An Emotional Goodbye

Well, that’s it. It’s all done.

Last night I had my very last physical therapy appointment. 

I seriously can’t believe that. Tom and I have spent so much time together over the last year; he’s become like a big brother to me. He’s pushed me on my worst days, and cheered me on on all of my good days. He’s been so great. I feel like I don’t give him hardly enough credit. I am 100% certain that I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am if it weren’t for him. He has been fantastic through all of this.

So, as I left last night, I gave him a big hug and a somewhat emotional goodbye. He thanked me for all my hard work and determination and I thanked him for always pushing me and for his constant desire to see me succeed. I remember (many times) being so annoyed with him for constantly yelling at me “Stop limping!” “Walk upright!” “Follow through on your gait!” “Sit back on those step downs!”…now, I realize that I needed to be constantly yelled at.  When you’re recovering from something so traumatizing to your body, it’s common to want to take the easy way out. He never let me! He pushed me to do things that I didn’t think I would have been able to do even BEFORE the surgery, never mind while recovering from TWO hip surgeries!

I could go on and on all day about Tom. He and I had a great working relationship. He understood how I ticked, and he worked with me perfectly every time I was there. I am so thankful for his help and his guidance throughout every step. He’s really great at what he does!

So, let’s sum it all up, shall we.

I started PT on December 12, 2012 at 7 weeks post-RPAO. From that point forward, I attended 46 PT sessions in almost 40 weeks (in the early parts of recovery after both surgeries, I attended twice a week…and then shaved it back to once a week once I started to feel better). So, 46 visits at $320 a visit is $14,720. This is NOT what I paid, thank the good lord above for good health insurance, but the number still amazes me. This puts my fancy shmancy hip worth at an estimated $75,000 (I’m estimating because I don’t have the papers from all procedures in front of me…I know the basics of what the surgeries cost and am adding a bit for all extraneous items such as imagining, office visits, etc). Which I guess isn’t too bad…considering.

It feels like the end of an era! I guess it really IS the end of an era. What a great stepping stone this is for me and my little hippy. I am 6.5 weeks away from my one year anniversary and I cannot wrap my head around that. I can’t wait for that day, and how bittersweet it will be.
Here's a picture of me on Day 1 of PT:

12-12-12 Walking for the very first time post-RPAO!

 And this is me just a couple weeks ago! 

During a long walk through the Muir Woods forest! I walked 5-6 miles in a day a couple of the days while we were on vacation. Felt GREAT!

In the meantime, I am going to revel in my free time now that I don’t have PT every second of my life (ok, that’s dramatic…but that’s what it felt like!). I am so glad that my life will feel normal, and I’ve got a “normal” hip to go with it. I can’t wait to see what my 1 year appointment on October 31^st brings me! I will be sure to keep you all posted.

We'll talk soon,
D