I'm just here to report that I'm doing well recovering from the surgery I had this summer for FAI on my right hip (femoral acetabular impingement)!
As of this week, approx. week 16 (4 months) I've made a ton of progress. I'm in little/no pain in the operative joint and I'm ready for the other hip to get done and get further on track to being normal, healthy and active again!
Physical therapy has gone really well, thanks to my awesome PT!
For the first 6 weeks the focus was on flexibility and non-weight bearing strengthening. Then the next 6 weeks I got to do fairly normal exercises, mostly partial weigh-bearing but some full. Due to insurance purposes I'm done with going to PT but I'm still doing all of it at home, and and am adding some of my "normal" exercises back in. I'm not able the same amount of reps I was doing pre-op but that's OK. I can't workout every day though, because it irritates it and causes further intra-articular joint swelling. But that's getting much better and will eventually go away completely.
So far so good! I think its pretty safe to say that the surgery executed its purpose: increased my range of motion and decreased the pain associated with the joint being impinged by un-impinging it! I'll give a full report on this after I have the other hip operated on. Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading!!! Sorry I've been such an inactive blogger. Life is insanely busy these days, especially with FAI related medical activities so for now that's really all I have to blog about. Eventually this blog will get away from being a FAI related medical journal and will go back to being filled with fun.
xoxoxo,
Christina
I've been meaning to post an update sooner, but for about the week I couldn't sit at my computer for long enough and since then I honestly don't know what I've been up to. Sorry about that.
I'm doing really well! Thank you for all of your prayers and sweet comments and emails and cards and ice cream! Y'all are so sweet to take such good care of me. Each and every one of you means so much to me, what would I do without you?!?!?!
Surgery went as well as it could have. Doc says everything looked pretty good and he shaved bone off of the ball and socket, and there weren't any labral tears, just some bruising. It took about 2hrs, the labrum didn't need grafting, and I only have two incisions, so I'm very thankful for that. I did wake up to a panic attack and a tonnnnnnnn of pain, but aside from that I did pretty well.
Due to insurance purposes they only let you stay for one night, which in a way is nice. But personally I think you should be allowed to stay until all of your bodily functions have returned to normal after being under anesthesia and have your medications under control. But that's the new medical policy for you.
I came home early the next morning, and that was a rough first day. For some reason our pharmacy was denying me medication, due to an out-dated allergy list, so I went from midnight until about 5pm without any pain meds. Not fun.
Next, I had to get used crutches and the fact that I'd be spending the next two weeks on our sleeper sofa with 2 different machines, one that moves my leg back and forth that I'm supposed* to be doing 6-8 hours a day, and another that squeezes my calf muscles to prevent blood clots. Really annoying.
But crutches have actually had benefits. Benefit 1: Reduced desire to get up and walk to the fridge for something to eat just because I'm bored. Benefit 2: Great upper body muscle tone. My legs may feel like jello but my arms, abs, and back muscles look awesome. So that's nice.
I started physical therapy with my awesome PT this week and its gone really well. Not that I can do much - really its more of a "Sit and be Fit" session. But that'll change in the next few weeks as I gain mobility privileges. I'm already noticing a difference when I do range of motion tests, I can actually bring my leg up 90degrees without feeling the joint rub and my internal rotation actually exists now.
I'm completely stir crazy, but I have sorta enjoyed watching a ton of movies and eating alot of ice cream and Reece's Oreos. But I have to admit, being forced to be lazy and sit around and not being able to do hardly anything for your self is not all its cracked up to be. Honestly, not being able to help out or take care of my own self is driving me crazy. It's sooo against my nature to not be helpful and to be waited on. Its really weird. Sorry Mom, Dad and Michael, I know its driving y'all crazy too!
I go back to the doctor for my follow-up this Tuesday. Goal is to have my stitches taken out and be relieved of mandatory crutch use!
So yeah. That's whats up. Sorry to anyone who was depending on an update post to find out whatever the heck happened to me. I'm alive and doin' fine! Mainly I'm just really happy that surgery was successful and I'm looking forward to finding out all the cool new things my body can do!
xoxoxo,
Christina
