[Warning – this turned into a really long post. It was cathartic – but don’t feel like you need to read the whole thing.]
I get so emotional baby, every time I think of you-u-u! It’s emotional hangover time here at the blog, yet again. Slap me if I sound like a broken record. Emotions, emotions, emotions! The psycohological equivalent of Jan Brady, if you will. Feelings, whoa-o-oh feelings! Will someone PLEASE turn it off?! Please?
It’s a monsoon outside today, but inside it’s nice and quiet and warm because the love of my life sealed up all the windows this weekend. We live in something of a wind tunnel and the windows seem to have these huge gaps in them. They also line the entire west side of the apartment. That’s a decent amount of windows. There’s one room, when you walk by, your hair starts blowing around and you feel this arctic blast. We keep the door of that room closed until we do the seal; it always reminds me of the kids’ room in Poltergeist – you know, when JoBeth Williams opens the door and all the toys are flying around? That’s our den, possessed, but not anymore! Georgie! My hero!
Speaking of Georgie, he’s partly the reason for so much emotion these days. I’ve now known G for almost 19 years! And in all of the time I’ve known him he’s been living with some kind of pain. Since he was around fourteen he’s been having tons of trouble with his knees – but being the man he is – he played through it by being on the basketball and tennis teams in high school and college and spending his adulthood playing one or the other sport at least a few times a week. Poor Georgie has the body of a scholar and the mind of an athlete. You know how we love to knit and spin and craft? How about if someone told us we’d never be able to knit again? It would cause us to shrivel up into a little ball in the back of the closet and never want to see the light of day. That’s how my darling husband feels about his tennis. Basketball’s been out of the question for quite some time.
Things were looking up for awhile there. After his fifth knee surgery in seven years it looked like things were taken care of – his knees actually felt good! And then the hip pain started. At first he thought it was a groin pull but gradually it got worse and worse and finally he had the hip scoped down in Nashville. That was in ’03 and the doctor came out to talk to me while G was in recovery. His exact words were “he’s got the hips of an 80-year-old man.” My gorgeous husband is 43. It’s some kind of a degenerative tissue thing that’s basically left him without cartiledge. Back in ’03 we were told that eventually hip replacement would be the only option, but that we should try to hold out as long as possible because, well, he’s only 43 and hip replacements, as wonderful as they are now, don’t last that long. In 20 yrs it’s VERY conceivable he will need another new hip. Well, my friends, it looks like the eventuality has come. My sweetheart can barely walk. He is in so much pain and I can’t even begin to tell you the sadness I feel about this. I can’t do anything to help him. And trust me, if there was a way I could give him my hips I would. He’s in the process now of going to the doctors and getting diagnoses and I guess we’re looking to try and schedule this for early spring. Please, if you feel compelled to share stories of people you know having had hip replacements – DO NOT TELL ME ABOUT ANYONE THAT’S DIED. We see enough of it on the news about young(ish) people dying and I don’t want to hear it. G has had A LOT of surgery in his life – five knees, his hip, a hernia – and he’s come through with flying colors every time but I’m scared to death.
Add to that all the grief I’ve been letting myself feel lately about the infertility crap and you’ve got a sure fire prescription for MISERY! HAHAHAHAHAHA! That’s all I can do – try to laugh in the face of it! I’m reminded of that line Dolly Parton says in Steel Magnolias – laughter through tears is my favorite emotion? (I think they’re at Julia Robert’s funeral and Olympia Dukakis and Shirley Maclaine have just gotten into the bitch slap thing – Steel Magnolia’s is one of those movies I can’t NOT watch – not matter how icky it makes me feel.) Or some such nonesense as that? I’m not sure if that’s true, but if I can’t laugh, I’ve got nothing.
My peeps out in blogland have been doing their damndest to cheer me up and I finally got around to some pictures!
