MRI-arthrogram #5 did not go so well today. It was pretty painful/uncomfortable compared to the others. And the video goggles were no longer available when I went into the MRI machine. I do think that I can safely say that I will not have to endure another one of those again though!
My pre-op, however, went well. Dr. Z was absolutely wonderful, per his usual self! He met my mother in law (who will be with my hubby and me at the hospital for surgery) and chatted a few moments with her about me and nothing in particular:) He then noticed the t-shirt I was wearing and inquired about it. My t-shirt is the one that was made during my Hippy Union in Chicago and it says "screw-it". It's a Nike shirt and instead of "just do it" we came up with "screw-it"...he got the inside meaning right away and thought it was really great that a bunch of us got together from around the country.
He checked my range of motion in both hips and then felt for the screws on the right hip again and yup, they still hurt! A lot. They are scheduled to come out after the PAO is done. He also explained everything that would happen during the surgery and what to expect afterward.
He and I had a bit of a pow wow regarding pain management since he explained that he doesn't do epidurals for his PAO's anymore. I am really nervous about not having proper pain management after I wake up and I told him this. He said he wants me to be happy, so he will discuss this with anesthesia and see what we can come up with while trying to avoid an epidural altogether. He suggested a caudal block, so I will still have the area numbed, just shorter term and without as much risk as a spinal poses. The reasons he has against epidurals is this: causes prolonged hospital stay, may cause increased bleeding which increases the chance of needing a blood transfusion, they don't always numb everything all the way or the right area, and a patient is unable to start therapy as soon as without an epidural. I am willing to forego the epidural as long as we can come up with a pain block that won't delay recovery. I really need to pray about this since he wants me to strongly consider a general only but will not force me into only a general.
Details of the surgery and hospital stay/recovery:
surgery takes about 2-2.5 hours
I do not need a scope
I do need a femoral osteochondroplasty (reshaping the femoral head and head/neck junction)
I will have 3-4 screws
he may not need to detach the quad muscle, he'll know more when he gets in there. (not sure what determines this....)
MUCH more invasive surgery than SDD
1st day post op I'll just chill in bed, maybe learn some isometric exercises, use CPM
2nd day post op PT will get me out of bed, teach me to use the crutches. This is the day I will wean off of the PCA and start using oral pain meds.
3rd day post op I will continue crutch walking and try stairs. This is the day all drains (hemovac, foley, IV) are removed if they haven't already been on day 2. There is a small chance I could go home this day.
4th day post op I continue with therapy, crutch walking, stairs, etc. Probably go home this day.
5th day post op is possible if pain or bowels are an issue.
I have an ob-gyn yearly physical in early January (have to be in stirrups...) and he feels this should not be an issue.
recommends AT LEAST 3 months off work, possibly 4 for my line of work (nurse).
total recovery time is 6 months to one year.
He explained that he is the only one who does any of the work during surgery and that he talks to the residents to explain the procedure and why he does things the way he does them during the procedure. I really like this about Dr. Z. He said that his PAO pt's tend to recover quicker and are discharged quicker than those of his colleagues (epidurals have a big part in this) and his incision is typically different than most other PAO surgeons. He also discussed the femoral cutaneous nerve being affected during surgery which almost always causes a numb spot on the front of the thigh but eventually may go away over time or it'll be something that will not be so noticable anymore after a few months since most of his patients have told him they don't tend to notice it after a while.
My mother in law asked Z about pregnancy after the PAO and how it would affect the hips, whether it was wise to wait a certain amount of time before getting pregnant (6 months for those who are curious) and he answered that it would depend on how the right hip reacts as he is concerned about the fact that it is still shallow and may need a PAO as well. I am a little surprised to hear this since he had not really mentioned this before, however I do recall the surgeon that did my hip scope saying that the right hip may still need a PAO. I am a bit disappointed by this. I thought that I would be out of the woods once the LPAO was done. I still plan to try for a family once the left hip is healed and see where the road takes us from there. Maybe in a few years the right will have to be done but I don't want to wait any longer than necessary for my family to begin.
