Full plate of states

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I live in Colorado and work in Wyoming. I'm having my surgery in Washington state and will recover in Montana.

A bit of a jumble to manage, but with extra planning, it will all work out. In the four months before surgery, I need to find "backup doctors" in both Montana and Colorado to manage my follow-up care, as well as a physical therapist in both states. (PT starts at eight weeks, and my goal is to be back in Colorado by then, but I need someone in Montana, just in case.) The ladies in Dr. Mayo's office in Tacoma (I love Keri and Sandy already) are going to look into finding referrals for me. I obviously need someone with at least some basic knowledge of what a PAO is; those of you who are looking into the surgery know that this is not an easy task!

Why Washington?

Believe it or not, a "periacetabular osteotomy" is actually harder to perform than to pronounce! It's an uncommon, technically demanding surgery, so I sought out the most experienced surgeon I could find. As far as I can tell, there are about five doctors in the U.S. who fall into that top-notch category, and Dr. Mayo was the closest one to Colorado. I know of a lot of women whose "bone sawings" were performed by other qualified surgeons and had excellent results, but I felt most comfortable choosing Dr. Mayo.

The experience I've had so far with Dr. Mayo and his office has been fantastic. Not only is he supposed to be one of the best, but he's also been very personable and patient with me and my questions. He even called me the other day when he wasn't in the office so I wouldn't have to wait to hear from him for two weeks while he is out of the country. Part of our conversation:
Dr. Mayo: I can give you some names of patients if you want to talk with them.
Me: That's ok. I've been talking with a bunch of ladies in an online support group, and they've been really helpful.
Dr. Mayo: Oh, I didn't know there was such a thing.
Me: Yeah, that's actually how I found out about you. You were mentioned a lot on there. But don't worry, it was all good stuff! [laughing]
 [Silence] ...

Well, I said he was personable and patient, not lighthearted and funny! It is my goal to make this man laugh at some point! I'll be sure to let you know!

P.S. My pre-op appointment was scheduled today. Sandy called to let me know it's 1 p.m. on April 15. Yay, I won't have to wake up early!

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