So you all know how Ann skims right? Seriously – she’s the ULTIMATE skimmer. I’ll be chatting with her on the phone (Ann gives great phone, btw – you know how some people are just not that good on the phone? Not Ann. She rocks. And Margene too. I get on the phone with them and guaranteed it’s like an hour before I get off. In a good way.) and I’ll say something to her and she’ll be like what? And I’ll just stop. Silence. “Ann. Did you read the blog? It’s all on the freaking BLOG!” And she’ll just start laughing because people SHE DOESN’T READ THE BLOGS! She just looks at the pictures or maybe not even that. Ever notice how her comments don’t really seem to have anything to do with what you wrote about that day? No. Well look. She’s a skimmer. Anyway, I’m READING her blog the other day, because I read your blogs, and leave a comment about the availability of Curious George cell phone charms. I had to have one. For obvious reasons.
Welp not ten minutes later the phone rings. It’s Ann. In a panic. She didn’t READ WHAT SHE POSTED! She only skimmed (so really how offended can we be when she skims HER OWN BLOG) and was all upset that I had run off and purchased a Curious George phone charm, because, she confessed, she had already bought me one.
George and my phone have been inseparable ever since. Not sure what the bunny means, but he came along with George and they seem to get along just fine at the bottom of my bag. I love them. If you refer back to the picture above, Ann also sent me a cutie pie frog prince – a talisman – she explained – against frogging our knitting projects. So far so good. There’s a CG bento box and frankly, a kind of scary snowman basket. THANK YOU ANN! Everytime I use the phone I think of you. You make me laugh out loud every time I talk to you and I so love you for that.
A few days after that my very favorite Bookish Girl checked in for the birthday.
Wendy told me that pretty much everything she sent had been purchased at The Bazaar Bizarre – one of those craft extravaganza flea market type thingies – we’ve got beautiful stitch markers, lovely handspun hand-dyed yarn from Woolarina, super cool patches, a denim zip purse, an orange chibi and a SUNFLOWER! To brighten my day. Thank you Wendy! I don’t think I’ve mentioned lately how much I love Wendy. She was one of my first blog friends that I had met in real life – she took me around Boston – a perfect stranger – and we had an instant connection. She’s as real as they come and she makes me laugh and I know if I called her up crying my eyes out she would listen, not judge, and help me. Thank you Wendy. I love you girl!
This is turning into a pretty long post, but it’s making me feel better, so I’m going to keep going.
I’m also pretty good at making myself feel better. I’ve been feeling guilty about all the talk about stashalongs and such and it’s time to admit, that on my birthday, I did what every self-respecting knitter does on their 36th birthday. I ordered a shit load of Alice Starmore’s Virtual Yarn.
Eleven skanks of 3ply Hebridean. For Crossed In Translation swatches. Right now the front runner is Clover, top row, second from the left. I think it will be perfect for this sweater. Perfect. But I can’t start swatching until I finish this:
TREK WINS! She guessed it – these are the sleeves for Short Rows. Back in the day, before it looked like I’d never knit anything other than Jaywalkers, I’d dare say Short Rows was my signature knit. I finished the back (twice!) and the front and left it. All that was needed was the boring navy blue stockinette sleeves and the seaming and a collar. But the sleeves. I couldn’t do it. But I promised myself I would finish this sweater. I’ve worked too hard on it not to finish and I really love it and I hope to see if it fits someday. So I’m not starting the CIT sweater until this is done. I’ve done about ten increases – I’m doing both at the same time, so it’s kind of slow going. My goal is at least one increase a night. There are 16 before you start to decrease for the raglan. Wish me luck.
Thanks everyone for your comments on my yarn yesterday! I’m very excited about my spinning and I’m so glad to share my enthusiasm.
All right. Enough’s enough. I’ve got work to do and I’ve wasted enough of your day. 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
L, C
PS – Please go and see what made me the happiest of happy today! Margene finished her jaywalkers! I swear it was killing me that she wasn’t enjoying these socks – but that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. POP ROCKS!
Oh my – that Alice Starmore yarn is GORGEOUS! I swear I am going to resist the temptation, I swear I won’t add more yarn to my stash…
Ooh, that yarn is absolutely stunning. The colors are great! One of these days . . .
