Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Spent the day relaxing. Laid on my bed, looking outside for about an hour. The advantages of working from home! I'm soon to be 9 weeks post-op. Had PT yesterday and boy was it intense. Had cupping massaging on my incisions again, not quite sure how I'm still alive right now. Haha. It's SO painful. My nerve injury is getting better with time, but it's still over-sensitive near the portal holes. Just like dry needling, hurts as hell, but worth it. He added a new exercise, gliding lunges and side lunges. My hardest one yet! My poor glutes must wonder what the hell is happening to have so much work to do. My PT regimen - bike, elliptical and exercises - take up about 2-3 hours every day. Mostly glute work but also core with planks and side planks. Shit's getting more and more real! I'm not the best when it comes to massaging my incisions - mainly because it hurts. Luckily, my husband is there to remind me to do it. They look good, but still get swollen from time to time. One of the things that annoy me the most during recovery is stairs. Yes, stairs. Going up and down stairs. It's an easy task when non-handicapped, but when recovering from hip arthroscopy, it's annoying. Because it's slow. Very slow. Op-hip down, non-op hip follows onto the same step, repeat. So at 9 weeks PO, I was pretty confident I'd be able to travel between different floors like a normal person. Stephane has me go up and down steps during PT and my hopeful face soon turned to disappointment when he told me I'm still not ready. Apparently my trunk was shifting all over the place and I need to work on control and stability. Once again, I will have to resort to PATIENCE. ARG!
Good news is pain levels have been low in the past few days. Mainly acheyness and stiffness in the morning, but overall it's very manageable. A bit sore after exercises, but the simple application of ice makes it go away. Hurray! One of my main short-term goals is to have more endurance when walking. I still need to resort to my cane on longer distances, like groceries. Dr. Nho would like to have me completely off it at my next follow-up, so I have a few weeks to get on track! Fingers crossed!
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Finally! Snow!!! The Holidays are slowly winding down, and my hip has fairly well survived all the dinners and parties. Tonight is actually our last family gathering, and I just spent the afternoon baking some vegan chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin sugar spice donuts. Not that I'm vegan, but my niece is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts and hazelnut, so vegan recipes work great! All that standing up made both my hips painful though 😟 Clearly my glutes can't support my right hip for such a long time standing, and my left hip can just take so much - especially with the FAI and labral tear. I'm trying to rest and ice as much as I can before we go in an hour or so. This past week I've made progress with my gait and the pulling in my groin is less and less present during my extension phase. Still there, but I have hope that it will soon be a thing of the past. I was starting to get worried, thinking scar tissue might be the issue. I also made progress with the half-kneeling exercise, as before I was only able to hold the position for 10s before my glute cramped up. Now I'm doing the whole 30s, hurray! Crazy that this was simply a stretch pre-op, a thing that required 0 concentration. All this re-learning is asking so much from my brain, from squeezing my butt muscles as I push my foot off the ground when walking, to engaging my TAs when lifting my leg onto the bed. "TA, glute, movement, TA, glute, movement" is the song of the hour in my head. So clearly I'm far from "train" right now (even though I'm spending more time than ever doing exercises, I just don't consider them as training) but I really love this shirt. It's with hard work that I will see improvements. And complaining won't get me anywhere. I'm focused more than ever, as this phase is starting to be the most exciting one, a phase where I will slowly get into harder activities. I've already scheduled going to the pool in my agenda, and will also start private pilates. I honestly hate yoga, and have a feeling I'll equally like Pilates, but my PT strongly suggested this to help reinforce my muscles. So yeah, anything to make my hip better!
