Dry Run

Today I had a PT session and then I did a dry run to the hospital in which I will be working the next year. I drove all the way there, went out to lunch, went to the hospital, and then looked for iPhones at two stores at a mall and drove back home.

This landed me on bed with a heading pad taking Tylenol #3 with codeine.

I have a long way to come to be able to put in a full day at the hospital in two weeks. eep.

Having said all this though, I have gained some extension which makes walking a lot easier! woot.

7 Weeks Post-Op

Today marks the 7 weeks date since I have had my surgery. I can hardly believe that it has been almost two months! I really wish that I could say that things are going smoothly and I was happy I had the surgery, but I can't do that. I still have more groin pain than I did before surgery and my muscles are so weak and sore all of the time that the compensatory pattern really does a deal on my gait (and back pain). I wish I could also say that I am advancing and making gains. But, I am so thankful that I have PT on a regular basis now since I felt like I was just sitting around stiffening up for the last 6 weeks. I need this to help me recover.

The thing that bothers me the most is the nighttime pain. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in 6 days. It really makes me feel miserable and crabby. I think that it is a combination of inactivity (not doing enough to make me tired) and pain. I have significant groin pain that throbs and prevents me from finding a comfy position in which to sleep. I have tried everything and last night I was tired of throbbing so I took an oxycodone. It took my pain away within 35 minutes and it was much appreciated! Although my sleep wasn't natural sleep last night, it was good to not lie there throbbing. I really hate to take such heavy drugs, but if I will help the pain, I suppose I should break down and take them. Gosh, I hate that this hip is still acting like this. Hopefully I will turn a corner soon and start to get some progress.

So sorry for the rant. I believe that makes two negative posts in a row. Perhaps I'll have better news in the near future with me doing PT.

When PT Starts

Yesterday I had my first PT session. And I think that I'll stay with this guy for the remainder of my rehabilitation; 3 months and counting!

As of now I have very limited ROM and a very inflamed/stiff hip. I can't flex to 90* without groin pain, I have 0* of internal rotation, 30*of external rotation, and 0* of extension. It will be interesting to see how I am able to increase the motion as I progress through the PT protocol.

Also yesterday my brother sent me a balloon and a package of chocolate covered fruit (strawberries, apples, and oranges) to brighten my day! He is too sweet and thoughtful and really made me smile. He's so cute, I went to his place for a family BBQ this past weekend and I wasn't feeling great and he noticed that so he sent something to make me feel better. He did the same thing after my first surgery with flowers. What a great brother! I miss our shenanigans when we went to undergrad together!

Must. Take. It. Easy.

Seriously, I have to take my own advice and take it easy. This past week and a half has been incredibly busy and now I am paying for it and feel like I have gone three weeks backward. To summarize what I have done this past two weeks is: traveled to Niagara Falls, walked around there for a good 8 hours on crutches, drove back home, drove to school (11 hours drive), hung out with friends, drove to neighbouring cities to do things, drove another 4 hour (one way) to visit my brother. Needless to say, way too much sitting and standing makes for an unhappy hip.

This is fairly foolish of myself since my hip and I are standing on thin ice as it is but, I had figured that I have to live and after 5.5 weeks of lying around doing nothing I was up for the challenge. Now, I am paying for my lack of self control in limiting my activities. Seriously, I should have known better.

I am 6 weeks and 5 days post op today and here is an idea of the things I can and cannot do:

Can do:

shower and have a bath

walk unaided

not take any narcotics at all (day or night)

go up and down stairs unaided

wear normal shorts

dress myself (some modifications necessary still)

shave my legs (again modifications necessary)

drive

Can't do:

put socks and shoes

bend past 90*

make it through the day without a medication (Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Muscle relaxants)

walk without a limp

bend over at all

do stairs one at a time

paint toe nails

walk more than a block

make it through one minute without thinking of my hip

move in bed without waking up

As far as pain levels go, I think that I am still worse than before my surgery. Not only do I have the nagging groin pain still (2/10 on a pain scale) but I also have the muscular pain (and spasms) that go along with having surgery. Plus, my hip feels inflamed and I am still very swollen (I have developed a pooch of swelling on my butt/hip area that looks like a half of a baseball has been placed under the skin)....lovely. Also, the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve was moved during surgery so it has lead to a patch of hypersensitivity on my lateral thigh.