My uncle had his hips replaced when he was just a couple of years older than your G. Reading G’s story was just like reading about Uncle Skip — avid athlete (hockey, and lots of other things) with the hips of an elderly man. Like G, he held out as long as he could because the replacements don’t last forever. He had young kids to play with, and also owned his own business as a contractor, and was getting to the point where he could not climb ladders, walk on a roof, bend and carry, etc. So, he had his hips replaced. The recovery took several weeks, but after that, he said he wished he had done it sooner because he felt so much more mobile.
So, good luck to you and G as he explores his options!
Cara, G is going to be a great patient. He is the kind of guy who wants to get better quickly and back to his game. My hubby is a neurosurgeon and specializes in spine surgery. He always can tell the “Good Patients” from the “Not So Good.” G fits the profile of Good! One more encouraging story…My friend played tennis for UCLA. She has had both of her hips replaced. She is still an ace and plays A- Open Marine League. It is so sweet to hear you speak of G. Your man!
Pain is a big, big drag. G will feel like Danielle’s uncle, I swear. One of the ladies at the LYS had her hip replaced (she about 50) and said the same thing…should have done it sooner. Because G is so strong he will come through fine just like he has in the past and he’ll do what he should in PT and that will make a bid difference, too.
BTW, I read every single word and I love you;-)
Best wishes to Georgie! I am so sorry to hear about his suffering.
Just wanted to wish you and Georgie the very best through the surgery. I know he’ll be so much more comfortable when it’s over! My husband’s godmother just had her hip done ten days ago and she’s already out hiking again and feeling terrific. Here’s hoping your man will have such a positive turnaround.
P.S. The Starmore yarn is GORGEOUS.
I`ve not got any stories about hip replacement, but a good friend of mine got a double knee replacement three months ago after enduring years of pain and trying to put the ops off as long as possible. (He has rhumatoid arthritis.) Tough ops, especially the initial recuperation period with two knees but the results have been nothing short of miraculous. These ops WORK. They take the damaged bit and throw it in the trash and you get a nice new joint that doesn`t hurt.
Good luck to your man. He sounds like he`s really motivated and he`s obviously got GREAT support from you. These things count for a lot.
Val.
Good luck to G. Sounds like he will recover quickly (active, athletic, desire to be same). As an aging athlete, I can’t imagine not being able to play soccer any more. I may not be able to run with the 20-somethings anymore, but there are still leagues and games I can play in.
I read EVERY word because I don’t want to miss a thing. I love your blog, Cara. I love that you’re not afraid to tell us what’s really going on and you share your fears and your excitement is contagious. Thanks for just being you!
Delurking to say that I don’t know how anyone could not read every single word. A friend of mine had hip replacement surgery a couple of weeks ago and the doctor used an epidural (sp?) rather than general anesthesia (clearly, I cannot spell) – a lot less risk and better pain management. He was up walking the next day and can’t wait to have the second hip done. As scary as anything like this is, science really is amazing these days. I wish you and your hubby the very best of luck.
Good luck to you and G on the surgery bit. He’s very lucky to have you there to take care of him through it all. I’ve had two major surgeries and, while I obviously didn’t want to have them, I have learned from them each time and am grateful for the abilities they have given me. I’m sorry that you all have had more than your dose of the surgery adventures, but I hope that it only continues to bring you closer.
My brother in law was 33 when he lost all the cartiledge in one of his hips (weird but true, only one). He had a hip replacement and now he’s doing swimmingly….going to the gym, walking without the pained limp, everything. Hang in there!
heaps of new hips in my family as people have got old. all good! now can i talk about the yarn? the yarn is g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s! look at those colours! *swoon*
there’s stuff on the way for you, btw!
Not a skimmer here! We need a “Not a Skimmer” button. heh Thanks for being so open and real with your personal life and feelings. I’m glad you share it and I’m glad it makes you feel better and its nice that you get so much support from blogging peers.
Thankfully I don’t know of any hip replacement fatalities. 🙂
AND, I’m looking forward to seeing whatever you’re going to do with that Starmore yarn. Wait… did I skim… did you say…?? There was so much. I won’t read it again right now. heh Love ya Cara.
Thanks, Cara (yay me!). The monsoon really rots here, doesn’t it? We’ll be staying inside where it is dry and warm.
One of my knitting peeps had a hip replacement in June of last year and I couldn’t even tell!
My best wishes to your G.
And blast it if I don’t have “Carrie Ann! Carrie Ann!” in my head.
A sh*tload of 3-ply Hebridean for swatching? I knew I loved you for a reason!
I sincerely hope G.’s hip replacement gives him the pain-free results he deserves!
i did read your entire entry and i’m glad to see that you perked up at the end 🙂 my father has had both of his hips replaced and he is a new man! i swear that he was up and walking within a week of surgery on both of them. i think that G and my father had the same problem.. the cartiledge was basically non-existant. i fear that i may have inherited the hips from my father, though. if i sleep on my side all night or do any sort of running my hips hurt for days! the treadmill at the gym is my enemy and i’ve come to love the eliptical cross-trainer which is a lot easier on the hips and knees and actually burns more calories.
anyway, to make a long story somewhat short, i think he has a good chance (more than good, great!) of coming out of this one in tip-top shape.. though he’ll have to carry a special card because he’ll set off metal detectors at the airport 😉
love the yarn purchase, by the way! the colors are just gorgeous!
what?
Aren’t Margene’s socks GREAT?! I just love ’em. And I’m so excited about Short Rows!!!I so totally agree about Ann and the good phone thing, too. Undeniable.I’m so sorry for Georgie — he’s “lucky,” if you can call it that, in that he can plan and choose and decide (even if it’s an eventual thing) rather than having the decision made for him because of a fall or injury. He’s strong and young (I can say that!) and takes care of himself — he’ll still be younger than most hip replacement patients if and when he has to do it again in 20 years. Hugs, sweetie pie, lots of hugs to you!
I feel you on the rain. I’m in Philly as well and my shoes, pants, and socks are still drying out from my 8:00 AM walk through the rain (with and umbrella which didn’t help). Why are they talking so long to dry? Because I’m still wearring them… grr. I want to go home and dry! I hope you tay comfortably warm and dry (some sunshine just came through the window!!). In other news, I have one jaywalker done and another cast on. I may frog it and start over due to intense pooling.
I have great stories about hip replacements! I have a friend in his late 20’s who had to have both of his done. He’s fine, he’s happy, all is good. If you guys want to chat with him let me know. He had all his work done in Philly (supposedly some great hip docs around here?). Again no worries, it will all go well.
Oh, yeah, and she’ll kill me if I don’t admit that I’m something of a skimmer, too. Not you, oh no, there are many blogs whereupon I hang on every word… usually… most of the time… and yours is one. Usually. Ann’s comments have some relevance to my posts, but I’ve had other comments in the past that leave me scratchin’ my head. Huhhh? Really, it just depends on the day. Heck, I’ve even made use of that “Mark All Read” button on Bloglines… more than once.
Best wishes on the replacement. My grandma had a knee replacement ages ago, and it’s still going strong…
Love the Starmore–all of it. So very skanky.
So sorry about the hip thing. Major suckiness.
Re: the bunny. S/he’s from “Curious George Flies A Kite.” George lets a baby bunny out of a neighbor’s bunny hutch, and then needs to figure out how to get it back. At the end of the book, he is given the baby bunny to take home as a pet. Very cute–it’s one of my favorite Curious George stories!
I love that short rows sweater. Is there a pattern?
Can I just send you a big hug from France? And wow, I love ALL the colors of that Starmore yarn. And good news for my jaywalkers: new needles arrived at my parent’s place and I will use a three week holiday to finaly make me those socks!
