Recovering from surgery: During the pandemic

It’s been three weeks since I last had hip surgery; this third week is what's known as, the 'shit week'.

My apologies for any unladylike language in this blog: this experience cannot be explained without the odd profanity.

For those that have read my previous blogs, you'll know that I'm an old-hat at this now - I've had six operations to my hips and knees.

I’m in a fair amount of pain and finding things generally crap (as expected); my range of movement is somewhat easier; the drugs are lowering in dose and my resemblance to a 'zombie-land' wife, is beginning to dissipate.

As predicted, the usual wall climbing, unavoidable, tediously dry boredom has set in. I also know that it’ll be sticking around for the duration. Great!

This recovery is long, tough and seemingly unforgiving.

Your emotions are all over the place, due to the whole ‘goldfish bowl’ experience: it comes with being stuck indoors and doesn’t actually surprise me anymore.

However, the pandemic has magnified all of that and provides new doubts, fears and deprivation.

My surgery took place less than 24hrs before the country’s second lockdown. Whilst everyone else is running around, thinking about the dos and don’ts - I’m preparing for surgery - anxiously considering what it will be like during a pandemic.

Usually by now, my friends and family would have visited. They might even have brought biscuits! 

My mum will come to clean and tidy, then we’ll watch rubbish daytime TV as we munch on our sandwiches and crisps. My dad provides the entertainment, by way of slightly rude and inappropriate jokes, which my mum tells him off for.

The house is full of raucous laugher whenever my family are together. It puts a much needed smile on my face. 

When you're feeling incredibly low and down after surgery, and your body has been through the mill, you need that familiar human contact. Family is everything to me.

Even though I’ve had countless surgeries before, I know my family still worry about me. So not being able to see and hug one another, it's been hard on them too.

I’ve tried to utilise technology more, as have most of the world I expect, but it’s hard to replicate physical contact.

When you’re stuck at home, unable to go out, it’s mentally draining and extremely challenging.

2020 has forced others to join me in this shit-show. All without choice, too.

Unfortunately, I know this won't change for me - not for a while, no matter what the government decide. I’ll be lucky to the see other rooms of my house, never mind the outside world.

Each time I’ve had surgery, the unlucky servant (otherwise known as my husband) takes time off work to look after the miserable patient and our two dogs. The cooking, cleaning, tidying, nursemaid, dog walking - they all become his job. I am extremely fortunate to have him by my side through all of this. 

But, as we approach the 'shit week', he starts to go back to work; leaving me to fend for myself (packed lunch, optional).

I've been on and off crutches for about 7 years now. To anyone that's used them before, you’ll know what a royal pain in the arse they are!

In 2015, because I’d been on and off them for so long, I invested in a wheelchair.

Using it by oneself however, is much harder than it looks. I once got stuck between H&M and the O2 shop at a shopping centre: I simply didn't have the upper body strength to get up a slight incline. 

So embarrassing!

Luckily my servant was there to give me a push.

Each surgery thereafter, once I felt comfortable enough, my husband and I would visit shopping centres. 

He’d push me, of course.

Even if we just went out for an hour (which includes wrestling the chair in and out of the car), it was what I needed to get out of the house.

My husband would be weaving me through the other shoppers, like a kid on a miniature train at the theme park. Although I think he enjoyed that part more than I did.

It might sound so unimportant to others, but that trip out in the chair, it gives me something to look forward to - a sense of freedom.

Without these ‘adventures’, I’d be excited to go to hospital appointments, just to get out of the house! 

The isolation that follows surgery, in normal circumstances is testing, to say the very least, but during a pandemic too - it’s almost impossible!

When recovering from any surgery, you need something to break up the weeks and months ahead. 

That might simply be watching your favourite Netflix drama, when they finally release the new and long-awaited series, then shamefully binging your way through it - all in the space of a day.

It’s easy to lose all sense of time and purpose. So, if you know someone who’s recently had surgery, reach out to them - they’re likely to be feeling lower than a worms belly.