Many Thanks to J for all of his Disney and Miami updates. It was really needed as I was really sick during our trip (Jk was too).
Disney was great. We were there 1 year ago, it was immediately after my first injection so my hip held up pretty well for the trip. I think without the injection it would have been a nightmare. I ended up having surgery about a month later. This time, it held up beautifully without the help of steroids! YAY!! It did it all on its own merit.

We drove back to Miami on Thursday night. When we got home, I had a horrific headache. By morning, I couldn't move at all, I thought it was a migraine but then realized it was an awful sinus headache. I ended up taking a combination of Sudafed, Robitussin, Claritin-D, Tylenol, Darvocet and Aleve. All over the course of 4 days, much more than recommended dose, but I was dying. We woke up early on Tuesday to go home and again, I couldn't move. I somehow managed to get out of the house and on the plane. As soon as I got home, I hit my stash of antibiotics and felt better by the next day. What was interesting was that I developed all over muscular pains from excessive coughing (it was bad). At one point, every time I coughed my adductors would tighten up (I think only on the right)

So I am back now! I am now officially, forever, a PT dropout. It has been at least 3 weeks, maybe more. We are SO over!

I am also extremely upset with most of my colleagues. Actually, they don't know. They also don't know that I had a mini melt-down yesterday. Tell me if I am way off base. They all want to institute a "uniform" at work, we would all have polo shirts with the company name on it. I flipped out about this and was REALLY upset for a good portion of the day. There are many reasons I am against it, some personal, some professional. But this topic seemed to hit hard bc I was a wreck. J probably thinks I need to get a grip, but I can't help it.
Ok, I vented a little more, I feel better!
So we are home and getting back into the swing of things!

FUN IN THE SUN PART DEUX

Pictures from the grandparents boat

FUN IN THE SUN

While NY was getting hit with snow we enjoyed a nice day at the grandparents pool.

DISNEY DAY 3 (so sorry for the delay...)

Last day at Disney is always such a bummer. We are all depressed.

L and JK outside the Magic Kingdom

L and Susie's back on Thunder Mountain. L LOVED it!!! She went 2x!

What a face. JK on the caroussel before he puked (runs in the family...on the mom's side)

I promised I would show you JKs Crocs.

DISNEY DAY 2

Sue - who cares about the hip update? We're in Disney World. Thats what people want to hear about!!!

I am exhausted.

See you tomorrow for Day 3 update.

Breakfast with the characters. JK's favorite character.

And the little princess with her new best friend. Background - we went to Disney about a year ago and has breakfast with the characters. L wouldnt go near them. JK on the other hand did but was much more hesitent this trip. Anyway, this AM L wouldnt go near (in order) Goofy, Donald and Mickey. When Minnie came to our table she broke out of her shyness and ran into her arms!

JK had to entertain himself in other ways besides taking pictures with the characters.

JK still being JK

Epcott - On our way out of the Universe Energy ride, we stopped off for a frozen coffee drink.

And of course, those thingys you put in your crocs. L got 2 Minnie's (of course) and JK got 1 Goofy and 1 Pluto.

And The Verdict Is....

So far, 1 1/2 days of continous walking, standing, pushing a double stroller and.....my hips are doing pretty well. I won't lie, we had our moments today, especially the right (scoped 11/12/07). It wasn't so much the groin pain, rather, my ITB really acted up at times. Also, those lovely ass spasms came back for short periods of time. The left side (scoped 7/2/07) decided to tighten up adductors.

All in all, not bad. Especially if we are still going on the premise of 6-12 months for a full recovery.
I will probably let J post some more pics later tonight! I am ready to pass out!

THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH

You have not heard from me in a long time, the wonderful husband.

Thought i would share some pics from Disney Day 1.

JBL

More Happy Times To Come

To keep with the spirit of things in hipville, we are on our way to Disney World, the happiest place on earth. Should be interesting to 'put my money where my mouth is' and see how I hold up with all the walking!
Pictures to follow!!!!

Evil Influences

After Amy and I left Dr. K's office, she insisted we go to the most incredible cupcake shop EVER, Crumbs. The following is what happenned that afternoon, in chronological order.

Just some background info, it is no coincidence that amy and I have the same OS. We actually met through labralicious (a yahoo group for people with labral tears). She had posted about her own experience and mentioned that dr. K was her OS. I decided to take the liberty of emailing her off-list. My first email ever stated: "I am seeing Dr. K in a few weeks, I think I have a labral tear. I am a PT and all day long my patients complain about thier doctors. Is he an a$$hole?"

She obviously answered no and we ended up emailing eachother for a few months until we finally met in person last March. My kids adore her, you can clearly see why!

Fun and Laughter at Dr. K's office

A Guest Post By Amy

The day started out terribly... my flight out of Pittsburgh in the morning was three hours late leaving.. I was an hour late for my appointment with Dr. Kelly. I still had to wait forever when I got there, but this time, it was worth the wait. The plan was for me to see him, run out and get a few things at one of the dog stores and meet Susie back at Dr. Kelly's office to see Elie demonstrate all of the bones for him. I had a great visit with Dr. Kelly. Of course, he was concerned about my bleeding/oozing episode, and when I told him that when I finally had the CT scan that the seroma was 2x4 cm. He laughed and said "that's it? that's nothing!" I laughed right back at him and told him that was after I bled to death for three days. I talked to him about the "idiot resident in the ER", and asked if he was an idiot as a resident, to which he answered "no, I was perfect." I won't repeat what I said next... this is a G rated blog : ) He had me walk for him since I was begging to get off my crutches. I would take a few steps and vogue.. a few more.. pose again... Then I said "OOPS Fashion Week was last week!" He looked at my left hip and was really happy with it. I am almost 11 months out from the revision on that hip. It was really great to be able to laugh and be happy about where my hips are. He is happy as well with the progress on the right hip and told me that the surgery was pretty extensive, but there was no way he wanted to go back in there.. EVER! He loved the pictures of my dog, Kooza in her Plaxico Burress jersey and my Giants t-shirt. He did get on my case about wearing a Steelers' sweatshirt, but I told him that he should have snagged me a shirt in the locker room.. what the hell was he thinking, leaving me out like that?!? I go back up to see him in 10 weeks. So, I got out of there just to meet Susie coming in for her appointment. Elie was very happy to go over her bones for me. She is such a smart child. I think he was shocked to see me there... he kept shaking his head... he accused his PA, Arianna of purposely being somewhere else and setting him up for the torture of being in a room with the two of us! L got very shy when Dr. Kelly came into the room though. It was such a shame that she was shy, because Dr. Kelly was very excited to show her anything that she wanted. We had some fun with the pictures of Susie's psoas. He looked directly at me and said these are for the lawyers.. of course, this was a dig at my earlier visit with him when I told him that he would be hearing from the insurance company and that he needed to be clear that I am in the same boat with this hip so that I can settle. Susie's hips are great! She is not lying or misleading on this blog.. I saw it myself. I think that Dr. Kelly was relieved that she is doing so well. I asked him how she was able to get three surgeries in the course of a year, and he said I like her better. I told him that I thought it took me 18 months to get my second surgery because he liked seeing me so much. Of course, he kept shaking his head as Susie and I were double teaming him. He did offer Susie his condolences on the Patriot's Super Bowl loss as well, Susie confronted him about calling her "Crazy." He said "I did not say that about you... I have said it about her (meaning me) many times. We took a few pictures in the office. The best one is the one below of me and Dr. Kelly. It was too funny because I handed Susie the camera and said "there is one picture I want". Dr. Kelly said "It is you stangleing me!" I think it is going to be my new screen saver!! I know that most people could not get away with this with him, but he really does have a very funny and sarcastic side that comes out when he gets to know patients a little better. I am naturally sarcastic and aloof at times, so we are a perfect match.