There’s a guy in my dad’s office who’s had both hips replaced. I think he’s in his 50’s. He seems fine, and I think he plays racquetball and such. Best wishes for G…
I was going to email you this but couldn’t find your email address. I’m a new reader to your blog so my apologies for not knowing your story on infertility and perhaps my story being way off base to yours. On the other hand, maybe someone will read this and it will be helpful for them.
For seven years I tried to conceive but due to endometriosis I was unable. I had several surgeries to clean the up lesions and remove ovarian cysts. I tried the basic procedures to get pregnant, pretty much everything short of in vitro, with no success.
In 1995 I had an ovarian cyst rupture and it required emergency surgery. On the way to surgery I told my Dr. that I was fed up with surgeries and since it was my right ovary again (the source of most of my problems), to just get rid of it, which he did.
Three months later I was pregnant. I was pretty sure my left ovary was fine because 3 out of 4 months I felt pain when I ovulated on my right side. Removing my right ovary would force my left one to do all the work and that seemed to be exactly what I needed. It seemed to help my endo too, after my son was born I had one more surgery for a small cyst and have since been pretty much endo free for the past 10 years.
For your husband, poor guy, I hope the next few months aren’t too painful for him and that he surgery is a flying success!
P.S. Don’t know if this is helpful but I was 36 when I finally conceived.
When I saw the Alice Starmore yarn I absolutely broke down sobbing. What gorgeous yarn! It’s a shame that the internet doesn’t come with some kind of scratch n’ sniff or pet and covet option. And I have Jaywalker news! I’m almost done with my third pair, and I have a fourth in the wings. I’m trying to spread the STR love by having a contest (winner gets a skein)!
Hope all goes well with surgery. I’ll keep you both in my thoughts.
My Grandmother had both hips replaced 20+ years ago, when they weren’t as advanced as they are now, and she shows no signs of needing new ones. Also, recovery is way faster in the young & healthy.
Make sure he gets good physical therapy before & after… Should help a lot with recovery.
Best wishes for the G-man, I hope he’ll be bounding around the court this time next year. My father just (last week) got 2 total knee replacements, so I know it’ll be a rough road, but hopefully well worth it. Take care of eachother.
The starmore yarn is just to die for, isn’t it? Yum.
Hope all goes well with the procedure and peace to your minds and bodies.
Having such good friends who care so much about you are sure to lift your spirits. I’m so sorry to hear about Georgie facing a hip replacement at such a young age. I’m sure he’ll do fine, and will be much better off in the long run.
Best wishes to you and George on the surgery.
I have serious yarn envy over here!
I’ve been reading your blog since December and enjoy reading EVERY word. Thanks for sharing with us. My best to you and your husband before, during and after the surgery.
The yarn is beautiful. I’m envious!
*Mwah* I gots to go find a tissue now….
Hee, hee, hee. Nice job with the yarn buying. I think it should be a tradition that EVERYONE buys AS yarn in bulk when they turn 36.
What could be better?
And my friend A had a degenerative hip problem and had hers replaced a year ago, just before her 39th birthday. She’s doing beautifully and is back to the gym and mountain biking and all that jazz. If you want more details let me know – but it went great.
*hug*
I used to work as a physical therapy orderly for the Mayo Clinic, pushing people to and from their PT appointments. Most of them were there for hip and knee replacements. It was virtually all good – everyone happy that they had done it and excited that they could move around with less and less pain as they healed.
Margene’s Jaywalkers are excellent and I think I want her to do the styligng for all my FO shoots from now on – hers was brilliant!
my husband had legg-perthes disease as a kid and his hips, especially one, are a mess. he’ll probably have to have one of them replaced in the next few years, and he’s only 39. so don’t despair. G will be fine.
my father in law just had his shoulder replaced, and granted it’s not a hip, but he’s doing great. better than ever.
Cara, you are going through so much right now. I’m sorry to hear about G’s hip problems. But his youth is really a huge benefit. He’ll do wonderfully and feel so much better after it is done.
