Orthopedic Appointment

This was the morning I had an appointment with the doctor who did my hip surgery. I started out early because {a} although I knew where the road was, I wasn’t sure exactly where on the road the orthopedic place was and {b} this was the first time I was navigating the bridge between my little town and Burlington since work had started on the bridge over the river. First, the wait to get onto the little bit of the roundabout I had to traverse was about seven minutes. Timing things like this is something I picked up from my sister. It is actually a big stress buster. Seven minutes is a very short span of time. So, I made it out to the road in pretty good time, and for a change I didn’t miss the turn left! {Last time I went, I drove past it, found myself where I didn’t need to be and turned round!} When I turned onto this road, the first building was where I went to take the stress test. I drove onwards past another huge building which was still not the orthopedic building. I knew this because right under the huge sign telling me what the building was, there was a little sign with orthopedics on it and an arrow pointing onwards. So, onwards I went. Just before the road ended, there it was—a huge building. I found a parking place and in the rain, hobbled over to the building and checked in.

First was the radiology department where an X-ray of my left hip was taken. Then I was left alone in a room for 10 minutes to wait to see the doctor.{Yes, I timed it} I didn’t really mind because I had the Kindle and when Dr. H. came in, he wanted to know all about it. So, I sang its praises for a bit. Then we dicussed my hip. The metal hip is exactly where it should be, but I am NOT supposed to be limping! After some discussion, he allowed that three or four months of limping before the surgery probably contributed to problems I was having. As it happens, I had called Medicare the day before and found I could not get physical therapy until January of next year {unless I paid for it, and I can’t afford it} and I told Dr. H. this. I told him I did have exercises to do {and to myself I said. "I will be more diligent with these."} Dr. H. told me my stick was too short which was contributing to the bent-over posture and he lengthened it for me. He was right; it felt much better. He told me that when I do start therapy again, I should go to a place with a pool and he gave me some phone numbers to call. Oh, and he said walking with the stick the right length was excellent exercise.

When I got home, I put out a bag of clothes for a Freecycle person and it was picked up on time which was great. Then I put out a book for another Freecyler who said his wife would pick it up somewhere between three and five-thirty. I looked at four and it was still there. But as I am typing, I can hear the dog upstairs barking so the book has probably gone.

Talking about books, I have, sadly, finished the fifth and last Temaraire book by Naomi Novik. I hope she goes on writing these. I must check her website {if she has one} and find put.

QUOTATIONS:

"There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way."

Christopher Darlington Morley (1890-1957)