It was such a fun visit with a lot of laughter and levity and a celebration of 4 hips getting better and two very happy patients who are forever joined at the hip! I missed my flight home, as Susie and I misinterpreted the airline's website, so we had a slumber party.

The Start of Something Great

Yesterday was my 3 month follow-up with Dr. Kelly. For the first time ever, I left happy, satisfied, elated, thrilled...... We actually didn't discuss another surgery. I have never left his office without having a sinking feeling that this disaster was not ending. I think I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day. I know in the past I have said I was really happy and this is over, but this office visit gave me closure! We barely even discussed my hip, I told him it was great, and I am REALLY happy! Really really really happy!

The visit was even more fun bc I had entertainment! I brought L along, since she is OBSESSED with bones, as well as Amy, who had an earlier appointment and ended up hanging out with us. L really wanted to see x-rays, and she has been talking about seeing them and meeting Dr. Kelly for a while. She is such a funny kid. She even got to leave school early for it. But when the 3 of us got into a room, she became timid, and when he came in the room, she buried her head in my lap and wouldn't look up!

He was excited to show her x-rays, he was even going to get her some MRI's if she wanted to!

He started by showing us my scope pics, especially my "intact" (and absolutely beautiful and perfect) psoas. Lots and lots of shots of my psoas, (for the lawyers, of course, he joked). He told me I was very scary when I "threatened" him during out psoas conversations and the pre-cursor to the psoas conversation. He let L have a sheet of scope pics! She was still buried in my leg but when we got home she was so excited to show J and Jk.

He checked my hips, and found the right to have more ROM (right was scoped 2x), he said it was because he had taken down a lot more bone in the right. I think this explains why I was having a lot of muscular issues there. I now have the ability to move more, but my muscles needed to be retrained in this new range. Kind of like what happened during my continuing ed course.

Of course the conversation turned to football (I will let Amy tell you about that part of the visit as well as the rest of the day, plus the best pic of the day)

But...he kept saying "she was right, she was right", (meaning, there was bony impingement in my hip the whole time) see, I knew I was not making this up August-November. And to think of all the times I nearly lost it during those months!
So things went super, I asked if he wanted to see me again....he laughed! I need an x-ray at 1 year out, I can handle that!!

As I was finishing up with the receptionist, he came back out and told me to come back and bring my chart. He had the Chief Resident there, he took out my scope pics and said "this is why you need to listen to your patients"!!

3 Months Post-op Hip Arthroscopy Revision

I was on the phone with hipster Amy tonight. We have a 'date' tomorrow at Dr. Kelly's office, for her 2 week follow-up and my 3 month follow-up. The topic of conversation turned to successful surgeries! Finally, someone who can understand my joy and elation, and smiles when no one else knows why. Joining us on our date will be 'L', who loves bones. I promised her she could see my x-rays, she is ecstatic.

Since my life has returned to pre-hip issue status for the most part, my old knee issues have returned. Way back in college and PT school, I had such bad knee pain, I had to ice after each ride. I am approaching this again. I really can't handle another orthopaedic issue right now, or ever! The good thing is the knee pain doesn't make me crazy, or do crazy things! I need to ice and get a grip on this, before it gets out of control.

J has been away on business, he was in Mexico last week. He decided to come home early tonight, conveniently missing bath and bed time for the kids, but early enough to want to know what I had made for dinner. His bright idea of the night came as he was watching a Tivo'd episode of The Biggest Loser. "Why don't you gain a ton of weight so that we can go on the 'couples' version together". For those of you not familiar with The Biggest Loser, it is a reality TV show featuring heavy contestants who battle to lose the most weight in the season. He is obsessed with it, and wants to go on it, but not alone. So, his idea is for me to join him! Fat chance!

Highlights from tomorrow's visit to follow!

What My Readers Symptoms of FAI or Labral Tear Were

Ok, so this is not a scholarly peer reviwed journal or anything, but I have found it helpful to know what other people have experienced, and I assume you do too, or you wouldn't be reading this. In the past, I have polled my readers to find out what their symptoms of FAI and or labral tear were, here is what they have shared. Feel free to add your own in the comments section, or email them to me and I can edit this post.
Here were my pre-op symptoms: Groin pain, deep deep groin pain, not always excruciating, but so annoying I felt like cutting off my leg, tight hip flexors, pain with sitting, pain with walking uphill, pain with pushing my stroller. I did not have radiating pain down my legs, all the hip pain was anterior medial.
This is what my readers had to say:
-At original onset of pain, I had acute, sharp pain along with a deeper pain in the anterior (non-PT term - front) hip. Once the acute pain subsided, I was left with a persistent but not 100% constant deep ache (only way I can describe it is comprable to early labor pains, or really bad menstrual cramps, or, in other words, not bad enough to put me in bed, but bad enough to ruin my day - but deep in my hip joint) along with the occasional "catching" of my hip. I would be walking and suddenly it would pinch and hurt too much to walk normally. I would usually stretch or range my hip and that would sometimes work. Otherwise I'd just have to wait it out, and later that day, the ache would be particularly bad. Now (3 + years post op) I'm at the achy stage, with occasional catching and occasional pain that is bad enough to keep me from sleeping, ie: can't find comfortable position, even with pillow between legs, must get up and take 600-800 mg Advil and wait. Those have been my symptoms to date. Hope this helps. I am eager to read about other people's symptoms - knowledge is power. (This reader had a scope a few years ago for a labral tear, her symptoms came back, she ended up being diagnosed with FAI and had an open surgery to address it)

