Right after waking up, my first thought was that I couldn't believe how good I felt. I mean, I have definitely felt better, don't get me wrong, but I think I felt pretty good considering I had just had two holes poked through my thigh a few hours earlier. I actually didn't feel any pain in my hip at all, which was an amazing and novel feeling. Before the surgery and especially before the cortisone shot, even when I was just sitting around, I often had quite a bit of pain or at least discomfort. Granted, I know that the lack of pain was due to the anesthetic, much like the day after the cortisone shot, and I was a little scared of what was going to happen once it wore off. However, I decided to stay in the moment (a classic teaching of stress management). I groggily read through the post-op instructions, which I'm sure were explained to me before I left the surgery center, but again, not much sank in. The instructions said that the anesthetic would last anywhere from 6-24 hours, and that I could not drive until it wore off. That was good to know, because I had been planning on driving to the grocery store and going shopping for something to cook for dinner, ha ha! Fortunately, my mom saved me by coming by with some soup for dinner, only I ate it right then, as I was starving. Plus, my throat was still really hurting and I was downing as many liquids as I could get my hands on. (That only lasted until I had to venture to the bathroom for the first time. The problem is that you are supposed to drink a lot post-surgery, but the inconvenience of going to the bathroom, especially for the first few days, doesn't actually motivate this behavior.)
Not being able to feel or move my leg was a strange feeling. The only other time I've had that feeling was when my daughter was born, and I got an intrathecal injection (basically like an epidural). However, my daughter's birth was fairly traumatic; she got vacuumed out in an emergency situation, so I'm pretty sure that not being able to feel my legs was the last thing on my mind.
Shortly after I woke up, my husband came in and put a DVD in for me. (We don't have cable, which means we get, like, five channels, and three of them are in Spanish.) I had him put in a Seinfeld DVD; for some reason, I wasn't really in the mood for The Walking Dead or Dexter. LOL. Ironically, after listening to the nurse in the sit-up room go on and on about the 'Indians,' the random DVD my husband stuck in for me was the one with the cigar store Indian episode (one of the best ever, in my opinion). (If you aren't familiar with Seinfeld, ignore this. Rest assured that the only time I ever talk about TV shows is when I'm on bed rest for four months or after I've had hip surgery, which so far is only twice in my life.) Unfortunately, the DVD met a sad fate, so I probably enjoyed the cigar store Indian episode for the last time ever. When the DVD was over, I decided to put another one in, and because of my total lack of pain, I was feeling invincible. I crutched my way over to the DVD player and took the DVD out. This did require a little bending over, but I was careful not to flex my hip past 90 degrees, which I accomplished by sticking my right leg out behind me, like doing a scale. This is when 13 years of gymnastics come in handy - piece of cake! I stuck the DVD on my finger and went to get another one out. I was feeling so confident that I even took the time to read the descriptions of the DVDs so I could put the one with the most good episodes in. Then, sort of by habit, I put my right leg down, just because it seemed stupid to be standing with it sticking out behind me when I was standing up straight. However, I forgot that I couldn't actually feel my leg, and the next thing I knew I was lying in a pathetic heap on the floor (wooden floors, of course). Ahhhh, hubris.
After I realized what had happened, my first reaction was to freak out. I couldn't believe that only a few hours after surgery, I had already taken a fall that could undo it all. I'm not usually the best patient, simply because I'm extremely NOT patient about anything at all, but I usually last more than a few hours before I do something stupid. As I lay there, I tried to figure out how on earth I was going to get myself off the floor. I also wanted to do it quickly, before my husband saw and freaked out and lectured me about taking it easy and told me I should have called him if I wanted a new DVD (that's just not my style). Eventually I rolled over on my back and lay there for a few minutes while my heart rate slowed down. Then I noticed the DVD was still on my finger, so I held it up and saw it was full of scratches. I think it slid across the floor along with me. RIP cigar store Indian episode of Seinfeld. As I lay there, I felt a little relief in that I did not seem to have hurt anything, although that was actually a stupid thought, because seeing as how I couldn't feel my l leg, it could have been broken and I wouldn't have known. Fortunately, it wasn't (at least I don't think so). After about five minutes of deep breathing, I got myself together and sat up by walking myself upward with my arms. I'm not sure how I got back into bed, but I decided I'd probably be better off if I went back to sleep. And that's about all I remember from that day.
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