My first hip surgery was 3,652 days ago, which, coincidentally, is probably the number of doubts I had before going under the knife. My decision to have PAOs – and the decade that's followed – have been worth every question and every fear. My hips have been troopers, standing loyally by as I test them at the gym, on the trail, around the city and everywhere in between. If I push too hard, my left hip will let me know, but generally, I have very little pain. I haven't seen a hip doctor in years. I still have a numb patch about the size of a business card on each thigh. A few times a year, I will get that burning, itching nerve pain that irritates me to no end. When overworked, my left hip starts burning near my back, sciatic-style. The scars are still there, of course, but they rarely catch my eye. All of this seems like a small price to pay for a ticket for admission into this life of mine. Plus, I have 13 screws inside my body that make me feel like a bad-ass. I'm g...
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I hope you had a good vacation. I took one two months before surgery - I felt like it was really good for my head.
It's hard (impossible) not to think about your upcoming surgery on a daily/hourly basis. It's a big step, but I'm sure you'll come through just fine. My first words in post op were "is it over???" I was soooo relieved to hear that it was.
The best advice I can offer you two months out is to work on your upper body strength. The better shape you're in pre-op, the better off you'll be in post-op. I also dropped about 5 lbs before the surgery to make it easier to lug myself around on crutches. I haven't a clue what I weigh right now. I'm still really swollen and I don't want to depress myself...
Try to stay as positive as you can. I wrote notes to myself and stuck them to my bathroom mirror. "I can do this" is what's there right now.
I know you can do it to!!!
best,
Laura