WOW!! Almost 3 months!

My 2 month appointment came and went!  In fact, I am almost 3 months past my surgery!  My surgeon is super excited about my progress and I am allowed to do pretty much anything except high-impact running.  I go beck in a year for a check-up.  I am so excited about how much I can do and without pain!!!  It is crazy.  I knew how much I was hindered in the past, but now I see how much my life has changed already.  My tendons are still a little tight and my range of motion is still restricted, so I am headed to a Physical therapist soon to get some ideas on stretching.  I have knocked out so many of my Kick the Cane list:  going to IKEA (twice now), went to the Southern Women's show, mowing the yard, bowling (that was the hardest, and a little painful), dancing, swimming, and walking at Riverwalk.  My plan is to continue crossing things off my list and just keep active! 

I am so much happier, and people have even told me how much more I am smiling.  My steps have increased from about 2,000-3,000 steps last year to 7,000-8,000 steps already!!  I am so grateful to have the surgery, and I know I am on such a better path!  The picture is from Riverwalk.

No More Cane!!

Wow!  A lot has happened since my last post.  I took my new hip to Denver!  We had a great time in Red Rocks, and going to a good friend's wedding.
 

I also traveled back to Virginia because my dad passed away.  It was very sad, but I know he is not suffering anymore.  He got to see me with my new hip, which is all he wanted. 

I have had so many new experiences without pain!  I can now walk without a cane at all.  I can clean, shop, get up, and so much more!  I went to my month check-up with the physician's assistant.  She was very impressed with my progress.  She reminded me of how difficult my surgery was for the surgeon, so I have to take it easy for another month.  No exercising and limit my daily steps to around 4,000.  I have to watch how I move my hip.  She did clear me to swim!

I went swimming, and it was so crazy to kick with my leg and not feel any pain!  It is so crazy!  I still take Tylonel about every 6-10 hours for some muscle pain.  I still walk with a slight limp, but the physician's assistant said that my muscles and ligaments will still be tight for awhile.  I can't wait to cross things off my Kick the Cane list!  Starting next month....it is ON!!

No More Walker!

      So I have been using a cane on occasion since 2 weeks post-op.  but still using the walker for longer distances.  For the past 2 days, I have only been using the cane.  I even went to the mall!  I didn't walk the entire mall...baby steps.  I have a limp, but significantly smaller than before (or so I am told by others).  I can do so many more movements with NO pain.  I still have one spot on my outer thigh that is sore and tightens up when I walk.  I can also not slide my leg inward when in a lying position more than like 4 times.  I am feeling better every day,  I am only down to using Tylenol only for pain and about every 6-8 hours instead of 4-6.  
       When I wake up in the morning,  I feel a little dizzy.  I have heard this could be a side effect of anesthesia.  I have ridden up to Virginia and back (My wonderful mom drove me!).  On the way there, I was super uncomfortable like every hour.  On the way back, I felt very little discomfort.  I went to Virginia to see my dad because he has stage 4 lung cancer, and is currently in Hospice.  My dad told me about 2 months ago, he just wants to know that I make it past my surgery with a new hip.  So, he got to see me walk.  I will always remember those precious moments with my dad!

    I am looking forward doing more things every day.  In fact, on Sunday I am going on an airplane and flying to Denver for a close friend's wedding!

2 Weeks Post-Op

       So, 2 weeks ago I went under the knife and got my hip replaced.  That was an....experience.  The day of surgery I was full of anxiety.  I think getting the IV in was the worst, apparently my veins in my hand were not cooperating.  The nurse eventually got the IV in, and then I met my anesthesiologist.  My surgeon came in to chat.  Then, after about almost 3 hours of pre-op "stuff,"  the anesthesiologist assistant came in to give me something to "take the edge off."  Then, I said goodbye to my mom and told her I loved her...and he wheeled me back.  Now, just let me say, they really need to de-clutter the hallways.  I honestly thought they were taking me to the basement or something with all the unused medical equipment sitting in the hallway.  Then, we went into this big operation room, and the anesthesiologist greeted me.  After that, I remember only bits and pieces. I guess I had to move from the bed to the table (no memory), but I do remember someone saying, "Jennifer you need to scoot over, you are not exactly in the middle of the table." 

      My next memory is in a huge open room, and nurses waking me up.  I asked, "Do I have a new hip?" A radiologist came in to tell me I was getting an X-Ray.  I asked, "Can I go to sleep?"  I remember the nurse calling me Jessica, and I said, "No, I'm Jennifer."  Then, I remember waking up and saying, "Where's my mom, am I going to see my mom?" Needless to say, it took about 2 hours for me to wake up.  Anybody that knows me, knows I love to sleep and have a hard time waking up. 