Towards the end of the appt my surgery time was brought up and I learned that I am the last surgery of the day....which is good and bad. Good because I don't have to be in Detroit until 2 pm so no hotel stay which saves us money and I can sleep in my own bed and environment but bad because that's a long day of waiting, nerves, and no drinking or eating. I am the oldest patient having surgery that day as they go by chronological order of age. As it was so nicely put, I said "I must be the 'old fart'" and to which Z replied, "you are that day!".
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
These are good things!
The following is from one year ago:
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.
The above list was from a year ago when I was making points to remember what my right hip felt like before the SDD surgery so I could remember and then reflect how I feel a year later. I have to report that only 2 or 3 of the symptoms on the list still exist and not as bad as they used to be! I still get a catching feeling and the SI joint still acts up and I still occasionaly get the dull, aching pain inside the joint. Otherwise, just screw and muscular pain is all I have left and that makes me a very happy person. No more clicking, no more feeling like the joint will collapse in on itself when I stand on it alone, I can bend it past 90 degrees now without forcing it and without pain. Overall, it is a better hip. I suppose I should make a list for lefty. It never did have as many symptoms as the right hip which is why we went ahead with the right hip first. So here we go....
Left hip symptoms pre-surgery:
- lateral thigh pain/aches (probably bursitis related)
- popping of the joint (50/50 being painful vs non painful)
- sharp giving out pains, joint won't support me when it does this. Happens a couple times a month.
- joint feels achey deep inside across from groin to thigh whenever I stand for long periods of time or walk for more than a mile.
- feels "out of place" or loose most of the time, not neccesarily painful, just uncomfortable/weird.
- has been experiencing some clicking and grinding in the last few months.
- sex is awkward and uncomfortable most times b/c I am trying to find a good position where my hip doesn't feel like it's going to "pop out".
That's about it in a nutshell. So most of the symptoms are just annoying vs painful. Even though my left hip is structurally worse and much more unstable than my right, the right hip was so much more painful. I guess I will reflect on this list in a year....or maybe I will be too busy finally having a life that it will become but a memory!
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.
The above list was from a year ago when I was making points to remember what my right hip felt like before the SDD surgery so I could remember and then reflect how I feel a year later. I have to report that only 2 or 3 of the symptoms on the list still exist and not as bad as they used to be! I still get a catching feeling and the SI joint still acts up and I still occasionaly get the dull, aching pain inside the joint. Otherwise, just screw and muscular pain is all I have left and that makes me a very happy person. No more clicking, no more feeling like the joint will collapse in on itself when I stand on it alone, I can bend it past 90 degrees now without forcing it and without pain. Overall, it is a better hip. I suppose I should make a list for lefty. It never did have as many symptoms as the right hip which is why we went ahead with the right hip first. So here we go....
Left hip symptoms pre-surgery:
- lateral thigh pain/aches (probably bursitis related)
- popping of the joint (50/50 being painful vs non painful)
- sharp giving out pains, joint won't support me when it does this. Happens a couple times a month.
- joint feels achey deep inside across from groin to thigh whenever I stand for long periods of time or walk for more than a mile.
- feels "out of place" or loose most of the time, not neccesarily painful, just uncomfortable/weird.
- has been experiencing some clicking and grinding in the last few months.
- sex is awkward and uncomfortable most times b/c I am trying to find a good position where my hip doesn't feel like it's going to "pop out".
