Pre-sick /Pre-op

So Surgery is in 1 and 1/2  days and like a cruel joke I am spent my last week in bed before I am confined to my bed for a bit because of a upper respiratory infection...  ok... w/ all my planning, notes, calenders and checklists..getting sick was not on the agenda! My surgeon gave me one rule to follow prior to surgery..DO NOT GET SICK..ok I haven't always been one to follow the rules, but I was pretty set on not breaking the rules this time.  So I got a strict warning from my surgeon take my antibiotics, drink OJ (I have had 4 gallons in two days..my vitamin C should be doing just fine), tea and REST ,because I need to be symptom free for surgery..nothing like some added pressure and anxiety before open hip surgery...and oh yeah don't stress out...righttttttttt??? Pressure to get better, prepare to have my hip cut open ,and not stress out..puh-lease and I thought my surgeon knew me ;)

So I guess it was a trial run for bed rest..so being sick has now prepared me how to handle things for bed rest ..trying to put a positive spin on this...;) Which leads me into Pre-op..my trial run for surgery....looking forward to being on the Post side of things soon!

Pre-op..Children's Hospital style: 2/22/10
My Best friend Nicole (THANK YOU NICOLE) and I took on the Children's Hospital "adventure" together today..and it sure was an adventure: Quick Breakdown

1.3-d Cat Scan of my hip (find cat scan place..mini adventure..man this is one big hospital)

2. Go to Dr's apt (get there..they tell us that I need to go to xray..ok)

3. Mini adventure to find Xray....get Xray done and get a pair of hospital pants to wear in the process...they made not be fashionable, but they are actually quite comfy..;)

4.Go back to Dr apt....told I need to go to registration...mini adventure to registration..get to registration...they hand me a folder and tell me to go back to Dr and then come back later..hmmm they couldn't have gotten that folder there another way???

5.Meeting w/ My Surgeon and Nurse (had about 50 questions to ask, but was caught off guard w/ him telling me that he was concern about my upper respiratory infection and how that would effect being under anesthesia and all the complications that could possibly happen...started talking about possibly rescheduling surgery because of my cold...ok at this point my mind went blank..thank goodness for Nicole, because she helped me get my conversation back on track to go over details of my surgery and recovery)  Shed some tears and ended it w/ hugging my surgeon..apt went a little differently than I expected it to go...  But still feel like I have a GREAT Dr and I am in good hands w/ him..which is very comforting!

6. Go back to registration (where was registration again.....another mini adventure, but this time we got  a tour guide..ok well maybe not a tour guide but a nice lady who walked us to where it was)

7.Meeting w/ the anesthesiologist (went over the "lung issue" again..after a long discussion he green lighted the surgery but will reevaluate on surgery day to make sure my lungs can handle it then I will have the final decision. )
Fingers crossed that my lungs will be ok and my surgery will go well.
If Surgery happens they will take precautions w/ my lungs (my lung collapsed during my first hip surgery and w/ my cold and me having asthma it just makes them more cautious)
a.so I will continue w/ my antibiotics and other meds
b.take abuterol inhaler a few times a day
c. They will do a nebulizer treatment prior to surgery and post surgery
d. they will be on high alert for any respiratory issues..so I will be watched carefully...GOOD!

 8. Meeting w/ another nurse..get mini physical...and went over all my medical history,,blah blah blah
8A. anesthesiologist comes back and talks to me about doing epidural....will keep lower part of my body numb so that will help w/ pain and they can use less anesthesia which may be better for me as well so he put the request in..he also told me that he put in a request to be the anesthesiologist for my surgery as well.....wow now I am making friends in the hospital..hahaha

9.Get Blood Taken....The woman who drew my blood said..wow you handled that well..I laughed saying" if I can't handle getting my blood taken than I may have some major issues on Thursday"..she agreed ,but still gave me a big smile..Only at Children's Hospital..everyone smiles at you and gives you stickers..or tells you how great you are doing and how brave you are..honestly this is very helpful when you are scared.. who cares that I am 35 ;)

10. Go to PT (last mini adventure for the day..yay...this adventure has provided me w/ the most extensive work out I have had in a long time..how ironic) Realize there is no need for me to be there once we arrive because.. A. i will have PT inpatient and  B. I have had extensive time on crutches so I know how to use them..at this point I could teach lessons on how to use them...actually at this point I feel I am almost qualified to perform hip surgery ;)

 

Not only did I got a sticker I got a "cool" pair of hospital pants to take home :)

