My busiest week yet! Between a couple doctor’s appointments and lots of lovely visitors, Week 4 absolutely flew by.
Monday
No visitors or doctor’s appointments today. I spent the day getting some work done on the computer. Keeping my mind occupied and doing small, productive things for my Sister Home Systems organizing business has been a really helpful outlet during recovery.
I’m also starting to plan out a hiking project for after recovery. I can’t wait to share more about that when the time comes!
Tuesday
As mentioned in last week’s post, I developed a very irritating skin infection a couple weeks post-op. The urgent care doctor wanted me to follow up with an appointment at my primary care doctor’s office.
So we ventured out to a very crowded waiting room and then had a very long crutching walk back to the exam room. Sitting in the chair became pretty uncomfortable after waiting for about 30 minutes. The doctor said treatment for the rash is working and no new medication was needed.
I was very happy to be back home after the whole ordeal.
Thankfully we didn’t seem to catch any viruses from that germ-filled waiting area — getting sick right now would be extra not fun. Even though the experience wiped me out, it made relaxing in my recliner for the rest of the day feel especially nice.
Wednesday
My first physical therapy appointment!
This felt like a big milestone and also marked the halfway point to my six-week appointment, where I’ll hopefully get the all clear to start putting weight on my leg.
My physical therapist was very pleased with how well I was moving, and he said the hip itself was moving great too. He gave me a few simple exercises to work on at home and also cleared me to start doing seated arm exercises.
Overall it was a very positive and hopeful visit.
Before PT, my sister and I also had some time to visit and do a little work and brainstorming for our business.
Thursday
One positive that came out of the pandemic is the availability of virtual visits for so many types of medical care.
I’ve been seeing a counselor for about six months now, and thanks to Zoom I’ve been able to maintain our twice-a-month meetings while recovering.
After my counseling session, a friend came by to visit. The rest of the day was pretty normal — hanging out with my kids, eating dinner together, and just enjoying being home.
Friday
Being dependent on everyone else for nearly everything is starting to get very old at this point.
So I decided I wanted to attempt showering on my own.
With the help of Gretchen (my trusty walker) and my shower chair, I was able to get myself in and out of the shower without any assistance. I even managed to get myself dressed for the day!
In the afternoon I had another visitor. I have really loved having people come see me, but by the end of the week I was definitely feeling tired and a little foggy.
You can make fun of me for this… but I spent the rest of the evening playing The Sims. I hadn’t pulled out this boredom-buster yet during recovery. I know I’m 37, but listen — it’s a fun, mindless game when you’re stuck sitting in a chair all day!
Saturday & Sunday
The sunshine in Northeast Ohio this weekend was glorious.
I opened my windows and let the fresh air and breeze come into the house, and it felt so good.
Saturday was a super chill day. Most of my kids were at cousins’ or friends’ houses, so it ended up being very quiet and relaxing.
On Sunday I had visits from some of my dearest friends. It was such a sweet way to end the week, and my heart felt very full.
Wrapping it Up
Mentally, I struggled a bit this week with boredom and the frustration of wanting to do more things for myself again. Physically, though, I am moving around so much better and slowly becoming more independent.
What I’m Watching and Reading
Because I had a lot of visitors and a couple doctor’s appointments this week, I didn’t get much reading done.
However, my husband and I are still working our way through the series Homeland together.
Goals for the Week
With visitors comes many delicious treats. I truly love that people want to bless me in that way, but my goal last week was to avoid added sugars… and I essentially did the opposite.
My body definitely felt it too.
Thankfully it didn’t make my rash worse. In fact, that issue has almost completely resolved now — thank the Lord.
Still, all the extra indulgences left my body feeling pretty unwell. My fiber intake was decent, and my quiet times were a bit more consistent.
My goals for this week are:
- Drastically reduce sugar intake and replace it with more whole food options for physical and mental nourishment
- Spend one hour each day working on my organizing business and my Emily Living Well site
- Read 10 pages every day
Hope you guys have a great week, I’ll be back next week for a Week 5 recap!
If you want to read more about my PAO journey you can check that out HERE.
Preparing for your PAO surgery and recovery? Be sure to check out my resources page HERE.
Happy Healing!