    Then I went to a room, and my mom came in.  I was starting to feel pain and asked for medicine and it did take a little while for me to get some meds.  I was still very tired, my throat was sore, and I was feeling nauseated.  My mom left because I was basically out of it.  The night was interesting, not a ton of sleep because they wake you up to put meds in, but it burned sometimes.  They also have to check your blood pressure and temperature.  My surgeon called the nurse at 10:45 to check on me, she was in my room.  He told her to ask me, "Do you like your longer leg?"  I was like...huh....it's 10:45 shouldn't he be in bed!   Going to the bathroom was a whole ordeal, but I got out of bed at about 1am...8 hours after surgery. 
     The next day, I got physically therapy at 7:45am.  My mom came at about 8am. I found out that the Doctor had injected my hip area with a medicine that is a combo anti-biotic and pain reliever that lasts for 5 days.   The doctor came in and explained the surgery (the doctor talked to my mom right after surgery, which scared my mom because no one was left in the waiting area and no one got called back to see the doctor!). 
      Apparently, my hip joint was impacted into my socket.  This made it difficult to get apart and all my tendons/ligaments had been shortened.  My left leg was approximately 2.5 cm shorter than my right, but he added 2 cm to my femur and the new joint should fix the rest.  So, he really had to stretch the tendons and barely had them connected.  He feels like scar tissue will fill in the rest and the tendons will stretch out over time.  The bulk of my pain, is the equivalent of hyper-extending your knee and pulling a muscle.
     Later that day, I had my IV and drain (no one told me about that) removed.  I had another round of Physical therapy and was cleared to go home.    I left the hospital approximately 24 hours after my surgery.  I have been very lucky and used a strong non-narcotic pain meds for 2 days and then used Tylenol during the day and the stronger meds at night.  I have 9 exercises I do 3 times a day (I started at 10 reps and am up to 15).  I walk the house 6 times a day with a walker.  I have been out 3 times, and I have even driven!  I am fully independent, my mom left yesterday. 
      I really didn't want to have to look at my incision, but I have to now that my mom is gone.  It really isn't as bad as I thought, but it is about 9-10 inches.  They used stitches in the inside, and glue on the outside.  I am so looking forward to moving from the walker to the cane, and then no more cane.  I go for a post-op check-up on the 22nd, in just 16 days.  Check back for an update. 

Dun....Dun...Dun

So today is the day....surgery day!  I have been dreaming about weird things, but last night it took the cake.  It involved fingernails....ewww!  Maybe because I am so nervous.  I have "white coat syndrome,"  I just don't like to be poked, prodded, and exposed.  I know, I know it is deep-seeded trust and control issues.  I wish I could just fast forward time, see that I got through it...that would make me loads more confident.  I wish I dreamt about that!

Something that seems even more bizarre than my dream, is that I am genuinely a little sad to lose my hip.  Yep, it is deformed, but it made me who I am in so many ways.  It is going to be weird, to not have that anymore, but some perfect man-made part in me.  I am sure I will get over it, as soon as I can walk and feel no pain!  Well, I have to go get ready for my day.  I am sure I will be uncomfortable all day, but I know it will be worth it.

By the way,  surprisingly I am not thirsty....yet!  (No eating or drinking after midnight! Surgery at 1:45 PM....going to be a long time before I get to drink anything)

"Kick the Cane" List

So, with the surgery quickly approaching...4 days...ekkk!  I need to have a list of positive things to look forward to after the surgery.  For starters, the pain is terrible right now because I had to stop my regular meds earlier this week.  I can't imagine what the pain will be like afterwards.  So instead of a "Kick the bucket" list, I am making a "Kick the cane" list.  This is a list of all the things I am looking forward to doing after surgery!  I hope to finish by August 2017, about 14 months after surgery.  This is in no particular order. 

1. Dance (duh!):  in my house, at a bar/club, in a dance class
2. Walking around businesses: IKEA, antique show, mall, Southern Living Christmas show
3. Walking on Nature Trails of a sort: River Walk, Around Winthrop Lake, the beach, Brookgreen Gardens, and Huntington State Park
4. Riverbanks Zoo
5.  Riding a bike
6.  Horseback Riding
7. Camping
8. Swimming in the ocean
9,  Travel to a new place and be a total tourist
10.  Go to a Knights game
11. Go to a festival of some sort
12. Wear cute shoes
13. Go Bowling
14. Play Putt-Putt

This list may be altered or amended at anytime. 

Medically Cleared

       I had my pre-op appointment on Wednesday and I learned a lot of information.  For starters, I learned I will most likely only stay in the hospital only one night.  I will have 2 physical therapy sessions while I am at the hospital before I will be sent home on my merry way.  I will not have another appointment until a month later!  I can't believe how easy it all seems!  I was given a lot of information about how to prepare before surgery and what to expect after surgery.  I still have no idea how the surgery will actually work.  I had connect with 9 different people at the hospital.  Everyone was very friendly and positive.  I had to have blood-drawn to have the thickness of my blood checked.  I also had to have to a staph infection check (my results were negative).  All in all, it was a great experience. 

