I was so happy to be leaving the hospital ward on Thursday. I've been at home for the last two days now and my main occupation has been sleeping! I forgot how long it takes to do anything when your mobility is hampered. Just getting in and out of bed requires a little forward planning. I have developed a sliding technique to avoid the aforementioned clunking and sometimes use a plastic bag underneath my leg to help out. My hip flexors are the main culprit, as soon as I can activate them a bit more I will be able to manoevre myself around easier. You don't realise how vital they are for your run-of-the-mill daily movements, until you don't have them. It means I can't really lift my foot off the floor or across the bed without using my hands to help (ironic that they were overworking before!). I suppose it's because they're having to stretch over the anterior wall of the acetabulum which wasn't there before but has obviously now been positioned better over the femoral head. The physio at the hospital explained that hydro will help with that. I've been trying to do the bed exercises given to me and found that I could flex and extend my knee today a bit better than a few days ago which I got quite excited about and have posted a clip below. One of my other exercises is lying in supine for 20 minutes at a time, to stretch out my hip flexors and get them used to being in a new position.
I arrived home to the flat on Thursday to find all the equipment delivered that the OT in Birmingham had ordered, and a little note from Adele* on the fridge door to welcome me home! She came around for a cup of tea the next day and corrected my DVT socks, apparently they weren't pulled up quite high enough. It seems that student midwives learn more about useful things like this that student physios! But it is nice to be getting back to normality.
It's so comforting to be sleeping in my own bed, but I still get quite stiff at night and my heels are getting sore as I can't sleep on my side yet. Mum's been tucking a rolled up towel under my ankles to help. I've really been in the flat for two days now with mum doing all the cooking for me as I've been too exhausted to do anything else! I hope to get out a bit tomorrow.
Attached is the thrilling clip of me doing knee flexions as promised :-)
* name changed
