Good news! I slept through the night! Went to bed at 10:30pm and woke up at 6:30am. Everything seems easier this time around compared to my surgery in 2015. I don't know if it's because I know what to expect, or if my body is simply responding differently. I think surgery itself is pretty similar... Right side had: labral repair, cam resection and capsular plication Left side had: labral repair, cartilage repair, cam resection, ligamentum teres debridement and capsular plication I'm able to put on my underwear and pants on my own, as well as shower by myself (minus the leg shaving part) whereas it took me over two weeks to achieve in Chicago. It may also be because my right scope was a revision. Who knows...whatever, I'm enjoying this easier recovery so far! It also helps that I'm at home, compared to staying in a patient housing apartment in Chicago. I had my first PT appointment this morning, and it was pretty chill. Some passive range of motion and massaging. My quads were TIGHT. Mega tight. She suggested that Oli does some massaging at the same time he does my PROM, which is either once or twice a day. I then had an appointment with my cardiologist so he could go over my stress test and cardiac echo results. I've been having palpitations for a while now, and it's currently under investigation. When I sat in the waiting room, an old man sat next to me and started talking to me. At first it was cute, he was saying how he had noticed when I walked in the waiting room (I was the only person under 60 years old lol). But then he started saying how he was in love with me, how he wanted to take my photo and how he'd like to see me again. Ummmm. NO. I got up and left hahaha. Once I got home I was exhausted. PT + cardiology and my body was not impressed. Good thing about being freshly post-op? Being able to nap! I strapped myself into the Game Ready and slept for 2 hours.
Right now my exercises are: - quad/glute isometrics - heel slides - mini hip bridges - PROM - quad massaging AND focusing to walk correctly on crutches. My PT pointed out how I was dragging my op leg, which was causing the pinchy pain I'd occasionally feel as it would bring my hip in internal rotation, which could cause the femoral head to abut in the healing labrum. I have to try to keep my hips stable, on the same plane. It's tough because my flexors are so tight, so she said to take smaller steps. Tomorrow is a new day! Right now my healing buddy is making me feel better xox
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Hello hello! It's been quite a while since I've last updated this blog. I was finally able to return to snowboarding for the first time in two years. I've been an avid snowboarder since the age of 13 (and was a skier before that) so being unable to ride during all that time was pretty difficult. A few months before the season's start, I had a snowboard-specific training program done by a kinesiologist (who also had a hip scope)...which included a lot of squats, lunges, side-stepping, core work...everything to get my body as ready as possible for my comeback. I must admit having high expectations towards my body, and found myself disappointed by my lack of endurance, or how hesitant I was hitting steeper slopes. This didn't stop me from surprising my husband to a 5 day ski trip out west at Kicking Horse Resort! Let me tell you, that mountain is not an easy one. Tons of really steep runs, and I wasn't mentally prepared to fully take advantage of it. After my first run, I burst out in tears feeling completely defeated. I slowly gained my confidence back, and was able to enjoy my time there. I definitely want to go back in the future, when I will be in even better shape! Over the past few months, my left hip has been getting more and more painful. It had become a daily annoyance and it was becoming clear that surgery was around the corner. Back in 2015, Dr. Millis in Boston reviewed my file and confirmed I had mild dysplasia in my right hip. He referred me to a surgeon here in Quebec (in Quebec City, a three hour drive from Montreal) who studied under him and said I'd be in excellent hands. My first consult with Dr. Belzile was in December, and I was mind blown by how amazing this man was. He took close to an hour and half examining me, getting my medical history, answering my questions and establishing the plan of action. Someone pinch me, is this a dream? He was so down to earth, so kind AND an amazing surgeon according to one of the top dysplasia specialists in North America. Having had my fair share of hip surgeries over the years (one in 2014, one in 2015, one in 2016...), I really wanted to get it done with and move on with my life. I decided that 2017 would be my last year of hip surgeries. I want to make babies dammit! So we discussed doing