When I went through a second hip replacement, I thought I would never recover. The first time was not this hard. Following my first surgery, I went for physical therapy and quickly got back to driving and taking care of myself. The second time, the recovery took forever. The surgery was long and the recovery was complicated by new breathing problems, skin issues, and an increase in my sugar levels. Though I wanted to go home, I could not as there was no one there to help me.
I was lucky enough to get the name of a care manager through my rehabilitation physician. The care manager met with me and helped me locate a living alternative where I would have some help, meals cooked, and access to nursing care and therapy. She helped arrange transportation to therapy and even made sure I had a place to live where I could keep my cat with me. It was a long haul and I had several setbacks. Finally, I was strong enough to move back to my home and resume my prior lifestyle. I don’t think I could have done it without the help of my care manager.