Time Slips By

Tuesday I went to see my surgeon for my three year follow up.  Today though is actually the anniversary date of my hip replacement.  For those of you who follow me on Twitter you know that I had to stop at Walmart on the way to the ortho center to get chocolates for the team because when you have a surgical anniversary like mine, you make it as cheesy as you can.

Fun little story: Jack, the surgeon's assistant, drew a heart on my right hip when I was in pre-op. With a Sharpie. I Jess hooked up to iv drugs thought it was a fun and neat idea since it was Valentine's day, however we found out later that week when Sharpie and the iodine they put on your skin before an incision is made does not come off easily or quickly.  It took weeks of scrubbing before the heart completely disappeared.  Thanks, Jack, for making extremely medicated me frustrated for many days because of that heart. I know he got a good laugh out of it.

For the last three years I haven't cared about being alone on Valentine's day.  I mean, I get to celebrate the fact that I am no longer disabled and that I can live my life normally now with a fully functioning hip.  Who cares about not having a man today? Not me.  I actually take pride in the fact I can say I had a Valentine's date just the once, even if it was with my surgeon and his team.  He gave me a great gift, a new hip that improved the quality of my life ten fold.  Beat that gentlemen!

I've done a lot of neat and crazy things in the last three years.  From going to New Orleans and walking around the city for a week during a convention to hiking for the first time to weight training, I've accomplished quite a bit that I never would have been able to before surgery.

I feel like while you're growing up time slips by and then BAM! You're a grown up expected to take responsibilities seriously and have your life put together.  It's weird though that compared to the time before surgery, these last three years have flown by at 50 times the speed, all because I can live my life.  Before surgery I feel like I was so anchored down and couldn't do anything because of the limitations I faced.

Three years is crazy.  What's even crazier is that in two more years it'll be five years since my life changed for the better.  In two years I can accomplish a lot to add to my "improved quality of life" list that I've been keeping for my surgeon.  All week I've been imagining the things I can/want to do like continuing my weight training, travel to places to see friends and family and make new adventures for the memory book.

The amount of potential I have for life now because of my surgery is astounding.  Don't get me wrong, I believe that anyone can do amazing things if they set their mind on it but in my case it was a blessing to have found a surgeon who not only cared about fixing the problem but is also very interested in my life and what I'm doing.  Because of this hip replacement I feel like I am becoming the person I was meant to be in life and for that I'm so very thankful.

*raises glass* So here's to the next two years and many more after that.  The years that I get to make memories, learn and live life.  I just hope I take the time to slow down every now and then and remember how lucky I am and to really enjoy everything as it happens.