This morning was my LONG awaited appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, the one who's just returned from the desert and whom I saw in May before he left. At that point he was leaning toward doing a strut graft surgery on my left leg but couldn't get it worked in before leaving. Now that he's back, it's finally scheduled and I will have the operation on Nov. 14. It will mean a 2-3 day hospital stay but not nearly as long a recovery as my initial hip replacements, so maybe I'll be walking again by Thanksgiving. I'll have to count on my daughters and all our guests to actually prepare the meal, but we'll carry on with our plans to have a houseful unless there are unforeseen complications.

The doctor wouldn't give me any percentages on his hopes that this surgery will eliminate my pain, but he thinks the chances are better than even and it's the only thing left to try other than redoing the whole hip. And that brings risks of its own and I think I'd have to having even more pain than I currently have to submit to that.

Your prayers are appreciated, for the procedure itself, the recovery, and that the timing will leave me capable of fully participating in the holidays, making a trip to see my newest grandchild, due in early December, and carrying on the school year without getting really out of whack.

And all you HOPE gals, maybe we can string this out long enough to get another "handicapped" table at WholeHearted Mother :-)

Labels: Health