It all happened so fast (7 weeks post op)

Tuesday afternoon, I was enjoying a lazy day outside with Isaiah. He was running about in the yard while I sat and read some Anita Blake on my Nook. Through the window I heard the phone ringing, and seconds later Mom walks out and hands me the phone. On the other line was my surgeons nurse, Pam. Let me start by saying how much I love this woman. She is so full of joy and so kind. So I get on the phone with her and she tells me that she knows that my surgery is scheduled for next month, but how would I like to get it done sooner...much sooner. I asked her when, and her reply was...Tuesday, like August 23rd. At that moment, I felt like I was in another world. I couldn't think, I could barely even talk. So I told her that I'd call her back in a bit, that I had some talking it over to do with the family. One of the hardest parts for me, was that that very same day is Isaiah's school open house for Kindergarten, and on Wednesday he starts school. So I would be missing my baby's first day of school. I think though, had this been his first time going to school at all, I would have probably not taken the sooner date. As it stands though, he already went to school last year for pre-k and he's absolutely ready to start Kindergarten. At one point during the conversation I asked him if he wanted me to go ahead and get the surgery done now and have to miss the beginning of school with him, or wait and get it done next month. His response, "I think you should get it done now so you can run and play with me again." I had to hold back the tears, because those few little words pulled on my heart strings something serious. That right there pretty much made up the decision for me, though there were a few other things to go over. In the end though, some 2 hours or so later, I called Ms. Pam back and left a message saying, "Let's do it." Bright and early the next morning the scheduling lady called me and it was all done with.

Yesterday we went up to Baltimore and I had my pre-op workup done, and also had my first visit with my surgeon after my 1st surgery. Everything went well, he wants me to walk as much as I can full weight on my new hip for the next few days before surgery to get it ready for Tuesday when I'm going to have to use it to carry my new leg. It's all so exciting!! I'm thrilled to be able to get this done nearly a month sooner than expected. I'll be reaching 8 weeks post-op and heading into the OR for another brand new hip! What milestones! So in another 6 or so weeks...I'll be posting a photo similar to the one below...but instead, with two brand new beautiful bionic hips.

Til next time!

Good guys finish...

...last? Hmmm....I don't know about that.

Btw - I would like to say, that I might just use some foul language in this blog, if you don't like that...stop reading now.

On a for real note, this phrase annoys the shit out of me. Like, seriously. I hate stereotypes and all that jazz. Does one really think it's because they are "nice" that they finish last? I don't. Most of the nice guys I've come across have more than just being nice in common. Please note that I said *most* and not *all*, so if you take offense to this, then maybe you should look in the mirror...if you don't, then this isn't for you.

Women don't want a man who is a pushover. We don't want someone who will do "whatever we want". We want a man who is going to stand up and make a decision, take a little control in a relationship. This doesn't mean you have to be a dick. Taking control doesn't mean that you have to treat a woman like shit, cheat on her, blah blah blah. It means that you are not a weak man who lets people run all over them. Guys have got this "nice guy" thing twisted. Of course we want someone nice, who will treat us well, but we don't want someone who will bow down to us, someone who will drop everything to do what we want, when we want. If you got something to do, go do it! If you have something you *want* to do, and we mention doing something else not knowing that...don't drop your other plans for us...go do what you were gonna do! Trust me, it's NOT going to hurt our feelings. Ok, maybe some females it will...but they're generally insecure in themselves and needy females as well. Which leads me to the next point...confidence.

In the same way, men find that the #1 attractive trait in a female...women feel the same way. You gotta have confidence in yourself. Again, that doesn't mean you have to be a cocky asshole, it just means you have to be secure in WHO YOU ARE. Most self-proclaimed "nice guys" are just the opposite of that. Yes, we all - men & women - have things here and there we don't like about ourselves, or things we'd like to change. In this case, you have two choices. Either shut up, stop complaining and change it, or learn to accept it and love yourself for who and what you are.

I'd also like to state, that this is not just in reference to relationships, it also goes for jobs and anything else you can find to relate it to.

