New Year's Day!! 1/1/2014!!!

New year's Day!! 1/1/2014!!! 
A day I have waited for - it means change - the turn of the tide! 
So much potential, and the beginning of the New Beginning for me! 
This morning I awoke a little late, took my 8am Tylenol at 9. I was thinking that I might have to use the walker to get to the loo in the night, as I was awfully sore from my long day and more walking than planned. 
But after I remembered about 1:00am that I had forgotten to take my midnight Tylenol, and that was probably one reason I was so sore by bed time! Took it, and then- slept all the way through the night! 
By morning, it was much easier.
After the loo, I went back to bed and slept more because I could. On BOTH sides, and even on my stomach for a while, with minimal pain!
It has been so long since I could sleep at all in my normal mode- stomach and sides! I am so happy! 
I've had a lot of insomnia throughout this time, mostly since April/May when this all became its worst, primarily due to worry, and pain waking me up, so sleeping normally again is such an enormous gift!! 

I made a coffee date on facebook with my friend Kellie for 1:15. At 12:45 I did 15 minutes of PT in bed, got up and dressed and ready and out the door in FIFTEEN minutes! I just couldn't believe it- it has taken me so long to get ready in the morning for so many years- it was wonderful! ( and hey - it's New Year's day... I'll shower later!!) 
Getting my pants on with no effort or pain, dropping things much less, and if I do drop anything, I can now just lean over safely and pick it up. 
Simple, amazing things. 

Coffee four blocks away with my friend was lovely. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm. A real harbinger for Good Things to come (Even though we do need the rain). 

Came home, ate some lovely leftover frittata... Opened up the windows for a while, relaxed. It's a good day. 

Used the Exercycle for a bit, too! SIX minutes this time! 

around 6:30, I had a lovely, relaxed nap for about an hour, entirely on my left side. 
Again - such a big deal. In the hospital, when the nurses tried to follow normal hip replacement protocol and roll me to one side or the other, it was totally impossible the first surgery - both hips were in acute pain, and those nurses tried to actually leave me there and walk away! I quickly demanded that they get me back on my back, and we'd talk to my surgeon the next day, but that there was NO WAY I could possibly stand this pain level - which spiked to about a 9 from my "normal" 2-3 when they rolled me. They listened, my surgeon agreed that I was not to be rolled. I know why they do it, and it's to keep you from getting bed sores. I was doing OK in that area and I'll take a bed sore over screaming pain anyway, thank you. For surgery #2, we tried it once or twice, as I recall, and I couldn't take it for more than a few minutes. 
NOW - aside from making me aware that my knees are a wee bit tender still, it just feels glorious to lie on my side with my knees drawn up, curled up for warmth and just snooze away. 

FInished up the day watching a bit of tv, knitting on a project and cooking a late dinner of stir-fried chicken, eggplant, onions, carrots and lovely greens - kale and Swiss chard! On Coumadin, no greens because the vitamin K in them counter-acts the blood thinner - and the irony of the thing is that Vitamin K is one of the top bone-growth promoting vitamins.  It was delicious, and there's plenty left for tomorrow night. 
I sat in a chair for some of the chopping, but all of the cooking was done standing, and no problem! 
My lower back is still a little stiff as I am re-training my pelvic posture - tucking my bum in and stretching to stand completely tall. A hot pack feels great on that. 

I am needing to remind myself to stand and stretch more in the evenings - I get myself sort of tucked in to my chair and let the time go by. Must be more mindful! 

Getting to bed very late again - but nothing specific is on for tomorrow, so I will sleep in. I do need to take some time next week to get used to earlier nights and mornings - though I am waking up at 8am to take Tylenol, so that habit isn't entirely ruined... still, I am such a late-night person, it feels nice to indulge my natural patterns for a bit longer., as long as I'm getting good sleep, and I am!