Yes, I'm screwy!

Here is my right hip post-op xray. I had an osteotomy of the greater trochanter, thus the reason for the screws. These will be permanant unless further MRI imaging of my hip is ever needed or further surgery.

3 weeks post op and my post op follow up appt

Well, at 3 weeks I am feeling....tired, lol! The holidays really took a toll on me and I am definately feeling it. My hip is really sore today but I think that has to do with the 7 hours in the car yesterday for my trip to Detroit for my post op check up. More on that in a minute.
I am doing my 1000 leg reps in good time. I've figured out a good routine where I do 5 sets of 200 reps at a time. I'm really focusing on the ankle to opposite knee exercise now. My incision has fully revealed itself and it will look really good once it completely flattens out. Check out the 3 week scar pic! I'm also getting really bored at home, so to liven things up I do the laundry!!! Lol, a good way to keep the mind sharp:) But I still have to be careful not to push it too much. Today I chilled in my recliner and read a book and napped for a couple hours. Ahhh, it felt good:) I'm able to sleep on my non-op side with a pillow between my knees and on my stomach, but only for short periods of time and it wakes me up if I feel I need to change position, which is a lot so I'm not getting a very good night's sleep yet. It makes for one very tired girl during the day! The leg was aching something HORRIBLE when I first starting sleeping on my non-op side but it's settled down some. Now I'm just dealing with the clicking in the hip with position changes. Speaking of clicking, it's settled down some in the hip and knee when crutching but still bothersome. I've also stopped taking vicodin altogether and will just rely on Tylenol if/when needed.

As for my surgical post-op appt, it went pretty well. I had some post op xrays taken first and then saw Dr. Z. He said he was pretty happy with the way everything went and asked how I felt about it. I told him the pulsing, sharp pain in my groin was pretty much gone and he said that he felt that this surgery should do it for me on the right hip. He thinks I'm good to go. He had me lay back on the exam table and do flexion and external rotation with my hip and let me tell you, it was sore but I was able to get it past 90 degrees!!! I don't know if he was all that impressed, but I sure was! Once that was done, I sat up and we discussed what he expects of me til the next follow up appt which includes keeping on both crutches until I see him again (didn't really expect that), keeping up with the 1000 leg reps, no formal PT yet, I can ditch the TED hose (yay!) and I can start using Mederma cream on my scar now. I was also given the go ahead to drive if I'm off narcotics (which I am) but I don't really feel all that comfortable driving yet because the weather in Michigan is pretty crappy right now.
I asked if going on vacation in early February was going to screw up physical therapy and he said I could just do my home exercises. Then the bummer of the appt was when I brought up the LPAO in March. He laughed and asked if I had scheduled that and I told him March 19th. He hesitated, looked down at his watch for a long pause and then looked at me holding up his hands and said "we're really pushing it close. I might cancel it". I told him it was my goal and he said we could talk about it at the next appt. I think he feels I am crazy, literally. He seemed sincere but matter of fact when he told me that, but we'll see. I know he's just thinking of my best interests and covering his own hide, but it's hard to swallow that when I've got myself mentally prepared for surgery in March and just getting it over with! So, next appt I guess I'll find out if I'm able to continue with the LPAO in March as planned or if I'll have to reschedule it for December 2010.

Tonight Todd and I went grocery shopping and I was so tired that I ended up using an amigo! How humbling! It was really embarrassing with all the people staring at me and wondering what the heck someone my age/healthy was doing using an amigo. That's what's difficult with the hip surgery, there is no visible disability, no cast to point out that I've had surgery and can't walk easily through the store. It was a little fun to drive around in it, no doubt, but not something I'll miss!

2 week update

I'm a day early on this post, but it's almost midnight so it counts...almost:)I don't have a whole lot to report but let's see where I'm at right now.

My exercises are becoming easier and easier. I find that I can do a set of 100 each in five block sessions throughout the day and I pretty much breeze right through them now. Still working on getting the ankle to the opposite knee but Amy (PT) said it would come slowly. My butt is incredibly sore/bruised feeling on the outter edge, not the part I sit on. The incision is also incredibly painful/tender at times now, when before it really wasn't too bad. There is an area of swelling that is firm but moveable so it's probably nothing to worry about. The incision itself looks great. Another steri strip fell off and I'm anxiously awaiting the rest to come off too. I am getting dressed, including TED's, much quicker than last week and crutching/walking is pretty good too. I'm still dealing with a lot of clunking/clicking in the hip and knee and the knee is the worst. It feels like the knee cap will blow off everytime they clunk. I hate it! The hip does it off and on but doesn't always hurt, just feels unnatural. When it does hurt it just feels like a pinging, like something is catching. It's so hard to explain. I'm figuring it's scar tissue or swollen muscles reacting when I move.

I went to a Christmas party tonight at a co-workers house and it was soooo great to see everyone! I miss them very much. I did really well crutching out in the snow/ice and didn't slip outside. It was inside when I slipped, go figure! But I didn't hurt myself:) Let's see, I also tried "walking" without crutches for about 3 steps (I had the crutches, just didn't put any weight through them) and it wasn't too bad! Most of my weight still went through my left hip but my right wasn't really all that painful when I did step on it. Don't tell my surgeon!!!!!

I also think I am putting more than 45% weight on my hip now, which is what I was at earlier this week. I'll have to check it out again. I go to see Dr. Z on December 28th for my "2" week check up (more like 3 week now) and hopefully will be able to obtain my xrays and operative report too. I'm hoping to hear that I can drive soon and that I'm right where I should be in recovery. It's so confusing because I'm at that stage where I feel good enough to over do it, the "just because you feel like you can, doesn't mean you should" stage! lol! I'm also hoping that he'll be impressed enough with where I am in recovery that he'll feel confident enough to go ahead with the LPAO as scheduled in March. Still a couple months away, yes, but it's my goal.

I have a good friend I've met through the support group that is a fellow Zaltz patient and it's so good to talk to her because she is a sounding board for me. She's been through a few hip surgeries with him and she's right there cheering me on knowing what's in store. She's still having issues with one hip and will probably be facing another surgery in the summer. It's nice to have a good support group. I heart my hippies! :)

Scar picture, a little risque!!!

Here's a photo of my scar at a week out and it's a little on the sexy side ;)
About 4 steri strips fell off and it's about 10-11 inches long but very thin and pretty.

