In the article where we told you about my broken hip, we finished up in Playa del Carmen at two and a half weeks after surgery. The fact of the matter is, the next two months were pretty boring. But we did try to find some fun things to do, and of course, we had to eat.
We have never been home in Playa in the summer, so this is the first time we felt the summer heat and humidity. We had to run the air conditioner all the time. Thank you, solar panels! We did do a few interesting things during our time in Playa, but we are saving them for another article.
The Nuts and Bolts of Rehab
On the one hand, rehab is hard and it hurts, but like regular exercise, I do feel better after. Our trainer came to the apartment every day for the first two weeks. Soon after, I switched from the crutches to a cane, but the trainer still wouldn’t let me go to the gym. It turns out that the gym and the side of the pool with chairs are both really far when you are pretty weak and walking with crutches or a cane. So for the first two weeks at home, I only left the apartment to go to the doctor.
I continued with rehab in the apartment for another two weeks, including finally walking up and down the stairs. Walking up even one stair was really difficult the first few times I tried. Once I was safe on the stairs, I graduated to going to the gym.
Finding and Seeing an Orthopedist
Finding a doctor was an important priority because I needed X-rays after two weeks and six weeks. I also had issues with my leg lengths, so I needed a special kind of X-ray, from waist to toe. First, I found an orthopedist, and our trainer helped me make the appointment. During the doctor visit, it was clear that she was used to seeing much older and less fit people with new hip replacements, so her opinions seemed more conservative than those of others. But she ordered all of the X-rays and the special study for my leg length discrepancy.
My legs have been different lengths since the surgery on my left leg six years ago. Over time, I adapted and stopped wearing the heel lifts in my shoes. But after the hip replacement, it seemed that the discrepancy was much more pronounced. My orthopedist in Scottsdale told me the kind of study I needed the doctor in Playa to order.
I learned two things around this time. First, my leg length issue looked worse than it actually was because of all of the post-op swelling. Next, I learned my legs are 29 millimeters different in length. That means if I want my body to work properly, I need a 1/2 inch heel lift on the left foot in all of my shoes and sandals. Hello, Amazon.
Mike’s Visit to the Bay Area
Toward the end of July, Mike and I were both comfortable enough for him to leave for about a week and visit the Bay Area. Our summer plans had included a family visit in the Bay Area, but also to pick up clothes that we planned to use during our summer in Europe, other supplies, and medication staged there. He made sure there was enough food in the house so I wouldn’t starve, and off he went.
Other than visiting friends and family, he had a blessedly uneventful trip.
Local Culture – Piano Concert
We were able to do one cultural activity during our first month back in Playa. There was a piano concert at the CityTheater in Playa, a lovely building with great acoustics. Two women performed a variety of classical music together at the piano. The celebrated pianists were PhDs who teach at a university in Mexico. There was also an opera singer for some numbers.
We Had to Eat
After I felt better and was able to move around, we started visiting the restaurants in Playa a few times a week. Sometimes it was a new restaurant, but other times it was an old favorite.
In August and September each year, a particular dish is available that commemorates Mexican independence. It’s called Chile en Nogada and is decorated in the colors of the Mexican flag. This is one of Mike’s favorites, but I don’t care for it, so I eat something different.
The dish is a warm meat, nuts, and fruit mixture stuffed into a poblano pepper. The relleno is covered with a creamy walnut or pecan sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Several of our restaurant outings involved this dish.
We visited a number of other places during our time in Playa, but I especially remember the first place, Don PP, for authentic Mexican food. This was followed by the Lost Tiki, Osteria Roma, Birria at a new local place, Pic Nic, a new-to-us Thai place called Po Thai, Chiltepin, and sushi at a new place with friends.
I’ll leave the rest of the food to Mike in one of the coming articles.
What kinds of things do you do during rehab?