-Clicking, catching (especially when changing direction when walking or getting in and out of car), deep aching. Now post op (scope with labral debridement of fibrillated labral tear) and still have aching (especially with sitting for long periods), nerve pain in thigh and butt, episodes of the hip giving way (though less frequent now). Pain is better with rest and worse with increased activity. Am now six months post op. Wish I had just broke it lol

-My symptoms started with groin pain, which seemed both deep and also superficial, and sometimes radiated up to my lower right pelvic/abdominal area. After awhile, I developed pain over my greater trochanter and in my piriformis muscle. Before my first scope I had SI joint discomfort as well, and also IT band tightness and soreness down my thigh to my knee. At first my pain was intermittent, but over time it became constant; it would get better or worse, but there was always a baseline amount of pain. Driving was horrible. Groin pain was always the worst symptom. Yuck!

Just a Light Note

I am still plugging along, still happy, and have not forgotten about my loyal readers. A funny thing happened in PT a few weeks ago. I have discovered Avon products, they are really great. One of my favorites is the Skin So Soft Spray Oil. I had sprayed it on one early morning before dragging myself to pre-work PT. It made the table slippery and P kept slipping off my leg. As he was working, he sniffed, and said "is that skin so soft?" I burst out laughing "How do you know what skin so soft is?" He replied "It is used as bug repellent". Ok, but it is still good moisturizer. I have since switched to Skin So Soft Whipped oil in Soft ad Sensual!

While I am on the topic of beauty products, I have to make a recommendation, I am in love with Cover Girl Lash Exact Mascara, but the one with the purple brush. I find no need to spend a lot of money on expensive mascara when this one does a great job.

I have recently come to the realization that have developed lines under my eyes. I purchased a wrinkle cream, but having on prior experience with this, I have been told that it is 'too heavy' and can make my lines worse, great! Does anyone have a recommendation for a good eye cream? I guess a year of hip bullshit took its toll on me!

Why Do I Open My Big Fat Mouth???

Just when I thought things were peachy, reality hit once again. Lets regroup and look at the big picture, if hip arthroscopy is supposed to have a full recovery time of 6-12 months, why I am bragging at 3 that I'm perfect. Someone please say "shut up Susie", you know you imagined those 12 seconds of painfree bliss, there is NO FRIGGIN WAY you are done with your grizzling (thanks Jess, I've been waiting for a good opportunity to use your word). So, if it makes everyone happy again, I had a wild dose of reality yesterday.

Normally, I work a 5 hour day, at which point I am beat, exhausted, and ready for cup of coffee #4 (or 5). My office is a bit understaffed this week because of vacation time as well as people at continuing education courses (see, its not just me who is a huge dork), so I volunteered to work 11 hours yesterday. 8 hours in, my legs both hurt so much, I was soooo sore, my piriformis threatened to go into spasm, my adductors tightened up again as did sartorius. Truthfully, I think many of my colleagues felt the same way at the 8 and 9 hour mark, it is an exhausting day. I can't wait to revert back to part time status!

(sigh) The Party's Over

I can't believe this. It once again goes to show that hips are soooooo unpredictable. I stayed in bed for most of the day yesterday, not because of my hips (remember, yesterday was sheer perfection) but rather because I was unbelievably sick, probably the flu or something. Today, I dragged myself out of bed and was struck with hip soreness. Not bad and debilitating in any way shape or form, but surprising after yesterday. It is actually mostly greater trochanter pain as I am sitting here. I am annoyed!

12 Weeks post Revision

As I was walking home from taking L to school this morning, a great thought crossed my mind. I have no pain, no discomfort, and no tightness. I don't feel a thing in my hips (both sides), it feels as if I did not have surgery! Whoohoo!!! I have been waiting for this day for over a year, to be completely pain and discomfort free! I know that this is probably not permanent, and there will still be periods of discomfort down the road, but what a great milestone to hit! I am back on the spinning DL for the moment, this may be why I am feeling so great. Battling yet another sinus infection, which leaves me feeling completely drained and exhausted. But I can't just stay off the bike forever, eventually, it will stop making things tighten up, and I do think that each ride is better than the previous one!

SuperBowl Sunday

Turning the Bend

I think tomorrow is 12 weeks post-op, wow, how time flies when you are having fun! I can't believe I have had the privilege of experiencing 3 hip arthroscopies, how did I ever get so lucky!
Thankfully, everything went super this last time! I attended PT a whopping 3 times this week, I guess that takes care of the dropout status, for now anyway. J is traveling this week so I won't be making it in early to have P work on me, so this week I revert to drop-out status once again. The only thing is, I may really need P tomorrow. My SI joint is giving me grief this week. It was giving him grief as well Friday, I asked him to manipulate it, which is a high velocity, low amplitude thrust that if done correctly, will generally result in a "pop". I am generally a great "popper" but it would not go for him. I was so sore all day Friday and Saturday as well. Today it feels better but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it remains like this. SI pain stinks, I develop a deep achiness right along my PSIS. It is definitely not my first bout of SI pain though, at one pint in time, I had taught J how to fix it for me, the only trouble this time is that I am not sure what type of dysfunction I am having so cannot instruct him in correcting it. I find that in the past, I am always developing 'issues' on the weekend, when I have no access to 'help'! SI joint issues are a small price to pay for hip relief, and I will take this any time over groin pain, losing my mind, and another surgery!

A New Culprit

SARTORIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I waltzed into PT yesterday 40 minutes late and begged P to take me! He did luckily bc the tightness is making me insane. I aksed him to figure out something new, tear some tissue, break scar tissue, jump on my leg, surgically release it.......I was desperate and annoyed! After he calmed me down, he got to work. He palpated sartorius on each side and found it was more prominent on the right, more tight and more tender. Aha! So off he went to ART it and do his magic. He also continued with the PA mobs in prone with some ER followed by a serious hip flexor stretch with a dose of contract-relax. I felt amamzing when I finally had to get up and see patients. Best I have felt in a while!

Unfortunately, I worked a REALLY long day yesterday to cover someones vacation, and I am working today to cover as well, so after 8 hours straight on my feet, I was in pain and (gasp) limping a little. I am better this morning and getting ready for another long day in the office.

Interestingly, as P was working, he was feeling around my scope sites on my 'tender' area and it has become a little bit numb. Par for the course I guess. It still burns at times as well, and I keep forgetting to try the Lidocaine patches. Lets see if today I can remember!

