Pre-op

As you can see from the x-ray on this site, my old stainless steel hip is toast. For those who don’t know my story–I had a hip replacement 20 years ago, and then some years later, I crashed on my bike and broke the femur. Doctors repaired it with a metal bar, screws, and some twist ties. It worked well for 19 years, but now it’s time for new hardware.

Today I had my pre-op appointment at Hôpital de Hull. I was instructed to bring my coach, Corinne, with me to the appointment. We arrived at 8:15 a.m., and I filled out some forms before seeing a nurse. It turns out that the hospital was unable to schedule all my appointments for today, so we’ll be returning tomorrow.

After meeting with a nurse to learn about my surgery and answer some questions I was sent to various places to have tests done. The tests are to determine whether I’m healthy enough to have surgery. If I am, the operation will be next week on May 4th,  which my friends tell me is Star Wars Day  (May the 4th be with you). I think that’s a good omen.

Sitting and waiting is a skill that’s worth mastering. Today Corinne and I sat in several waiting rooms. Luckily we brought reading material with us. The trick is to not believe that you’re waiting for anything. Rather, you must believe that you’ve chosen to sit in an uncomfortable chair in a room with 50 sick strangers to read a book for two hours. You chose that spot because it was the perfect place to sit and read that book. And if you believe that, as I did today, then waiting is a piece of cake. Tomorrow, Corinne and I will go back to the hospital to do some more reading.