception of taking it at night before bed, but have started lowering the amount even at night. I had physical therapy at home just 5 times and she too was pleased with my progress, and told me I was a “easy” patient, and I clearly would heal well because I was cooperative!

 

The main question I get besides the vague “how are you doing?”, is how is the pain. I am learning about pain, it is so different and all about perspective. First I honestly believe pain is completely individual and varies from person to person. I would never and will never compare my experience of pain with anyone else, that being said I will share my experience. The pain now is so VERY different from what it was in both how the pain feels and the intensity of it. Prior to surgery the pain was sporadic, coming and going with certain movements/actions and extremely sharp to the point of often causing a stream of profanity. It also was very limiting in that it prevented me from doing certain things, and it created this deep fear in me as well. I was fearful of doing anything because I did not want to feel that sharp deep pain. I think post surgery this is one of the things I am realizing that I did not figure out or put together prior to the surgery, I was really living in fear. The fear of that pain was both physically and emotionally paralyzing.

Thinking about this had me realizing how much pain can control our lives, not only physically but emotionally. It also made me think about how much worse or better I might be able to make my physical pain if I deal with it emotionally in a different way. What I mean is IF I was not so fearful of this pain, so much that I was adjusting my life physically to avoid it, could my actual experience of the pain have been different. All I know is I do believe what I think affects how I feel so I am now aware that I want to keep this in mind in relation to my pain as well. With this in mind back to the question “how is my pain?”, it is so different I can’t even compare it to the pain prior. It is there, it is constant but dull and more of a discomfort than pain and most importantly my perspective has changed. Emotionally I feel so free and am so grateful for my life that the pain is so insignificant. It isn’t that it doesn’t exist, it is that I am not giving it any power to control my life. I press forward, and focus on how grateful I am for being on the other side of this surgery and healing. I am blessed to have so many caring professionals, family members and friends that nothing else seems important.

This is another thing I am realizing in this process but will save for another entry, I am VERY blessed and well loved. For now, Thank You to all the family and friends for all the support, I am appreciative beyond words and will write more on this later.

For now I wanted to give you a update and touch on the pain issue. Thanks for reading and please feel free to ask questions and leave comments. 

Hip replacement humor: