You Can't Get These Screws at Home Depot

A crop of my left hip x-ray image post hip joint replacement surgery



Even if they were precision surgical tools!

When I'd returned home from surgery, several weeks ago, my left leg was colored yellow because of the disinfectant they'd used; but that washed away after my first showering. Yet, weeks later, I still had some yellowish tinge to the back of my thigh, along with some nasty-looking bruising. I wasn't sure if that was "normal" or not. It turns out this is perfectly normal for when two skilled surgeons wail away at your hip and femur with sharp instruments, after having folded back the tissues away from the bone.

After Dr. B.'s vivid description of the procedure, I felt like I understood, viscerally, why I am still in pain and why it'll take weeks longer to heal. This kind of surgery is literally traumatic to the strongest bones in a person's body. When he described hanging onto my knee with all his might as Dr. T. dislocated my hip, prior to cutting it apart, I could almost hear the pop it might have made! Okay, I get it now!

But when he told me that those long, self-tapping titanium screws sometimes strip out, I could imagine them asking a nurse to pick up another box at Home Depot. Not! I'm sure they had plenty of parts on-hand.

I don't yet feel like The Six Million Dollar Man, but I'm using a cane now instead of a walker, and every day it seems a bit easier to walk. Getting a good night's rest, finding a comfortable position, is the main challenge so far. But luckily I have Mrs. Six Million Dollar Woman to help!