Today I had a look at the journal I wrote in last year, and it reminded me how minimal/lacking was my first and extensive/complete is my revision surgery. At this same post-op time, I wrote about how Olivier and I went Christmas shopping for 2 hours (no crutches) and that I felt a little bit tired. TWO HOURS?! I have trouble going two blocks right now (and am still on two crutches)! But hey, if I had to be on them for 3 months to have a good outcome, I would gladly do so. It really shows that each surgery is unique. Luckily I doubt that is going to happen as I'm now getting stronger by the day! Def not ready to walk freely on my two legs just yet, but I'm working on PT exercises that will activate the necessary muscles to get me there. The past few days I've been dealing with bad nerve pain. My lateral femoral cutaneous nerve was injured during surgery and it usually only causes lack of sensation around my incisions and a change in feeling on my thigh as pictured above. But Friday, when I put my socks on, I felt a slight burn. Then on the bike it intensified. After only 2-3 pedal strokes, I was hit by 8/10 debilitating pain. Being the stubborn mule that I am, I had set my mind on doing my daily 20 minutes. "It'll go away, it'll go away, it'll go away" I repeated to myself, hoping I wouldn't have to embarrassingly dismount the bike after 45 seconds. But I couldn't fight it. It hurt so bad. Unfortunately, now I know what my EMG patients mean when they speak of nerve pain. I came home and applied ice hoping it would make it better, but it only made matters worse. I even had to remove my leggings as the fabric brushing my skin amplified the burning and stabbing sensation. Ouff. It took about an hour to die down. So today when I got ready to give the bike a second try, I was worried, not knowing if I'd have to go through that again. I crutched my way to the gym (it's annexed to my condo) and started so slow, the bike didn't even turn on. Then I felt a pull. Slight burn. NOOOOOO. I changed positions, straightening my back and putting as little pressure on my right leg possible. And then it went away. Completely gone! And I was able to do my longest time yet: 54 minutes. One full episode of Orange is the New Black! No pain. THE BEST! So it seems my nerve has a mind of its own. Not sure what triggers it, nor what calms it. All I know is that it's supposed to go away over time. As the doctor I work with often tells our patients: nerves grow about 1mm/day. Luckily I'm not regrowing an entire arm because I'd get it at 90 years old! I'm definitely going to talk about it with Dr. Nho at my 6 week follow-up. The best thing is that today I noticed, while on the bike, the DIFFERENCE between now and pre-op. I don't have to externally rotate my leg anymore to get good clearance. It moves so freely now, without any catching, any pinching. Today on the bike, I noticed how much better my op hip is compared to my non-op. Which is good, and bad. I'm just hoping I will be able to manage my left without needing surgery on that side as well, despite the labral tear. Also, sitting isn't painful anymore. What? YES. No more stabbing pain. For the past few years, I had completely forgotten how it feels to simply watch TV without having to change positions every 3 minutes. Now the only pain I'm dealing with is hip flexor tightness, which I hope will resolve over the next weeks/months of rehab. And I really, really hope that this isn't temporary, that this glimpse of hope is here to stay. I'm really happy with my scars. They look so good! I have a feeling they will be completely gone in 6 months. And I can't wait for the scabs to fall off...then I will be allowed to go to the pool! WEIGHTLESS WALKING HERE I COME!!! Just a quick note, there will be no photos on this blog of me in a one piece bathing suit, swim cap and goggles.