That's all folks.....for now....:) Wish me luck!  xox

Blood Part 2...NOT

Well just like a Hollywood tale..Blood Part 1 didn't get rave reviews so Blood Part 2 has now been canceled ;)

Ok well not exactly..but my life sounds way more exciting when I put it like that ;)

So I got a call from DR M.  last week (yes my surgeon actually called me) ,and he decided that doing another blood donation was not a good idea since my blood pressure was low, and I didn't have the best reaction to my blood being taken.. he reassured me that having blood from the blood bank is just as safe (as well as has the same risks)..I am just going to have to trust him on that...so that's that on BlOOD right now. Hopefully in the end I will not need a transfusion, but if I do I feel confident that my surgeon will take care of me as well as the blood bank.  While I also had DR. M on the line I figured it was a good chance to sneak in a few more questions about my surgery and to get some more reassurance from him that all will be fine...hey why not..he called ;)

2.5 weeks away and now just waiting..really waiting is the worse part.  Have a long pre-op apt on the Monday before surgery..3D Cat Scan, (double check my hipster),a meeting w/ my surgeon (final questions and to go over surgery and cat scan in more detail),meet w/ the anesthesiologist,a physical,register,and meet w/ PT.

Getting close to go time....ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

ps. Got my "Hip Chick" hat in the mail....in camaraderie w/ all my fellow hip chicks..plus I won't have  a bad hair day while I am at the hospital ;)

BLOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL.. Thought that would get your attention :)

Blood "Donation" Day

OK I am "donating" to myself....so pretty much it's not a donation..what would it be..I am taking something from myself just to give it back...hmmmm...It's kind of like when I shop for holiday gifts.. when I buy something for someone but realize how much I like it so I keep it and buy it again for the other person.....well it's kinda like that..ok not really..whatever ...I am just side tracking myself..maybe it's from the loss of blood ;)

Where was I ..oh yes...BLOOD!

For my surgery I may need to have blood transfusions..so the best match for blood for me is...ME! So I have to donate two pints of blood to myself . First One today..next one in 14 days..it gives me some time to regenerate some more blood to take....(and give back);)


First step in this blood situation is I had to eat a very iron rich diet the past few weeks..since I am a vegetarian and have Celiac..it makes it a little harder but the hospital hook me up for a iron rich diet for people like me :)
Raisins
Prunes
Spinach
Peas
Dried Fruit
Eggs
Peanut butter/Almond butter
etc

For the second round I will have to start taking iron supplements since you usually wait 56 days in between blood donations but I am doing the accelerated program of 14 days..

So backtracking a little I had a nice iron rich dinner w/ my Dad and Stepmom (THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!! xoxo) and stayed over their house since they are right around the corner from my hospital.

Got to hospital at 10:15am (after eating my iron rich breakfast)
Got checked in by a nurse
1.Took My temp..no temp! Yay
2. Checked my Iron..scored a 14 (that is good..iron diet worked) Yay
3. checked my Blood Pressure..too low..huh????  Maybe because I am nervous??. Nurse: "No hunnie then that would mean it would be high"  hmmmmmm

OK so they had me drink a bottled water and 2 cans of apple juice..waited a few and then retook it..it went up a little so now I was good to go

Nurse was great...needle hardly hurt..got the blood going w/out me really feeling it..then i guess it slowed down..she said my hands were cold so she gave me a warm "hot" pack to squeeze..I guess that helped. Then I guess my vein started vibrating..so I felt a uncomfortable vibration for the rest of the donation..I guess some valves try to shut off during blood donation or something like that...I was a little confused (OK maybe a lot)..again blaming it on the blood loss...she said they would make sure that would not happen for my next donation.  The nurse and I chatted for the whole donation time which was nice because it took my mind off the whole blood draining thing....getting close to the end of my experience the nurse asked me if I was OK..I guess I was turning paler than normal and I did have this feeling of dizziness and nausea..she stopped the procedure..checked my pressure..down again..so she put ice packs on my chest and forehead and got me a huge glass of juice and ended the donation.  Good News though..they weighed my blood and it was a pint and that was all I needed for this round so in the end..job well done :)
My dad got me a delicious fruit smoothie and some raisins we chillaxed till I was not dizzy any more and then we left...with a cool new pen and hat....Thanks Blood Center ;)

I slept pretty much the rest of the day..feeling pretty tired..they said it would be like this probably for the next few days...hopefully a good night sleep will get me on track for a better day tomorrow.  Well that's enough for now..stay tuned for Blood Part 2 in 2 weeks ;) Until then "peace out hipsters!!"

