Not Bionic

I'm back.

I was hoping that as a result of this surgery, I would end up with a left arm that could crush a Volkswagen. Right now, I feel like I have one that might be able to crush a Twinkie.

The surgery actually lasted about two hours. It's an interesting experience to be lying there, listening to them talking about parking in the doctors' parking lot, and how come the PA gets to park there and there isn't enough room for the doctors? Gee, I think, people, focus.

I learned a couple of things from my stay.

One thing is, don't ever have a hip replacement, unless you are into pain. The fellow with whom I shared a room overnight (yes, I got to stay, and what a joy that was) had one done, and just watching him try to walk caused me to wince a lot.

Another is that nurses vary widely in personality, that most of them work very hard, that RN doesn't necessarily mean smart and LPN doesn't necessarily mean dumb, and that some of each of them are in the wrong profession. I did make a point of telling their "guest relations" director of four with whom I was particularly impressed. I'll probably send pizza, if I can figure out how to keep the bad ones from getting any.

BIG honkin' bandage on my left shoulder. Very little pain, for which I'm grateful -- though there is the sense that if I'm not careful, I'll find it. From what the physical therapist said to me this morning, my shoulder is very fragile at the moment. The phrase he used, which he said he learned while training, was that the sewing of ligaments is like sewing Jell-O - only not so strong. It will get better, but I have to be careful, give it time, and do the physical therapy religiously. First one tomorrow.

Got a bottle of Vicodin and a prescription for Percocet.