Psoas-asaurus

That title is for my eldest brother. He suggested it a while back and at the time I chuckled. As time goes on and it continues to bother me, it really has become a bit like a big, annoying dinosaur. So now, I find it appropriate.

I’m writing this post for a hip-y friend of mine who is currently 10 months post-PAO (go you!) and is having issues with their psoas. I wanted to just give a quick synopsis on what my journey with the psoas has been like.

Oh, the psoas and I…a somewhat tumultuous journey.

I’ll start by saying that (as of lately) my psoas pain has not been bad at all. It’s now more of a range-of-motion thing, as opposed to before when it was actually limiting my mobility. And also, overall, the pain has never been to the point of needing treatment (other than PT), I’ve always just worked through it.

So, the psoas pain really started after I was walking again in May and I first posted about it on May 24^th (Snappin’ Snappin’Snappin’). It happened, for me, after my second surgery. At first it was so tight that I would feel it pulling and rubbing over the front of the joint as I took a full step. It was so tight that it hurt to the touch. It was awful.

For a long time, it kept me from taking a full step and I’d have to limp as a result of it. I worked with Tom (my PT) to loosen it up and get me walking normally. We did a lot of focused stretching and several exercises to try and strengthen the area to help stabilize everything. Overall, it took me about 2 months to work this issue out. This included PT twice a week and working on it on my own as well.

For stretching, Tom had me do these stretches the most:

Stand with bad psoas leg in the back, make sure to tilt pelvis forward.

This one is really awkward...but it's so helpful. Bad psoas leg down, good up.

The exercises I did to help stretch it and also strengthen it were these:

 And also this exercise with the ab dolly:

 I would stand with RPAO-ed leg on the floor and my good leg on the dolly, I used my good leg to move the dolly forward in front of me as far as I was able, and then I would swing it out to the side and behind me in a circle. Then I would pull it straight forward into its starting position. This creates a big circle. While doing this, you’re obviously bending your right knee a little and you’re in the ever-popular “athletic position.” I also would go in only one direction as well. So, move the dolly back as far as I could, then bring it back forward, then to the front and back, etc. This one worked my psoas really, really hard.

Good leg on the dolly, foot in the center.

Just so you can see the way the dolly moves.

So, that's really it! I never called the doctor or considered having anything done for it. Personally, I just wanted to try and work on it on my own and try and address it with PT.  

Now, about a year after PAO, I still have some residual psoas issues. I have some range of motion issues some days, when the psoas is really tight. I still have to stretch it from time to time...but it's certainly come a long way over the last 5 months. 

I can't say that it really bothers me regularly anymore. I do feel it almost all the time. If I have to lift my leg for anything at all, I feel the soreness. But it is light-years better than it was. It is tolerable, and mostly just annoying at this point. I will say that I still, definitely, have weakness in the leg, and the psoas issues contribute to that.

Let me know if you have any further questions on how I addressed my psoas issues...I'm always happy to help!

Thanks guys!,

-D xox

Just A Quickie

So, just a quick note about the pain I posted about a little bit ago.
It's back.

It's mostly just first thing in the morning, and I'm pretty sure it's maybe just stiffness. It also happens when I get up from a seated position where I've been seated for a long while.

It's not so bad that my hip buckles...but it's certainly annoying. It's like a soreness, a crinkly soreness. (Another description of pain that no one will ever understand! I'm stellar at getting my feelings across...however I just don't know how else to explain it...it's pain...and it's crinkly.)

Anyway. The main point is, it's not allllll the time. And I need to keep remembering: I CAN WALK LIKE A BOSS. Really. I never even have to THINK about walking anymore...isn't that fantastic? This is something only my hip-y's will completely understand. It's a truly fantastic feeling. I walk around and I think to myself "these people don't even KNOW I have a hip problem!" No more sad stares in the grocery store. The "Oh my gosh, look at THAT poor girl...she can't even walk." I'm reveling in it all. I try to remember to GRASP to those feelings...I don't want to ever take that for granted.

Otherwise, I still get the SI joint pain...but who really cares? I feel like I'll have that forever...which is mostly fine. It's only sometimes and it's usually really tolerable and minor.

I am GOOD. I am so, so GOOD.

That's all for now. :)

Don't forget! If you want to leave a question, please feel free!

3 Weeks to 1 Year

Wowzer, I can't believe this countdown is so small!
We're 23 days from my 1 year mark. I'm ecstatic with the thoughts of how far I've come.

