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Monday, May 31, 2010

The Last Hurrah

Yesterday I went to an amusement park to enjoy my last days of mobility before my hip surgery. It was an absolute blast! I had so much fun, despite limping back to the car after our day. It was totally worth the pain. Now I am more sore than 'normal' but I can't complain at all since my Mum insisted that I not go because it would make me sore!

I had a great weekend out of town visiting my brother, shopping, amusement park, etc. These things I would normally not do due to my hip hurting so much but considering I will hurt even more in less than 48 hours, I think it was worth it.

I am starting to get nervous now since tomorrow is the day I travel up to the town in which the hospital is located. I can't believe how quickly this surgery has crept up on me. It feels strange to be preparing to go into the operating room again. It feels just like yesterday I was getting ready to have my right hip operated on, now I am getting my left done. One and a half years ago, if somebody told me that I would need the same thing done on my other hip I think that I might have freaked out. But, I have had a great, albeit long, recovery from my first surgery and am totally willing to take the risk of having surgery to have a hope of a life without hip pain. So tomorrow is packing up some essentials for an overnight stay in a hotel, and making sure everything is clean enough around the house to make maneuvering as easy as possible when I get home from the hospital.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Getting Everything Together

I have now had everything all done and am getting prepared for surgery. I currently am looking to buy some cute sundresses so that I can look cute and not have anything extra tight on my hips. I have picked up some light-weight aluminum crutches, and will make some fabric coverings so as they don't chafe my underarms while I use them. I just want this to be over with because the longer it goes on, the more I think/worry about having surgery. And I can't keep on living the way I am currently living; in pain. So I am looking forwards to getting my hip fixed, but am terrified of the surgery. But such is life.

...now I am really enjoying my last days with mobility: shopping (today), amusement park tomorrow :), visiting family, etc. :):):)

Friday, May 28, 2010

Pre-Op Medical Stuff DONE

Yesterday I went for my electrocardiogram. It was extremely harmless and quick. This is the last thing that I needed to do before I can get my surgery. The big day is next week....actually in five days I will be out of town the day before the surgery. Since I have to travel and be at the hospital at 6:00AM, we have decided to go up the day before so that we don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to travel to the town in which the hospital is located.

So, as long as the blood tests and the electrocardiogram come back negative, I only have five full days to live with a sore, impinged, torn hip then I can work towards recovery.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Pre-Op Medical Tests (almost) Done

Two days ago I had a phone interview with the pre-admission clinic to get the details of what is going to happen on the surgery day (all of which I already knew since I have been through this before). And then today I had a pre-op physical and blood work done. The clinic here at school would not perform an EKG because people over 50 and those who medically need an EKG can get one. So now I have to call my surgeons office, ask if I really need an EKG (and if so why). I can always get this done when I am at home but this is putting it less than a week before the surgery. The secretary made it very clear that she wanted the stuff ASAP, but the EKG thing is not going to happen in this fashion. I guess I'll wait until Tuesday to see if I need to still get an EKG, why I need to get an EKG, and then actually book an EKG if the surgeon still insists on getting an EKG.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Too Soon eek!!!!!!

My surgery is coming up way to soon. I am getting nervous and I still have more than two weeks. eek.This upcoming week I have a phone interview with the pre-admission clinic and then I have a pre-op physical booked this week too. The next week I finally finish exams and move home, which gives me 5 days at home before going in. In which time I have totally jam packed my days full of stuff I need to get done.

I have been researching about the indications regarding when an electrocardiogram should be ordered pre-operatively, and I am now slightly concerned about why my surgeon has made a point of making sure that I get an ECG. According to some journal articles I read, it is not indicated (usually) unless you are older than I, or have a cardiac condition. Since I am 25 years old, I find it hard to believe that I would be indicated to have one done. Especially for an ambulatory day-surgery. I know that doctors should not order tests unless the results will change the treatment plan (at least that is what they teach us here), so I am a bit concerned that something might have happened during my last surgery to warrant an ECG prior to this surgery. Also, this could be my paranoia kicking in, and this could actually be just a change in protocol from the last time. Either way, I will be sure to ask my surgeon when I see him in 2.5 weeks for the big day.

Friday, May 7, 2010

It Is Coming....