That's about it in a nutshell. So most of the symptoms are just annoying vs painful. Even though my left hip is structurally worse and much more unstable than my right, the right hip was so much more painful. I guess I will reflect on this list in a year....or maybe I will be too busy finally having a life that it will become but a memory!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Miserable screws
If I could chop my right leg off right now, I would gladly do it. My screws have become a miserable malady and have become increasingly more painful over the last few weeks. It has gotten to the point where either I wake up at night and can't get back to sleep for a couple hours or the pain is bad enough to make me take a vicodin during the day (while not at work). I was going to let this new development be, since I knew surgery was on the horizon and I didn't want to bother Dr. Z about this, as we both knew they were a nuisance. Well, they are beyond the nuisance stage and I succumbed to relaying my misery to his nurse, which then she relayed to him. The next day I received a phone call from Z himself, wondering if we shouldn't take the screws out now, and then do the LPAO in November as planned. While this sounds like a great idea, we both agreed that doing 2 surgeries close together (having to go under anesthesia twice so close together) would not be the best of ideas. So, the screw removal is still in conjunction with the PAO. I just wish the next 7 weeks would fast forward themselves. My quality of sleep has gone from a 6/10 to about 4.5/10.
For those who are wondering what the screw pain is like, it's like this:
The area of the greater trochanter is extremely sore all the time and when it is touched or bumped it is extremely painful, enough to make me see stars. The muscles feel like they are stretched way to tight over my outer thigh. Sometimes I feel a popping over the trochanter and I wouldn't say the popping really hurts but it's very uncomfortable/gross.
The pain will start to throb at the trochanter and pulse it's way down the outer portion of my thigh, into my entire knee joint and down my outer calf and into my entire ankle joint. It is a dull but very intense ache that just doesn't go away. It happens when I accidentally lay on my right side (sleeping) or from standing for long periods (kind of hard to avoid at work).
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the screw removal will be the answer to all this pain that has gradually but suddenly come on!
For those who are wondering what the screw pain is like, it's like this:
The area of the greater trochanter is extremely sore all the time and when it is touched or bumped it is extremely painful, enough to make me see stars. The muscles feel like they are stretched way to tight over my outer thigh. Sometimes I feel a popping over the trochanter and I wouldn't say the popping really hurts but it's very uncomfortable/gross.
The pain will start to throb at the trochanter and pulse it's way down the outer portion of my thigh, into my entire knee joint and down my outer calf and into my entire ankle joint. It is a dull but very intense ache that just doesn't go away. It happens when I accidentally lay on my right side (sleeping) or from standing for long periods (kind of hard to avoid at work).
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the screw removal will be the answer to all this pain that has gradually but suddenly come on!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
123 days and counting....
I had my appointment with the good doctor today and I feel like I'm repeating history...first off we talked about my post op hip, that had gone through the surgical dislocation. I told Z that the screws really bother me and he smiled and stated "I bet they do". I asked if they could come out and he said "of course". Wonderful! Then he proceded to palpate my right hip around the area of the greater trochanter where the screws are located and I about jumped off the exam table. "That's where the screws are" he says. Thanks, no doubt! He also performed more range of motion on my right hip and it is mostly pain free, which was a big change from last time. Last time the internal rotation and flexion was still as painful as pre-op and I was so disappointed. Today, it was hardly there. I mostly have muscular pain now and we'll continue to watch the hip as the years go on. Then we talked about the left hip. Z went over the issues with the hip and how unstable it is. He worked it through the same range of motion and I have pain with different movements on that hip, but it's different structural issues too. I have since been having new pain issues in the left hip that I described to him, something like a peeling or ripping and popping like bubble wrap in the front of the hip. He thinks I've torn the cartilage now and wants an MRI-arthrogram......again......I asked why the one from last summer wouldn't be adequate for him and he stated that since it's been a year and new symptoms have shown up, he wants a more recent scan to help him decide the best course of action during surgery. He knows for sure the PAO, but has to see if he needs to do the scope along with the PAO. The scope would be done to address the inside of the joint to clean up any labral or cartilage issues. If he does not have to do the scope, which he would prefer due to scopes destabilize joints, then he feels we'd be better off. That's why he wants a new MRI-arthrogram. If the arthrogram shows no tear, then it sounds like no scope. But if there is a tear, then a scope would be advisable, at least that's what I think I got out of the appointment.
