July 28th - Aug 16th: Right Hip Surgeries

Aug 5

Updates

Preparing to Leave: July 28th-July 31st
Pre-surgery Days in Denver: Aug 1st - 3rd
Day 1 – Aug 4th
Day 2 – Aug 5th
On the Horizon

Preparing to Leave: July 28th–July 31st

These days were hectic and full of appointments in prep for hip surgeries as well as a lot of energy going in to getting ready to be in Denver for 2+ weeks, then returning as a “different person”. I know I wasn’t going to come back a different person but when I really tuned in to all the stress I was feeling, I could see it was partly because I was stuck in a belief that I’d be out of commission for a long time. I was internalizing an assumption that I had to get everything perfect at home for when I returned unable to engage in things as I could before I left. When I come back, for example, I won’t be able to tend to my house plants or garden. It was quite stressful and sad at times!

Tuesday July 29th, Patrick was at work and Mac jumped the fence when I was trying to sleep in… I groggily woke up to a call from the neighbor and proceeded to look for him for 2 hours before Patrick came home and swapped out with me. I had to jump on a pre-anesthesia call, recapping my whole health and surgical history, while Patrick continued looking for Mac for another 2 hours. Finally, we found him. Then, I was on another surgery-related call and I saw a coyote run through the front yard. I ran out to check on the ducks and couldn’t find any of them. I cancelled my afternoon appointments because I just needed to calm my nervous system and not run around more. Eventually, two of the three ducks showed up but one was almost certainly taken. What a day!

July 30th would have been my dad’s 84th birthday and I had several appointments but made sure to spend some time outside on my garden bench, feeling his presence and love.

July 31st I drove to Denver and as usual, passed by the accident site and stopped to add flowers and take some breaths at the memorial I created on the fence. Holding the idea that the lawsuit is coming to closure at the same time that I am headed into more big surgeries is a challenge; it is going to take time to untether the lawsuit from my continued medical care in my heart and mind.

One nagging complaint… my left hand and fingers (which were injured in the collision) are a little bit stiff most days but never really hurt and when I do long drives like this one, they actually start hurting about halfway through and can’t get them to calm down.

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Pre-surgery Days in Denver: Aug 1st - 3rd

My mom and I had a lovely couple of days prepping for surgery and enjoying each other’s company. We went on morning walks every day, sat outside in the men’s club enjoying the yard and flowers and hummingbirds, visited our favorite Blackbird Cafe in Evergreen and then my dad at Evergreen Memorial Park, went clothes shopping at Costco ☺️, and ate a lot of yummy food. Many of the flowers I planted for her while here helping after her cervical discectomy and fusion are blooming and very happy! The hummingbirds sure love it and it makes both of us very happy.

I had a Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine dropped off for post-surgery range of motion support and was told to use the machine 6-8 hours/day! It is huge and very heavy so we decided to prop it up next to my bed so my mom can easily put it in and out when needed.

On Wednesday and Thursday following my first hip surgery (Monday), I was scheduled for an Eye Specialist follow-up and my PAO Surgeon pre-op and I realized I may not be up to in person appointments, so I emailed both offices to ask for telemed instead. Neither are possible, darnit, so I am cancelling my eye appointment for now and will of course have my pre-op appointment as scheduled.

I was connected with a friend of one of my providers who is very passionate about forearm crutches vs regular crutches and we facetimed on Saturday so she could give me some tips. I am so grateful for the connection! If interested, she has a substack you can read here.

I got a call on Friday the 1st from a nurse at the hospital checking in to make sure I was prepared to have extreme pain after the surgery; I was not expecting that! I know I can handle pain but jeez louise that call kind of caught all of us (my mom, Patrick, and I) off guard. August 3rd was a hard night trying to relax and not ruminate about surgery the following day in Boulder.

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Day 1 - Aug 4th

Surgery check in was at 8:15 so we left the house at 6:45. I drove and it was a nice way to get my head on straight before surgery; I was feeling very ready to be in the process of doing it rather than thinking about doing it and all the associated unknowns!

