Testing the Waters

We are off to Boston tomorrow to the in-laws. It is actually J's 10 year high school reunion. In the past, I have not done so well there with the flights of stairs and the kids all over the place. In fact, I think the July 07 trip to Boston was what sealed the deal for me in knowing I needed a revision on the right. I was about 3 or 4 weeks post-op on the left and the stairs were making the right (which was 4 months out) hurt soooooo much more, I knew something was wrong. I was also back in Boston a few weeks after the revision and seem to remember having a hard time with the stairs then to.

So, I will report back when I know. I have been having a hip-issue free period of time, with minor blips here and there, but have been taking it easy. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

The Difference Between Men and Women

Today was Jeff's appointment with the local OS. Like many of you (most likely women), I had done a ton of research prior to my initial OS appointment, including journal articles, textbooks, google searches and speaking to other people in my situation. I had already self diagnosed (correctly I might add) and had a list of questions in my head. I had a plan and was not leaving the office without a script for an MRI. I was ready!

Jeff called me from the waiting room at the doctor's office and said "what should I ask him". exasperated, I asked if he had read my blog yet, he said yes, meaning the "Dear Jeff" post. So, I had to give him the 60 second labral tear/FAI lesson. It went something like this: Make sure they take an x-ray, ask him if he sees impingement. Ask him if he thinks it is a labral tear, make sure he figures out why you have a tear (I can't stress this enough) and get an MRI. Tell him exercise and PT has made you worse. Tell him you started with groin pain and now it is more diffuse throughout your leg and has radiated to your knee. Find out what he thinks is the problem.

So.....Jeff has to get an MRI, the doc has no idea what is wrong, he does not know if it is a labral tear, he said maybe a stress fracture or some inflammation and have him NSAID's to take for now. And he left in more pain than he went in with :-)

Dear Jeff.....

Being that my life can't get any more pathetic these days, now it seems that my problems are contagious. My younger brother, Jeff, has a possible torn labrum. He called me one day in April to tell me his hip had begun bothering him during ice hockey, and he had a triathlon a few days later and didn't know what to do. Although I don't remember the mechanism of injury, it sounded like a possible acute hip flexor strain so I instructed him in a hip flexor stretch (the Susie favorite in half kneeling). He said it really helped and did it the entire week prior to the race. He did his Triathlon and I don't really remember hearing much else about the hip.

My parents are in NY visiting for a few days and mentioned that Jeff had to stop playing tennis and training for his next triathlon bc his hip has been bothering him, and he has an appointment with an OS in Miami. Obviously, an OS in Miami does not meet my "hip OS standards". Jeff things I am snobby and that this guy "does NFL and MLB players", and must be good. So, I thought maybe some of my readers could share some insight with my dear little brother and maybe share their experiences with "great OS's". I told him to make sure he a) gets an MRI (and to find out if they have the "special" MRI's that can detect tears without contrast, and if not, suck it up and have it with contrast) b) get a copy of ALL films to send off for a second opinion c)If he does indeed have a labral tear, does he have FAI d) DO NOT HAVE SURGERY IN MIAMI

He said he is going to see if the doctor can make the diagnosis without him saying anything, and if he does not mention the labrum, he will bring it up. I think this is not so easy when you are in the thick of it with a busy OS, especially if they are arrogant and busy, not that this one is, but, just in case. Do not wait to try PT then get the MRI, push for it now.

So, I admit I can be a bit snobby about hips and hip surgeons, but I think I have the experience and have heard from enough people to know at least a little bit about what I am talking about.

So please, comment, I will forward all responses to him, so he does not have to go through what so many of you have had to.

Close Call

Being that I am "so over" the hip hype, I occasionally wear shoes that are not befitting someone who has had 3 hip surgeries and a bad knee. Occasionally, fashion comes first. Yesterday was one of these days, the fashion required 4" heels. I have to say I did really well until the last 15 minutes of heel time.

I was crossing the street with J, when all of a sudden, I heard/ felt one of my infamous hip cracks, but I was standing on the leg, not sitting down or moving it. It was during the stance phase of gait, and then, for a quick second, my leg almost gave out on me. It happened so quickly I don't think J noticed, but for that moment, horrible thoughts went through my mind, including, but not limited to a fracture. And then, just as quickly as it happened, it was over, I made it to the sidewalk with no further incident.

Scar tissue? Psoas? Who knows. I am fine, my hips are fine, if just a bit rattled!

Funky Popping Going On

Every now and then, I will go sit on a low chair and POP, something (psoas?) will pop/ snap in one of my hips. It doesn't hurt but is rather loud.

Yesterday took the cake! Try to picture this. I was lying in bed, on my right side, very close to the edge of the right side of the bed. I let my right leg slowly hang of the bed (don't know what I was doing) and pop, pop. 2 pops in the hip (psoas). So I tried to re-evaluate what had happened, and came to he conclusion that I had internally rotated the right leg and then it popped. Which led me to wonder if it really was the psoas, or rather some old scar tissue.

I know, I have way too much on my hands!

Why Didn't This Ever Occur To Me?

For those of you that can remember, before all the excitement of all of these surgeries, there were MRI's and CT scans and anxious days waiting for phone calls with the results. Many anxious days, filled with frustration and annoyance, knowing my results were sitting on my OS desk and me not knowing. So I patiently sat by the phone for days at a time, a slave to it, to ensure I didn't miss a call.

I had an appointment today at my ob-gyn's office. I was sitting in the waiting room and a woman walked in and walked to the reception desk. She announced her name and said she as there because she had already called twice and no one had called her back yet. She needed to schedule surgery. Clearly she was very anxious about it. The receptionist told her she that the reason she hadn't been called back was bc the surgery had to be scheduled with the hospital. She wanted to know when they would do it, they told her today or tomorrow. She was not happy with that, to which I can relate, but probably would not have actually come down to the office for this! They told her they would call her when they knew when, to which she replied that she needed options for dates in case she wasn't going to be around.

I know many of us have felt like this woman before but would we ever do that? Was she gutsy or a pain in the ass?? I know I have felt like doing that before, I have also felt like breaking into my OS office and stealing my films, until I got smart and just had the receptionist fax me the results before speaking to him. That was the most ingenious thing ever, less waiting, less anxiousness and me being the control freak I am!

11 Month Update

I am now 11 months post hip arthroscopy #2, the first and only surgery on the left hip. On most days, I would never think I had surgery on that leg. What effects me the most these days is that it is pool season and I am not thrilled with the vampire bite scars on my leg. I know last week there was the slight medial issue, I have not had it since, and I can say I am thrilled thrilled thrilled with it. I have no idea what the ROM is, or what the strength is, functionally, it is amazing and that is all that matters.I don't care if I am lacking some IR, or some flexion, there is nothing in life I currently cannot do bc of this hip.

I would love to x-ray my hips, and see what they look like now, see if arthritis is beginning to set in, what the shape is like....I have not had post-op x-rays, the closest I have come is an OR x-ray on the right side to show the "funky cam impingement" before and after! X-rays will have to wait!
All I can say is thank you Dr. Kelly!!!!