So I have been getting a lot of messages about my blog lately, wondering how my hip is and where things are at, but I have been reluctant to update because life has thrown me a big curve ball. Back in May, my husband passed away. Obviously, life has changed dramatically for me over the last few months and not in anyways that have anything to do with my hip. It seemed like for so long my life was so consumed with all this hip stuff. I woke up to pain, I lived with pain and I slept with pain. It was so exhausting and frustrating, I felt trapped in my life by pain. But, obviously, when you have a major life event, it kind of throws a wrench into plans. So, needless to say, I have not thought much about my hip in the past few months, nor have I really cared. Frankly, if my hip fell off tomorrow, I probably would not care. All the surgeries, all the pain, all the planning, all the physical therapy, etc. it all just seems to useless now. My husband was so heartbroken every time I was in pain, it just tore him up inside to see me hurting. I know that he would be so happy for how I feel now, which is actually fairly well hip wise!
Coming off crutches was a really hard thing. It seemed like it took forever for my hip to gain strength back. I walked with a slight limp for a long while and still to this day have to really think about how I walk so as to not walk oddly. In June I had a check up appointment with Dr. Buly. I stayed at a hotel about 10 blocks away and was able to walk up to the hospital and back, plus take my dog to the dog park a few times a day. I did a lot of driving, up and down the east coast, from Maine to Maryland and back home to Michigan. I did a lot of walking, both on beaches and in the city. I rode my bike 5 miles and then swam in Lake Michigan. I got my first full time job in 3 years! I am able to walk a few blocks for lunch or to the bank. I can work 9 hours a day and then take my dog to the dog park, without wanting to chop my leg off cause it aches so bad. Later this month I am moving my horse to a barn with an indoor arena so that I can start working with her again and hopefully start riding as soon as next month!
Overall, given my increase in activity and complete disregard and lack of caring for any kind of physical therapy program, I feel like I am doing really well. I have a non-union of the bottom most cut, which seems to be the biggest pain generator I still have. I am still taking pain killers, but its minimal comparatively, so I am not worried about it. I still have A LOT of strength to gain and am looking to start working with a personal trainer next month so that I can learn HOW to work out again without hurting myself. I hope that the stronger I get, plus some weight loss, will really improve my situation even more. It seems like there is finally a light at the end of the L-O-N-G tunnel that has been my hip issues. My left hip (non-op) actually hurts more often than my right hip. I have a labral tear and some issues with the left which will have to be looked at eventually, but for now, I am happy to just live life a little without (too much) pain and see where it takes me.
I appreciate everyone's messages and support over the past few years. This has been a long road for me and I never thought that I would ever see the day where I could wake up and not have pain, but it is possible (even with 5 screws in a hip!). I wish my husband was here to enjoy this with me, but for now, I will just try to enjoy it twice as much for the both of us.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
How do you explain to people...
So today brought up some feelings I guess I had been having, but did not really recognize it because often with chronic pain, its easier to just deal with whats in front of you and enjoy the little moments pain free that you do have than to look deeper. Today was very frustrating because even though I know how far I have come in recovery, it really does not feel all that far at all. Just last week I was on my way home from babysitting for my parents when I came across a lady on the side of the road that ran out of gas. So I (painful) got out of the car to try and help her. I drove back to my parents house to see if my dad had any gas, which he only had 1/2 a gallon, which ended up not being enough to start her car, so I sat on the side of the road with her while we waited for her friends. But this small thing (helping a stranded person on the side of the road) turned into me realizing how bad my hips still are. Just getting in and out of the car is very difficult as I still cannot lift my leg very high. Its devastating to try and help others but in the process I cannot even help myself. I keep thinking, if I was just a little bit stronger I could do this, I could be off all my pain meds and live a normal life. I feel bombarded with all kinds of information that could potentially make me better. I should be resting more, eating better, resting less, doing acupuncture, eating less, pushing past the pain, doing physical therapy, just living my life, not doing physical therapy, go back to work (you will feel better!), go back to school (it will keep your mind off of it all).....and well....you can get the picture. Its always something else I should be doing and then I would magically get better, but all I can imagine is that I am not strong enough for this.
So how do you explain this all to people? That you don't live life normally. That life ticks in a different way for you. People ask how are you? But whats a real answer to that without being Debbie Downer about life? I hate admitting to myself that this sucks, let alone other people. And I never know where to begin explaining it all. Half the time I cannot keep things straight, let alone telling other people. This communication barrier I am beginning to find more and more frustrating.
So how do you explain this all to people? That you don't live life normally. That life ticks in a different way for you. People ask how are you? But whats a real answer to that without being Debbie Downer about life? I hate admitting to myself that this sucks, let alone other people. And I never know where to begin explaining it all. Half the time I cannot keep things straight, let alone telling other people. This communication barrier I am beginning to find more and more frustrating.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Finally Spring is here....but the pain continues
I figured that instead of waiting a few weeks to write an update I would write one today even though I do not have much good new to report. I ran into some insurance issues that have made it impossible for me to see Dr. Buly again, which is very frustrating. Originally I had surgery with Aetna insurance which I got through my college, but since I had to drop my classes for surgery and then we moved (really unexpectedly) I had to change insurance companies to Blue Care Network through my husbands work. Now, don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful that we even have access to insurance at an affordable rate, but that does mean that I no longer have out of network benefits, thus I cannot see Dr. Buly anymore as his appointments will not be covered. Luckily for me though, a very well respected surgeon (who Dr. Sink at HSS recommended originally), Dr. Zaltz, is in network and a lot closer to home, in Detroit. So I made an appointment with him for the beginning of May to 1) follow up with a surgeon who does PAO surgeries and 2) get his opinion on my situation.
Things have not really improved very much at all for me in the past few weeks, if at all. I am still limping around, my hip causes me pain pretty consistently at this point in time. I have a lot of knee pain too. My knee has also been giving way so I have been taping it with KT tape to help give it some stabilization. I feel like I am at the point where I always am after surgery where I just know things are not right, somethings still wrong. Obviously, I still have the femoral anteversion issue hanging over me, which is frustrating. My whole lower body is just a twisted mess and with each subsequent surgery, I just seem to end up in more pain. I worry that a femoral osteotomy will cause me to need a tibial osteotomy as well, and it will just be a never ending cycle. On the other hand, I just cannot live like this anymore. My entire life has been on hold for the past 3 years waiting to be fixed and every time I try to move on and do school or work, I have to pull out because of pain.
Luckily I have a strong family around me to help hold me together, but this is all wearing very thin on my psyche.
Things have not really improved very much at all for me in the past few weeks, if at all. I am still limping around, my hip causes me pain pretty consistently at this point in time. I have a lot of knee pain too. My knee has also been giving way so I have been taping it with KT tape to help give it some stabilization. I feel like I am at the point where I always am after surgery where I just know things are not right, somethings still wrong. Obviously, I still have the femoral anteversion issue hanging over me, which is frustrating. My whole lower body is just a twisted mess and with each subsequent surgery, I just seem to end up in more pain. I worry that a femoral osteotomy will cause me to need a tibial osteotomy as well, and it will just be a never ending cycle. On the other hand, I just cannot live like this anymore. My entire life has been on hold for the past 3 years waiting to be fixed and every time I try to move on and do school or work, I have to pull out because of pain.
Luckily I have a strong family around me to help hold me together, but this is all wearing very thin on my psyche.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Coming off Crutches
So I have been hesitant to write an update these past few weeks because coming off crutches for me has been extremely difficult. I have never had such issues getting off crutches with all of my scopes, but I have to keep reminding myself that this surgery is nothing like a scope surgery. I have yet to be able to see my surgeon for a follow up because of life events as well as the weather (norther Michigan in the winter, not fun). But hopefully in April that will happen. I thought that my strength would easily come back to my hip within a week or so of walking with just one crutch, but it has taken about 3 weeks of walking with one crutch to finally get to a point where I can walk without any aid around the house. Outside of the house I am still using one crutch though. It does not help that with spring on its way, everything outside is a sheet of ice. I cannot wait for summer though. Swimming and walking I think will help improve my overall demeanor and spirits.
I am still participating in PT, although I am only doing about 2 times a week. Its been very helpful though in making me feel like I can start doing things. I was able to pick up our apartment and do some household chores that I had not previously been able to, so there is definitely improvement in my everyday life. I still am struggling with pain and limited ROM though. I get intense pain very deep in my glutes as well as my knee, which constantly feels swollen and stiff with acute pain that wakes me up most nights. I also have intense hip flexor pain and still cannot lift my leg up without intense pain in the front of my hip. The combination of these things has been very frustrating for me and I feel like its holding be back from a 'normal' recovery. I still have the lingering issue of my femoral anteversion which I think is playing a large part in my knee pain and hip flexor pain. I expect at my next appointment for Dr. Buly to talk about femoral osteotomy surgery, which is a big bummer considering this was suppose to be the end of the right hip surgeries. But I also knew that this was a possibility, so I just have to keep moving forward.