I also asked him about my knees turning in so much and if the PAO would address that issue. He asked me to get up and walk down the hall for him. I returned from my walk with his opinion of pretty severe anteversion, but also that he thinks I'm consciously turning my knees in to help deepen the femur into the sockets and make the legs more stable when I walk. He does not advocate doing femoral osteotomies simply because the pelvic osteotomies are very successful with alignment issues. He also said that once you cut the femur and "untwist" it, then you also need to cut the tibia to get it facing in the correct position since my feet would be turned way out to the outside if we did the femoral osteotomy. So he doesn't want to create several surgeries for me if we don't need to. Seeing as he's been pretty spot on with the right hip as yet, I'm willing to go with his view on everything.
I'm not too thrilled about going back for another MRI-arthrogram. It's scheduled for Nov 15, 2 weeks before my surgery, which is the day of my pre-op appointment with Z. I would be happy if I never saw the inside of an MRI machine again, truth be told! This will be my 5th one in 1.5 years. That's 4 too many in my opinion. Overall, the appointment went well. Z warned me that the PAO would be much much harder than the SDD. He said I got away with "the easy surgery" first and not to underestimate the PAO....uggg. I tuned him out shortly after that. I remember this talk from last time but it never sounds good. I got bits and pieces of I really need to make sure I have at least 3 months off work and weight bearing issues were totally different than the SDD. I don't know what else he said beyond that. I am not going to think about how bad it might be. Waking up from the SDD was bad enough! Possibly the worst/most painful moment ever in my! He said we would add the screw removal for the right hip right after the LPAO was done, that it would only take a few extra minutes to do. I'm so happy those things are coming out!
Once my appointment was done I headed over to Beaumont Hospital to visit with H and my brother. She had her SDD done on Tuesday, the 27th and will be going home tomorrow. She seems to be doing pretty well. She was on the pediatric floor so I got a chance to see it finally. It's pretty cute, all decked out with Disney themed rooms and brightly colored walls and decorations. Much more cheerful than the 9th floor where I was:) My brother jokingly warned the nurses that I would be seeing them in a few short months for my next surgery. The nurses were pretty amused and thought it was strange/coincidental how both H and I ended up with major hip problems and not even related. I still try to wrap my head around that!
To end the day, I met up with Niece and her daughter for lunch before I headed back home. It was really nice to see Niece again and her daughter is just the cutest thing! She's a really good girl. Niece and I got a chance to catch up a little and just talk all things hips and otherwise. Then it was back on the road for my 3.5 hour drive home. Bleh. My hips don't like sitting that long, so I always have to stop along the way and get out and move. I can't wait for the day I don't have to consider my hips all the time.
Chicago/Indy Hippie Union is fast approaching and I'm very much looking forward to picking Krystal up at the airport and heading on to Chi-town. It's just a little under 2 weeks away now!
I also asked him about my knees turning in so much and if the PAO would address that issue. He asked me to get up and walk down the hall for him. I returned from my walk with his opinion of pretty severe anteversion, but also that he thinks I'm consciously turning my knees in to help deepen the femur into the sockets and make the legs more stable when I walk. He does not advocate doing femoral osteotomies simply because the pelvic osteotomies are very successful with alignment issues. He also said that once you cut the femur and "untwist" it, then you also need to cut the tibia to get it facing in the correct position since my feet would be turned way out to the outside if we did the femoral osteotomy. So he doesn't want to create several surgeries for me if we don't need to. Seeing as he's been pretty spot on with the right hip as yet, I'm willing to go with his view on everything.