Thank You To the Wonderful People in My Billing Department

I just received this letter in the mail:

Informational copy only. Original letter addressed to MSPT (my office)
Dear Billing Department:

We're responding to your 011708 inquiry about our processing Susie on 12/26/07.
We determined that we processed this claim accurately and no further payment is due. The reason (s) is listed at the bottom of this letter.

Network physicians/ other health care professionals/ facilities: Please refer to your administrative guide for further review options.
Non network physicians: Please refer to the PRA for any review rights that may be available to you.

If you have questions about this letter please call customer care.

Under the plan, notification was required but not received. Therefore, we have declined payment for the service because requirements of the plan were not met.

Let me explain the absurdity of this. First of all, I have been in PT for 10 months now (and counting). My plan only allows for 30 PT visits/ year, in or out of network. My office is in network, but my therapist is out of network (it is a big game we play with the insurance companies). To access my in-network benefits, authorization is needed by an outsourced PT company who will read P's notes and 'approve' x number of visits. Then he requests more, and it becomes a pile up of paperwork and a losing battle with the insurance company. I have out of network benefits too. These do not require authorization (i.e prior notification), and get billed at a higher rate and paid at a higher rate. So the billing department has been billing out of network. It is great for everyone. I get my deductible taken care of (they obviously don't charge me), P has no paperwork, and the office gets paid more. These out of network visits are also capped at 30, but no one seemed to notice, or someone in the billing department appealed them...who knows. All I know is that PT has been paid for, very well I might add, for the last 10 months. And I have definitely exceeded 30 visits (I think I exceeded 30 visits with one surgery alone! Dr.Kelly's PT protocol is for 1x/week x 1st month, 2x/week 2nd month, 3x/week 3rd month) At some point in time, it became more difficult to bill out of network so the billing people started billing in network. They have done so for a while, and now, United Healthcare realized there was no authorization. Oops!
I keep forgetting to count the total # of visits I have had, it is scary though! I have an appintment tomorrow that I am keeping!

I am finally feeling less tight in the capsule. Ironically, I have not been on my bike since Thursday bc of all the family outings. Tonight I am finally in bed, alone, and ready to sleep ALOT!

Thank Goodness Tomorrow is Monday

I think this has been the longest weekend of my life. Let me explain.....My parents have had a trip planned to NY for a while, they were going to stay with us and my aunt and uncle decided to tag along too to see the kiddies. As luck would have it, my sister in law gave birth to twins this week, which has turned things completely upside down. See, Jewish people don't just have babies, they have babies then have parties and celebrations galore. So to join in the celebration, J's older sister plus hubby and 3 kids came to NY....and stayed with us. My parents ended up at a hotel. I hosted Friday night dinner and Saturday lunch here for 11. Plus a Tupperware party tonight (planned ages ago). So.....after cooking, serving, cleaning, dealing with family 'politics' and wearing heels ALOT, I think I am ready to cut off my right leg. We are having a huge issue bc it does not like when I wear heels, and, well, at this point, I am soooooo wearing heels. We are 2 1/2 months out from my revision scope, this is ridiculous. Even my ITB is screaming at me today, pleading with me to retire my high heeled boots (they are so cute, with a little flower on the side!)

Friday night, I wore wedges to the baby party. I had so much pain, I wanted to cry. I left the party early, using the excuse that Jk had to go to bed, and was fine in the AM. But I really had groin pain, I don't think it was like pre-op pain, more adductors, psoas pain and of course capsule pain too. Saturday, I wore those shoes again, hell is all I can think to describe the state of my hip. Today I donned the cute boots, hell, changed into Uggs for an outing to the zoo, better, but not great, and then high heeled boots again for my party! I am in bed with so much soreness now, not so much pain anymore, but soreness. Adductors, ITB, TFL, all a mess.

To add to the fun and excitement, my numb/tender areas are burning again. If I can get it together enough, I will try a lidocaine patch tomorrow for work. But I am so tired, I dont know if I will remember! As I type, my eyes are closing....so, you get the picture, I overdid it this weekend in a housewife type of way!

Iceskating, Cold weather and the Expected Aftermath

We all ice skated yesterday. Amy gave L a 'lesson', although L was more interested in seeing the ice on her mitten after each fall, and Jk dragged me around the ice on his miniature ice skates! A good time was had my all (except Amy's ankle and my IT band).

Truth be told, my hip held up amazingly well, I had the tender spot issues last night and of course the capsule tightened up again. It also clicks, did I ever mention that? Not snapping or popping, but clicking, but not like the labral tear clicking. Scar tissue maybe? Who knows?

Very interesting (and quite painful actually)- I went out this afternoon to pick up L from school and right as I got into the cold, my joint tightened up and became painful. It did loosen as I continued to walk, but it was so weird that it just tightened like that.

At this point, my only issues seem to be the joint capsule tightening issue and the nerve damage/ tender area issue. It is a fair trade-off for being able to have my life back!

As Tight as a.....

I can't think of a simile, but my hip is TIGHT. As I was riding tonight, I got into some standing sprints for the first time, but it felt as if there was a cord wrapping tighter and tighter around around my hip with each revolution, until I couldn't take it anymore. I kept saying to myself, 'it is not your problem, P will deal with it tomorrow...' but hell no, it is my problem now! Especially since Jk is asleep and I have no one to sit on my leg and stretch me!

Interestingly, I had a pretty shitty day on Sunday and Monday. Ironically, those 2 days were really really cold, the kind of days where you don't want to go outside unless absolutely necessary, the days where you drive down a street in Manhattan and there are no people on the sidewalk. Why is the cold bothering me so much???? I was between Tylenol and Darvocet, I was going to start with Tylenol and then take a Darvocet if it didn't help but it must have bc I never went for the stronger stuff!

I am going ice skating again tomorrow with hipster Amy, who has been banned from the ice by Dr. Kelly, but L really wants to learn how to skate! I am more nervous about freezing my ass off than breaking something since we are going to the Wollman Rink in Central Park, the indoor rinks are closed tomorrow or don't have public hours, I already started packing a bag with extra socks and sweaters! You can take the girl out of Miami, but you can't take Miami out the girl (did I ever mention I was from Miami, and have been 'stuck' in NY since college???)

