Surgery number 6 occured on Thursday. Travelled down to Brum with mum on the Wednesday and stayed overnight at a lovely Air B'n'B' we stayed in for a previous surgery.
This time it was metalwork removal from the right side and a steroid injection into the left one at the same time - after a minor meltdown a couple of weeks ago towards the end of my stroke placement. Leftie flared up big time and hasn't seemed to have settled fully. My surgeon agreed on the hip injection to help figure out whether the pain is really coming from the joint or elsewhere, and if I'm able to get back to activities pain-free. What is good is that I managed the physical side of being a physio student on a stroke placement, something I couldn't imagine doing 6 months ago!
Anyway, there was lots of waiting around the day of the surgery, they kept me in overnight and I didn't get much sleep. But the physios got me up and about on crutches the next morning. After mum driving me home yesterday I slept much better last night, in my own bed, and even managed to lie on my non-op side for a bit too (with extra pillows). I'm pretty stiff and a bit sore, using two crutches to walk around. But I'm only on paracetamol for pain relief today.
Oh, another good thing: I got to meet another fellow hippie from my online support group, who was also in having metalwork removed. It was brief and we were both exhausted, but was great to meet!
Getting the screws out, it seems, is far easier and less painful than getting them put in!
