The Hip Chronicles: The Waiting Game

The nice thing about a non-emergent procedure is that you can have it whenever you want, so I "smartly" delayed surgery until after Labor Day, so I could 1) enjoy summer in Colorado and 2) be able to travel Labor Day weekend to see an old friend I haven't seen in 12 years.

The not-so-nice thing is that, when you delay things, you have lots of time to think about it.

For most of June and July, I hadn't been running much. Mostly, I was in the weight room, heaving the weights and swimming laps in the pool. It wasn't as fun - I missed dripping with sweat at the end of a workout.

Thank, you Runner's World. This is so spot on.

And, for the most part, my hip did not bother me. I started to wonder if this surgery was really necessary. Maybe I was jumping the gun.

With a night trail race in Kansas City just on the horizon, I started running in the afternoons, to give myself a little bit of heat. I know it will feel a million times worse in the land of bugs and humidity, but I figure it's better than nothing. And, the past few weeks, with runs and hikes and my "to hell with it, I'm doing this" attitude, I'm definitely reminded that I've made the right decision. I've gotten in a few good sweat sessions, but my hip aches. The life I see without surgery is not a life I want to have. Yes, there are risks, things could totally suck, but it's worth it to me.

At least, I think it's worth it right now. Two days post op, I'm sure my momma and my sister will be hearing different things, but that will be after the fact and there won't be much I can do about it then, except take my drugs, do what the doc says and eat lots of ice cream.

Other things I've been doing while waiting:
-applying for short term disability with work (or as my cousin said, STD, which resulted in many hilariously punny jokes)
-stocking up on pantry and freezable items so I don't have to buy anything but my fresh fruit and veggies at the store
-saving for my portion of surgery and PT costs (not too bad of a personal financial hit)
-trying to rack up as much free $ from my health incentive program as possible
-making a shopping list of things I need to buy or borrow before I have two extra houseguests for a weekend and one extra houseguest for 3 weeks (extra pillows, air mattresses, bar stools so we can actually eat at a table, non slip shower mat)
-making lists of things to keep my occupied during recovery (scrap baby quilt for friends, coloring books, list of items to sort through and toss/recycle, books to read)
-really working hip and core muscles to make sure they are nice and strong for a good recovery

I seriously cannot wait until this is not my life anymore. It will be a grand time, just running and not thinking about my hip. And then ... I'll kick my brother's ass in a 5k :)