24th and 25th day of Recovery!

The 24th I didn’t do much. Stayed at home working on a drawing or laying down. I was still hurting from my trip Mon and Tue to CTC.

25th

I had my training this morning at Central Texas College. I forgot my medicine before leaving to go. So for three hours I was feeling uncomfortable. One thing I noticed would be for people who don’t have walkers with chairs, you need to get one. I could not sit in the normal chair that was in the classroom because it was too low. It was lower than most chairs. So, if you have crutches or have a walker with no chair, it would be a little uncomfortable at times. Needless to say, I sat in my walker’s chair the whole time. Thats all I did today besides working on a drawing at home. I was going to take a nap because I am so exhausted but I’ll just go to bed early instead.

23rd Day of Recovery!

My dinner today. I saw a picture of a similiar burger at Chiles on facebook. I was craving a burger forever. I feel like I’m in prison and I can’t go anywhere. I have been eating a lot of sandwiches and salads. Here is my break from it. My mom was kind enough to make it for me. Guacomole, grilled onions and Bell peppers. Jack cheese as well.

Nothing new today. My mobility is the same. Since I did so much on Mon and Tue, I’ve had to lay down a lot today because of it. Just feel more painful or sore. Its not horrible but its that day after working out feeling.

I have to go to a training class on Friday for my new job and that is it.

22nd day of Recovery!

I’m tired and stressed out and its been a long week, and its only started. I went to CTC again and got my staff ID card and Staff parking sticker. I also talked to my supervisor and she was not concerned about me using a walker at all. I mentioned it and said it was only temporary. She asked me how my surgery went since I did mention it to her during my interview previously. I told her, it went well. That is my hope and I can’t wait for my 6 week post op appointment and X-rays. I have to go to a Training class Friday from 8-11 am as well as take a online training class to get a certificate to give to her.

When the first week of school starts on the 14th, I will know my schedule then. The students have to request a notetaker and then my supervisor tells me where to go and who to meet. It like I’m a student for them. One thing I’m good at, is being a student.

My left arm hurt so much in the morning when I woke up. My left arm is my bad arm, that has a cartilage mass on it. Its from me walking around too much yesterday at CTC trying to pay for my classes and get my books. I started to write a poem about pain. I have two lines started.

3 Weeks Post-op Recovery!

I hit a bump in the road, but not in reference to my recovery. My second time out of the house was to go to my college, Central Texas College, to get my two books I need for the spring semester. I was expecting my full pell grant, like I normally have.

My financial aid for this semester was denied because I have too many credit hours. They said they sent me a email. Right…I never got one. I was expecting that for the next semester but I had been approved for this school year already. Apparantly, that doesn’t matter. Before the break, I had financial aid. I checked with the business office. I had to pay out of pocket for my classes. My last semester at CTC and I graduate this semester and they do this to me? They told me I have to go to a university to continue getting financial aid but they gave me no time to go this semester. I also am not ready to go to Texas A and M until the Fall. I want to graduate with my associates degree at CTC. I also had to spend forever in the bookstore line because I had to go to financial aid to find this out because the bookstore had no funds for me. Then I had to go to the business office to pay for my classes and by the time I got back to the bookstore, the line was throughout the whole bookstore. I got my books finally.

If my mom hadn’t paid for it, I would not be graduating this semester. Four classes and two books cost 1000 dollars. She is awesome. I had my walker and she went with me to the bookstore, financial aid and business office. I can’t drive yet. She stood in that long line with me too. We went at 7:30 and just got back now. More than three hours. I have 13 credit hours. I could have taken only 10 and I could have still graduated but my mom went ahead and paid for 13 anyway. I really want to take American Lit 1, even though I don’t need it now. When the financial aid lady told me this, the first thought in my head was that I couldn’t go to school and graduate.

I’m glad now that I got hired for this notetaker job at CTC. I hope nothing goes wrong with that because I really need it now. I thought too, that they dropped all my classes for not paying if I had no financial aid. Thankfully they didn’t drop the classes I had registered for before the break. If they had, I would have had so much trouble reregistering.