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Omg! It's been four weeks since surgery! How crazy is that? Last night I had a weird dream. I dreamt I just got out of surgery, and that Dr. Nho had operated on my left hip. But that during surgery, he had discovered that I had...a urinary tract infection? And that another doctor was supposed to come see me to run tests to make sure I can still have babies someday because of it? And I was all "No no no, but how much will this consult cost???!" I guess my subconscience is sorting things about eventual possible surgery on my left hip, me not drinking enough water, me someday making babies and my current budget? Ah, the brain is a weird thing. I'm currently working from home since I can't drive to work and I wouldn't be able to sit at my desk all day long. I have my little routine. I get up, make breakfast, sit on my couch and watch one episode of whatever series I have at the moment. Last week I caught up all Grey's Anatomy's so I'm all up to date. Today I started watching Orange is the New Black and I love it! So yes, one episode, then shower, then PT exercises, then work. I must say that I really enjoy it! So how are things? Slow, as expected, but good! Since this is my second surgery, and the injury dates over 4 years - I'm coming from a far, far place. My glutes have been hibernating for quite some time now. They're super weak, which is contributing to me still needing to be on two crutches. I'm also dealing with some nerve issues. My femoral cutaneous nerve was injured during surgery so I'm dealing with decreased/modified sensation on the side of my thigh. The area around my incisions either have no sensation, or TOO much sensation to touch (depending which one). And sometimes it really hurts...a crappy burning sensation. Luckily that doesn't happen often so it's not so bad. Plus this nerve only serves as a sensory nerve, so it doesn't affect the actual function of the thigh. I still voiced my concerns with Dr. Nho's PA (who always answers so quickly!) and she said unfortunately it's something that happens sometimes, but most patients have it disappear after a few months. Fingers crossed! Overall, pretty sure I'm on track with how things are supposed to be :) Today my parents came over to have lunch with me...it was so nice to see them! I missed them and I hope to see them soon (hi mama and papa, I know you're reading!) And then my sweet friend Sarah came over and Oli drove us to Starbucks, OUT OF THE HOUSE TIME!!!! And Sarah time! She's moving to Quebec City in a few days, so trying to get as much time as possible with her. Look how cute she is! One funny fact about Sarah is that she's the first person I replied to by text after surgery. Clearly texting and anesthesia awakening do not mix, as I do not remember any of her messages! And it wasn't just "hello, how are you?", she was announcing that her and her fiancé are moving to Quebec City for work. BIG NEWS. I texted her the next day saying "Did you say you're moving to Quebec City or did I dream that during surgery?" hahaha. I told my husband that if ever I need surgery on my left hip, he needs to film me. Fun times!
Alright, well I had my first major meltdown last night.
Those who've been through hip arthroscopy understand what this is. Those who haven't...well let's say it's like a very, very long roller coaster, but not the fun type. You have some good days - where it gives you hope that you will someday get back to you're old, active self. But then, the next day: boom. You crash down. You wake up in pain, nothing really relieves you, you don't know what to do with yourself and you wonder when you will ever return to a life without limitations. Yesterday I went at my condo's gym to do my daily 20 minutes cycling to get the joint moving. I was bored (no resistance upright bike is not the most exhilarating experience) and my eyes wandered around, scouting for an interested subject to spy on. There was one dude doing intense v-crunches, one girl sprinting on the spin bike, a couple doing a burpee competition, one girl speeding through knee tucks on a stability ball and two girls being watched by a personal trainer. I looked at them train. Sweating profusely. Out of breath. While there I was, hair down, heart beating at 62BPM, in my big sweater because I was cold. And then I started crying, right there, on my bike, in the gym. It was so frustrating, it felt so unfair. I was those people. Since this past year, I haven't been able to return to any of my sports. No training, no snowboarding, no boxing. Nothing of my favourite things. The whole goal of my first surgery was to get back to my normal life. I knew, correction I know, to NEVER compare myself to others. It's MY recovery. And that I will get there, one day. That I need to focus on myself, on me getting better. But there are days where your brain just says F OFF. And it was one of those days. One of the girls was half-assing her training, and I wanted to walk up to her and tell her "GIVE YOUR 100%. STOP BEING LAZY. BECAUSE YOU CAN GIVE YOUR 100%". I kind of wanted to punch the others in the face too, out of jealousy. But no, jealousy is lame. And a girl slowly walking on crutches isn't very menacing, they'd see me coming from a mile away. So I arrived home, and bawled my eyes out. Luckily, my husband is the best person on earth. He let me cry it out. He held me in his arms. He didn't tell me what to do, or what to not do. He just let me get it out of my system. And encouraged me, that this time is the one. I went to bed, woke up, and today was a new day. Today I had the chance to see two of my awesome awesomest friends, Kim and Betina. They both came over to see me, and Oli drove us to Mamie Clafoutis for pastry-filled girl time. TIME OUT OF THE HOUSE. My first time out of the house doing an activity, actually. And we talked. And laughed. And then I had to stand up, and sit down. And up again. And try to stretch my damn tight hip flexors. It showed me how little endurance my hip has, but the fun had made me forget about the pain. Tonight, rest and ice. Tomorrow, it will be one month. I'm one month closer to getting my life back. I will get there. I will be those people. One steri-strip down! Baby incision. I'm happy it's healing well! Dr. Nho ended up using my old scar after all (you can kind of see it on the lower part). Pretty sure I'll take the two others off tomorrow, they're barely hanging on. I really look forward for them to be fully healed so I can get into the pool. Lindsay was saying in Vail, water therapy is part of Dr. Philippon's protocol and is started as soon as possible. It would be great so I can practice walking as I'm still very bad at it. My glutes are basically hibernating - and have been since the past year, hardcore. Limping quite a bit, so I'm still on two crutches. Working super hard to get back things in order!
