Recent Email

I just wrote this email to someone having surgery soon. I figured it could help other people out too:

I had that surgery on August 29th. Was released on the 30th and crutched to my second story apartment. If you are leaving later the second day, just stay the night be cause they are charging you for day two anyway! (I wish I had known this). Plus if it is the weekend, most likely the pharmacy will be closed and you WILL notice when the pain meds start wearing off.

A raised toilet seat is a plus! The orthopedic nurses ordered me one as well as a shower chair. The original seat didn't fit the toilet so I had to be watched until the stable bedside commode (this can be placed over your toilet) came in. This cost more but the handles came in handy. I also slept propped up with pillows and one under my knee (I'm still doing the knee pillow).

I also stopped taking the narcotics about day 4. When you are on them make sure to take a stool softener. They forgot to tell me this. Trust me take the stool softener.

After one week I was off the CPM and TED tights. I was also cleared to drive, swim, stationary bike, and to walk without crutches around my apartment. I began walking about 14 days out but I'm still not 100% stable (only walking around the apartment, crutches everywhere else). I stated swimming MWF two Wednesday's after my surgery. The walking and freestyle have really helped! I do have a word of warning, stay away from the breaststroke for a while, that one hurt!

I returned to work September 15th, 4 hours per day. For the first week after 4 hours I was sore and grumpy, but a 2 hour nap solved that problem every time! I'm entering week 2 of work. I'm still part time but slowly increasing my hours.

I hope this helps and let me know if you have any further questions!

Fall and Go BOOM!

I am three weeks out from my surgery. Week two I started swimming (20 min ~3x a week) and using the stationary bicycle ( 10 min ~2x week). I have also been walking around my apartment without crutches for about a week now. Last week was my first back to work and I went 4 hours a day. It was definitely tough (and school days even tougher). By the end I was crabby and in pain, plus Tylenol wasn't cutting it. (Working in aerospace doesn't give to well with the narcotics so I'm left with Ibuprofen and Tylenol right now). But overall life is grand!

So I wanted to share a little story. This past Thursday was supposed to be bike day (10 minutes), but before hand I wanted to make chocolate pudding. I needed my measuring cup which was in the back of a bottom cabinet. I was squatting and reaching when my knee popped! It didn't hurt but the next thing I knew I was collapsed on my back on my kitchen floor. I'm really glad I didn't land on my newly fixed hip!! I was more shaken up than anything else. Lesson of the day: Don't make pudding before working out!!

Update

Tomorrow will be two weeks since my surgery. The surgery went really well. Dr. Polloski (sp) preformed his arthoscope first with my leg in traction. There was a bit more damage than they were expecting so he cut off two cartilage tears and then melted the rest of the cartilage back into place. Then Dr. Sink opened my hip joint from the front side and removed bone from my femorial head and neck region. After removing the bone, he placed his finger in the removed area and moved my leg around... no impingment!!!

Then I was off to recovery. When I woke up I kept saying "My hip hurts" over and over again but I guess it came out as grunts. lol They finall figured it out and gave my a little over 3 mL of morphine directly into my hip (a person my size can have up to 10 mL). It knocked me right out and the nurse commented "she's just a baby." LOL a 5'9" person is not a baby, but I sure can't take my pain meds. The doctors and nurses ended up having a powow after this to discuss the lack off tolerance in pain meds. After than I was put on a 0.6 mL morfine pump (the lowest posible dosage).

The first day I slept most of the time. I was lucid while they hooked me up to the CPM (continous passive motion machine) that moved my leg up and down. It REALY hurt and first but then got better.

Time to make a list with my mom. I'll update the rest later.

Alive!

I'm alive and well!! My surgery went great and I came home the next night (Saturday). Yesterday I spent the day sleeping and having snacks. Today is even better! Maybe I'll venture outside for a bit. I'll update on the surgery and hospital soon!

Take care!

Less than 12 hours

It's almost time for my surgery!! My mom came in town and I'm super happy to have her here with me. I've been walking around showing her where everything is in my place. From the gauze I picked up to the drawer with tank tops to peanut butter. I finally decided I'm nervous for tomorrow. My nervous energy is showing up by walking around my one bedroom apartment without a purpose.

