The hardest part of my surgery isn’t the pain or the hospital bill, although that part is really difficult. The very hardest part is having to relearn all the little things I took for granted. By relearning I don’t mean that I’ve forgotten life’s simple tasks, but because I can’t bend, squat or lift anything now, I have to do things differently.
To do these seemingly simple tasks, I have tools to help. To pick things up, I have what I call a Grabber. It’s one those things that you pick trash up with, but a little smaller sized. I actually have two of them now, one from each surgery. Those are probably the most helpful tools I have! I pick up everything with them and have gotten pretty good using them.
To put socks on, I have a tool to do that. I have no idea what to call that, but it’s plastic and you put your sock on it, slip your foot into it and the sock goes magically onto your foot! It’s so handy. I found that one on Amazon. And then I use my shoehorn to get my shoes on.
My metal shoehorn brings back childhood memories. My dad had a few shoehorns. He was a very sharp dresser; dressing nice mattered a lot to him. His shoehorns were made from cow horn, that’s probably where they got their name, and I remember they hung neatly from his clothes closet in his and mom’s bedroom. He and Mom had their own closets and Dad’s was very neatly arranged; his dress shirts were arranged via color, jackets the same. Each pair of slacks hung on wooden clothes hangers, no wire hangers in my family! I think shoehorns were common for men of his age. I like having that small connection to him, even if it’s just a distant memory.
It takes a long time to get dressed. Practice and healing will help, I realize, but I’m not a patient person, so I’d like this part to be over, please.
Get well soon Martha.