Reachers

My reachers were tucked away, hardly used since my recovery from my second hip replacement. (A reacher is part of the required equipment for a hip replacement. For three months post-surgery, it is crucial that you don’t exceed ninety degrees when you bend over.)

We had barely settled into 2012, when I dislocated my hip; I have since learned that I will need another surgery to replace part of the prosthetic, which you can read about on Here I go. Again.

I initially purchased the longer reacher on the left, with the reasoning that because my length is in my legs, I’ll need the extra bit of reach to pick up whatever I’ve dropped. I forgot about science; namely that the longer the reacher, the greater the torque on the wrist. I discovered that a mechanical advantage isn’t one, especially if it isn’t optimally used.

The positive features of my shorter reacher include:

• thicker grip
• larger trigger
• sturdier pinchers
• more solid construction
• hook at the end.

Related posts:

• Horning Your Way In
• Extend Your Reach.

For a more in-depth review of reachers, please check out Lene’s post. She has provided a link to a reacher that is the Porsche (“cadillac” is too cliché) of  all reachers.; one that is designed by people who understand the limitations of their intended customers. Did I mention that it comes in red?

Sleep, Oh Beautiful Sleep

Surgery is traumatic. Getting to the hospital. Prepping for surgery. The anaesthetic. Cutting. Even if you’re not conscious, a part of you hears the whirrrr of the saw, which isn’t the most pleasant of sounds, anyway.Sewing or stapling. The pain. Hospital stay.

It’s exhausting.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to sleep, both at the hospital and when you go home.

Give yourself permission to nap, doze or nod-off. Several times a day. Sleep when you need to sleep.

It is restorative. Do it for your health. Do it to assist your recuperation.

Finally, you know the contagion of a yawn. Well, perhaps this video will put you in snooze mood.

Related posts:

• Nodding Off
• Sleep: The Food Connection
• Perchance to Sleep
• Electronics “NoGoZone”

Need to Know

When you’re scheduled for surgery, all the risks and complications are explained in great detail.

This alone can be a frightening experience, adding more stress to an already stressful situation.

One of the many things I do is to recognize that if I need the surgery, I need the surgery. It is scheduled to make my life better, and it does.

Here I Go. Again.

You may or may not know about my unhip adventure in January. It featured a dislocated hip, a trip to the Emergency Department and a follow-up visit to the surgeon.

I saw my surgeon a couple of weeks ago. Eight x-rays later—do keep track—the news wasn’t what I had expected. In fact, I think “stunned” would have been an appropriate adjective to use to describe my initial reaction upon learning that I’d need more surgery to replace the socket portion of the prosthetic. (Ironically, last autumn, I do recall telling my chiropractor that I had a sense that something wasn’t right with the right hip.)

There was some osteolysis (debris from the plastic components) present in the bone around both prosthetics. Also, it was apparent that the “lip” (illustrated in blue) on the plastic socket of one hip had worn thin. This means that the ball isn’t held as firmly in place, which likely contributed to my dislocation.

I had a cry—who wants to go through another revision (surgery) and three-month recuperation period—then, I accepted that if I need the surgery, I need the surgery. Two dislocations are more than enough for anyone!

Please note that you can find better illustrations of the a total hip replacement by doing an internet search. Click here for a 3:26 minute animation of a THR.