One week post op from surgical hip dislocation

I was just thinking to myself that at this time one week ago I was just coming out of my nightmarish painful recovery from surgery and now, I'm crutching around with as much weight as I want to put down on my leg and doing mad amounts of physical therapy with minimal pain. Can I tell I've had surgery? Oh yes, but it's soooo much better than it was before. However, I've mentioned developing that click? It turned into full blown clunking in the hip and knee. The clunking is sometimes painful sometimes uncomfortable. I think my knee is actually worse than my hip. Anyway, the exercises were difficult to perform and I got concerned enough to call Amy, Dr. Z's PT. She said that she thought it'd be better if I called Dr. Z as she didn't know what to tell me. I placed a call to Dr. Z's nurse and proceeded to continue crutching as normal but take it easy on the PT. I went on another outing today, still scared to death of slipping in the snow but I've got to leave the house! We ended up using a folding footstool to help me up in the truck and it was so much easier to get in and out!!!
Tonight I heard from Dr. Z and he said clunking is normal in the hip and as for the knee it's probably tendonitis and the quadriceps acting up. He said to take ibuprofen and continue with my exercises as prescribed. Whew! I was really afraid of getting weight bearing restrictions or slowing down rehab which would have meant possibly delaying the LPAO.
So, a week has gone by and all is "normal". Sounds like I'm going to have to put up with all the shifting/clunking as things heal and work through it. I can deal with that as long as I know it's normal or what's to be expected from my OS.
My scar is starting to reveal itself. 4 steri strips have come off and the line is so thin and pretty! But, eeeewwww, to touch it is gross. I am very happy with how it looks. It still burns a little, still gets the spasmy jolts and feels tight or painful if I put pressure on it when sitting, but sometimes it's hard to remember not to sit on it as I lean back into my recliner...then the jab of pain reminds me to lean to the left more:)
Yep, things are looking good at a week out.

Yesterday was a two sided coin

I had both a good and bad day yesterday and I'm still trying to make up for it today.
In the morning I showered 1st thing, and then, get this, I put on BOTH my TED's by myself! It took a long time and quite a trick to get the right one on but I did it. I also had a small and non-painful bowel movement!!! My appetite improved and I actually ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner, albeit very small meals. But as I was feeling so pumped throughout the day, I think I may have overdone it on exercises, crutching around and only one short nap. By evening I was in pain. I could hardly do my knee to chest exercise, my TED's were killing me and I begged for Todd to take them off me (so I regressed by having him remove them). My right foot around the 4th and 5th toes felt fat/not quite right and my ankle ached so badly. My incision felt like it was burning and like it was going to split open. Of course, a look in the mirror revealed it was just fine, not going up in flames or bursting at the seams. But hell, I was done in. I took 2 vicodin for bedtime (I felt so ashamed). Good news is, I slept from 11 pm til 5 am but today I am in an "in between" place. Good but not good. I'm exhausted again, I feel I can do the one exercise ok, but not the knee to chest, the foot/ankle still aches terribly and I can't stand to put the TED's on right now. My incision feels ok but every once in awhile gives me a jolt like a flash burn or a muscle spasm. I realize it's just nerves regenerating or a muscle spasming, but it's disturbing anyway. I thought I'd be much more positive than this, but, I'm documenting my "journey" exactly as I feel in the moment. On the flip side, I will be going on an outing today with Todd after I shower and put my TED's on (by myself:)). I do look forward to getting out of the house. I have also been planning a get-away to the Riviera Maya in Mexico for February, woo-hoo! I'll still be on 1 crutch at that point, but who cares, all I'm doing in laying on the beach in the sun:) The vacation will be right in between my 2 surgeries if I still plan to have my LPAO in March. We'll see, I kind of miss work already, but I don't want to put my life on hold for another year to wait to start my family either. Big decisions ahead!

Post-op day 4

Well, I've been home since Thursday and I've slept a lot and whenever I'm awake I try to do my exercises or keep up with facebook:)
My appetite is still really low. I haven't had a bowel movement yet and I'm dreading when I finally do. I'm on colace and drinking lots of water and trying to eat fiber one bars to help me go, but so far I've gone 6 days and only passed a little gas. I don't even feel the urge to go, great.
On another note: I have minimal pain, have already been able to decrease my vicodin from 4 hrs to 6 hrs. I'm hoping that I'll be able to switch to tylenol or motrin soon. I use my CPM machine all night at 90 degrees and can't wait til it's gone! More for the money aspect than anything. It's $25 a day and I should have it for 2 weeks. Being that I'm only getting paid 60% of my wages (not including call time) it's a bit of a wallet cruncher. I'm also wearing my sexy TED hose (thigh highs, no less) but at least they're warm. My ankle and foot on my op leg are pretty swollen yet, so can't get rid of the TEDs til the swelling is gone.
My scar is "lovely". 10 inches long on the side of my hip along with my old scope scars and a new drain scar. Plus I have 2 really bad skin tears from the surgical tape. Ouch! They almost burn worse than the incision. The scar is a plastic surgery closure though, so it will heal beautifully. Hopefully some bio-oil will do wonders on it when I can use it. The thought of rubbing it though makes me shudder. I remember how bad rubbing the key hole scars was and they're only 1/2 inch long!
I can already dress myself (except putting on the right TED hose, Todd still has to do that for me) and I am able to shower alone too. The shower bench is my friend :)
The exercises I have to do consume most of my awake time and I'm motivated to getting them completed b/c my PT told me that Dr. Z expects me to be able to raise my knee to my chest and start lifting my ankle to my opposite knee by my 2 week follow up!!! I want to please him and prove to him that I can do it and get ready for my LPAO in March. It's easier than I thought it was going to be, although no walk in the park.
I have developed a much more noticable click in my joint with every movement now and it's discomforting but not painful. I think someone said it's a tendon and hopefully when the irritation goes down the clicking will stop.
I'd say the worst part about the whole thing was waking in recovery, still trying to figure that one out. But I may change my mind when poop day comes, we'll see! ;)

Post op, day 2 (Dec. 10th)

The night passed by easily and quietly for me. I woke up about every four hours and pushed my PCA button and the CPM was on the entire night. Dr. Z came in at about 5:30 to check on me and wish me luck and told me that I'd be seeing him for a follow up in about 2 weeks and that he planned to discharge me today. Then his resident that was in on the surgery came in and pulled my hemovac drain and changed my dressing. When she pulled the drain out she asked if it hurt b/c I didn't make any noise and I told her that it burned a little, but nothing bad. She laughed b/c she said that everyone else who had the drains pulled yelled out and she was like "it's not that bad". I agreed, but then again, has she ever had a drain pulled from her before???? I asked her how long the incision was and she said long and showed me the length with her hands. 10 inches...hoo boy, longer than I thought it was going to be. Oh well, it's not like I have anyone to impress in a bikini anymore:) Plus, it is a battle wound I'm "proud" of.
Once the dressing was changed and the drain was out, my nursing assistant helped me up to the bathroom and then I walked in the hallway (all before 6:30 am). Todd came in about 7:30 and was happy to find out today was discharge day. I had a nursing student as a nurse along with her preceptor nurse (who was also my nurse) and she was sweet but very slow. The actual nurse started quizzing me about my dysplasia symptoms b/c she started having hip problems recently and a resident told her it was probably dysplasia. I told her what I knew and thought it would benefit her to at least see Dr. Z. She was thankful for the info. I think it is so cool to meet with people that are going through some of the same stuff and to be able to help them as much as I can. Another staff member (nutritional services) came in to give me my tray and she saw Dr. Z's name on my board and said she had both her hips done by him too and was excited to meet another of his patients as we normally aren't on the 9th floor.:)

