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

Ain't No Thang

I KILLED it at PT tonight, BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA.

That is all.

Hurdling Towards a Full Recovery

Hi there! Sorry it’s been so long. Since I’ve been cleared to go back out in the field, I’ve been working long days and have been really busy…which is great for my work schedule!

So, a couple things to report…good things for the most part. A couple weeks ago I spent the better part of a week in the field doing stream channel assessments, soil documentation plots, and Eastern Box Turtle habitat assessments. This required A LOT of walking along a several mile long water main easement wearing heavy, steel-toed boots, and other heavy equipment. I also had to do a pretty good amount of climbing around in the woods, over trees and up stream banks, etc. One of the days, the most difficult day, was about a 15 hour workday filled with walking, climbing through woods, walking through streams, and climbing up and down stream banks. I worked the ENTIRE day without skipping a beat. Not a bit of hip pain at all! In fact…I hardly even thought about my hip all day. That was really amazing for me. It was a really eye opening day for me. Pre-surgery, I wouldn’t have been able to do even half that.

Last week I also had some other great progress…I realized I can run and jump/hurdle over things! Odd statement, right? Well…I figured this out while flagging wetland lines in the woods and I stepped right into a hornets nest. Yup…that happened. Only got stung once…but that was enough…OUCH! I ran like the dickens through the thick woods, hurdling over the fallen trees and climbing over things and through thick trees. I got away fairly unscathed.

The next day I had to return back to the scene of the crime to try and carefully retrieve the equipment I had dropped in a frantic panic...and they swarmed me again (and I got stung again...oh brother)! I had a repeat hurdling experience, complete with face planting in the leaves and smacking my face on some branches. I was fine (albeit a hot mess...but I was fine). Now after that little adventure my hip DID hurt a bit. Quite frankly, I’m not surprised. I haven’t pushed it like that since before the surgery and jumping hurdles was probably not ever going to be on my physical therapy plan…never mind now and so frantically.

On a more serious note: I do notice a couple things that bother me. My psoas still bugs me when I have to make certain movements. For instance, climbing up onto the back of the work truck (I’m a bit short…for those who don’t know) is a bit difficult, and stepping down hill or make dramatic leg movements over things. Additionally, the boots I have to wear in the field are steel-toed and they are heavy. Probably not for a normal person but for someone who’s still gimpy they bother my hip muscles a little bit.

I’ve also really noticed lately is that my screws are rubbing against my waistline of my pants, especially if I wear a belt. It wouldn’t be a big deal expect it pinches when I bend down to do anything and it’s aggravating. I do a lot of moving and bending and lifting out in the field so this may end up being an issue.

Since the surgery, I’ve been wondering why some PAO’ed folks automatically have their screws removed and why some do not. I think it’s a combination of what their particular surgeon’s protocol is, and also what they personally prefer. Some surgeons, it seems, schedule and complete a screw removal procedure whether the patient requests it or not. In other cases, I know people who have had their screws for years and years and don't plan on having them removed. I guess I’m just not sure how one decides that they are so annoying they need to be taken out. Especially since the majority of the people I hear from that have had them removed say they were awake during their screw removal procedure. Can you imagine that? "Don't mind this noise, I just have to really get in there...the DeWalt is acting up." I’m pretty sure I would just lose my mind. YIKES!

Okay, one last thing. I hate to admit this because it worries me a little…but…my left hip has been really sore the past couple weeks. It’s a different kind of pain than my right hip pain I used to have pre-PAO. This is more an intense stiffness when I first get out a seated position. It happens more often when I've been sitting for a long period of time, or in a funny position. The thing is that it goes away after I’ve been moving around for a couple minutes. I’m hoping that it’s nothing and that it’s just soreness because I’m so much more active now. I guess we’ll just have to see how it plays out over the next few months.

Anyways…that’s about it. Not a whole lot going on otherwise, which I guess is really great news! I’m still heading to PT once a week and working on this psoas/piriformis issue. Other than that, I’m on a great road to recovery lately. I’m feeling almost normal. It’s so great to be this close to being done with PT and the official recovery process. However, I am starting to learn through others that this is not the kind of thing that just gets better and goes away. I feel as though the “recovery” for this surgery will be continuing for quite some time. We will have to see what time brings for me. Hopefully everything keeps going smoothly and I can put all this behind me soon!