Alright, I just realized that I have about 15 minutes to shower, dry my hair, get dressed and get ready before I have to leave. Setting myself up for failure big time lol. How was your holidays? Wow. I cannot believe it's already been two months. Well tomorrow it will be two months exactly! But let's just say two months to make things easier ;) It's hard to believe it's already been two months, because times does fly...but also because my recovery has been quite slow. Nothing abnormal, as this type of surgery always has a slow rehab...but a bit slower than most people since this is my second hip surgery. Good news though, I'm allowed to drive! Dr. Nho gave me the OK when I went to see him last week. SO LIBERATING. To be able to get out of the house without having to ask my husband for a ride. Gives a usually very independent girl an ounce of independence. I'm also able to attend social events a bit more. It's still very limited, but I'll take that over nothing! Going out for a drink with a friend is now possible, but takes a lot out of me. And ends up being painful. For sure. Last week, I had my office Christmas party and I was sure I'd be forced to sit in the corner while everyone had fun, but surprisingly the adrenaline kicked in and I was able to "dance" with my friends (and my cane). It felt so good. Well, it felt good when it was happening. When I got home, the pain kicked in. And stayed for the following few days despite icing every few hours, taking NSAIDs, stretching and resting. Yesterday, PT was intenseeeeeeeee. Had dry needling in my left hip. It hurts so much, but it definitely works when it comes to relaxing tense muscles. My incisions still have some scarring, so he used succion cups to release the adhesions. Oh. my. goodness. And I thought dry needling was painful. My nerves are still over sensitive due to surgery, simply touching my skin around the portal holes is a bit painful. I was so not ready for this! Then had mini needles inserted in my op hip to help lower the swelling and then interferential therapy. I was exhausted once it was all done! But I did feel a lot better. Still dealing with more pain than last week though. Crazy how things are now more painful than they were at the beginning as I gain mobility and endurance. Keep your eyes on the prize. Which in my case, is to someday get back to sitting, driving, boxing, snowboarding, training, standing without pain. Someday it'll be a story of the past! Not worried at all, I know I'll get there, someday, at my own pace.
One year ago, my husband took this photo. I was just about to get discharged from the hospital where I had my first hip scope. That day, I did not see my surgeon, nor before, nor after surgery. I had no idea what was done. But I felt good, no pain, and was hopeful for the months to come. What I didn't know was that my surgery was going to be a complete fail. My surgeon let me down. I still sometimes have anger and resentment towards him, even one year later. My last appointment - at 6 months PO - is still so vivid in my memory. Me sitting on the exam table, in shock after getting the advice of taking Tylenol until the day my hip would be so degenerated I would need a total hip replacement. "But...I can't do sports......." And being told to modify activities, which basically meant hanging out with the golden girls in the aqua fitness class for the next 15 years. My eyes fixated the green-yellow hospital wall. No more appointments, no more solutions. And then he just walked out and said "good luck". Since I'm not the type of person to hang onto negative vibes, I try not to focus on that. Even if it means that I wasted one year of my life. What is done is done.
I'm so grateful I found my current surgeon, Dr. Nho. I could not be in better hands. Technically, he is one of the best in North America. I know everything that had to be done in my hip was done (labral repair, acetabular rim trimming, debridement, synovectomy, femoral osteochondroplasty and capsular plication in case you're curious!). But it's not only about competence. It's also the human behind the white coat. He listens. He cares. He wants what's best for his patient. He will take the time to help, even if it means answering my page-long list of questions. He reassures the worried patient. Heck, he even teased us for liking the Habs, when he's routing for the Hawks! Most importantly, I know he will never walk out of me. They say it's the past that shapes you, and I truly believe that. My failed experience makes me appreciate the situation I'm in now. I'm obviously hoping that everything will go smoothly and that I will be back ASAP, but at least I know that if ever something goes wrong, he will be there for me. Him and all the professionals I'm working with right now! Yesterday I did 5 minutes on the elliptical for the first time! Was super happy! Turns out it was pushing too much...ended up having nerve pain all night and woke up extra sore. I'll have to take go down to 1-2 minutes and see how it goes. All a game of adjusting and listening what my body is telling me. Today I finalized all my Christmas shopping! It was quite the challenge as I had to make sure to walk correctly. I looked at all the stressed out people running furiously through the mall, and actually appreciated having to go slow. I purposely chose a fairly small mall, and I'm happy I did as by the time I went around and got everything (under an hour), I was completely exhausted. Arrived home and iced immediately. I'm hoping groin pain will diminish soon, as I had planned to bake some Christmas cookies! Wishing y'all a great Sunday! 