Tomorrow I have my pre op appointment for my hip replacement. It is all starting to become a bit too real now that my op is only just over a month away. The other evening my mum asked me if I had a dressing gown and slippers ready for my hospital stay and I spiralled into absolute panic. I am a ‘doer’. I can’t even hack a Sunday morning lie in! The idea of having to be in a dressing gown and slippers (I’m definitely a onesie and barefoot kind of girl) in the day, in hospital was somehow more panic inducing to me than the idea of my bone being cut out and removed. Strange.
The other thing that really hit home was filling in the questionnaire that I have to take with me tomorrow. Now I am fully aware that these are standard for anyone having this surgery (and therefore people way out of my age bracket) however it is full of not so subtle hints that my independence is going to be majorly compromised, at least for the short term. It did make me chuckle though, for example
‘At present are you able to manage independently with ironing?’
Considering I haven’t ironed more than the odd shirt since I was sixteen, I’m not too worried about this one!
‘Do you have a commode?’
At twenty six, the last thing I would have thought of when filling my house with furniture would be a commode! I can’t think of anything more humiliating for me.. I would rather crawl on my hands and knees to the toilet (ironically though I am well aware that I will definitely not be able to crawl on my hands and knees!)
‘Measure the chair.’
This one made me and my OH laugh. We have a number of chairs in the house, a desk chair, dining chairs and a sofa but the idea of having a particular personal chair just makes me thing of old people in retirement homes!
‘Is the chair a recliner?’
This caused another laugh. Our sofa is in theory a recliner, however the mechanism is reminiscent of a Wallis and Gromit Ejector Bed and I am sure you are more likely to hurt yourself with the violent ping of the reclining action than receive any therapy from it!
As well as panicking about what I’m going to wear in hospital (sounds pathetic I know) and my lack of disabled friendly housing modifications, my main concern is for the change in my pony time post op. The field that Pea lives in is pretty rutted following the awful winter of wetness and the rapid solidifying of the mud in recent weeks. She has a history of being very elusive to catch, I haven’t really had problems for years but I am worried that if I can’t safely get into the field, I will be relying on her letting someone else catch her. The idea of not being able to go and even spend some time in the field in the evening is not a good one.
On the plus side I have had another dressage lesson this week. I am strictly one track mind when it comes to my riding pre op – I will keep cracking on as though nothing is happening. Fingers crossed I can get out to a competition before the dreaded op date!
Young Hip and Horsey 