left hip scope, and right hip periacetabular osteotomy. PAO will be in the fall after my wedding season. And left hip scope was yesterday! Dr. Belzile came to see me before surgery, and it really meant a lot that he did. He checked to see if I had any last minute questions, marked my op leg and reassured me that everything would go well. I walked in the cold operating room and was surrounded by a nice team of anesthesiologists, a respiratory tech and the nurse assisting my surgeon. I had asked them to warn me when they'd put me to sleep, as last time I wasn't and really hated the panicky feeling of losing control without expecting it. But then I woke up in the recovery room. LOL. They hadn't warned me, but it went so fast that I didn't notice anything. And boom. Two hours later, surgery was done. Waking up didn't go so well...I was in a lot of pain and felt really confused. Very similar to the experience I had in Chicago. From what I can remember, I was crying, wanting to get up, and moving around. I vaguely remember a nurse telling me to stop crying because it bothered the other patients. What a bitch. Seriously. It was out of my control. Anyway. My surgeon came to see me and it felt reassuring to have his calm presence, especially after the grumpy nurse. After four IV doses of pain killers, and one intramuscular dose, things finally calmed down. My O2 sats were dropping below 90 and I had to stay on the nasal cannula for a few hours. I was then transferred to the outpatient surgery ward, where I spent most of the time sleeping. Getting up was really hard as the first foot that touch the ground sent my head spinning like crazy. Six hours after surgery, Dr. Belzile came to see me to go over what had been done. When he went in, he found an acetabular cartilage flap, which he repaired by GLUING IT BACK. I had never heard of this! He explained that he used biological glue called Fibrin...that he injected it behind the flap and pushed back the floaty piece until it held. He then repaired my torn labrum with two anchors. Took traction down and dynamically worked on shaving down my cam impingement. Everything went as he planned, besides the surprise of finding my ligamentum teres partially torn, which he debrided. Luckily the remaining fibers were strong and he said it should heal well. My incisions look almost identical to Dr. Nho's...so three tiny holes on the front of my hip. Oli came to pick me up and we drove back to our hotel room. Oli was the best, as usual. He picked up my pain medication, groceries and dinner. I was feeling super picky due to the surgery nausea...and had a specific desire for soup from Thai Express haha. Luckily there's one next to our hotel and omg...it was divine. I was so hungry. Spent the evening in the Game Ready and it really helped with the pain. I felt really good, surprisingly so. But that only lasted for so long, as pain kicked in after the first hours of sleep. Woke up every two hours with so much stiffness I could barely move. I had forgotten how painful being post-op is. Or maybe it was easier last time around? Crutching to the bathroom sent sharp stabbing pain despite going really slowly and focusing on firing the right muscles. Trying to stay on schedule with my medication in hopes of getting things under control. The PT protocol is quite different than what I was used to in Chicago. With Dr. Nho, I was in PT the following day, on the bike, moving. But his PT came to see me after surgery and said the first ten days are made to put my joint at rest. Only isometric exercises (glutes, quads, heel pumps) with passive range of motion movements. I kind of want to get moving asap...but I've always told everyone to listen to their surgeon's protocol, so I'm going to be a good girl and am following instructions. Dr. Belzile usually sees his patients 10 days after surgery, but since this isn't my first hip scope and that we're from out of town...he said we could schedule the first appointment at 6 weeks. He said I could email him anytime if I had any questions or concerns. I swear...I am SO lucky to have him. I could not ask for a better surgeon. I am definitely in good hands, and I trust him completely for this surgery and for my upcoming PAO. <3 Driving home in a few hours. Hoping it will go well. Looking forward to recovering from home. Will keep this updated! xo
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AuthorMy name is Marie-Christine. I'm 34 years old and live in Montreal, QC, Canada. I have had two failed hip scopes on my right hip to do undiagnosed hip dysplasia. My amazing surgeon, who is in Quebec City, performed periacetabular osteotomy in November 2017. He also did one left hip scope (non dysplastic) in February 2017. Archives
May 2018
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