24 Days Post Op and NO MORE NARCS!

Last night was the first night that I didn't need to take my oxycodone to sleep. I was so darn tired from trying to walk. It is great to stop them. I assume that my evenings of taking the heavy duty meds are not done since I tend to over-do things. But, I'll take nothing as long as I can. Wahoo!!!!!!

I am still trying to get off these crutches. I can walk but it hurts my butt and my groin hurts when I stand on it. I can deal with the butt hurting because I assume that is from muscle weakness, but the groin pain....well, that makes me a bit worried since groin pain is what I had before my surgery and we are not very sure how successful this surgery will be. I have a gut feeling that my surgeon will want to send my file/images to Dr. Phillippon to review since I basically have a chunk missing of my labrum and I kinda need a labrum in my hip. But, I really think that this recent surgery has helped a little (at the very least) since I found myself accidentally internally rotating slightly; which is something that I haven't done in over two years! So, that is hopeful. I'll have my fingers and toes crossed until I hear the words directly from my surgeon that my hip will be good enough to live on without surgery. I hope that I won't be crossing them for much longer than the next two weeks!

And then she stood and (kinda) walked

Today, 3 weeks post op I:

STOOD FOR THE FIRST TIME

....removed picture..sorry!

KINDA WALKED FOR THE FIRST TIME:

...removed movie...sorry!

    

3 weeks (tomorrow)

Tomorrow marks the three week mark and also the time at which I can begin to weight bear. We won't tell anybody that I actually started today because I was really excited to try out my strength and (hopefully) fixed hip. One day early won't hurt anybody, right? :)

I tried to stand but my little quads won't hold me up. Honestly, my thigh is smaller than my knee! It looks really disgusting, but me walking will really help improve my strength. Give me a week and I'll be off them completely! Also, to aid in my learning how to walk again, I have borrowed a walker from my grandparents. Gosh, that sounds like I stole my grandparents walker! But, really, they only used it when my Grampa got his hips and knee replaced; so they currently aren't using it, really! :P

Today I went to the ice rink to say hi to the kids I used to teach and my partner coaches. It was really great to see them all again. Since I've moved back home and the rink is right on my way home from the hospital at which I will be working this upcoming year, I plan on teaching some to make some gas money. They are really looking forward to having me back since I've been gone for two years for the didactic portion of medical school. I am really looking forward to starting up teaching again. That is now my goal, to be able to teach again...on skates! That could be like my working out since I won't have access to a gym during my next years in the hospitals. Going really, really makes me want to heal up so that I can go back. I absolutely love coaching skating and hope that this past surgery really does the trick so that I can!

Whilst at the rink today, all of the people looked at me and just stared; they didn't know what to say. So, I piped up and asked them how they were, multiple times different people responded: "Better than you!" Really?! That is the best that a handful of fellow coaches could come up with? Staring and saying that?! Obviously in this hip brace and on crutches it looks like a huge ordeal. I suppose that it is a big deal having surgery like this, but all the staring really didn't make me feel very good. The worse was when I saw my old coach (with whom I teach now), his jaw almost dropped to the floor when he saw me. It really made me sad to see him so stunned at what I looked like. Really, the problem is that don't like the extra attention; it drives me absolutely nuts! Just ignore it and I'll deal with it myself. It doesn't mean be mean and run me over while I am using crutches, just be courteous, and continue on with whatever you are doing. I suppose that others would want to have more, but I can't stand the attention! Blaaaaaaah :S

How do you deal with the extra attention given by others? I CAN'T STAND IT!

17 Days Post Op

Yepppp.........it certainly has been more than two weeks and yep, I wanted to post on the two week date, but I didn't get around to it. Not that I have any excuses since all I do is lie around on my butt all day; it just didn't happen.

Quickie update: my incisions look great! (I'll post pictures sometime) :) They are quite deep scars though which is mostly because the sutures were not tight and the skin filled in with a gap. No worries though, I'd really rather have more impressive battle wounds! I will have worked hard for all 7 scope scars on my left hip and four on my right. Furthermore, my previous surgeon left very, very tiny scars and this surgeon's scars are gonna be twice as large (in both length and width). Twice as large for twice as successful surgery, right? :P

The last two days have really been a struggle. I was feeling fairly good prior to the last couple of days. The only thing that I can think that has caused this flare up is the fact that I had been feeling so good that I must have over-exerted myself. It is quite sad to think that going to Wal-Mart and beelining it to the womens section, grabbing a pair of leggings (and a shirt) and then checking out ASAP could have caused this. It is absolutely incredible how weak one can get after surgery. I feel like I could sleep all of the time and by 10 o'clock in the evening I am passed out on the recliner (my favourite spot in the world)!

