Because I write my posts a week or two ahead of when they are published, you are usually a week to a month behind what I am doing when you read them.  But this week I wanted you to be up to date.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 8, I am having hip replacement surgery.  If you don’t know about the surgery, you probably haven’t talked to me in a long time.  It has been my main topic of conversation for a year.  I dislocated my left hip when John was born.  Over the years the left hip developed osteoarthritis and has been painful.  At first it manifested in not standing around very well.  The hip wouldn’t hurt when I was moving, but if I walked too slow, it was painful.

Over time, as the cartilage wore away, the hip became more painful.  I haven’t been able to hike long distances.  Last year, on our trip to Europe, I had several days where I couldn’t walk on it at all.  When we got back from Europe I made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.  He put me on Meloxicam and it really decreased the pain – for a while.  Dr. Miller told me that I was a candidate for hip replacement surgery whenever I was ready.

Because the Meloxicam took care of much of my pain, I decided to put off surgery.  Tom and I worked at Fort Frederica in the winter and then at Cumberland Gap this summer.  I went to see Dr. Miller again in April, thinking I could schedule the hip surgery at that time for September.  He told me he always scheduled surgeries within a couple of weeks of an appointment, so there wouldn’t be any problem scheduling me in September if I called in August.

Over the summer, my hip got much worse.  Gradually I went from being able to walk three miles at a time, to two miles, to one, and now I can barely walk 1/4 mile.  I don’t sleep well at night because of the pain.  I called Dr. Miller the first week of August, ready to schedule the surgery as soon as possible, even if it meant leaving Cumberland Gap early.  Previously, I had always been able to get in to the office within a week of calling.  This time, however, the scheduler told me Dr. Miller had taken over another doctor’s practice, as well as his own, and I couldn’t get in to see him until the last week of August.

When I went in at the end of August, I was given the first available surgery date:  October 8.  I was disappointed that it was so far away, but what choice did I have?  We did some more x-rays which showed that I was bone on bone in the left hip with bumps on the hip ball.  These bumps are caused by the bone wearing away after the cartilage was gone.  They cause clicking and sharp pain in addition to the chronic hip pain.  On top of the pain, my left hip is now shorter than my right hip, so I list to the left as I limp along.

I have tried to maintain a regular life without complaining.  But the limp is pretty noticeable and people ask about it.  One of the rangers at Cumberland Gap said it hurt her to watch me walk. I have needed a lot more help with things, such as lifting. I probably complain more about it than I think I do.  Tom has been incredibly patient with me.

I’ve always said that you aren’t ready to have surgery until it hurts so much that surgery seems like the best option.  I am there.  I have been there for several months now.  The post-operative pain can’t be greater than how much it hurts now.  I’m probably wrong about that.  I don’t have much scheduled for October because I am giving myself the month to begin healing.

The pre-op testing and registration is done.  Left hip replacement anterior incision tomorrow.  It is outpatient at Dublin Methodist.  I am ready.  And I will appreciate all the prayers that you might feel like lifting up.