So that's that. You don't finish last just for being "nice". There are 15,000 other reasons for finishing last. Take a good long look at yourself inside and find out what is really going on. Then maybe, just maybe, you'll end up finishing first.

Burn, baby burn!

I had a chat with my OS's nurse today. I've had a rough time with my bad hip since coming down off the Tylenol-3 meds. It's been hurting me something terrible, so we decided to go back to taking it regular until I stop taking the coumadin next Tuesday. I will be 6 weeks post-op that day, so I'm allowed to stop the blood thinners and can go back on my anti-inflammatory meds. I take naproxen, and that also thins the blood some, so I wasn't allowed to take it with the coumadin. Once I'm back on the naproxen, then I'll be able to get off the heavy meds more than likely.

I also asked her about my lovely compression stockings and she told me, "Girl! You can burn those things!" HAHA! I cracked up at that...and was so very happy that I'm done with them. I can't believe how fast these 6 weeks have flown by!

I haven't talked much about my little man lately tho, have I? Isaiah is doing really well. For just 5 years old, he has been SUCH a big help. Whenever I drop something, I don't even have to ask him to come help me get it. He'll hear it fall and comes running, "I got it!!!" he calls out. Such a great kid. I am so very proud of him. He does get a little antsy and cranky on days where I have a hard time staying awake and don't do much with him. However, on the days where we play board games together and watch movies and stuff, he's a dream child. So happy and loving, asking to snuggle while we watch the tv and such. Then there's kindergarten coming up! Both of us are excited and nervous for the same reasons. He loves school, and I love that he loves school and does so well. Plus, it will give me the chance to finally look for a full time job once I'm free from my restrictions post 2nd surgery. The part that makes him nervous and me sad, is how long he will be there. He'll be hopping on the bus around 8:30am every morning. School starts at 9:15am this year, because his school is being renovated and they will be having class in the annex buildings behind another elementary school. Also because of that, he won't be getting OUT of class until 4pm, which will put him home somewhere between 4:15 and 4:30. I feel like I won't get to hardly see him anymore! Once he gets home it'll be, homework, dinner, shower, bed, and throw in football practice a couple nights a week. :( We're definitely going to have to have special days on the weekends together!!!


So anyways, it's getting late and I haven't even had time today to play on all my Facebook games...wait, did I just say that out loud??? :::sigh::: Yea, yea, I'm one of THOSE geeks...lol. So off I go to farm, treasure hunt, and find hidden object! Toodle-oo!

5 weeks!

I can't believe that it's already been 5 weeks since my surgery!!! Time is seriously flying. Only 7 more weeks until my other replacement surgery, and I'm stoked! This next one should a breeze since I already know what to expect, and hopefully I can sneak out of the hospital and back home a day or two earlier than I did last time...lol. Or maybe I'll just stay in for the extra alone time...kidding!

I did the dishes today for the first time since I've been home. Yea, that chore hasn't changed much, stinks as much as it did then. Of course it was only like 5 dishes so it really wasn't that bad - haha!

For awhile there I was slacking on my exercises daily. I'd do a few of them but not all. The past couple days I've done much better. I've done the full set of them once a day, and then half sets a few other times in the day (the seated ones that is). Today tho, I'm going to get on it and get the full second set done later this evening.

Today is also a "test day" for me. I decided that it's time to get off the hard meds, and move on to the OTC ones. I asked Dad to pick up some regular Tylenol (ok, maybe extra strength, but you get the idea), so I can wean off of the Tylenol w/ Codeine that I was sent home with. So far today I haven't taken anything at all. I'm seeing how long I can go without any at all and so far so good. The last time I had any meds was last night before bed around 2am...yea yea, way too late but that's a whole different issue I'm working on. If anything though, I want to try and only take the OTC Tylenol during the day, and then take the prescription before bed, and then after a few days try the OTC before bed and see how it works out. We shall see!

Until next time my friends....

