Explanation

Bob and I had to return home from Ocean Isle on Tuesday because Bob had to catch a flight to Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday morning to compete in the International Competition of the Barbershop Harmony Society.  Thirty choruses from all over the world were converging there for this prestigeous competition; they are the best of the best.  Bob's group, The General Assembly Chorus of Raleigh, North Carolina, had won the Dixie District last October, opening the way to the Kansas City competition.  We arrived home, and Bob did some of his vending business for about 4 hours.  We went out for dinner and then returned home and got him packed for the trip, finally getting to bed a little before midnight.
On the way home, I called my family doctor and was able to schedule an appointment for 2 PM.  I've not been feeling well and, as written in a previous post, have been dealing with hip/back pain, which I don't believe is connected to my surgery, and a low-grade fever which comes and goes.  I've had only one urinary tract infection years ago, and I believed that was my problem here.  The initial test on the urine sample at the doctor's office indicated white blood cells present, confirming my suspicion of a urinary tract infection.  I was given an antibiotic, which couldn't be taken with calcium products or vitamins, and I was supposed to avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight while taking it.  It's not easy to avoid sun exposure when one is at the beach!  But it was good to find out that my aching hips and low-grade fever were not related to my surgery and that taking the antibiotic would clear it up.  I felt better within 2 days.
After dropping Bob at the airport Wednesday morning, I headed back to Ocean Isle.  Where traffic had been congested and moving 10 miles per hour below the speed limit, I was now able to put the car on cruise control and move along at 70 mph.  I-40 seemed vacant; some open stretches carried only 8 cars per mile!  I stopped once to use the rest room and stretch my legs.  I made the trip in good time and was back at the beach house in early afternoon.
The trip to Durham on Tuesday wasn't too difficult, but my back was still affected.  Turning around and doing it all over again on Wednesday simply compounded my discomfort, and my back was aching and burning when I arrived at Ocean Isle.  The bed in our room had been an issue with me; it wasn't a bad mattress or anything like that; it just wasn't the one I was used to.  I'd brought a foam pad to put over the mattress to give a little extra cushion (I take the foam pad with me every time I travel), but it didn't seem to help much.  I had only one good night's sleep while there -- Friday night -- and endured burning, aching back and hips for my entire stay.  Ibuprofen helped but didn't take all the pain away.
The waves at the beach were rough due to the ocean breeze until Thursday, when the breezes calmed down, which allowed the ocean to calm also.  The waves gently rolled to the shore, and I was finally able to get out past the breakers and ride the gentle swells, which was very enjoyable because the weight was taken off my back.  I also went to the pool several times and experienced the same weightlessness, easing the strain on my back.  I felt like I turned into an elephant when I came out of the water! 
Now that the antibiotic has done its work, I feel much better; I'll be able to take that report to my orthopaedic surgeon on Tuesday.  He was confused and concerned about the unexplained back and hip pain when there didn't appear to be any infection at the surgical site.  Now that I have an explanation for the pain and low-grade fever, I'm praying that my strength will start to return.  The walk from the house to the beach was no more than a quarter of a mile, and it exhausted me.  Benny didn't have to hurry to keep up to his nana; his nana had to hurry to keep up with him!