A Week On A Walker

I have been home for a week now since my total knee replacement surgery.  Home is much better then the hospital.  They gave me a choice of going to a rehab facility or coming home with a Physical Therapist coming to my house.  I chose to come home. I had a private room in the hospital with a wall of windows looking out on a little courtyard, it also had a beautiful big private bath and every thing was first class.  But it wasn't home. It's good to be home.
I've become pretty proficient using my walker, but this morning I forgot to use it and walked to the bathroom without it.  Whoa...that was kind of scary!  Did you know you cannot carry a cup of coffee while using a walker?  Impossible unless you plan on wearing most of it.  Actually you can't carry anything at all.  My Occupational Therapist tied a trash bag on the walker for carrying things.  It's a great look.  Now I look like a crippled bag lady.  Other then a magazine or a phone, it's useless, but I do like the pitiful way it looks, I bet people would throw money in it if I parked myself near a mall.  I look like I have been delt a bad hand in the game of life!
I have been trying not to wear Hal to a frazzle because I may need him in the future.  Innatially I had to have him lift my surgical leg into bed, but now I can throw that thing right up there.  I still can't cook or serve myself.  I can't do laundry and barely keep my thoughts coherent.  The biggest strain is he can't leave the house unless someone else is here with me.  I can see this slowly erroding his joy.  Hey..my joy isn't to great either!  Did you know there is a channel on TV that shows nothing but old cowboy movies?  Yep, there is and it's playing here around the clock.  Talking about erroding your joy!
The hospital sent home a electric cooling device to help with the swelling on my leg.  It looks like an ordinary cooler, but you fill it with half ice, half water and plug it it.  A long hose is connected to a cooling pad at the other end that is placed on your leg.  The icy water then circulates through the pad and you feel like you've been placed in a meat locker and you'll never warm up again.  I am dependant on Hal for the operation, placement and removal of this device.  Sometimes it sure seems like it stays on for a long time.
I find this entire surgical process amazing and I'm thankful to have the choice to have it done.  It's an awesome world out there.

~It is well with my soul