Nothing Compares 2 U

Comparison is the thief of joy - or so they say. 

Last Thursday my brother-in-law had a right hip replacement. 

Unlike mine, his was planned. 

Unlike mine, he didn't have a bunch of hardware that had to be removed and have to be rebuilt from the ground up. 

My surgery took close to five hours.  His? About 85 minutes. He went into OR at 07:30 and got a text from my sister at 11:36 that they were on their way home. Well that's slightly different than my six days in the hospital. 

Oh, and was able to give up his walker after five days. I just finished week five and have another seven days to go. 

They went out to lunch two days afterwards. I spent three days in my bed without even making it downstairs. 

Yeah yeah - I get it, mine was more traumatic and everything. And I am extremely glad he doesn't have to go through what I did. 

When I had lunch with him less than a week prior to his surgery, I think he was worried he'd end up like me. I mean, not gay, but a "differently abled" guy - which I guess could be considered gay. 

While my sister hasn't measured his scar, he had minimally invasive surgery, so it's going to be a fraction of my maximally invasive one. 

He doesn't run much, but allegedly can be back on the golf course and tennis court in like two months. That's pretty good. 

I'm also guessing his bill will be a lot less than mine. That hospital room, two CTs, two xrays, some scan to make sure I didn't have DVTs, the morphine and fentanyl really add up. 

A while back I guestimated my bill would be $210,000.  I don't think the full tally is in, but so far my latest EOB has it at  $155,565.02. 

This does not include my $43 outpatient pharmacy cost or the Rocky River Ambulance Ride for another $1,246 and change. Nor does it touch my outpatient PT. I still think I can hit my goal. 

There is no joy to be thieved here. I get I'm comparing apples and kumquats. But my brother-in-law is totally crushing this one. 

Song by: the Family