Elul 2014-5775
I am thankful for the blessing of good health at the start
of the New Year! My adventure started over
a year ago with some hip pain. Not quite ignoring the discomfort, I began Zumba
exercise dance classes in September 2013.
After all, my outdoor pool had just closed on Labor Day and one DOES
need to exercise. Surprising myself, I liked
the music, which I’ll admit is different from classic rock’n’roll and the
Grateful Dead which form the sound track for my life. Soon I needed to see the orthopedic doctor
again because the pain began to become alarming.
We needed to pin down the real problem which involved
navigating the healthcare system. I am thankful to have health insurance through
my employer. By November of 2014 I got
the official word on the results from the MRI—hip arthritis. It had progressed rather rapidly from a year earlier
when the x-ray showed not much of anything.
By this point I was looking for solutions to the mounting
discomfort. Temporary help came from a
cortisone injection into the joint which provided exactly five weeks of relief. No repeats of that relief were possible. By early February the words “hip replacement
surgery” were spoken. Oh my, this would take some getting used to. Zumba went
on hold for a while.
The months from February to May 2014 brought acute pain and
real disability. Driving my car resulted
in my not being able to stand up and walk when stepping out of the car. My leg from
knee to hip completely cramped up (to protect the deteriorating hip joint). I resorted to keeping a hard folding chair in
the back of my car. I would hobble to
the back of the car, take out the chair, sit down and shift around in an effort
to be able to stand up again and walk.
Usually it worked, but sometimes it did not. My colleagues at work began
to see me have trouble walking and sympathetically asked if I was OK.
By late February I scheduled the surgery. I probably should have scheduled it for
sooner but we had three happy occasions coming up in April and May which I
didn’t want to miss. The date was set for June 3 so that we could celebrate at
a cousin’s wedding in Austin; travel again to my uncle’s 90th
birthday in Ottawa-- at which he surprised everyone present including his
children by turning the already happy occasion into his wedding to his
long-time girlfriend; and celebrate with our son Jonathan and his fiancée
Alyssa at their engagement party.
At WalkMS in April, the fundraising and awareness project of
my team the Mitzvah Squad for the benefit of the National Multiple Sclerosis
Society there would be NO WAY I could walk the three mile route. I borrowed a
scooter from Aaron to cover the course.
I was worried about the upcoming surgery—no joke. I tend to be easygoing-- taking things as
they come. I’m a veteran of three
c-sections and gall bladder removal. But
this was BIG, and it involved rehabilitation and physical therapy as well as
the time off from work to accomplish these things. On the morning of my total hip replacement surgery
I couldn't walk and had to ask for a wheelchair half way down a long hallway.
My surgeon promised me that when I stood up from the surgery
I would not have the pain that plagued me for months leading up to the
repair. He is right. The recovery is
amazing and miraculous. He and his staff were helpful as were the physical
therapists in getting me through the adventure.
Prior to about 40 years ago, hip replacement was somewhat
experimental. Since the 1970s the techniques that are now in use were developed
and are quite successful. The first U.S.
hip replacements began only in 1940.
I got advice and encouragement from growing list of friends
who have either had joint replacement surgery or are close to someone who has
had it. Everyone spoke of the terrific
results and said they wished that they had done it sooner!
How fortunate I am to be living in 2014/5775 and to have
access to this repair. I often think about the devastating pain that all the
humans who have had the same problem as I suffered from in the history of
humanity until just 40 or so years ago. I think of the majority of humanity
today with no access to our amazing first world medical system.
Especially at this time of the New Year I do not take this
blessing for granted. I’m working on my
rehab with daily walking, swimming and physical therapy exercises. I am hugely grateful to have recovered from
this problem. I am thankful for my new beginning with my pain-free leg. I’m
even glad to return to my work and my regular routine after a well-timed early-summer
outdoor-pool-season rehab. I’m looking
forward to returning to those noisy fun Zumba classes.
Laura Cohen
No comments:
Post a Comment