Surgery date
Bone on bone - John’s hip
Yesterday, John's orthopedic doctor confirmed that my dear husband is 'medically ready' to have his right hip replaced. Once again, bone spurs and arthritis are root causes, just like those on his left hip four years ago. The authentically good news is that the surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, November 8, election day, so we absentee voted yesterday right after the doctor's appointment.
By Christmas, he won't be skipping down the street, but that's asking a bit much for a man I have never, in the last 25 years, seen skip. I'll settle for walking fast with a lilt in his step.
Unlike knee surgery, hip replacement recovery is swift, about four weeks, and, comparatively, much less painful. The recovery formula is simple -- let it heal, use a few simple low impact PT exercises, and walk as much as possible. So this morning, while I write, John is making arrangements for his pre-op physical and setting dates for his consulting work between now and the surgery. He'll be off the grid for the first week while he enjoys the wonders of snappy good meds.
When we moved onto Dolce Vento September 1, it immediately was 'home' in every sense of the word. Like Goldilocks, Dolce Vento was 'just right' and we were comfortable and cozy, being with each other and the water surrounding us. With all the changes and quick decisions that turned us on our heads in the last two weeks, I yearn again for that settled feeling. I want to get rid of the 'unknowns' for a while, experience some daily boring predictability and not worry about what might happen next.
The other good news is that Dolce Vento is safely stored on land. The portlights leaks are repaired, the electrical system checked regularly to ensure the batteries will hold through the winter, and a few tweaks made to the stack pack that holds the mainsail and the lines hold the stack pack upright. Also, we'll visit her once or twice to retrieve anything needed before she's swaddled in "shrink-wrap" in late November for the duration of the winter. Shrink-wrap protects the boat from the rain, snow and blow of the winter. Only the mast protrudes. It would have been nice to have a canvas cover to eliminate the need for the shrink wrap. It's environmentally a much smarter approach and the costs can be recovered in 3 - 4 years, but that wasn't in the plan as we were headed to warm weather and sunshine where such protection is not required.
Hotel life does have its advantages. Getting away from the daily chores of making beds, cooking, washing clothes and tackling small projects can be a relaxing relief, even a joy. Hey, wouldn't you like your toilet paper never to run out and your towels refreshed everyday? But living in a hotel with no purpose but to wait is not as relaxing as you might think. There are claustrophobic moments when I feel like a caged animal, surrounded by gaggles of strangers and buzzing noise and my only escape is to a darkened room behind a locked closed door.
But, I am determined to focus on the positive. In the lobby, where I sat in a well cushioned high-back leather-like chair, I was comfortable because sunlight cascades into the space through sheer curtained floor to ceiling windows. From this post, I wrote and scanned the room, viewing the collections -- the road warriors pulling or toting bags of papers and computer gear, many with their shirts and jackets bulging over a bellies and hips that have consumed a few too many steaks and beers; the uniformed military cadre of straight-backed slim and tidy men and women calmly but swiftly navigating the terrain, making way to attend meetings; the glazed vacationers in comfortable shoes, loose slacks and tee shirts, fanny packs and ball caps, huddled to discuss directions to monuments and museums or where to eat dinner while they wait for the group's laggards to arrive; and the nests of noisy teenagers with their brave and stoic parental chaperones on class trips. I even saw a group of Amish men and women with plain and serious faces attending to their business, ignoring this modern urban setting.
But I failed to sit still for long. I was failing in my ability to relax and go with the flow. Where's an "OOMM" master when I needed one?