Has it really been 6 MONTHS!!

To answer the title.....well it has! What a surreal half of a year!! Time is such a odd thing. During the past 6 months there have been weeks that felt like years and weeks that have gone by in a blink of an eye (mostly due to the pain meds ;) ), and here I am at 6 months post surgery, and I feel two things
1. It has been the longest 6 months of my life!! 
2. I can't believe a 1/2 year has gone by!!!

So 6 months out..where am I..hipster wise..according to Dr. M (and me)

Still on a cane and will be for a bit. I can do short walks (around my apt) cane free..but outdoors still on a cane until my leg is stronger. One of my muscles he sawed through..oh I mean operated on still hasn't bounced back yet (which he said is normal for my hip) which is why I still can't go up stairs "normally" yet and can't break free from the cane...yet. Hopefully with PT I will get to that point soon. (My PT guy told me today that I need to limit my walking due to my psoas tendon...he said it's the first time he has ever told someone to limit their walking, but he doesn't want the fibers in my tendon to start shredding, so I need to be  VERY cautious..ugh)

No Driving still (due to weak leg and psoas tendon). I need to be able to have strength to hit the brakes when needed, so once I get that strength back he suggested some driving in a  parking lot  first (for practice).....who has been telling Dr. M. about my driving skills????!!!

Hip can rotate more! Pretty much he pushed my leg back pretty far with my knee bent down, and then explained to me how much better my hip was  now than prior to surgery. I was impressed with my flexibility skills...for sure..but will be more impressed when I can walk on it with out pain and a cane!

Concerns about my "Damn Psoas Tendon" (my pet name for my tendon....seriously I may just remove it myself). It is acting up again due to more activity, and it is a catch -22 situation. If I do less PT and less activity my psoas will calm down, but if I do less PT and rest my hip and leg won't get better...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! So my PT guy has the lucky job of finding the balance to deal with that, and my part is to do tons of stretching which Dr. M demonstrated to me.  Dr. M.  is concerned about doing another cortisone injection into it..since I already had 2 so far..he thinks 3 is pushing into more dangerous territory.

Lots More PT! Loves that I am doing aquatic therapy...believes its the best PT for me!

Wants me on anti-inflammatory meds..especially before PT.

His Co-Pilot Dr that was with him for this apt started bringing up hip replacements if my cartilage/arthritis situation gets worse..I ignored him! ;)

Will go back in 6 months to celebrate my one year anniversary with him ;) and also for new x-rays, and to see where my hip is really at..in the meantime..PT..and if my psoas tendon doesn't calm down then go back sooner.

6 months out! I kind of thought I would be better than where I am at, but Dr. M said I am where I should be at especially with the atrophy and issues I had going into surgery. My take on 6 months is that I am definitely recovering from the actual surgery (yay), but I don't feel better than I did pre surgery, but I guess that will just take a little more ....TIME!

The Times They Are A-Changin'

The past few weeks have been quite different...in a good way!! I have finally recovered from the "Great Withdrawal  of 2010" ;) (Seriously that was truly one of the most awful experiences of my life)
So Much has happened in such a short amount of time!

No Pain Meds..Not even Tylenol! I am dealing with the pain with ice packs, rest, stretching, and tens unit.

No more Crutches!!! (Crutches burning party will be coming soon...so look for your invitation in the mail ;) ) All cane /all the time now, and I look forward to the day when I can ditch the cane, even though it adds an interesting conversational piece, and some flair when I am out and about ;)

I went on my first mini vacation/ road trip (I didn't drive..not at that point yet..driving is still a tad out of my reach, but watch out world and the people on the road when I am back behind the wheel ;) ) It felt so nice to get away for the weekend, new scenery, and I got to celebrate my grandmother's 90th Birthday!!! (Which was awesome!) I have been pretty housebound/ neighborhood bound since FEBRUARY!!! It was a four hour road trip, but we took many "stretch breaks" along the way and I brought ice packs w/ me. I did bring my crutches for a just in case moment ,which I did have to use on the last day due to muscle and hip pain/fatigue. They did have a pool at the hotel so I also got an aqua therapy session in as well ;)

I had my first BEACH DAY of the summer!!! It felt amazing! I am a summer girl through and through, and it has been quite a bummer not to be able to enjoy the beach and outdoors due to my hip and my pain patch (you can't go in the sun w/ the fentanyl patch.. it can be quite dangerous to get it hot) . So my friends, my cane, and I got a beach day in this week, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I even took a short stroll w/ my cane in the sand! I sure was in need of some natural vitamin D...what a spirit lifter! Unfortunately I couldn't go swimming due to my hipster and the waves, but hopefully I will be able to make up for it next summer...surfs up for sure!

I also got to go out and have my first drink since surgery...Cheers! A nice glass of Pinot Noir hit the spot just right (and even helped with the pain a little too) ;) Listen to some live music and it was especially nice now that I am off of the pain meds, and I could appreciate it a lot more. Plus I didn't feel all sorts of jumpy when I was out in public (seriously that pain patch made me feel awful now that I can actually mentally reflect on the past 5 months!)

It was really nice to be out with my friends again and really enjoy my time, and remember it ;)


In two weeks I will be going for my 6 month check up with Dr. M. This is the time when he said "After 6 months you should start to feel a little better, and see some changes from the surgery" Well I guess I already am..I went from crutches to a cane, I am in more extensive PT,  and I am off pain meds. My leg does still feel pretty weak, I am still having groin pain and my psoas is flaring up from being more active (this is the one thing that is really making me worried). I can't walk on my own.... yet, but hopefully that will start to happen soon!  I still have pain constantly for the most part (but different from the pain before),but I am just keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this surgery worked! I will say though for the first time from all 3 surgeries I do have a good feeling that it just might have done some good for me! I will update you after the apt and see what Dr. M thinks!

Peace out for now fellow Hipsters! :)

ps. I do have a new blog that I started during my recovery...Lots of fun and interesting interviews, and my thoughts on all things except for hips..that stays here! ;)

http://sj-sarahinthecity.blogspot.com/