Whoa, it's August

I had visions of grandeur of completing all of these great posts about my recovery. Once I started driving, I was then able to go to Physical Therapy appointments where Marion would gently remind me that I had a hip implant and couldn't run marathons anymore. I was always surprised that she had new exercises for me each week and my ego was slightly dented by the fact that I thought I was so good at this rehab stuff that I would challenge her to come up with something new. However, she is a phenom and understands me far too well. Most of her suggestions focused on finding peace with my implant, doing exercises that enhanced balance and equilibrium rather than repetitive motion that would wear down my new hip materials. I was as careful as I could be taking her recommendations as a subtle barrage on my unhealthy lifestyle and trying to reformulate the new, post-hip replacement me.
Since then, I have started riding my bicycle, kayaking with my kids and laying off the running and the soccer. I keep my scar out of the sun and visit my massage therapist, Alice Butler, regularly. I have reached the six month mark and magically, I feel almost normal. What remains is a stiff right hip. I can put my foot on my knee when I sit but laying my knee down in lotus position is a fleeting memory. I try anyway. I stretch, but not too hard and I try to keep myself from doing repetitive exercise that only beats down my joints. I am happy that I can sit in my kayak without pain. I've had some recent epiphanes about how I lived with pain and didn't even notice that I was modifying the way I live my life. I avoided stairs because it hurt so much. I realized this one day when I went up to my husband's office. Suddenly remembering I had forgotten something, I was overcome with a sense of dread of having to go down and back up the stairs again. When I tried to figure out why, I realized it was because I was anticipating the pain this short distance of stairs would cause. However, there was no pain and my sense of dread was merely a remnant of my behavioral modification for a painful hip. After this epiphane, I noticed other things I didn't want to do or would gracefully either delegate to my husband or sidestep entirely. At six months, now that I have strengthened and stretched my hip and regained my balance, I must now re-train my mind to accept a body without pain or fatigue. It's a new concept and yet another milestone in my new recovery.
I am happy to have my life back. While part of me feels a little like I "sold my soul to the devil" to have these pain-free years while my kids are young, I hope that medical technology catches up with my need for a revision or two over the rest of my lifetime. Although, I suppose it's presumptuous to assume I will live that long. After all, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. All the better reason to have a pain-free hip and enjoy what days I have with my family.