On a positive note, I think I had the best ride tonight since my revision scope! YAY!!!
Just curious....should I still call scope#1 a 'failed hip arthroscopy' or 'part 1 of the job for my right hip'!
Also, I think I have to change my profile since I mention the 'twisting/popping' incident and really, it has nothing to do with anything, other than sending everyone down the wrong path on the ever so fun investigation of 'why does my hip hurt AFTER my arthroscopy?"
(I have to stop exercising at night, I have way too much energy)

The Importance of PT (blah blah blah)

I returned to PT, again. I am going to stop being such a hotshot and STOP dropping out. I even made another appointment for Wednesday. See, I am having some joint capsule issues, yes, after hip arthroscopy, even 9 weeks later (or am I at 10....I have lost track) you can still have these ridiculous issues. It is a joke at this point, I am fixed, yet still having issues.

My capsule is so tight, P did work hard (thanks P) and is surprised at how tight I get. The mobility within the joint is poor (not my ROM, but the joint accessory motion), I am stiff. Since we are having so much fun already, m gait becomes stiff and I begin to lose extension, again. So I walk slightly 'off', and now my back hurts AHHHHHHHHH.

Luckily, it is stiffness in my back, and luckily, the people I work with are amazing and can quickly help me. Interestingly, the pain travels along my vertebrae. Yesterday, I pointed to where it hurt and P said it was L3-4. He did a manipulation on it, and it was better. Then my thoracic spine hurt, so I recruited another PT (I was too embarrassed to tell P something else hurt) so he manipulated my T-spine. I think every vertebrae 'popped' with one quick manip! When I got home, my lumbar spine hurt again and I really needed to 'crack it'. Clearly, J is not skilled or trained in this, so I have been doing this twisty rotation thing hoping to elicit a pop, I have not been all that successful.I did go on my foam roller for a while and it helped, but I need some PT too!

Back pain is worse than hip pain bc I can find few positions that alleviate it, other than lying on my stomach with a pillow under me.
And the fun continues! When will this end?
I do plan on ice skating this week though, back pain or no back pain.I had grand plans to go rock climbing this weekend but the gym I chose is closed for a competition, so it will have to wait! But I am so excited to do it again!!

I am in Adductor Hell

Poor P, he just doesn't get it. He is going to be shocked tomorrow at how things have deteriorated in the 'PT addressable area' tomorrow (as opposed to the 'surgeon addressable area'). My muscles and joint capsule are so tight, it hurts so much. I contemplated taking a Darvocet today the adductor was so bad. I ended up lying on the floor in a FABER position and having Jk sit on my knee to stretch it out. I want it to 'pop', or something, I think I am developing scar tissue in there and it is contributing to my problem. So it has been a rough day!

To top things off, I took the kids to CVS, which for some reason unbeknown to me, makes them wild. So we finally got out of there in one piece and Jk needed a diaper change. It was snowing and cold, but we had no choice. So I started doing it in the passenger seat of my car, but then realized I ran out of wipes. "Shit', I said. To which L replied 'Mommy, that is not a nice word.'

Someone actually asked me today if I can 'feel the cold' in my hips. I am not sure if any of this is weather related. I like to think it is not, since I reserve thatfor 90 year old little old ladies with arthritic hips (so I fit 50% of that description). Hmmmmmm, maybe I can!

Everyone is in bed, I am also getting ready to get in bed soon and watch Gossip Girl on Tivo.

An Update to Last Night's Post

My adductor is in a knot, causing me to believe I am having joint pain. Due to the close proximity of the insertion of the adductors, I have been on the verge of losing it (again). Luckily, I decided to stretch last night, and low and behold, adductor was the culprit. It REALLY hurts though, to the point that I am considering a Darvocet to get through today, until I see P tomorrow and he can 'make nice' with my adductor!
*********My Joint is fine**************

Just To Keep everyone on the Edge of Their Seats...

My hip hurts. I am pretty sure the muscles are acting up, but I am f___ing annoyed. See, we are past this. It is like a relationship, we should be done with the awkward, getting to know you part, and be on to the 'romantic walks on the beach', or rock climbing and spinning together. I have yet to 'poke around' the area to figure it out. Yes, instead of sitting my lazy butt in front of the computer, I should be stretching, but I had such a great ride tonight I want to relax a little.

Maybe it is wishful thinking (I am rambling again...I know), but before the FAI was bulldozed out, I could literally take my index finger and point to where the pain was. This pain is readily identified with the entire pinky side of my hand, from the tip of my finger to my wrist, right in the joint crease.

Also, pesky adductor is acting up again. I need to get off of the computer and stretch....I did make an appointment to see P on Friday morning, which means I am, once again, not a PT dropout. Lets keep me at PT PRN status. I actually received a prescription from a doctor today which said PT at 'my discretion'! So I am doing the same....but for myself.

I play this game called 'what if I was my own patient', to see how I would handle this muscle issue. Firstly, I would not approve of rock climbing or ice skating yet. Maybe spinning, but low-level. Definitely not what I have been doing some nights, like tonight. Did I mention I hurt more now that I am off of the bike than I did before I got on? Oops, I left out some important details. I also had a crazy day at work plus I cooked dinner for 2 other families tonight. Ok, so maybe I don't practice what I would otherwise preach. But this hip shit is getting really old.

Rough Day in Hipville

L was off of school today for some teacher preparation/total BS day. So I decided to be super mom. I took both kids to an indoor nature center. They had fun, petting snakes, chinchillas and ferrets. Since things were going so well, we headed to the supermarket, where they both decided to have meltdowns, until cookies magically appeared. Since the cookies calmed them down, I decided to push my luck and headed to a craft store.

Let me backtrack on the craft thing. I am not crafty, at all. I felt so out of place in the craft store, like I needed a few more piercings and Birkenstocks. For the longest time, I have wanted to try a project. It is called BeautiFill. I have an empty bowl with compartments, and you are supposed to fill it. Hard to visualize so I have included pictures. (see below) I decided to fill the bowl with silk flowers, it looks great! The kids were a disaster in the store. They were exhausted and weren't letting me put my things int he cart, crying for stickers, books, candy.....you get the picture. Luckily, we made it out alive, with a few dirty looks from complete strangers, and safely into the car. They both fell asleep in the car!

I left them at home and proceeded to Target (where else), where things began to go achey...again. I even thought about calling P to squeeze me in tomorrow, but being that it is 1AM and I am on the computer, no where near ready for bed, I am glad I did not, I would never get out of bed that early. I am not 100% sure what is going on, and have been pretty busy so haven't been able to sort it out. I think it may be psoas (I hope it is psoas) as opposed to some joint crap. I am no where near ready to deal with any thing possibly going downhill in the joint. Maybe 30 years from now when I begin thinking about my THR or resurfacing, but this better not be an indication that it may be sooner. Obviously, I am sure the FAI has been wiped out. But there is always the fear that the cartilage damage has continued, or that scar tissue is running rampant in there. Or maybe I need to take a step back and say 'Chill Out!' I am only 9 weeks out, there are ups and downs, and this is just a down. It happens. I have had much worse 'downs' in the past. Don't freak out. Clearly the FAI is gone and that is the most important thing. Maybe I do need to haul my a$$ back to PT like a good, compliant patient and stop rock climbing on my off days!

