A Hick-Up in the Continuing Saga

Hick went to his physical therapy appointment on Monday morning. He dressed all sporty in his ankle socks and Skechers and shorts. He was a bit apprehensive about what he might be required to do, since the PTherapist had told him to dress in something comfortable, because he would be hurting when he was done.

Anyhoo... Hick had spent a restless night hopping from Pony bed to recliner to Pony bed to recliner. It's quite annoying to me, since he interrupts my overnight routine, and then MOCKS me with untrue facts.

"I wish you'd just settle down in one area for more than an hour and a half. This is really annoying."

"I can't help it Val. I hurt."

"I never said you didn't hurt. Maybe you should wait until a normal time to go to bed, instead of 7:30 or 8:00. Then you'd be tired enough to sleep."

"I can't sleep! That's the problem."

Anyhoo... Hick had gone to bed at 9:00 after we watched YellowJackets. Then he was up before 10:30 while I was watching the news to see the weather. He sat in his recliner for a while with an afghan pulled over his face. Then went back to bed.

I went to the kitchen to compute for a while. Next thing I knew, there was Hick, rummaging through the cabinet for two acetaminophen. Then back to bed.

Ninety minutes later, Hick was back up. He went to his recliner and turned off the living room light. An hour later he went back to Pony bed.

By now it was after 3:00 a.m. The TV DISH had shut itself off. I went back to the living room and turned it on to watch TV. Here came Hick.

"I can't stand it. I can't sleep. I'm going to put some of that Hempvana on my hips. It helps a little bit."

So he joined me in the recliner for about 30 minutes. Then back to bed, with instructions to wake him by 7:15. Except he was up at 6:00 for the bathroom, and said he was going back to bed. 

At 7:00 Hick again popped out of the bedroom, saying he was going to sit and watch TV before a shower. Oh, and that when he got up at 6:00, he had absolutely NO PAIN at all. And now it was about a 2/10 in his most painful hip.

Hick had the nerve to say that twice when he got up, I was sitting on the couch asleep! When I wasn't even in the living room, but in the kitchen until after 3:00, and had spoken to him the last time our couch-paths crossed at 10:30. Hick was trying to say that I had plenty of sleep, even though I might have gotten 3 hours total, from 3:30 to 6:00, and 6:30 to 7:00. He's either hallucinating about my couch-ZZZZs, or a doggone liar!

Anyhoo... when Hick returned home around 1:30, he said that after his PT, he felt really good. The PTherapist had put some kind of cold pack on his hip, and hooked up an electrical stimulator. He said the pain was coming from Hick's lower back, and that cold would help more than heat.

Hick has 7 more appointments. He has a list of home exercises. He went to Walgreens and got a cold pack thingy that looks like blue bubble-wrap. It has a strap to hold it against his back. He learned at the auction (!) that he can also get some kind of electrical stimulator thingy over-the-counter at Walgreens. So he has hope that he can relieve the pain.

It's good to know that the pain is actually a result of his back surgery, and not just arthritis, though he has that as well. Anyhoo... I'm wondering if more muscle relaxers might help that back issue. Hick can discuss it with the surgeon on Thursday. Maybe that arthritis drug is starting to help.

Hick also said that he has never been able to sleep in his stomach, but the PTherapist had him lie on it, and his hip quit hurting. So maybe he'll try a different sleep position now.

It's 10:19 p.m., and I'm waiting for Hick to make an appearance...