Boulder Surgery Center is a wonderful facility. Great staff, streamlined check in and little wait time. It took three tries to get my IV going which is not uncommon but still painful and stressful but the staff were wonderful through it all. I decolonized my nose, a new and very intriguing experience for me. You swab your nose with what looks like betadine solution so that if you have MRSA cultures in your nose, they won’t breathe out into your open wounds in the OR - how cool! My mom got to come hang out while we waited for my OR to open up, the surgical nurse came to check in, the surgeon and his PA, and the anesthesiologist, and then it was time. I was wheeled back at 10:45.

The OR was what I’ve typically experienced except for a contraption at the foot of the operating table that I think is called a “traction boot system” and essentially was used to create space in my hip joint for the procedure. The surgeon went in arthroscopically, with very small incisions created to insert a camera and equipment, to repair my torn labrum and reshape my femur head to prevent further damage. He didn’t have to do more than expected which was wonderful news. I was waking up around 2 and my pain was hard to get under control but eventually well managed enough to head home by 3. I was pretty comfortable on the drive home and getting into the house, and especially happy to get straight in bed.

We had a nice facetime with my brother and his fiance, and then I did with Patrick for a while. The plan was for him to fly in on the 11th for my 2nd surgery and 2nd week in Denver, but he was eager to come earlier and I was very happy at that suggestion so he is going to fly in on the 7th instead. We’re boarding the dogs so we don’t have stress for ourselves or our house sitter over where Mac is; have a friend looking after the house, kitty, ducks, plants, and doing a deep clean; it is all feeling really good!

As I got settled and started to organize myself with my meds and instructions, I was shocked at how organized the surgery center is. The paperwork they left us with was the best I’ve seen at any surgery center; I was most impressed by a sheet of paper with all of the medications put into my body while there. That is such important and helpful information and I’ve never received anything like that before! It helped me know I could take my pain medication as soon as I needed it and not to take my muscle relaxer before 9 pm. I was also happy to learn that I only need to use the CPM machine for 4 hours/day instead of the 6-8 hours/day I was instructed by the person who delivered it on Friday.

We ordered gyros for dinner, which really hit the spot, and we lounged and watched Ginny and Georgia on Netflix the rest of the night. I set my alarm for 2 am and 6 am to take meds and despite the interruptions, we both slept really well. I am lucky to have such wonderful support/care and company in my mama.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out and continues to, it means a lot and if I don’t answer right away I hope you understand. I so appreciate all the love and support!

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Day 2 - Aug 5th

I woke up around 8:30 feeling decent but not quite ready to get up. I texted my mom for a coffee delivery and went back to sleep until 9:40 and then called for an ice delivery and help getting dressed. My pain is pretty intense and leg feeling very heavy, but pain meds are helping and ice is my best friend. The restrictions are taking some time to get used to! I can’t bend my hip joint past 90 degrees, can put weight on my leg but only 20 lbs (so basically barely touching my foot to the ground), can’t lift my leg on its own when sitting down, can’t shower until day 3 (like I would anyway hehe) or remove the huge bandage on my thigh, get to wear thigh high compression socks most of the time (except when laying down which is most of the time), and should ice as much as possible. I have had great recommendations for different products to buy that have come in very handy! And, we found some extra goodies at Costco that I’m happy to have, including a recliner camp chair that I’m hoping to get some time in outside on the deck later.

I’m getting more comfortable moving around by myself and am able to do more and more on my own. It feels good :)

I’ve spent most of the day so far in bed, on and off using the CPM machine which is more comfortable than I expected, setting up this website, catching up with my phone, and handling some medical follow ups. I feel much less hectic being in recovery post-surgery than in the lead up to it.

I officially finished my 4 hours on the CPM machine and decided to take a lap around the house and then out onto the deck. I sat in the new reclining camp chair and looked out at the beautiful yard, had a hummingbird visit, it was dreamy.