I've packed comfy shorts and some satin pjs so I can easily slip around in my hospital bed (ooo la la), Rubber soled socks so I can walk around, and a Michigan T-shirt so I can support my team tomorrow. It's important!

Everyone has been super supportive. My Mom has a HUGE list of names in case she needs anything. Today tons of people gave me hugs and left me notes of encouragement. I love that I live over 1000 miles from my family, but I have one here with people I've known for a short amount of time. Everyone: You Rock My World!!

See you on the flip side!

10 Days

It's time for the final countdown. I'll be having surgery on the 29th, 9:30am at Denver Children's Hospital. I'll be having the limited open scope, which Dr. Sink has preformed once before. That's a little scary, but he has preformed over 200 Open Dislocations and I'll be having a sports doctor preform the scope part of the surgery. Needless to say I am a little nervous, but I still believe this is the best option for me. (sorry I just realized this post will be a bit random but I have a lot on my mind).

I'll hopefully only be at the hospital for one night. The second day I'll be cleared to get out of bed, off the toilet, and up and down stairs. My mom is taking care of me the first week then my awesome friend Silvia is letting me stay with her the second week. After that I'll be returning to work part-time for one week. I guess I'll get a new countdown then.

Crutches will be my saviour for at least 1 month. I won't be able to do any lifting for awhile and at work I'll need to run my depositions from a high chair. I did get good news the last time I went in to the doctors. I should be able to snowboard by Christmas time! Talk about a great gift!!

Last week I was in San Diego for the SPIE conference (Optical and Contamination). I went out a bit early to see my family. I had such a great time!! We went to the vineyards and tasted some delicious wine. I also went to Coronado and went surfing for the first time! Luckily no pain while surfing. Walking on the board walk in flip-flops was uncomfortable and sitting at the conference for hours on end was also painful.

I can't wait to have my hip fixed! Watch out world here I come!!

Limited Open Osteoplasty

Medical journal article about my type of surgery. (warning: a couple of internal scope images)

Extremely Angry HIp

Okay my hip is angry. A bit more than its usually unruliness. Good thing I'm getting it fixed in a month. The MRI showed tissue irritation and slight cartilage damage. Luckily, the damage isn't too bad. Because of the limited damage and my thin frame, I'm able to have a third surgical option. It is a Limited Open Osteoplasty and hip arthroscopy. First a sports surgeon will use a scope to look around my hip from the side. He'll be removing any debree from the area. Next, Dr. Sink will enter the front of my hip with a 1.5-2 inch incision. This will be in the front of my bikini line (typically it is vertical but with my weight he might choose horizontal). Then he'll go in and remove the Cam section of my impingement (the bump on my femoral head). They won't be removing bone from my acetablular cup with this surgery. I chose this option because my hip sockets are fairly shallow and if they remove too much there could be dislocation problems in the future.

I'm have a pre-op appointment next Monday. He didn't require one but I have so many new questions floating in my head. Can I take a shower before my stitches are removed? What medical equipment should I purchase? Are the European or American crutches better? What will my physical therapy schedule be like? What medications will I be on? (No Naproxin!!).

My surgery is August 29th at Denver Children's Hospital at 9:30am. I will be staying at the hospital for two nights. From what I've seen online, the rooms are awesome!! They are all singles, with windows, x-box, and a sofa that folds out into a bed (for parents). If you're in the area come by to play the x-box.. and do take pictures of me in my drugged state. ;-)

The Cottage

Garden of the Gods

Link

Here is an interactive map of some of the doctors who treat FAI. MAP

I've Been Bad

So, My life has been so crazy lately that I haven't been posting. Here goes... I'll keep updating until I get it all down.

