More Legs

Tomorrow will be 7 weeks since I had the hip operation. It's been one of those "I can't believe it's been 7 weeks, but shit a lot has happened" periods.

They told me not to put more than 10kg weight on the operated leg for 6 weeks - but after 3 weeks of bloody crutches I gave that idea the flick. A couple of days I walked all the way into/out of the city - about 10km round trip - entirely on crutches but it just seemed absurd. About a week using a walking stick but then my hand started going numb so I mostly just hobbled around after that. After 5 weeks I got on the bicycle. At the 6 week mark I had a review and the surgeon was very pleased with my progress but I was miserable with the ongoing pain and news of lifelong movement restrictions. I'm seeing a physio on Monday so hopefully I can get a better idea of what they are, plus maybe some exercises and guidance on "overdoing it". So far the directions have been vague and pretty useless although the surgeon did say I could get on the bike again (which I had already obviously).

Mostly i'm just frustrated as fuck at this point. The pain is taking a long time to recede, it hurts to sit, it hurts to lie on my back or operated side - and well even the non-operated one. This is intefering with my sleep which was already shithouse. It hurts to sit playing playstation or drinking beer, it hurts afterwards if i ride too much, walk too much, stand too much. It's difficult and painful to tie my shoelaces or cut my nails. OTC painkillers don't really do much - hell even when I was in the hospital it took 20mg of oxycodone to do anything and they thought I was a junkie or something. As far as I know i'll never be able to sit cross-legged on the floor ever again - maybe that seems trivial but what am I suppose to do, carry a fucking chair everywhere I go? How do I do my go-to hamstring stretch when my back gets too stiff?

So i've been walking a lot anyway - it seems to help with the pain to some extent. At the 6 week mark I started back on situps and pushups - at least I can do those. Riding a bit when the weather is good.

But mostly i'm drinking way too much and with the lack of sleep being moody and sulky and feeling lonely and depressed - so pretty much like every other spring.

One of my main haunts closed down - arsehole landlord in dispute with his daughter even though the business was keeping things in the black. With 4 weeks notice for everyone it was pretty shit. I managed to make it to the closing even on crutches but it's left quite a hole in the community and a hole in my heart every time I walk past.

And one of my nephews was recently in an absolutely horrific car accident - ute rolled end on end and he was thrown 15 metres from the vehicle. By all measures he should be dead but somehow he's still physically alive but his brain ... well things are bad. His eyes open but nobody's home, he can't breathe or eat without tubes. I just hope his needless suffering isn't extended by his idiot father and stempother (they're "preppers") who think he needs to be kept alive at all costs and it turns into another Terri Schiavo indicdent. That's if the pneumonia doesn't do him in soon.