ps. A big THANK YOU to my family, friends, and all my " hip chicks" for all your support and positivity ...much appreciated!!  xoxoxo

Hipster in the city 2

Well I went back to NYC (you can see Hipster in the City post from Sept) and I do have to say I did learn lessons from my last trip.
Lessons Learned:
1.No heels (I missed them but my hip did not)
2.Not a lot of walking (did the cab thing this time)
3.Actually got some sleep (made day time activities more manageable ;)

See we can learn from our mistakes:)

So I am 5 weeks out till surgery and have been having a" touch" of anxiety can you tell sarcasm through my writing....if not....I was being sarcastic w/ the" touch" of anxiety.
I thought a weekend away to visit my sister and bro in law would be a nice way to get away from my daily life and to get my mind off my worries by chillaxin w/ two people I love who also happen to live in an amazing city!!

So D and I got in my car and drove to NYC (which is about a 4.5 hour drive) D did all the driving (THANK YOU) and I got to rest my hipster in the passenger seat.  I like the freedom of driving there, because we could take as many breaks to strech as we wanted..bonus for us hipsters!!  I also realized it is pretty cheap to park your car in NYC overnight ($27 at the garage we found)..sweet!

Sat Day: Went to top of Empire State Building...took cab over...then took elevator up to the top...just a tiny amount of walking for my hip...yay! Bonus it was a beautiful day out so D and I chillaxed for a few hours looking out at the city....nice way to take your mind off things :)

After being on top of the world we decided to get a little "wild" and head on over to the Museum of Natural History (via cab of course).

Had to do a little walking but  I took it slowly..I got to see some dinosaurs as well as visited Africa and Asia
not bad for a girl w/ a bad hip!  Plus got to sit down for an AWESOME planetarium show..a definite must see if you are there..now that really is a show that takes you to another place and clears your mind from all your problems:)

After that had a relaxing Manicure w/ my sister nothing like a good hand rub and shoulder massage to relax you at the end of a day..to bad they didn't do hips ..just kidding..kind of..;) (Thank You Ray-Ray!!!!!! xo)

Then off to dinner (in a cab again w/ supportive boots and no heels, but of course I wore a dress I mean I am in NYC ;) )  Relaxing dinner w/ great people and then drinks afterwards (now that definitely helps w/ pain ;))

So in the end NYC can be done safely  for your hip while  having a fabulous time!!!!

Thanks for a great weekend Ray Ray, Kif, and D  xoxox


Side notes for my fellow hipsters:

*Received My Handicap Placard in the mail today for my car (it takes one month to recieve it from the date your Dr mails out the forms)
*Received my instructions and diet for my blood donation..iron, iron and more iron.  Will have to donate two pints..so I will have to do the blood donation on two occasions prior to surgery.
*I canceled my apt w/ Dr Kelly in NYC..spoke w/ his PA over phone..they reviewed all my medical docs from my Dr's here and agreed w/ the diagnosis so I saved myself some money and more people playing w/ my hip but have the confidence that he agrees w/ my surgery.

Now I just need to work on sleeping!  On that note ..Goodnight!

New Year/New Hope/New Hip??

To all my fellow hipsters and friends Happy 2010!!

Well I am on the 6 week countdown to surgery so even though I want to be Miss Happy Hopeful I have got to be honest I am full of anxiety over this surgery...which I have been told is normal (well doesn't that make me feel better ;) )

So I got the phone call today ...Let the games begin:

1. I will be doing full pre-op apt on the Monday before my surgery: Cat scans, Blood Test, Body work up, etc

2. I will have to donate my blood just in case I need a blood transfusion during my surgery (yes those words almost made me faint today while on the phone w/ my Dr..I am a pretty pale girl but I guess I turned ghost white after I heard that news..according to one of my clients at work who thought I was about to faint..nothing like a little drama during your afternoon work day) After talking to my dad and some friends I realized that this is a good thing because A.It's a good precautionary measure B. The Dr's are on top of my needs and are looking out for me. One of my friends also helped me to realize the reason why it freaked me out so badly, because it is all starting to seem "real" now especially w/ a call like that. I will find out tomorrow how many times I need to go to the hospital to give blood...a pint a time..so i guess it depends on how many pints they will need from me. Along w/ them taking my blood... I mean getting my blood....I will have to go on a high iron diet..I did explain to them that I have Celiac and I am a vegetarian and they said "don't worry we got food on this menu for everyone"..I guess they are on top of it.
3. Most likely will have to be at the hospital for surgery at 6am..but I won't know the final time until the week of....but My Dr is only doing two surgeries that day. So I guess I will be either first or second ;)

Well I hope that 2010 will bring me a successful surgery and a Happy and Healthy Hip! Happy New Year!

