Recovery Musings

I am finally to the stage where I am JUST beginning to think that I did the right thing in getting this second hip replaced. For about the first month or so, I was thinking that I had lost my mind to do this again. 

During this experience, I learned that not all hips are created equal. For some reason, this one has been more painful than my first one 4 years ago. For once, I needed my pain meds for the entire first 2 weeks after surgery. Getting them was a saga best left for another post. 

I have a lot of awfully good friends. They brought me everything from green tea and chocolate, to an entire meal served with a checkered tablecloth, no less! Dietary tried their best to accommodate my food allergies, but the mystery meat mentioned in my previous post was not exactly a palate pleaser. 

After being allotted only two baths a week, I will never take my daily showers for granted again! One person was largely tasked with bathing all 86 residents twice a week. I can't even imagine. 

Certified Nursing Assistants are unbelievably underpaid! And most of mine ended up having up to 24 residents to take care of by themselves. This includes wheelchair-bound residents who have to be lifted into bed, residents who are incontinent, and even residents that fight them when these CNA's are trying to care for them. Minimum wage is just not enough. 

I was fortunate to get some wonderful CNA's. Even as stretched out as they were, most of them really tried to do their best for me. That included having to lift my legs on and off of the bed every time I had to get up for the first week, chase down things I dropped that were beyond the scope of my "grabber", and finding the med nurse when I needed my Percocet. 

My surgery was done with no external staples or stitches. This was a first for me and apparently, some of the nurses and therapists. On more than one occasion, I was asked to "drop trou" so that Dr. Futvoye's handiwork could be seen. After 11 surgeries, it is fortunate that I have little modesty left!

Physical and occupational therapists rock. That is all. 

This recovery has been a little slower than I remember. Of course, I am older. I have developed some other health issues since my last hip replacement. I wear out more quickly. I am still having some breathing issues and I have to stop and rest when I am doing much of anything. Hopefully, this will normalize soon. 

I am thankful that I have no more hips to replace. These babies better last me for the rest of my life.

I don't plan on doing this again! 

Mystery Meat

I have recently become reacquainted with a substance I have not voluntarily encountered since my school years. 

Mystery Meat 

I brought my own lunch in high school, so I had never really encountered mystery meat in all its gastronomic glory until I hit Hinds Junior College. Most of the patties were roughly the same size and shape, but some were beef, some were pork, and some were chicken. We had to ask just what flavor that particular generic looking patty was. Not that they tasted all that different from one another. One day we would have the original dry patty. The next day it might be covered with gravy, tomato sauce, and/or cheese, but was obviously a rehash of the previous days offering. 

Here at the nursing home, we have a generic burger patty. So far, it has been served with gravy, with cheese, with chopped tomatoes, etc over noodles, rice, or potatoes. These offerings take me back to college days. 

And when I get home, Lord willing, I’ll never eat mystery meat again!