9 months post op LPAO

-
January 23 marked my nine month of progress from my left PAO. Has it gone by quickly? Slowly? The answer is both.

I found the first few weeks to go by quickly, followed by a stagnant period, picking up again at the eight-week mark, slowing down at three months, and so on. My RPAO, which hit at seven months, took the focus off the first recovery.

Here's how I feel at this point:
  • Good: No pain in the joint. I can walk for hours and not feel anything!
  • Good: My incision is flat and continues to pale.
  • Good: Strength and balance have returned to pre-surgery levels.
  • So-so: My range of motion is not as good as before surgery but not by too much. When I push it, I do feel some pain.
  • So-so: Numbness has decreased following the initial recovery, but I still get a very strange tingling sensation when touching any part of my upper thigh. It creeps me out.
  • Bad: Deep groin pain (which is muscular/tissue-related) upon external rotation. This means no clam-shell type movement sans pain.
  • Bad: Tailbone pain is almost unbearable at times. It hurts when sitting, lying on my back, putting my clothes on. I'm seeing an osteopathic doctor and working with my physical therapist to see if I have any options left.
I look forward to see where this recovery takes me in the next three months. I will be happy to be one year post op.

Comments

Brick said…
I am impressed! I hope you can get the tailbone situation figured out.
January 27, 2009
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dreams

-
I still have bad dreams about having hip surgeries. It's been nine years since I went under the knife. The surgeries seem far from mind – I don't have daily pain, I don't talk about hip dysplasia, and when I get undressed, I rarely notice the thin white scars on either side of my hips. When I do think about it all, gratitude and pride overwhelm me. I think of my recovery and wonderful life that has followed. It's strange then, that my brain sums up this life-changing event with disturbing scenes from an operating room, flooding me with anxiety and reminding me of the unpleasant parts of PAOs. But maybe the nightmares have some value, after all. Being reminded of the stress and pain and work that went into fixing my hips also reminds me of how strong I was to get through it. Never forget.
Read more

4 years post-op LPAO

-
Image
It's been four years since my left hip surgery, the day-long event that became a years-long cornucopia for which I am eternally thankful. My thanks does not wane, even though the periods of pain-free living have started to. Between anniversaries three and four, I have to admit that life has been a little tougher. My hips hurt more often and are less willing to take the beatings an active lifestyle evokes. My mind returns to dark places of my past, when pain ruled and I couldn't count on my body. The most challenging aspect is not letting fears and negative thoughts squash the positive feelings and abilities my new hips gave me. Post-surgery pains are completely different than pre-surgery's. Sporadic, unpredictable and in places I didn't think even counted as "hip pain." Post-surgery pains also have been easier to control, just harder to understand. I am considering a visit to a hip doc in my town, rather than a flight to Tacoma to see Dr. Mayo. I need to
Read more

11 years post op

-
Image
In April, my left hip turned 11. I'm happy to say I'm still doing great, and have even surpassed my own goal of making it more than 10 years (mostly) pain free. At this point, I think you could safely call me a success story. I've been having more pain than usual in my left hip, but it's usually caused by squats and lunges, which are a part of the weight lifting classes I take. May have to rethink those in the near future, but for now, I'll take the bit of pain. Always thankful. My hips are rock stars.
Read more