** Post holiday celebrations ..Need to enjoy my time even w/ a bad hip!

WAITING

So I am on 7 week countdown till Surgery...ugh!  On one hand I want to get this over w/ because I want to put this behind me, but on the other hand I feel like time is moving to fast and I am not prepared for it mentally or physically. So I decided to blog my list of concerns to get them out of my head and on paper (well you know what I mean) maybe I will find a solution while I write and maybe someone out there in the internet universe will have some good advice for me:)

1. I have a distrust for Dr's now (no offense to any DR's who might read this but It's my blog so pretty much I can say what I want ;)) I just feel like I have had two unsuccessful surgeries ..quite a few misdiagnosis..and this surgery seems so much more extreme so my trust in my Dr's needs to be there(and unfortunately it is not) and I am struggling w/ this ..Don't get me wrong I do like my surgeon (just in case Dr M reads this..I DO LIKE YOU AND PLEASE DON"T MESS THIS SURGERY UP I AM COUNTING ON YOU ;) ) , but I have doubt ..something I did not have during my previous surgeries..but it is a direct result from those surgeries..how ironic.   I am going to NYC in a week to double check one last time that I am doing the right thing by having this surgery, so I have an apt w/ the famous Dr. Kelly "Hip Surgeon to the sports stars".. and one of my friends as well (on that note..hope you are feeling much better S!) I will get back to you with my results from my visit when I get back.

2. Because I am human I have what you would call "The Fear of The Unknown" I have never had open surgery and I am scared of what the pain is going to be like afterwords and how long the recovery will truly take..I know how long it took to recover from the other two surgeries and they are considered "minor" compared to what I will be going through in February.

3.I am trying to prepare my physical surroundings since I know I will be on crutches for awhile..so i have a lot to do to get "prepared" for surgery while I also try to do all my everyday life things which seem to be piling up currently....excellent.

Ok well here is stuff I am doing to try to deal w/ these issues...

1. I filed for my handicap driving card so I don't have to worry about parking/walking while I am currently in pain and while I am recovering (I was told to do this for my other surgeries but I never did but this time I am trying to do everything right to protect myself and my hip)..Dr M got me that paperwork quickly (1 point for DR M..speedy w/ his paperwork..he actually fed ex it overnight to me)

2. I have been asking around about support groups for people w/ chronic pain..I think maybe talking to people who have gone through a similar experience who understand what I am going through will be helpful for my mental well being..I don't want to throw a pity party..what I need to know is how to learn to cope w/ chronic pain so it doesn't take over your life and I feel the way you can learn best on how to do that is by talking/learning from people who have experienced it ..so I am working on that... I have joined a group online for people who also have FAI and I have gotten a lot of helpful feedback from the people on there..so Thank You FAI peeps;) You don't want to burden your friends and family w/ your problems..I really don't want my hip to define me when I am w/ my family and friends so I think talking to people who are going through something similar is the best way to handle this but finding a support group is harder than I thought it would be..but I am working on that

Waiting is hard..because you are in kind of "limbo land"..I am in pain so I can't function normally but I also don't like wasting time and feeding into my pain/hip so I am trying to function as normally as possible w/out causing more injury to my hip.  Also waiting gives you to much time to think.  My life right now is kind of like a waiting room at a DR's office..Busy/ stressful/ a little nerve wracking/ just waiting somewhat patiently to hopefully meet that DR who will make me all better.

Well I am off to write a list of what I need to have done before surgery day (I always find lists satisfying..especially when you start crossing things off)

On that note thanks for listening...and goodnight ;)

46 Questions and then some ......

So today was the "Big Day"..big day meaning that I was finally meeting w/ the next man who was going to cut open my hip..woohoo!
 Dr. M (I am tired of nicknames..keeping it short but sweet)

So after an hour wait in the waiting room at Children's Hospital of Boston (outpatient center) me and literally a room full of babies (so does that give me the right to act like one or is it a "suck it up..your old and can handle this situation"..not sure) I met face to face w/ Dr M..and we had a TWO HOUR conversation..I know I know..unheard of..but for reals..it happened!

