Get well soon

I can't believe it's been two weeks already since my hip operation, time really does fly!

I'm still in pain but it's manageable, as long as I remember to take my painkillers. After surgery, it's important to take them at scheduled times (even throughout the night) rather than respond to the pain when it arrives - which is inevitable.

I dread my 6pm alarm, because that's the one that means I am due my blood thinners which are injected into my stomach. Although they are painful, I know they are needed to prevent blood clots from forming which can lead to DVT, strokes or heart attacks. Because I'm only allowed to be partial weight bearing for six weeks, it means I'm at a higher risk of all of the above post surgery.

Whilst I was in hospital the nurse asked, "who is going to be the one to administer these at home?"

I almost wished I'd been there to see the colour drain from my husband's face as he was informed via text. He's not very good with blood or needles.

To my surprise, he's also set alarm on his phone and just gets on with it. I'm almost beginning to think he's starting to enjoy jabbing me with a needle to be honest. Joking aside, I am super proud of him for doing the necessary things to take care of me.

As my hip condition has progressed, it’s made me somewhat lazy. My ‘10 year challenge’ would be a young woman who loved to run and go to exercise classes vs the layabout that I’ve been forced to become. I’m almost used to just lying in bed in pain, eating. That’s recovery in a nutshell.

There are the occasional sweats and nausea that comes with taking painkillers around the clock but it's the perfect chance to catch up on TV/Netflix at least.

That being said, even if you are a couch potato like myself now, by the end of week 1 you are climbing the walls with boredom, so be prepared to have something to entertain your hands and brain cells.

I've been playing various word games on my phone but more recently I've taken an interest in crochet. Luckily my operation took place right after Christmas, so I was able to sweet talk Santa into buying a few sets. My relatives are shocked, given that I'm only 35 years of age, but my nan used to teach my sister and I how to knit, so I figured it would be similar. What can go wrong with crochet needles and copious amounts of drugs??

Keeping a positive mindset after any surgery is half the battle. I think one of the main questions I've faced is, "how long do you think it'll take before you're better?"

Of course I know that 'better' isn't actually guaranteed and it may take several months, perhaps even a year to feel the full benefit, if it works. However, at this precise moment, wondering about that won't do me any favours, certainly not at only two weeks post op.

I've had many surgeries over the years, much to the dismay of the NHS's budget I'm sure, but I learnt very quickly that there is no 'quick fix'.

After any surgery, follows hard work. The more time you put in and listen to the professionals, to do as you're told, the less likely it is to fail. At least that's how I see it.

The operation I had was quite complex, lots of intricate pieces of my hip were sewn, shaved and fixed together. This means I'll need hydrotherapy first, followed by lots and lots of general physiotherapy.

I know lots of people that hate going to physio, they put you through your paces but it’s all for good reason. I see physio exercises like I see medication, you're told you need to take it at a set time to get better, so you take it, this should be no different.

I am extremely lucky to be under the very best surgeons and physios, I know if I work hard and do as I'm told I can get better, that is until they do the same operation on my other hip, but we'll ignore that for now.

There’ll come a day when all this surgery is but a dream and in my rearview mirror.