I got my final PT lesson of the hospital stay, learned how to do stairs and was told "good leg up (to heaven), bad leg down (to hell)" when trying to remember which leg to lead with on stairs. It's helped b/c it is a bit of a mystery to me which to use first! OT came in after that and taught me how to dress myself, how to sit on the toilet easier, and how to shower with a shower bench. By this point I was full of energy even though I hadn't eaten in awhile. I called my nurse in and asked her to d/c my IV line and start me on my oral pain meds. She did and I waited a couple hours before deciding I was ready to go home just to make sure the vicodin worked. As I was getting discharged, I got another roommate, and guess what? She was a yeller just like my first one!!!! I am soooo glad to be going home:) When I was wheeled out by the hospital volunteer, I finally got a good look at the hospital...gorgeous and huge!!!! It's all decorated for Christmas and looks so pretty. Getting up into the truck was a challenge but surprisingly easy considering how high up off the ground it is. This was one thing OT worked on with me as well, but putting the bed up in the air as high as she could get it and having me back up onto it like I was getting into the truck.
The drive home was another story. There was a huge snowstorm, the roads were really bumpy and there was black ice on the expressway, which made travel very treacherous. We saw a 2 mile stretch of at least 12 cars (including semi's) turned over and in the ditch...that's not comforting! We slipped a few times, but made it home safely after 5 hours (normally a 3.5 hour drive). I was feeling horrible at this time though. Sick to my stomach and in some decent pain. Plus, I think the anesthesia is still coming out of my system and I was crying about everything. My crutch slipped out from under me on my bad side and my op leg slid out with it and I was a mess after that. I got into my recliner and slept for a good 4 hours before going to bed and sleeping the rest of the night. Oh, the CPM machine was delivered to us at about 5:30 and the guy who set it up was awesome.
Todd has been so great through this all. Not complaining once and he knows he's got a long journey ahead of him too. How I'll ever thank him enough is beyond me. He's the absolute best and must have missed his calling as a nurse:)
I was able to get myself out of the CPM at midnight and 4 in the morning to go to the bathroom and I was pretty proud of myself.
So I survived, although this is the "easier" of the 2 surgeries I will have. Not at all looking forward to the LPAO. I'm kind of scared about the anesthesia, not really sure what's going on with that? I also can't imagine ever having the energy back up to normal at this point. I'm falling asleep typing half the time and still the thought of food is not happening. I know I need to eat to keep my energy up, but I've got to poop first or it's just going to be ugly.

Post op, day 1 (Dec. 9th)

Today was a good day, considering the pain I was in the previous night. I met the daughter of my roommate and she was super nice, but felt really bad that I was in the same room as her mother. We developed a pretty good relationship and had fun talking back and forth. I found out the reason I was on the 9th floor and not the peds floor was because the peds floor was full and Dr. Z had done several ops that day and 3 of us (all surgical dislocations) were put onto the overflow floor. The PT specially for Dr. Z met with me this morning and explained that normally I'd be on the peds floor and the nurses on the 9th were very inexperienced with Dr. Z patients so she was the first to actually do anything active with me. She got me up on crutches and had me walk out in the hall and then sit in a chair for a while and taught me my 2 exercises that I have to do 500 of each, every day, non negotiable!!! Whew, they're a tough crew:) She also had me increase my CPM settings to 90 degrees which feels pretty good. I still haven't eaten much, nausea is still hanging around, mildly. Reglan has been a good friend. The dilaudid is on a basal (continuous) rate in my PCA along with my pushes of the button, so it's going to do a number on my bowels:( Double boo for that.
I'm also on my period (started yesterday, just before surgery). Go figure.

Amy, my PT, promised me that things would get easier and better if I move, move, move. Every 2 hours she said I should be doing something to move the hip, whether it be the exercises or the CPM machine or walking in the hallway. I know she's right, I feel good when I move but it's hard to get the motivation to do so. Everything exhausts me, even the thought of eating. I haven't had much in the way of food. I've mostly offered everything to my husband. It helped cut down on money spent for the food he'd need while staying with me! Most of the day was spent sleeping or "exercising". I still was having fitful sleep d/t the roommate, but late afternoon came and the nursing staff came in to move her to another room and told me I probably wouldn't be getting another roommate for the rest of my stay. Later I found out that Todd had suggested I had gotten no sleep and maybe a room change would be a good idea (what a nice hubby!!). I spent the rest of the evening in the CPM and dozing on and off in my quiet room by myself :)

The pain is really well controlled now and I have only been pushing the button every 45 minutes or so. The nurses seem quite surprised by how much I can do and how well things are working. Oh, foley came out today and I'm peeing on my own, woo-hoo! The drain is going to stay in until tomorrow morning along with a dressing change. I'm wondering how long my scar is? I'll find out tomorrow! I also got a really nice basket/bouquet of cookies from my hipster friend, Jen, which was so cool! Got some flowers from other visitors as well and I feel bad that I can't take pics and post them, but they are all appreciated:) Can't wait for a full night's sleep.

By the way, as a side note, remember me saying that in a previous post my sister in law had gone to a hip doctor and found out she had hip issues too? Well she met with the actual surgeon after her MRI/arthrogram and he told her she has dysplasia as well and would need to be referred to Dr. Zaltz!!!! She said that he mentioned a PAO was in her future most likely, how crazy is that!!! So now she's been asking me about my experience, and I totally understand being as obsessed as I was beforehand:) I feel bad for her though, b/c she has a 19 month old son at home. It'll be a tough road for them, but probably better in the long run. Hoping the best for her!

Surgery day - right hip SDD (Dec. 8th)

I woke up to hear my phone blasting out Beyonce at 7:18 am so I pretty much figured the hospital was calling me and I was sure I was going to be told come in earlier than 12:30...nope, my scheduled time had been pushed back by 1.5 hours, so they didn't want me in until 2 pm, surgery to go at 4 pm...(Insert disappointed scream, silently). I was at least told I could have clear liquids until noon since I was nothing by mouth since midnight. I took advantage of that!!!
So, with a small pity party for myself, I threw myself down on my bed and whined how I had to wait even longer to eat, and get this surgery over with already.
Todd was a champ, rubbed my back and told me it would be just fine. And you know what? It was, I survived:)
My friends suggested going to the Detroit Zoo to pass the time, since we had time. It was fun surprisingly considering it's December! Lots of animals were out and very active.
We got to the hospital at ten minutes to 2 and I was checked in. No nerves at all, just ready!
Admission was a breeze, the IV insertion was smooth, and upon talking to the anesthesia team, we agreed no versed because I wanted to "tour" the OR suites! They were good sports about it and showed me around as much as allowed from my stretcher. That place is HUGE! 75 OR suites in the hospital...16 for ortho alone! My room was quite large and the whole staff was laughing with (ok at) me about my "tour". They said I was the only one who'd ever requested that, but could understand why since I am an OR nurse too. Still no versed on board and I was trying to get a good look at the instrument tables, but didn't get to see much. My circulating nurse and anesthesia nurse wanted me on the OR table:)
I was hooked up to monitors, given an oxygen mask, and told to enjoy the ride. I woke up 2 hours later in recovery room and it was scary for me. I was in the absolute most ridiculous pain I'd ever been in my life and I was hyperventilating so badly I couldn't tell the nurses what I needed, which was something to kill the pain. It felt like my hip had a grenade go off in it. They kept saying they had to call for "something else" and shoved the PCA button in my hand but I was still so consumed by pain that the PCA didn't register with me until later. It turns out that I am morphine resistant, so all the morphine they had been pumping into me had virtually no pain killing effect AT ALL during surgery or after in the recovery room...nice. Dilaudid was the 4th and final pain medicine they tried and the only one that works for me via IV, so that's what the doctor ordered for my PCA along with a basal rate (continuous rate) to help catch up with the pain. Apparently Todd was accidentally allowed back into recovery while I was still being treated for my pain and he said he was pretty scared for me when he saw me. He said I didn't look like me at all. My whole face and eyes were pretty swollen and I was gasping in huge lungfuls of air but nothing was coming out. He thought I was delirious at that point but now realizes I was pretty lucid as I remember quite a bit of being in the recovery room. I thankfully don't remember it lasting 1.5 hours which is how long recovery went.
About an hour into being transferred my pain started to settle down and I was able to convey my needs. My nurse was an angel! Very patient and kind. She worked with me throughout the night to get me feeling better, and she did great. My pain scale went from 10/10 to 7/10 which was sooo much more comfortable for me even though she said that was still too high. Throughout the night I was unable to pee on the bedpan (due to the dilaudid) and I had to be straight cathed then eventually a foley cath went back in. Good thing too, because I was making quite a bit of urine! She also set me up on my CPM (continuous passive motion) machine and put SCD's on my legs (keeps me from getting blood clots).
The time came for Todd to leave for his apartment and just an hour later I was given an elderly roommate. Never got a wink of sleep because the poor thing fell and broke both arms and her hip! She cried and yelled out all night, so I was inable to rest at all because I felt like I needed to use the call button for her to get her help.
Pain was definately more tolerable now, probably about 5/10 and I was much more comfortable overall.