I actually did pretty well, walking with my walker. I got a lot of stares. I saw a friend from school and she said what happened to you? I almost ran over my friend’s little girl too. Then I noticed it was a friend from my class.

I have to go back to CTC at 4:30pm to get hired for my notetaker position at CTC.

Below is my picture all human again. First time I looked some what normal since the surgery. I think I have lost a lot of weight too.

My mom has been very supportive since my surgery. Today she took me to CTC to get my books but ended up having to spend more than three hours there. She has to take me to CTC tomorrow too, to get my CTC id card and CTC employee parking sticker, as well as talking to my supervisor. She has been patient and supportive of me at this time. Mothers are the best. I might forget that sometimes, but they will always be there when you need them. I am not able to drive and my mother will have to drive me to training days and work days at CTC until I can drive myself. Training at CTC is no joke. I have four classes I have to attend. I think it will be another month or two before I can drive. My mom waited for me as well while I was getting official at CTC. I’m am now an official CTC employee. Badge below.

20th Day of Recovery!

Nothing new really today. I didn’t sleep well last night so I didn’t get up until noon. I got up and ate and went back to sleep. My appetite is off. Nothing sounds appetizing. I wanted a salad for dinner and I normally hate salad.

I’m not constipated really but its can be hard to do a number 2 so I have been drinking prune juice and eating prunes.

Tomorrow is an important day. I start my notetaker job and I have to get my books at the college bookstore because financial aid will be available tomorrow. I only need two books. My spanish book I have already because I got it for Spanish 1 and the good thing is the online stuff and the book is good for THREE spanish classes. I should get much more financial aid money sent home to me in Feb. I have to be at the H.R. building at CTC at 4:30 to get officially hired. Give them my I.D.s and stuff. Hopefully they don’t say anything about me using a walker. The job doesn’t require anything but my hands really.

Here is a picture of my dog and I. She is using the walker’s handles as a headrest. Anything soft and she uses it. She is a chihuahua. A deer chihuahua.

My three legged chihuahua and I. That is my walker I’m sitting in.

19th day of Recovery

I’m having more groin pain. I haven’t been sleeping well. My leg hurts when its in one spot to long.

Since I didn’t sleep well I took a nap.
So, I was laying down because I was elevating my feet and the doorbell rings. Ok, I’ve gotten better at getting in and out of bed but I did it fairly quickly and when I got to the door I was nauseated. I was zooming with my walker. I opened the door, out of breath and the mail man took a look at me and I think he thought I was going to collapse. He saw I was using a walker. He had put the package down on the porch and he looked at me and was going to offer to hand it to me, but no I was not thinking and told him I’ll get it, don’t worry. Well, I managed to get it. Opening the door and going around the corner to grab the package is very hard to do with a walker and going backwards with the walker back into the house. The package was large but light and thankfully, I had a seat to put it on while I walked with the walker. My neighbor looked at me funny. I better get used to it because I still need the walker when school starts on the 14th. I’m also supposed to start a job Mon. Its a notetaker job and that requires my hands.

My bag that attaches to my walker came in the mail. I ordered it to use for school. Its not that big but its big enough for a couple of books.

Pictures below of my walker and the two bags attached. My walker, upgraded! I bought the pink bag that is attached to the side. My mom made the bag that attaches to the front that holds my drawing pad. I have a drawing 2 class that starts Jan. 14. I’m 3 weeks post op now but my mom will be taking me to school and its Mon and Wed only. Spanish 2 and Drawing 2 in class on those days. I’ll be using my walker. No stairs to worry about. I’m also taking two online classes. American Lit 1 and Intro to Physical Fit and Sport which is my replacement for an activity class.

My incision after I took off the steri strips. This past Wed, my staples were taken off and steri strips were put on for precaution. Those strips were causing my skin to go crazy so I took them off. It was almost a week. My tattoo disguises the scar, doesn’t it.

18th day of Recovery

Today was not a good day. A lot of groin pain. The longer I sit, groin pain comes. So I layed down a lot today.

The good note for today is that I will be getting snakes from Germany from my bestie stationed in Germany.

