Hip-hop anonymous - a PAO journal

Seems too long ago to be two years post-op. But here I am, stronger than ever and a very different person than I was before I knew how to pronounce periacetabular osteotomy. Surgery is a faint memory, hip pain a whisper. I return to these posts and remember the anxiety, heartache and fear. I draw a deep breath, grateful beyond words and calm through my soul. These surgeries saved me. I think of my indecision to go under the knife and scoff at myself for worrying how others would perceive my choice to walk into an elective surgery just to be wheeled out a week later. This is my life. It was my decision, and I'm so glad I made the right one for me. I'm happy to report that the issues I had at the one-year mark have greatly improved and I have practically zero problems or pain. Some things are different, however: Range of motion is about 90 percent of what it was pre-surgery. I can feel the entire section of my thigh, though mostly with a tingly sensation. I still get deep ran...

A year ago today, I woke up in a plush hotel that overlooked Commencement Bay in Tacoma, Washington. My mom and I took an early morning walk in the misty weather and picked up giant, brightly colored fall leaves from the ground. A few hours later, my pelvis was cut open for my second surgery in seven months. It seems like much longer than a year since that day. My initial recovery was smooth, and though it was not easy going through the long process, I'm so glad I did. Happy to report I can: Walk, run, do squats, lunges, with no pain in the joint, no matter how hard I work it. (And I've been working it pretty hard.) No limp or sign of dysplasia/surgery. Sleep on my side all night. Feel a larger percentage of my thigh (85 percent), though with a tingly sensation. Wishing these things get better: Strong burning sensation that remains on the very front of the hip when lifting my leg, aka my "Captain Morgan" position. I still have to lift my leg with my hand to avoid pain...

Sporadic. That's my right hip. At nine months post-op, each day seems to be different. This hip has behaved much differently than the left side, and honestly, some days I want to send it to its room. Some days, like today and yesterday, I have enough soreness that I almost limp. Oh, who am I kidding? ... I limp. My Captain Morgan problem is magnified and it even hurts to lie on my stomach or the right side. Other days, I feel no pain, and Captain Morgan only shows up when I'm really lifting my leg while bending the knee. As for the rest: Numbness remaining: about 20 percent still numb in spots. (Much better than left side.) Deep itching/stabbing sensation comes and goes. About one instance per month. Clicking every so often. (I hardly notice.) Scar is still healing. I hardly pay attention to these anymore, so I really can't say how it looks. Plenty of pain on certain days in the front of the hip above my thigh. It's a burning sensation, unlike most other "hip dyspl...

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. T...

These past six months have gone by not quicker or slower than my first PAO, but definitely differently. More inconspicuously, perhaps. I've focused less on the little milestones and even the big ones. Without a second pending PAO, I've had my mind more free for other things. Strange, though, that I've thought less about this recovery when it hasn't gone as well as the first. Unfortunately, I'm not as far as I was with my first PAO. This is where I'm at. Zero pain when walking or having been on my feet all day. Zero pain when jogging or jumping. My "Captain Morgan" problem remains. While I can lift my leg on my own to get dressed, get into the car, it's painful. I still use my hands to help to avoid pain. Still an uncomfortable feeling when lying on my right side. No pain, just weird. My range of motion is not great. External rotation is especially hard. No sitting cross legged or the like. Still get the deep itchy, shooting pains in the incision ev...

Since I missed my four-month update, I guess you're actually reading about two months' worth of progress on my right hip. Truth is, there wasn't much progress at the four-month mark, but I think I'm starting to get somewhere now! I now can: Stand from a squatting position with very little trouble. Walk with no pain and no limp. I take hour-long walks and can spend all day running errands, cleaning house, shopping without pain. However, I still feel a little soreness in the joint a day later if I push really hard. Jog at 85%. No pain, but the gait feels a little funky. Jump and dance. Lift weights at 50-100%, depending on the type of exercise. Play volleyball! I subbed last week and return to the league next week. Boo ya! Issues remaining: Tenderness on the skin around the incision. Random burning/stinging moments deep in the tissue from nerves Speaking of nerves, still numb in the thigh, but not completely. Enough to feel the slightest sensation, but not enough to be ab...

Dun, da da da, dun, dun. Today, I was kindly told by Jennifer, my physical therapist, not to come back. While I'm not at 100 percent, she said there was nothing more she could do for me. At four and a half months, I'm happy to be finished with this part of recovery and hopeful for continued improvement. It's funny, though; I've had to eat my words about physical therapy this go-round. My progress -- which started out so promising -- stalled significantly these past two months. Which meant not two physical therapy sessions, but nearly a dozen over three months. The not-so-great news is that the pain I'm still struggling with (lifting my leg Captain Morgan style, i.e., going up stairs, getting into the car, getting dressed) may be impingement rather than muscle pain. Jennifer is fairly certain that the joint capsule is just too darn tight, causing moderate pain and a lack of flexibility. That information took the air out of my sail. Impingement isn't something th...

