4 weeks! So many more to go, but still- 4 weeks! You've probably heard the phrase, "The days go slow, but the years go fast." Well that's exactly how this time has been going since surgery. I cannot believe that it was already 4 weeks ago today that I was pulling into Duke University Hospital at 4:30 am with my mom and heading up to the pre-surgery waiting area.
Now, fast forward 29 days and here we are. If you've been keeping up with the blog, you can see the progress I have made in just 4 short weeks. After only 2 PT sessions, and exercising at home, I am beginning to feel my left leg coming back to life. These "exercises" aren't much to look at, but for someone who has a hip broken in 3 places, it is HUGE! Who would have thought that I would be riding a bike with a broken hip? Or getting ready to watch my 4 year old play in his first soccer game this weekend? Not me.
Honestly, before this surgery, I thought that I would literally be stuck on my butt for 99% of the time. Yes, the first 3 weeks were mostly just that, but now, at week 4, I am starting to see that I can do more than I ever expected at this point. Before surgery, I pictured Ben bringing both boys to soccer practice by himself while I hung back and waited for their return. But here we are, just one day shy of Owen's first game, and I am ready to go. Crutches? Check. Wheelchair? Check. Camera? You bet.
I've had a few pros and cons this week in terms of recovery. Remember, recovery isn't always an uphill slope. I have dips, here and there, but for the most part I am on the upswing!
This weeks pros:
- Started PT
- Began sleeping in my bed
- 4 showers in one week!
- Getting out of the house more
-Cutting back doses of Oxycontin
Cons:
-Sore from PT
-Pulled back muscle from using upper body so much
- Overdid it during a trip to Target and almost passed out, but went for the scooter instead :-)
I awoke last night when I jolted slightly in bed after a horrific dream. In this dream, I was laying on my stomach (something I have not done in 4 weeks) and was about to fall from the top of a bunk bed. I yelled to my best friend, a nurse, to help me. She was standing in the door and I wasn't sure if she would make it in time to catch me. I could picture hitting the floor and smashing my hip, bringing me back to day 1.
At that very moment, my eyes opened. Holy shit. I was on my stomach. For real. I lay there a moment, trying to figure out what to do next. It was comfortable but strange. Now the question was, "Okay, what now?" Try rolling from belly to back with a broken hip. Not so easy. Hmm. Within seconds of realizing the predicament I was in, I felt Ben reach over and tap my back. He had woken up and noticed the dilemma I had unknowingly put myself in. He quickly jumped out of bed and ran to my side. After processing the situation- figuring out where pillows were and where they needed to go- we slowly rolled me back over. Whew! What a scary and exciting event all in one.
Each day I am finding myself doing more and more things that I wouldn't have thought possible just days before-- Sleeping upstairs, using a toilet without a bedside commode over it, showering almost daily, riding a bike, and now, laying on my stomach. No, it is not something I will do all the time, but it is something I now know I can get myself into and out of (with help). Each day gets better. I still have a very, very long way to go, but as the saying goes,
Now, fast forward 29 days and here we are. If you've been keeping up with the blog, you can see the progress I have made in just 4 short weeks. After only 2 PT sessions, and exercising at home, I am beginning to feel my left leg coming back to life. These "exercises" aren't much to look at, but for someone who has a hip broken in 3 places, it is HUGE! Who would have thought that I would be riding a bike with a broken hip? Or getting ready to watch my 4 year old play in his first soccer game this weekend? Not me.
Honestly, before this surgery, I thought that I would literally be stuck on my butt for 99% of the time. Yes, the first 3 weeks were mostly just that, but now, at week 4, I am starting to see that I can do more than I ever expected at this point. Before surgery, I pictured Ben bringing both boys to soccer practice by himself while I hung back and waited for their return. But here we are, just one day shy of Owen's first game, and I am ready to go. Crutches? Check. Wheelchair? Check. Camera? You bet.
I've had a few pros and cons this week in terms of recovery. Remember, recovery isn't always an uphill slope. I have dips, here and there, but for the most part I am on the upswing!
This weeks pros:
- Started PT
- Began sleeping in my bed
- 4 showers in one week!
- Getting out of the house more
-Cutting back doses of Oxycontin
Cons:
-Sore from PT
-Pulled back muscle from using upper body so much
- Overdid it during a trip to Target and almost passed out, but went for the scooter instead :-)
I awoke last night when I jolted slightly in bed after a horrific dream. In this dream, I was laying on my stomach (something I have not done in 4 weeks) and was about to fall from the top of a bunk bed. I yelled to my best friend, a nurse, to help me. She was standing in the door and I wasn't sure if she would make it in time to catch me. I could picture hitting the floor and smashing my hip, bringing me back to day 1.
At that very moment, my eyes opened. Holy shit. I was on my stomach. For real. I lay there a moment, trying to figure out what to do next. It was comfortable but strange. Now the question was, "Okay, what now?" Try rolling from belly to back with a broken hip. Not so easy. Hmm. Within seconds of realizing the predicament I was in, I felt Ben reach over and tap my back. He had woken up and noticed the dilemma I had unknowingly put myself in. He quickly jumped out of bed and ran to my side. After processing the situation- figuring out where pillows were and where they needed to go- we slowly rolled me back over. Whew! What a scary and exciting event all in one.
Each day I am finding myself doing more and more things that I wouldn't have thought possible just days before-- Sleeping upstairs, using a toilet without a bedside commode over it, showering almost daily, riding a bike, and now, laying on my stomach. No, it is not something I will do all the time, but it is something I now know I can get myself into and out of (with help). Each day gets better. I still have a very, very long way to go, but as the saying goes,
Don't compare yourself to others, but compare yourself to the person you were yesterday.