I just got off the phone with my surgeon's secretary and got a few things cleared away...

Apparently the surgeon wants more Xrays of my hip before the surgery, so I have to go into the hospital the day before the surgery to get more Xrays. Since I am the first case of the day I have to be at the hospital for 6AM. I have to drive out of town to get this surgery done so I would have gone up the day before anyway; I suppose going up a bit earlier to get Xrays is not really a big deal. She then gave me the speal about what to do the day of the surgery (ie where to go for pre-admit, make sure to bring crutches....ha, I kind of have an idea since I have been through this before, but she gave me the shortened version since I already know what is going to happen).

This time my surgeon wants a full pre-op physical though. Last time I had my hip scoped all he did was want blood work in addition to the Xrays. Now he wants even more Xrays and an EKG. It seems like last time I was missing out on the full pre-op work-up. So I have to make an appointment here at the clinic at school to get all my lab tests done and have them faxed to my surgeon's office back home.

So the plans are in place.....it is coming....the beginning of the end of sore hips!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Sleepy


So last night was the first full night sleep I was able to manage in five days. Last week I noticed that I had to toss and turn to fall asleep since I couldn't get comfortable, but these last few nights have not been good. I have such a busy schedule that any sleep is like gold and not being able to fall asleep is terrible. Two nights ago I only managed to get five hours sleep since I throb so much, no position is comfortable. This did me in since I had stuff to do from 6AM until 8PM, with no stopping. Needless to say, last night I came home and was in so much pain that I ended up taking a muscle relaxant and headed off to bead.


It would have been nice to have some stronger meds last night, but I am a poor student and the only thing that I had that would make me drowsy were muscle relaxants. But they did the job and I managed to get 9 hours sleep! Wahoo! Now I am a bit better but still am in more pain than I was a month ago. I am not quite sure what to make of this. I think that it might be due to the fact that I am sitting around on my butt more studying for hours upon hours and maybe this is aggrevating it? I hope so. Just a couple of more weeks and I'll be on my way to recovery. These past couple of days have really solidified the fact that I need the surgery done.


Rant over.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Pre-Admission Date (temporary)

Today I got a call trying to discuss my pre-admission appointment. My surgeon is being really good about this and has set up that I don't have to go to the hospital he is at to get my pre-op stuff done. He is sending the blood work and lab requests to my parents who are going to fax it to the clinic here at school (since I am 11 hours away from my home). Then I can have the lab work sent to him. Also, the pre-admission office is going to set up a phone appointment instead of having to go in and see them. So I am having a phone call on May 19th around 3pm.

When I had my right hip scoped I didn't have to go to the Pre-Admission Clinic so I am wondering why I have to go now. I don't even know what they are going to ask me. Honestly they have all the consent and everything. Ah well, I guess I will find out.

Having this appointment scheduled really hit me hard; this is actually going to happen. Eeek! I am getting so nervous. On the flip side though, I now only have four short weeks before I don't have to live with this darn tear and impingement. That is exciting.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

One Month to Go

I officially have one month to go. Since today is now May 2nd and I get surgery June 2nd. I can't believe that I only have to live with a labral tear and impingement 4 more weeks. I have had hip pain now for 3 years; from the onset of my right hip pain to the surgery for my left hip pain.

You know what is very coincidental? June 2nd, 2007 was the exact day that my initial hip symptoms started. Now June 2nd, 2010 marks the beginning of the end for my hip pain. (hopefully).

I never want to have to go through this type of hip pain again. Although not completely debilitating, meaning I could still mostly function, I couldn't (can't) do the things that a normal person my age should do. I can't go workout at the gym, I can't run, and now, I can't walk around the mall without having my lovely hip lock on me several times during the subsequent days. Another thing that I noticed is that I can no longer sleep on my left side. I have a lovely memory foam mattress that contours to my body, but this makes my actual hip sink in, and my knees don't, which causes slight internal rotation and I can't stand it for longer than a 5 minute length of time.

But....all of this will be gone once I get my hip all fixed up. I can't wait to get this over with so that I can heal and get on with my life. I think that the thing that I am most looking forward to is getting fit again. I used to be such an active person, and now the exercise I get is walking up and down my stairs at my apartment and walking across the street onto campus everyday.

So the countdown begins: 1 month :)