I'm not too thrilled about going back for another MRI-arthrogram. It's scheduled for Nov 15, 2 weeks before my surgery, which is the day of my pre-op appointment with Z. I would be happy if I never saw the inside of an MRI machine again, truth be told! This will be my 5th one in 1.5 years. That's 4 too many in my opinion. Overall, the appointment went well. Z warned me that the PAO would be much much harder than the SDD. He said I got away with "the easy surgery" first and not to underestimate the PAO....uggg. I tuned him out shortly after that. I remember this talk from last time but it never sounds good. I got bits and pieces of I really need to make sure I have at least 3 months off work and weight bearing issues were totally different than the SDD. I don't know what else he said beyond that. I am not going to think about how bad it might be. Waking up from the SDD was bad enough! Possibly the worst/most painful moment ever in my! He said we would add the screw removal for the right hip right after the LPAO was done, that it would only take a few extra minutes to do. I'm so happy those things are coming out!
Once my appointment was done I headed over to Beaumont Hospital to visit with H and my brother. She had her SDD done on Tuesday, the 27th and will be going home tomorrow. She seems to be doing pretty well. She was on the pediatric floor so I got a chance to see it finally. It's pretty cute, all decked out with Disney themed rooms and brightly colored walls and decorations. Much more cheerful than the 9th floor where I was:) My brother jokingly warned the nurses that I would be seeing them in a few short months for my next surgery. The nurses were pretty amused and thought it was strange/coincidental how both H and I ended up with major hip problems and not even related. I still try to wrap my head around that!
To end the day, I met up with Niece and her daughter for lunch before I headed back home. It was really nice to see Niece again and her daughter is just the cutest thing! She's a really good girl. Niece and I got a chance to catch up a little and just talk all things hips and otherwise. Then it was back on the road for my 3.5 hour drive home. Bleh. My hips don't like sitting that long, so I always have to stop along the way and get out and move. I can't wait for the day I don't have to consider my hips all the time.
Chicago/Indy Hippie Union is fast approaching and I'm very much looking forward to picking Krystal up at the airport and heading on to Chi-town. It's just a little under 2 weeks away now!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Spring Renewal!
I am just over 4.5 months post op on the right hip and I am happy to report that the catching is gone...that's correct, gone. Over the last month or so since I've posted, I've been doing my PT home exercises faithfully and I have been using my treadclimber 3-4 times a week after work for 20 minutes at a good hard pace. Well, about 2.5 weeks ago while I was on the treadclimber, my hip had that catching feeling (again) and I externally rotated it to see if I could unstick it and there was a pretty nasty pop and pain but after that the hip felt really good and has no longer been catching with any exercise or movement! In fact, all I really feel now is a chronic pulled muscle feeling along the side of my hip and in my butt. I am very happy with this! I *think* there was scar tissue that built up in the joint and I finally just unstuck the last of it. Let's hope that it's permanant.
I still occasionally get sore at work or have slight swelling. The trochanter is still painful when I lay down on my right side and I'm not sure it's going to get any better...we'll see. It almost feels like a deep ache that spreads from my trochanter throughout the rest of my thigh. Time to get a new mattress!
Well, here's the really interesting thing about my incision. The incision itself looks great. But remember me mentioning there is a round pocket of swelling/squishiness near it at the bottom of it that has not changed since surgery? Well, a fellow hip chick had mentioned in her blog having the same issue and when she saw her OS for a follow up, he told her it was a fat hernia. I spoke with a general surgeon I work with today and showed her mine and she confirmed that mine is most likely a fat hernia as well and that a plastics consult would be the way to go if it bothers me. She also mentioned giving it a full year to let the "remodeling"/healing finish before taking any action against it. Now, I know you're all jealous about my herniated fat, but let me tell ya, it's not so cool walking around in a bikini with a fat hernia sticking out of your thigh....just sayin'. Plastics consult, here I come! (I shall update on that when the time comes...however, it'll be awhile before I go down that road as I will probably wait until after the LPAO).
