Day 33: Ongoing Recovery, Passed The Four Week Mark
ay 33 — I’ve been derelict on making entries… Day 33 — I’ve been derelict on making entries…
I had to do some work on the site, and I find it difficult to make entries and code at the same time. So, this is a “catch-up” and summary post.
Four Week Mark
I passed the four week mark last Tuesday (today is Sunday), which is something of a landmark.
How am I doing?
Reasonably well, but still a long ways from normal. At six weeks, I’m supposed to be more fully functional, but it seems like that’s less likely — at least the way I feel, now.
Not that I’m not feeling better — but I’m nowhere near fully healed (remembering that in the pre-op discussions, the admonishment that things can take up to a full year to heal completely.
Sobering, and I hope I’ll be at least mostly functional way before then.
The healing basically follows a logarithmic curve: if you plotted functionality percentage completeness vs time, starting at zero percent, the slope would be very steep at the beginning, curve upwards, and then taper off towards 100% very slowly after some inflection point.
At four weeks, I feel like I’m still on the curve, maybe about sixty percent.
Mornings
Mornings are better, but still tough. I think the “fire” and stiffness in my ankles and calves is subsiding, but it’s still there. I still use the walker first thing in the morning (bathroom run), mainly for stabilization and out of prudence.
So, if I feel the least bit wobbly, I use the walker.
Driving
This has been mostly ok. Getting out of the car is more challenging than getting in or actually driving.
After sitting behind the wheel for a period of time, getting out is a bit of a stumble-bum. I have to use the roof of the car to support myself, and gingerly work my away around it to the back door, pull out the walking stick, loop the strap (on the stick) so I can lean on it if I need to, and then close everything up and lock it.
But, after just a few steps, I’m able to stride out much better and I don’t look quite like the crippled invalid when I first emerge from the car.
On store runs, parking has been more of an issue — the handicap placard is basically a hunting license: no guarantee there will be an open handicap spot available. Especially in a town like St. George, where the demographic definitely leans toward the senior citizen crowd. More often than not, the handicap spots are all taken up, so I wind up driving around the parking lot a few times trying to locate a spot closer in and do the best I can.
If the store has them, I’ll use the battery-powered carts to get around — especially in one of the cavernous stores like Walmart.
Other Notes
The seroma (fluid under the right incision) is lessening, slowly but surely. That’s good, it won’t require any special attention or procedures to fix, I don’t think. I send in pictures to the PA now and again and the response is, “They look great! Thanks for the update.”
So, I guess they look great.
The right hip is decidedly weaker and more sore than the left. For all intents and purposes, the left side feels really strong, but the right side is lagging. Now that the seroma is going down, I’m going to check with the PA to see if I can do some exercises to strengthen the right side.
When walking, either with the walker, the hiking stick, or free, I have to consciously not favor the right side. That can be habit forming, and not a habit I want to get into.
One upside note: Sneezes!
Right after the surgery, a good healthy sneeze racked my whole body — right down to and including the hips. The first time I had a good sneeze, my hips flared in pain and I exclaimed, “OOOWW!!”
“Oh, wow! That was unexpected!”
Now, however, that seems to have abated — when I sneeze, however big, it doesn’t cause a painful flare in my hips, anymore.
It’s a minor improvement, I suppose, but I’ll take it!