Quick run-down

Ok, so I'm supposed to arrive at the hospital at 12:30 to get admitted, no clue when surgery actually takes place; I'm guessing around 1-2 hrs after I'm admitted going by how our OR works.

Dr. Zaltz gave me the "nitty gritty" on my surgery and it's the femoral head that is being shaved down/reshaped, not the acetabulum. Plus, he said that microfracture is probably not necessary! That's great news in my book! Sounds like 5-6 weeks on crutches and 3 month recovery. He did say that he would try to repair the labrum, as I do have a small tear in the undersurface of the labrum.
He said he does the whole surgery himself, not his residents/fellows. I'm happy for that. I was told there may not be total relief of pain since the labrum/cartilage does have some damage, but he'll do his best. I was happy with the appt overall.

So, it's a 2 part process:
He does his part doing the surgery, getting the joint to fit together correctly and me doing my part, physical therapy and getting my leg to move.

See ya'll on the other side!

It's so hard to say goodbye

Well, it's only 5 days til surgery and tomorrow is my last day at work for awhile and I've already said my goodbye's to a couple of co-workers and I'm dreading saying goodbye to the rest. I love my job and who I work with and it's going to be really hard not to go back to work as usual. I'm really sappy, so I'm sure I'll cry and make a mess of myself and it's not like I'm never coming back, but geez! I'm really, REALLY going to miss my OR crew.
Already I've received some gifts from my friends and a farewell gathering at our favorite after work hangout and tomorrow I'm going out one more time with a few others too. I love those guys so much; man I'll miss them! They're all so understanding too.
My family are totally wonderful too, and it's no doubt I'll have lots of help and support from both my real family and work family.

Today I was really uncomfortable at work. Lots of pain coming and going in waves and even now at home sitting in my lazy boy I'm getting hit with waves of pain. Couldn't have come at a better time. For awhile there I was doing really well, little pain during the day, just lots of aching at night while sleeping, but today, totally different story. This makes me happier about surgery. I want it done now instead of wondering if this is the right thing to do.

I have received awesome support from my friends on hipwomen too. Such an outpouring of advice, experiences, and encouragement from all those special ladies makes me very thankful I have them there for me.
On to surgery: I have received my call from anesthesia and gave my medical history and asked my questions. I have booked the hotel room for the time I'll be in the hospital so my hubby has some place to shower, sleep, just relax, whatever he needs to do. I've done pretty much all my last minute things like car oil change, got the handicap placard, stocked up on lots of dog food since the pups are staying at the "grandparents" for a few weeks after I get home, and all the christmas presents are bought, wrapped and put under the tree (the house and tree are all decorated too!). Last shopping trip this weekend for hospital bag items. And of course, clean my house top to bottom as it may not get much more than a surface clean while my husband is in charge:). I feel pretty productive but it's all going to come to an end for a bit. I can't predict what my recovery will be like, if my body will allow myself to heal fast enough and strong enough to do the LPAO following my right SDD. I sure hope so. To get both these out of the way in 6 months time would be a relief to say the least. It's hard to put your life on hold for another year on top of the year you've already been waiting.

Monday is pre-op day at 2 pm. My husband and I will be leaving home with our friends and their daughter at about 9 am and making our way down to Detroit with a few stops along the way. They'll head on to the hotel to relax while Todd and I will go to my pre-op and then my girlfriend says she has a whole night planned out for us to keep my mind busy and not focused on being nervous. Such a good friend! I'll also find out Monday what time surgery will be on Tuesday. I hope it's the first one! I don't think I would do too well waiting all day. More just from the hunger/thirst issue:). Nerves are going to be with me regardless.

So, to document what my right hip is feeling like just before surgery (so I have it to compare to for after):
-Creepy clicking/shifting in joint from front to back of hip with walking.
-sharp, pulsing pain in groin/anterior portion of hip that comes and goes in waves.
-dull persistent ache in hip from groin to lateral hip at night while trying to sleep.
-sharp, catching pain with internal rotation whether intentional or not. Stops me in my tracks.
-S.I. Joint pain that is very tight and sharp feeling.
-pain that shoots down my leg from pelvis to knee anteriorly.
-unable to bend leg past 90 degrees without forcing it by hand, if past 90 degrees, very deep pain in hip (this includes when bent down to pick something up).
-cannot put all my weight on my right hip or deep inside the joint it feels like it is going to break or collapse in on itself from pain.

That's it in a nutshell. I thought I'd write it all down in hopes that when I recover I will forget what it was like to have pain and I can look back on here and remember all I've been through.
I feel so shallow "wallowing" in my misery as I know what I have can be fixed, it's not terminal, but it IS affecting my life that I want to live so it's a huge deal to me at this time.

I'll post a quick update the day before surgery to inform of surgery time and anything in pre-op that I'll learn as Dr. Z said this appt would be the one with all the "nitty-gritty" details!

All in the family

Well, an interesting developement in my world of all things hip just unfolded. My sister-in-law has been having hip trouble for a long time (since she was a teenager) and has asked me what my symptoms are and what she can do about her hips. I suggested 2 surgeons for her and she jsut got back from an appt with one of them on Monday (the PA for the surgeon) and it turns out she may possibly have FAI? She really wasn't too clear on what the PA told her, but she didn't have anyone with her either. She was able to remember the term "pincer", which is too much acetabular coverage of the femur. So, she'll go for an MRA on Tuesday, and then she meets with the OS on Dec. 8th (my surgery day!!!). Needless to say, she's a bit nervous, but thankful to finally know there is something actually wrong with her hips and it's not just in her head. The PA has mentioned scoping her hip, but again she wasn't real clear on all the details. I suppose we'll know more once she sees the surgeon.