Dr M..strolled into the room (first impression =kind) he then preceded to tell me he went over my MRI's from my first surgery at Children's and my X-Rays from Baptist and my notes from My visit w/ Dr Yen (2nd impression=smart, thorough, and kind DR)

Even w/out knowing about my notebook full of questions he said before you ask any questions I want to tell you what my impression of your hip is and what I see from all you test. He said I have Cam and Pincer FAI

"FAI generally occurs as two forms: Cam and Pincer.  The Cam form (Cam comes from the Dutch word meaning “cog”) describes the femoral head and neck relationship as aspherical or not perfectly round.  This loss of roundness contributes to abnormal contact between the head and socket.  The Pincer form (Pincer comes from the French word meaning “to pinch”) describes the situation where the socket or acetabulum has too much coverage of the ball or femoral head.  This over-coverage typically exists along the front-top rim of the socket (acetabulum) and results in the labral cartilage being “pinched” between the rim of the socket and the anterior femoral head-neck junction.  The Pincer form of the impingement is typically secondary to “retroversion”, a turning back of the socket, or “profunda”, a socket that is too deep.  Most of the time, the Cam and Pincer forms exist together"

He then went to draw a picture to help explain Cam and Pincer FAI...not Only is Dr M. a Dr he is a regular Picasso ;)

Surgery recommended: OPEN
Surgical dislocation of right hip
femoral head-neck ostrochrondeoplasty (totally could have spelled this word wrong)
acetabuloplasty
labral debridement versus repair
possible microfracture
possible psoas lengthening

He was pretty concern about the case of extreme psoas tendinitis I have..he will not release the tendon if it still swollen and inflamed like it is currently (to deal w/ this quite painful issue= light stretching, rest, ice, anti inflammatorys  meds, and possible brace to keep it still if it doesn't get better after surgery to get that tendon pure rest so it can finally calm down.) Either my surgeries has caused this tendinitis or my messed up hip..only time will tell on that.  If my tendon calms down after my hip is fixed then it was stemming from my hip..if not than most likely it was from having arthroscopic hip surgery (possible side effect). I wasn't to happy about this info, but it is what it is, and I will have to deal w/ it either way, but he promised it would not be a life long issue..worse case scenario is a brace and crutches for it for a month to give it pure rest once my hip is healed.

So I won't write up all 46 questions..but here is a sampling for all my hip peeps,  for all the curious, and for my friends and family so they can have some of the important info....

1. How long is the average recovery for this surgery:?    6 months

2.How long is the average person on two crutches for?  minimum 6 weeks

3. Average Hospital stay?  5 days..more if I have problems, w/ pain, eating, meds, or crutches, due to stairs in my house I may be sent to a rehab place for a bit afterwards..the first 6 weeks is just resting hip totally

4. Can I get a temporary Handicap pass for my car:? Yes and I should for before surgery and for my recovery (I will work on this ..this week)

5.Will I eventually need a hip replacement even after this surgery?   possibly.. but it may buy me a lot more time

Will i have a CPM machine: Yes

"Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) is a postoperative treatment method that is designed to aid recovery after joint surgery. In most patients after extensive joint surgery, attempts at joint motion cause pain and as a result, the patient fails to move the joint. This allows the tissue around the joint to become stiff and for scar tissue to form resulting in a joint which has limited range of motion and often may take months of physical therapy to recovery that motion.
Passive range of motion means that the joint is moved without the patient's muscles being used. Continuous Passive Motion devices are machines that have been developed for patients to use after surgery."


6. Will I need to have the 3 screws put into my hip during this surgery removed from my hip eventually?   possibly..only if they cause me pain..if I do have them remove it is day surgery

7.What risk do I have from this surgery? AVN....but very rare for this to happen


8. What's going on w/ my left hip? It also has FAI but my right hip is a lot worse..most likely will need to fix my left hip..but since I have had no surgery on it it most likely can be done arthroscopically...after my right hip is all better... (ugh)

9. Will I be having a Cat Scan? will be done before surgery..he uses them for surgery 

10. What should I be doing for meds? Advised that I should take my prescibed Vicodin for pain and to try alleve or motrin (if my stomach can handle it..usually it does not) during the day to help w/ the inflammation.  I will be taking blood thinner injections for 4 weeks post surgery to prevent blood clots (not sure what med that is....and will I be injecting this myself..hmmm..I guess I got to email him that ?..I guess this post is now 47 questions..;)