And your infertility = hugs on that too. I won’t say any of the cliches that so readily spring to mind. You’ll be an excellent Mommy, that’s all I’ll say. Chelle
Good vibes coming your way, Cara. Take care of hubby and yourself too. And I’m all about self-medicating with yarn…
Yay! I’m so glad to read that you’ll be finishing the shortrows soon!Q
Reading this today makes me feel so much better about the prospect of turning 36 later this year, since according to Juno, this treating oneself to a gift from Virtual Yarns must become a tradition. Thanks! (note to self – must start paying down credit card balances now!)
My Dad who’s about to turn 73 broke one of his hips on Sunday right at the spot that generally gets replaced, had it repaired with a strong pin on Monday afternoon, and was just sent down to the rehab floor in the hospital because he was able to make his way around the ward using a walker this morning. That’s days earlier than the standard, and he’s feeling great. Granted it’s not quite as big as a full hip replacement, but if you take the age difference into account I’d put money on your G recovering even better. Big Hugs.
Take heart – so many hip replacements turn out wonderfully! I’m a librarian, and one of our patrons just had two hips replaced. He’s about 85. He comes in every day now, drives his own car, walks as well as anyone. Your husband will be fine. How can it not turn out well when hundreds of us who read your blog (all of the words!) are thinking good thoughts for both of you?
Won’t it be great when G is out of pain and you come up around here and we go hiking because we all be in great shape from our running and we’ll bring our knitting to the top of some big hill and look down on a lake and out at the other big hills and knit. Then walk down. Fun.
I usually skim. Today I did not. I saw a lot. That AS is gorgeous and I am dying for you to finish Short Rows and swatch. Turn off your computer and knit right now!
BTW-run a little extra for me. Still healing…..
Damn…I was envious and excited for you about the Curious George phone thingymagig…then you rammed the Hebredian into the eyesight! Oh lands!
So sorry for the hubby’s ailments. I too have a friend that had to get a hip replacement at a young 50…She said it was the best decision she ever made! She said she had forgot what life without pain was like…and if she had known how worth it was, she would have got it many years earlier instead of being in pain and worried about the surgery.
My boss had the same degenerative tissue thingy and had a hip replacement two years ago at the age of 45. He says he wishes he hadn’t waited to damned long. He came through it beautifully and says he felt better almost instantly. His wife says he was a pain in the ass, but somehow I don’t think that was related to the surgery itself. So it will be FINE, really. I swear.
Heh. I knew about Ann’s skimming. I could tell.
d00d, I’ll be 36 this year, too, and I plan to buy myself a shitload of yarn!
You gotta go check out scout’s & my blogs to see SEVEN ppl knitting jaywalker all at once!
Your VY is absolutely stunning! I’m with you, clover would be a knockout for CIT.
Don’t ya just love Curious George? I have my eye on a Curious George cycling jersey for my birthday this summer…..hitting the 40s is truly a pain….I’ve had to give up running in favor of the more body friendly cycling. G will be in my thoughts, and you too, of course. Keep us updated.
ROFL. I read as far as Ann’s comment and DIED. So….lemme see if I can come up with a good non sequitur.
Here it is: Yes, my office manager had HER knees replaced, too. (get it?)
Hey, where’s the BP goodness????? The post wasn’t long enough yet!!!
Hi Cara — just wanted to let you know that I work in the medical field and treated tons of people with new hips that have done so AMAZING and wished that they hadn’t have waited. I also find that orthopaedic surgeries have advanced so much as our population ages that in 20 years there will likely be so many new alternatives for people like George. Good luck!
Hi Cara, my brother-in-law has had both hips replaced. He said that each time the improvement was immediate, even considering the recovery period. Good luck to George!
I cherish every post and read every funny, sad, frustrating, inspirational, silly word you write.
Best to you and G!
Dear Cara, please know that my thoughts are with you. Good luck to your husband. I found myself thinking of you as I worked on–what else–Jaywalker. So I had to comment. (My father in law, though older, has such a better quality of life with a new hip and knee.)