The nice part about moving back "home" to be with family is that my husband and I have a lot of support to help me get to and from PT, doctor appointments and also help provide me with some entertainment at times. On Friday I got to attend a talent show that my younger sisters school was hosting and tomorrow is my Grandpa's birthday so we are all getting together for dinner. I don't think that I could have done this surgery without having moved back home, as hard as it was, I am very thankful for all of the help and support that me and my husband have here.
So I guess overall, not much of an update. Things keep plugging along. It seems that within the next week or so I should be able to get off crutches completely, which its certainly about time, seeing as this week I am 4 and a half months post op!! I thought that at this point I would be much further along in my recovery, but all I can do is take things one day at a time and hope that spring is right around the corner :)
I am still participating in PT, although I am only doing about 2 times a week. Its been very helpful though in making me feel like I can start doing things. I was able to pick up our apartment and do some household chores that I had not previously been able to, so there is definitely improvement in my everyday life. I still am struggling with pain and limited ROM though. I get intense pain very deep in my glutes as well as my knee, which constantly feels swollen and stiff with acute pain that wakes me up most nights. I also have intense hip flexor pain and still cannot lift my leg up without intense pain in the front of my hip. The combination of these things has been very frustrating for me and I feel like its holding be back from a 'normal' recovery. I still have the lingering issue of my femoral anteversion which I think is playing a large part in my knee pain and hip flexor pain. I expect at my next appointment for Dr. Buly to talk about femoral osteotomy surgery, which is a big bummer considering this was suppose to be the end of the right hip surgeries. But I also knew that this was a possibility, so I just have to keep moving forward.
The nice part about moving back "home" to be with family is that my husband and I have a lot of support to help me get to and from PT, doctor appointments and also help provide me with some entertainment at times. On Friday I got to attend a talent show that my younger sisters school was hosting and tomorrow is my Grandpa's birthday so we are all getting together for dinner. I don't think that I could have done this surgery without having moved back home, as hard as it was, I am very thankful for all of the help and support that me and my husband have here.
So I guess overall, not much of an update. Things keep plugging along. It seems that within the next week or so I should be able to get off crutches completely, which its certainly about time, seeing as this week I am 4 and a half months post op!! I thought that at this point I would be much further along in my recovery, but all I can do is take things one day at a time and hope that spring is right around the corner :)
Monday, February 10, 2014
Almost 12 weeks!
On Friday last week I got cleared for full weight bearing (obviously gradual) and all my other restrictions are lifted!! I am so happy and excited to finally start feeling like a human again! So around my apartment I have been walking without crutches and out and about I am just using one crutch. I have a pretty good penguin walk going on without any crutches, but I know thats all just weak muscles and with time, it will get there. I still have a lot of pain and trouble lifting my leg up when standing, my hip flexors just seem really slow to the party. So far when walking I have a lot of pain deep in my glutes too, but I would imaging this is all just muscle weakness issues. Tomorrow I have my first PT appointment since getting my restrictions lifted so I cannot wait to see what we get to do! Below is my most recent xray:
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Almost 10 weeks RPAO
So I am almost 10 weeks RPAO and I have to say, this recovery is hard. Its really, really hard. And long. My scopes were a breeze compared to this recovery. I am still on crutches as I have not been cleared for weight bearing yet. There was a BIG mix up at my local hospital that delayed my xrays getting to Dr. Buly and I cannot start to weight bear until Dr. Buly looks at my xrays and clears me. So in the mean time though I am struggling as my left hip has been causing me a lot of pain. I know that this hip too has issues such as acetabular retroversion, a labral tear, FAI, and femoral anteversion which means sooner or later I will need surgery on it, but thats hard to imagine at this point giving how long this recovery is.
I do see improvement in things though, such as lifting my operated leg has become a lot easier for me and I finally feel like I could go down to one crutch and I could walk without falling! I have been using the bone stimulator once a day as well as I have started taking an NSAID again as I am hoping that it will help me get off the pain meds sooner. I still often have pain pretty consistently throughout my lower back, groin and down into my knee. My PT is still going well, although its been hard to get to these last few weeks with the weather the way that it is (windchills well below zero, a lot of blizzard like conditions, etc.) so I have been lucky to make it even once a week. When I do go, the pool feels amazing! I am so happy that I was able to start pool therapy after my incision healed.
So it seems like there are always people asking about what to bring to the hospital when having a surgery like this where you will be staying for a few days. I literally packed like I was going to the artic circle and used almost nothing, not to mention my experience was a little different in that I only stayed 2 days in the hospital (when the average is 3-5 days) but here is the list of things I found helpful at the hospital and at home:
I do see improvement in things though, such as lifting my operated leg has become a lot easier for me and I finally feel like I could go down to one crutch and I could walk without falling! I have been using the bone stimulator once a day as well as I have started taking an NSAID again as I am hoping that it will help me get off the pain meds sooner. I still often have pain pretty consistently throughout my lower back, groin and down into my knee. My PT is still going well, although its been hard to get to these last few weeks with the weather the way that it is (windchills well below zero, a lot of blizzard like conditions, etc.) so I have been lucky to make it even once a week. When I do go, the pool feels amazing! I am so happy that I was able to start pool therapy after my incision healed.
So it seems like there are always people asking about what to bring to the hospital when having a surgery like this where you will be staying for a few days. I literally packed like I was going to the artic circle and used almost nothing, not to mention my experience was a little different in that I only stayed 2 days in the hospital (when the average is 3-5 days) but here is the list of things I found helpful at the hospital and at home:
- Kindle (or any kind of tablet/e-reader)
- Phone (at HSS I could not make any out of state phone calls so using the hospital phone was out)
- Toothbrush (although if I had not brought my own, they provided one for me)
- Some comfy clothes to go home in (I wore some big baggy sweats, sports bra, a baggy t-shit and hoody (cause it was Nov), and an oversized pair of unddies).
Other than that, everything else was provided for me. Each morning I was given the chance to wash up and put on a new gown. I thought that I would be able to change into my own clothes sooner than the after of leaving, but between all the things you are hooked up to, you don't really get much of a chance to be in your own clothes because the nurses need to be able to access things.
For home supplies I did not do much different this time than with my scopes, but here is a list of things that people find helpful for recovery at home:
- raised toilet seat (I did not get one of these because I had my surgery out of state. I did not go home after surgery right away and I had a 14 hour drive home and used about a million toilets between NY and MI that were not raised so I just go used to it. I did not find it difficult, but I have heard that people loves these)
- shower chair (another thing that I did not buy, but people have said is super helpful in recovery and I can see why, the first two weeks after surgery are super hard and moving around is not your best friend)
- long grabber
- crutches (this one seems obvious, but having to be on crutches for a long time can be difficult for some with other injuries, like shoulders, so they have found non traditional crutches like Mobilegs are a great buy. Personally I was fine with my free traditional ones)
- crutch pads (recommended if you are going to go with the traditional crutches)
- Lots of baggy sweat pants, shorts, etc. Most people are at least a little swollen after surgery requiring baggier pants and underwear
- Make some meals before hand. Even if you are not going to be alone much, its always nice to give the person who is caring for you a break by having stuff pre-made :)
Sunday, January 5, 2014
6 Weeks post op PAO
Hey Everyone, so this past Thursday I was 6 weeks post op. It seems crazy that its been that long, but here was are! Excuse me if this post is cynical, after 4 right hip surgeries and 6 weeks on crutches. my ability to stay positive all the time is waning a bit. So, not much has changed in the past 2 weeks, I still have a good amount of pain, still taking pain meds regularly. I got to stop taking my asprin for blood clots though, so thats good, one less thing to take. I had an unplanned hiatus from PT because of the holidays and one day I was not feeling well, so it was about 2 weeks between appointments. On Friday though I had a reevaluation and it made me realize that there are some things that have gotten a lot better since surgery. On Tuesday I get to start in the pool. which I am super excited about! I think that it will really help me with my confidence about getting off crutches. I am not suppose to get off crutches until I am cleared by x-ray, which should happen later this week. I am nervous about it though cause most of the time my leg does not feel ready to take on more weight as of yet, so I guess we will see what the xray says. This is all so different than my scopes, but because bones were broken this time, obviously we have to make sure they are healed before adding weight. It seems like by 12 weeks most people are off crutches so I am about halfway there!! As much as I want to just be done with the crutches,. I know that my hip is just not ready yet. I have been able to lay on my operated side again, which feels soooo good. I am a side sleeper so this has made my nights much more bearable.
My left hip has been acting up more and more though which is frustrating. I know that eventually I will need surgery to fix the impingement and labral tear, but its so hard to imagine needing more surgery at this point. My other fear though it that this PAO has opened up the proverbial 'can of worms' regarding my malalignment issues and that eventually I will need a femoral osteotomy and a possible tibial osteotomy before things will be correct. But at the same time, worrying about these things will do no good, so I just keep trying to concentrate on whats in front of me. I hope that this PAO at least gives me the opportunity to start working again. I miss it greatly.
