yesterday was the first day of physical therapy post-op. what an exhausting hour. my pt found every sore spot, for better or for worse.
when it comes down to it i have a few mechanical issues.
· my hips are rotated
i knew this from before, but it is a good reminder of my body mechanics. having rotated hips (i can't remember if it is anterior rotation (forward) or if the sockets are inverted towards one another ) means my external rotation (rotating my femur clockwise in my socket while my leg is flexed at 90°) is much easier than my internal roation (rotating my hip counter-clockwise while my leg is flexed at 90°).
basically i have been activating my piriformis instead of my glutes. i have been making a tiny muscle do the work of a large (granted mine isn't as large as it was) muscle.
One thing that is happening in not engaging my glutes, the abnormal tilt to my hips and the general imbalance of my body, my musculoskeletal system is taking a hit. i am pushing my femur forward in the acetabulum, continuing to impinge the joint. what?! furthering impingement? yes, that is correct.
where to go from here?
well, thankfully my pt has a course of action. this course of actions starts with two very simple glute activating exercises. yes, i will be working on re-activating my glutes to start working again. from there it is retraining my body, and fixing the musculoskeletal issues. we will be working to get my femur back into correct positioning.
not out of the woods, but i am a glute exercise away! ...of sorts...
so i have been hesitant to write any updates. i don't want to jinx any progress!
the beginning of this month, pretty much right on my 8 month surgery anniversary, i woke up pain free. yes, you read that right...pain free.
now, see, the hesitance comes from my track record. my hip starts feeling better, i push it, and am then back to peg...way to far down the board, that i have lost hope in all of this too many times.
to be honest, i saw a glimmer of what my life IS going to look like. my muscles were loose, my joint was smooth, and i did not feel limited. it was really freeing. it made me realize how much i have been letting my physical limitation, especially pain, hold be back. the reality is that mechanically i am golden now. the pain i feel, once again, is tendons and muscles working and doing things they have not done in at least three months, more realistically closer to a year. my body is not working perfectly which brings about aches and pains, but with time this will all subside. i am thankful for the glimmer of what is to come and for the continued healing
this process has been depressing. the reality is that i am a fragile person. i may seem tough and together, but i am the one who is lulled to sleep by my anxiety.
the big breakthrough happened a few days after i finally, truly, gave up a lot of my worry. i finally rallied a troop of people to pray for me, i let go, and let God take control. i know it sounds so cheesy and cliche, but it was the only thing that has taken my mind off of my pain, given me a few good days and allowed me to free myself from the chains of this ordeal. it is so easy to get caught up in the circle of disappointment in all of this, but the reality is, i am blessed. i have insurance, my finances always iron out no matter how stressful, and i am taken care of.
i am still reminded that this has never been life or death. i am still in tact and matter of fact i am functioning better than i was 15 months ago.
while having coffee with a dear friend this morning i ran into a customer i have not see in a few months. he was thin, wearing a stocking cap with his stringy hair peeking out from underneath. we were chatting and catching up, and he so nicely asked me how i was doing with my hip, not working right now and he was encouraging about the benefits of a positive attitude in all of this. he pointed to his cap "this isn't a fashion statement".
i politely asked, "if you don't mind, can i ask what happened?"
"leukemia" he said.
a few months ago he started feeling neck and back pain, and a fever that spiked and fell consistently. two months ago he went to the ER and was in chemo the next day. the doctor told him if he would have waited two more weeks he wouldn't be alive.
i held it together, holding back tears and encouraged him at the end; and as he was turning to walk away i told him "i don't know if you subscribe to it, but i will be praying for you."
he stopped, and said "i do".
he told me he has had a lot of people praying for him. family, friends and a Bible study. he truly believes that after only two months of chemo, the only reasons why he is alive and in remission, yes! REMISSION, is that people have been praying and he has not allowed himself to pity the situation once!
i am blessed. i have never had the words, if you would have waited two more weeks you wouldn't be here.
i am blessed. i am in recovery, i am healing and my pain is less by the day.
i am blessed. i have a peace that passes all understanding in this, all when i let go and let God take care of me and my situation.
i got the call from my surgeon today. i'm still wondering if it was good news or bad news. the build up for this last week has been hope for an answer. a definite answer as to why i am in this much pain.
good news is that my labrum and cartilage look great. everything is attached, no debris, looking good. the only abnormality, if that is even what you can call it that, is that the capsule is not healed yet. the capsule is removed/pulled away during surgery so that the surgeon can pull the femur out of the socket, and get to the femur and acetabulum for bone removal.
my surgeon doesn't usually do an mri-a at this point post-op so we really don't know what the capsule should look like. we are at a complete loss as to what might be causing me this much pain at this point. this is deflating. all i wanted was a, "this is what is causing the pain".
i am left with a waiting period and praying that things will settle down. my 3 months of disability may be extended and with no answers i am wondering what is next. i am completely confused and baffled by my body. just plain confused.
i will get in to see the pt, hopefully in the next two weeks, to see what we can do to get my body functioning properly again.
thankfully my hope is not in my abilities or what i can accomplish, but in the unseen. this is not the end all to be all. this is just the continuation of this journey. i have more to gain from this struggle and i don't want to miss the opportunity while i wallow in my pain.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
