20 Days: Back to Work

I went to work today - even got in a little early for a Monday. I'm not one of those people who needs to be a work to be happy (trust me on that!), but it was good to be back. Since I was able to keep things fairly current while working from home - and since I visited the office last week - it's not like I was hit with a huge blast of work nor a bunch of big surprises. It was very much as if I hadn't really left. The technology that allows telecommuting is good stuff. I used Virtual Private Networking (VNP) to access my company's network - and Windows XP's Remote Desktop to access the files and programs on my work computer. My goal was to keep things from piling up... and in that respect, I accomplished my mission. So I slid right back into the swing of things today without much hassle. The crutches are a bit of a drag, but it's still so much easier to get around with them than without them - and it hurts a lot less to use crutches than to try walking without them. But it did feel odd having them at work... like I'm wearing a big sign that says "Ask me what's wrong!" And I'd really rather people don't ask.

I was able to have lunch with a friend today - that was nice. And I was able to attend an important Department Head meeting this afternoon - also a good thing. One bad thing happened as I was leaving. I had to be at my primary care physician's for a quick needle stick to check the anti-clotting proteins (something I'll be doing until four weeks post-op). The Department Head meeting ran a little longer than anticipated and I was in a bit of a hurry to get out the door and into my car. I asked one of my staff to walk out with me so I could brief him on the meeting. Between talking to him and being in a hurry, I tossed my crutches in the back of my car and more or less jumped in the car like a normal person - totally busting the motion limitations that are in effect until the six-week post-op mark. Ouch. That hurt - a bunch. But at least I didn't break anything. The big concern is dislocating the new hip joint and I've been pretty careful to do all the things I'm supposed to be doing and not doing all the stuff I shouldn't do... but this was a big mental lapse. On the stupid-scale, it rivals the almost-fall in my backyard while playing with the dogs a week or so ago.

The lesson is to slow down - way down, in some respects. I may be back to work, but I'm far from being "back." I'm lucky to have made this much progress so quickly, but a single inattentive moment can undo a lot of what I've accomplished.

If you're considering this surgery or have recently undergone it, remember to take it as easy as you can for as long as you can. Today's little mishap will serve to remind me this is still a process - and I have a long way to go.