3 months post hardware removal

Crazy how time flies!! It's been 3 llloooonnnnggggg months since I had my screws removed and my glute repaired. My medrol mess is pretty much under control. My glute is still painful and swells... A lot.... In an area posterior to my greater trochanter. My OS offered a cortisone injection, I am going to try to put it off for now. I started PT again yesterday. One of the PTs I have seen in the past is now working at a "boutique" private practice and charges an arm and a leg for visits. Since she is the "glute master" I am left with no choice but to pay out of pocket and see her. The plan is to see her every few weeks and be compliant with my exercises at home. She have me a few very very specific and targeted exercises that really work the area I feel won't fire, so hopefully this will be money very well spent. A far as the crutch situation goes, I am not using any indoors for the most part. Occasionally I will have too much pain and swelling and need one. Outdoors I use a crutch. I have tried not to and the results have been poor. I walked my daughter to a play date 1 block away on a day I was feeling good. I decided not to use my crutch. On my way home, I had to stop and rest on a scaffold bc I couldn't continue. 2 days ago I tried avian, 1 block away, but this time I rested once I got to the play date before turning around. Still not great. I guess I am not ready yet. My PT said to expect this I take 6-12 months (from the glute repair) to feel back to normal, or whatever normal will be for me.