😊 On Monday, I flew to Chicago for my 6 week follow-up with Dr. Nho! They didn't have any wheelchairs available for two hours, so I slowly made my way past security and border patrol. Only having a backback and a cane was very practical! The plane was so small. After one hour, both my hips were hurting. Since I was in a bulkhead seat, I wasn't able to store my bag under the seat so the flight attendant put it in one of their closets. Meaning I didn't have access to my pain meds :( I could of asked them to grab my bag, but I was stupid and didn't want to bother them. Luckily a wheelchair was waiting for me once I de-boarded the plane because that airport is HUGE. Like...20 minute walk (for a normal person) from gate to exit! Would of taken me 3 hours lol. After a terrible night sleep (for some reason, I think I was super nervous), I shuttled my way to Midway Orthopedics for my 9:45 appointment with Dr. Nho. I was quickly brought to an exam room, and a few minutes later Dr. Griffin - Dr. Nho's fellow - walked in. I had met him at my first consult, and was happy to see a familiar face. "Hey, I remember you! I was at your surgery" Funny how I had NO idea that he was there...the magic of general anesthesia. He went over my surgery images, explaining everything in detail. Since my first surgeon barely did anything, they had a large tear to work with and were able to repair by placing three anchors in my acetabulum. I had grade 3 cartilage damage near my tear, but luckily it won't progress any further thanks to Dr. Nho taking down all excessive bone on my femoral head. No more big bump. It was really nice to finally understand those images! "Large tear, anchors, bone, blablabla" is what I remember of his explanations right after surgery haha. Then I saw Dr. Nho...always nice to see him! He's so friendly and attentive, I never feel pressured to hurry, nor shy to ask any questions. He tested my ROM and was happy - good flexion, 40 degrees ER and 15-20 IR. I voiced out my concern about my slow progress to normal ambulation, as I was expecting to be crutch free earlier. He said it's usually longer with second surgeries, and that he's not concerned as long as I'm progressing...which I am! He watched me walk through the hallway and showed what I need to work on. I brought up my left hip. It's been hurting more and more. Compensation is still a possible explanation but to keep an eye on it. If it worsens during my recovery, or if it becomes problematic the day I get back to sports, I will have to consider surgery on that side as well. He confirmed FAI and a labral tear on my left last time I saw him, so I'm probably looking at going through all of this again sometime down the road. But one thing at a time! Important is that he is pleased with where I'm at right now. I need to work on normalizing my gait. Stretch my very tight capsule as often as possible (minimum twice a day for 30 minutes). Core and glute work for stabilization. And to see him again in 6-8 weeks. I then had an appointment with Lindsay downstairs in PT. It was great to see her! She checked my gait, worked on my capsule and my other hip as well. The simply touch of my TFL on my non-op side had me jolt up from the table. You know it's tight when your PT says "oh nooooooo...you poor thing" Ugh. Luckily some traction belt and massaging helped. I then was reunited with the Game Ready! I wanted to steal it but unfortunately it didn't fit in my tiny backpack. Overall, I'm happy I decided to fly out for my 6 week follow up. It reassured me to know that I'm in a good place, and that I'm not behind in my recovery. To know that the pinching at the front of my hip is actually my capsule being very tight, and that I simply need to keep stretching it as much as I can. To have the surgery photos re-explained. And to discuss about my worries for my left hip. I'm also really happy because I got to see two of my fellow hipsters! Jennifer, a fellow Canadian from Newfoundland, booked her 12 week follow up with Dr. Nho on the exact same day as me, without us even consulting each other! Other coincidence, Stephanie had also booked her follow up on the same morning as me. I met Stephanie at my 2 week follow up in the waiting room, and we realized we both knew a common hip patient (that I met in PT and she in her building), it was so nice catching up with her! Crazy how it's a small hip world! I always love traveling with United, and was glad they were the cheapest flight to Chicago for this trip. They nicely upgraded me to Economy Plus due to my recent hip surgery, and I was SO happy when I saw the seat they had assigned! SO.MUCH.LEGROOM! So much that I had trouble reaching my bag under the seat and water bottle haha. It made a huge difference, I was able to extend my leg out, limiting pain and stiffness. Now been back for a few days, I have a lot more of updates but this post is long enough the way it is!
