Day 2 Post-Surgery

Today was better than yesterday. Last night I had an emotional response to my pain and recovery. I felt deep sadness and I sobbed for a long time. Then I got so cold that I seized up and my hips kept clenching horribly. My mom and my dad were both there with me, and we were able to have a touching moment of closeness that I needed greatly. After a couple hours, I became calm again. 

My nausea has dissipated and my appetite is coming back. I’m off the Percocet now, and on to taking Toradol, an extreme anti-inflammatory. My parents took off my gauze and tape and put bandaids over my incisions. I have two on each hip, one for the camera, one for the tools. That makes for a total of four scars on my left hip, two from the previous surgery. I look bad-ass, especially with the discolouration and bruising. 

I am working on my three physical therapy exercises, which are so hard but I need to do. I get up every hour to hobble to the bathroom. I need my mom’s help lifting my legs off and onto the bed, but I’m mostly able to do the rest of the trip myself. I occasionally take a feeble lap around the living room. I need to move as much as possible to recover well. 

My mom feeds me nourishing food, and I sleep when the ice machine rests. It runs for half an hour, stops for half an hour, and starts again. “Such a hungry ice machine,” my mom exclaims, running back and forth from the freezer to the bathroom to defrost and make more ice. I have piles and bundles of blankets (including a sleeping bag and a down jacket) and two heating pads, but I’m still cold all the time. I feel like I’m surviving a long winter. 

I am grateful to my loving parents and brother for helping me.

My mom put this hat on me and is cackling as she takes my photo.

She's really enjoying this.

First small crutching steps

Ankle pumps (can do 3 sets of twenty-five!)

Leg rolls (can do about twenty at a time)

Heel raises (can only do five at a time)