In other news, I am walking in a 5k in 2 weeks! I tried to train to run for the 5k, but the hip just wasn't quite ready to run and I'm not sure my left hip or my knees would do so well anyway. But I'm excited to say that I can walk that now without too much difficulty. Also, there is only 5 more weeks until my trip to Austria! I plan to do lots of walking then too, so this 5k will be just the beginning:) Spring has sprung here in Michigan (actually has been for the last month, totally unusual!) and I am looking forward to summer very much, which is a big change in heart from a month ago. I wasn't really sure how I felt about summer since my hip wasn't feeling the best, but now that I've turned a corner and seem to have made such major progress with it, I'm very excited for summer.
I still occasionally get sore at work or have slight swelling. The trochanter is still painful when I lay down on my right side and I'm not sure it's going to get any better...we'll see. It almost feels like a deep ache that spreads from my trochanter throughout the rest of my thigh. Time to get a new mattress!
Well, here's the really interesting thing about my incision. The incision itself looks great. But remember me mentioning there is a round pocket of swelling/squishiness near it at the bottom of it that has not changed since surgery? Well, a fellow hip chick had mentioned in her blog having the same issue and when she saw her OS for a follow up, he told her it was a fat hernia. I spoke with a general surgeon I work with today and showed her mine and she confirmed that mine is most likely a fat hernia as well and that a plastics consult would be the way to go if it bothers me. She also mentioned giving it a full year to let the "remodeling"/healing finish before taking any action against it. Now, I know you're all jealous about my herniated fat, but let me tell ya, it's not so cool walking around in a bikini with a fat hernia sticking out of your thigh....just sayin'. Plastics consult, here I come! (I shall update on that when the time comes...however, it'll be awhile before I go down that road as I will probably wait until after the LPAO).
In other news, I am walking in a 5k in 2 weeks! I tried to train to run for the 5k, but the hip just wasn't quite ready to run and I'm not sure my left hip or my knees would do so well anyway. But I'm excited to say that I can walk that now without too much difficulty. Also, there is only 5 more weeks until my trip to Austria! I plan to do lots of walking then too, so this 5k will be just the beginning:) Spring has sprung here in Michigan (actually has been for the last month, totally unusual!) and I am looking forward to summer very much, which is a big change in heart from a month ago. I wasn't really sure how I felt about summer since my hip wasn't feeling the best, but now that I've turned a corner and seem to have made such major progress with it, I'm very excited for summer.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Acetabular Dysplasia, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
Acetabular Dysplasia, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
This is a great link to the program directed by my surgeon, Dr. Zaltz. He performs this surgical program at both Henry Ford hospital and Beaumont Royal Oak hospital (where my surgery will take place) in Detroit. It explains dysplasia, PAO, and frequently asked questions regarding the operation and symptoms.
This is a great link to the program directed by my surgeon, Dr. Zaltz. He performs this surgical program at both Henry Ford hospital and Beaumont Royal Oak hospital (where my surgery will take place) in Detroit. It explains dysplasia, PAO, and frequently asked questions regarding the operation and symptoms.
Femoral Acetabular Impingement, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
Femoral AcetAcetabular Dysplasia, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit... Acetabular Dysplasia, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
This procedure is done at both Henry Ford hospital and Beaumont hospital in Detroit which is headed by my surgeon, Dr. Zaltz. This link has good information on FAI procedures, and frequently asked questions.
This procedure is done at both Henry Ford hospital and Beaumont hospital in Detroit which is headed by my surgeon, Dr. Zaltz. This link has good information on FAI procedures, and frequently asked questions.
Friday, March 26, 2010
I'm a PT graduate!