My evening did end on a funny/ embarassing note though! L is into the Cha Cha Slide. The singer goes through a verse where he says 'funky funky funky funky'. We were getting pizza for dinner and L started singing the song, but she leaves out the 'N' in funky, boy was I embarrassed.

L has some new bones she knows, to date she knows: Scapula, humerus, radius, ulna, phalanges, clavicle, sternum, ribs, femur, patella, tibia, fibula, calcaneus, phalanges. Plus Gluteus maximus and hamstrings. Now, when I ask her if she knows what a hip looks like, she does that classic fist with one hand, other hand over it, then she takes the cupped hand and says 'this is the acetabulum'. She is a genius!

Rain, Rain Go Away

I woke up early this morning, anticipating 6 inches of snow, so I had to give myself plenty of time to dig out my car and make it to work. I woke up to rain. Yuck. But better than snow! It rained all day, it was a dreary, cold, January day in New York. The weather made my hip feel achey. Like an old lady. I could 'feel the rain'.

I was hoping for a snow day, the office would have been slow, yesterday we all took a continuing education course, so a slow day would have been great for practicing! But what I got was a rainy, achey day.

Being that I was at my office yesterday, and P was there too, I took advantage and had him mob my hip. I have been getting tight again, the same joint capsule, stiffy feeling. Not the clamping down feeling, more like tight and stiff. So he worked his magic and I was happy. I don't think that counts as 'PT', so I am putting myself back into dropout status.

My tender area near the top of my thigh, around my scope sites miraculously got better the day I picked up the Lidocaine patches. It is not 100%, but it has gotten better. I have been having some burning too, in the tender area as well as directly above my knee, where I was numb immediately post-op. I have not tried the patches yet.

To add to all of this fun, I think I am entering into a Crohn's flare-up. I have upped my meds and will self treat for the time being! I had a feeling it was coming, I have been exhausted the past few days and wasn't too sure why. Now I know!

Maybe we will have a snow day later in the week and can practice our new techniques. I finished a continuing education course yesterday and signed up for a new one in April. I think I will be going alone though. It will be difficult to go with no friends, especially since I am always embarrassed at all of my postural 'dysfunctions'! Yesterday, I was having trouble with my hand placement for a technique, so the instructor came over to help me and asked if I could pronate my wrist more, since it looked like I wasn't fully pronated....Nope...I am tight all over!!!! Oh well, I still 'got it', and now officially work for the best PT practice in my area, as voted so by the residents!!!

The Cost of Hip Arthroscopy and its Associated Procedures

Amount Billed Vs. Amount Paid by my Insurance Company

Surgery #1
X-Rays $206 $35
MRI $1984 $1614
Intra-articular Injection $1545 $1329
Hip Brace $1100 $684
Surgery $25600 $2268
Anesthesia $2015 $2015
Hospital Bill $15677 $6642


Surgery #2
X-Rays $297 $36
MRI/ Injection (bundled fee since it was done in one day) $3538 $3044
Hip Brace $1100 $684
Surgery $31700 $2831
Anesthesia $2635 $2635
Hospital Bill $18582 $12192


Surgery #3
MRI $1997 $1776
Intra-articular injection $867 $340
CT Scan $467 $467
Psoas Injection $321 $181
Surgery $23100 $1991
Anesthesia $2170 $2170
Hospital Bill $16210 $7849


Many Thanks to United Healthcare for footing the bill, leaving me with no out of pocket fees other than a few co-pays for office visits (not included in this list) and not requiring authorization for any test or procedure. Also, many thanks to J's company for providing this fabulous health insurance!

*Not included in this list are radiologist fees for reading each scan and scans associated with injections and surgeries, office visits, lab fees, cost of the gameready and CPM, plane tickets purchased by my mom, change of fare fees made by mom when extending her stay, co-pays for many, many narcotics, Millennial crutches, lost wages at work, parking garage fees in Manhattan!! (tack on $50/ surgery and a little bit less for office visits!!)

Added on 11/1/10
After successfully fighting and winning my appeal, here is what was billed and paid for in surgery #4

Surgery #4
Billed vs Paid
Hip MRI $2197 $1887
Intra articular injection (cortisone)$1064 $268
Capsule Injection (PRP) $1034 $449
Synvisc One $884 $692
Intra articular injection (Synvisc One) $1064 $298
CT Scan $835 $835
Surgeon's Fee # 4* $19600 $6750
Hospital Fees # 4 $19831 $8533
Anesthesia #4 $2864 $2857
Post-op MRI $2310 $1898


*After appealing to UHC since this procedure was initially denied

A list of ICD-9 and CPT codes used for my surgeries

Landsickness

No, I am not being facetious. I have friggin' land sickness. I have been off of the boat since Monday morning yet my body feels like I am rocking. Clearly, it is all in head, or brain, or ears...or something! I have discovered these acupressure sea bands that seem to be helping, but I have to always wear long sleeves to cover them up for fear of looking like a bigger lunatic than I already am!

The cruise was great, rock climbing was incredible. It was definitely a personal achievement, not bc I need to climb walls to feel accomplished, but my hip can handle it, which makes me feel awesome! Kudos to P and Dr. Kelly for making it happen!

At this point, things are great. I can feel like there is 'something' in my hips, the left one (6 months out) feels more 'confident' when I walk, run, ride....The right still has occasional adductor issues. Time will heal!

I am in limbo with PT! The day I left for the cruise was the same day as I had the horrible capsule issues after scope #2 (7 weeks, 5 days). That day, the joint capsule started tightening. Shit, I thought, its happening again. But I tried to stretch it as often and discreetly as possible (in the airport and on the plane) and warded off an attack by my angry joint capsule. I did take Darvocet that day, just to be sure I wouldn't have issues. I didn't take any again bc I was on vacation, without the kids, so drinking was a must :-) I even went off of my antibiotics for the weekend (I know, me being smart again).

