4 weeks out

Today I am celebrating! I got to turn in the calf pumps today and I am thrilled to not have my legs sweat through the night and the whirring sound of the motor as it pumps and deflates the cuffs. I didn't think they were too bad when I first had to wear them but I soon grew tired of them and sleeping with them for the last night was almost unbearable. :-) And, I am able to decrease my time in the cpm to just 2 hours per day. It feels like I have just gotten some of my time back. It's not much but 2 to 4 hours a day is a lot to gain right now with all of the other things I am doing. Yay!! Real progress at last. I have been walking 50% weight bearing for almost a week now. It feels good . . still a little unstable and my hip still feels tight but it feels good enough that I have forgotten to grab my crutches a couple of times and have started to walk unassisted. This is the week that I start upping my weight on my left side until I am walking without crutches on Sunday. Scary!!! There's no real pain with any movement but I am still definitely stiff and tight and lots of muscles still don't really want to work very hard. I always forget how long it takes to get everything back into good working order after this surgery. Since I am not the most patient person in the world, I want it all now. Ugh!!! The medical bills have started to come in. One word -- SCARY!!! And, it seems to be a full time job to review what was submitted, how it was submitted and what I am responsible for. They come fast and furious in the mail every day. It's a little overwhelming. So far insurance has paid for most. There is one large one, however, that the insurance only paid $2500 out of $17,000. I am worried about a potential $15,000 bill coming my way. Ugh! We'll see on that one. Everything else looks good though. Ok, off to my busy day of circumduction, pt and a gelato as a reward!!