I had my second MRI on June 6th. It was very amusing. I got in and realized everyone had heard about my hip and me. The failed procedure had become infamous. This time a Dr. Hayes tried to get the needle into my hip capsule (the whole time joking it would take ages before it would work). She numbed me up then jabbed me. It hurt for a second (but nothing like the pervious procedure). I looked at the monitor and could see the dye swirling around my hip joint. That was it!! Less than a minute and she was in! I LOVE HER!

They filled up my capsule with contrast and some heavy-duty pain meds. They had me slowly sit and stand up. I was told that my hip would feel full and boy did it. I just ate a quarter-pounder with double cheese. I was able to walk around with no pain but I had a funny gait.

Next I was taken to the waiting room where Megan kept me company. Nothing like being in a hospital gown watching the Disney channel while talking about things kids shouldn't hear about. Don't worry we had the room to ourselves!

After waiting a long time, I was taken to the MRI. The tech was not having a good day. He walked very fast so I struggled to keep up because of my bum hip. Then when we got to the room he said lay down. That was it. No instructions. Finally I asked about my underwire and earrings. I guess their magnet was only .7 or 1.5 Tesla and wouldn't pull my earrings out of my ears. Another tech came in and asked if I would like to watch a movie during my MRI, but Mr. Meany said no. =P 45 minutes later I was bored and there was a hair dangling from the Velcro above my head (not mine). Gross.

That night I took some Ibuprofen when the local anesthetic wore off. The next day wasn't bad either. All in all this was a much better experience.

(Next update will be my results!)

Kelly-Dahl Campground

Mummified

Just a little update. My attempted MRA hurt for a day, but nothing a little Tylenol every 6 hours couldn't solve. Wednesday night I was able to do a few climbs with Ty and Alina. During my last climb both of my hips twinged, so I played it safe and stopped climbing for the night. I was so wonderful to be back on the wall!! I've lost so much strength but with a little hard work I should get it back.

The next morning I had my second private Pilates class. I did a lot of stretches that opened up my hip joints. It felt great to stretch this area in a controlled manner. Pilates are amazing. It doesn't feel like I'm working out but the next day my muscles are sore.

This weekend I went camping with Ty and Silvia up at Kelly-Dahl Campground near Nederland. The first night was sooooooooooo cold! Even with my +10F mummy bag I was chilly. Sleeping was somewhat tough. I had a sleeping pad beneath me, but whenever I turned to my side the ground was too hard to my hip. Other than that no pain this weekend. I was even able to hike on a slight decline without needing to slow down. =D

Angry Hip

Today I went into Children's for angiography and MRI. The hospital is super cute, colorful, and lots of fun sounds. This is where the fun ended.

I went back to radiology where the radiologist explained the procedure. They would be using digital x-rays to locate my hip capsule. The capsule contains liquid around the hip. The radiologist first numbed me with lidocaine (27 gauge needle). Then he used a 10 centimeter (22 gauge) needle to access my hip capsule. Once he got in the "right" area they would inject contrast (iodine) to make sure they were in the right area. If they got in the correct area they would inject Gadolinium, which is the contrast of the MRI. The Gadolinium would expand my capsule allowing the MRI to capture any cracks in my cartilage. Sounds easy huh?

The first try didn't work. The needle wouldn't enter my capsule or they couldn't find it. After another try I needed some more lidocaine. Actually after the hour plus of trying they went through more than a syringe of lidocaine. They hit my bone twice... owwww. They also hit a nerve causing my whole leg to jerk. That was not fun. At first it didn't hurt but it was bad at the end. Reasons why they can't get into the capsule include inflammation and scar tissue. This radiologist is one of two in the hospital that preform this procedure. The other doctor gets to try next Wednesday. I can't wait. =P

Can You Say SCARY??

Tomorrow is the MRI with contrast injection. I've been talking to people who have had this done. The consensus is pain and doctors not getting the needle into the hip socket the first time. I hope my radiologist is better, but they work with kids and typically not adults. I am a bit bigger than a kid. Hey I am taller than most people. sigh. Fun times ahead.

But this whole hip thing has re-affirmed what awesome friends I have. People are so willing to help me out, however they can. Friends have offered to drive me to my appointments and others have offered to help out or let me stay at their place if I have surgery. They say good friends are hard to come by. I must have lucked out. I have some of the best friends around!