You have given me tremendous permission to order lots of yarn for my 52nd, coming up soon. Especially after my 2nd knee surgery! Good luck to your husband. Right now I can relate to both of you.
Li
http://lifesastitch.typepad.com
My grandfather waited until he was 90-ish to have his knees and a hip replaced and for his next birthday Gmother gave him a pedometer because he wanted to know how many miles they were walking! He says he was an idiot to put up with the pain all those years — the pain is GONE now and he is loving life. Best of luck for G!
My grandfather had his hip replaced, and barely even broke his stride. He is now refusing to have his knee done because he says the recovery is so much worse. So I hope Georgie has the same experience and this is easy for him.
And don’t let anyone give you crap about the infertility stuff. It’s your body, and your all’s decision, and nobody else’s business. Just because it takes more intervention than it does for other people doesn’t change that or give those intervening or anyone else any special rights!!
Stopping here is never a waste. But you know that.
🙂
Yes! A “Not A Skimmer” button! – well, since I’m now able to add buttons to my blog, I want more buttons!
Beautiful yarn…I love the buy yourself lots of nice yarn for your birthday thing! I’ll have to remember that.
Good luck to Georgie (and you, too). It’s hard to have a loved-one go through surgery.
My uncle had his hip replaced at 29!!! This past summer, he had to have it replaced again, he’s almost 45. Granted, he didn’t follow the doctors orders, and spent the last 15 years golfing, running, and surfing. It can be a good thing.
i did something similar for my 36th birthday, there are two boxes of alice staremore yarns sitting almost right next to me as i type…and don’t the come beautifully packaged.
i am sending you and georgie lots of healthy vibes and wishes.
The Alice Starmore yarn looks so gorgeous. I think I love all of the colors.
Oh my goodness, the Alice Starmore yarn… is it crazy if it makes me want to cuddle up to my screen? Maybe wink at it flirtatiously? It is? Oh darn.
I’m so sorry to hear about George’s troubles – it’s so hard when those we love are in pain. But he’s going to do just fine. And while it sucks that he’s got to face hip replacement so young, hopefully that means he’s going to bounce back from it like a champ and get back to his tennis he loves so much.
Oh, what a month January has been for you, up and down! I don’t know a soul who has had a hip replacement who has died. The more athletic people I know who’ve had it done have been thrilled to be able to do all the thing that they enjoy again. Plus, you get a plastic card with a photo of an x-ray of your hip replacement and other ID info, which is supposed to allow you to move through metal detectors at airports, etc with ease, but which is also quite the conversation starter. Good luck to both of you!
Holy shit, I was falling asleep scrolling down to comment. Sorry to read about Georgie’s pain. When Owen was first diagnosed I tried to make a deal with God that s/he could have one or both of my arms, so I could no longer knit, if s/he would cure the autism. How is that related–not really ‘cept you wrote about not being able to knit. (I don’t skim). 🙂 Hugs to you and a quick, easy, painless and butt kicking surgery for G!
First the yarn – the colors are gorgeous. I might cave in and buy some even though I passed 36 a while back.
Second – I have a friend who also had major hip problems and had to wait for the surgery for the same reasons as G. She finally had the surgery done about 2 years ago and is VERY happy. Her partner just told me they went down to Disney and he couldn’t keep up with her. She kept going all day – something she would never have been able to do before the surgery.
Third – I finished my first pair of Jaywalkers. Love them!
My heart goes out to you and your hubby for all that you are going through. My mom had both her hips replaced (not at the same time) when she was in her 60’s. She is so glad that she did it! Take one day at a time and enjoy everything in your life – all your friends, your knitting and your wonderful husband – kids are fantastic but not having any doesn’t mean your life has no meaning – I understand the pain (having had 2 miscarriages myself). There are other options which I am sure you have looked at. You and your husband have each other, thank God. Perhaps this will all be trite and it is hard to sometimes get things across in a meaningful way in an email or comment but hang in there – thank goodness for knitting! Your Alice Starmore is beautiful – I will pray for you both!