I ventured out of the house yesterday! I had a pretty good week transitioning from crutches to a cane on short distances, so I thought I'd challenge myself to see how I would do on longer ones. I went for drinks with a friend, and decided I would try to walk to the metro near my house, and then she would pick me up at Jean-Talon station. I left extra early so I wouldn't be in a hurry. I concentrated on each step, making sure to fire my glutes in extension. It was a struggle...a physical one, but also psychological. It was frustrating to have to work so hard to move so slow. What usually is a 5 minute walk ended up being 15. I was happy to be able to use the elevator at Lionel-Groulx. I rarely take the metro past Mont Royal station, so I didn't know what to expect. How many stairs are there? Is there an elevator? Is it a long walk out? Turns out, there isn't an elevator, and the walk out was long. So long, that at the beginning of the hallway, there was a sign that said "90m hallway" 😒 They even had a little mark on the floor every ten meters. That was one of the longest 90m I've ever walked haha. But I did it (didn't really have a choice) By then, my hip was completely exhausted...it became hard to engage the right muscles and I started to have a slight limp.
We sat all night and I made sure to get up and walk around to avoid tight hip flexors. Unfortunately, even with all the walks to the bathroom and sitting/standing, my hip was pissed. I knew I was going to pay. I guess my body sent me a message, letting me know that I'm not ready for that much effort. That my stamina isn't there yet, so to hang out all evening like a normal person won't be without consequences. It's ok though...it's by testing these limits that I will know what I can and cannot do. I'm now getting my stuff ready as tomorrow I'm flying out to Chicago for my 6 week follow up with Dr. Nho. I decided to use a cane as there will be minimal walking (wheelchair service through the airport ftw!) and this will liberate one very useful hand, especially that I'm traveling alone. I'll obviously post about it! Well well well, can't believe I'm now little past 6 weeks from the day I had surgery with Dr. Nho! This week I've seen a lot of improvement. Stephane, my pt, made walking a priority...so I worked very hard on that all week long. Today I saw him again, and he was impressed by how fluid my walking was. He said there's still a little hip rotation in extension, but overall he was very happy! And him happy equals me happy! My soft tissues surrounding the incision site are finally loosening up after all the (painful) massage I've been doing to myself twice a day. Muscles, including my hip flexors, aren't particularly tight - which is a miracle as I'm known for that in the past! So right now, I'm down to a cane for short distances, and crutches for long. Hoping to soon be able to ditch the crutches completely! Bad side is...well, my bad side. Funny that now, my "bad side" is my left side. Since I've been putting more weight without crutches, my left hip has been painful. I spoke about it today, and he said I need to keep an eye on it, as if ever it becomes painful everyday, we're going to have to go back to crutches, strengthen my right so it can support the weight more evenly. It really sucks because I can finally feel my right being fixed and on the way to normal (haven't felt that in the past 4 years)...and now my other side is being stupid. Knowing that I have the same bony issues PLUS a labral tear in my left, it's definitely not reassuring. We're hoping that as my right gets stronger, it will give the left a break, and I will be able to live without having to go through another surgery.
The hardest part is still not being able to drive, nor walk to the metro, leaving me either stranded at home or asking (in my mind read, bothering) my husband for a ride. Yesterday, I got really impatient and decided to say "f it" and decided to get food on my own. What is usually a 3 minute walk seemed like an eternity. And then there was a street with mini-inclination. Going up a street with mini-inclination on crutches is not an ideal situation. In the end, I made it, but clearly I was not ready for that. Frustrating...but there's not much I can do about it but be patient. And respect what my body is telling me. Today, my pt clearly explained that if I try to skip steps (like not focus on how I walk in the house, for example), I will pay for it later. Slow and steady wins the race they say, and it couldn't be more true with this surgery. 'Sup! Who knew I would be going through the whole "learning how to walk" process in my early thirties...I thought I was done with that stuff back when I was a toddler!