Pilates

Dr. Sink suggested that I try pilates to strengthen my core. It's possible that this exercise will stop my pain. Hopefully.... I had my first class today. It was with Susan at The Pilates Center. My first class was so much fun! It's like playing with a bunch of random contraptions. The hardest thing was focusing on the correct motions and which muscles to contract. Hopefully this works out.

While at work I got a phone call from a man asking to speak to my Mom or Dad. I was so confused until he realized I was the patent and I was an adult. We got a good laugh out of that. The joys of going to a Children's Hospital while being 24. Dr. Sink has asked me to get an MRI to see if my cartilage has been damaged. I'll be going Tuesday afternoon. I'm scared though. They will be injecting a contrast agent directly into my hip joint to improve the image quality. I have a call into the doctor to see how much pain I will be in afterwards. I hope I can drive home because the bus ride would be 3 transfers and take 2 hrs and 20 minutes. Yuck.

It is crazy that one week ago I was running or exercising everyday. I even was taking tennis lessons. Now I have so much on my mind of what this means. It's great to know what is wrong with my hip, but it is still scary. I know there are treatment options, but being the person I am, I have read way too much on this topic. I have been learning the good, the bad, and the ugliest of results. I just need to remind myself that nothing has changed from this week and last. My annoying hip hasn't changed... now I have a name for the annoyance.

I finally know..

Since Monday I have found out so much. It's been a lot to take in. I have so much to get out of my head, but first I should give some background.

Junior year of HS I started water polo. My couch was worried that I was going to drowned during "Hell Week" but little did he know that I was going to get hooked on H2O Polo. The next year I joined synchronized swimming to get in shape for polo. During the season I injured my ankle but didn't think much of it. Then in the spring I started water polo. I'm not sure which season it was in 2002 but I partially dislocated my hip. The school trainer didn't know how to treat hip injuries, so she had be on stretches and off sports for a week.

In the Fall of 02 I began the University of Michigan and joined the Synchronized swimming team. I was on a team routine and a trio. Practice was 2.5-4 hours three times a week, plus competitions on the weekend. That December I fully dislocated my right hip. I had never felt such pain in my life. I went to the University Health System and they put me into physical therapy. I was barley able to get to classes and I couldn't stay in single position for longer than 5 minutes. The pain was unbearable. I had an adverse reaction to the pain medication and had to stop taking it after one day. I didn't swim for a month and when I returned I quite my trio routine. After this season I never went back to synchro or polo because of the pain it caused, specifically when egg-beatering.

Fast forward to today. I don't allow myself to do squats, lunges, egg-beatering, yoga, or hip exercises because of the pain it causes me. I also have to be careful when hiking downhill, playing tennis, or rock climbing because these activities can also cause pain. A past boyfriend also commented on hearing my hip pop whenever I walk and could feel it if his hand was on my hip while walking.

Trust me, living a limited life sucks. I wouldn't say this affects my daily life but it does limit my activities. I typically say it is weird to "know" your hip is there. Normally a person just moves without noticing a muscle or joint is involved in the process (think of blinking).

Monday I went to Dr. Ernie Sink a Orthopedic Surgeon out of Denver Children's Hospital. He took some three x-rays and gave me my diagnosis: Femoroacetabular Impingement. Basically my hip socket is too deep and thus my femoral head (top of the the leg bone) hits my hip bone when my leg is perpendicular to my body. When the bones hit it can cause my hip to dislocate out the back of hip socket (butt area). Doesn't that sound pleasant? The x-ray above is the image from my right hip. You can see two divots on my femoral head. That's where bone has been sheared away from the impingement. I now understand why my hip hurts when I egg-beater. It is basically a constant bone on bone grinding. Sigh. Well that's all I am up to writing tonight. In the coming days I'll update about prognoses, further testing, and possible surgery.

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At the beginning...

So this blog will encompass my life and the hoops my hip puts me through. I was just diagnosed with FAI … more of this to come.