I apologize for being so negative, but I have not found any improvement at all and am hoping that this surgery was not all for not. I realize that I have to have another surgery to really get fixed, but it is hard to keep a positive attitude towards recovery when you aren't expecting a full recovery. After putting that into words, I really realize how negative I sound. Man! But, there IS a chance that this surgery could help my pain levels. I guess I'll have to pour my energy into rehabbing properly so that I can make the most out of my current hip situation. The PT quest begins today at 3pm :)

When it rains it pours.

So this has been one of the hardest weeks in my life. All within 3 days I:

a) had to leave my friends at school who I will not see for a year because I am doing my clinicals far away from my school

b) was given the news that I will need another hip surgery

c) my boyfriend broke up with me.

Not only do I have a broken hip; I have a broken heart.

I think that I'l go soak in the bath for a while.

Will this ever end?

Warning, vent may proceed.

Seriously, my hips are trying to make my life more and more difficult. It is exhausting to always be thinking and worrying how much pain I will be in and if the surgeries I have had will help alleviate the pain enough to function. Sigh.

Yesterday I had my 6 week follow-up with my orthopaedic surgeon and it went exactly how I feared. By now I should have had some pain relief and I do not :( So, my files are getting sent to Dr. Philippon to see if I am a candidate for labral reconstruction using my IT band. The OS was great and fully explained everything in detail and answered all of my questions. This was a stark contrast to his PA who I originally had in the appointment. Initially the PA came in and asked how my pain levels were and how I felt, I told him and he replied that it was normal for 2 weeks post-op. I quickly told him that I was 6 weeks post-op. He proceeded to say that it was normal to be stiff and we could start PT and see him in 6 weeks and, that was it! I was stunned. I explained how my surgery went and that the pain levels at the 6 week mark would be an indicator of whether or not I need reconstructive surgery, etc., etc. To which he replied that he would get the surgeon for me to meet. Seriously, I traveled all the way back to school (11 hours drive) to have this appointment and I wasn't even going to see the surgeon; I think not! It ended up that my surgeon spent about 20 minutes with me explaining the pictures from surgery, the next options, the future of my hip, etc.

So, as it stands, I am going to need reconstructive surgery. I am going to try and suck it up and get it done in two years time after I am at the end of medical school and before residency. But, if this past surgery didn't alleviate any of the pain and I can't stand long enough to do well on my rotations in the hospital, I will have to get it done sooner and take a year off from school. At this point I am sick and tired of having sore hips. So I am currently waiting to hear back from Dr. Philippon and I suppose we will go from there. I HATE HIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pumped For Some Action In Life!

It is official, I am so over this lying-around-doing-nothing deal. Phew. It feels like it drags on forever and ever, yet goes so quickly. I am now almost 5 weeks post op and am looking forward to moving on, out of the hip brace, and hopefully cleared to start physiotherapy after my OS appointment early next week.

I have found a physiotherapy clinic right near my house which has a physiotherapist that has worked with people with hip scopes and even has office hours on Saturdays. Having Saturday appointments is essential, especially when I get back to working in the hospitals since my hours will be unpredictable and am more likely to have a Saturday or two off which will help me get my appointments in. The only downfall is that I am going to be paying out of pocket since I have health insurance in the States and not in Canada. $40 a pop! But, worth it if it will help me recover. And, it can't be worse than the last physiotherapist I saw for my previous two surgeries: $45 each visit, 25 minute drive, to see the physiotherapist for ~8 minutes - not cool.

I already know that I have three months of physiotherapy if I follow my OS protocol (which I intend on doing to a T). But that brings me into a very busy rotation and I seriously wonder how I will fit it in whilst putting in 12 hour+ days at some points. But, health is important I will make it work.

On a happier note my boyfriend is coming into town this evening and we are going to have a fun filled weekend full of friends. I think that we might even go and see Niagara Falls! I'll probably have to crutch around since I am only just managing to gimp around without crutches inside the house for the last three days and I don't want to over-do things. But it will be great to get out of the house and do something fun. We then are going to road-trip it back to where I went to school where I'll see friends there and have my follow-up since my OS is affiliated with my medical school. The 11 hour drive will stink since I'll probably get stiff, but I am totally looking forward to hanging out and doing fun things.