It's been quite a while since my last post. I admit there was too much going on for me to be able to write about it all until now. After my July 30, 2020 surgery to revise my right hip, I dislocated that hip on August 10, 2020 as I was getting ready for bed. I was not doing anything heroic or risky—just standing there and the next thing I knew I was in more pain than I have ever experienced.  And I mean that literally.  Childbirth was no walk in the park, but there were breaks in between contractions.  Not the case when your femur head comes of its socket.  

It landed me at St John’s Hospital as an inpatient after 8 hours in the emergency room.  A day later I was discharged at 6AM in a wheelchair with a walker. That outrageously early hour was because Klaudia arrived to drive me to Mayo to see the surgeon at 8AM.  He looked at the images, noted that there was tissue in between the ball and liner and said “Walk on it, for the next two weeks, despite the pain, and then we’ll get another xray. Weight bearing may help push the tissue out.”  

Two weeks later, I was driven to Mayo Square in MPLS for the Xray, with a plan to discuss it with him via a telehealth appointment the following morning.  Turned out we had more than that to discuss since the hip dislocated again that night.  This time I ended up as an inpatient at United Hospital for 4 days after 6 hours in that ER. 

I discharged from there on a Friday, spent one night at Barb’s where I had been staying since July. Due to the pain and the trauma from the two dislocations, I was not really able to manage much of anything on my own and still could barely get around even with a walker. The next day, my housemate’s family helped move my belongings from Barb’s, to my new apartment in Hugo.  Klaudia had already supervised a move of my furniture and boxes that had been left at my MPLS apartment so all my stuff was finally in Hugo.  Unpacking had to wait as I was really unable to physiucally deal with it. 

I slept in Hugo two nights before heading down to Mayo for the second revision on August 31, 2020, a surgerythat was unavoidable due to the frequent dislocations. This surgery included replacing not just the liner and ball, but also the socket, which had been embedded in bone for 13 years.  I now have a dual articulating ball system on that right side. The post-operative restriction included one month of touch-toe weightbearing which meant a walker. 

I remained inpatient at Mayo for 8 days as they searched for a rehab bed for me so I could have support while I did physical therapy and occupational therapy to learn to do as much as I could on one leg.  Because that span included the Labor Day w/e, it was longer than they anticipated. Finally, on Tuesday after Labor Day they informed me a facility in Stillwater had accepted me. 

I arrived at the Estates at Linden on Wednesday afternoon and learned that due to Covid regulations, I would be quarantined in my room (without a shower) for 14 days.  The supposed PT and OT that I was being transferred there to receive would not really happen til I was out of quarantine.  The next morning, before I really had a chance to even process the information about the impact of the quarantine, the financial person arrived to inform me that they had made a mistake and my insurance did not include rehab benefits so my stay was self-pay.  

To say that the news was a lot to absorb would be an understatement.  The next 48 hours included constant dialogue with the finance person and the social worker as we worked to put in place a safe plan for transition home.  It involved home OT & PT, which was covered by insurance.  I had already learned last February that I had no PCA benefits so this homecare plan had to include self-pay home health aides daily. 

The discharge to home occurred on September 12, 2020.  The first week I cried daily, not just from pain but from frustration and stress.  As the weeks unfolded, I stabilized a bit each day.  Last week I transferred from the walker to crutches when the touch-toe weightbearing restriction was lifted. Last Thursday, I transitioned from home physical therapy to outpatient PT. 

I get around now with one crutch, sometimes for short periods without any crutches but usually only inside.  Without a crutch I still favor the right leg due to pain and weakness.  They tell me it will take a while. It's a slow process.  The isolation of being home without access to much socialization due to Covid continues to be a challenges - not just for me, I know  but for many in our world. I am beginning to try to walk outside, since the beautiful weather is hard to resist. I drove yesterday for about 5 minutes to see if I could get myself to the PT appointment that is about a mile away.  Right now I still pay private help to drive me to appointments and to do all the things around the house that I cannot yet do independently (like meal prep), so every task I can tackle on my own is a victory!

It’s been quite a journey.  You may wonder, “what about surgery on the other hip?”  I cannot even think about that now.  I have had labs drawn (results not back yet) to see where the cobalt and chromium levels are, but even if they are rising (which might mean they are leeching more from the left prosthesis than the old one that was removed from the right) I cannot handle another surgery yet.  The underlying central nervous system and musculoskeletal issues (twisting and misalignment) that I have been grappling with for two years now have not disappeared.  I am trying to catch my breath and figure out next steps.  For now, it’s one day at a time.