All good, for now

Last week I had a check up with the orthopedic surgeon here in Atlanta (not the one who performed my surgeries). It has been 7 months since the left hip resurfacing and 10 months since the right hip core decompression. The x-rays looked fine! The right hip hurts from time to time. Because the surgery I had was intended to keep it from getting worse, there is still some damage to that hip which will cause pain sometimes. The pain is completely tolerable, but it was disconcerting to worry that the disease process could be worsening meaning I'd need another surgery sometime soon. I'm relieved to find out that this doesn't seem to be the case. My left hip (the metal one) looked good too. The doctor told me, again, all of the reasons why a resurfacing might not work for me, as I was happily standing there in no pain with my x-ray indicating no issues. I've been walking 2 or 3 miles pretty much daily, and my quality of life is extremely improved over what it was last year, so even if the resurfacing were to fail at some point I have gained much joy and use out of it already. The lingering muscle soreness has faded to a point where it's nearly imperceptible, and even my scar doesn't look that bad considering it's less than a year old.

At work the other day someone said "you look like you're walking comfortably." I didn't know what she was talking about--I looked at my shoes to see if they were particularly comfortable. Then I remembered she must be talking about my hip! Actually I've been walking comfortably for a while now but I guess she just noticed. So, it's hardly even on my mind these days.

The doc took shoulder x-rays too, but he's not a shoulder specialist. He didn't see anything to worry about but I'll mail them to Baltimore so they can interpret them. The left shoulder hurts intermittently, but less than before the surgery. So, all's well for now!

Back to Baltimore

I haven't posted for several months... just to give you all the hip update, my hips are doing well! My left resurfaced hip is good--the muscles are sometimes sore, but it gets better and better. If I sit for a long time and then get up it can be stiff. All in all, I'd say I'm a whole lot better than before surgery and about 90-95% of normal. As for the right hip that had the core decompression, it seems pretty good too. I've been walking a lot lately and it only seems to hurt every once in a while, usually when rain is coming. The core decompression ideally stops the progression of the bone loss but there is still damage to the bone and cartilage, so it's not surprising that it aches a little sometimes.

I found out a couple of months ago that I also have ON of the shoulders. The doctors here in Atlanta didn't really have any suggestions and thought I should do nothing. Replacements and resurfacings for shoulders do not seem to be as common or successful as for hips, and I'm not a fan of the idea of doing nothing while my bone dies. Dr. Mont in Baltimore thinks that we can slow or stop the progression with CD's of both shoulders, so we are leaving tomorrow to go for more surgery. Thank goodness I don't walk on my hands, so the shoulders aren't weigh-bearing! That means the recovery, although it might be painful, shouldn't affect my life as much as with the hips (although I might not be able to drive for a little while).

I'll update and let y'all know about the shoulder surgery.

5 week check-up

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted... I've been busy! Last week I was back at work full-time and it went pretty well. I need to get up and walk around pretty often, or else my hip gets stiff and sore. Wednesday I had my five-week check-up here in Atlanta with Dr. Steven Smith. The x-ray of the resurfacing looked good and the doctor told me I could transition to walking without a cane. The right hip looks good too, so far. Of course I started immediately walking around the office without a cane to show off--and after I sat down and did some work, then got back up, *ouch* the muscles were sore!

I've still got a bit of a limp, which is worse when I've been sitting and first get up and am stiff and sore. Once I get going I don't think it's very noticeable, although I haven't made another video yet. Yesterday Danielle and I did all kinds of shopping and I was on my feet for hours--way longer than I've spent doing that kind of thing for a while! I was definitely sore but this morning I'm fine. Before the surgery, I couldn't have spent that much time on my feet, and would hardly be able to get up out of bed the next day. The muscles still get quite sore, but I'm looking forward to physical therapy which should help me with that.

4 weeks out!

