Latest Developments

This past week has been insane.  Literally a roller coaster of ups and downs.  I am proud to say that I have not used crutches for two whole days!  Yup, you read correctly, I haven't even touched them once.  Woohoo.  I am getting stronger.  I promise, promise that I will never ever take walking for granted.  I love having my hands free and able to carry things.  Plus it really helps my glutes get stronger with all the walking I am doing.  I am so happy!!!  My right hip joint still feels wonderful.  It has no pinching and amazing range of motion.  I am thrilled at the results of the surgery so far.

Now, I wish I could keep going on and on about how great things are, but it really has been a stressful week.  First of all, I generally haven't been feeling great, just off.  It's weird.  My most recently op hip has been extremely swollen for three weeks now and it is not going down.  I have tried everything to get it down: ice, rest, elevation, effleurage, taping, compression shorts.  Nothing works.  I called my surgeon's PA and sent him a picture of my hip because it was swollen and painful.  After several phone calls and me seeing my relatively useless gp, we have started Keflex to ensure that I don't have an abnormal presentation of an infection (although nobody thinks it is an infection).  Other possibilities that were discussed where lymphatic drainage and pelvic DVT.  Although my gp refuses to believe that I could have a pelvic DVT (me being post-op, swelling, vein issues, and on birth control, why wouldn't you think about ruling it out?!) But after discussing with my surgeon's PA I was told that I had to agree with my gp's treatment and hold on until I can see we can figure out the swelling issue.  I certainly hope that it's all just inflammation from having surgery.

To add to this, I had an appointment with a vascular surgeon this week too.  I had what I thought was a varicose vein and wanted it treated because it repeatedly becomes inflamed.  Dealing with phlebitis every six weeks is not exactly what I want.  I have had it injected two times before by a different doctor, and thought this was going to be the same deal.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  It ends up that this dilated vein is coming, most likely, from my pelvis or abdomen.  He ordered abdominal, pelvic, and bilateral leg ultrasounds and doppler studies + mapping to see how big of a dilatation I have and how big of a surgery I will need.  At the very least I will need the area that is giving me pain cut out.  It will be a welcomed procedure as it will give me relief to one last thing I need to get taken care of before I head back to school.

I am so thankful that I have such a great support system and a great team of doctors (at least in Vail) backing me up and helping organize my health out.  I'm really not digging all of these problems going on at the moment, but I will get through this...hopefully feeling better soon!! :)