Yesterday my upper thigh was super swollen. So much that it caused my femoral cutaneous nerve to be compressed, creating pain to touch on the lateral side of my thigh, as well as lack of sensation in certain areas. Downside of being a neurology technician? I was being a freak about it. Auto-testing pain sensation, light touch...comparing my left and right thighs...but after icing, anti-inflammatories and rest, it's slowly coming back to normal. Calm down hypocondriac! Today it was much better, but still a little annoying. Today I was a good patient, did both rounds of PT (on my own + Oli with PROM). Went to the gym to bike 20 minutes but there was a dude using it. Damn you dude! Went back another time and he was STILL ON IT. I felt like standing next to him on my crutches and stare him down until he left. SRSLY. Ugh. So no bike today. My joint is begging me to move...tomorrow my friend, tomorrow. Until then, you shall have internal/external leg swings, as pictured below. We're home! WE'RE HOME! A few months before surgery we had water damage in our condo, so we decided to have our floors changed while we were in Chicago. Yesterday we came home to brand new floors...and my awesome husband started unpacking everything - including our bed so I could go rest. How sweet is that? Today I quickly went over the images from surgery. The photos of the cam removal is what surprises me most. Especially that my first (useless) surgeon basically laughed at me when I asked him if I had cam impingement. The radiology report back then stated an alpha angle of 48 degrees. Fail. My alpha angle was actually 63-65 degrees (normal values vary between surgeons but generally >50 indicates impingement). Large cam lesion. When Dr. Nho and Sara showed me the photos taken during surgery, it really struck me that I indeed had a bony structural issue that was causing my symptoms. I'm not crazy after all! Left is before cam removal and right is after bone shaving. And my first surgeon said no impingement? Did he have temporary vision loss? Was he drunk?! Look how straight my bone was, no wonder I had limited range of motion and residual, increasing pain!
Today was my first PT appointment back home. My PT is excited. He was the one who treated me through my first surgery. We both worked so hard to try to end the pain and improve my ROM - with little success. It did make it better - without PT I was in so much more pain. But I was never able to get discharged. So today he was happy to see how much was done in surgery with Dr. Nho. I wasn't faking (ha ha!) and he wasn't incompetent. So he's looking forward to working on my new awesome fixed hip. After PT I went to the studio to pick up my computer as I will be working from home in the next few weeks. This allowed me to see all my amazing colleagues and friends! Such joy to walk in and have people come give giant hugs. They all asked how I'm doing. How am I doing? I don't always stop and ask myself. Good, I guess! I'm on schedule with my recovery, pain is minimal. At my follow-up with Dr. Nho, he asked if I still had pre-op pain and it made me realize that I don't! The pain I have is definitely different and seems to be more surgical pain...stiffness and soreness more than actual stabbing like I had previously. Milestones today: I shaved my legs on my own! And put socks without any help! And it's been two days that I made it through the night without waking up in pain at 3am! Celebrate every success, even the tiny ones, right? Next step is to be able to tie my shoes. Alright, I've been in this position for 30 minutes, need to switch it up! Have a great weekend :) xo Where does time go?!! I cannot believe it's already been three weeks since surgery. Yesterday, Tuesday, was a busy day. I had my first post-op follow-up with Dr.Nho at 9:30am. Got my stitches out...whaaaaaat! Didn't feel a thing except relief that I can finally shower without waterproof-sealing my incisions! Dr. Nho then came with Sara and went over surgery and what to do/expect in the next few weeks. He is super happy with how surgery went, apparently it was like a first hip even if it was a revision. That's the good side of the fact my first surgeon barely did anything. Operative report states right hip arthroscopic repair, acetabular rim trimming, debridement, synovectomy, femoral osteochondroplasty and capsular plication. Operative findings states chondral labral delamination from 11 o'clock to 2 o'clock, small pincer lesion and large cam lesion. LARGE CAM LESION. Ha. My first surgeon brushed me off so hard when I asked if I had cam impingement. This is just one example why I'm so happy I went with Dr. Nho. He tested my ROM and reassured me that it's normal to feel pinching at this point (just like Lindsay had said). He added ROM exercises to my PT protocol such as figure-4 stretching and he also showed me how to work on my hip flexion. I am honestly so impressed with how amazing him and his team are. He was just so patient, I never felt rushed when I went over my million questions or asked for more explanations. Today I sent Sara and Leah a few questions and within hours Sara had already replied by email. It's simply so reassuring to know they're always there for their patient and that they care. ❤️ We then went back to the guesthouse, finished packing, ran quickly (read: very slowly on crutches) to the communal room so I could say bye to my hip friend Rodney and taxied our way to the airport. Flight was two hours long and was manageable. I had asked for a seat with more room, and Air Canada gladly upgraded me to economy+ (with a letter supporting that I needed this) so I was able to stretch out a bit. You know what's cool about flying home after hip surgery? Well...going home, obviously, but the wheelchair through the airport is amazing! I skipped the entire security line at O'Hare (but had a full-body pat-down, explosive testing on my hands, brace and shoes despite the full-body scan and went through my carry-on bag) and then skipped the line at Canadian customs! Boom.