The steri strips are bothering me. Its itching around it. She put it their for percaution but its already healed.

Supposed to start a job Mon. and I hope I can do it. Its a notetaker job. Taking notes for people who can’t during class.

17th Day of Recovery

I woke up in pain. I elevated my feet last night and I guess I should not have stayed elevated the whole night. My back hurts and my leg hurts. My leg was stiff.

I got a call from the hospital this morning. Physical therapy now is too early, which I knew it was. I’ll find out more about if I’ll have physical therapy at my 6 week post-op appointment with the doctor.

Other than that their is nothing new.

16th Day of Recovery and 2 week Post-op Appointment

Today is the first day I slept in to about 10 am. Today I think is a good day. My 2 week Post-op appointment is today at 2:30. I’m about ready to get these staples out.

Another first, is I was able to get into the shower by myself. I got up and my mom was in the kitchen and didn’t notice. Its a tub and I have a shower chair. I used my walker and got into the seat and swung my legs over into the tub all by myself. After I got started showering, my mother came over and said how did you get in there by yourself? Why didn’t you call me? She still is concerned and thinks I should not do anything. I was able to cut my dog’s toe nails last night. Sitting down of course with her on my bathroom counter. Shes a chihuahua. My mom was upset I did that, but its good to be mobile and do things at this stage.

I can move my operated leg almost without me holding it. I still have to hold it, but not completely.

My mom added a cushion to my walker’s handles. I hope it helps. I will be using my walker and not my crutches. Today will be my first official day out of the house. I don’t count the first day home. I wonder how many people will stare at me using my walker? Below is a picture of me about to head out for my post-op appointment. My feet were too swollen for almost all my shoes. The only ones that fit are a pair of ugly brown crocs I have. I hope the swelling goes down before school starts on the 14th.

Above, are my hip X-rays taken a day after my RPAO surgery. I got these today when I went for my 2 week post-op appt. She took the staples out and everything is good. She is going to ask the doctor about physical therapy and I’ll find out about that. She told me I could use vitamen e on the incision later at about 6 weeks, after I see the doctor for my post-op then. For now, nothing on the incision. It actually hurt when she took the staples out. Mostly on the lower part of the incision. She put on steristrips and taped a bandage over it. The bandage is just supposed to stay on until I get home. I guess they can’t let patients leave without one. The steristrips will come off in a week. Just for precaution, they are there.

My left hip almost did not make the trip because its giving out of me because its holding all my weight. I made it though. I did not use a wheelchair at the hospital because I felt I could use my walker. People sure like to stare at a young person using a walker. I even had a lesbian couple say to me in the elevator that its hard, isn’t it. I told them, yes it is. I also told them, its better than crutches. They told me I was doing well at 2 weeks post-op. They were just curious. I can’t believe I got 5 pins. I was expecting 3 or 4.

15th day of Recovery on NEW YEARS!

My mom last night said to me at midnight, to become healthy for 2013. Don’t I wish I could become healthy and normal. My 2 week follow-up is tomorrow and I get the staples taken out.

I feel kind of crappy. Not fully crappy but just at the brink of crappy. I experimented with crushes yesterday to give my hands a break from the walker. Their normal under arm crutches but are not so hard on my hands. My carpel tunnel was killing me. This morning, I tried to use the crutches again and my underarms hurt so bad, I almost collapsed trying to use them. My left armpit is especially painful. Well, there goes my plan to use them. Someone mentioned getting crutches that attach to your forearms, but I can’t go out and get anything like that right now.

My mom had to pay for the shower chair which was 40 dollars and I’m not going to ask her to pay for anything else. My walker was paid by insurance but my insurance will not pay for anything new. I have a maximum allowed and I have used it all with this surgery. I’m just glad I was able to have this surgery done. I have a complicated insurance. My mom will be adding cushion to the crutches and walker and I hope it will help.

My left hip is getting weaker and giving out on me, because its a bad hip too, and I’ve been putting all my weight on it. I don’t think it can take much more but I have many more weeks to go before I can put weight on my right hip.