What a difference a year makes
Dec. 16th, 2005 10:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grnvixenSince tomorrow will be the one-year birthday for my new hip, that phrase has been running through my head lately, especially after last week's snow storm.
A year ago I would not have been able to have walked into work because the hip was so bad I had no balance. A year ago I could not take a step without the support of the cane.
Now I am not using the cane at all (except for a bit at faire due to uneven ground) and could manage to make my way over and around the snow and ice last week with only a little anxiety (falling is still not good, don't want to dislocate). In fact I beat most of my department into work on thursday.
I am definately much more active, enough so that the other orthotic & arthritic problems are reminding me they are there. I still have some limitations but compared to TTLY (This Time Last Year)I'm running marathons!
And so I don't forget and stop appreciating the improvements I am going to leave myself a memory of what it used to be like (cut for self-indulgence)
My hip was bone-on-bone and any movement or pressure caused pain, up-to-and-including near passing-out pain. Even sitting could be a problem without cushioning, or if I tried to shift position to fast. Finding a comfortable position to sleep was a frustration of finding the right combination of pillows to support the knees, etc. At one point I had gotten into a cycle of sleep-deprivation that was only broken with a weeks worth of sleeping pills.
Standing: I can do it now! TTLY I could not stand in line or waiting for anything; elevators, checkout lines, etc. I could not stand at the stove to cook or wash a sinkful of dishes. Taking a shower was a nightmare that began with a non-slip mat and eventually required using a tall stool.
Stress relief through shopping was right out, just getting into the car was difficult and repeated in-and-outs could ruin a day.
Walking became increasingly difficult because of the pain and any sense of balance was completely shot the first time I started to feel myself slip and reflexively tried to catch myself. I had never really thought about how much of your balance and center of gravity is focused around the hip area.
No stairs, which is one of the reasons I had to stop swimming for exercise (my YMCA was not very handicapped friendly). In the end seated Tai-Chai was the only form of exercise I could managed as I could no longer get up and down off of the floor for my (increasingly) limited yoga routine.
No carrying anything heavy; used a little rolling briefcase to bring things in and out of work like my lunch, since walking over to the cafeteria was not in the cards.
And I hadn't realized just how much I pre-planned any movement I made for as few steps as possible until I started getting more mobile this spring. And Gods Forbid I should drop anything! By the time of the surgery I had those gopher-grabbers stashed in strategic spots around the house for just those problems (like reaching for a new toilet paper roll :) ).
Ok, enough of that. It was a bad time but I made it through and DH deserves the bulk of the credit for that. He was stairman and carryman, even doing all the grocery shopping and laundry (which is in the basement). Recovery from surgery also made for some changes in our Christmas tradition but he never even blinked, even managing to get some of the decorations up while I was in the hospital so there was a festive house to come home too. I was also lucky in the support I had at work which meant one less thing to worry about.
So Happy Birthday to my hip, let's have a toast to the wonders of modern titanium!!!
A year ago I would not have been able to have walked into work because the hip was so bad I had no balance. A year ago I could not take a step without the support of the cane.
Now I am not using the cane at all (except for a bit at faire due to uneven ground) and could manage to make my way over and around the snow and ice last week with only a little anxiety (falling is still not good, don't want to dislocate). In fact I beat most of my department into work on thursday.
I am definately much more active, enough so that the other orthotic & arthritic problems are reminding me they are there. I still have some limitations but compared to TTLY (This Time Last Year)I'm running marathons!
And so I don't forget and stop appreciating the improvements I am going to leave myself a memory of what it used to be like (cut for self-indulgence)
My hip was bone-on-bone and any movement or pressure caused pain, up-to-and-including near passing-out pain. Even sitting could be a problem without cushioning, or if I tried to shift position to fast. Finding a comfortable position to sleep was a frustration of finding the right combination of pillows to support the knees, etc. At one point I had gotten into a cycle of sleep-deprivation that was only broken with a weeks worth of sleeping pills.
Standing: I can do it now! TTLY I could not stand in line or waiting for anything; elevators, checkout lines, etc. I could not stand at the stove to cook or wash a sinkful of dishes. Taking a shower was a nightmare that began with a non-slip mat and eventually required using a tall stool.
Stress relief through shopping was right out, just getting into the car was difficult and repeated in-and-outs could ruin a day.
Walking became increasingly difficult because of the pain and any sense of balance was completely shot the first time I started to feel myself slip and reflexively tried to catch myself. I had never really thought about how much of your balance and center of gravity is focused around the hip area.
No stairs, which is one of the reasons I had to stop swimming for exercise (my YMCA was not very handicapped friendly). In the end seated Tai-Chai was the only form of exercise I could managed as I could no longer get up and down off of the floor for my (increasingly) limited yoga routine.
No carrying anything heavy; used a little rolling briefcase to bring things in and out of work like my lunch, since walking over to the cafeteria was not in the cards.
And I hadn't realized just how much I pre-planned any movement I made for as few steps as possible until I started getting more mobile this spring. And Gods Forbid I should drop anything! By the time of the surgery I had those gopher-grabbers stashed in strategic spots around the house for just those problems (like reaching for a new toilet paper roll :) ).
Ok, enough of that. It was a bad time but I made it through and DH deserves the bulk of the credit for that. He was stairman and carryman, even doing all the grocery shopping and laundry (which is in the basement). Recovery from surgery also made for some changes in our Christmas tradition but he never even blinked, even managing to get some of the decorations up while I was in the hospital so there was a festive house to come home too. I was also lucky in the support I had at work which meant one less thing to worry about.
So Happy Birthday to my hip, let's have a toast to the wonders of modern titanium!!!
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Date: 2005-12-16 06:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-16 09:36 pm (UTC)