The Best Valentine’s Day Present I Ever Gave Myself
A new hip!
“Guess what, y’all?”
“What, Grandma?”
“I’m getting the best Valentine’s Day present a Grandma could ever ask for … a new hip!”
They rolled their eyes and went back to playing on the X-box. Little did my grandkids know what this meant for the whole family!
I’d be mobile! To do a whole heck of a lot of things. For instance, go to the lake, on picnics, to the mall, the drive-in movies, and whatever else we could plan to do.
They probably don’t even remember the last time we did anything together as a family since I’ve been housebound for the last two years!
I’m so excited!
But what does getting a new hip entail? Will I be able to walk right away? Do I have to do physical therapy?
Let’s find out what this perfect gift of love means to me.
It all began a few years ago…
About two years ago, I noticed pain in my left hip. The kind of pain that catches you unaware. Like when stepping up on a curb took my breath away, and walking down the hallway caused intense radiating pain from my inner thigh out to my hip.
I’ve had osteoarthritis for the past 20 years in my hands, feet, and spine. But this pain was something new. So I went to my pain doc, who referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. I made an appointment with the ortho doc, and he ordered x-rays.
This is what happened when the X-rays came back:
“Ms. Walker, it’s bad, very bad. You’re bone on bone with spurs to boot! You need your hip replaced.”
“Yeah, that’s what it feels like-–somebody is kicking me with their boot!” I said.
“But, you need to lose 75 pounds before I can operate. You are obese and diabetic. Studies have shown that diabetics who are overweight are prone to get an infection after surgery. You could die.”
After One Year…
I lost 80 pounds and went back to my ortho surgeon. He told me he was proud of me and that only 1 in 1,000 accomplished what I did–-losing all that weight.
It felt really good!
I was prepped and ready to go into the operating room when the nurse gave me a piece of devastating news!
“Get dressed — we can’t do the surgery today,” she said.
“What? Why?”
The nurse informed me that my potassium was too low and they needed to reschedule. I have to say I kicked my feet numerous times under the hospital sheet and broke down crying.
I worked incredibly hard to lose weight, and now I can’t get the surgery. The doctor informed me I needed to maintain normal potassium levels for 30 days and schedule a follow-up appointment.
But before I go on, I had to ask the question:
How common is hip surgery?
Approximately 450,000 hip replacements are done annually in the United States. Given our aging population, this number will continue to grow. According to the American College of Rheumatology:
Joint replacement surgery is typically recommended for patients with advanced end-stage joint disease such as osteoarthritis (usually of the knee or the hip) who have tried non-surgical treatment but still experience functional decline and disabling pain.
Yep, that’s me!
The doc told me I have end-stage arthritis of the hip, and it needs to come out. Otherwise, I’d be bedridden. That is a correct assessment because when I can’t stand or sit, I retreat to my bed. At times, it’s from morning to night. Thank goodness I can write, edit, and run my publication sitting up in my adjustable bed. I love you, Tempur-Pedic!
Back to the canceled surgery…
The pain and disappointment of my cancellation caused me to enter a deep depression. Here I prepared myself physically and emotionally for an entire year, only to be told I couldn’t have the surgery.
It was devastating…and all because of the potassium deficiency. And I didn’t even know why potassium matters so much.
What’s potassium, and what’s it good for?
I pulled up my back issues of JAMA and went to work. From there, I included anything I could find from reputable sources. I discovered that potassium is an electrolyte macro-mineral that carries an electric charge when dissolved in a liquid like blood.
Your body needs potassium for everything, including proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission.
It helps regulate nerve and muscle function and maintains the pH levels and water balance in the cells of your body. This must be maintained in a normal range for the body to function.
The normal range for potassium is 3.5 to 5.2 meg/L. Mine was 2.5, almost at the bar's low end.
Okay. Now I’m not so angry at the doc. He canceled the surgery to save my life. Since all of my preceding info happened almost four months ago, what now?
The best Valentine’s Day present ever.
My new surgery date is February 14th. I didn’t plan to have it on this date–the hospital scheduler did that for me. Even though I can’t eat any Valentine's candy the morning of the surgery, maybe my husband will bring me the biggest heart to the hospital.
I’ll betcha he’ll have it hidden in the car and give it to me later. The other day at Walmart, I picked out the box I wanted–a beautiful tin-shaped heart with Dove chocolates.
Woo-Hoo!
It’s finally gonna happen!
I’ll go to a physical rehab facility for about ten days, learning how to walk bit by bit. But what’s preventing me from going home right away? Due to my osteoarthritis, my mobility has been restricted for a decade, so I must relearn things like how to walk and exercise properly.
As I anticipate my surgery on February 14th, I have a sense of hope and renewal. While the road to recovery will be challenging, my heart is filled with excitement at the prospect of regaining mobility and enjoying activities with my family once again!
I’ll not be jumping up and down for joy, but I hope to take a stroll down the sidewalk until I build my muscles and stamina. Who knows? Maybe this gift of love is the best Valentine’s Day present I ever gave myself!
Debbie Walker is a great-grandmother, writer, blogger, and the creator of Middle-Pause & Forward Motion, the podcast STOMP!, and has published a 3-book anthology of Middle-Pause writers. Top Writer in Food. Stay in touch at [email protected]; follow her on Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; & listen to STOMP!