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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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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