Not my typical postivity

(I feel like I'm going crazy...)
I'm so tired of my walker. I know it's all worth it in the end, but i'm tired of it. I'm tired of my arms hurting, and the shoulder/back/neck strain. I know that my doctor wants what is best for me. He's probably one of the best in the country. Last year he was President of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the years prior to that he was 1st President-Elect (which is next in line). He's the chairman of the ortho department at the University of Maryland Medical Center, as well as the head of the University of Maryland Medical School as well as a professor there. He gives lectures all around the country, even in China, South Africa, Australia, and other countries. He's also published who knows how many articles. He is a very cautious doctor, and I do respect that.

A new hippie friend of mine used a phrase I can completely relate to and that is I am "discouraged in a competitive way". Almost everyone I know that had surgery just days before me and even after me are using, canes or nothing at all. I'm extra pms emotional right now and want to cry every time I get up and have to grab the stupid walker, but it's whatever...gotta follow doctors orders I suppose. I have to keep doing this for another 2 weeks - maybe even 4 if I have to wait until I see him which sucks even more. :::sigh:::

Vroom! Vroom!

Yesterday was one of my twice weekly outings for physical therapy. She upped my sets, bringing me up to 4 sets of 10 for each of my exercises. I'll tell you one thing...it's TOUGH on the non-surgical leg. The muscles in the thigh and butt of that leg burn like they're on fire while I do my standing exercies for the new leg. I skipped electrotherapy though, cause we had Isaiah with us and had to go to the grocery store.

So off to the store we went. Mom keeps telling me that I need to use the electric cart, and I kept insisting that I would just walk. Yea...that didn't last. I caved in and ended up using it, and while I felt like an uber dweeb at first, by the end of the shopping trip I was having fun. Isaiah got to ride with me a bit and I got to chase him a couple times with it. :-X HAHA!

I feel like a puffer fish

Yesterday was a pretty great day. I got in more physical activity than I have since I had my hip surgery. I went out and did about 20 minutes of walking down the driveway and down the road a bit then back. Each trip took me around 4 minutes, and I think I took 5 trips. I took about a one minute break in between each trip - so was on my feet about 30 minutes total there. Then I decided to take the opportunity of being out there to spend some quality time with the kiddo. We played catch with the velcro mits and ball, then we lost the ball in the ivy - yikes! So we progressed to playing catch and practicing with the football. It was great to see such smiles on my little man's face as he had a great time with his mommy. I just can't wait until after my next surgery and I'm given the ok to be free. I'm going to just LOVE going out and doing things with him without having to say, "Maybe tomorrow honey, mommy hurts today." It's going to be simply amazing!

So back to yesterday! I spent about an hour on my feet. It was the first time I've truly been able to compare the pain in my bad hip, and the changes the new hip has made. All I have to say is, YAY! I had no joint pain at all in the new hip! The bad hip was a pain, literally. I could hardly put any pressure on it and walking on it was horrible. The only pains on the new hip side, wasn't even pain, just a dull muscular ache from working muscles that had been cut up during surgery. So, am I pleased with finally getting the surgery? You bet I am!! God makes things happen when they're supposed to happen...and I believe this was the perfect time for me. It gave me the first 5 years of my sons life to stay home with him. To be there for him and to raise him the best way I could. I'm so lucky to have amazing parents who've helped us out financially during this time, so that I could be there to take care of him in every other way. Now, he's going to be in Kindergarten full time from 9am until 4pm every day. And guess what that gives me??? The time needed to get a full time job, and start supporting us! Could I have worked like that prior to these surgeries? Not at all. Will I be able to now with shiny new hip? You bet I will! I won't lose any quality time with him, and will be able to get us the money we need, and also work on getting myself back in school. It's a super great feeling. :)

So, you might be thinking...why does she feel like a puffer fish? Well, yesterdays activity has cause me to swell up around my incision. Mostly the area between the incision and the tube drain holes. It's rather annoying and ice seems to make it puffier...blah. Hopefully it'll get better tomorrow. Of course, tomorrow I have physical therapy - lol! I'm definitely going to ask them what they suggest other than ice for these moments. Maybe heat will work better? Or maybe I need to see my surgeon and have it drained? It seems more like fluid, and I wonder will it disappear on it's own, or would i need to have it drained? I guess I'll know more tomorrow!!

Til next time my loves...