4 weeks post-op and feeling pretty good.
Freedom! I am driving short trips around town now, which is a treat as the cabin fever was really starting to set in. All those little side stops one likes to make on their way home from grocery shopping etc. is a little hard to do when you have to rely on someone for a ride. More than anything, it is our pride that stops us from asking for help or to just make that little stop! Even though friends say to "call if you need anything" we don't call. Why? We don't want to feel like we are bothering you or being a burden. Instead, we would rather you say something like, "is it okay if I drop by tomorrow with a casserole for you" or "I am free Thursday and I can take you shopping if you'd like?" But we get by, we manage for the most part, pretty good. It is just really nice to have some company to help break the monotony of sitting around day in and day out. Thank goodness this isn't forever! But to some folks, it IS forever depending on their medical condition and I have a deep appreciation and respect for them. It isn't easy knowing how someone feels or what their needs might be until we have experienced some of our own pain and limitations.
So I encourage you...to call a friend or neighbor in need, and for one month make a commitment to take them out of their 4 walls once a week. Maybe it's shopping or maybe it is just a scenic drive to one of their favorite ice cream shops, or a coffee. Maybe it is just to go to their house and bring them your smile and a visit. They will be so glad you called! I think we need to do this for our neighbors more often than we do.
Physio is going good, operated leg is still a little longer but things are moving along excellent. I have a few new exercises that challenge the stomach muscles it appears! They seem like such a simple exercise yet hard to do when you haven't used your muscles for 6 weeks! Baby steps and in no time they will be strong and ready for the gym and swimming!
It feels so good to be pain free! I can't believe I lived in such pain before! Medical technology is amazing!
DIAGNOSIS - HIP DYSPLASIA
I decided to start this Blog as a way of sharing and educating others as well as keeping my friends and family updated on my progress.In the Spring of my 37th year, I started having severe groin pain which eventually deferred into my left knee. There were days when I could barely walk 1/2 a block with a cane. Simple daily chores and personal care became very difficult to perform. I had xrays and a CT scan where we discovered that I have Hip Dysplasia. I tried pain medication while waiting to see an orthopedic surgeon locally. After my visits to the surgeon, he referred me to another orthopedic surgeon for an Osteotomy. These were only performed in Vancouver or Calgary in Canada. I chose Vancouver for a matter of convenience and so that my family could visit easier.I have an awesome surgeon who performed the Osteotomy on my left hip. Preparation for this surgery involved xrays, and trips to Vancouver for workshops, working with physiotherapists, the surgical team, several nurses and the anestheisiologist. The outcome has been phenomenal! I got my life back and the pain is gone! I will, however, require hip replacement surgery on this hip further down the road. My right hip will need surgery also.
HIP DYSPLASIA: an abnormal condition affecting the hip socket, or acetablum and the thighbone or femur. In someone with hip dysplasia, the hip socket is too shallow, or the femur is in the wrong place. Hip dysplasia can exist from birth or can develop within the first few weeks, years or later in life. 80% of people with DDH (developmental dysplasia of the hip) are females.
Depending on the severity of the situation, this can result in pain, osteoarthritis, difficulty walking or inability to walk. It can also contribute to a marked deterioration in a person's basic quality of life.
For more information, check out this link http://health.howstuffworks.com/hip-dysplasia.htm
HIP DYSPLASIA: an abnormal condition affecting the hip socket, or acetablum and the thighbone or femur. In someone with hip dysplasia, the hip socket is too shallow, or the femur is in the wrong place. Hip dysplasia can exist from birth or can develop within the first few weeks, years or later in life. 80% of people with DDH (developmental dysplasia of the hip) are females.
Depending on the severity of the situation, this can result in pain, osteoarthritis, difficulty walking or inability to walk. It can also contribute to a marked deterioration in a person's basic quality of life.
For more information, check out this link http://health.howstuffworks.com/hip-dysplasia.htm
Monday, November 9, 2009
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