Life on a Cane..Week 1

So as of this past weekend..I have ditched the crutches (hopefully for good) and have -upgraded to a cane..woohoo!

Ok not sure if it is an upgrade but.....

#1 My shoulders, arms and hands really needed a break..after 10 weeks on crutches I think my upper body was about to fall apart and I was getting blisters on the palms of my hands..ouch- it was time to say buh-bye to the "sticks" and hello to the shiny silver cane.

#2 If I can stay off the crutches and stick w/ the cane that means hopefully soon I will be walking on my own again and then driving (FREEDOM).

#3 Cane's can be a hit at parties..see pic below..cane took center stage

** It would be a better upgrade if my cane had pink sparkles just to make it more fun...well a girl can wish ;)

So the past two weeks have been big..back to work and off of crutches..now that is what I call progress! Me Likey!

Ok so the down side is that my pain has seemed to increase since I started using the cane..usually I am fine from morning to mid afternoon, but around 3pm the deep pain in my hip starts. Now I am sure this is partially due from going from being inactive for so long and now almost putting full weight back on my hip, but I am no Dr., so I will see what will happen.. if the pain progresses I may switch to crutches for 2nd half of the day (PT suggested that) ,but I am stubborn (never claimed it was a good quality..it just is what it is) ,and I want off of all these "accessories" and back to my "normal" existence and life, so I am trying to deal w/ the pain as best as I can and push through it..again I am not a Dr ,so please don't take my advice on this..it's more of a trial situation for me. I will get back to you w/ the results.

Ok got to try to go to sleep..pain is still preventing me from sleeping comfortably..this really better start to get better soon ,because I could really use some good healing sleep.. Until Next Post....G'Nite

Hipster in Hollywood

So I took my Hipster out west this past week. Had my 6 week checkup on April 27th and Dr. Fabulous gave me the clearance to head out west as long as I promised I wouldn't go out dancing all night....I was OK w/ this stipulation ,because crutches and dancing don't really go hand and hand for me..I also realized a couple of drinks, crutches, and walking also don't go together well for me...but that is another story.



So I am dedicating this post to what it is like to travel after 6 weeks post surgery and on crutches ...lets call it my Hollywood edition:)


So my biggest fear about this trip was the plane ride..6 hours of being confined to a chair, and not much space to move honestly was scaring the hell out of me so much so that I almost forgot about my fear of flying ;) But the day we left to Cali there were clear skies and it was a very smooth flight, so I got to get out of my seat quite often and w/ the help of a cane and the tops of the chairs going down the aisle I got my exercise too (Dr's orders were to move about the cabin every 1/2 hour). I didn't get to achy sitting due to the ice packs and the "walks' and made some new friends on the plane along the way :) Plus my flight attendant had a hip replacement a few years back and totally understood what I was going through so he was a huge help and hooked me up w/ huge bags of ice as well as gave me some very helpful hip advice. I wish I could remember his name, but if you fly on jet blue and have a middle age , bald man, who had a hip replacement and was a professional dancer as your flight attendant then you will be in good hands! Also thanks Mom, K, and N for helping me pack and carry my bags ,because w/out your help there would have been no way I could have done this trip!


Once I was in Cali my mom did get me a wheelchair through her hotel.(Thank you Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica for providing the wheelchair) to help me get around when we did more long distance walking trips..so for Venice Beach, The Getty Museum ,and Joshua Tree National Park I sucked up my control freak nature and went along for the ride, so I could enjoy the sights..my hipster was not going to keep me down. Only bummer was that I could not do the hikes in Joshua Tree National Park..even my wheelchair couldn't make the trails, but I will go back again once the old hipster is better and hike the hell out of those trails ;)


view from my wheel chair..Venice beach


being wheeled around Joshua Tree...as they say sometimes you just got to roll w/ it ;) haha


For the longer car trips (aka..Joshua Tree National Park) I had my Ten's Unit w/ me so I could get pain relief while I was in the car, and it was a huge help, so I am definitely glad I brought it along w/ me for the trip, so if you are injured and have one definitely take it w/ you!


Also if you have great friends while traveling they will drop you off at the front door of places (to reduce walking on crutches) Thank you guys for doing this, it was a huge help!

One thing that did happen was my hands got blisters from the crutches ,because I did a significant amount more walking w/ them while I was in Cali unlike I was doing here ,so I wish I got some kind of covers for my crutches to help (I know they do make them)..lesson learned..ouch!


