Four Week Anniversary

Two minor breakthroughs this week:

• I drove my car on a couple of short local errands (grocery store and mailed some letters).
• I went out to a restaurant for the first time since the operation. My older daughter drove. I also had my first glass of wine since the operation, and my kids had to restrain me from loudly attempting a Luciano Pavarotti imitation for everyone in the restaurant to enjoy.

Still can't drive or walk mid- to long distances, but getting there slowly...

Have a Great Thanksgiving!

My thanks go out to everyone who has passed on their thoughts and best wishes while I've been recovering from this surgery -- and not only to those who have responded on this blog, but also those who still rely on the "old media" such as e-mails, cards, telephone and letters.

And a special thanks to my mother, who -- after she saw this blog -- called to tell me I looked too thin in my picture.

I hope everyone has a terrific holiday weekend.

Three Week Anniversary

It was three weeks ago today that I got my hip replaced. The good news:

• Walking. The crutches and the walker are pretty much out of the picture. I get around everywhere on a cane, and even occasionally walk from room to room in my house without a cane or any other support.


• Muscle strength. Physical therapy is going well, I seem to be making good progress.


• No apparent unwelcome side effects. No signs of dislocation or infection, the two main drawbacks in this type of surgery.


• Pretty independent at this point. There is very little that I need help with right now, besides driving (see below).

A few things that I'm still waiting for:

• Ability to Drive. This is the biggest drawback of hip replacement surgery. I really want to be able to drive my car. I tried to drive around a few of my back streets over the weekend, but my hip started to hurt so I quit. I'll try again this coming weekend.


• Greater Energy Level. I'd like more energy. After doing almost nothing physical all day, I still seem to need a mid-afternoon nap, which is probably a combination of the exhaustion of moving myself around on a bad leg, combined with the aftereffects of the anesthesia and painkillers.


• No Limping. I'd like to walk without limping. My physical therapist is working with me on the fact that I tend to "drop my hip" (i.e., "limp") when I walk with or without the cane.

Still, good progress for the first three weeks. And it sure beats the pre-surgery pains that were clearly getting progressively worse.

Jimmy's Big Adventure

Today, using only my cane, I walked from my house to the end of the street, picked up my mail from the mailbox on the corner, and then walked back to my house. <Takes a deep bow.> Thank you!

Return to Loudoun County

I moved out of the house of friends and family, and back to my own home in Ashburn, late yesterday. Back in familiar territory! I slept in my old familiar bed for eight straight hours, got up, had breakfast, and got back into my old familiar bed and slept for another three hours. Then I got up, checked e-mails and typed this blog post, and now am feeling...kind of...yawn...

An Interesting Thought...and a Creepy One

I was thinking that a hip replacement is a good rehearsal for old age. You use a walker or a cane to get around, can't move very fast, need help with simple tasks like tying your shoes, and strangers on the street are very nice about opening the doors and helping you.

Then I had a second, scarier thought. What if this isn't a rehearsal?

Two Week Anniversary: My Hip Replacement Scorecard

The Cost of a Hip Replacement

I know what you're thinking. Hip replacement sounds like so much fun, you'd like to have one yourself, but you're wondering if you can afford it.

In round numbers, according to my insurance company's web site: The total cost of my operation, before any insurance-company discounts were applied, was about $50,000. After discounts, the insurance company paid about $25,000.

My out-of-pocket expenses for this operation total about $450: $150 for the hospital, plus about $150 for physical therapy co-payments, plus about $150* for home nursing visits. Also, my employer's short term disability coverage allows me to collect a full paycheck while recovering.

If you work for a large, successful, stable and generous employer, there is no health care crisis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*If I had been a little more proactive and sophisticated about my insurance coverage, I could have avoided the $150 out-of-pocket home nursing charge. See the December 2 posting on "If You're Having A Hip Replacement" for more details.

Pretty Good Progress!

I had my first post-op visit to the doctor today. The X-ray of my new hip is fine. It looks like there's a ball peen hammer inside my right leg, but it lines up nicely with my other bones, so life is good.

They removed the staples from the incision, and told me to start relying less on the crutches and walker, and more on the cane, and even try to do some independent walking. The only bad news is that I can't drive yet.

And despite my desperate pleas, I still have to do physical therapy.

I think I've reached the point where, mid-next week, I'm going to move out from under the umbrella of family and friends, and back into my own house, relying on primarily on self-care, with some pre-arranged "drop in" support for shopping, laundry and such. If it doesn't work out, I am apparently welcome to return to where I'm staying now, but I'm pretty eager to try getting back home.

Physical Therapy

I hate it.

Your Questions Answered

Most of the questions I've gotten about my posts have been via e-mail or phone call, rather than as responses posted to this blog. I'll try to answer some here:

When you said that it felt like there was a "big reluctant hunk of steel in your hip," did you mean that you could feel the hardware inside your leg? No. It feels like a normal hip, only a lot sorer.

What's the pain like? It gets more manageable every day, unlike before the operation, when it kept getting worse.

How much independence do you currently have? As of Day 6, I can do almost anything that anyone on crutches can do. Except clip my toenails, due to bending restrictions. This is a treat I've reserved for my grateful teenage daughter.

Can you drive a car yet? No. Not even close. The surgery was on my right hip, which is the brake/accelerator leg.

What is the hottest gossip in the hip replacement world? Check this out.

What is the worst hip replacement joke on the internet? This one.

What is the best hip replacement joke on the internet? There isn't one.

Did people really ask you those last three questions? No. I made them up, just to show off my web research on hip replacements.

You probably made up the other questions too, didn't you? No, I didn't.

Yes, you did, didn't you? No, I didn't, I swear! My friends asked them.

They're not really your friends, are they? Yes they are. Leave me alone.

You've just taken a really strong painkiller, haven't you? I'm very tired now. Need to rest...

Back From The Hospital

I had my operation on Monday, was discharged Wednesday afternoon, and today's Thursday. It feels...well, it feels like there is a continuing contest of wills between me and a big reluctant hunk of steel in my hip. And sometimes it feels like the hunk of steel is winning.

But I realize that it takes time, and we're only on day 4. I can get around with the aid of a walker, cane and crutches. I keep them stashed around various places in the house so I can get almost anywhere. And there are positives: I have a lot of hospital souvineers (if anyone wants a hospital-sized box of Kleenex or a never-used bedside urinal, please let me know -- in fact, if anyone knows why we even took these things, please let me know).

And my first outside-of-the-hospital meal? Pizza Hut, of course!

I feel I'm at about 50-60% right now, an improvement from when I was in the hospital and could barely understand the election results or the sad fate of the Redskins.

More to come...