HIPageddon 2019

The Hipageddon of 2019 actually began in August of 2018. I started to have issues/pain with my left hip. I had two injections with no relief. The doctor encouraged me to have surgery last May, but I wanted to continue with physical therapy a little longer to see if my condition could improve. For me personally, I'm not a big fan of medications, so I didn't try anything other than an anti-inflammatory. I try to give my body time to fight things off/repair before going to the doctor, surgery, etc. By the time August rolled around I was still not 100%, so I made the decision to have surgery during Thanksgiving break. Because I work at a school, I decided that would be a great time to get her done. Both of my sisters, who are two of the most selfless people I know, carved out precious time out of their busy schedules to come help me. And my wonderful niece, Annie came as well. ;) A huge shout out to everyone who helped, especially my CCA Family. The thoughtful gifts, meals, gift cards, flowers, etc. were a true expression of God's love. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Tomorrow, 1/7, I go back to the doctor for x-rays and to see if I can start to put weight on my left leg and start physical therapy. Here are the images from my surgery. The x-ray is the image of where the dr shaved the bone. I was too out of it during recovery to recall what the other ones represent, but I tore several things. (labrum, gluteus, cartilage, etc.) Hip Surgery Tips: Start taking Dulcolax a week before surgery! Seriously :) You will have more soreness than pain, get off pain meds asap to help. Ladies-have your hair highlighted/cut a few days before surgery, bathe with an antibacterial soap a few days to a week prior to surgery (your doctor may recommend a specific kind), remove your nail polish prior to surgery, trim your toe nails prior to surgery, shave body parts prior to surgery, shower and wash your hair the morning of surgery, For non-weight bearing: make sure you have a shower chair, if you have terrible balance on crutches, use a walker, if you use a walker, add tennis balls to the back legs so that you don't drive your spouse crazy with the loud noise that it makes as you walk to the restroom in the middle of the night :) a wheelchair is so nice to have as well, If you remove the legs on the wheelchair it makes it much easier to vacuum and move around the house, The wheelchair is the perfect height to clean all kitchen drawers out when you are extremely bored, install handles on the bathroom walls to make it easier to get on/off the toilet, if you have steps going into your house, build a cheap ramp out of plywood, invest in a good ice pack (a good one should cost $20-30), Keep a basket of items near your side of the bed that are within reach (deodorant, perfume, lotion, chap stick, hair brush, hand soap, vitamins, etc.) , Try to wear clothes that have pockets where you can easily store things or travel from room to room with Keep a grabber nearby, Listen to your body. If you are in pain then you have probably over done it and need to binge watch tv

Update: My x-rays looked good yesterday. I can bear weight now and wean off the walker/wheelchair within two weeks from now. I'm starting Physical Therapy on Friday and will go back to work on Monday. YAY! Thanks for the continued prayers.

Update:week 8, I’m weaning off of the crutches and going to Physical Therapy twice a week. I’ll be in PT for 3 months and In 4 months I will be able to use my elliptical again-yay!