It’s been exactly one week and one day since I’ve had my spur of the
moment bilateral hip replacement. I call it “spur of the moment” because
everything happened so quickly! It all started on January 17th while sitting in the doctor’s office with my parents and Michael. After Dr. Alexiades
came to the conclusion that I needed a bilateral hip replacement, he
told us he would probably be booked until May or June to do my
procedure; unless of course there were cancellations... After hearing
that I said a quick prayer in my head as we waited in his assistant’s
office to schedule my surgery date. She told me there had been some
cancellations and then asked me how soon I wanted it done and I was
like, “as soon as possible!” So after a little waiting and plenty of
praying, she asked me, “how about on Monday?” and I said “yes” without
hesitation. Monday was only four days away and I would be lying if I
said I wasn’t nervous, it was my first serious surgery after all. But I
was calmed after hearing rave reviews about The Hospital for Special
Surgeries and the overwhelming flow of prayers I had been receiving.
God revealed His mercy to me and it couldn't have worked out better,
after the surgery I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off
shoulders, or in my case both of my hips.
At the moment, my pain
is at bay and I’m feeling pretty great considering I had both of my hips
replaced. In fact, I should be off my crutches by next week and
switching to a cane for another couple of weeks which is exciting
progress. The swelling on my thighs, butt (oh my word was it huge…) and
pelvis went down significantly! I can finally tell that I’m standing and
walking without a wobbling, and notice that my legs are now even.
Unfortunately I think the only thing compromising the pace of my
recovery is the Coumadin I have to take on a daily basis; which is a
blood thinner which prevents blood clots but like anything else it has
its side effects. It makes my skin very vulnerable and more susceptible
to cuts and bruises. For example I’ve noticed a heck of a lot of bruises
on my knees, calves and inner and outer thighs, making it uncomfortable
for me to sleep. But I’ve been sleeping on my back and with fewer
blankets on me which is different, but very helpful at the same time! I
also have to limit eating too much vitamin K which is the antidote of
Coumadin. So this means I must go easy on the kale for the next three
weeks. Wah!
Aside from getting random bruises on my legs and a
little swelling, I’d say I should be ready to roam about unassisted, by
my next follow up visit on February 21st. I’m so thrilled to
be able to be active again, and enjoy being 20 years old without
experiencing arthritic pain and always feeling fatigued. Most
importantly be able to do the merengue at my grandmothers 80th birthday party in April, oh it’s going to be a whole new world for me! A la Aladdin. In
other words my life is going to change a lot this year in more ways
than one! Now I am going to enjoy some reading followed by a nap, I
promise to continue keeping everyone posted on my recovery status.
Peace!
-Jessica
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