Hip is feeling SUPER tight since yesterday. My hip flexors are PISSED. Trying to stretch them out as much as I can but I have a feeling my first PT session back with Dom won't be an hour of rainbows and unicorns. 🙅🏻🌈🦄 Tomorrow I'm going to post some of the photos from surgery. Right now I'm too exhausted! Bonne nuit! There you have it. Today was my last full day in Chicago. It was also my last PT session here. I feel that it's been pretty stagnant since my last visit. It's not worse...but not much better either. Dealing with a lot of anterior tightness. She massaged my QL, which was a lot of fun (read: not). She also worked on my left hip since it's been so darn painful these past few days. Damn you TFL!!!! You were created for pain and torture! And hip flexion too, I guess. We had planned testing out transitioning to one crutch but in the end that fell through. She feels I'm dealing with too much glute weakness due to my previous surgery and chronic injury. She also feels that my hip is really sensitive...it tends to tense up very quickly - this despite her treatments and my constant efforts to keep everything nice and relaxed. Reducing to one crutch right now would probably just create a cascade of problems. Better safe than sorry. She believes the biggest challenge in my recovery will be to keep the front of my hip happy. I know it won't be an easy road, but I'm lucky to be surrounded by such a talented team of people. I'm also determined to do everything it takes to make this surgery a success. BRING IT. I enjoyed the Game Ready one last time. It will be sadly missed. Too bad those cost like $3000...I would LOVE to have one at home! Christmas present idea, y'know...if you ever decide on spoiling me. Speak of over-expensive gifts, this reminds me of the bridal shower favours in Bridesmaids...when each guest leaves with a puppy. Yeah I don't know how I came to compare an ice unit to puppies in a movie, but I did. Leaving PT for the last time also meant leaving Lindsay. I think I have attachement issues. I was really sad that this is the end of our PT journey together! I've gotten to know and trust her over the past few weeks... she's amazing - PT wise and personality wise. I'll keep in touch and definitely go see her at my next follow up with Dr.Nho! And my other hip someday, who knows. On my way back, I noticed the flag at the hospital in front of the guesthouse to be half-staff. I thought it was a nice gesture. The past few days have been so crazy on the international scale...it's nice to notice signs of support all the way on the other side of the ocean. Packed my suitcase tonight and now my hips are painfullllll. They are NOT happy. Painful to be sitting, painful to be standing, painful to be laying down...anyone know how to levitate? Thank goodness my friend Norco is still around. Almost everything is ready for my trip back home. Anyone hate how stuff like your toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo, soap keeps you from closing your suitcase the night before? It's one of my biggest annoyances when traveling.
