One of the hardships of dealing with Hick's recent surgical incapacitation is figuring out how much he really hurts. Don't get me wrong. I have no doubt Hick has been in excruciating pain. I'm sure. Pretty sure. Assume so. The surgeon DID slice vertically through Hick's lower back. It was a 6-hour surgery. That's gotta smart. However...
Hick emits heavy sighs all day, every day. Any time he's awake. I can hear him through the bedroom door at night, even with the TV on. I can hear him in his recliner when I'm sitting at the kitchen table. When I ask if he's okay, he says yeah, that his hip is just hurting. If I ask him to rate his pain, it may vary from 15/10, which was the week after his surgery, to 2/10, after sitting on a heating pad. Thing is, the sighs are the same.
I never know if Hick is knock-knock-knocking at Death's Door, or doing a belly-flop at a pool party hosted by Slightly Uncomfortable.
He's been taking his new medicine every 12 hours as directed. It's Celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory arthritis drug. Hick says maybe his left hip hurts a little bit less, but the right one is still on fire. Of course, he's only been taking it since Thursday night.
Sunday, Hick searched for info online about this drug. He reported that it works right away for some people, but may take up to two weeks for others to notice any effects. Of course, he also told me he read online that people with peanut allergies can safely eat peanut butter... So consider the source.
Hick has a physical therapy appointment Monday morning. Not sure how that's going to work out. When he filled out his paperwork Sunday evening, it kept asking him questions about his KNEE pain. Seems like the Old Biddy has struck again.
Wow Val! I don't know what to tell you. I sure hope Hick's anti-inflammatory pills take effect and work for his pain.
ReplyDeleteHick will try anything to get back to "normal." He sees the surgeon again on Thursday, for his 6-week follow-up appointment. Way back when he had the severe leg pain a week after his surgery, he said the surgeon had mentioned that he may have to "give him a shot" if the steroids didn't control the pain. Not sure what that would entail. But the leg pain is gone, and now it's the hip.
DeleteMaybe Hick was walking "different" with his back/hip pain, which has now aggravated the other hip. This can happen and you don't even realize you're doing it. I hope his PT helps, although it might be an uncomfortable process. If it takes a bit longer for his new medicine to help, I hope it's soon. Ranee (MN)
ReplyDeleteThat is also Hick's theory. For a while, he was walking stooped over. The painful hip is the side he sleeps on, so I'm hoping that trying The Pony's old bed, and sleeping on his other side, might help. Not sure how much effort Hick puts into sleeping on his other side. He reported that he felt pretty good right after the PT.
DeleteKnee pain? at the risk of sounding like a broken record, what is wrong with people? They can't type hip? Tsk tsk.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably what was wrong with the guy whose name was on the PT orders that Old Biddy gave Hick. Which, you know, was HICK'S fault, because he showed up to ask questions without having an appointment...
DeleteBelly flop at ... you are a word smith! Hope he feels better soon.
ReplyDeleteI have to amuse myself, to control the urge to rip Hick limb-from-limb. Tonight he went to bed at 8:15, and now he's on the prowl again at 9:24. Saying, "I don't really hurt. I just can't sleep." Apparently he thinks the solution to that is to slather his hip area with Hempvana cream.
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