I am 19 days from surgery! I am getting impatient and am so ready! My hips haven't been hurting too bad lately, which is nice, but I also just got over a nasty bout of the norovirus which left me in a lot of gastorintestinal, kidney and muscle pain. It kind of took the heat off the hips for awhile. I'm just starting to feel better, so I hope that's it for me getting sick (at least before surgery). I've put a call in to my surgeon's nurse to ask about a handicap placard and how to go about getting it. Also need to make hotel reservations for the night before surgery. My best friend and her husband are going to come down and stay with Todd and me the night before and then keep Todd company while I'm in surgery. They're the best! I'll have to give them a "thank you" gift bag to open while I'm in surgery (courtesy of an idea off Jennifer's blog - thanks!).

I got a call from Beaumont hospital Friday night regarding registering my info, so I'm now officially registered! Just need to hear from the anesthesia dept (which should be next week) and then all I have left is my pre-op appt the day before surgery!

Less than 4 weeks

It's getting there, finally! I am looking at 3.5 weeks from surgery now! Let's see, that makes it 26 days away. Good God I never thought I'd finally start seeing the end in sight!

I am having trouble putting a lot of weight on my right hip the last few days. It's really painful, like when I do go to put full weight on it, it feels like there is rock in your shoe or something akin to that, only deep inside the hip. It's a new pain, or maybe just a more intensified pain. Not sure.

I'm trying to get lots of things done around the house and get my Christmas shopping done and wrap all the gifts before surgery since my surgery is 2 weeks before Christmas and I'm sure I won't feel much like doing anything when I get home. So far I've gotten 1/4th of the shopping done :/

Hip slips

Ahhhh, the hip pains just keep coming. It seems that lefty has been decidely cranky lately. It used to slip or sublux only occasionally but now it has become a daily occurance. It's painful and annoying. Sometimes it's only a quick sharp pain/giving out feeling and goes away as fast as it came on and other times it hangs around long after the subluxing feeling and I can't put any weight on the hip. Not really a productive way to be at work:)
If I grip the front/side of my hip while I have that feeling, it does make it feel a bit better, but I look silly walking around gripping my left hip. I should look into getting a hip brace...hmmm.
Anyway, the right hip is status quo...still acts up on certain movements and sometimes it gets sharp pains for no reason. I did have one scary moment a few nights ago though while making dinner in the kitchen. I pivoted to the left, so that the right hip turned in, and I felt this awful sharp pain/anterior clunk/giving out that I felt all the way to my knee. I had to stop in my tracks until the pain subsided, then kind of manipulate the hip joint until it felt like it was back in place. Usually I get clunking in the posterior region of my hip which doesn't hurt too bad, but this was wicked in the front part. My hip was pretty achy most of the night after that. I have been really stiff in the hips lately too, like for the past 2 weeks. Michigan weather, I guess?
So, surgery is just 2 months and 11 days away...but who's counting? :) I contemplated switching sites and doing the left hip first, since it's subluxing every day, but I think I'll just keep the surgeries as scheduled. I think there might be more damage in the right hip joint at this point, so I want to get it fixed first.
This was my rant for the week! In good news though, I get to go to Disney World in 3 weeks with my husband and some of my best friends! I should take my crutches so I can get to the front of the lines right away;) Guess I can't play the sympathy card just yet...

The verdict is....

I have gotten a new date for my right hip surgical dislocation surgery. It's on December 8th now instead of the 29th (because I decided I really wasn't totally comfortable with Dr. Z leaving town right after surgery). Also, I asked if Dr. Z would be willing to do my LPAO 3 months after my right hip surgery and he is willing as long as I heal well and depending on how I feel! Work is ok with this (my possibly being gone for 6 months) and is willing to work with me...what a huge relief that all this could be behind me in a 6 month time frame! If I don't heal well, or Dr. Z isn't happy with my progress, then I will do the LPAO the following December like originally planned.

I'm so ready for this! Less than 3 months to go now!

I really hope it all works out for the best because I am tired of progressively hurting worse and worse. My job is very physically demanding most of the time and just recently I put in a 17 hour day (and returned to work the next morning for a full day) d/t being on call and the call cases just kept rolling. My hips didn't handle that well at all and I know it's definately time to do something drastic...surgery. I am feeling really guilty about taking the time off of work, but it's something I obviously can't control and I just have to let things happen as they will. I have an awesome group of co-workers though!!! I couldn't ask for a more supportive group (other than my hipsters on hip women!) I can't describe how relieved I feel now, just knowing what's in store. It's almost not so bad waiting now and I think it's because of the other hipsters blogs and support on the hip women board. Just knowing what they've all gone through and that they're all going through it with me is so comforting. I just take in all their experiences and it really puts mine into perspective. My day will come, and until then I'm going to try to live my life as I did "pre-obsession" with hip dysplasia! I owe it to my husband and myself. I've got a life outside these hips and I know that they will be fixed so I can start my family and enjoy doing things without pain!

And two steps forward!

Okay, so last night at 9:30 pm guess who calls me? Dr. Z! He got my message from his nurse and realized that he also dropped the ball on going over the imaging results for the left hip and gladly answered all my questions that I had come up with. What an awesome guy! So, now I feel much more informed and I feel better about the surgical plan. I asked Dr. Z what he thought was appropriate as far as his opinion on my hip imaging results and he said we need to take care of the right hip first since it's hurting me the most.

Basically the left hip has a hypertrophied labrum (typical for a dysplastic hip) and degenerative changes in the joint.
The right hip also has damage to the undersurface of the joint and the dent in the femoral head.

He also explained to me what microfracture is: "poking small holes in the cartilage to stimulate it to regrow" It's obviously not as ideal as your own cartilage, but it's better than nothing.

As far as surgery time, he said it can take anywhere from 1.5 hours to 3 hours depending what he finds inside. He also said 6 weeks on crutches with weight bearing unless I have the microfracture, then it's 6 weeks non-weight bearing and weaning from there. I will be off work for 3 months regardless per his recommendation/order. So it sounds nearly as involved as a PAO, although not nearly as painful! I have the option of doing the LPAO 4 months after the right hip dislocation, but because of FMLA, I can't do it until the following December.

Dr. Z also told me he is going out of town on the 29th of December, which is the day I scheduled for surgery, but he said he would be available to do the surgery for me that day and then leave right after. So, his residents will be checking in on me during me 2-3 days in the hospital and discharging me, as long as I'm comfortable with that. I decided that was fine. I trust the residents if Dr. Z does! I'm just glad he's willing to stay long enough to do my surgery.

So now I feel much better, much more informed, and much more relaxed about everything. He said that I definately need the surgery...so I feel better about that too. Now I have a plan and I can finally start getting things in order. Phew!

One step back...

So I'm a little discouraged today. I went to my follow up appt yesterday with my husband to see what Dr. Z had to say about my images and basically we felt as if we came away with nothing. Part of it is my fault b/c I did not ask any questions...but that's also b/c I got some information I was not expecting to hear about my right hip and my mind just went blank for the rest of the appt.