I was thinking about what kind of post I could do for my one-year anniversary...I wanted to do something special for this blog for my future reference, and for you readers as well. I thought that maybe it would be a great idea to answer a series of questions covering anything from before my surgery, surgery prep, hospital stay, recovery...whatever! I started coming up with a list and here's what I've got so far (in no particular order):

• What is the best moment of your recovery so far?
• What is the first thing you remember after surgery?
• What was the worst part of recovery?
• What was the hardest part of recovery?
• What is the last thing you remember before surgery?
•  What was the most frustrating part of PT?
•  Do you wish you changed anything about your PT?
•  What were the first three weeks after surgery like?
•  What was the most painful part of the recovery while you were non-weight bearing?
• What was the most painful part of the recovery while you were walking?
• What was the best tip or trick you learned to help you recover?
• What was the most rewarding moment of your PT? 
• Was it all worth it? 

So, I'm not sure if I'll do all these or none or somewhere in between. Do any of you readers have any questions you may want to ask? I'm posting this now to give some time for myself to think about these questions, and also to allow you guys to ask any and all questions you'd like regarding my poor little hip-y and the journey I've been on. If you've got a question, go ahead and leave it in a comment. I'll add it to my list and on my anniversary I'll post the answer to all the questions.

Either way, this will be a good brain dump for myself and anyone else who might want to read some reflections on hip dysplasia, and PAO prep, surgery, and recovery. :o)

Deja Vu

Happy 11 months to my PAO-ed Hip!

Yesterday was actually the day, but I just didn’t have a second to myself so I didn’t get to blog. I was out in the field doing wetlands work. I was on my feet in those awful steel-toed boots for 11 hours. I was exhausted, and stiff, and very sore by the time I got in the car to drive home. I was so stiff all night that I had a hard time moving around. The stiffness was everywhere, not just the hip joint. I felt OLD. Really old.

I was absolutely bushed last night so we went to bed a little earlier than usual. I don’t think I moved a muscle all night because I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in. As soon as I woke up, I felt some pain in my hip. I got out of bed and limped for the first time in months. I was really sad. It was an extremely discouraging moment. I got ready and it felt okay. However, after sitting in the car for a bit during my morning commute it was really sore. I had to limp into work from the parking lot. Going down stairs is the toughest. I know “sore” isn’t the best way to describe it…but I’m not sure how else to. It feels very similar to the labrum pain. It’s sore deep inside the joint, not in the groin. It’s like a creaking pain, almost. I don’t know. See what I mean? It’s hard to explain. 

Part of me is hoping it’s because it’s a gloomy, damp day here in RI. The joint is a little bit arthritic and I've had so much "stuff" done to it that I don't blame it for being sore on crappy days. I haven’t felt this much pain in the hip in a long time, though. It feels a bit like the labrum pain, but again, it could easily be a function of being overworked from yesterday and the dampness today. 

I hate to be selfish about it because I know so many of my hip ladies are having loads of trouble with their recoveries. I don’t mean to sound dramatic over a little bit of pain. The main reason for my worries, and for my posting, is that I’m hoping I didn’t do anything to it yesterday while roaming through the woods. It was a tough day in the field. We did a lot of climbing and crouching. I had to lift my leg to climb over waist-high trees more than I care to admit. And it wasn’t rare for me to have to kick down shrubs and saplings. There was even a point where I have to get on the ground and climb under a giant fallen tree. Like I said…it was a tough day. Probably one of the hardest days I’ve had since I’ve been back in the field. 

I don’t know…I could very well be overreacting. I could wake up tomorrow and not have any problems at all. We’ll have to see how it plays out.

Anywho, I go see Dr. S on the 31^st and I just can’t wait to tell him ALL about my successes. I’m so excited to go over everything with him.

I’m sure I’ll post before that appointment, so we’ll chat then.

Thanks for reading,

D

An Emotional Goodbye

Well, that’s it. It’s all done.

Last night I had my very last physical therapy appointment. 

I seriously can’t believe that. Tom and I have spent so much time together over the last year; he’s become like a big brother to me. He’s pushed me on my worst days, and cheered me on on all of my good days. He’s been so great. I feel like I don’t give him hardly enough credit. I am 100% certain that I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am if it weren’t for him. He has been fantastic through all of this.