I saw P on Wed., we focused mostly on joint mobs for the capsule, we are definitely being preventative on this. I have no appointments set up for the future right now. We will play it by ear. I have not been on my bike since returning due to my dizziness issue, which sucks, although I think it is better than nausea bc I can function for the most part, and I am not throwing up (knock on wood). If by Sat. I still feel dizzy, I will ride anyway. My goal for 2008 is not to see doctors...dizziness included!

When I first began my 'hipscope research', there were so few success stories. I am proud to be a success story x 2!
p
Stay tuned.....The Cost of Hip Arthorscopy....coming the next time I post!

8 Week (R) 6 Month (L) Update

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I am No Longer a Drop-Out, I am a 'Crawler Backer'

Today is the one year anniversary of my first appointment with Dr. Kelly. Who would have thought that after a long argument with his receptionist 13 months ago, who almost refused to give me an appointment because my injury was not 'sports related', that I would be recovering from not 1, not 2, but 3 surgeries...all done by him. I told you so!!!!

I have been busy the past few days, J and I are going away for the weekend, without the kids. We are going on a weekend cruise to the Bahamas, and my in-laws are watching L and Jk. I have been furiously cleaning up he apartment, not cleaning cleaning, but putting things away.Like all of my maternity clothes which were stacked on our treadmill, someone wanted to borrow 1 shirt, so I had to pull all of it out, and then repack it. The desk is a mess, , my Spinning Bike is in the way.......basically make it look like I didn't have surgery 7 weeks ago and my nanny is really not on vacation!

I had to return to PT. To add insult to injury, P said 'I knew you would be back...it was only a matter of time.' I think I am hitting my 7-8 week dip.This has happened in the past, I regress for a while but eventually do come back.I have been having a lot of muscular pain, mostly adductors and TFL, maybe some psoas and occasional piriformis spasms (nice). My anterior capsule is also pretty tight, this is why I developed a limp a few days ago, I have lost extension, yet again. Since this was a sudden decision, I had to go in today, on a day I don't normally work. Even though P really mobed the heck out of it, I am tight. He also worked my psoas, iliacus, adductors and stretched my hip flexors. I am typing in bed, and just took half of a Darvocet to take the edge off. Just a reminder...the last time I took a painkiller was post-op Day 2. I am not a happy camper...plus I have to begin (and finish) packing for my trip.

I received a call form one of Dr.Kelly's people yesterday, I was supposed to call them at 6 weeks post-op to report on my progress. We discussed the tenderness issue, and she said it sounded like a 'nerve thing'. She said they don't write for Lidocaine patches, but she will discuss it with him.I told her that he had said that if the nerve issues got bad, he could give me Lyrica...which I DON'T want. She admitted that she doesn't think it works anyway!!! I am waiting to hear back...no call today though...surprise surprise!!!

I am a little bit nervous since I am exactly where I was after scope #2 when the post-op pain got really really bad. Hopefully this won't happen...but I am taking Darvocet on the cruise!

Joy rides Are Not Always followed by Joy

I am dealing with the aftermath of last night's ride. It clearly exacerbated my thigh pain thing. Plus, I was/ am pretty tight today. I am actually considering crawling back to PT!! We had a busy day today, since all the malls and stores were open, we went shopping. By the time we got to Target (store #3, after the mall), I was limping. I was not really in pain, but my gait was funky. I am skipping my bike tonight since I am not sure what tomorrow will bring and will reassess tomorrow!

Learning As I Go

FYI........do not mix alcohol with antibiotics (or at least Augmentin)
already had 2 incidents of my ever so special 'Susie Puking'
I need to add 'no puking' to my New Year's Resolution
This after less than half a glass of Chardonay...I told you I was a cheap date.

I was just remembering how I spent last New Year's Eve...I did not have a babysitter, I let J go out to our friend's party since I was no fun with undiagnosed hip pain, I was in bed early, and moving my hip in and out of provacative position, just to make sure there was still a problem, and that I wasn' crazy, since I had my first appt with Dr.Kelly on 1/3, and I was not being sent home with a diagnosis of 'nut job', or worse.....more PT!!! Looking back, I was right, there was a 'real' problem, there was no need to torture myself like that!! Again, learning as I go!!!

Why Can't Things Ever Be Perfect???

Yes, I span (spun? spinned?), I am beyond thrilled!!!
Yesterday, things in sinus infection world got bad. My eye got really red and swollen.....this was not good. Luckily, my brother in law is an opthamologist, so he came to my rescue. The redness and swelling were a result of the sinus infection, so he brought over antibiotics and a nasal spray. I have always though nasal sprays were gross, and I have always refused to use one....but I was desperate, and it made a huge difference!!! Since I felt slightly better today, I decided it was time to Spin!!!

The ride was great,I had NO HIP PAIN. It was incredible, I remember pre-op I would get right sided groin pain from riding, especially climbing. I didn't do any heavy climbing today, or any fast sprinting....I am not ready, but everything was painfree and fabulous.

I am still having the thigh tenderness though. It is still a problem if I lean with my thigh into a treatment table at work, or if one of the kids touched my leg. Otherwise, I can handle it. L had a playdate today, and it turns out the boy's father whose house she was at is a general surgeon who specializes in wound healing. I explained my situation to him, and asked his opinion. He said it may be a nicked nerve, and I should call my OS ASAP and get a 5% lidocaine patch for it. I did not call, I am obviously going to 'google' the heck out of 'lidocaine patch'. I have only seen them on patients with severe, uncontrollable pain. Basically, when there is nothing else to do for a patient and they get sent to pain management, they come back with these patches. Great! Just what I need!!
My ride exacerbated my pain/ tenderness...a lot. At first, it was not pain, but 'annoyingness', I can't think of a better word. It was not burning, aching, tingling, numb...possibly close to throbbing, but not really. Towards the end it became painful. Now it is back to annoyingness!!! Ahhhh!! Just when things were really starting to look good!!!!

My New Year's Resolution is to stay out of Dr. Kelly's OR!!!!! Or any OR for that matter!!!
Happy New Years 2008!!!

SPINNING

I.

Went.

Spinning.

Today.

The True Test Drive....I give my Hip a B-

I had it this morning. I hate the winter, I hate the cold, I hate ice...I am from Miami....I left for college about 10 years ago and still long for warm weather.
I decided to take the kids out for a walk this morning, a real walk, in the double stroller. I don't think we had done that since my surgery, at least not this distance. I bundled everyone up, stuck them inside the stroller sleeping bags and headed out. The stroller must have weighed 100 lbs. They either got really big in the last 7 weeks or the added weight of winter gear is more than I imagined.

I did have some pain during my walk. Nothing crazy, but pain. Mostly the adductor insertion point, or possibly joint pain, it was hard to tell while I was walking and with all the clothes on. Also, my psoas acted up a bit. but now, 6 hours later, I am fine.