Bad knees are terrible, so sorry to hear about Gerogie’s plight. But happy to see the pics of Curious George. I love that little guy.
I had to come out of lurking to offer some encouragement.
Everyone I know that has had their knees or hips replaced has absolutely wished they had done it sooner. I wish great things for you and your hubby.
As far as infertility, we went through that for 6 years, and now have been going through it again for the last 2. Everyone’s story is different, if you ever want to “talk” to someone about it, feel free to email me.
I wish you the best, take care!
I want to update you on my Jaywalker, but I never heard back from you, so I’m not sure if I’m in or not. Is there a seperate link to send updates to, or just here in the comments? I know you’re crazy busy with this, but I really want to be in.
You know, I have been having the infertility blues really badly today, and your post actually helped cheer me up. They say misery loves company. So thank you.
OK, I confess, I skimmed. Like my namesake. 🙂
Poor Mr. G! As much an athlete as he is, I’m sure his health will bounce him right back after surgery.
How could you order the Virtual Yarns you did? Honestly? I’ve never ordered from there because there’s not room over here for all the colors I want. Oh and that yarn you spun? Ahem, um, awful. Just awful. In fact, I think you should send it to me this minute. Yep. Let me hug-uh, dispose, yeah, dispose of it for you. I’m not going to hold the skanks closem while petting them and saying “My preciousssssss.” Not at all. 😀
Thinking of you! I hope all goes well in the surgery.
And selfishly now, I wanted to “update” you about my Jaywalkers – knock wood, so far so good! I’ll be posting about them tomorrow, but I know that’s usually when you do your updates, so I thought I’d try to catch you this way! 🙂
Don’t you worry about G, it will all be a piece of cake. my step mom and my grandfather who is 82 have both had their hips done and well they run circles around all of us. We went to see them in Las Vegas and we were walking the strip and well my step mom was way up there and then stoped and went back behind us to see if some ladies boobs were real or not for my dad, then just walked right past us again and was again way up there…..he’ll be running circles around you before you know it. The only hard part is the recovery…It’s just hard to see them down. But he can do it and I’m here for you.
My husband had a hip replaced around age 50. He had been in a lot of pain for several years and had gotten to the point that he couldn’t sleep through the night which meant I couldn’t sleep through the night either. That was six years ago. We both sleep now and if you ask him how he feels about it he’d say “If I’d known how much better I’d feel I would have done it sooner.” Our experience was rather hasty – the surgeon had an opening three days after we made the decision to go ahead with the replacement. It is possible, given enough lead time, to do exercises ahead of time that will hasten the recovery time. In any case, be sure that G doesn’t get to anxious to go home after the surgery or to do too much too soon. You have along time ahead with that new hip – don’t rush it. My husband was determined to get out of the hospital as soon as possible and he really should have stayed a day or two longer. Sleeping was a real problem the first few nights at home and DH did a bit more walking the first day than he should have which cause a minor set back in recovery time. I’m not sure that I would have been any better had it been me. Good luck to both of you. It really is worth it!!
thinking nothing but the best thoughts for Georgie when all comes together and the pain goes the FUCK AWAY.
and nice birthday loot- I like the Curious George bunches 🙂
My mom (20 years older than your G) is facing knee replacement surgery and we have the same concerns and fears. But we’ve heard a lot of good stories about what it can do for people and how much mobility it can give back to them. My husband and I have been through some minor (by comparison) hospital stuff lately, and there’s nothing about it that’s fun. I hope things go well and that whenever the surgery happens, the recovery time is fast and the end result is good.
Cara, darling, there’s not a person under 40 in my Mom’s family that hasn’t had something replaced, be it hip or knee, and they’ve all raved about how it was all worth it and so on and so on. You promise to keep us updated on G and we’ll promise to keep sending out the big knitter mojo.
And if you happen to need anyone to babysit that A.S. yarn while you’re all busy and stuff, you just let me know. After all, what are friends for?