Pending Surgery

This morning, I had my pre-op appointment with Dr. Dahners to talk about my next hip surgery.  The appointment was uneventful, and the surgery is next week.  I have to admit I'm a little bit nervous.

I guess it's normal to get nervous whenever anybody cuts a huge hole in your body.  I got the impression today that they cut the bone out with a hammer and chisel, so that sounds violent.  I hope I'm not in too much pain afterwards.

I'm also apprehensive because after the surgery, I have to start doing therapy again.  I'm supposed to start working on advanced wheelchair skills, and things like floor transfers and driving a car.  I'm excited to try that stuff, but I'm also pretty sure it's going to put me on a timer to go back to work. 

My feelings about return to work are mixed.  I'm looking forward to getting back to a sense of normalcy, and I'm also really looking forward to the social aspect of it.  It would be nice to get out of the apartment on my own, and see friends and coworkers every day.

At the same time, I'm worried they might force me out there before I'm really ready.  If that were to happen, I might find myself in situations I don't know how to deal with, or I might find myself injuring myself just by spending too much time out of the house.

So that's what I'm thinking about right now.  I don't know if I have any reason to worry, but it's my nature.  Hopefully my fears are unfounded, and I'm worried about nothing.  The next step is just to worry about getting through the surgery.

In other news, I ordered a new mattress this week which should arrive tomorrow or the next day.  It should arrive tomorrow or Saturday, and I'm optimistic that it will be really comfortable.  So I'm really excited about that.  Hopefully it will help with some of my butt pain by relieving pressure when I sleep.

I also got to the wheelchair store this week to try out some different seat cushions.  I borrowed one that seems a lot better.  It's filled entirely with air, so it's very comfortable, but it's much harder to transfer onto and off of.  It's called a Roho, and I may have to get one.  I might use it temporarily until my butt feels better and then switch back.  I'm not sure yet, but it's nice to have options.

A Roho air cushion.