Three months post op on my right side. Just like the other one, sometimes I can hardly believe it's gone by so quickly and sometimes it just seems to drag on. Tonight as I walked by the gym as my volleyball league was in full swing, I just had to sigh. I hope to be playing in a couple of months, but sometimes (ok, all the time) it's hard to be patient. Progress: Walking is 90 percent without any pain in the joint. No limp or stiffness what so ever. Numbness is going away, already better than the left side. I can stand and walk for hours on end without pain. I can lightly jump, no pain. Still working on: Range of motion. I can't bring my knee to my chest like I could before. External rotation also is a work in progress. Getting in and out of the car, standing from a squatting position and any motion that involves raising my knee to move my leg (like driving) still take work. I can do all of these without using my hands to move my leg or pull myself up, but it hurts a bit. I ...

Since I missed reporting on eight weeks post op, here is my nine-week report. Four words: I feel quite wonderful. My hip joint is 95 percent without pain. My hip muscles and hip flexor are fairly sore as I get moving again. Nothing horrible. Incision is looking ok. Numb patch is getting smaller and less numb. Still am struggling with range of motion when bending straight over, like when putting on my socks. Getting into the car or standing from a squatting position are still tough. I'm easily sleeping through the night. When people ask how I'm doing, instead of reciting the above, I simply say four little words. I feel quite wonderful. :) See how I was doing at 8 weeks post op LPAO .

I have to admit, I didn't think it was possible. Walking on the moon, yes. Gasoline under $3 a gallon, maybe. But this? After my eight-week follow-up appointment on Monday, I was given the go-ahead to drop down to one crutch and then to a cane. I walked out of the office with one crutch and have not used it since. No pain. Only soreness in my muscles as my legs return from a long vacation. I honestly can't believe I'm strong enough to do this. Or lucky enough. What have I done so right that I deserve such an easy recovery? I have a slight limp, but it wouldn't be noticeable unless you were looking for it. I imagine it will be gone before the end of the month with a few physical therapy sessions. Everything is like it was before surgery. I can go up stairs, get dressed standing up, shave, etc. I do have a little trouble getting my leg into the car, but that's getting better by the day. I was really sore the third day after I started walking. Both legs, from my ankles...

I returned home yesterday, making only one stop in the eight-hour trip. I got a little uncomfortable after three hours, but I didn't have any problems driving. How fast I drove, where to turn, where to stop ... Every move was my choice, and it felt so nice to have my freedom back! Today, with any luck, was my last day on crutches. Today, my mind raced with the possibilities of a life without mobility aids ... but mostly, a life without constant thoughts of hips, hip pain and hip limitations. As I unpacked my things, I began to grasp what my life would be like without those thoughts. In a word: overwhelming. It's taken more than a year and two major surgeries for me to really believe I may be free from hip worry. For how long, no one can say, but I'm thankful for the possibilities that lie ahead. That's true freedom.

I can hardly believe I have only one week left on crutches. The thought makes my heart dive into my stomach and my stomach leap into my heart. Next Monday at my follow-up appointment, my follow-up doctor, Dr. Thomas, will take a gander at my follow-up x-rays to make sure all is healing well. I talked to Dr. Mayo yesterday and he said he trusts Dr. Thomas to read the films and give me the thumbs up to start fully weight bearing. Last time around, I had to wait for the x-rays to be shipped and then I impatiently waited for Dr. Mayo to have an office day and call me with the news. I'll be off crutches in five and a half days! Of course, I'll still need one until my muscles are strong enough to walk again, but not needing them full time is the best Christmas/New Year's present ever. Updates are few: I have zero pain in my right hip at all times. The outside of my hip is still tender, and I'm trying my best to massage the scar, but it just feels so weird. Still haven't g...

Six weeks post-op sounds so much better than five. At this point, a lot of my Hip Sisters were allowed to start weight bearing. While part of me is jealous, another part of me is simply happy knowing that my bones are almost done knitting back together. A couple more weeks, and I'll get to start focusing on the muscles, ligaments and tendons. It's been an uneventful week. Old Man Winter is paying us a visit, which means I don't get out of the house much. The symptoms of cabin fever I was displaying have turned into a full-blown case. Other than that, I feel very good. At this point, my recovery is in a holding pattern. No big progress has been made, mostly because there's just not a lot more I could be doing, besides walking. Updates: My range of motion is increasing. Clicking has returned. This actually started about three weeks ago, but I notice it more now because I'm moving around more. It's not painful, just a loud click. Getting my socks and shoes on is st...