So later this week I will know a little more about my weight bearing status. On the personal front, my husband and I have moved into our new apartment in our home town (about 8 hours from where we were living). I am enjoying having a smaller space to get around and clean! We went from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment! As much as I loved our house up north, trying to clean and do housework in such a large place was just awful on my hips. Its odd how these hips have effected so much of my life. I am enjoying being close to my family though (yet not living with them haha).
Thursday, December 19, 2013
4 weeks post op RPAO!
Well, today is 4 weeks post op. I kind of thought that at this point I would be further along in my healing process I guess. Compared to my scope around this point in time, I am still getting a lot of pain, which is frustrating. I have pain when standing and walking almost all of the time. Usually in my hip flexors, groin and deep in my glutes. I still have at least another 2 weeks on crutches at 20% weight bearing and then most likely I can work on weaning off of them. I have been doing PT 2-3 times a week and thats been going well. I can definitely see progress, its just all a lot slower than I anticipated.
And of course, because my life is not interesting enough with surgery, finally there has been movement on the adoption of the 3 foster kids my parents have. The adoption petition was filed last week and is set for finalization in Feb. Our family is beyond elated and we could not have asked for a better Christmas present! As well, my husband and I are moving back to our home town. So in the next few week and months we have a lot of personal things happening which are exciting, not to mention the prospect of getting of crutches soon!!
And of course, because my life is not interesting enough with surgery, finally there has been movement on the adoption of the 3 foster kids my parents have. The adoption petition was filed last week and is set for finalization in Feb. Our family is beyond elated and we could not have asked for a better Christmas present! As well, my husband and I are moving back to our home town. So in the next few week and months we have a lot of personal things happening which are exciting, not to mention the prospect of getting of crutches soon!!
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Two Weeks post op
Hey Everyone!
So in a few hours I will be 2 weeks post op. It seems odd that I am so far out from surgery in some ways as I am still stiff and sore, but in other ways I see how much I have improved. The two days I was in the hospital I could barley push myself upright! Now, I move in and out of bed pretty well, I can lay on my non-operated side for a bit as well as my stomach. It feels sooo good to be able to move around a little bit. I had my first physical therapy appointment yesterday and that went well. The PT just covered basic stuff like ROM, health questions, etc. and then gave me some isometric exercises to do.
Other than PT, I do not do much. I do the basic after surgery, at home alone, protocol, which is watching Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond (who does not love the classic sitcoms!), as well as some reading and keeping people updated on my surgery. So far the pain is not too bad, although the last day or so has been worse than normal, but even these 'bad' times are manageable. I got my surgery report and I got 5 screws put in. Dr. Buly was able to change my anterior central edge (CE) angle from 11 degrees (normal is 25-40 degrees) to 37 degrees! I was lacking a LOT of anterior coverage, so hopefully thats all fixed now. Other than that, the surgery report did not say much other than they had a hard time getting my socket loose to move it, but after some extensive cutting, it came loose.
So I just wanted to do a quick update. Things are going well and pain is well controlled. I should be getting a CD with my images from the hospital soon and once I do I will post before and after pictures of my hips. Hope everyone else is pain free and enjoying some nice winter weather (ie, snow!).
Edit:
So yesterday I got my CD from HSS with my images, so here is my post op x-ray
So in a few hours I will be 2 weeks post op. It seems odd that I am so far out from surgery in some ways as I am still stiff and sore, but in other ways I see how much I have improved. The two days I was in the hospital I could barley push myself upright! Now, I move in and out of bed pretty well, I can lay on my non-operated side for a bit as well as my stomach. It feels sooo good to be able to move around a little bit. I had my first physical therapy appointment yesterday and that went well. The PT just covered basic stuff like ROM, health questions, etc. and then gave me some isometric exercises to do.
Other than PT, I do not do much. I do the basic after surgery, at home alone, protocol, which is watching Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond (who does not love the classic sitcoms!), as well as some reading and keeping people updated on my surgery. So far the pain is not too bad, although the last day or so has been worse than normal, but even these 'bad' times are manageable. I got my surgery report and I got 5 screws put in. Dr. Buly was able to change my anterior central edge (CE) angle from 11 degrees (normal is 25-40 degrees) to 37 degrees! I was lacking a LOT of anterior coverage, so hopefully thats all fixed now. Other than that, the surgery report did not say much other than they had a hard time getting my socket loose to move it, but after some extensive cutting, it came loose.
So I just wanted to do a quick update. Things are going well and pain is well controlled. I should be getting a CD with my images from the hospital soon and once I do I will post before and after pictures of my hips. Hope everyone else is pain free and enjoying some nice winter weather (ie, snow!).
Edit:
So yesterday I got my CD from HSS with my images, so here is my post op x-ray
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
A week post op
So, I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get an update here, its been a long week, but good, week post op! I guess I will just start from the beginning as far as what I remember immediately post op :)
So my surgery was scheduled for Nov. 21st at 8:30 am at the Hospital for Special Surgery. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am!! When we arrived I checked in and got signed up and then pretty quickly they took me back for surgery. In the surgery waiting room I changed into a gown, put on those lovely socks with the rubber on the bottom so that you do not fall sliding around, and then I was suppose to try and give a urine specimen to make sure that I was not pregnant. Well, of course I could not pee, after an hour and a half of trying, I finally gave up and they tried to take blood instead. I am notoriously bad at giving blood, so of course this turns into an ordeal of poking me three times just to get some blood. Finally they do and that part is over. Also during this time a nurse (who had a British accent and insisted on calling me Sarah Jane) was getting me prepped with an IV and 2 PA's came in to get some history and check my range of motion, etc. Then the good stuff started, Dr. Buly showed up as well as the anesthesiologist. Dr. Buly signed my hip and my wrist band and then after a few minutes we were off. I was taken down into the OR (which is freezing) and I moved over onto the operating table, was asked a few questions by the anesthesiologist, medicine the stings was put into my IV and I was out.
When I woke up I was in the recovery area, which was basically like a really long, extra wide hallway, with something like 50 beds in it and a curtain separating each bed. I woke up pretty quickly but in a lot of pain. I had a pain pump that I could press a button and every 10 minutes it would give me medicine. At the time every 10 minutes seemed like a lifetime! I was surprised by how much pain I was in given that I thought that I was suppose to have an epidural. It was unlike my last epidural with my scope that literally had me numb from the waist down when I woke up. It took about an hour for my pain to get under control again. My mom and Adam were able to visit me every 2 hours for 15 minutes while I was in recovery, which was nice, but did not seem long enough. There was some trouble finding out if I would be able to get a room or not that night because I guess they were all full, but luckily around 9PM I got a room and was taken upstairs for the night.
The first night my pain was well controlled with the pain pump and I slept fairly well. The next morning I was up around 6 am because thats when the hospital staff starts to really check on you and get things rolling for the day, like allowing you to bathe, etc. I had a bunch of different people throughout the morning come into my room for various things, checking vitals, my pain pump/epidural, my wound drain, etc. I tried to press the pain pump as little as possible because I wanted the epidural out as soon as possible because once that came out I could get my urinary catheter out, which was annoying me. So I was started on oral pain medication later that morning and that evening, around 6 PM the epidural came out. By late evening the first day I had everything unhooked except the urinary catheter, which was scheduled to come out the next morning, early. I also had PT the first day too, which I was REALLY scared about getting out of bed and walking, especially being hooked up to all the machines that I was. But it really was not too bad, my PT was amazing. I was able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom that first afternoon, without too much issue. My mom and husband were there during all the visiting hours, which were from 11 am to 9 pm.
On the second day, I got my catheter removed at 6 am and at that point I was officially off all the machines! I was able to sit up and eat breakfast in a chair that morning, as well as lunch, which was quite an accomplishment. Most of the pain that I had was trying to sit up and scooch my butt over to the edge of the bed. Whenever I tried to lift my pelvis off the bed, it felt like my right side was going to fall off! Once I was standing I was fine and good to go. Surprisingly enough, on the second day I passed PT (which consisted all of walking down the hall, going up and down some fake stairs, and then back to my room. After PT, the ball started rolling for me to get discharged!! We were super surprised how early I was getting discharged considering we were told it could be as many as 7 days in the hospital! So about mid afternoon on my second day post op, I was released from the hospital!
I rested on day 3 at the apartment in NYC and then on day 4 we started our travels back to Michigan, which was about a 14 hour drive, since we had to stop every 2 hours for me to get out and walk to prevent blood clots.
So this post is getting pretty long already, but needless to say, we made it safely back home on day 4, just in time for my mothers 50th birthday and Thanksgiving, which is today :)
In the few days that we have been home, I have felt really good for the most part. I have been getting some back headaches from some of the medication, but we were able to switch it up and the headaches seem to be getting better. I am sleeping a lot and drinking a lot and thats about what my days consist of so far. I will update more after I see PT later this week.
Thanks for reading!
