Karen has her New Hip
- uniquejt
- Nov 27
- 3 min read
Well Monday, November 24 started early with Karen getting up at 2:30 AM to take her "special" shower before her hip surgery. I was out of bed by 3:00 AM and we were on the road for Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, Austin by 3:30 AM. Her check in time was 4:45 AM and we arrived early after parking the truck in the garage structure. Following the check-in process we were escorted to a pre-op room were she changed and began the lengthy pre-op procedures. By 7:00 AM they rolled her out to surgery and I retreated to the cafeteria to get some breakfast and later the truck to try and sleep.
Karen was fortunate to find Dr. Koenig here in Texas. Dr. Koenig is an associate professor and serves as both the Division Chief of Orthopedics and the Director of the the Joseph Miles Abell Jr., M.D., Clinical Fellowship in Orthopaedic Surgery for the Dell Medical School Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care at The University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Koenig earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and his master’s in clinical sciences from Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, where he began his work on patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness research. He completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and a fellowship in adult reconstruction at Stanford University Medical Center. While at Dartmouth, Dr. Koenig was one of the architects of GreenCare Pathways, a quality improvement initiative around total joint replacement, and led the Division of Adult Reconstruction at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
I would periodically receive text messages on her status and by 10 AM I got the call from her surgeon Dr. Karl Koenig that she was in recovery, everything went as planned and that I could she her in about an hour after the anesthesia wore off. By 11:00 AM we were together again in a post-op room. She met with Dr. Koenig, recovery nurses and a physical therapist prior to being discharged at 3:30 PM. They wheeled her out to the covered parking garage and we loaded up using a portable step up to the passenger side of the truck. She had done this before two years ago so she knew the process. I think the physical therapist that escorted her out of the hospital was impressed with her technique based on his reaction to her method getting into the truck.
We drove back to Smithville and arrived just after 5:00 PM. Karen used the walker to get to the trailer's steps and slowly walked up under her own power into the RV. It is nothing short of amazing that less than 8 hours earlier she was in surgery having her left hip replaced and now she was walking on that new joint!
Now the real work begins. Her first week of rehab involves pain management and actively building up strength in the new hip. On Friday, November 28, the day after Thanksgiving, she has her first PT appointment in Bastrop. She has been walking around the RV using only a cane. Navigating is helpful having so many places to hold on to while she walks around the kitchen island or into the bathroom.
Since her surgery, folks in the village have come by with meals, well wishes and are encouraging us with their thoughts and prayers. Karen's biggest need is someone to put on her shoes and socks. She ended up with a head cold upon her return home and is dealing with a cough and congestion, so she could use your prayers for healing in that area too.