Another thing is that I didn't want to look back at my trip and remember the whole hip thing so I tried to knock my crutches out of the way for most of my pics....I know it may seem silly ,but that was not the part of the trip I wanted to remember :)
Sitting you don't need to have crutches, and you can take a pic w/ out them in the way:)
Standing..all about balance..and weight shifting to your good leg..but you need someone to hand you your crutches afterwards or then you will have a problem ;)

or just cut them out of the pic all together by getting a shot of the neck up :)

All and All it would have been easier and probably a little more enjoyable if I wasn't dealing w/ my hip pain and the crutches, but on the same note I am happy I went and it was good for my mental well being! Sitting around in pain in your house for 2 months is not good for anyone! It also showed me that I am at the point where I am definitely capable of doing more and w/out so much pain meds..I only used my vicodin at night and stuck to aspirin during the day.

Hopefully I can start to transition off my crutches this week and start using my cane ,and then get rid of all the "accessories" soon! I am officially starting back to work tomorrow..yay.. I think I am finally starting to see that light at the end of that tunnel people keep talking about ;)

Thanks to my mom, my lil bro , K, N, and M for being so helpful to me during this trip and for watching out for me and my hipster ..Thank You- Thank you- Thank You..it was a fun and fabulous time!

Later Dudes ;)

What my hip is worth???!!!

OK so I was going through all my insurance paper work tonight (yes don't be jealous of my Friday night fun...oh whatever I will be in Cali in a few days making up for it) and I started getting curious about how much it costs to have something happen to you that is physically beyond your control. I did not injure my hip/ have an accident just a case of bad luck w/ an "abnormal" body part.....well how much does that bad luck cost....let's just say I feel very lucky to have insurance.....very very lucky!!! So here's the breakdown......

Initial ER Visit: 3,932

SURGERY #1
New patient Dr. Apt: $537
x-rays: $537
cortisone injection: $763
Arthrogram Mri:$2,129
Dr visit: $288
Dr visit: $288
Nerve Testing for my foot (damage from surgery): $3,100
Pain Clinic Dr Apt: $205
Pain Clinic Dr Apt: $437
Hip injection w/ Anesthesia: $2,291
Anesthesia for surgery: $1,595
Hospital fees for supplies.meds, and tests/labs: $5,192
Respiratory Supplies/tests: $951
Hospital Stay Plus Surgery: $30,953
Dr visit: $236
Another Mri Arthrogram: $2,129
X-ray's $76
Dr. visit @ Baptist: $350
x-ray @Baptist: $314
x-ray:$76



SURGERY #2
Initial visit w/ Dr. :$373
Cortisone Hip injection: $1,888
Office Visit# 1: $96
Lab Work:$ 105
Cortisone injection: $1,717
Cortisone injection: $1,888
Dr. Visit: $145
Arthrogram and MRI: $2,129
Dr. Visit:$165
Anesthesia: $1,430
Lab Work Day of Surgery: 162
Hospital Stay: $8,456.42
Surgery $5,500


Physical Therapy (so far) $10,093
Tens Unit/Estim Kit: $832

GRAND TOTAL (so far): $91,358...woah seriously for that much money I think my hip should have super powers...seriously!

**This amount is not including Visiting Nurses, Pt, and OT as well as my stay in the Nursing Home (have not received those statements yet), or all my out of pocket co-payments,all my meds,or how much work I have missed due to all of this. Crazy! Not really sure what to make of all this info....

5 Weeks Out...come along for the ride

It has been a weird week this week..it's been a roller coaster ride that I would like to get off of.....now!. My emotions have been all over the place. Frustration that I am still in a lot of pain as well as the feeling of sadness that I just spent the last 60 days in pain and on bed rest( It feels like I just lost 60 days of my life)...I know that in the grand scheme of things 60 days isn't a huge amount of time, but being in pain constantly as well as not living your normal daily life can do a number on your psyche. I decided at the end of the week that I have grieved my circumstances, and my 60 days lost ,and now I need to suck it up and move on.....bring on the positive vibes!

The reason I am even mentioning this is that I feel when people go through surgery the physical pain is always the topic of discussion not the emotional pain, and trust me it is a blend of both that has made this week a rough one. I want to stay positive ,but constant pain can wear you down . Also losing a lot of my independence do to being on crutches (just showering and making lunch becomes a whole production that can tire me out. I am sick of feeling like I am 80 years old..(not that there is anything wrong w/ being 80 but at 34 you don't strive for that 80 year old feeling...that time I am saving for my future ...down the road...way down the road). Also I am feeling angry at my hip..pissed off that it is messing w/ my life! I don't want to be having a pity party for myself, because that doesn't get you anywhere ,but i think it is OK to grieve your situation ,be angry at it ,but then you got to move on, so i feel that is what this past week has been for me. Also being on pain medication ..while very helpful for my actual pain (and has got me through the past 5 weeks) can also mess with your emotions it just make you feel not like yourself which adds to the roller coaster ride I talked about at the start of this post. Bottom line: surgery #2 recovery has just been more painful for me physically and emotionally..I hope the final results will be worth the pain!