Yesterday was a stepping stone day! I was officially discharged from physical therapy as there really is no more that my PT can do for me that I already can't do for myself. She said that technically, I could come back for another 2 weeks if I felt I needed to, but we both agreed that I was to a point that I can continue the exercises at home and gradually build up the weights on my leg reps through the coming weeks. She told me that I could call her or visit her anytime though, if I felt like I was hitting a plateau or just needed a little encouragement. I will miss Liz very much, but we do work in the same hospital and I will be going back to her after the LPAO, so I will get to work with her again. However, she said in order for PT to be a success and help keep me strong for the LPAO, I need to continue my leg/hip exercises every day for the next 6 weeks, and then after that I can take 2 days a week off from the exercises until the LPAO. Also, about 6 weeks before the LPAO, she recommended that I start doing the leg/hip exercises on the left leg (with or without weights) to get it ready for the surgery. So, after 2 months of intense PT, I am done with the outpatient part and it is up to me to continue on my own. I am so happy to have made it to this point and really feel as if PT has made a huge difference in my outcome. I saw leaps and bounds of changes in my strength when I started outpatient PT.
I am still having issues with catching and a painful "something is stuck in the joint" feeling. Just a few days ago, getting into my car this happened pretty severely, and I was trying to maneuver my right hip until it felt like that "stuck" feeling would go away, but it took awhile and when I finally worked out the feeling, there was a very loud crack and bad pain that followed it that lasted for a good 10 minutes afterwards. I was able to walk fine when I got out of the car, thankfully, but something is definately not laying right inside that hip. Whether it's the acetabular cartilage or the femoral cartilage, something still isn't right. It's fortunately not causing any constant, daily pain like it used to, but still. Oh well, in June I'll talk it over with Z and we'll go from there.
I also took my first on-call for work yesterday since I left work on medical leave. I worked my normal shift, went to PT (was d/c'd) then went home and in the middle of dinner, got called in for 2 laparoscopic appendectomies on a 15 year old and a 9 year old. Poor kids! Anyway, worked 5.5 hours and did great! Right hip is holding up beautifully. I have some firm swelling around the incision, it's still sore/tender in the trochanter area. The left hip...well, it's achey, it's throbbing, it's going to get it's dysplastic ass kicked! :) The point is, I'm strong enough to do call now on top of working a normal shift at work too. Good things to report:)
Oh, and I only have 9 weeks until I go to Austria!!!!!
I am still having issues with catching and a painful "something is stuck in the joint" feeling. Just a few days ago, getting into my car this happened pretty severely, and I was trying to maneuver my right hip until it felt like that "stuck" feeling would go away, but it took awhile and when I finally worked out the feeling, there was a very loud crack and bad pain that followed it that lasted for a good 10 minutes afterwards. I was able to walk fine when I got out of the car, thankfully, but something is definately not laying right inside that hip. Whether it's the acetabular cartilage or the femoral cartilage, something still isn't right. It's fortunately not causing any constant, daily pain like it used to, but still. Oh well, in June I'll talk it over with Z and we'll go from there.
I also took my first on-call for work yesterday since I left work on medical leave. I worked my normal shift, went to PT (was d/c'd) then went home and in the middle of dinner, got called in for 2 laparoscopic appendectomies on a 15 year old and a 9 year old. Poor kids! Anyway, worked 5.5 hours and did great! Right hip is holding up beautifully. I have some firm swelling around the incision, it's still sore/tender in the trochanter area. The left hip...well, it's achey, it's throbbing, it's going to get it's dysplastic ass kicked! :) The point is, I'm strong enough to do call now on top of working a normal shift at work too. Good things to report:)
Oh, and I only have 9 weeks until I go to Austria!!!!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Something to think about....
I am in the middle of my third week back at work and am doing really well. I think that my muscles are more sore than the first week, but I'm doing more and using muscles that haven't been used in 3 months. My co-workers are being awesome and easing me into the call schedule slowly. So this means I won't be at the risk of putting in a 12 or 16 hour day which we have been known to do often when on call. I really am lucky when I think about my work:) I have been able to do all my 8 hour shifts though and only had one really, really bad, painful day out of the 2 and a half weeks I've worked, so that's pretty awesome, I think!
The issue I brought up in my 3 month follow up post about my right hip catching still and having pain was revisited with Dr. Z tonight. I called his nurse on Friday, which was the end of the 2 week ibuprofen trial to see if it would calm down any inflammation, to let her know that it did not help. It hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't gotten better. Dr. Z called me today to discuss with me how I'm currently feeling and I described my symptoms to him that the catching pain happens almost daily and with turning or side stepping, but that I can't really pin point it.
