A dozen days after surgery, and every morning, I chuckle when I find myself moving a little better than I did the day before. I think I expected the trajectory of recovery to be somewhat flatter than what it has been, so every speck of progress I notice feels like Christmas. My PT told me I could get around without using the cane a little bit around the house, and that's been awesome. I carry the cane with me and use it as soon as my gait starts getting a little wonky.
One of the most helpful tidbits a fellow new hipper shared with me was that for a while after surgery, your surgical side will feel (or will actually be) longer than the other side. I'm so glad she told me that because it prevented a full blown panic attack thinking the surgeon messed up. She said eventually the hip settles in and you even out again. I'm really looking forward to that, as I don't enjoy the little bit of a waddle I have going on right now.
My heartrate and blood pressure have been high when the PT has come and taken my vitals, and since that's not my norm, I'm hoping it's just part of the process of recovering from anesthesia and surgery. But I did notice a low grade headache I've had this past week or so, and since I'm definitely not dehydrated, I don't feel stressed, and I'm taking Tylenol around the clock, I'm thinking it's from the elevated blood pressure. I asked Dr. Google what they thought about post-surgical blood pressure changes, and I came across an article about regular use of Tylenol causing high blood pressure in people with hypertension.
Now I don't have hypertension, but it got me wondering if maybe all the Tylenol is contributing to my elevated blood pressure. Since I have very little pain, I stopped taking the Tylenol during the day and only take it at bedtime. I've had no issues with pain without it, and I no longer have a headache. My watch says my resting heartrate is still around 90, and when I took my own blood pressure this morning it was still high, so my Tylenol experiment might be a bust. The BP isn't high enough to need immediate medical attention, but if it continues after the next several weeks, I'll bring it up with my primary care doc when I see them in May.
On an excellent note, I've slept a little better the past few nights. The verdict is out on whether that's because Ryan has been away, but we'll find out tonight when he gets back. I still wake up after 3-4 hours and have some trouble going back to sleep, but that second half of the night is much more restful once I do fall back asleep. I'm not as generally uncomfortable lying on my back, and while I'm relieved that's the case, I still can't wait for the day I can sleep on my stomach again.
I was lucky enough to have Dayna come down from New York to hang with me for a long weekend. It allowed my family to take a break from waiting on me hand and foot and get out of town for a few days, and it allowed me to just be. I spent about three full days not wondering if I was being needy and annoying and also not worrying about anyone else's needs. We ate chips and salsa for dinner. We woke up when we woke up. We sat on the couch and drank coffee. We played scrabble in the sunshine. We watched the Eras Tour. We talked, uncensored and uninterrupted. It was truly delightful.
My family returns today, Ryan will go back to work tomorrow, and my kids will be home all week for spring break. I think my challenge will be finding a good balance between letting them come and go as they please while also making sure my needs are met. I'm getting around better for sure, but I'm still lacking the strength and stamina to do it all, all day. Wish me luck.
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