Turkey season in Kansas opens on October 1st. I went out this morning to see about an archery deer, and also to see if any birds might be roosting along the creek bottom.
That last sentence seems pretty usual for me to write, but as Paul Harvey might have said, here is the "rest of the story".
The genetic potential for bad hip joints runs strong in my father's family tree. If he had been a dog set out to stud, no self respecting vet would have certified his hips for breeding.
12 years ago I had my right hip replaced. The surgeon told my wife that for my relatively young age, it was the worst osteoarthritis he had ever seen. About two years ago I noticed that my left hip was losing flexibility. Putting socks on and tying shoe laces was hard, and getting progressively harder. I'm happy to report that this time around the pain levels were not as significant as the first hip. For the better part of a year, if I was standing, nearly all my weight was born on the artificial hip side, and the bad hip used for balance. When I walked, it was easy to see that I was limping along as the range of motion on the left side was so limited.
Three and a half weeks ago, I scooted over onto the operating table and my orthopedic doctor set the robot in motion to cut out the bad bone/cartilage, and then placed titanium, porcelain and plastic components for a bionic hip. I was encouraged to place as much weight as I wanted from the get-go. Using a walker to get around, I noticed that this go round was very different than the first surgery. Getting in and out of bed was not immensely painful as it was in 2007. I could place as much weight as I would have before surgery with the same amount of discomfort before surgery. I never needed an narcotics as Mobic/Tylenol was keeping me quite comfortable.
I had scheduled myself out of my dental office for three full weeks, but found that my recovery was so much faster that I returned to the office to see a few patients the second week after surgery, those first couple of days still using the walker to get around safely. I quickly transitioned to a cane, and then ditched the cane as well once it became apparent that I was on the fast track to complete recovery.
This morning marks day 25 from surgery, so as a concession to my wife and wisdom, I walked into the dark woods with my crossbow on a sling and a cane in my hand as I ninja'd my way down the slope to the creek's edge. No turkeys were heard, no deer were seen, nor did I hear any muzzleloader shots going off in the wildlife area. All in all it was a fantastic day to be in the woods and marvel at nature.
Driving home this morning, my leg felt amazing, and after getting up out of the car, I walked into the house with almost no visible limp. Great thanks to Mrs. kansasdad who has been a fantastic nurse, to the medical folks who worked on me, and got my into healing mode quickly, and to the Great Physician who altogether have worked a miracle in my body.
That last sentence seems pretty usual for me to write, but as Paul Harvey might have said, here is the "rest of the story".
The genetic potential for bad hip joints runs strong in my father's family tree. If he had been a dog set out to stud, no self respecting vet would have certified his hips for breeding.
12 years ago I had my right hip replaced. The surgeon told my wife that for my relatively young age, it was the worst osteoarthritis he had ever seen. About two years ago I noticed that my left hip was losing flexibility. Putting socks on and tying shoe laces was hard, and getting progressively harder. I'm happy to report that this time around the pain levels were not as significant as the first hip. For the better part of a year, if I was standing, nearly all my weight was born on the artificial hip side, and the bad hip used for balance. When I walked, it was easy to see that I was limping along as the range of motion on the left side was so limited.
Three and a half weeks ago, I scooted over onto the operating table and my orthopedic doctor set the robot in motion to cut out the bad bone/cartilage, and then placed titanium, porcelain and plastic components for a bionic hip. I was encouraged to place as much weight as I wanted from the get-go. Using a walker to get around, I noticed that this go round was very different than the first surgery. Getting in and out of bed was not immensely painful as it was in 2007. I could place as much weight as I would have before surgery with the same amount of discomfort before surgery. I never needed an narcotics as Mobic/Tylenol was keeping me quite comfortable.
I had scheduled myself out of my dental office for three full weeks, but found that my recovery was so much faster that I returned to the office to see a few patients the second week after surgery, those first couple of days still using the walker to get around safely. I quickly transitioned to a cane, and then ditched the cane as well once it became apparent that I was on the fast track to complete recovery.
This morning marks day 25 from surgery, so as a concession to my wife and wisdom, I walked into the dark woods with my crossbow on a sling and a cane in my hand as I ninja'd my way down the slope to the creek's edge. No turkeys were heard, no deer were seen, nor did I hear any muzzleloader shots going off in the wildlife area. All in all it was a fantastic day to be in the woods and marvel at nature.
Driving home this morning, my leg felt amazing, and after getting up out of the car, I walked into the house with almost no visible limp. Great thanks to Mrs. kansasdad who has been a fantastic nurse, to the medical folks who worked on me, and got my into healing mode quickly, and to the Great Physician who altogether have worked a miracle in my body.