So my surgery was scheduled for Nov. 21st at 8:30 am at the Hospital for Special Surgery. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am!! When we arrived I checked in and got signed up and then pretty quickly they took me back for surgery. In the surgery waiting room I changed into a gown, put on those lovely socks with the rubber on the bottom so that you do not fall sliding around, and then I was suppose to try and give a urine specimen to make sure that I was not pregnant. Well, of course I could not pee, after an hour and a half of trying, I finally gave up and they tried to take blood instead. I am notoriously bad at giving blood, so of course this turns into an ordeal of poking me three times just to get some blood. Finally they do and that part is over. Also during this time a nurse (who had a British accent and insisted on calling me Sarah Jane) was getting me prepped with an IV and 2 PA's came in to get some history and check my range of motion, etc. Then the good stuff started, Dr. Buly showed up as well as the anesthesiologist. Dr. Buly signed my hip and my wrist band and then after a few minutes we were off. I was taken down into the OR (which is freezing) and I moved over onto the operating table, was asked a few questions by the anesthesiologist, medicine the stings was put into my IV and I was out.
When I woke up I was in the recovery area, which was basically like a really long, extra wide hallway, with something like 50 beds in it and a curtain separating each bed. I woke up pretty quickly but in a lot of pain. I had a pain pump that I could press a button and every 10 minutes it would give me medicine. At the time every 10 minutes seemed like a lifetime! I was surprised by how much pain I was in given that I thought that I was suppose to have an epidural. It was unlike my last epidural with my scope that literally had me numb from the waist down when I woke up. It took about an hour for my pain to get under control again. My mom and Adam were able to visit me every 2 hours for 15 minutes while I was in recovery, which was nice, but did not seem long enough. There was some trouble finding out if I would be able to get a room or not that night because I guess they were all full, but luckily around 9PM I got a room and was taken upstairs for the night.
The first night my pain was well controlled with the pain pump and I slept fairly well. The next morning I was up around 6 am because thats when the hospital staff starts to really check on you and get things rolling for the day, like allowing you to bathe, etc. I had a bunch of different people throughout the morning come into my room for various things, checking vitals, my pain pump/epidural, my wound drain, etc. I tried to press the pain pump as little as possible because I wanted the epidural out as soon as possible because once that came out I could get my urinary catheter out, which was annoying me. So I was started on oral pain medication later that morning and that evening, around 6 PM the epidural came out. By late evening the first day I had everything unhooked except the urinary catheter, which was scheduled to come out the next morning, early. I also had PT the first day too, which I was REALLY scared about getting out of bed and walking, especially being hooked up to all the machines that I was. But it really was not too bad, my PT was amazing. I was able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom that first afternoon, without too much issue. My mom and husband were there during all the visiting hours, which were from 11 am to 9 pm.
On the second day, I got my catheter removed at 6 am and at that point I was officially off all the machines! I was able to sit up and eat breakfast in a chair that morning, as well as lunch, which was quite an accomplishment. Most of the pain that I had was trying to sit up and scooch my butt over to the edge of the bed. Whenever I tried to lift my pelvis off the bed, it felt like my right side was going to fall off! Once I was standing I was fine and good to go. Surprisingly enough, on the second day I passed PT (which consisted all of walking down the hall, going up and down some fake stairs, and then back to my room. After PT, the ball started rolling for me to get discharged!! We were super surprised how early I was getting discharged considering we were told it could be as many as 7 days in the hospital! So about mid afternoon on my second day post op, I was released from the hospital!
I rested on day 3 at the apartment in NYC and then on day 4 we started our travels back to Michigan, which was about a 14 hour drive, since we had to stop every 2 hours for me to get out and walk to prevent blood clots.
So this post is getting pretty long already, but needless to say, we made it safely back home on day 4, just in time for my mothers 50th birthday and Thanksgiving, which is today :)
In the few days that we have been home, I have felt really good for the most part. I have been getting some back headaches from some of the medication, but we were able to switch it up and the headaches seem to be getting better. I am sleeping a lot and drinking a lot and thats about what my days consist of so far. I will update more after I see PT later this week.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
The day before surgery with Dr. Buly at the Hospital for Special Surgery
Hello Everyone!!
So tomorrow is the day, I will go under the knife for my first PAO and my 4th right hip surgery. I am still in shock with how I got here, it all kind of seems like a bad dream, but in the end I hope that my long hip ordeal can provide a learning experience for anyone else suffering with hip pain.
Yesterday I had my pre-op appointments which were no big deal. Basically they went over all the usual stuff with me (height, weight, blood pressure, etc.) and then I had to get some blood drawn. I was worried that my surgery might be cancelled again due to high CRP and Sed. rates but the pre-op doctor that I saw said that my numbers from the end of Oct. were no big deal and he was not concerned so that made me feel better. The only think different this time from my other pre-op's was that they did an EKG which I thought was pretty neat. I guess it did not show anything bad cause I got my surgery time.....8:30 tomorrow morning (Thursday, Nov. 21st) and I have to be to the hospital at 5:30 am! I am glad that its early though cause otherwise I would be up all morning just worrying about surgery.
Today my husband and my mom and I, we went on a boat tour of the statue of Liberty and lower Manhatten. It was really amazing to see all these sights! Its stunning the amount of people and the history that is here! We had a great time, but its about 2 in the afternoon and my hip is pretty much done with sight seeing and ready for a rest.
So, thats the story so far. New York is amazing and so far our trip has been great! I hope surgery tomorrow follows that trend as well. I will update my blog as soon as I get a chance after surgery. Until then, safe hip travels everyone!
So tomorrow is the day, I will go under the knife for my first PAO and my 4th right hip surgery. I am still in shock with how I got here, it all kind of seems like a bad dream, but in the end I hope that my long hip ordeal can provide a learning experience for anyone else suffering with hip pain.
Yesterday I had my pre-op appointments which were no big deal. Basically they went over all the usual stuff with me (height, weight, blood pressure, etc.) and then I had to get some blood drawn. I was worried that my surgery might be cancelled again due to high CRP and Sed. rates but the pre-op doctor that I saw said that my numbers from the end of Oct. were no big deal and he was not concerned so that made me feel better. The only think different this time from my other pre-op's was that they did an EKG which I thought was pretty neat. I guess it did not show anything bad cause I got my surgery time.....8:30 tomorrow morning (Thursday, Nov. 21st) and I have to be to the hospital at 5:30 am! I am glad that its early though cause otherwise I would be up all morning just worrying about surgery.
Today my husband and my mom and I, we went on a boat tour of the statue of Liberty and lower Manhatten. It was really amazing to see all these sights! Its stunning the amount of people and the history that is here! We had a great time, but its about 2 in the afternoon and my hip is pretty much done with sight seeing and ready for a rest.
So, thats the story so far. New York is amazing and so far our trip has been great! I hope surgery tomorrow follows that trend as well. I will update my blog as soon as I get a chance after surgery. Until then, safe hip travels everyone!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
1 week from PAO surgery!!
Here we are a week out from my PAO surgery with Dr. Buly at HSS in NYC!! I thought that I would be getting really nervous, but I am not. Life here at my parents house just keeps rolling along with the kids' basketball games, home work, and plays so there is not much time for me to freak out. Adam (my husband) has been working a lot so I have not seen him much and he is normally the one that I would complain to about being nervous. I suppose its a good thing that I have not had a lot of time to focus on the surgery itself! Too much thought about things like this will drive a person mad. So, in 4 days we will pack up the van and be off to NYC!!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
When the worst in life brings out the best in people
Its kind of funny how some of the worst things in life turn out to show you the best in people. This upcoming PAO on the 21st will not be the worst, nor the hardest thing I have ever gone through in life, but its one of those really hard things that makes you wonder, why me? Why is it that I am going through all these surgeries and all this pain? But its also these moments that shows you the best from the people in your life. I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people on earth when it comes to family. I have known my entire life that my family will always be there for me, no matter what. Wouldn't matter how big of a mistake I made, or how much I hurt the people I loved the most, they would always be there for me. I know that not many people in the world can say that, so I am beyond lucky to always have this support system. Then you add in my husband and his family, plus friends, and compiled are some of the best and most amazing people on this planet.
The prep for this surgery alone has brought out the absolute best in all the above mentioned people and I have not even had surgery yet! Since my house in Houghton, MI is an older home with steep stairs and the bedrooms and bathrooms on the top floor, my mom and I knew as soon as we were told about needing a PAO that I would not be able to recuperate at my house. So that meant moving in with my parents, for 3 months! Now, for a normal family this would not be a big deal, but my family is far from normal. Four years ago my parents took in three foster children who were left by their parents at the preschool my mother used to work at. For the past four years my parents have cared for a loved these kids as if they were their own. My sister and I too have welcomed them into our lives without missing a beat as if they were always our siblings. To us, anyone in need was welcome, and these kids were in desperate need. So obviously with 3 kids, my parents have a full house, but that did not matter. Without missing a beat my mother started planning for my husband and I's stay at their home for a few months. Moving around furniture, making 8 hour trips up to Houghton and back home with our clothes and dog, you name it, my parents did it. Another saving grace for my husband and I is that my in-laws own some hardware stores in the area, thus my husband is able to work while I recover.