Well now the positive parts:

pos #1: I have definitely gotten faster on my crutches...now I am not just saying this to show off that I am super stealth on crutches (which I am ;) )....I feel being faster on crutches means my hip is healing and that is why I can move around better....which in turn may be that my time on crutches may be getting closer to coming to an end!

pos#2: I am showering w/ out help...having strangers shower you is not as exciting as one might think....please trust me on this;)

pos#3: On our one nice day outside I did get to sit on the bench in front of my house to catch some much needed vitamin D and I did some walking w/ my crutches on my sidewalk..which felt damn good! My new "vampire chic" look may be coming to an end! Don't get me wrong I mean I am still keeping my hair black I just may start to actually not look like death anymore.

pos#4 Finished my last sessions of visiting PT and OT and I am now released into the world of outpatient PT..which means I am inching closer to getting back to getting off crutches, working, and driving again/ aka my normal life.

I want to give major shout-outs (do you do shout-outs on blogs..well whatever.. it's my blog I can do what I want ;) ) to the people this week who have been listening to my venting via phone or email, and the peeps who have come over to hang out which in turn took my mind off my hip as well as put a smile on my face..you know who you are and I GREATLY appreciate it...Thank you sooooooo much!!!!!!

As one of my favorite quotes goes "The secret to life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times." Thank you to all the people who have been helping me get up and stay up this time around...it hasn't been easy, but I feel I am very lucky woman to have so much love and support from amazing people ,and for that I am doing my best/my part to be my strongest self...so cheers to the upcoming week and hopefully a lot more progress!

4 Weeks Out

Wow..seriously has it already been a month! In some ways this has been the longest month of my life, between surgery, hospital stay, nursing home, crutches and extensive bed rest but on the same note I also feel like I can't believe it has already been four weeks (maybe it's the pain meds).

So it is a little disappointing that I am still in soooooooo much pain 4 weeks out, but on the same note I am putting more weight on my hip/leg and I am moving faster on crutches w/ the partial weight bearing, and reduced my pain med intake ..so that my friends I guess is progress..so I should be happy about that! I think I will be smiling more once I am getting out and about, driving, working, and lacking pain. I go back to the Dr's at my 6 week mark, and I am also going on vacation on my 6 week one day mark(planned prior to hip falling apart round 2) ....so keep your fingers crossed for me that I will be ok to do this, and maybe with even extra luck I will be doing it off crutches..a girl can only hope:)!

Still Chillaxin at home this week and having visiting OT and PT coming to my house ,and then the following week I will be starting outpatient PT and HOPEFULLY going back to work part time (never thought the words " I can't wait to go back to work" would come out of my mouth but there you have it..I really want to get back to work..I actually miss working.... A LOT)

Sleep is still difficult...hence posting at 1am..again. Just can't get comfortable..I cannot for the life of me remember how long it took me my last hip surgery to be able to lie on my right side when sleeping..hopefully soon I will be able to ,because I don't think I will be getting the sleep I need to heal until that can happen..talk about a crappy catch -22.

The actual incisions are healing nicely, they are much bigger than the first surgery incisions ,but in the grand scheme of things they are still relatively small and the least of my worries because they are healing..yay! Not much else to report..so my progress report at this moment is healing slowly but surely...but they do say good things come to those who wait...here's hoping they are right! Cheers!

3 Weeks Out

Is it possible to get runned down while you are on bed rest??? Answer= yes in my case, which is quite frustrating. It is so hard to sleep when you are in so much freaking pain. It seems like the pain has gotten worse the past few days. It is not just confined to my hip ..it is my whole right leg. Hip and groin hurts from surgery,but it feels like I have the flu in my leg(especially thigh and calf area..really achy), and pins and needles in my foot (hopefully it is temporary nerve damage from the traction table during surgery). I actually have increased my pain meds due to all of this. I have been doing more w/ physical therapy this week which could attribute ..does the saying "no pain ,no gain" apply here??? I hate complaining, but it is just one of those days ,and it is my blog so I guess i can vent if I want too ..heehee;)

I think the hardest part I am struggling w/ is that I have already been through this actual recovery once before, and here I am again not even two years later having to go through this whole process again..double ugh!!

