PARIS – Sixteen days after having hip replacement surgery it would be understandable if SAD 17 Superintendent Mark Eastman was taking it easy.

Relaxing, rejuvenating, staying away from work.

Not.

“I’m sitting here in my chair doing schoolwork,” Eastman said from his home on Thursday. “I had the staples taken out Tuesday and the physical therapist and nurse said I’m right on track where I should be with recovery.

“I seem to be getting stronger every day,” he said.

His total left hip replacement surgery was done at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston on Feb. 17 and he was home on Feb. 20.

He said he could have been home sooner, but they would not let him out of the hospital until they were comfortable with his use of crutches.

That took two days.

Eastman said he has been out walking several times since he has been home.

He’s ventured into the driveway for a walk twice and said he “went up the road a little” once.

Eastman originally injured his hip when he was 13. He said he grew 7 inches that year and the hip didn’t keep up. He said he had to have hip surgery at that time.

“Osteoarthritis set in several years ago and I have been experiencing difficulty,” Eastman said. “The doctors told me to tolerate it as long as I could, because surgery is getting better every year.

“It was getting to me this year,” he said. “I was having pain with every step.”

Eastman said he hoped to get back to work part-time after about one month of recovery.

“It’s really a doctor’s call,” Eastman said. “I have to go back to the doctor on April 1 to determine how much longer I’ll need the crutches. I’m hoping that maybe I can come in on a limited basis at the middle to end of April.”

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