If these things were not enough to make you thankful for wonderful family, the next piece of amazing news will make you thankful for friends! After I called my friend Chelsea, who lives far away, and had a good cry with her on the phone about my surgery situation, she also got to work seeing if some of her family's friends had a vacant place for us to stay in during the week of my surgery in NYC. Amazingly enough, her father has a friend who has an apartment in NYC that she offered to me, my mother and my husband while we are in NYC for my surgery, FOR FREE!!! I was literally in shock when Chelsea told me about this amazingly gracious person. I mean, who offers their home to complete strangers for an entire week?! I pretty much just started crying.
Since that time I have been in contact with the owner of the apartment and she is the nicest lady, even sending me pictures of the apartment and the view! Its times like these that I realize, I am the luckiest person on earth. Yeah, these surgeries suck and yes, I am not happy about it, but if there was ever a lesson to be learned here its that I am surrounded by one of the best support systems ever. So this post is a shout out to all those in my life who have cared for me in ways that I can never repay. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Sarah
The prep for this surgery alone has brought out the absolute best in all the above mentioned people and I have not even had surgery yet! Since my house in Houghton, MI is an older home with steep stairs and the bedrooms and bathrooms on the top floor, my mom and I knew as soon as we were told about needing a PAO that I would not be able to recuperate at my house. So that meant moving in with my parents, for 3 months! Now, for a normal family this would not be a big deal, but my family is far from normal. Four years ago my parents took in three foster children who were left by their parents at the preschool my mother used to work at. For the past four years my parents have cared for a loved these kids as if they were their own. My sister and I too have welcomed them into our lives without missing a beat as if they were always our siblings. To us, anyone in need was welcome, and these kids were in desperate need. So obviously with 3 kids, my parents have a full house, but that did not matter. Without missing a beat my mother started planning for my husband and I's stay at their home for a few months. Moving around furniture, making 8 hour trips up to Houghton and back home with our clothes and dog, you name it, my parents did it. Another saving grace for my husband and I is that my in-laws own some hardware stores in the area, thus my husband is able to work while I recover.
If these things were not enough to make you thankful for wonderful family, the next piece of amazing news will make you thankful for friends! After I called my friend Chelsea, who lives far away, and had a good cry with her on the phone about my surgery situation, she also got to work seeing if some of her family's friends had a vacant place for us to stay in during the week of my surgery in NYC. Amazingly enough, her father has a friend who has an apartment in NYC that she offered to me, my mother and my husband while we are in NYC for my surgery, FOR FREE!!! I was literally in shock when Chelsea told me about this amazingly gracious person. I mean, who offers their home to complete strangers for an entire week?! I pretty much just started crying.
Since that time I have been in contact with the owner of the apartment and she is the nicest lady, even sending me pictures of the apartment and the view! Its times like these that I realize, I am the luckiest person on earth. Yeah, these surgeries suck and yes, I am not happy about it, but if there was ever a lesson to be learned here its that I am surrounded by one of the best support systems ever. So this post is a shout out to all those in my life who have cared for me in ways that I can never repay. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Sarah
Friday, October 4, 2013
When life gives you lemons...
So these last few weeks have been really difficult. It was such a shock hearing that a need the ultimate hip surgery to fix the real problem with my hips. I feel betrayed by the medical community and frustrated with the surgeons I had seen. For so long I was told that nothing was wrong. For example, the first surgeon that I saw in Marshfield, WI after I got my diagnosis told me that since I had good range of motion still that I did not have FAI and that if I continued to have pain that I should go back to my general practitioner. Well of course I was going to continue to have pain, I had already been in pain for 5 years! The blatant dismissal without any further investigation was heart breaking for me at the time. I did not give up on my hip though and pursued a second opinion with the surgeon who would eventually do my first scope.
Looking back at all the surgeons I saw, all the PT that I did, and all the general practitioners that I went through, all the while hoping that maybe, just maybe, this surgeon or doctor or PT would make it all better, once and for all. Because of the lack luster care from the medical community, my distrust in doctors has gown exponentially. I always want second (or third, or fourth) opinions about things. I do a ton of research about everything now before I trust anything a doctor says to me, which really goes against everything I was taught growing up. I was taught that the doctor knew how to fix you when you were sick and that was the end of it. There was no questioning him/her, it just was. Which is why I think that this was all so hard from the beginning. To question that a surgeon could be wrong was just not something that I had heard of, but it is now something that is second nature to me. Which, when you think about it, is a great thing. Critical thinking should always be used in all things, but to have to question someone who is suppose to make you feel better, who is suppose to be on your side, seems maddening. Add to that the hundreds of dollars you get the privileged to pay for their 'opinion' and I sometimes feel insane! If I wanted to discuss opinions then I would just have a heated conversation with certain family members and that's free. But to pay for the privileged of someone to tell you that your wrong about your pain and discomfort seems barbaric in our modern society. But I shall digress from this conversation seeing as I could go on forever about the American medical system and the insanity of it all.
What I really wanted to write about tonight (or early this morning) was how much I have learned and how I want to share what I have learned with everyone! I never want someone to suffer like I have. I never want someone to think that they are crazy because some untrained doctor or radiologist cannot find the correct diagnosis for their pain. In the past week I have been sharing my story high and low, in all corners of the internet trying to get the word out about FAI, labral tears, femoral anteversion, etc. I see posts on Reddit about groin pain and how they are told is a hernia or a strained muscle and I can only shake my head because I know that at least 10 of those 20 posts I saw are going to be misdiagnosed and most likely have either FAI or labral tears but they will suffer in pain until someone somewhere down the line makes a correct diagnosis.
What happened to me should have never of happened. Doctors, PT, nurses, etc all have a duty to patients to not give up on them until finding out the true reasons for someones pain. For $500 for an initial consultation with a surgeon, patients deserve more than 'I do not know, see someone else' and pass the buck onto a different doctor. Its maddening! And its awful that its allowed. Everyday people are passed off and shoved away when answers are not easy to find. Is that was med. school is teaching students, how to pass the buck without follow up?! I find this unacceptable.
But, given my situation I want to make the proverbial lemonade out of lemons. I want to share my story in as many places as possible, with as many people as possible to get the word out about FAI, labral tears and how finding a well educated and trained surgeon is the single most important thing you can do for your care. It does not seem like a big deal when you are looking at your first scope because if your are anything like me, you'll think 'I am not special, I do not need a "top" surgeon to fix me, I just need someone who is a surgeon', but I beg of you, please do not fall into this trap. While I did not have any glaringly obvious done deformities, like dysplasia, I have a ton of rotational issues, none of which were found by my first two surgeons because a rotational study was not done. Imagine how much pain and money and heartache would have been saved for me if my first surgeon had the training and forethought to order a rotational MRI or a CT scan? I even had family members encouraging me to see the hometown surgeon because "You don't need the best, you just need someone who can get the job done". Oh how wrong they were. I think that hip surgery is often mistaken for knee surgery, especially scopes, in the sense that its easy, its done routinely, and often has very little complications. But the hip is a very DEEP and hard to reach joint, something that the knee is not. Thus access is tricky and limited.
So to wrap up this late night rant, PLEASE go to the best surgeon you can afford. Find a surgeon who has trained at top hospitals like the Hospital for Special Surgery, or who has done a fellowship with top scope surgeons like Dr. Philippon, Dr. Kelly, and Dr. Byrd. ALWAYS ask for a rotational study to be done either through an MRI or a CT scan (this is more accurate). Then get a second opinion and a third opinion. Many surgeons like Philippon and Kelly do free film reviews, take advantage of this! Send in your films. And last, but not least, please educate yourself on these things. Know what would make you a good scope candidate and what would not, know what your angles are (alpha angle, CE angle, version angles are all important) and if your surgeon does not know, run for the hills, run as far away from that surgeon as possible!
So I will leave you all with that note. I will be spending a lot of time on the internet these next few weeks, trying to spread my story far and wide so that I can hopefully help just one person avoid the heartache and pain that I have endured due to the medical communities error. If your reading this, please share with anyone you might know suffering from hip/knee/lower back pain. You may just save their sanity! Thanks for reading!
Looking back at all the surgeons I saw, all the PT that I did, and all the general practitioners that I went through, all the while hoping that maybe, just maybe, this surgeon or doctor or PT would make it all better, once and for all. Because of the lack luster care from the medical community, my distrust in doctors has gown exponentially. I always want second (or third, or fourth) opinions about things. I do a ton of research about everything now before I trust anything a doctor says to me, which really goes against everything I was taught growing up. I was taught that the doctor knew how to fix you when you were sick and that was the end of it. There was no questioning him/her, it just was. Which is why I think that this was all so hard from the beginning. To question that a surgeon could be wrong was just not something that I had heard of, but it is now something that is second nature to me. Which, when you think about it, is a great thing. Critical thinking should always be used in all things, but to have to question someone who is suppose to make you feel better, who is suppose to be on your side, seems maddening. Add to that the hundreds of dollars you get the privileged to pay for their 'opinion' and I sometimes feel insane! If I wanted to discuss opinions then I would just have a heated conversation with certain family members and that's free. But to pay for the privileged of someone to tell you that your wrong about your pain and discomfort seems barbaric in our modern society. But I shall digress from this conversation seeing as I could go on forever about the American medical system and the insanity of it all.