As I was lying awake last night, I had a bit of an "ah-ha" moment. See, while this recovery has been smoother physically than the last one, it's been tougher on my state of mind. Bored, blech and blah are the three "B's" that would summarize these past weeks. I've been comparing my two surgeries a lot lately (which was my first no-no) and finally realized that I'm not just recovering from my RPAO. I'm also still feeling the effects from my LPAO. By the time January rolls around, I will have been on crutches (full- and part-time) for four and a half months out of the past eight. For an additional month, I worked out muscle fatigue and soreness while learning how to walk again. I hate to complain, but simply put, it's been a long and challenging eight months. Of course, I still have a ton to celebrate. Both recoveries have gone wonderfully, and I have no surgeries scheduled in my future, which is such a relief. The benefits of having two surger...

The best thing about being five weeks post op is that now I'm more than halfway through this whole crutches saga. Three more weeks, and I'll be (hopefully) learning to walk again. In the past week I've: Had very, very little pain. No shooting pains, burning nerve pain or soreness in the joint. I now have the urge to take a step on my own, like it won't hurt at all to do so. Learned a new trick. I can put my socks on like a normal person: sitting in a chair and reaching down, rather than lying on my back and attempting bringing my leg to my chest. Attempted crutching on snow and ice. Not easy. Luckily, the latest batch has melted and we're back to dry land. Gave myself a pedicure and painted my toenails a festive bright red. I haven't been very good about doing my isometric exercises, so my goal is to do more of what I can so I'm ready for physical therapy come January. I wanna kick butt like Marina . See how I felt at five weeks post-op LPAO .

Halfway through the first stage of recovery. I feel as if I've made mucho progress since last week. My incision picture follows. At this point I can now: Wear fitted jeans Pick items off the floor from a standing position with both feet on the floor. (Before, I had to swing my op leg back because I couldn't bend that far.) Bend and twist in new ways. My range of motion is increasing quite a bit. Sit, rise, do stairs, crutch, scootch, pivot and hop without pain -- most of the time. Get dressed without using the grabber. Fall asleep without any sleep aids or painkillers. I've had no Tylenol in the past three days. Keep up with my mom in Target, Barnes & Noble and any other like-sized store. Work an eight-hour day from the recliner. Sleep without a pillow between my knees or under my leg. Also, switching positions from belly to side to back is now is cinch. Very happy with my progress, though the crutches are still a pain in the backside. Got one stuck on a r...

I'm scratching my head wondering what kinds of noticeable progress I've made in the past week. With the exception of taking a step on my op leg, things have stayed largely the same since my 2-week progress report. Updates: Super glue is gone from the edges of the incision and only remains on the incision itself. I also was finally able to gently rub Dr. Mayo's initials off my hip! I only take a Tylenol PM at night to help me sleep. Otherwise, I'm off all painkillers. Speaking of sleeping, it still takes me a long while to fall asleep, but now I only wake up about once or twice a night when changing positions. Stamina is increasing. I crutched around a park and grocery store this week without losing breath or feeling sore. I started sorting through work e-mails and will return to a more full-time schedule (albeit from home) next week. Having gone off all prescription narcotics, my brain is much clearer and I'm talking to my friends from Colorado more often. This make...

Since my misstep on Friday, I have been feeling much more soreness and pain all around my hip joint. Scared that I'd done some damage to the bone that's trying so hard to heal, I e-mailed Dr. Mayo's office to ask if I should be concerned. His patient coordinator, Keri, wrote back saying, "You should be fine; most patients who have taken a step experience more of a strain or soreness, nothing bone-wise." Whew. While I'm disappointed to have regressed on my recovery, I'm relieved that things should be okay in the long run. I'm popping a few more Tylenol than usual, but won't let myself return to the oxycodone. So please be careful, all you ladies currently or approaching recovering. Each step is important.

I cannot believe how well I'm doing. I was hopeful this recovery would be as easy as the last, but better? No. I didn't know how that was possible until now. I hope the upcoming weeks pass as smoothly. In addition to the mounds of progress I've already made, this week I can add: Using a regular-height toilet seat Driving my car (I only went a little ways, just to re-park it at my parents' place) Getting along splendidly on crutches Taking only oxycodone in the morning and at night and a couple Tylenol during the day Sitting and rising without using my arms to lower/raise myself into chairs Changing positions in the night fairly easily Moving without much stiffness Going up stairs easily. Down is still a little tricky. Not needing the colace and metamucil anymore, thank goodness. I still don't have a lot of stamina or energy; that will come in time. I'm probably a bit anemic from the surgery and have some blood to make. I'll continue with my iron supplements ...

Today we packed up the cpm! Tonight I will attempt to sleep with my leg in the bed, not whirring up and down in some silly machine. Lots of pillows under my knee and at my side will be my friend. I'm also off the oxycontin! Just the oxycodone to go. I accidentally forgot to take it last night and woke up with the worst withdrawal symptoms: shakes, sweats, all-around craziness. Popped a pill and felt much better. I can't believe I'm addicted already and will be going off them in a couple of days after I'm used to being off the oxycontin. I also put my own socks on today! And I can reach stuff on the floor both from a sitting position and standing! And I'm overusing the exclamation point! That's what happens when you make so much progress!