Turns out that from my first hip scope back in May, the surgeon gouged my femoral head and now there is cartilage missing (and possibly some bone?) and the cartilage is shredded. Apparently this was caused by the scope or one of the other instruments inside the hip joint. So now Dr. Z can't fix it by scope only, he HAS to open the hip and dislocate it to clean up the damaged tissue and possibly do a microfracture to the joint to help stimulate regrowth of the cartilage. Not exactly what I thought I'd hear when I went down there. So now I'm putting off the LPAO until next year and we're going to fix the right hip this year. He more or less put the ball in my court and asked which one hurts me more and that's the hip we'll do, but I don't feel like I got a definitive answer from him as to what he thought was appropriate.

He didn't go over the left hip imaging results and really didn't tell me what they found in the right hip other than the gouge. So we drove 3.5 hours for a 15 minute appt that told us pretty much nothing. Now, granted, I play a 50/50 role in that too, I will admit. I didn't ask questions and his time is valuable, so obviously he's not going to shoot the shit with me when he's got other patients to see still, but really...

He said he wanted to meet with us again in December when it gets closer to the surgery to go over the nitty gritty details, so okay...but I need to know those details now! I'm not a very patient person. Plus I like to be prepared way ahead of time so I'd like to know what's going on 4 months before my surgery...(I say that b/c it's 4 months away from my surgical date). I did call his nurse and asked her to have him call me when he could to go over some questions that I do now have...so I'm hopeful that by the end of this week I will know more. If anyone reading this has any insight on FAI surgery, open dislocation, or microfracture and wants to share their knowledge, please be my guest! I welcome any comments.

Elephino?

That's what you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino ~ at least that's what the radiologist tells me when I ask him about my first arthrogram/MRI result. I should explain. My pcp ordered a D-dimer on me after the 1st arthrogram/MRI d/t the radiologist thought he saw a femoral artery blood clot in my right hip. The D-dimer was negative, so no blood clot. What is this spot then? That's where "hell if I know" aka "elephino" comes in.
While I got my 2nd arthro-MRI done yesterday (along with CT) I peppered the radiologist with questions and he did his best to answer.
Good news is, all my tests for surgical planning are done. Bad news is, I wait for another month and a half before going over the results with Dr. Z.
My hipster, Jen, stated the obvious...call him and get the results over the phone! Duh, my brain is on such overload that it just didn't occur to me at this point that I could do that. (And I'm a nurse...)
The 2nd arthro injection wasn't as smooth as the 1st. Not horrible, just a couple sharp twinges. Different radiologist, different results. I did have the same nurse though, so that was great! Also, I have to give props to R.O. Beaumont because my tests weren't supposed to start until 1 pm and end sometime around 5 or 6. I got in at 11:30 and left the hospital at 2:00! Very nice. They worked hard to get me in and out quickly and smoothly and they did it in the nicest way possible.
So, right now I am on hold. Right now I am holding my breath for Jen because she will be going under the knife in as little as 5 days! She and I had a nice conversation on the phone yesterday and she sounds so calm and strong. She's a great inspiration! For those of you following along...please put Jen in your prayers for a successful/uncomplicated surgery and uneventful recovery!

What was I so worried about?

So I had my first arthrogram and (3rd) MRI Friday. Surprisingly, the injection didn't hurt at all. The last hip injection I had on that hip (steroid and pain medication) hurt so badly, I was in tears the whole injection, so naturally I was afraid of this arthrogram experience. Turns out I didn't need to be. The radiologist was very skilled and even when he injected the first shot of lidocaine, it didn't hurt, just a quick burn and that was it. Once the dye started going in, I felt a weird fullness in the joint, but that was nothing to be concerned about. The radiologist and nurse were soooo nice and we talked and joked around the whole time. I'm actually kind of looking forward to the next arthrogram in two weeks! Especially if I can have the same crew! The only bad thing was that another radiologist came in and was talking to me and found out I came from quite a ways away and asked why I didn't schedule my other arthrogram for the next day to avoid driving down to D-town again (assuming I would have gotten a hotel room and stayed overnight) and I explained to him that the scheduler for the radiology dept told me that wasn't possible to schedule so close together. He told me they make exceptions for those driving long distances all the time and even told me that he would personally work me into his schedule for the next day if I wanted him too. I told him that it wouldn't be necessary since I don't see Dr. Z again til September, but crap, it would have been nice to have scheduled them together. I thought it was super nice of him to suggest that though and really put my respect of the Beaumont staff up a couple notches. Some of the nicest, smoothest professionals I've come across! Makes me feel pretty good about having surgery there. I really like the surgeon, and so far the hospital staff are really awesome! They let me watch on the xray screen while they were injecting and explained when the dye was entering the joint (pretty easy to tell on the screen when it did) and then that was that - off to MRI. Now, the MRI I was nervous about as well, b/c the last time I'd been in the MRI tube at my hospital I was barely able to finish the exam d/t I couldn't lay still with tailbone and lateral hip pain. I took some xanax and T3 together and the best part was, they have these goggles with a movie screen in them that you can watch any movie you want in it! That made the 45 minute MRI seem only like 15 minutes!!! That was a huuuugggge relief! I don't know if it was the combo of the drugs and movie or just the movie, but I'll take it! Now, going into the next MRI/arthrogram, I'm not at all as anxious. I just hope that if I have a different radiologist that he is as nice and skilled as the guy I had the first time! I'm curious to know if I'll get results from Dr. Z's office now, or if I'll have to wait until September when I follow up with him to decide which hip to work on first? Either way, time is going by quickly yet slowly. I guess by that I mean that once certain dates get here, it seems to have flown by, but waiting for those dates to actually get here seem to take awhile. Weird.

Count down to 'D' day (or is it 'S' day?)

Well, I did it...I scheduled my surgical date. December 29th. I am giving myself the best Christmas and birthday present a girl could ever ask for! A sawed off hip and a bunch of screws to put it all back!
And the reality of it is, I'm not only terrified, but also strangely excited. Perverted, isn't it? I think I'm just relieved to finally have some direction.
Anyway, I called my insurance co. yesterday to verify coverage of the hospital stay and the surgery itself and they at first told me everything would out-of-network coverage! WHAT?!? Then the nice lady said, "oh, my mistake, I just put in the wrong hospital code". Umm, I think I'll be calling one (or ten) more times to have that verified along with a hard copy letter sent to yours truly for proof! As for the surgery, I have to call my surgeons office to get the billing codes they use and ask the insurance about the codes.
2 more weeks til my MRI with arthrogram! Yippie!

6 week scope follow up complete, one doctor down...