One thing that is puzzling me is that my leg and foot tend to go purple if I don't have it elevated on a pillow all of the time. Honestly, yesterday I took a shower (with my fantabulous chair), and by the end I was purple to the knee. I immediately put my feet up on a pillow whilst in the recliner and it was gone in half an hour or so, but still annoying. It seems like a circulation issue to me but my Mum is horrified every time she sees it. Then I reassure her that it is not a DVT and act all cool, when I really can't figure out why my foot/leg started to turn purple when not elevated at two weeks out. I could call the doctor's office to ensure that things are alright, and i will call if it continues. It is more annoying than anything else.

Hip Arthroscopy Tips

1. eat lots so that you have some 'stores' for after surgery...there should always be an excuse to eat more! LOL
2. nighties are essential for sleeping/living in after surgery...easy on, easy off
3. sundresses...they functioned the same as the nightie during the day but a lot cuter
4. recliner chair...SO comfy for afterwards
5. travel pillow for when lying in the reclining chair
6. shower chair...I just got one for this time 'round and LOVE it! It makes things so much easier
7. frozen peas in large plastic ziplock baggies...they form to any place you want to put them. I made up several bags since I had to ice my ankle, knee, and hip since they were all under traction
8. stretchy, small underwear...seriously the less that touches around the hip the better
9. laxative for the inevitable post-op constipation that comes with taking heavy duty pain killers...just make sure not to OD on these because you'll have another problem on your hands
10. tight fitting undershirts and those tights that everybody wears (I got some just to the knees)...I can't stand the plastic brace touching my skin as it instantly sweats
11. have friends and family over after the surgery because being laid up and alone all day does nothing to boost your spirits.
12. write about your recovery. I have found that keeping a blog is a great way to put down feelings. It helps with the recovery process and may, in fact, help somebody in the future. (that is, if anybody reads this LOL)
13. do absolutely anything and everything that the surgeon tells you to do :)

Some Pictures

I thought that I needed to spice up the blog a bit so here are some pictures:

 

Driving home:

All bandaged and braced up:

My Heart Sank

I am having a heck of a time sleeping these days. Seriously, you would think that being on oxycodone would just wipe you out and induce deep sleep. But no! I believe that I have developed a bit of tolerance since now I don't sleep whilst on the pills; I simply lie in a half-conscious state for about five hours...not really sleeping, but not really awake. This is not a good way to spend every night from midnight until 5AM! At least I am able to sleep in in the mornings so I am not too crabby during the day.

Anywho, last night whilst waiting for the pills to make me 'relaxed' I was trying to figure out where my pain was the worst, and I noticed that it was in my groin area. Now, I initially didn't think anything of it, until I remembered that right after my first surgery (the right side) I didn't have any groin pain whatsoever. All pre-op pain was gone and it was just the surgical pain that was remaining. And for my first scope on my left side I didn't get any groin pain relief and it failed to heal!

So now that I have groin pain, it really makes me wonder how much relief I am really going to get from this surgery. The success of the surgery really depends on what portion of the labrum is causing me grief and this issue has been eating away at the back of my mind since the surgery. I am focusing on being positive and am doing everything I am supposed to post-op in order for this surgery to help. But my heart sank just a little to realize that I still have groin pain. I tried to tell myself that perhaps it is the 2 anchors he managed to get in that were causing the groin pain, and maybe that is the truth, but it is hard to suppress the fact that I may need reconstructive surgery. The thought of yet another hip surgery makes my stomach tighten as I have no idea how I would fit it into my school schedule being that I have used up my vacation/medical leave from school for the next two years. I suppose I'll deal with that if further surgery is needed. I don't want to be borrowing trouble or stress but it is just so darn hard to not be disappointed that there is a real possibility that all of the surgeries to date on my left hip may fail. Gulp. I will know more at my 6 week follow-up with my surgeon.

On a happier note though, my best friend is bringing fast food over for lunch today and we are going to watch chick flicks all day :)