What I really wanted to write about tonight (or early this morning) was how much I have learned and how I want to share what I have learned with everyone! I never want someone to suffer like I have. I never want someone to think that they are crazy because some untrained doctor or radiologist cannot find the correct diagnosis for their pain. In the past week I have been sharing my story high and low, in all corners of the internet trying to get the word out about FAI, labral tears, femoral anteversion, etc. I see posts on Reddit about groin pain and how they are told is a hernia or a strained muscle and I can only shake my head because I know that at least 10 of those 20 posts I saw are going to be misdiagnosed and most likely have either FAI or labral tears but they will suffer in pain until someone somewhere down the line makes a correct diagnosis.
What happened to me should have never of happened. Doctors, PT, nurses, etc all have a duty to patients to not give up on them until finding out the true reasons for someones pain. For $500 for an initial consultation with a surgeon, patients deserve more than 'I do not know, see someone else' and pass the buck onto a different doctor. Its maddening! And its awful that its allowed. Everyday people are passed off and shoved away when answers are not easy to find. Is that was med. school is teaching students, how to pass the buck without follow up?! I find this unacceptable.
But, given my situation I want to make the proverbial lemonade out of lemons. I want to share my story in as many places as possible, with as many people as possible to get the word out about FAI, labral tears and how finding a well educated and trained surgeon is the single most important thing you can do for your care. It does not seem like a big deal when you are looking at your first scope because if your are anything like me, you'll think 'I am not special, I do not need a "top" surgeon to fix me, I just need someone who is a surgeon', but I beg of you, please do not fall into this trap. While I did not have any glaringly obvious done deformities, like dysplasia, I have a ton of rotational issues, none of which were found by my first two surgeons because a rotational study was not done. Imagine how much pain and money and heartache would have been saved for me if my first surgeon had the training and forethought to order a rotational MRI or a CT scan? I even had family members encouraging me to see the hometown surgeon because "You don't need the best, you just need someone who can get the job done". Oh how wrong they were. I think that hip surgery is often mistaken for knee surgery, especially scopes, in the sense that its easy, its done routinely, and often has very little complications. But the hip is a very DEEP and hard to reach joint, something that the knee is not. Thus access is tricky and limited.
So to wrap up this late night rant, PLEASE go to the best surgeon you can afford. Find a surgeon who has trained at top hospitals like the Hospital for Special Surgery, or who has done a fellowship with top scope surgeons like Dr. Philippon, Dr. Kelly, and Dr. Byrd. ALWAYS ask for a rotational study to be done either through an MRI or a CT scan (this is more accurate). Then get a second opinion and a third opinion. Many surgeons like Philippon and Kelly do free film reviews, take advantage of this! Send in your films. And last, but not least, please educate yourself on these things. Know what would make you a good scope candidate and what would not, know what your angles are (alpha angle, CE angle, version angles are all important) and if your surgeon does not know, run for the hills, run as far away from that surgeon as possible!
So I will leave you all with that note. I will be spending a lot of time on the internet these next few weeks, trying to spread my story far and wide so that I can hopefully help just one person avoid the heartache and pain that I have endured due to the medical communities error. If your reading this, please share with anyone you might know suffering from hip/knee/lower back pain. You may just save their sanity! Thanks for reading!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Consultation with Dr. Buly at HSS
Its been a while again since I have updated my blog because I was waiting until after my appointment at HSS with Dr. Buly which was a week ago today. I consulted with Dr. Buly originally for my femoral anteversion which was found on my pre-op MRI in Dec. of last year. I was told that it may or may not cause continued issues, that only time would tell. Well, before I had surgery in Jan. I told myself that I would not wait longer than 6 months to get this checked out. Dr. Philippons team wanted me to wait a year before consulting with someone, but I had already waiting long enough for answers, I was unwilling to accept waiting any longer than 6 months from surgery. So when I was still in some pain in August, I booked an appointment with Dr. Buly.
The few weeks leading up to my appointment with Dr. Buly I was not in a lot of pain and even contemplated cancelling, but I didn't as my mom had already set up time to come with me, etc. so I kept my appointment. My mom and I decided to drive out to NY seeing at plane tickets were almost $500 per person. Add that too a cost of cab fares and hotels and for a 2 night stay in NY city it would have cost about $2,000. So driving and staying north of the city at a campground was the cheapest. It was a beautiful drive out to NY and the campground that we stayed at was perfect. Since we are not city people, it was nice to be able to leave the city after a busy and exhausting day at the hospital. So we left Traverse City (where my parents live) and drove out to NY on a Sunday as my appointment was on Monday. It was a beautiful drive and PA is so pretty! We got to NY around 6PM and had just enough daylight to set up the tent and then fall asleep.
We left for the city pretty early the next morning even though my appointment was not until the afternoon so that we could look around the city a little. So driving into the city was not nearly as bad as I thought that it was going to be and we got lucky because the president was at the UN, only about 10 blocks away, but FDR drive was not shut down, so we were not effected at all. We got a little lost coming into the city, but the GPS put us back on track and we got to the hospital without a problem. After parking we walked around a little through some of the neighborhoods and saw a cool collection of Buddist art at Sotheby's, even though scary looking men in suites follow you around.
After looking around for a bit, my hips were getting tired so we ended up back at the hospital early so I just got checked into x-ray and had those done as well as my CT scan. After that we went to Dr. Buly's office to wait for my appointment. Dr. Buly and his assistant Elaine are so nice and personable, it was unreal. There were no fellows, or nurses, or other staff, it was just Dr. Buly and Elaine, it was so nice to spend so much time with the actual surgeon! Dr. Buly, after looking at my x-ray and CT images, recommended a PAO (periacetabular osteotomy) and an FO (femoral osteotomy). I was really shocked by this recommendation because never before had hip dysplasia been mentioned to me, which is usually what PAO are used to fix. But I guess after all these surgeries, the rim trimmings done had actually made my hip slightly dysplasic, which when combined with my femoral anteversion means that there is not enough acetabulum to cover the top of the femur head. Dr. Buly then called his colleague, Dr. Helfet, into the exam room so that he could look at my images and examine me to get his opinion. He agreed that a combination PAO and FO would be the best course of action. Dr. Buly also wanted me to consult with Dr. Sink to get his opinion about the PAO. So we stayed in NY an extra day so that we could see Dr. Sink on Tuesday. Dr. Sink basically agreed with Dr. Buly and Dr. Helfet.
Today I got the results of my MRI and CT scan as well, which shows excessive femoral anteversion on both the left and the right, as well as excessive tibial torsion externally. The combination of these is known as miserable malalignment syndrome. I also have a labral tear and FAI in my left hip with will have to be taken care of at some point. My MRI showed a lot of cartilage wear and tear on the front of both hips, although the right hip is so much worse. I was told that if I do not go through with surgery for the PAO and FO I will most likely be looking at a total hip replacement in 5 years.
So, now that this post is getting really long, I am now in the process of booking my first surgery with Dr. Buly for the PAO and FO. I am really just super disappointed and scared. 3 years ago when I had my first scope, this was never suppose to be an issue, but here we are, staring down the barrel of at least 3 more surgeries to fix all of these issues. I am still in shock I think, but time will help me get over it I am sure. Anyways, no good news this time, but I will keep everyone updated as surgery gets closer!
The few weeks leading up to my appointment with Dr. Buly I was not in a lot of pain and even contemplated cancelling, but I didn't as my mom had already set up time to come with me, etc. so I kept my appointment. My mom and I decided to drive out to NY seeing at plane tickets were almost $500 per person. Add that too a cost of cab fares and hotels and for a 2 night stay in NY city it would have cost about $2,000. So driving and staying north of the city at a campground was the cheapest. It was a beautiful drive out to NY and the campground that we stayed at was perfect. Since we are not city people, it was nice to be able to leave the city after a busy and exhausting day at the hospital. So we left Traverse City (where my parents live) and drove out to NY on a Sunday as my appointment was on Monday. It was a beautiful drive and PA is so pretty! We got to NY around 6PM and had just enough daylight to set up the tent and then fall asleep.
We left for the city pretty early the next morning even though my appointment was not until the afternoon so that we could look around the city a little. So driving into the city was not nearly as bad as I thought that it was going to be and we got lucky because the president was at the UN, only about 10 blocks away, but FDR drive was not shut down, so we were not effected at all. We got a little lost coming into the city, but the GPS put us back on track and we got to the hospital without a problem. After parking we walked around a little through some of the neighborhoods and saw a cool collection of Buddist art at Sotheby's, even though scary looking men in suites follow you around.
