I had my two-month checkup yesterday and everything went well. I walk without a limp now, and even my back has been feeling pretty strong. I was told to continue using the raised toilet seat for another few months, and I still have to keep my right leg from flopping in past the center line of my body. There are a variety of changes you have to make in your life when this is a constant objective. For example, when I put socks on, I must keep both hands between my feet rather have a hand on either side of the leg (as any normal person would when trying to put on a sock). This is to help avoid dislocation. I can now stop taking the baby aspirin, and should continue to walk every day if possible. I finally asked if I would be able to ride horses again, and the doctor said yes. He suggested I avoid jumping or anything too crazy, but I'm cleared to ride. If I do fall off a horse, he said, I'm more likely to break an arm or an ankle, so he didn't see horseback riding as a particularly hip-risky activity. I was surprised, but happy. My next appointment will be in ten months, for the one-year anniversary.
Took Thing One to a bait shop today for bloodworms and nightcrawlers. Pet worms, believe it or not. We created a worm habitat--not as easy as you might think--in a plastic bin from Target, and will be monitoring it with great interest. We'll be feeding our worms coffee grounds and veggie-type table scraps, which they compost. Worms!
It's pretty amazing that it only took me two months to recover from total hip replacement. I have a few months to go before I'm 100%, but for now I can do almost everything I would normally do in a day. I'm still just two months out from THR, though, and still have some special needs. Each time I park in a handicap spot--I was given a temporary handicap parking tag to use until November--I wonder if people are judging me, thinking I'm abusing the privilege. I look pretty normal when I'm up and moving around, but I still struggle a bit getting in and out of the car, and I need a fair amount of room to pull it off. If the lot isn't crowded, I park in a regular spot.
I'm going to continue posting about my hip progress, but I'm thinking I'll just post on the first of every month until my one-year checkup. That's the plan. There's no telling what kinds of interesting developments are yet to come.