He feels it could be one of two things.
1) It could be that the femoral head scarring didn't lay down right after the hip scope and the open surgery disturbed it causing it to catch
or
2) There was a soft, unstable piece of cartilage in my hip that he cut away and debrided but he said that to the naked eye it is sometimes hard to see if you are able to get it all and the cartilage could have been more unstable than he was able to see at the time and may have loosened again.
If either is the case, then he said a scope would be an option to go in and suture the loose cartilage or debride the scar tissue.
However, he doesn't want to do anything right now. He feels that it will be approximately 6 months before I would "plateau" from healing and he wants to see how I feel at that point. So I have a 6 month follow up with him at the end of June and that's when we'll revisit how the hip feels. He did offer a cortisone injection into the hip if I wanted it and I can arrange that at anytime if need be. He also said I don't have to worry about damaging the joint anymore because he said the femoral head is smooth and round now whereas before it definately was not. I am pleased as punch that he isn't diving into surgery again on that hip! At least not anytime soon. I just want to know that I'm good to go on activity of my choice and that I'm not going to hurt anything. I want to get strong for my other hip surgery without compromising the right hip.
I'm still not able to sleep on my right side totally yet. I can sleep modified on the right, more like on my stomach but the screw heads are way too tender still. This is also something to think about come June when I see Dr. Z again and see if it would be an option to have them removed when I have my LPAO. If I can't sleep on my side (and it does wake me up or keeps me tossing and turning everynight) then I'm going to go crazy!!!!!
The issue I brought up in my 3 month follow up post about my right hip catching still and having pain was revisited with Dr. Z tonight. I called his nurse on Friday, which was the end of the 2 week ibuprofen trial to see if it would calm down any inflammation, to let her know that it did not help. It hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't gotten better. Dr. Z called me today to discuss with me how I'm currently feeling and I described my symptoms to him that the catching pain happens almost daily and with turning or side stepping, but that I can't really pin point it.
He feels it could be one of two things.
1) It could be that the femoral head scarring didn't lay down right after the hip scope and the open surgery disturbed it causing it to catch
or
2) There was a soft, unstable piece of cartilage in my hip that he cut away and debrided but he said that to the naked eye it is sometimes hard to see if you are able to get it all and the cartilage could have been more unstable than he was able to see at the time and may have loosened again.
If either is the case, then he said a scope would be an option to go in and suture the loose cartilage or debride the scar tissue.
However, he doesn't want to do anything right now. He feels that it will be approximately 6 months before I would "plateau" from healing and he wants to see how I feel at that point. So I have a 6 month follow up with him at the end of June and that's when we'll revisit how the hip feels. He did offer a cortisone injection into the hip if I wanted it and I can arrange that at anytime if need be. He also said I don't have to worry about damaging the joint anymore because he said the femoral head is smooth and round now whereas before it definately was not. I am pleased as punch that he isn't diving into surgery again on that hip! At least not anytime soon. I just want to know that I'm good to go on activity of my choice and that I'm not going to hurt anything. I want to get strong for my other hip surgery without compromising the right hip.
I'm still not able to sleep on my right side totally yet. I can sleep modified on the right, more like on my stomach but the screw heads are way too tender still. This is also something to think about come June when I see Dr. Z again and see if it would be an option to have them removed when I have my LPAO. If I can't sleep on my side (and it does wake me up or keeps me tossing and turning everynight) then I'm going to go crazy!!!!!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Hi ho, hi ho, off to work I go!
I started work today, first time in 11 weeks. I was a little nervous that I would "forget" my job but I did alright! I was given 2 really easy assignments and then I was basically relearning the charting system as it changed right before I left. Best news is I have reduced joint pain! My surgeon did great work. And I survived :)
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