After looking around for a bit, my hips were getting tired so we ended up back at the hospital early so I just got checked into x-ray and had those done as well as my CT scan. After that we went to Dr. Buly's office to wait for my appointment. Dr. Buly and his assistant Elaine are so nice and personable, it was unreal. There were no fellows, or nurses, or other staff, it was just Dr. Buly and Elaine, it was so nice to spend so much time with the actual surgeon! Dr. Buly, after looking at my x-ray and CT images, recommended a PAO (periacetabular osteotomy) and an FO (femoral osteotomy). I was really shocked by this recommendation because never before had hip dysplasia been mentioned to me, which is usually what PAO are used to fix. But I guess after all these surgeries, the rim trimmings done had actually made my hip slightly dysplasic, which when combined with my femoral anteversion means that there is not enough acetabulum to cover the top of the femur head. Dr. Buly then called his colleague, Dr. Helfet, into the exam room so that he could look at my images and examine me to get his opinion. He agreed that a combination PAO and FO would be the best course of action. Dr. Buly also wanted me to consult with Dr. Sink to get his opinion about the PAO. So we stayed in NY an extra day so that we could see Dr. Sink on Tuesday. Dr. Sink basically agreed with Dr. Buly and Dr. Helfet.
Today I got the results of my MRI and CT scan as well, which shows excessive femoral anteversion on both the left and the right, as well as excessive tibial torsion externally. The combination of these is known as miserable malalignment syndrome. I also have a labral tear and FAI in my left hip with will have to be taken care of at some point. My MRI showed a lot of cartilage wear and tear on the front of both hips, although the right hip is so much worse. I was told that if I do not go through with surgery for the PAO and FO I will most likely be looking at a total hip replacement in 5 years.
So, now that this post is getting really long, I am now in the process of booking my first surgery with Dr. Buly for the PAO and FO. I am really just super disappointed and scared. 3 years ago when I had my first scope, this was never suppose to be an issue, but here we are, staring down the barrel of at least 3 more surgeries to fix all of these issues. I am still in shock I think, but time will help me get over it I am sure. Anyways, no good news this time, but I will keep everyone updated as surgery gets closer!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
So, its been a while...
So, its been a long time since I have updated my blog just because this recovery has been so emotional and physically hard that one day I was feeling great and the next day I could barley move, nothing seemed consistent from one day to the next, which makes it a little hard to tell others how you are doing.
Since my last post my recovery had seemed to progress well, although slowly, with often setbacks. But, by the end of May I was doing some light jogging. In fact, the last week of May I was able to jog 3 days in one week and it felt amazing. I had stopped physical therapy about 2 weeks before this, although I was still doing exercises at home. I would still get occasional pain just above my groin while lowering myself down stairs or something similar, but overall, I was feeling pretty great.
Then...I had some family things to take care of which sent me home for a week in the beginning of June. Its an 8 hour drive to my parents house and then another 4 hours to see other family in another part of the state. I was home for a week before coming back to my house (another 12 hour drive). I was only home a week when my grandmother passed away so back home I went (another 2 12+ hour drives). By the time I came back home at the end of June, my hip had suffered some pretty significant set backs, I was in daily pain again. I figured it was a short term flare up and did not think much of it, but after 2 weeks the pain was only getting worse. I was taking 2 summer classes at Michigan Tech so I was sitting for 3 hours a day plus trying to work at my old job at the law office a few times a week. The combination of a lot of driving plus sitting at work and school was causing things to only get worse. I was getting a lot of groin pain, pain in the front of my hip, and knee pain. After a few more weeks of this, I became concerned and contacted the surgeon in Colorado again. While waiting to hear from his team I decided that it would be best to get an opinion on the femoral anteversion issue. I called a surgeon that was recommended to me that's based in New York and scheduled an appointment for the end of September. Dr. Philippon does not deal with femoral anteversion so he cannot really tell me much more about it other than I have it and it might effect the outcome of this surgery. I feel like until I get an opinion from a doctor that does these kinds of surgeries I will never know if this pain is caused by the anteversion or if its just a part of this healing process. Its been about 2 months of constant pain so far though, so I don't feel like I am making any rash decisions, even though I am tired of all this hip stuff.
So that's the update for now. I currently have two weeks off from classes before I start taking some more classes this fall. The break has been nice for my hip. I am still trying to get on the bike a few times a week as well as doing some stretching that was given to me by Dr. P. So far, the groin pain has calmed some, but the pain in the front of my hip and in the knee is still bad most days preventing me from being on my feet for any length of time. Hopefully I can get some more answers from this surgeon in New York.
For anyone else out there suffering, I hope that you too get answers soon and that everyone has pain free days ahead!
Since my last post my recovery had seemed to progress well, although slowly, with often setbacks. But, by the end of May I was doing some light jogging. In fact, the last week of May I was able to jog 3 days in one week and it felt amazing. I had stopped physical therapy about 2 weeks before this, although I was still doing exercises at home. I would still get occasional pain just above my groin while lowering myself down stairs or something similar, but overall, I was feeling pretty great.
Then...I had some family things to take care of which sent me home for a week in the beginning of June. Its an 8 hour drive to my parents house and then another 4 hours to see other family in another part of the state. I was home for a week before coming back to my house (another 12 hour drive). I was only home a week when my grandmother passed away so back home I went (another 2 12+ hour drives). By the time I came back home at the end of June, my hip had suffered some pretty significant set backs, I was in daily pain again. I figured it was a short term flare up and did not think much of it, but after 2 weeks the pain was only getting worse. I was taking 2 summer classes at Michigan Tech so I was sitting for 3 hours a day plus trying to work at my old job at the law office a few times a week. The combination of a lot of driving plus sitting at work and school was causing things to only get worse. I was getting a lot of groin pain, pain in the front of my hip, and knee pain. After a few more weeks of this, I became concerned and contacted the surgeon in Colorado again. While waiting to hear from his team I decided that it would be best to get an opinion on the femoral anteversion issue. I called a surgeon that was recommended to me that's based in New York and scheduled an appointment for the end of September. Dr. Philippon does not deal with femoral anteversion so he cannot really tell me much more about it other than I have it and it might effect the outcome of this surgery. I feel like until I get an opinion from a doctor that does these kinds of surgeries I will never know if this pain is caused by the anteversion or if its just a part of this healing process. Its been about 2 months of constant pain so far though, so I don't feel like I am making any rash decisions, even though I am tired of all this hip stuff.
So that's the update for now. I currently have two weeks off from classes before I start taking some more classes this fall. The break has been nice for my hip. I am still trying to get on the bike a few times a week as well as doing some stretching that was given to me by Dr. P. So far, the groin pain has calmed some, but the pain in the front of my hip and in the knee is still bad most days preventing me from being on my feet for any length of time. Hopefully I can get some more answers from this surgeon in New York.
For anyone else out there suffering, I hope that you too get answers soon and that everyone has pain free days ahead!
Monday, April 15, 2013
WOW...3 months (or 12 weeks) out from surgery
So today is 3 months out from surgery and I am getting better and better each day it seems like. Today I went to the gym and did 15 minutes on the elliptical, as well as the lunges on the treadmill and other PT exercises with minimal pain afterwards, just a little ache. I am getting so antsy to get outside and do some yard work and walking, but alas, the weather here has not cooperated yet. Yesterday we got about 5 inches of snow again. Luckily its melting pretty fast by the next day but it certainly makes for sloppy, wet ground, not ideal for walking on with a newly operated hip. So I am trying to be patient, planning a garden and such instead.
This last week has been pretty uneventful, the hip has felt good and my stomach seems to have settled down which is a huge relief as it was really getting in the way of me attending PT. Well, not much to report on this week, I just cannot believe that its already 3 months out.
Hope everyone else is pain free :)
This last week has been pretty uneventful, the hip has felt good and my stomach seems to have settled down which is a huge relief as it was really getting in the way of me attending PT. Well, not much to report on this week, I just cannot believe that its already 3 months out.
Hope everyone else is pain free :)
Monday, April 8, 2013
If its not one thing, its another!
Today is 11 weeks post op! I am in shock how fast the time has gone. Physical therapy is still going well even though I have not been able to attend as much as I would like. Recently my stomach pains have become the real issue, preventing me from going to physical therapy as much as I should. Last week I was only able to attend one day. But during that one session we really pushed the hip hard. I did lounges on the treadmill for 2 whole minutes! I thought that I was going to die! I am doing 3 sets of 10 of lounges on the ground with 2lb weights as well as side leg lifts and back leg lifts. Its crazy how much I can do and the progress that I can feel. But I can also still feel a lot of weakness. My pain has been minimal for the past 3 weeks, which is really promising considering I cannot take any NSAID's. I still have numbness along the outside of my thigh and under my knee cap. My scars seem to be healing up well, but I can feel a lot of scar tissue underneath my outer most scar. I have been using Vit. E oil on them and massage to break it up.
My stomach on the other hand seems to have a mind of its own. I have been taking Prilosec now for 2 weeks at the increased does yet on Thursday I had horrible stomach pains again. Is a combination of nausea and actual physical pain. I am not sure if anything sets it off in particular but it usually starts in the evening after having dinner. I have tried taking Pepto and Tums but both of those usually just make things worse. I was in pain for about 6 hours until some pain medication I took finally kicked in. Friday was not much better, although I was able to sleep a little more. I had a low grade fever all day which had me worried. I called my doctor but he was out of town and the fill in doctor only suggested that if the pain got worse I got to the walk-in or ER. Well Friday night the pain got worse so I went to the ER. They were not able to do much for me, they basically just suggested that I call my primary care doctor about setting up an appointment for a scope of my stomach. They were able to prescribe some antibiotics in case it is an infection, plus some pain pills to take when the pain gets really bad. So for the past few days I have just eaten toast and drank water because of the nausea.