Today was my first PT session with Stephane since surgery. He's great, has tons of experience and is used to dealing with US op protocols as he often treats high-level athletes who go to the US for surgery. One of the first things he did was to check my gait. "Without crutches?" I said hesitantly. Yup. I wobbled my way to the open space and slowly started putting one foot in front of the other, and quickly Stephane pointed out the patterns I need to work on. My knee would be mispositioned in extension and my hip would externally rotate in compensation. The front of my hip is to blame...tight hip flexors as well as upper thigh swelling are limiting my mouvement. He gave me the OK for more aggressive portal massage so we can break up the scar tissue underneath my incisions. He wants me to progress off crutches as soon as we can so I can get the hip moving, which will then reduce the swelling in consequence. So for long distances, he wants me on crutches, but for short distances to use a cane (just like what Dom had told me). He upped the game with my bridges, adding an elastic band to activate my abductors. He also added a great exercise that will help me strengthen my glutes - which will directly affect my ability to walk. Once I got home, I was EXHAUSTED. Again. 30 minutes of physical therapy and it felt like I had ran a marathon. I'm going to talk about it with Dr. Nho next week at my follow-up, but I'm pretty sure it's normal to feel this way. I'm going back to PT on Friday and he told me to work on the exercises this week so we can see how my body reacts to it. What's great is that he told me I can always give him a call if ever things aren't going well. It makes such a difference to have such an amazing team surrounding me. This recovery is tough, but it does feel easier with all this support. Dominic, Stephane, Dr. Nho, his PAs, Lindsay...I couldn't ask for a better group of people. I feel so lucky. Alright, the brightness of my screen is hurting my poor little tired eyes! Bonne nuit! It's almost been three weeks that I'm back home and generally I've been taking it really easy. I'm lucky to have bosses that allowed me to work from home, which lowers the amount of walking around and varies my sitting positions. With this tempo, I feel that things have been going well...as mentioned previously, the pre-op pain seems to be gone. Yay! Friday, I went for breakfast with my close friend Jean-Michel...it was so nice to spend time with him! He drove me back home, and a few hours later my parents came over with sushi. I was so excited, this would be such a fun day! But after all the fun, I was EXHAUSTED. Like, can barely keep my eyes open exhausted. I couldn't focus, I was unable to work. My head hurt. Today, I asked Oli if we could go do a little Christmas shopping. Nothing too long, just so I could get out of the house and knock some items off the list. I put my brace (which I stopped using when doing short distances) and walked slowly with my two crutches. About an hour later, I was done. Once again, my body was telling me that it couldn't keep up and that we had to go back home. It sucks. So little stamina, even 6 weeks after surgery! But it also fascinates me. I find it amazing to understand that my body is constantly working on repairing my operated hip. That it is using precious calories, all day long, to get me back to my normal self. So today, when I asked it to go into overdrive mode - simply to walk around a little - it was like "Yo. We ain't got the resources for that useless crap" It shows that this will be a long recovery. I'm at 5.5 weeks post surgery and my hip tires so quickly. I can't imagine walking without crutches right now. I'm seeing my other PT tomorrow - Stephane at Kinatex - and I'm guessing he's probably going to have a look at that. Maybe I can soon go off crutches for super short distances. I'm also going to Chicago next week, so I'll have a proper evaluation by Dr. Nho as well Lindsay in PT. I hope it will be ready to survive all the Christmas parties coming up! 🎄
Post-op FIVE WEEKS! Five weeks ago, Oli took this photo haha. I was so out of it due to anesthesia and strong pain meds - one second I'd be typing on my laptop and the next I'd be sleeping. I was even texting friends and not remembering doing so the next morning. I'm happy to confirm I'm now alert. My long AND short term memory are on spot. lol
Where I'm at right now - Still on two crutches - ALMOST normally walking around the house without crutches - so hopefully I can transfer to a cane sometime soon - Now doing weight bearing PT exercises, focusing on getting my hip strong and ready for walking like a normal person - Main weak points are well...my weak glutes. And tight hip flexors - but I'm happy that they're better than a few weeks ago. Also my lateral femoral cutaneous nerve that's being a jerk and making me NOT feel my thigh. Luckily the unbearable pain only happened twice and I hope it stays that way I booked my flight to see Dr. Nho for my 6 week follow up. I also took an appointment with Lindsay (yay!) so she can have a look at where I am in the rehab protocol. I was hesitating to go at first as I knew many of my fellow Canadian hip buddies skipped this appointment, but I also knew that the insecure person in me would be reassured by this visit. I found a cheap flight and will be staying at the Guesthouse, so I'm happy it won't be too costly :) Hesitating between deep dish pizza, chi-dogs or fried chicken for my dinner there...what would you go for? |
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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