The "maintenance" years

I had my last "regular" appointment with Dr. Z on the 28th of January! It sounds so surreal to say that. He doesn't need to see me back until 2014, and yearly from then on. We're in the "watch and wait" period and done with the preservation surgeries. It's a bitter sweet thing. I've become accustomed to driving to Detroit every few months and checking in with Dr. Z, and I really have enjoyed getting to know him as more than just The Surgeon. I think I will truly miss getting to chat with him!

The low down on the hips:
Left hip = good. We're both very happy with the turnout. In fact, it's a model hip, and we both really wish my right would have followed suit.
Right hip = so/so. I reported that it's catching again, and still hurts. The last scope gave me about 3-4 weeks of relief, then it went back to being painful. He even felt it catch when he put it through ROM. I'm pretty much back to 90* flexion. He knows it's not great and feels bad that he couldn't get it to be like my left hip, but ultimately it should last a while if I'm smart about what I do. Looking at my left socket vs my right socket, it's pretty easy to the naked eye to see that the cartilage on the right is much narrower than the left. And he said the cartilage is flaking again or the spurs are coming back which is what is causing the catching. But he said another scope would not be helpful, as it would cause more harm than good, potentially breaking the cartilage down even more. I agree, seeing as this one only lasted a short time. I don't need any help on speeding up the process to a THR. However, the removal of the adhesions under my SDD scar really helped. So at least that was worth the pain of surgery! Although my hernia is still there at the bottom of the scar.

What makes me really love and appreciate Dr. Z is that he isn't dismissing me even though he is done working on me surgically. He asked that I keep in touch and that he will continue to follow along with me for whatever I need, whenever. Be it a hip injection or advice or whatever. He assured me he knows my hip hurts and he won't just forget about me.
He gave me the lowdown on exercise and what will be safe and hip friendly. I need to listen to my body and be smart about what I choose to do. I can do a variety of exercises, as long as there is no lunging or squatting involved. This means that I must modify yoga or pilates to be centered around my right hip's needs. I asked about running and again was told not to make it a main form of exercise, but rather I can mix it in to a routine of swimming, biking, yoga, etc. Basically no sustained running, just short, gentle runs. Also, he stressed not to put my right hip through any prolonged flexion or try to push it past it's comfort zone, as this would cause more pain and suffering.
He wanted to know how I felt overall with the right hip, going back from the beginning (pre-SDD), and the best I could say is 50/50, but that I'm still happy and have no regrets what-so-ever. The left hip outcome really helps things too. I think he was glad to hear that, and what's nice is that I know he is genuinely concerned and truly cares. I believe he went into medicine for the right reason.

***Just received the office notes on 2/8/13 - "XRAYS: AP pelvis radiographs and bilateral false profile demonstrate significant right hip joint space narrowing. This is 50% of that of the left. Overall alignment of the acetabulum is normal. IMPRESSION: Right hip joint space narrowing. TREATMENT: I explained to the patient I think her recurrent stiffness is likely related to osteoarthrosis and the grinding sensation she is experiencing due to chondromalacia. I don't think it is reasonable to repeat arthroscopy as this will likely elicit degenerative changes in her hip...The patient will follow up in a year for AP pelvis, sooner if there are any issues."

So, while I do not have any appts set at this time to return to see him (I won't be setting up my yearly follow up until this summer) I always have the option to come in for "as needed" appts, or if either hip gets worse.

* Not hip related, but seeing Dr. Z assessed and referred, I am going to be seeing a foot and ankle surgeon on 2/21/13 for my right great toe and ankle. The toe is arthritic and has limited motion and a visible bone spur. The ankle has an audible snapping coming from my lateral/anterior ankle. Both are causing progressively worse pain. I asked if this was because of my hip/anteversion and the affect on my gait, but he does not think so. He just thinks I have unhealthy cartilage and joints, and that I will end up with several joints affected throughout my lifetime.

** A little tid bit I find awesome, Dr. Z is a US Top Doctor, which is peer nominated and voted. Congrats Dr. Z!