Slammin'SAM
Never a flatbelly
Just over 2 years after I first started having hip problems, the deed is done! Last Tuesday I had THR (Total Hip Replacement) surgery and finally took the big step toward getting my life back. Part of that life will be golf, I hope, as I have not played golf since about Labor Day 2012.
It took so long to get the THR. I was unemployed after my job of 34 years ended at the end of 2011, when I had the twinges from the right hip. What I thought was a pulled groin muscle for months, finally flared up so badly in June 2012 that I went to the doctor, who diagnosed the badly arthritic hip. That same month I began a new job, so I started building leave time to get the THR. In January 2013 I got referred to an orthopedic doctor, who brought the anterior approach THR to this area. I was confident I had found the right surgeon, and hoped to hold out to the fall to have minimally enough leave time to do it. Fall finally came, but a trip to the dentist found gingivitis lurking in my gums, and I had to go through more months of cleanings and two oral procedures, when at last in mid-May I got the all-clear. Then it was just a matter of getting the hip surgery scheduled - and by not taking a single minute off in my first two years on my job, I had built nearly 8 weeks of sick and vacation leave.
The surgery was a breeze, and I was discharged the following day. Surgery was Tuesday, and today (Saturday) I can walk unaided already, though I will mostly use my walker for safety. I expect to graduate to my cane within days, and I don't see any way I will miss more than 3 weeks of work.
Golf is down the road. I made the decision when I stopped golf that I would not return until I was completely healed and walking at full normalcy and strength. The thought of returning to the game is a powerful motivator for me to rehab this leg. I have to say since I quit playing I missed golf far less than I imagined I would, but the idea of returning is enthralling. I will post more on that when the time gets near.
It took so long to get the THR. I was unemployed after my job of 34 years ended at the end of 2011, when I had the twinges from the right hip. What I thought was a pulled groin muscle for months, finally flared up so badly in June 2012 that I went to the doctor, who diagnosed the badly arthritic hip. That same month I began a new job, so I started building leave time to get the THR. In January 2013 I got referred to an orthopedic doctor, who brought the anterior approach THR to this area. I was confident I had found the right surgeon, and hoped to hold out to the fall to have minimally enough leave time to do it. Fall finally came, but a trip to the dentist found gingivitis lurking in my gums, and I had to go through more months of cleanings and two oral procedures, when at last in mid-May I got the all-clear. Then it was just a matter of getting the hip surgery scheduled - and by not taking a single minute off in my first two years on my job, I had built nearly 8 weeks of sick and vacation leave.
The surgery was a breeze, and I was discharged the following day. Surgery was Tuesday, and today (Saturday) I can walk unaided already, though I will mostly use my walker for safety. I expect to graduate to my cane within days, and I don't see any way I will miss more than 3 weeks of work.
Golf is down the road. I made the decision when I stopped golf that I would not return until I was completely healed and walking at full normalcy and strength. The thought of returning to the game is a powerful motivator for me to rehab this leg. I have to say since I quit playing I missed golf far less than I imagined I would, but the idea of returning is enthralling. I will post more on that when the time gets near.
