Seven weeks post-op and quite an eventful week. The most important happening was the ditching of the crutches, FINALLY. I cannot believe how much better I feel mentally not being attached to those things anymore! It is very odd at first, as if my muscles forgot how to fire in unison to allow me to walk normally. There was definitely some apprehension as you are worried if the hip is ready for this, if you will be able to walk as normally as possible. The biggest thing to overcome for me, however, was remembering to hold back and take it slow. It's easy to forget you are still recovering and healing is still taking place when you don't have the constant reminder of the crutches. Walking too fast or striding out too far definitely brings on soreness, so short and easy is the key! Overall though, it just feels amazing mentally to pass yet another important milestone. As I have said previously, these mini-victories are what keep me motivated week to week.
I saw my PT, Charlie, on Wednesday. I told him about some soreness that had been bothering me since Sunday in the front of my hip. He was able to quickly determine that it was my rectus femoris muscle in my quad, and that it was likely due to the increased activity level and reduced reliance on the crutches over the previous week. Luckily it was nothing to be concerned about and he considered it completely normal. He was able to do some amazing massaging to work it out and loosen it up, and showed me a nifty stretch to do at home. He also had me walk on the treadmill for 6 minutes at a blazing 1.3 mph, to make sure I was walking symmetrically. He tested the strength in my leg by applying pressure to it as it was elevated and straight while lying on my back, side and stomach and seemed pleased with the results. He advised me to add walking 10 minutes per day to my routine, as well as some extension and abduction exercises with added ankle weight three times per week. Overall it was a great visit, and a relief to know the pain was not out of the ordinary. Charlie is highly optimistic that I will be running a marathon by fall of 2014, and said he's going to have me at sub 2:58:00...my goal was February 2015, so that definitely felt good to hear.
Friday was my follow-up with my OS, Dr. Brown, to evaluate my progress. He was very pleased and said I was doing great and was very happy with my range of motion and all of the activities/exercises I was able to do. He even took time to write a note to Charlie to thank him for his great work with getting me back to this point so quickly. The conversation then turned to the moment I had been waiting for...fixing the left hip. He asked how I felt about it, and I reiterated the feelings I had with the first one, and that I felt have been validated by all the research that I have done. Wait too long, and risk doing more damage, complicating the procedure and prolonging the recovery and possibly even removing the scope as a treatment option. Then I would be left with the prospect of a total hip replacement, which I already know is a likelihood in my future as it is. Then there is the mental and emotional aspect of it...do I want to be fully recovered and active again and then have to start all over again? The way I see it, I'm in recovery mode right now, and I plan on not only recovering but improving my running form and training after this is all done, so why not start with TWO fresh hips, rather than one, leaving the remaining one to be done somewhere down the road? He agreed that he felt this was a good option and the right type of mentality to have to endure two of them only months apart. In fact, he said we can only wonder how much better off I'd be had we caught the first hip one or two years ago...could we have salvaged parts of my labrum and also prevented so much damage? So taking all of this into consideration, I will be having the left hip done sometime in September.
Other good news to come out of the appointment:
- cleared to begin short-arc lunges and squats
- cleared to cycle on the road, and I can clip in so long as they are neutral or angled slightly out
- I can golf when vacation in a couple of weeks, so long as I don't take a full back swing, keep a smooth, easy cadence to my swing, and don't bring out the driver
So needless to say, I am very happy about the progress and happenings of this week! I am so grateful to have the strong support around me; my family, my friends, the people I have met who share this condition, and my OS and PT. I am truly blessed and looking forward to the challenge. There is no way I can possibly show my appreciation to the extent that is deserved by all...but my promise to them is to make a full recovery, make them proud of my accomplishments and the role they each played in getting there, and possibly inspire or motivate others in their challenges. THANK YOU ALL!!!
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