Follow-up with surgeon and overall update

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My absence has been noted.

Which is enough to guilt me into taking the extra minutes out of my day to report on my status.

On May 12, I had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon, Dr. Mayo. Two new sets of X-rays (and who knows how much radiation) later, I got two thumbs up for pelvic bone healing.

As far as the other issues I'm having, I didn't get any concrete answers. Dr. Mayo was very clear, however in saying -- as he has in the past -- that I will never have completely pain free hips. I've learned to accept that fact, mostly because experience has proven he's right.

This is what we talked about:
  • Right hip burning in the "Captain Morgan" position. No progress has been made here, and Dr. Mayo said the culprit likely was the iliopsoas (ill-e-o-so-az) and the rectus femoris (one of the quad muscles). He put me on Celebrex for a month, with no change. Next step would be an injection into the muscle, but I'm not ready for that yet.
  • Tailbone. This problem is getting much worse, and Dr. Mayo hooked me up with a new guy, another osteopathic doctor in pain anesthesiology. No great news to report since then, but more on this topic later.
  • Hip care. From here on out, I'm supposed to steer clear of high-impact activity. Also, no squats, lunges or leg presses at an angle more than 70 degrees. No high resistance on a bike or elliptical unless I've built up my speed first. Dr. Mayo wants to see me again in two years to check up on things.
And that was that. I feel as if the book has been closed on this hip story of mine, even though the story is not yet finished. Overall, I'm doing very well, and yes, Terri, the reason for my absence has been because I've been so busy getting out there and living my life!



Comments

oscarsmum said…
Cassie,

Thanks for the update.Wow you have loads of screws! Are they all staying in?
I am only 6 weeks post PAO but am definately getting tailbone pain-hopfully its just early days and will settle, but would be interested to hear how you get on with yours.
All the best
Kate
June 24, 2009
Cassie said…
Hi Kate. Six weeks post-op is a great place to be, congrats! I'm so sorry you're getting tailbone pain. I wouldn't wish this on anyone! Keep in touch and let me know how you're doing.
And yes, the screws will all stay in. I don't need them anymore, but Dr. Mayo sees another surgery to remove them as unnecessary. That's ok, I like the way they look!
Cassie
June 24, 2009
Brick said…
great pis and lots of screws. I can imagine that you have been frustrated with your current situation hopefully time will heal and if not, I hope you can deal. I still have numbness from my RPAO in Sept. (I don't think it'll ever go away).
Whale watching sounds great, but we are flying in the am and return early pm. I don't have any time off work to miss :-(
Keep us updated on your situation because there are a lot of us cheering for you.
June 24, 2009
HipSk8 said…
Good to know you are back to your life on a full-time basis. I hope that the residual problems, especially the tailbone issue (ouch!) resolve over time. None of us will have a perfect outcome but we can only hope that we are better off than before. Thank you for sharing it all with such honesty. Terri
July 02, 2009
Jen said…
Wow, that's some impressive hardware! I hope that things continue to get better for you. Us Hippies know that it's no easy feat to get through all of this with your spirit intact!

Send me your email if you'd like and I can extend an invite to my PAO blog. jenborkat@gmail.com.

Stay Well!
Jen
July 09, 2009
HipSk8 said…
I wanted to let you know that I had no problem getting my own blood. I told everyone during my check in and pre-op visits, and checked the bags myself before I allowed them to transfuse me.

Interestingly, during my pre-op visit in Dr. Mayo's office, I mentioned to Keri that I wanted to be sure it was noted that I had donated my own blood. She asked why, and I said that I knew of another patient at Tacoma General who had gotten someone else's blood by mistake. I didn't name any names or even say it was a patient of Dr. Mayo.

She came almost unglued, and said, "that has NEVER happened here, and couldn't possibly happen here. We have all of the safeguards in place and you don't have to worry." She said it in a way that made me think she was angry that I even brought it up.

I didn't say anything more to her about it (what could I say that wouldn't sound like me accusing her of lying?). I'm sure she must know what happened with you. I am not sure why they (the doctors' offices) don't understand how easy it is for us all to compare notes on the Internet. I'm amazed none of them have gone online to check out the online communities and blogs; I'm sure they have heard about them from many patients. I guess they have better things to do.

In any case, I thought you'd find her response interesting. Terri
July 19, 2009
Hua said…
Hello Cassie,

I love the positive and humorous tone of your blog despite all the pain you went through!

I'm Hua, the director of Wellsphere's HealthBlogger Network, a network of over 2,000 of the best health writers on the web (including doctors, nurses, healthy living professionals, and expert patients). I think your blog would be a great addition to the Network to share your knowledge of PAO with others. and I'd like to invite you to learn more about it and apply to join at http://www.wellsphere.com/health-blogger. Once approved by our Chief Medical Officer, your posts will be republished on Wellsphere where they will be available to over 5 million monthly visitors who come to the site looking for health information and support. There’s no cost and no extra work for you! The HealthBlogger page (http://www.wellsphere.com/health-blogger) provides details about participation, but if you have any questions please feel free to email me at hua@wellsphere.com.


Best,
Hua
July 23, 2009
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