Today was my 6 week follow up with Dr. H and unfortunately, he didn't have the consult report from Dr. Z's office yet, so he wasn't able to shed light on what Dr. Z wants to do with my right hip. He wasn't too surprised about the left hip though. As for the right (the hip he scoped) he stated that he does sometimes miss FAI in a hip he scopes with labral tears. I happened to be one of those cases. So, he told me I'm on the right track, sticking with Dr. Z and that he doesn't operate on everyone, just those that are truly in need of surgery, so if he says I need surgery, then, well, I need surgery. That was reassuring to hear. Also, Dr. H did an apprehension impingement test and FABER test to check my range of motion and agreed with Dr. Z that I do have an impingement issue. I think he felt bad that he did not fix my true issue. So all in all, he ended the appt by saying that I would not need to come back to see him anymore. Dr. Z was now my hip doctor.
The appt was kind of fun and interesting b/c there was a resident in training following Dr. H and he was extra informative for the resident's sake...helpful for me! It's a relief that I don't have to worry about having 2 hip specialists now.
The day ended nicely as my mom and I then went shopping and had dinner together, discussing the surgeries coming up. She really listened and let me just pour my heart out. She is prepared to take care of me full time when my hubby can't if it's needed. Bet she thought she was done with taking care of me some 20 years ago!!!:)
Oh, on another note, my mom told me she heard Dr. Z say that he wanted to do a femoral osteoplasty on my right hip. Somehow, I didn't catch that when he was talking to me about the FAI in that hip. That's why I didn't go to that appt alone. I can't stress how important or good it would be to you if you are going to go to a stressful doctor's appt to bring someone with you that can write answers down and be a second set of ears. There's so much that she caught that I didn't and vice versa.
So, I don't have much else to write or comment about other than I'm just waiting to get my MRI with arthrogram and CT scan. I will post on those as they happen. I am however going to be going to Chicago with my hubby and his cousin and cousin's wife in August. His cousin just had ankle surgery in May, so he and I will be hobbling around the big city:) I'm glad to have an excuse to be slow and not be able to go too far!!!!

Meeting Dr. Zaltz

This is what my knees look like when my feet are pointing straight forward. This is due to my femoral anteversion.


It is June 29th and the day I finally meet with Dr. Zaltz. My mom went with me to Royal Oak (Detroit) since Todd was working. We left with enough time to eat before the appt but I was just too nervous to eat more than two bites of my lunch. We arrived at his office at 12:50 for my 1:00 appt and I think I finally saw Dr. Zaltz at 2:15 or so. Immediate relief when he came into the room and introduced himself. He is so down to earth, friendly, laid back, smart, honest, humble, you name it! I really, really like this guy! He looked at the xrays that his office just did (while I waited to see him), and wanted 2 more xrays after a little conversation and examination. Once that was done, he told my mom and me that my left hip was very shallow and unstable and reduces nicely (apparently one of the xrays shows reduction; some special angle he has patients do) but that he thinks the right hip is not only dysplastic but also has severe femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI). The angles on the left are 0 and 5 (high grade dysplasia), while the angles on the right are 18 and 20 (low grade dysplasia). This has to do with coverage of the socket (anteriorly and laterally) over the ball. Apparently, during the exam he couldn't get my right hip to flex past 90 degrees and I have no forced interal rotation and very little forced external rotation which is why he thinks there is impingement. My head neck offset is very decreased meaning I have cam impingement (or femoral sided impingement). My socket, while shallow, has a high cross-over sign or slight retroversion (indicating a small pincer impingement). The left hip however, has lots of rotation and crazy range of motion which is why it's very unstable. He also mentioned tibial torsion and femoral anteversion bilaterally (thus the knee pain). He is proposing periacetabular osteotomy for my left hip and not really sure what he wants to do with the right hip yet. He mentioned osteoplasty, hopefully by arthroscope, but wasn't sure if he could do it by scope and may have to do open surgical dislocation to fix the problem. I asked about my low back/SI joint pain and he explained that with these types of hip problems, back pain is common, usually due to compensation. I also asked him about pregnancy before surgery and he recommended surgery sooner rather than later to preserve the hip joint so I wouldn't develope arthritis and need a THR. So, no kids til hips are surgically repaired then, okie dokie. I also asked what would happen if I just didn't have the surgeries done and he responded that I could continue to have worsening pain and eventually arthritis, possibly as soon as 5 years from now needing a THR, although not typical. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. So, I elected to go ahead with surgery. He said it was up to me which hip to do first, depending on which gave me more pain, but they both hurt me equally in their own way. He ordered a CT reconstruction scan and MRI with arthrography (dye injected into the hip joint to view the soft tissue structure really well; tears, cartilage damage, cysts, etc) and stated that once those reports came back we could make a decision then on which hip to do first as they would tell us which one was worse internally. I had a 4 page list of questions for him and he answered all my questions patiently and honestly. He never once made me feel rushed or insignificant. I figured that if he was the only surgeon in the state that did this surgery, then he would be a complete jerk, you know? But he's not, he's really quite sweet and has a great sense of humor and a real knack for people. So, my mom and I headed home at about 4:30 that afternoon (yes, he really spent 2 hours with us. Unheard of in my book!) and I read over all the information pamphlets he gave me about 20 times :) Next on my agenda - schedule my MRI/MRA and CT scans.
Scheduling those tests were a pain - not only do I have to drive back to Detroit (3.5 hours away) for each test, I can't even do them back to back or one day then the next so I don't have to make several trips! So now I have one appt scheduled for this month, one for next month, and then finally the follow up with Dr. Z in September to discuss the results and schedule for surgery. That is such a bummer. Oh well, at least that's all out of the way. Dr. Z told me at my appt with him that he's booked through October for surgery right now, so I'm hoping that once I see him in September that he'll have an opening for right after Christmas for me. That is my plan anyway. I have my 6 week follow up appt with Dr. H on Tuesday, so it'll be interesting to see what he has to say in all of this. I will likely ask him for a 2nd (3rd?) opinion about my right hip as I am totally sure about the left. The right one has me confused though. Oh the drama of hips...

Surgery at St. Mary's (Right hip arthroscopy and debridement for labral tear)

