Ouch

 36 hours of peaceful coexistence with the hip has ended. #SighWelcomeBack

That's a lot of $$ in 1976

I gave it to the last minute, but with the hip acting up for the last 36 hrs I called into work. I came within a hair's breadth of skipping Marquette too, but went, learned nothing that wasn't covered in the reading, and was worse for the wear. Now comes the inevitable guilt that accompanies a call-in. My mind is a strange place.

And get this: 

In 1976 my Professor was earning $75K/yr in practice, and left to teach at Marquette for $12K a year. Yikes.

A Hip Update

I did too much walking Monday. The hip forced me to bed before ten, and got me up by 4:30. Still, it's definitely on the mend.

That'll be My Luck LOL

 #FutureDanPost

Contracted: Phase II

Rough morning with the hip. It wasn't helped by watching this pitiful, pointless excuse of a sequel.

A Milestone of Sorts

I was cleared to go down to a cane yesterday, although the hip was bad enough that I stuck with the crutch overnight. This morning, a milestone: I dropped the van off at the shop and purposely didn't call Lisa for a ride, choosing to walk home the block and a half instead. It's the longest continuous walk since the surgery. The hip didn't feel so good, but man o man was it good for the morale.

Update: Using the cane is exhausting, and not comfortable. :(

My Day

Yeah, I overdid it with the hip today. I don't think it was the short walk, but rather the overall impact of the first active day on the cane. It's nowhere near as comfortable or supportive as the crutch, and by the time I finished at Marquette I was wiped out. I'm back on the cooling machine for the first time in a few weeks. But I think it's just a bump in the road. Overall I'm getting much better.

TV Time with LuLu

Watching Kitchen Nightmares with Lulu. "Finn McCools" :)

And: Yesterday at work, a miracle: for almost two hours the pain was gone. Not just the awful stuff that comes and goes, but the constant ache that's kept me company for a year. Oh, it came back alright, but those two hours were a beaut. #GoodSign

Back to the Grind

 I started classes at Marquette yesterday, and went back to work. School went fine, work not so much. Spending 8 hours on an office chair older than some of my kids did the hip no favors. Yes, I was told I can get up and stretch if need be, but that doesn't quite do the trick. It's going to be an adventure - and to quote Louis L'amour, adventure is just another word for trouble.

Da Day

Just dealt with an openly rude customer service rep from DirecTV. Lisa do not let me forget to complain about her on Monday

Anyway, after a nice, largely pain free day I had to climb out of bed and take a painkiller. Waiting for it to kick in before trying to zzzz again.

And Listen up Social Media! Green Bay Packers B.J. Raji on #Flipgate, complaints about the OT rules, etc: "That's sucker stuff, man. We lost the game. We should've won."

My Hip

After two real good days with the hip, it's nothing but a world of pain this morning. Lisa keeps saying my expectations were too high, and that I'm doing great, but right now I'm in a woe is me/all is lost kind of mood. I'm sure I'm pleasant company.

A Brutal Night

Brutal night with the hip, the start of which coincided with a trip to Office Max for supplies for YaYa's portfolio. If you think the veneer of civilization was thin in Lord of the Flies, you should have heard my response to a sales clerk who merrily suggested I hobble to three different aisles and thus save her the trouble of knowing her own store's layout.

A Hip Setback

I'm back on crutches, having been scolded by the physical therapist for jumping to a cane too early. Truth be told, it is easier on the hip this way. But as a compromise, he said it'd be OK if I just used one crutch.

A Good Idea of Mine

There should be - if there aren't already - temporary handicap parking permits. The walk from the busy parking structure to the doctor's office just about destroyed me.

A Full Day

I drove yesterday, for the first time since the surgery, taking Smiley to my childhood stomping grounds at Collector's Edge Comics, where he picked up a few Teen Titans and Robin titles. In the dollar bin I scored issue #1 of "All-Star Squadron", a lifelong favorite, & the first issue of "Night Force", a very well written title by the legendary Marv Wolfman. I promise Lisa, I won't buy anything if Parker wants to go again, but I won't turn down a boy that wants to read comic books. BTW, he wanted to spend his own  money to buy a MLP graphic novel for LK, but I vetoed it as too generous.

As for the hip, it was a rough day, but I don't think driving had anything to do with it. It's very warm to the touch, but a quick internet check revealed that to be normal. The pain was markedly worse than it has been, but I consider myself comfortably on track - it's just a longer road than I originally estimated

Late in the evening, after Lisa took GC to a competitive swim program, the two of us went to the grocery store. Once again, I was reduced to riding around in one of those blasted scooters, this time with my crutches balanced awkwardly on my lap. (other stores have scooters with crutch holders in the back). "Here, let me carry the crutches," Lisa said. 

"Hell no," I said. "These are all that keep people from thinking I'm just a fat, lazy bum."

I loathe those scooters, but I'll admit, they are a blessing..

Citrus Bowl

Strapped into the cooling machine. In other news, this may be the only time I cheer on Michigan. #Big10

Yesterday

Yesterday was a long day, courtesy of the hip, but it was made better by some good kids (yes, even LK), a meatloaf dinner courtesy of JJ, and a marathon of Hoarders with Lisa while I let the stretching machine do its business. #blessed

Suprise!

Just in case I haven't mentioned it, my hip hurts. #ContainYourAstonishment

I'm Home

I got home from the hospital only an hour ago. What a long day. Recovery didn't go smoothly, although I remember little of it. The doc told Lisa how the surgery itself went, and her impression was not optimistic, but I'll relay more info after the follow-up. Right now I'm sore and tired and a little high, and more than a little irritated that I'm -for the moment - not very independent.

A Surgery Update

My (rescheduled) surgery is tomorrow, and unlike last week when I was apprehensive, I just want the dang thing over and done. I'm sick of the pain, and resent the extra week I've had to wait.