I also wrote thank you cards to all the awesome healthcare professionals I had the chance of meeting during my stay in Chicago. I really feel that they should know how their care makes all the difference. I know some people might think "but it's their job" and even though that is true, there's a huge gap between someone simply doing their job, and someone going the extra mile for their patient. They answered my millions of questions (PAs + administrative assistant), stroked my hair to calm me down after a difficult wake up from anesthesia (surgery nurse), came to see me before AND after surgery to make sure everything is OK (Dr.Nho)...these are just a few examples of how lucky I've been here in Chicago. To all the healthcare professionals that do so much for their patients: THANK YOU! Alright...goodnight Chicago! Omg Chicago. YOU'RE MAKING ME SO FAT. Luckily I'm not very mobile, making dining out a complicated task. But then I have an amazing husband that does all the dirty work for me. This morning, Oli took a bus to Stan's Donuts. I had read and heard great things about it and wanted to give it a try. He made me promise to do my PT exercises while he was out buying donuts for his handicapped wife. He's my PT patrol haha. ERMAGERD. These are SO FREAKING GOOD. We got chocolate sprinkled, lemon glazed pistachio, maple caramel bacon pecan bar and chocolate drizzled pretzel. Are you drooling yet? For those staying at IMD Guesthouse, it's on North Damen. Simply take the bus in front of the Guesthouse there and back. Easy peasy! If you're going for a consult with Dr.Stover at Northwestern, make sure you grab some at the little shop there! Wish I had known that when I went!
OK. Now I'm really looking forward to go back home. I'm getting sick of staying between these walls! IMD is amazing, it has everything I need...but I can't wait to get back to my own bed! It's cool because there are big windows here, so I get to look outside all day long. But home is home. And I can't wait to get back to it! Today a fellow Canadian arrived at the Guesthouse. He's from Calgary and has bilateral FAI...and he was also faced with the problem of extremely long wait times in Canada. He had his left hip done 12 weeks ago by Dr.Nho as well...and is now back to get hip number two done. What a trooper! We've been chatting on Facebook as we share the same story (always nice to talk to people who are going through a similar situation) so today we got to meet in person! Hi Rodney! Alright well tomorrow will be my last full day update...Montréal à bientôt! xo PS. See my Crutcheze pads below (along my no make up face)! I've had so many people recommend them to me, and read several good reviews online. So I got them on Amazon last week! My verdict? I don't really like them. LOL. The thickness of the pads changed how the crutches fit and I'm struggling to find the right height. Will have to go over it in PT tomorrow. But I'm not sure I like the grip with the cushioning. The underarm padding does feel more comfy...so it's softer when I decide to rest on them. I guess there's less chafing. But since you shouldn't walk with them in your armpits...I don't see a huge difference. BTW, my pecs hurt from crutching around. #firstworldproblems right? All this to say I'm keeping them on. They cost freaking 40 bucks! Hahaha. Wow. I'm in awe. Just finished watching the Rousey vs Holm UFC fight. It was AMAZING! For once it lasted more than a minute! Man, this makes me miss boxing so much. I haven't put gloves on since over a year now and it feels so far away. I remember telling my coach how sad I was to be missing 4-5 months due to surgery...how I was afraid I'd lose everything I had learned up to that point. He said not to worry. But then my first surgery failed and I haven't been able to get back to training. And now I just had revision surgery...so I'm out for another 5-6 months. Or more. Who knows.
One thing at a time. I will eventually get back at it. Right now I'm focusing on firing my glutes when I walk so I can eventually ditch my crutches. lol. Still a long, long way to go. I honestly cannot wait to be 100% and not have any sharp stabbing pain on my right hook or uppercut. In the current hip department, today was a pretty good day. Slept a bit better. Was able to put in my two 20 minute PT sessions. My hip flexors are doing better, I think! They just get mad very easily. But if I'm careful - extending when I walk, avoiding any active lifting, going through my quadruped rocking - it really makes a difference. Shows how important it will be to keep at it. My left is still pissed, so trying to stretch that one as much as I can. Tonight we decided to get out of the apartment for some fresh air...one last time before we go...! Yum! Had such a crappy nights sleep yesterday. Went to bed and had a little pain but decided to tough it out (as I often do)...bad idea. Spent the night waking up, in pain, and uncomfortable in every position. Yuck. Stayed in bed late because of it.
I then got ready to go to PT for my 20 minute daily biking, only to find out the last shuttle was like 30 minutes later. I had put on my favourite fun party lulu leggings too! So disappointing! My steri-strips were falling out today. I decided to take them off as they were more annoying than anything. Incisions look great!!! Only this makes me so happy I went with Dr.Nho. With around 600 scopes per year, I bet he closes incisions with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back! Seriously! I'm still always in awe with the fact they're able to fix so much, so deep within the joint, with portal holes this small. All this while through a screen too! I'm so impressed. I would really love to see a hip arthroscopy surgery live someday. I'd have to suggest it to a surgeon...see if he/she would like to have photos of themselves at work! Well, I'm going to get back to my pt exercises, wishing you all an amazing weekend! |
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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