So May 28th finally arrived and I slept very poorly the night before surgery. Once my husband and I got to St. Mary's and I was registered we only waited 20 minutes before I was called back to get into my pre-op room. Todd couldn't be with me at that point, but I was pretty preoccupied with pre-surgery prep. Once I was changed into my gown, compression stockings, had my IV started, and answered my personal history questions, Todd was able to come back and sit with me. Fortunately, things were moving along pretty fast that morning and I was just about ready to go into the operating room. Dr. H met with me just before I went in and explained that he was ahead of schedule, so I would be moving along anytime. The nurses and anesthesiologists must have read from my history that I am an OR nurse and had a good time with me, teasing me about things that happen in the OR. It made for a relaxed atmosphere for me:) Finally it was time to go, the nurse told Todd to give me a kiss, they wrapped me in warm blankets, and off to the OR I went. I scooted onto the OR table, remember the anesthesiologist telling me the IV might burn a little and then the next thing I know I'm rolling out of the OR and into recovery. I had some really bad tremors and couldn't stop coughing but I wasn't in pain! About an hour later I was taken to my post op holding room and Todd and my mother in law were able to sit with me. I slept a lot as I had a reaction to something they had given me and I couldn't stop itching and had become nauseated. The meds they gave me knocked me out again. All in all the day started at 9:30, I hit the OR at 11:20, the recovery room at 1:00, and left the hospital at 7:00 pm. I was able to put most of my weight on my operated leg, uses crutches, and I felt pretty good. Dr. H told my husband that he didn't do much inside my hip as the tear was tiny but he feared doing more damage than good by doing much more than what he did. He's very hopeful this will do it, but did precaution Todd that there may still be a chance I may need further surgery on that hip, possibly a PAO as well. Nice...
My first week at home was not as bad as I thought it would be. The pain was mostly incisional, but I couldn't put weight on the hip without support (that hurt!) and I was not physically able to lift my leg by itself, which was weird. Crutching around was fun for about 4 days, then I got tired of it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get rid of them until day 7. I had a pretty significant limp and the leg felt like it wanted to give out if I didn't have the support of the crutches. After one week though, I felt strong enough to walk unaided and even considered going back to work earlier than 6 weeks.
At my 2 week follow-up, I met with Rob, the P.A. He was great! However, my hip isn't really feeling great, not bad, but not great. I felt like I couldn't really give him a solid answer to how it was really feeling. He said that was okay and that most people don't  feel the full effects for anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks post scope. I was given the go ahead to walk as much as my heart desired but no running, jumping, or hopping. Darn. We discussed my going back to work early and I was given the green light. I was told to take it easy though and to call if any problems.
Week 3, still walking pretty good, occasional pain, nothing I couldn't live with. Called the OS and got his nurse to write me my work release for 3 weeks instead of 6! My coworkers were thrilled! Now the countdown to meeting Dr. Z...
End of week 3, going into week 4 was a bad turn around for me. My husband and I visited my parents one night and as I was getting back in his truck to leave for home, I felt my right hip SNAP, very painfully, and it was all I could do to keep from screaming. I was in so much pain I was nauseated. That was a first! The whole ride home I was fighting tears and really worried. My husband was pretty concerned, so he wanted me to immediately take a pain pill and lay down with my ice pack. By morning I felt fine, my hip didn't hurt except for the occasional pangs that I got with bending or twisting, which had been happening since week 2 and I figured were all a part of the healing process. But a few more times during this week my hip snapped and had really painful catching (although not as painful as that first time) and it really stopped me in my tracks. It was affecting my work again, not good. My coworkers have all mentioned that I have a "funny walk" and they can tell I am having pain everyday. My clinical support nurse even joking referred to me as "stiffy". Everyone is very helpful at work and makes sure I don't do anything to hurt myself further...I work with very, very wonderful people! Each day I am anxiously looking forward to the day I will meet Dr. Z....

I am totally hip!

5 months ago this hip journey finally received a proper diagnosis:

I found out in March that I have hip dysplasia. I always knew I had some golden retriever in me!!! All joking aside, dysplasia affects 1 in 1000 babies at birth, and only a small percentage are caught shortly after. The rest of us (mostly women, ratio 5:1) are left to go on until we are in our 20's/30's before symptoms develop and slow us down, causing pain, limping and a disruption of life. Hip dysplasia is an abnormal developement of the hip joint, in my case the acetabulum (the cup, or socket, of the hip joint), which is too shallow, or more dish like than cup like. My hips have been bothering me for at least 6 years that I can remember and my low back (SI joints) have always hurt along with my knees. (In fact my back and knees have sidelined me from sports many times and sent me to the doctors with pain that could not be explained). In late January of this year I suffered a debilitating back injury that took me off work for a couple of days. Well, back to work and it seemed that the pain was now localizing deep in my right hip, a pulsing, sharp pain that was constant and wouldn't go away. It would radiate down the front of my thigh at times also, so I was a bit concerned. I saw my primary care doc and he suggested either a DO or a chiropractor to readjust my SI joint, which is what he thought the problem was at the time. I took his advice and saw a chiropractor. The results were amazing, for 2 days. I felt so good that I was optimistic I was cured. Then I had to keep going back to get readjusted, for 5 other separate appts. The chiro said that my SI joints, especially the right one, were very loose and not staying in place with any adjusting. He diagnosed me with subluxating SI's. I was in so much pain at the 5th appt and the chiropractor could not adjust me without me tearing up or just being too tense, so I told him I would go home and ice my back and hips and call him next week when I felt better (I never did call him back). I called my PCP the next day and complained that the pain was getting worse and he felt this was abnormal and so ordered an MRI on my right hip. A week later I was diagnosed with an anterior-superior labral tear. What is a labral tear? The labrum is a special cartilage of the hip that helps to deepen the socket and seal the joint. A tear in the labrum causes pain in the hip, primarily in the groin or front of the hip. My PCP referred me to a surgeon out of Grand Rapids that he has been to and really respected. I was nervous to say the least. I am a registered nurse and I work in the operating room, but to be on the other side of things as a patient possibly facing surgery, was just plain scary! I, of course, went home and looked labral tears up on the internet. I found that most tears were caused by a deformity of the hip joint, hip dysplasia, i.e: too shallow sockets or abnormally shaped femoral heads. But the doctor never said anything about hip dysplasia on the xrays of my hip or my MRI, so I figured my labral tear was a fluke, a repetitive mini trauma to my hip. Fast forward to March 19, the day I met Dr. K, a hip replacement specialist. He was very nice and informal and really knew his stuff. He immediately diagnosed me with acetabular dysplasia in both hips, the left actually being worse than the right on xray. Since I was there to talk about my right hip though, he focused mainly on that. He told me about hip arthroscopy to clean up the tear and not to worry about the dysplasia, that I wouldn't have to do anything crazy to fix it. However, he told me he was not the surgeon to do hip scopes and that I would be meeting Dr. H in a month when he gets back from medical leave to go over surgery and my diagnosis. When I got home from that appt, I looked up hip dysplasia and found all kinds of fascinating things, the most gruesome being PAO, or periacetabular osteotomy, where your socket is cut off your pelvis and realigned on to your femur with screws (usually 3) and then the recovery is about 3 months on crutches! Wow, no wonder Dr. K said don't worry about the things you read on the internet! (Can you sense some foreboding here....?) I continued on with my research regarding hip scopes and learned everything I could so I would be fully educated when I finally met with Dr. H. Fast forward a month and a half and it's finally my appt with Dr. H. I meet him, immediately like him, and then wham! He hits me with the recommendation of needing a PAO, definately on the left, and hopefully the scope is all I'll need on the right hip. WHAT?!!! So I sit there numbly, shaking my head yes and he says he'll refer me to Dr. Z, the only reputable surgeon in Michigan that does this surgery. Meanwhile, we'll still plan on scoping the right hip. Now I'm really upset...I am told my dysplasia is mild on the right with an angle of 20 and the left is moderate/severe with an angle of 5. He says that anything less than 20 needs to be considered for PAO or it could deteriorate and become arthritic at much to young of an age and need total hip replacement (THR) which is bad because I would be looking at several revisions of my hip throughout my life. I don't relish the thought of being crippled and in a wheelchair in my retirement years. But what the heck does all this mean! I'm 28, my hips shouldn't be this bad! Apparently, when one's hips are dysplastic, the hip manages to function well throughout most of young adulthood, but eventually the soft tissues that are trying to make up for where there should be bone covering the ball of the hip joint, begin to wear out and become painful. Much like the treads wearing out on a tire. This is why I have a labral tear. Dr. H is hopeful that since my right hip is borderline dysplastic that the hip scope will take care of my problems and that will be the end of it. I agree! I schedule my hip scope for May 28th and begin the long wait until then....