Hip, Hip, Hooray!

So, I went to the orthopedic surgeon this morning - he said, "Here, take this one pill and it should eliminate all your hip pain."

Yeah, I'm kidding.  I'm a kidder.  He looked at my X-rays and started a conversation to ease me into how my life will be better after hip surgery.  It has been a long time since I practiced medicine, but it didn't take a medical license to see that the cartilage is gone and the ball on that hip ball and socket hasn't been round in quite a while.  "That must be giving you a lot of pain."

Hey, this guy is good!

He was very thorough and went over the 4 things that would indicate a hip replacement is necessary... being the over-achiever I am, I got 4 out of 4.  My main question: "How soon can you do this?"  Followed by: "What is the recovery time?"

He is booked just over a month out, and I have to have a thorough physical by an Internist to "clear" me for surgery.  The small town that we live in is a bit on the thin side for medical care.  He recommended a doctor (his doctor), "If he is taking new patients."  One of the office folks in his office called this other doctor and made arrangements for us to go to their office to start a whole new batch of paperwork.

Regarding the recovery time: the surgeon gave a major wince when I mentioned that I will be anxious to get some summer riding in on our scoots.  Seems that he worked in an emergency room and saw the aftermath of plenty of motorcycle accidents.  I know when to keep my mouth shut.

The recovery time to "walking without the assistance of a walker, crutches, or a cane is about 6 weeks for most people.  Depending on how your physical therapy goes, it could be more or less."  Non-committal, but again: over-achiever.  He said they would have me up and walking on it the same day as the surgery... the new hip can support my weight right away, it will just take time to get a range of motion and balance.  (and no twisting... like we did last summer)  Expect some pain... I've been living with that for way too long.  I'll try some "new pain," if there's a chance it will diminish.

So, the wheels are in motion.  I have an appointment next week with the Internist and a tentative surgery date next month.  I just want to get that X-ray image out of my head.

The booklet (with drawings that look like something out of "Dick & Joan)...

The device that goes in when they chop the bone off...

I'll never get through airport security again, without a pat down.

On the ride home, while discussing that X-ray, Joan said, "If you were a horse, we'd put you down."