The Worst is Over

It has been one of the hardest months of our marriage but life is slowly returning to normal.  Bill's recovery from his right hip replacement surgery has been, to quote him, "Two weeks of hell." There were a couple of bright spots: first, one of the prescribed pain medicines caused short-term memory loss so at least he has forgotten part of it.  Secondly, the support of family and friends has been tremendous.

This is a textbook example of a total hip replacement.

This is the painful reality inside Bill's body. It has been screwed in.

Bill began physical therapy after he awoke from surgery the day before Thanksgiving and it continues three days a week.  This is the door to our local physical therapy center.  They know what the people entering will endure so words of encouragement have been painted on the walls.

This is on the wall in front of my chair as I watch Bill struggling. 

Don't be fooled by this picture.  Bill is hard at work doing exercises to strengthen his hip muscles. Notice his right foot.

Bending your foot up and down is easy; unless you just had your skeleton sawed in half and a new joint screwed in.

As his body heals, the rehabilitation becomes more difficult as weight and resistance are added.

We have the best physical therapy team in the world.  They teach him the exercises, explain which muscles are being strengthened and why it is important.  They are constantly patting his back as he works.

Here he is trying to do mini squats.

This exercise will enable him to once again cross his legs. 

Every day he has a little less pain and a few more improvements. Between the doctors and the physical therapists, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and for once, it isn't a train.  We are getting our lives back again.

The story of his surgery

Not Our Traditional Thanksgiving Celebration