I'm four weeks out from my hip resurfacing surgery today. No film today; I don't have Boppa around for the commentary anyway. I'm back at home in my condo (on the third floor, no stairs). Getting up the stairs is okay; I just plan my trips and have help so I'm not constantly running up and down.

I started back to work some this week. I've been going into the office for several hours each day and also doing some work from home. Last night I took of my stockings (the lovely anti-embolism T.E.D.s) and my left (operated) foot was swollen. I've heard of this happening after surgery, but the fact that it hadn't been noticeably swollen up until then (even after surgery) worried me a little. I was pretty active, working and then straightening up at home, so I decided to work from home today and keep my feet up. I think it worked--it doesn't look swollen at all anymore. Of course I'm bored to tears and missing a backyard bonfire as I write, but it's too hot for a bonfire anyway. Right??

Oh--one other hip-related thing happened. As I've said before, I'm not supposed to bend the hip over 90 degrees. In other words, I can sit up straight but can't lean forward. When lying down, I can bend the knee but can't pull the knee forward to my chest. Etc. Anyway, I was sound asleep and my beloved cat Poe was snuggling up to me (something he hasn't done much since I've been back--he's still a little mad at me for leaving him). I awoke to hear, at close range, the gagging sound he makes right before he coughs up a hairball or pukes. This cat weighs 17 pounds and is very stubborn, so pushing doesn't work--you have to pick him up. I sat up and threw him off the bed just in time! As soon as I did so I felt pain in the hip and thought, uh-oh, I forgot to be careful about the 90 degrees... I was still mostly asleep so I'm not sure how much I bent but IF it was more than I was supposed to, it wasn't by much--I don't think I could do much more even if I tried. In any case it feels fine, thank goodness. I was a little worried how I was going to explain to the doctor "um, I dislocated my resurfacing trying to avoid getting puked on by the cat..."

Rae-Rae gets a cane!

At first my niece Rachel seemed to be afraid of me with crutches or a cane but more recently has taken to holding onto them while I'm walking. Last night she came over and turned over a basket of Christmas cards that also had one of those candy canes filled with Hershey kisses in it. She immediately picked up the cane and started walking with it, just like me with my cane! I wish these pictures had been better but my camera is clearly not made for high-action photos...

The Famous Sock Putter-On-er

My parents seem to be fascinated with this tool so I wanted to share with you... I can't bend the hip more than 90 degrees so I can't reach over to put on socks (or to shave my legs--so I got 'em waxed today). The hospital sent me home with this nifty tool to help with the socks. I also have a grabber to put the sock and tool over the foot to start out, and to take the sock off, pick things up off the floor, etc.

Thanks to Anne for the photo which is great, other than the funny face I'm making (hey, I'm concentrating!).

To answer yesterday's comment, yes, I'm talking with other people who have had the procedure. I found listservs for people with my condition and also for people who have had this surgery. It's very helpful to be able to communicate with others in the same boat, and I've also learned a lot that way. It's nice to be in touch with people who can relate to my specific experience, but really, I think anyone who's ever had to deal with something sucky in life can relate just fine! Besides, just knowing that so many people are rooting for me makes a big difference in my attitude and morale.

3 week video

I'm feeling pretty good... still have pain in the hip. From time to time there are sharp, stabbing pains in the skin, muscles and even what feels like deep in the bone. I think these have something to do with the healing process; I just keep imagining that what I'm feeling are nerves and things sort of stitching themselves back together. And, I'm sore at the end of the day, especially if I've walked or been more active than usual. Doing normal stuff like errands seems to tire me out pretty quickly.



I have been discharged by the home health nurse and have "graduated" from physical therapy! The home health nurse says my incision looks great and my scar should be minimal. (To me it looks horrible, but I don't have a lot of experience with surgical scars--thank goodness.) My PT Tom says there is nothing left to teach me, that I just need to keep doing my exercises until the restrictions have been lifted and I can start doing outpatient therapy. Also he okayed me to walk with a cane, check out the video!