Update on Recovery from Hip Surgery

I saw the surgeon today. He x-rayed the new hip and I saw the prosthesis on the x-ray. There were two giant screws going from the prosthesis into my pelvic bone (I think the pelvis is connected to the hip - I can't seem to remember the song). Kind of weird knowing that the artificial replacement part and some big screws are inside of my body! He did not use any cement to insert the prosthesis - apparently that is a good thing. The surgeon was very pleased with his work and my recovery so far. My recovery is right on track and his only comment is that I need to wean completely off of walking with any support (crutches and/or walker) shortly. He feels that the operated leg is now strong enough to be completely weight bearing and with a little more physical therapy, I should be walking just fine. Oh - one thing of concern - he does not recommend that I do the hokey pokey anytime soon! I must still adhere to the "hip restrictions" (pillow while sleeping and 90 degree sitting position and not bending, twisting, etc.), but can move about a bit more freely. No driving though (boo hoo - I paid so much to get my license back and still can't drive!). I will now graduate to out-patient physical therapy starting next week. Out-patient physical therapy is a good thing because my mom totally dislikes the home physical therapist and complains about her for hours after she leaves the house, but not a good thing because I will be back to paying all those $30.00 co-pays each week! Just can't win with all this health care stuff!

As for the other hip - the surgeon will monitor it over the next few months and make a determination about any surgery and/or treatments at a later date. Good thing - because the pain and inconvenience of this surgery is still too fresh in my mind to even contemplate doing it all over again!!! :)

Thanks to everyone for all of their support during this recovery!