So I hit the 5 month mark! yay. I saw Dr. Mills on Tuesday for another follow-up since my last appointment in Sept when I was having all of that pain. I have been feeling a bit better, not great, but better than I was. Mom and I went up the night before and stayed in a hotel since my appointment was 10am. We got to the hospital just about 10 and went to get my xrays, then I went to request a cd/dvd of ALL my xrays, then back to Ortho waiting room. We waited there a few minutes then sat in the 'second' waiting room for about 10 minutes and Erin called me into a room. She asked how I was doing since my last appointment so I explained what was going on. She opened my xrays and said the bones were healing well. The spot where the screws are is completely healed, but there are other spots that have some more healing to do. She then pointed out my huge stress fracture that finally appeared!!! Which is good in a sense, and bad in a sense. So, just more rest and vitamins to help my bone heal. I can't start PT yet because the exercises they will give me will just hurt me more. Erin also checked my strength and it was terribly weak. I told her it was but she was surprised how weak I am. That's not good. But the bridging between the cut bones is getting better.
Dr. Millis came in shortly after and did range of motion also...things look good, except for the screws pinching me a bit. Screws can come out as the bone is healed in those areas. He also had a professor from Germany looking over his shoulder so he had him feel my screw heads through my skin and was telling him some of the procedure. Millis recommended some contraption to help my bone grow...it sends some kind of electric current into my bone to help it grow. I said no thanks...I'll stick to my calcium and vitamins. Other than that, I look good and my screw removal is booked!! November 30th with an MRI the day before...then rest a few days after and I'm good to go!! He suggested the MRI next year but I told him I'd like to get it done this year while I'm still in one deductible. Easy as pie!
Check out my newest xrays
Beautiful...except for that stress fracture. Why not go for the contraption thingy? Couldn't hurt? Or could it? I'm all for alternatives...just me. Glad that you are feeling positive. xoxo
ReplyDeleteNot sure I'm for sending electric currents through my body. All these xrays and MRIs is pushing it...
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle I just randomly stumbled across your blog and it's is AWESOME! I had a PAO (along with a labral tear repair and a femoral head reconstruction) on my right hip July 2010, and I got my hardware removed(and a whole bunch of other stuff that they found that had gone wrong, including another labral tear) in May 2011. I just reached the 6 month post-op #2 this weekend, and I am not pleased with my recovery. You seem like you've been doing pretty well, except the stress fracture but I'm interested in conversing with you if you wouldn't mind. I am 21 years old and had been an avid and high intensity athlete up until my diagnosis of hip dysplasia my sophomore year of college. After my first surgery, the initial POA I healed very well and was just getting back into a good gym routine until I retore my labrum around 6months post-op, after which I was extremely limited in what i could do, due to the amount of pain it caused me. Well here i am 6 months after another major surgery and I feel as if my progress has stopped, if not regressed....again. It has been pretty hard on me, I have tried to keep a positive attitude throughout the whole thing but things keep seeming to go wrong, and not being able to be my athletic self, has caused a lot of negative feelings about my body :( anyways I don't really have anyone where I am from (Eagle River, AK)to talk to about what I am going through and am super stoked that i found your blog. Anyways, from a fellow PAO patient, hello :)
ReplyDeleteOh and by the way, your incisions look amazing! mine appears to be a little longer, and in a slightly different position....
-Carla
Hi Carla,
ReplyDeleteI am SO happy you enjoyed my blog. When I was told I needed the PAO I searched high and lot for information about the surgery and other peoples blogs helped me SO much. If my blog helps just one person, I feel accomplished!
ANYWHO, I'm sorry to hear about all of the issues you have been having. Did you have your PAO's in AK?
My incisions do look amazing I must say. My LPAO screws come out in 2 weeks and then I'll HOPEFULLY be all set. I met two amazing girls through my PAOs, one I met on the Yahoo board and had her second PAO a week before me and the other one was actually my roommate for our first PAOs in Boston. It has been such a difficult experience, but I wouldn't change it for the life of me.
You can email me DRemond1@gmail.com if that's easier!
Talk to you soon.
Danielle