I think I can(e)... I think I can(e)...

Living my best cane life!

It’s been 9 days since getting chopped up and honestly, I am feeling GREAT. This surgery is just blowing my mind over and over again-- I literally can’t believe I had a titanium rod shoved into my femur and one week later I am walking with a cane. CRAZY.

On Thursday, 1 week post-op, my cane arrived, so I started using it around the house a bit. I still wasn’t 100% comfortable, so I stuck with the walker for another day. I probably COULD have transitioned to the cane that day, but I also think it’s important to do what makes you feel comfortable, and I didn’t see the rush in switching over on THAT day.

So yesterday, day 8, I DID make the transition. I felt way more confident on the cane and only used the walker to go outside and take a walk to the mailbox. As the day wore on, I put the walker to the side and haven’t looked back. This morning, I actually maneuvered my way around the house a bit without any walking assistance. I’m trying to gradually decrease my cane usage so I can get back to just walking normal.

One week post-op. My scar is looking pretty darn good!

Comet thought the tennis balls were for her. She wasn't entirely wrong.

MY FIRST UNASSISSTED STEPS!

“Normal” is a relative term. I’ve still got a pretty large limp when I walk, and I’m not EXACTLY sure why. I think it’s partly mental-- I feel like I can’t walk normal or something is different so I’m limping without even thinking about it. Though, I do think part of it is real.  Before I had this surgery, I spoke with a fellow 29 year old who had both hips replaced. He explained that when you have arthritis, it causes the surrounding muscles to seize up because they are working to compensate for the ineffective joint. In my case, it was my quad that tightened like no other. When that happens, your leg basically gets a tiny bit shorter because the muscle is constantly in use.

When they do the hip replacement, they put your legs back to their correct length, something I haven’t felt in quite some time. Because of this, I was told it would feel like the side that was operated on is too long and they didn’t measure correctly when they put the prosthetic in. In reality, my doctor just restored my body to it’s correct measurements and now I am having to adjust to that. So this is my roundabout way of saying that I am almost positive that my limp is due to that, and over time, as I get used to the length of my legs, it will gradually go away.

Rockin' the cane!

SOS: Carrying a glass jar with a walker is not recommended.

Making my way from the mailbox.

“Normal” is a relative term. I’ve still got a pretty large limp when I walk, and I’m not EXACTLY sure why. I think it’s partly mental-- I feel like I can’t walk normal or something is different so I’m limping without even thinking about it. Though, I do think part of it is real.  Before I had this surgery, I spoke with a fellow 29 year old who had both hips replaced. He explained that when you have arthritis, it causes the surrounding muscles to seize up because they are working to compensate for the ineffective joint. In my case, it was my quad that tightened like no other. When that happens, your leg basically gets a tiny bit shorter because the muscle is constantly in use.

When they do the hip replacement, they put your legs back to their correct length, something I haven’t felt in quite some time. Because of this, I was told it would feel like the side that was operated on is too long and they didn’t measure correctly when they put the prosthetic in. In reality, my doctor just restored my body to it’s correct measurements and now I am having to adjust to that. So this is my roundabout way of saying that I am almost positive that my limp is due to that, and over time, as I get used to the length of my legs, it will gradually go away. 

Other things to note:

• I am still sleeping with a pillow between my legs.
  
• I've been able to lay on my left side for a couple of minutes. 
  
• My stomach is back to normal. (THANK GOD!)
  
• I’m able to do the abduction exercise now!! 
  
• The quad soreness still exists, though it is significantly less. (As of Saturday afternoon, I have not taken a pain pill since Tuesday night.)
  
• The pain is much less, and I am starting to feel it return to “normal.”
  
• I’ve also been able to bend down and pick things up with more ease.
  
• I took a shower standing up, finally!

I definitely saw the largest improvements in days 5-8 post-op. It was like someone flipped a switch and my body was like GREEN LIGHT!!!! Every person who I spoke with before my surgery said the first few days would be the worst, and they were absolutely correct. I know I still have a long way to go, but the fact that I have almost entirely put my walker away 8 days after surgery is enough success for me!

I haven’t heard from my doctor since leaving the hospital. I’m planning on giving his assistant a call on Monday to ask some questions about what I should and shouldn’t do. At this point, I know myself, and I know that I have a tendency to overdo it. Given the fact that my actions over the next month will essentially dictate the rest of my life, I want to make sure I do it correctly. I’m worried that I will walk too far or do something I wasn’t supposed to do, and that it will cause permanent damage. At the same time, if I have the go-ahead to increase my daily step count, then you better believe I’m coming for those 10K steps! (Speaking of that, I have been wearing my Garmin to track my steps, but it doesn’t calculate them when I use the walker-- probably because of the sliding motion-- so now that I am on a cane, I will know how many I’ve done. Trying to get to the 2K range to start-- again, not wanting to overdo anything.)

I was also thinking about, if I were working at this time, when I would have been able to go back. I likely would have taken 2 weeks off, but honestly, I feel like if I had to return to work on Monday I would 100% be able to. Obviously I wouldn’t be jumping up and down and dancing around the room like I usually do, but I would definitely be able to do my thing effectively. With that being said, I am super thankful for the extra time to recover and for the fact that I don’t have to go into work!

So I think that about does it for my current updates. I am looking forward to being able to go on long walks with Comet again and to jumping into some Crossfit classes soon. I’ve also rediscovered my love of Survivor and am making my way through some old seasons, (Season 1 right now-- it is SO DIFFERENT than Survivor in its current form-- it’s NUTS!) so that has been keeping me busy. Just three more days of school, and then summer is officially here. What a strange school year it has been-- but that is a different post, for a different day.

Cheers to being off pain meds, walking, and living arthritis-free!

Beautiful flowers from my best friends :)