Can't Do Much But Laugh with Sickle Cell

New Year New Hips 

The days are getting longer as sunset is 1 minute sooner each day. My hip replacement surgery is not too far off because I also see new buds on trees signifying Spring is near. March is my daughter's birthday and my Niece, who loves love, wedding. Oh, how I love Spring.

Besides all this I'm trying to not focus too closely on the gory details of total hip replacement. I've turned my attention to my to-do lists. Borrow this, buy that, ask this person to help me do this, that and the other. So much to get settled.

         Now to explain the clown picture. 

My most recent doctors visit included a class I call, "What You Cannot Do After Hip Surgery". The instructor was a male nurse, Robert, who was an entertaining man who told stories about his elderly father who recently had hip replacement surgery. Robert explained rules that we all must follow; like don't bend past 90 degrees, don't cross your legs and don't point your toes toward each other. Of course, Robert's father managed to do them all. Robert also told us about a breathing machine that we must use to open our lungs after surgery to prevent pneumonia. Of course, his dad didn't want to use it. Robert was concerned about his dad's age and that pneumonia as a huge risk factor after surgery. Robert joked that he'd called his dad everyday to ask, "Are you doing your breathing exercises?" His dad's response was "HELL NO, that's stupid!" Thankfully, his dad recovered without any problems.

These funny stories put everyone at ease, considering the life altering surgery is scary business and the information is very important. I was happy Robert made us feel comfortable about the whole ordeal.

Next stop; my pre-operation appointment with my hematologist. I'm concerned about taking iron, which my surgeon suggested, and the risk of iron overload. Iron overload occurs when you get blood transfusions over many years. The excess iron doesn't get absorbed or eliminated from the body and could cause renal damage. I assume I'll get a blood transfusion (or two) during surgery, so taking iron may NOT be a good idea for me, considering I have gotten quite a few blood transfusions over the years.

I'm sure I'll get my questions answered. I'll continue to prepare for my next trip to the dentist, and then to my primarily care doctor, where I'll have my list of questions all ready for him

The saga continues.