So overall, the hip is feeling really good, minus some aches and pain here and there but this stomach thing has really put a damper on my progress. On Wed. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor regarding the stomach issues so hopefully then we can come up with a game plan for the next step.
My stomach on the other hand seems to have a mind of its own. I have been taking Prilosec now for 2 weeks at the increased does yet on Thursday I had horrible stomach pains again. Is a combination of nausea and actual physical pain. I am not sure if anything sets it off in particular but it usually starts in the evening after having dinner. I have tried taking Pepto and Tums but both of those usually just make things worse. I was in pain for about 6 hours until some pain medication I took finally kicked in. Friday was not much better, although I was able to sleep a little more. I had a low grade fever all day which had me worried. I called my doctor but he was out of town and the fill in doctor only suggested that if the pain got worse I got to the walk-in or ER. Well Friday night the pain got worse so I went to the ER. They were not able to do much for me, they basically just suggested that I call my primary care doctor about setting up an appointment for a scope of my stomach. They were able to prescribe some antibiotics in case it is an infection, plus some pain pills to take when the pain gets really bad. So for the past few days I have just eaten toast and drank water because of the nausea.
So overall, the hip is feeling really good, minus some aches and pain here and there but this stomach thing has really put a damper on my progress. On Wed. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor regarding the stomach issues so hopefully then we can come up with a game plan for the next step.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
10 weeks - Hope
On Monday I will be 10 weeks post op. Its really hard to believe considering originally I was not suppose to even have surgery until this month (April). The past two weeks have been amazing! My hip feels so good, I don't even have words to express how excited I am. This week I walked my dog, about 1/4 of a mile, 4 times, as well as climbing some snow banks out at Lake Superior to watch the stars. The snow was giving out underneath my leg as I was walking and I had no pain! Plus the physical therapy that I have been doing has stepped up intensity each time we are adding strengthening exercises without any pain! I have not had this happen in years. This week we even added wall squats! Full wall squats! Its crazy how wonderful it feels. I feel like I actually have hope for the future, something that I have not felt in a long time.
I am so grateful to Dr. Philippon. I really believe that he is the best surgeon in the world to do these kinds of things. Without him and his team, I know that I would still be feeling helpless and frustrated. I read stories of other people struggling with the same things I was (continued pain, frustration, etc.) and I just want to recommend to everyone to see Dr. P. After years of struggling with this and seeing many different doctors, the best advice I give everyone I talk to is to get a lot of opinions from at least one local doctor (if available) and an opinion form one of the top doctors (of course its my personal opinion that Dr. P is the best). Checking out who your doctor trained with is another really important thing. Before I had a first hip surgery failure I thought that I would not be one of those who had to have multiple surgeries, that those things happened to other people, but this whole experience has been very humbling and taught me a lot about hips. There are a lot of underlying factors that go into whether someone is a good candidate for a scope surgery and many untrained doctors do not know how to look for these things. Looking back on my experience, I wish no one would ever have surgery with a surgeon who has not trained under the best doctors in the world as it seems their success rates are much, much less and people suffer needlessly.
So this week the only downside that I have been experiencing is that my left hip has really started to increase in pain. Its bothered me on and off ever since after my first surgery in 2010 but was brushed off by the surgeon as compensation pain. With my second MRA I was diagnosed with a CAM impingement on the left, but I was hoping that once the right was fixed that it would become asymptomatic again. So far, no luck with that, but I really don't want to think about the possibility of needing another surgery, so unless it really starts effecting my every day activity, I most likely will not pursue anything with it.
Thats the deal this week :) Feeling really great about life and the hip situation. I feel like my fears of needing the surgery to fix my anteversion are reduced daily and that this might be the end of the road for the hip pain in the right. Thanks for reading!
I am so grateful to Dr. Philippon. I really believe that he is the best surgeon in the world to do these kinds of things. Without him and his team, I know that I would still be feeling helpless and frustrated. I read stories of other people struggling with the same things I was (continued pain, frustration, etc.) and I just want to recommend to everyone to see Dr. P. After years of struggling with this and seeing many different doctors, the best advice I give everyone I talk to is to get a lot of opinions from at least one local doctor (if available) and an opinion form one of the top doctors (of course its my personal opinion that Dr. P is the best). Checking out who your doctor trained with is another really important thing. Before I had a first hip surgery failure I thought that I would not be one of those who had to have multiple surgeries, that those things happened to other people, but this whole experience has been very humbling and taught me a lot about hips. There are a lot of underlying factors that go into whether someone is a good candidate for a scope surgery and many untrained doctors do not know how to look for these things. Looking back on my experience, I wish no one would ever have surgery with a surgeon who has not trained under the best doctors in the world as it seems their success rates are much, much less and people suffer needlessly.
So this week the only downside that I have been experiencing is that my left hip has really started to increase in pain. Its bothered me on and off ever since after my first surgery in 2010 but was brushed off by the surgeon as compensation pain. With my second MRA I was diagnosed with a CAM impingement on the left, but I was hoping that once the right was fixed that it would become asymptomatic again. So far, no luck with that, but I really don't want to think about the possibility of needing another surgery, so unless it really starts effecting my every day activity, I most likely will not pursue anything with it.
Thats the deal this week :) Feeling really great about life and the hip situation. I feel like my fears of needing the surgery to fix my anteversion are reduced daily and that this might be the end of the road for the hip pain in the right. Thanks for reading!
Monday, March 25, 2013
9 weeks!
So today is 9 weeks post op! Its crazy to think about how far out from surgery I am now. This past week I have been feeling better and better each day. My pain has been minimal and my range of motion is better as well. On Saturday I walked my dog with no problems and no pain (other than I slipped and fell in my driveway, luckily nothing serious!). I am very excited about all this! But of course when one thing is going well, something else falls apart. I have been experiencing intense stomach pains for a few months now and on Saturday night my stomach started giving me intense stomach pains. It was horrible. Nothing was taking the pain away. So today I made an appointment with my primary care physician to see if he could help me figure out what the problem was. I had a feeling that it was an ulcer because of my high use of NSAID's for the past few years. So today I went to see my doctor and the end result is that tomorrow at 8 am I have an appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound of my stomach area as well as blood work. The doctor is concerned that I may have a gallstone as when he did the physical exam on me, I was really tender more toward my gallbladder than anything else. So, worst case scenario I need my gallbladder removed, best case scenario, I have an ulcer and will be taking lots of Prilosec! I have had to stop all NSAID's though, which in the past few days has made my hip ache a little more and give me bad headaches.
Physical therapy has really picked thing up a lot this past week. I started doing the elliptical, which has felt good as well as adding some 2 lb weights to some of the exercises that I had been doing that have gotten pretty easy for me. It feels good to start strengthening things and see some progress and things get easier and easier with each physical therapy appointment. The best part is the pain afterwards has been minimal (except in the past few days, when I have had to stop taking NSAID's).
Hope everyone else is doing well and pain free :)
EDIT (3/28/13): So I wanted to edit this to update the results of my ultrasound and blood work. Everything came back normal so the likely culprit of my intense stomach pains is an ulcer. I am on Prilosec, 40 mg's for 2 weeks and then I go back to the doctor to reevaluate to see if its working. Its really early in the morning here but I cannot sleep because of my stomach pains so I hope that this regimen of Prilosec works fast! Most likely the ulcer is from my NSAID use all these years in dealing with the hip problems. I was taking about 600 mg every 4-6 hours for about 2 years straight so its no wonder I developed an ulcer. I would recommend talking to your primary care physician if you have been or will be on NSAID's for any long length of time and see if you can get one a Prilosec as preventative measures for ulcers.
Physical therapy has really picked thing up a lot this past week. I started doing the elliptical, which has felt good as well as adding some 2 lb weights to some of the exercises that I had been doing that have gotten pretty easy for me. It feels good to start strengthening things and see some progress and things get easier and easier with each physical therapy appointment. The best part is the pain afterwards has been minimal (except in the past few days, when I have had to stop taking NSAID's).
Hope everyone else is doing well and pain free :)
EDIT (3/28/13): So I wanted to edit this to update the results of my ultrasound and blood work. Everything came back normal so the likely culprit of my intense stomach pains is an ulcer. I am on Prilosec, 40 mg's for 2 weeks and then I go back to the doctor to reevaluate to see if its working. Its really early in the morning here but I cannot sleep because of my stomach pains so I hope that this regimen of Prilosec works fast! Most likely the ulcer is from my NSAID use all these years in dealing with the hip problems. I was taking about 600 mg every 4-6 hours for about 2 years straight so its no wonder I developed an ulcer. I would recommend talking to your primary care physician if you have been or will be on NSAID's for any long length of time and see if you can get one a Prilosec as preventative measures for ulcers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)