I am still on "bed rest" (going on 6 weeks 3 before surgery/ 3 after surgery)meaning I haven't left my house (can't drive yet), haven't been outside (seriously when will this rain stop!) and I am not physically able to work yet, so I am pretty much been confined to my home ..thank god for friends/family who have come over to chillax w/ me and/or watch a movie and keep me in touch w/ the outside world! I just hate wasting time ,and I feel like sitting around "recovering" is just that..I know that sounds very negative, but I like being active and having no choice but to be inactive is truly frustrating! I wish I had some advice for myself on how to get past this frustration, but I don't, so I am doing my best to try not to let it get to me.

ok..on a positive note...I have read 23 books so far while I have been on bed rest, so I finally have caught up w/ a lot of reading I have wanted to do..plus books make my mind focus on the story at hand and not on my hipster! I have a vacation planned for 3 weeks from now that I still will be able to go on (I do hope I am off of the damn crutches by then ,but what will be will be, at least I get to still go..see..stayin positive ;)) and I am doing better w/ the partial weight bearing, I did couple laps around the house today and the stairs 4 times. I think I will stop writing for this evening and end this post on a positive note..goodnight:)

2 Weeks Out

I am a little over two weeks out from surgery...the first week was spent mostly in the hospital and the nursing home. I was on such heavy duty pain meds and had ice packs on my hip constantly that I don't recall much pain in my actual hip. It was mostly pain from surgery..swelling..sick from meds...no sleep/exhaustion due to not being able to get comfortable in the hospital bed as well as being woken up by nurses, loud noises etc.. =hospital stuff.

After I was finally released from the medical community (rescued would be a better term) my bestest friend (Thanks N) took me in since she had a one floor condo..easy access to bed, kitchen, and bathroom. Through my insurance I have received care from visiting nurses , visiting physical therapist , and visiting occupational therapist to come to the condo as well as to help me out w/ my recovery. I did not get this help my last surgery, because no one told me I could actually get theses services. Having the visiting nurse, PT, and OT come to the house is very helpful, they check my stats and meds, they change the dressing from my surgery ,and help me to get around better on crutches. I feel this help is making my transition back to the "real world" a lot smoother..less chance of injuring myself (which is always a possibility when you are using crutches).

I had my two week check up w/ Dr. Fabulous and he was happy w/ the results of the surgery. He told me that I had an impingement of my cartilage (again) so the flap of cartilage that was caught in my bone which was causing me the bad sharp pain and the deep ache he removed and debrided. Also I had other tears he debrided and my hip lining was inflamed so he cleaned that out as well (I will have the official medical jargon for my surgery once the official surgery report gets mailed to me) I also got pretty take home pics of the inside of my hip and surgery..which I actually thought was pretty cool.. So I have been doing a lot of show and tell w/ my friends w/ the pics;)

I got my stitches out too..yay(stitches out =real showers again..no more sponge baths for this girl...ever!) I was told that the pain from the 2nd surgery is worse than the first..wish I knew that piece of info ahead of time, but now from experience I can say that piece of information is very true. I still am on my my pain meds because the pain is still pretty brutal. Dr Fabulous said the pain can last up to 3 months or even longer..ugh! The good news is that he said I should be feeling significantly better once the pain dies down and my hip starts to heal..yay! He said my hip will never be 100% since it has missing cartilage and is now considered "abnormal" but I could be 75% better. He also told me that my Psoas tendon may or may not be better from the surgery (first surgery irritated my psoas tendon so much that it has been tight and swollen for almost two years..they talked about doing surgery to release it but I was like "hells no").. so now it's a wait and see situation..if it does not get better his next suggestion for my tendon would be to inject botox into it....hmmmm..not a place I ever thought I would need botox but and interesting idea nonetheless..but that is down the road...we shall see. I go back to see him again in a few weeks so I should have more info then..I am still in the "recovery phase" for now.

I am now doing partial weight bearing on my hip as tolerated (so still on crutches..on the positive side my arms are getting super strong) As of tonight I am officially back at my house, because I have been upgraded to do stairs... VERY CAREFULLY.

Pain currently: While I am resting in bed I can have pain free moments but I am also still taking pain meds, as well as aspirin, and will be starting a prescription antinflammatory med tomorrow (still lots of swelling). I think I am handling the pain better this time due to the fact that I have been here before so I was somewhat prepared mentally to know what it would feel like. It is interesting how your hip effects your lower back ,your knee, and your calf ..all these areas have been giving me a little trouble on my right side (which is normal I have been told). Plus I get these weird electric shocks throughout my calf and where my incisions are..I was told those are my nerves that have been "injured" during surgery..hopefully that will start to go away soon as well. The incision area is now less sore to the touch than it was a week ago. ICE IS NICE..literally the best thing for the pain is a very cold ice pack..it works wonders! Sleep has been hard since I sleep on my right side and I currently can't. If I even roll over on my right side while I am sleeping I wake up in a huge amount of pain then it is hard to go back to sleep. The time I feel the most pain is when I am sitting (sharp pains in groin/ hip area and achy) or walking(just pain- hard to describe..different pain from pre surgery). I pushed myself more today by doing the stairs a few times, walking outside on my driveway, and sitting outside for a bit, even though it was uncomfortable I felt I could do it..something I would not have been able to do last week..so improvement..and that is all I am looking for.

Well I am tired from my first actual long day so I am off to bed.. and hopefully get some much needed sleep! Nite;)