24 hours ago, I was in a closed metal case, 35 000 feet in the air. I was coming home from a 4 day trip to Chicago...lots to say in this post! The trip there went rather well...flew from Montreal to Detroit, then Detroit to Chicago. Both planes were pretty small, and despite the extra leg room in Comfort+, my hips felt tight and achey. No time to rest though, I met up with Suzie and John, who's wedding I photographed in France two years ago. We became friends in the process, and I was so happy they decided to drive from Milwaukee to come hang out with me! The hip is much better this time around, meaning I was able to get a 7-day CTA card...no more expensive taxis! Our meet-up point? PORTILLOS. Yes. We then went for drinks, which by the way, almost didn't happen. The bartender asked for our IDs, and when I handed over my driver's license, said "I'm sorry, we don't accept foreign card...do you have your passport?" Who the heck walks around with their passport? Luckily, after a few evil stares from the three of us, he accepted, and said I'd definitely need a passport if I wanted to go clubbing. Clubbing? I'm too old for that shit. Anyway. We had made reservations for Duseks, which is Longman & Eagle's sister restaurant. It did not disappoint. Had such a great night...what an amazing way to start the weekend! My body still isn't used to being normal, and doing normal people things...meaning I was exhausted when I got back. Slept in on Saturday. I was expecting my hip to be painful, as I had asked a lot out of it the day before, but surprisingly, I woke up...no pain! Hurray! Met up with Stephanie and Nicole - two fellow hip patients - for tropical drinks at Three Dots and a Dash. Steph and Nicole are also Nho patients, and we all had surgery approximately at the same time. It was pretty hilarious, as we would remind each other to stand up and stretch...or we'd complain about how stiff our hips felt if we didn't. Was nice to spend time with people who know exactly how it feels to go through this. And generally nice to chill with cool girls, no awkwardness, even though it was the first time we were seeing each other out of the "hip environment" we were used to.
I woke up Monday with a sense of determination...as if what I had accomplished the day before boosted my self-confidence. I didn't want to sleep all morning. I woke up at 7, got ready, and set a quest to view the city from the waterfront. A few minutes on Google, my itinerary print-screened onto my phone, I had the necessary tools to head out to the Chicago Riverwalk on Lakeshore drive. Got back just on time for my appointment with Lindsay at 1pm. Always so nice to see her :) I still feel pinchy when walking, and feel some pulling in certain positions, so she tested my hip in a few different positions. She explained that I might be dealing with some scar tissue and that manual work is the way to go to get rid of it. Traction with the belt, stretching, massaging...definitely not the funnest time, but gotta do what you gotta do. At least I got to end the session with my lover - the Game Ready lol. I swear, someday I'm going to run away with that thing haha. Then I finally got to meet Steven - a fellow Montrealer who also had a failed scope locally and who's now seeking help with Dr. Nho. His surgery is scheduled for Friday, so we were able to hang out before I returned home. We went to the SkyDeck, and arrived just in time to snap a few photos before a dense cloud ruined the view. The city's so beautiful, even more when viewed from the 104th floor. We went for drinks at the Signature Lounge (96th floor at the John Hancock building) but unfortunately visibility was terrible. At least we tried! We still enjoyed our overpriced beers and cocktails, and then I introduced them to Lou Malnati's. Yum. And then came Tuesday, the day I would see Dr. Nho and fly back home. Overall, he's happy with how things are going. He said it's normal that it takes time for my muscles to re-gain strength and start firing normally. He explained that young patients going through surgery usually recover much faster as it's usually addressed quicker than people like me. Not sure if I was more upset by the fact it's going to be slow, or by the fact I'm not considered "young" anymore lol. He was pleased by how flowy my hip movement was. Had hip flexor weakness on examination, to which he explained I need to keep working on stabilizing and strengthening and to not rush into things. Swimming, walking, biking, elliptical training...all things he wants me to keep up to build endurance. He also talked about how the pinchyness could be scar tissue/tight capsule, so I must keep stretching and working on it. He compared it to a pair of new shoes...how it's stiff at first but softens up as they get broken in. I liked the analogy. I just hope that my hip is that pair of leather shoes that end up being the most comfy pair you own...not the shoes you torture yourself wearing until you realize they're always going to be uncomfortable lol. We briefly talked about my left, and he said to keep an eye on it. That if it worsens once I get back into more intense activity (or before), that we can consider surgery at that point. I hate not knowing what's coming...so I try to ignore this. Focus on what's happening right now. Anyway, flew back home at 5:30pm, stopping in Minneapolis for an hour before returning to Montreal. Overall, I had a great weekend exploring the city on my own and hanging out with great people. I walked more than I ever did since surgery, without any pain really - mainly fatigue and stiffness. It's always reassuring to hear from Dr. Nho, and to hear him feel positive about my surgery. OK, I guess that's it in a nutshell...a giant, long post of a nutshell lol.
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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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