Addendum 2/24/02: I have been back to work for a month, and that - as much as the physical therapy - has helped with my recovery. Getting back into a normal routine is a key componant, but they never mentioned that when prearing me. Sure, my muscles get tired after my workouts, but that's nothing compared to the cloud of pain I had been under for so many years. I stand straight and tall, and I walk without limping. It's fabulous. I won't say I heartily recommend going through the procedure, but I can say, if you find you have to, you will feel 1,000,000% better by 3 to 4 months afterward.

Final days (12/10/01 to 12/12/01): Finally got my release date. I worked hard at my rehab Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I had to wait until 3:00pm for the ambulette to take me home. It was a very uncomfortable ride. My outside steps were not a problem. Apparently, they are 6 inchers also. But inside, I have 8 inch risers with 8 inch treads (standard building code stairs). They were daunting and scary but with some help from behind and at the top of the stairs I made it. (I haven't dealt with them since, but starting Monday 12/17/01 I'm sure I will be, over and over again until they don't scare me anymore)

Weeks 5 & 6 (11/26/01 to 12/9/01): More rehab, as I progressed from a walker to two crutches to one crutch, and learned to handle stairs. However, as I learned to my dismay, the stairs I practiced on were shallow 6 inch risers with wide 12+ inch treads. Not real world as I was to find out.

Week 4 (11/19/01 to 11/25/01): Right into my rehab routine, since I was working with the same group of people from week 2. Thanksgiving was nothing to write home about. The kitchen offered up traditional choices for lunch, but, hey, it was hospital food. More sessions on Friday. Weekends in the facility are boring. No scheduled individual sessions, just one group session each morning. And nothing to do the rest of the day unless you get visitors. And the TV only got the broadcast channels, plus CNN and ESPN. Many times the most interesting thing on was an infomercial.

Week 3 (11/12/01 to 11/18/01): When I woke up from the second surgery, I felt like a brick building had been lifted from my back. That, too, went smoothly. I woke up in the same room as I had been after the first surgery. This time, I was transferred to rehab on Friday. Saturday, on the rehab floor, I had a little incident. While getting into bed, I heard and felt a "knuckle-cracking" at my right hip. It scared me enough that I scared the entire floor. It turned out to be nothing, but I had to stay in bed for another 20 hours while we waited for everyone to read the x-rays.

Week 2 (11/5/01 to 11/11/01): Monday, I was transferred to the rehab floor. Tuesday, they put me through some paces to see what my starting point was. Wednesday, they started working me in earnest. Each day I had 2 sessions of physical therapy (one concentrating on specific leg exercises on a raised mat, the other spent taking walks up and down the corridor) and one session of occupational therapy (where I learned, or rather relearned, how to dress my lower body since I now have restrictions on how I can move and bend, so I don't dislocate the prosthesis); there was also an optional arts and crafts sessions in the afternoon. By the weekend however, I was starting to get more and more anxious about the upcoming second surgery.

Week 1 (10/29/01 - 11/4/01): I was scared going in, but the surgery went well, and I woke up in a room on the surgical recovery floor. Although everyone on staff was very nice, there was one nurse there who was an angel. She went above and beyond for me (and I later found out for many other patients as well). Wednesday, I received a standard radiation treatment (to prevent bone cells from growing on muscle tissue). Thursday, some people from rehab came up and I got out of bed for the first time. That felt good! They came back Friday and Saturday to help me take my first post-surgical steps.

10/28/01: This is my last entry until after the first surgery. Once I am in rehab, I will have access to the 'net so I will be able to update the diary. Everything that I needed to take care of beforehand has been done. My brother & sis-in-law will be there with me during pre-op. And I *don't* have to be there at 6:00 a.m., thank goodness. I am as prepared as I possibly can be, but panicky none-the-less.

10/20/01: Well, it's been about a month since my last log entry - I have now "banked" 3 pints of my own blood (a good idea even if it wasn't required by my surgeon and the hospital) - I still have 2 more medicals to go thru, but we are definitely getting down to the wire. I just hope I don't have to report to the hospital at "gawd-awful" 6 o'clock in the morning.

9/21/01: Ok - remember on the previous page I said I've managed to stay employed by the same company for 20 years? - Well, the anniversary dinner is 10/24 - which was smack-dab between the two surgeries. It's a once-a-decade event and I like to reap the rewards of my loyalty. So I rescheduled. Now the first surgery is 10/29 and the second one is 11/12. Ok - so that's two more weeks to prepare and make sure everything is in order; it's also two more weeks of panic. But at least I'll be able to go to the dinner.

9/18/01: The class was very informative. The head nurse explained what to expect before, during, and after the surgery. No, there weren't any graphic videos to watch, just a lot of information, and a free t-shirt <g>.. Along with a list of exercises to be performed beforehand (which I have been doing since March) was a list of body positions and angles to avoid for a good long time. But the impression I got was that, although everyone is different, recovery will not be as long or arduous as I have been anticipating. Still not any less anxious, though.

9/15/01: T-30 days and counting. I have been in a state of panic for the last several weeks. Although I have been getting information from many sources to put my mind at rest, internally I have not been able to relax about this. It's normal, I know, to be apprehensive, but I am beginning to believe that all the pre-knowledge in the world isn't going to do much to calm me down. The pre-surgical class I was supposed to attend this past Tuesday was cancelled for obvious reasons. It has been rescheduled for 9/18. Check back here after that to read my impressions.