Sunday, December 30, 2007

Getting Up

I've been trying for, oh, the last thirty minutes to get out of bed. No matter which way I writhe, I manage to find a direction where my hip says Oh NO you won't! So now I'm taking some strong drugs that I have left over from dental surgery, and in ten minutes we'll try it again.

My wife says its really pretty amazing to think of how easily you do things all the time that aren't possible if your body isn't workig right . I agree, but for the moment, I'm not feeling particularly philosophical about it.
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Update:
After trying for another ten minutes or so to get out of bed (a process fraught with a little anxiety as I contemplated that amount of time I'd been trying, and how I'd really like to get to the bathroom), we decided to try having me get out of the other side of the bed, so that my decent leg would descend first. My wife cradled my left foot, and I lowered the good one to the bed rail, and then, hanging onto her, I finally levered myself up to a sitting position.

I think that tonight I'm not going to sleep in the bed. The oversized blue chair in the living room -- now padded with an additional cushion from the couch -- will work just fine as a sleeping place. As my wife pointed out, I was able to get up, finally, because I was able to get my good leg over to a point where it could reach the floor. If I'd slept on the couch last night, and had my left leg on the outside of the couch, I'd have been screwed, with no way to lower myself down. So few houses have mechanical lifts or burly footmen, these days.

6 comments:

Cerulean Bill said...

I had the surgery the same day as I hurt myself, the morning after Christmas. We called the emergency folks around 5:30 in the morning; I was in the OR by around 9:30 or so that day.

Its kind of weird, but I notice that if I haven't been moving, it takes a certain amount of gritting my teeth just to take the first step -- just because it might hurt. After that, its not so bad. Strange.

Rach said...

Oh goodness, I didn't realize you hurt it badly enough to need surgery right away.

Sending you lots of healing thoughts. I hope you're moving around alot easier soon!

Unknown said...

I've had that sort of a thing - I had some neurological problem, a long time ago; it left me with some rheumatoid arthritis.

When my hip hurts, it's more a question of taking that first step; but it can be difficult, because you think there's going to be this whole load of pain. And then you find out, it's not as bad as you anticipated! After that - marathon running looks, well, difficult. :-)

(I'm so helpful, I know...)

Feel better!

Carolyn Ann

Cerulean Bill said...

Tell you what, Carolyn; if the need to have a marathon run comes up, I'll be sure to transfer the invitation to you...(g)

Rach -- I met the ambulance people later, in the hospital. They said that I seemed in a better mood, and I told them that I thought I had been fairly chipper. They said that I wasn't growling or grumpy, but it was obvious to them that I was in a lot of pain. Here I thought I hid it so well....

Unknown said...

I'm away from the computer for a few days and I miss all the big action!

Hope you are feeling better soon and that you find some burly men to help you around ; )

Cerulean Bill said...

Gee, Shannon, I'm not sure that I'm so badly injured that I could get away with looking for burly men. Though I have a feeling that after I looked for them, I would be badly injured....Hey, big burly fellows, want to earn some extra cash? You might have to get a bit...sweaty.