      On a side-note, I was surprised at my end of the year faculty meeting when my co-workers gave me a basket filled with goodies to help me during recovery.  I was so touched!  I can't believe my surgery date is 2 weeks away!!!  I will unlikely post any information until after surgery.  

Emo time

So you may be wondering why I named this the path back to dance?  I have always loved to dance, and being unable to really dance has made me quite sad.  That is what I am most looking forward to, being able to shake it.  Plus, there are a ton of songs I really want to dance to:  Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling," Drake's "One Dance," Sia's "Cheap Thrills," and I know there are lots more. 

    If you read my post of Just the Facts, I tried to leave out all the emotions.  I really didn't think anything was that different for me until I thought I might have to have back surgery or wear a brace, but then I didn't need that either.  In high school, I was in marching band and I vividly remember the assistant band director trying to get my shoulders level and they just wouldn't (another side effect of the hip deformity).  I had a bit of a limp, and over the years it got slowly worse.  Being aware of this difference made me slightly depressed at times and an overall feeling of not being good enough.  I would ask God why I was made this way, and while I don't have a clear answer.  I do know, that it has made me humble and more sensitive to others' feelings and how they view themselves.  This has helped me in my classroom so many times.  I also know it has made me strong and independent, but also made me realize when to ask for help.  I wish I would have treated myself better when I was younger: ate healthier and exercised more.   I know it is a coping mechanism, and I will battle throughout my lifetime.   With my new hip, I plan to do so many things that I have been held back to do...including dancing!
      I hope this reads as hopeful and not depressing.  I really do see the clouds opening up, and I feel the sun will shine on me soon!  Starting with my pre-op appointment in just 2 days!  I am super anxious.  I know I will learn a lot, but part of me thinks being ignorant would be better! 

My Medical History (just the facts) in a nutshell

      So I thought I would start this blog with a little medical history.  Not very many are privy to this information because I HATE being pitied or seen as "damaged."  In fact, all through high school I think I maybe told like 5 people.  In college, it was another handful of people.  Lately, I have had to tell just about everyone because wouldn't you ask someone under the age of 60 why they are walking with a cane.
     I was born with congenital hip dysplasia in my left hip.  Basically my hip socket and joint was not formed properly and caused a dislocation.  My parents found this out when I was about 14 months old.  I had one surgery in Roanoke, but it didn't work.  I then went to DuPont hospital, where a Dr. Bowen did a surgery to help keep my ball in place of the socket until it could grow some more.  I was in traction before the surgery, and then in 2 types of casts. Last, I was in a brace until right before I turned 5.  In fact, I went to kindergarten on restrictions.  I could not go to PE or recess.  By Christmas, Dr. Bowen came to Roanoke to check on me and cleared me for regular activity.  After that, everything seemed normal.

      When I was 12, I got pneumonia and had an X-Ray, and found out I had scoliosis.  I went to MUSC, where I went every 6 months until I was about 14 to make sure it didn't get worse.   If it did get worse I might have had to wear a brace or surgery.  I was told I got scoliosis because of being in traction, casts, and braces.
      When I was 15, I was getting pain in my right knee, so I went to the doctor.  I found out I have arthritis in my knee, again caused from being in a brace.  So, I often had to tape my knee up and starting using a anti-inflammatory as needed.  It would sometimes get out of place too.  Other than that everything else seemed okay.
       About 3 years ago, I was getting pain in my left hip.  My doctor thought it might be bursitis.  However, it was only getting worse so I had an X-Ray done.  She sent me to a doctor in Rock Hill, who said I have end stage arthritis.  Which basically means, nothing can be done except hip replacement surgery.  However, he wouldn't be able to do it.  He referred me to Dr. Mason in Charlotte.  He said the surgery wouldn't be a problem, but afterwards I could have complications because of my weight. So we decided to wait and try to lose weight.
      I worked with my doctor to lose weight for about 6 months and lost 30 pounds.  Then, I was at a stalemate, so I went to another integrative health doctor to try to lose more weight and have lost 10 more pounds.  In the mean time, my pain is constant and I am unable to walk without support.  I went back to Dr. Mason, and he was not convinced to do the surgery yet.  I honestly felt completely hopeless and when I explained that to him through many tears.  He agreed to do the surgery.
     So last week I went and got my blood work done, and picked up my prescriptions.  My mom took off work to be with me and I have just over a month until the surgery.  My Pre-op appointment is in 10 days, and a friend is going with me.  So now you are up to speed on my medical history.  Whew!