Hip Replacement and Caregiving

Two weeks ago, Aloma had her second hip replacement.  I was a wreck, partly because her femur was shattered when her other hip was replaced, and she had no weight-bearing for two months and suffered excruciating pain.  I couldn’t bear the thought of something going wrong again.   I took her to the hospital at 6:00 a.m. but I was told that I couldn’t stay.  I didn’t see her until after 2:00 p.m.  That was hard. 

The good news is that the surgery went well, and while she has had a lot of pain, she is doing very well, already walking with just a cane.

Her caregiver started off tired.  I blame it on the second COVID injection rather than old age.  With a lot of duties, during the day and during the night, and watching her suffer, I was barely able to function.  But I started regaining my energy the second week, and I now feel better. 

I laugh at myself when I think of one thing that I did before the surgery.  I wrote a note for the surgeon and asked Aloma to give it to him.  I explained about her femur shattering during her first replacement and asked him to drill a big enough hole this time in the femur for the stem of the device to fit.  I thought he would be offended and ask to see my medical diploma.  But he told me he could not drill a larger hole because of the size of her bones, but he did use a device with a smaller stem.  That must have worked.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Goofing Off

 

I never thought that I would consider myself an expert on goofing off, but I do have some new insights

 We’ve spent a couple of months in a rented condo in Naples, Florida during the last four years. There, I have nothing to do except grocery shopping, which I complete by 8:00 a.m., and some cooking and cleaning.  I basically have nothing to do all day.  So I read, nap, take walks, and sit and daydream.  I actually got bored this past year, which was a good thing because I worked on my third book on the Turkey Grove series that I have neglected for over a year.

Now that we’re back home, I have a major list of things to do (and Aloma adds to the list daily).  I need to add an extension to the irrigation I system installed last year; the master bathroom cabinets should be painted since the work I did on the kitchen cabinets turned out so well; three boxes from our move six years ago that have never been opened (and we have no idea what’s in them) should be opened, categorized, and shelved or given away.  That’s just a sample of my to-do list.

Now that I’m home with an endless to-do list, to take time for a mid-morning cup of tea, to read for pleasure, or to take a quick nap is just wonderful.  If we go on an extended vacation again, I’m going to take a long to-do list so that I will totally enjoy doing nothing.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com