Last night, I had some time on my hands so I went through some old posts, August-November. I am shocked, things got pretty bad. How quickly we forget when things are better. How lucky I feel that I don't have that kind of pain and the emotional issues I went through those months, it absolutely sucked! I know that there are so many more people dealing with similar issues who are not so lucky (or persistent, pains in the ass) to get it taken care of so quickly. And even more people still searching for a diagnosis of their hip pain. It makes me sad. At least I hope that with my blog, more people will learn about their pain and symptoms and seek the appropriate care.

I know everyone is wondering what will become of my PT routine. I am a quitter!! I think I am taking a leave of absence for the time being and seeing how I fare. If I need it, I will be taken back in with open arms!! But the next few weeks will be difficult with the nanny issues, travelling etc, and I feel great! So I am taking the liberty of dropping out. I have not done anything on my own. I should, at the least, be working on my adductors since that is my 'weakest link'. I am not. I still have hopes to return to spinning, just as soon as I am not sick anymore. I can't even make it through the day without a nap at this point. I am calling the doctor tomorrow, regardless of anything!!!

A Look Into the Past

My neighbor left me a trashy magazine at my door today. We had been discussing the Brittany Spear's sister pregnancy thing and she mentioned that she had bought OK magazine bc it featured a story on it. I read the story (nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage pregnancy) and then read my 2008 horoscope, honestly, this was my horoscope:
Health: Last year exacerbated health issues for many Cancers, mainly due to stress and demanding work schedules. This year, your health improves, and you should have more of that cherished nesting time. Add variety to your workouts.....

I wish I knew this a year ago and I would have been prepared! 2007 brought more doctor's visits, diagnostic tests, radiation exposure and surgeries than many people experience in a year.

I think I am not going to PT on Monday, and will soon take on the official 'dropout' status.I had better keep my mouth closed though. After my second surgery,P and I had discussed 'dropping out' at 6 weeks since I was doing so well but then I had the joint capsule/ psychotic psoas issue, as well as the whole 'revision BS'.

SHIT! I had though that it was 6 weeks out when that happened, and I was free and clear. Seems like it was closer to the 2 month mark......(color draining from my face) that whole episode and the next few days were awful, especially the next morning. But I will keep a positive attitude and keep plugging along.

On a more negative note, I am still soooo sick. I am definitely going to the doctor on Monday, there is no question that I have a raging sinus infection and NEED antibiotics. It is sad that I have an entire arsenal of narcotics here, I could easily maintain a healthy drug habit with all of my pills, but I lack a simple Z-pack!!!

Making Good Decisions....as Always

I went ice skating today. I went ice skating in lieu of going to the doctor for my throat/ ear/ sinuses and cough. The premise was that we would call a friend tonight to call in a Rx for me but...he is on vacation. So I am in bed, prior to 9PM, having just taken cough medicine, which totally wipes me out (at least it doesn't make me puke), and freaking out since my nanny is now officially on vacation.

I woke up this morning and became super mom/ housewife, once again. 2 loads of laundry, dishes, cooking and cleaning up. For those of you who know me, I can be a bit of a diva at times, so this no nanny business is freaking me out. To cover my ass(ets), I have one person babysitting only, and one person cleaning only. So tomorrow, I will actually have a 'staff' in my home so I can comfortably go to work and know things will (hopefully) get done and the kids will be ok. But just to make sure, I got the house ready today so that day #1 would not be too overwhelming, hence the laundry and cleaning. J said he has never seen me so domestic!

So after my cleaning streak, we went ice skating. I was pretty scared, I should not be ice skating at 6 weeks...I should probably not be ice skating even at 12 weeks! But I did. If I was my patient, I would absolutely have put a stop to the ice skating. My hip friend Amy is a professional ice skater, and was not allowed back on the ice after a scope for JUST a labral tear for 8 weeks, and she clearly knew how to skate...well! But L really wanted to go, and I really wanted to take her. Luckily, she was not too keen on ice skating, so we only made it one lap, it took about 20 minutes! I should have followed her off the ice and called it a day, but no, I decided to try a few laps. Interestingly, I could only do a single leg skate. My right leg just wouldn't work. I guess it was sending me a message.

When I came off of the ice, my ITB and TFL really hurt. But the joint is good, painfree and intact! We had a great time the rest of the day as my kids always seem to be up for an adventure.

We were at an indoor amusement/ attraction center, and they had some indoor kiddie rides. They were on the wild side, but my kids never say no to adventure. One ride took you straight up and dropped you down little by little in jolts, looked scary as hell. L tried it with a friend, L loved it but the friend freaked out. L wanted to go again, and Jk wanted to join her. Jk is 2....I said absolutely not. But he insisted and threw a tantrum, and the ride operator assured me it was safe for him and would stop it if he freaked out...so I let him go. The kid loved it. I had to turn away and not watch bc he was wiggling around in his seat and had his hands in the air....but he had a great time!
He also rode the kiddie version of 'teacups', each time it turned, he was flung into the side of his cup, he realized that if he didn't hold on to the handlebar, he would be flung harder and faster, so he let go. Again,I almost had a heart attack, but he was having the time of his life.

Now they are both sleeping very soundly, and I am ready to join them, as I figure out how to juggle my schedule tomorrow and see all my patients, see my kids and get to the doctor!!!

I Think I Am Going to Become a PT Dropout

I have had it, for real this time. It has been 9 months, like a PT pregnancy, nausea and vomiting included, as well as back pain, skin marks and plenty of discomfort. I think I am doing amazingly well for 6 weeks, I am even considering going ice skating tomorrow. My only persistent issue is the 'invisible scar' pain. P worked on it today, without any progress. It is just a sore area, just anterior to the greater trochanter, across and diagonal, covering a good chunk of thigh. P did some ART there, thinking it was my sartorius, but this did not help either, other than to cause a lot of pain.

I am bored beyond belief with the exercises, my strength rocks, other than adductors, which measured today at 4-/5 on the right and 3+/5 on the left. I can technically work on this at home.

I am sooooo ready to go spinning but am still really sick. I may actually have to go to the doctor tomorrow, which poses a slight problem since I made a promise to myself when I had my sutures removed after scope #2 . (see that post if you really care :-)

So, if anyone has a solution for my invisible bruise, I would love an answer since it is extremely irritating and painful.

Pictures From The Train Show

We had a lot of fun but the kids have become impossible to photograph, they are so wiggly!!!!!!!!!!!!

The cutest tushies!