Hip-hop anonymous - a PAO journal

In an attempt to fix my lingering tailbone and pelvic pain from my LPAO, I had an appointment with a new doctor today. She kneaded and touched, poked and prodded. I leaned and twisted, pushed and pulled against her. She told me my case was a puzzle, "refreshing," she said. Then she confirmed what my physical therapist had already concluded: my uneven joints are throwing everything off, from my leg length to my posture to the way I sit. After all, the hip bone's connected to the ... shoot, according to my doctor, it's connected to the sacrum, tailbone, pubic bone, a bunch of muscles, tendons and ligaments, and last but not least, the leg bone. Dr. Connally couldn't tell me if the problems were due to the dysplasia, the surgery or the recovery. She did tell me she was hopeful we could straighten things out and make my pain go away. She wants to put me on Celebrex short-term to lessen the inflammation in the ligaments, but I don't know how long I have steer clear...

It's hard to remain committed to the idea of another surgery when there are days I experience what I like to call "hip brilliance." A couple of weekends ago, I had zero pain in my hip that's scheduled to go under the knife in six weeks. Yesterday, I walked almost three miles, lifted lower body weights and played volleyball with very little pain. Brilliant, I say. But alas, I usually find, as I have today, that my hip is simply a tease. Today I'm sore sore sore in both hips, reassuring my decision to get PAOed again. This is how it has gone with both hips for many months, years really. Back and forth, day to day.

I'm happy to report that I think my fears may have been a false alarm. After taking a couple of ibuprofen last night (my first painkillers in three months!) I woke up feeling quite a bit better. A few random pains edged their way in throughout the course of the day, but overall, I'm doing okay. The worst part was the fear. I have to be more careful. It's so hard for me to do, especially when there's so little pain. But I don't want to go through another day of worry like that again! If the pain returns, I will make an appointment for a set of films or an MRI. Thanks for your concern!

Today I am taking a lot of deep breaths and trying not to get too scared at the familiar pain that has returned to my hip. I'm hoping I simply overdid it. I'm hoping that with a day or two of rest, I will be pain free again. I'm hoping with every grain of my being that I did not tear my labrum again. For those who are unfamiliar, the labrum is the cartilage that lines the socket of the joint. According to MayoClinic.com, this cartilage provides stability and cushioning for your hip joint, allowing the ball of the thighbone to move smoothly and painlessly in the socket. Though I didn't know it at the time, my left one was torn prior to my PAO, and the feeling I have today is eerily reminiscent of my pre-op days. This is the first time I've had pain in many weeks. Cross your fingers for me.

Officially, I'm still recovering from this surgery. Lest I forget, every once in a while some stabbing or aching pain reminds me of this undeniable fact. The past two mornings, I've encountered seriously strong pains on the back side of my pelvis when walking. I've been forced to hop on one leg because it's too uncomfortable to even try to step. I sit down to stretch, which seems to help, but mostly I just have to work it out by attempting to walk. The pain lasts about 5-10 minutes or so. I'm not worried about it or anything. I think it's just a good and not-so-subtle reminder that my body is still adjusting to the healing/rebuilding phase and the new alignment that is my hip socket.

Before my PAO, I would read the blogs of fellow PAOers/FDOers or information on the Hip Women support group and wonder: What is the pain really like? How does it feel? I thought I would describe a bit of what I've been feeling in order to help those of you who are still on the pre-op side. I hope this post eases your mind instead of causing fear, as I'm happy to say that the pain never was completely overwhelming, and it's been much easier than I imagined. The first week LOTS of stiffness in the joint; lots of swelling in the leg and surrounding area; centralized gripping pain deep in my hip that became stronger with movement or pressure (like when laughing/coughing, etc); uncontrollable itching (from the dilaudid); absolutely no nausea (except in the recovery room); heavy legs; lower back pain (from lying on it for so long); hot flashes and flushing. My groin area was hit with a brief, hot, searing pain on days two and three that took my breath away, but I haven't fel...

Both have been accompanying me as I wean off my pain meds. My oxycontin prescription has run out, which leaves me with plain ole oxycodone to relieve my pain. I've been weaning myself from those, as well, and normally take one or two a day (instead of 1-2 every four hours). The combination has led me to discover just how much pain they've been masking. The first day off the oxycontin was the hardest, as I hadn't slept much due to hallucinations in the night; extreme hot and cold flashes; and general discomfort of sleeping completely on my back with my leg in the cpm. When I got out of bed in the morning, everything hurt. From the palms of my hand to my armpits to both hips and knees, I was aching. It's not terrible pain, but combined with a lack of sleep, they're enough to make me a little cranky. I got little to no sleep again last night, and started to cry this morning when Mom asked me what was wrong. "I'm so tired of not being able to move," ...

Today is the first day since I got the go-ahead for surgery that I'm super excited to do this. I've been dragging my feet and mentally not committing myself to it, but a full day of pain and limping have turned me around. It's funny that a bad day physically can make me feel so excited emotionally. April can't come soon enough. Yesterday, I went to BodyJam , my cardio dance class. It was the first time I'd made it in three weeks due to a pulled muscle in my back and then a sprained ankle. Everything felt fine at the time, but afterward, like usual, I limped home. So I iced it for an hour, like usual, and took some ibuprofen, like usual. When I woke up today, I was still sore, which is unusual because getting off my feet for eight hours normally helps. Getting all my chores done around the house and grocery shopping has not been fun today. I'm grumpy because I'm not going to be able to get it all done, but I've kinda sorta learned that I have to g...