Hip-hop anonymous - a PAO journal

Do something for me. Try this stretch if you can. Whether you are pre-op or post-op (just not in the first few months following your surgery!), you might find this feels marvelous, just like I do. (Not me in the video.) It's generally called a glute stretch, but it also works the hips. And it feels. So. Good. It goes without saying (except I'm saying it) that I'm not a doctor or physical therapist, so please use caution and don't hurt yourself. Some people simply may not be able to get into that position.

The good vibrations certainly would be a sweet sensation if only I could feel them. I'm talking, of course, about setting my cell phone to vibrate and putting it in my front pocket, where it inevitably rests against the numb patch of my thigh. When it rings, I don't feel a thing. I've missed many a call this way. But I don't mind. Because between hips that don't feel painful and thighs that don't feel anything at all, I'm a very happy lady. Just leave a voice mail.

My sixth anniversary of my LPAO recently came ... and went, without much ado. While I'll always always be thankful for the surgery that changed my life, it's also one of those events that has taken a back seat in my daily affairs. Which is certainly something you can't ever imagine as soon as the acronym PAO becomes a part of your vocabulary, so I consider even this an accomplishment. Truth is, my hips are exactly the same as they were a year ago, so there's really not much to report. I'm still as active as ever, with some pain if I spend more than a couple of hours strenuously exercising. I still get some random pangs every once in a while, still have nerves that itch and burn, still have a nearly numb patch on my thigh. And I still wouldn't trade one second of my post-op self with my limpy, scared pre-op self. I went in for some hip x-rays a few months back at the local orthopedic center and just had the local hip doc look at them. Dr. Kindsfater is no...