I have been debating writing about this because I don't want to discourage people who may be reading this who are awaiting hip surgery. But I think you should know...after all I started this blog as a way for my friends & family to follow my progress.
On Monday (2 days ago), I was on my way out to take daughter and grandsons to daycare. I have been taking the stairs in my apartment whenever I can. This day, however, I took a fall down the last 2 steps before the landing. Now I am not exactly sure what happened, but I sure heard my ankles do a lot of cracking! So I am guessing the edge of my shoe heel caught the edge of the carpet on the stairs and I rolled my ankles as I was falling & landing. These are my only pair of slip-ons since having surgery AND have the most traction in this bit of snow we had that day.
I felt confident in my step when I locked my unit door and headed down the stairs. In fact of the 3 flights of stairs, I had 1 left! Until then...Amazing how falling can steal your confidence! Luckily for me, I only have sore muscles, mostly in my shoulders but some in my operated leg. If something dislocated or broke, there is no way I would have gotten up or been able to even walk! Sharp pain would have taken over my life at that time. I am grateful it happened inside on the carpet rather that the concrete and ice. More than anything I felt really embarrassed laying there for a moment while I collected my thoughts. Many things started to run through my mind, especially "how did THAT happen?!" After all, I was hanging onto the railing and taking my time. Perhaps it was my shoe, or could it be just a reminder that I am still not out of the woods yet? Muscles are still in need of strengthening and stairs was something I was doing to help that.
I will not let this take me down though! Fight through this all the way! What I will do, is look for some shoes with no heel. These ones had a slight heel. I will go down in the elevator and up the stairs for the next while. I will wear my runners or my boots now that there is more snow. I will keep doing my home exercises and in the future be mindful of my steps. I think of it like riding a bike...you fall off and get back on again! If you don't, you will live with that fear and I am not prepared to let fear in like that. Sure I will be cautious, but then again, since all of this surgery started back in 2005, I am overprotective of my hips!
So to those of you who might be reading this and have had a fall after surgery or are waiting for surgery, keep working at it! Don't give up or you will stop living and enjoying life! After all, I could have suffered with the pain for who knows how many more years and lost out on the opportunity for a better quality of life through surgery. This is just a reminder that I am still healing, afterall its only 2.5 months post-op! Bound to be little set backs along the way...
Happy Holidays to all & enjoy this festive time with your friends & family! All the best for 2010!
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
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
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1 comment:
Hey there! It was great chatting with you in the wee hours over here on the east coast of the US. lol I'm still awake, watching the snow. lol I'm going to hit the hay again soon. Thank you so much for giving me this link! :) Talk to you later. Take care! xoxoxo
Kristine
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