So, as I left last night, I gave him a big hug and a somewhat emotional goodbye. He thanked me for all my hard work and determination and I thanked him for always pushing me and for his constant desire to see me succeed. I remember (many times) being so annoyed with him for constantly yelling at me “Stop limping!” “Walk upright!” “Follow through on your gait!” “Sit back on those step downs!”…now, I realize that I needed to be constantly yelled at.  When you’re recovering from something so traumatizing to your body, it’s common to want to take the easy way out. He never let me! He pushed me to do things that I didn’t think I would have been able to do even BEFORE the surgery, never mind while recovering from TWO hip surgeries!

I could go on and on all day about Tom. He and I had a great working relationship. He understood how I ticked, and he worked with me perfectly every time I was there. I am so thankful for his help and his guidance throughout every step. He’s really great at what he does!

So, let’s sum it all up, shall we.

I started PT on December 12, 2012 at 7 weeks post-RPAO. From that point forward, I attended 46 PT sessions in almost 40 weeks (in the early parts of recovery after both surgeries, I attended twice a week…and then shaved it back to once a week once I started to feel better). So, 46 visits at $320 a visit is $14,720. This is NOT what I paid, thank the good lord above for good health insurance, but the number still amazes me. This puts my fancy shmancy hip worth at an estimated $75,000 (I’m estimating because I don’t have the papers from all procedures in front of me…I know the basics of what the surgeries cost and am adding a bit for all extraneous items such as imagining, office visits, etc). Which I guess isn’t too bad…considering.

It feels like the end of an era! I guess it really IS the end of an era. What a great stepping stone this is for me and my little hippy. I am 6.5 weeks away from my one year anniversary and I cannot wrap my head around that. I can’t wait for that day, and how bittersweet it will be.
Here's a picture of me on Day 1 of PT:

12-12-12 Walking for the very first time post-RPAO!

 And this is me just a couple weeks ago! 

During a long walk through the Muir Woods forest! I walked 5-6 miles in a day a couple of the days while we were on vacation. Felt GREAT!

In the meantime, I am going to revel in my free time now that I don’t have PT every second of my life (ok, that’s dramatic…but that’s what it felt like!). I am so glad that my life will feel normal, and I’ve got a “normal” hip to go with it. I can’t wait to see what my 1 year appointment on October 31^st brings me! I will be sure to keep you all posted.

We'll talk soon,
D 

Passing by the Benchmark

It seems like lately I’ve had so little so say…and I guess that’s a good thing in terms of the big picture. Really, it means that everything is pretty status quo…no major swerves one way or the other in terms of recovery.

I’ve also been very busy on this new, bio-mechanical hip. I feel like I’ve totally pushed it to the max (within reason...it's not like I'm attempting to climb Everst), and it has passed all the tests I’ve given it! I’ve been out in the field for work almost every day, climbing rock outcrops, walking/climbing down steep hills, and up steep embankments. I’ve had to climb over and under trees, etc. I’ve done all of this without missing a beat, really. The hip gets a little fatigued, sometimes…but on the whole I feel GREAT! I think all of this field work has really pushed me over the edge to being almost completely healed. There is really only one motion that I still have a hard time with, and it’s one that I hardly have to do. It’s when I have to lift my leg up in front of me and over something.

Also, and this is where I get REALLY excited, I was away on vacation last week in California. Before surgery, when I thought about what my recovery timeline would be, this vacation to California was my benchmark. My “I’m going to be 100% by then!” goal. And you know what? I WAS.

Almost every day on that vacation we put a lot of miles on my “Terminator” leg. There was even a day where I walked about 20,000 steps….almost 6 MILES, and I didn’t miss a beat. My hippy wasn’t sore, or even really all that tired. Now, here’s the best part…most of this walking was in San Francisco! I walked up and down those hills without one moment of needing to rest. I tried not to be emotional, but there were a couple of moments where I got a little teary eyed. I couldn’t believe how fantastic I felt.

This is where I say the words I’ve always hoped I’d be able to say post-surgery:

It’s like I never had a hip problem at all…like I am perfectly normal.

Those are the sweetest words I have ever spoken.

I’m so excited about it, and I feel like this has been such a fantastic success that I am going to spend the weekend crafting a letter to my surgeon to let him just how grateful I am for his skills, and how successful his procedure was and my recovery has been to date. I am so lucky to have had such a great experience…I’ve been on cloud nine lately with this hip. I am one happy hip-chick.

That’s all I’ve got for now,

Thanks for reading,

D