mover and shaker

my dad had the bright idea of cleaning the carpet on monday. with that my help was needed, of course. I played it pretty easy for most of the morning, sticking to vacuuming and washing couch cushions telling my dad that I couldn't move the couches, like the good hip cripple I am.

well, when it came to my room, like the control freak and dreamer I am (yes, it is a dynamic combo), I decided that monday was the day every piece of my furniture was going to be re-arranged. dresser, book shelf, armoire, bed....all of it! no biggie, right? it really wasn't, until today! okay hip, duely noted *cowering*.

so what to do now? I tried a walk with the dog and now a pumpkin ale...lets see what works best...i have a feeling I know what will ;)

so part of getting the go-ahead for surgery is me finding as many videos on the surgery...good thing or bad thing...hmmmm...

oh for it to be january...

Whelp, met with my surgeon yesterday. All in all a relieving visit. A lot more validation as to why i am feeling and the way I am. And surgery is three months out!

Turns out I do have femoral acetabular impingement (fai), with a turned hip socket, labral tearing (which includes cartlage delamination), and damage in general from the wear and tear of a misshapen femoral/acetabular joint.

I'm an info junkie and I thrive on the details so to have a surgeon who went through everything in detail was a huge relief. He was honest about the success rate, complications and general reality of the surgery.

So for details...at this point my surgery date is three months out, God willing I make it that long! I will be out of work about 6 weeks and fully recovered anywhere from 6 months to a year. The success rate is 60%-80% and with the bounty of findings I am a perfect candidate (hoping this means full recovery for me!). If the surgery is not a success I will have to live with it until a full replacement happens. This is, of course, worse case scenario. I'm just a realist wanting to know all the possibilities. There are possibilities of arthritis with the cartlage damage already incurred, but I have hope things will get cleaned up and I will be good as new!

At 26 I never thought I would be going in for hip surgery, but I will be ringing in the new year with a new outlook, and a repaired hip!

And in the mean time here's to pain management for three months :|

consultation day is soon upon me

tomorrow is consultation day! the long awaited day has finally arrived and do i ever have a lot of questions with hopefully a lot of answers! i will have a very intriguing post for everyone to read tomorrow :)

A week and a half, on october 20th I finally get my surgery consultation. I can't believe it is almost here.i get nervous thinking about going under, the recovery and financially surviving on disability. So much to think about and prepare for. I'm soo ready for surgery though. The pain has been intense the last few days. It feels like I have something packed in the joint, maybe a fluid build up, or it really grosses me out to think of maybe labrum particles...argh...the intensity of the pain had increased and I feel as if my range of motion is deteriorating. I'm ready to be in recovery! Here's hoping surgery follows close behind the consultation...

good day, bad day

there are good days and bad days with a torn labrum. around that time of the month, cold weather, after deciding you feel like skipping down the street, running in the rain...all times when the pain radiates from the joint. its a pain that is like a memory. your body tenses in anticipation of it. muscles spasm and your body shakes. it honestly takes every ounce of energy out of me. it isn't even that the pain is that bad, it is how my body reacts to it. it also does a mind trick where i emotionally and physically shut-down. it is like my body is self preserving and telling me to stop.

bad day please turn around into many good days...

hurdles

9.23.10

physical therapy in essence was nothing but twenty dollars down the drain. i was told there was nothing my pt could do for me at this point. i had these lofty hopes i could get strenthening underway before surgery hit, but that was crushed. i am more than deflated...i thought there was more i could do pre-op to make post-op life a bit easier. the reality is sobering...

i was even more devastated to find out there might be warning signs of osteoarthritis...talk about a downer. at 26 i shouldn't feel like an 85 year-old woman, but after a long day i hurt...i wake up achy and now the possibility that i will live with the prospect of hip replacement in my lifetime. i might be looking too far ahead, but to know my life will forever be altered by this is a hard pill to swallow.

let's look at the positive. from going to the pt i was able to read the mri-a results, hence the arthritis scare, and find out where my tear is. i have an anterior tear (@ the front of my hip socket). affirming the pain i feel when i sit down is the pain i feel from the tear and not something else. i like having the details, putting the pieces together and knowing where things are jacked up and why i am in pain.

i am ultimately blessed beyond my own belief. i have such an amazing support system that lets me complain and cry when i need to and that is there for me every step of the way. i am thankful to not go at this alone.