I felt a tug on my shirt.
“Teacher, did you poop your pants?” asked the little boy in my kindergarten class.
Although, the surprise may have registered on my face, I waited for what came next, knowing that he had to have a good reason for asking that question.
“Well, you’re walking like this.” He then proceeded to demonstrate my distinctive walk.
He wasn’t done, though. “My brother walks like that when he poops his pants.”
Children are honest. To quote Bill Cosby, they do “. . . say the darndest things!”
You see, I was waiting for a hip replacement, which resulted in a very distinctive way of waddling, er, walking. Although this anecdote is humorous, there is nothing fun or funny about the pain of a hip that needs replacing. Left untreated, the joint deteriorates to the point where it becomes a grinding of bone on bone. It is extremely painful and hard to get relief, whether sitting, standing, sleeping or moving. I am astonished that a hip replacement is considered elective surgery; in my experience, the alternative would be zero quality of life.
I can usually spot a deteriorated hip socket walk. Can you?
Image courtesy of Joanne Wilson.
