8 weeks....great progress and a rant to follow!

8 weeks post-op and I feel absolutely great.

I had my first post-op appointment last week, and it was really really good. Mr Witt was very pleased with the healing of the bones, and the overall strength in my hip. I did get rumbled when he asked me to do straight leg raises and side leg raises then he asked.... have you already been doing these? er, yes, just a few! lol! Luckily he didn't ask if I had already tried walking with one crutch ;) but he did comment on how well I was walking, so I am sure he guessed. He passed me to be on one crutch officially now, and to wean off over the next three weeks. I am allowed to drive YEYY!!, swim and use a stationary bike adding a cross trainer in a month.

He also told me to do loads of hamstring stretches as the sciatic nerve seems to be getting caught in the back of the hip.

I am way further on than he would expect at this stage, so he doesn't need to see me again for another 4 months which is great news. I came out with the biggest grin ever on my face.

Now the rant.....

My local PT is hopeless. I saw her today, had a few queries which she looked blankly at, and kept asking for a protocol. She is very nice, but I think a little phased by the PAO...thats fine but I wish they would admit that and refer me to someone else. All she has done is given me one extra exercise to do (that a fellow hippy informs me is not allowed) and said I will see you in three weeks. We discussed my return to work, she wants me to do less than I want to do, which is fine and I respect her opinion but what I did object to is being told that "you have had a lot of money invested in your hips, dont mess it up by trying to do too much!" I am well aware, and very grateful that my surgeries have cost the NHS a lot of money. They have also cost me a few thousand in train fares , hotel rooms and loss of wages not to mention the pain involved, and I have no intention of messing anything up. I came away feeling like a chastised child!!

I have been recommended an excellent private physio that I am considering visiting. The only problem is its a three hour round trip to do this, but I think it will be worth it, even if I just see her a few times, maybe once a month.It would be a refreshing change to talk to a physio that knows what a PAO involves, understands hip issues and doesn't look at me blankly when I ask a question.

Milestones so far

Thought I should list some of the things I can /can't do at 6 week

I was able to shave my legs and paint my toenails at around the three week mark.

I can vacuum (from three weeks, but much easier now), do all housework except stuff that needs squatting. Can prepare all meals, and have done since weeks 3-4. I can lift my leg in/out the car without hands from around 4 weeks. I ditched the shower stool and toilet seat risers at 4 weeks, and haven't used them since.

I cant drive,but only because I haven't got the all clear from the consultant. I actually think I could manage no problem. I can crutch for about 20mins before things get uncomfortable, but can manage for longer with pit stops. I can't sleep through the night yet, without waking up to change positions. That's the most painful thing at the moment, and sometimes I take a mild painkiller before bed, just to ensure I will get a few hours comfortable sleep.

All in all I am pretty pleased with where I am at this point, and looking forward to the next major improvements once I get the go ahead to weight bear.

6 Weeks post-op!

Well, I can't believe I have already got to six weeks!

I had a fabulous few days away last weeks, with gorgeous weather for the UK-very unusual for the end of September. We spent lots of time relaxing, and eating far too much in some lovely restaurants over looking the river. It was a much needed change of scenery and I had a great time. I did quite a lot of crutching around, and was pretty sore for a few days after getting home, but everything has settled down again now.

I have some pain around the ischial/hamstring area, very similar to what I experienced last time around, so am trying to stretch my hamstrings a bit to try and ease this. Apart from that, the only pain I have is trying to turn over on a night-again something I remember from before, so nothing to be concerned about.

I am still 50% WB on two crutches until I see Mr Witt at the end of next week. Secretly I have been using one crutch when I need to carry things in the house-but trying not to go over the 50% as much as possible. I did take a sneaky three steps yesterday, just to see how it felt, and how bad my limp was. It felt fine, but limp was er... pretty bad. I shan't try it again until I get the official go ahead, but getting excited to get to the stage where I can drop one crutch.

I saw OT at work yesterday, and although they really have no idea what a PAO is,they have agreed to let me go back once I can manage on one crutch, and when Mr W is happy. They suggested week 8, but I think I would be happier around week 10, and my job involves lots of standing, walking , bending and lifting so am slightly nervous at going in as early as that anyway. I have promised myself that if I can't manage I will take more time off until around week 12-14.

So just on countdown now, another 10 days until my trip down to London for x-rays and follow-up and hopefully the strengthening can begin. :)

4 weeks, PT and Cabin Fever!

Over 4 weeks post-op already, those days in the hospital seem like a distant (thank god!) memory.

I have been off all painkillers for about 4 days. I have very little pain at all now, except some slight discomfort when crutching or at night. I still wake several times a night to change positions. My sciatic nerve still feels bruised, and any pressure on the back of my leg can be painful, plus it causes some pain in my foot at night, but nothing that's not manageable. I have cheated slightly and tried a couple of times with one crutch, but when I used the scales to check I am slightly over the 50% WB allowed, so am trying to be good and not push that....unless I really need a spare hand for something. ;)

Had my first Physio session yesterday. She was actually really good, and seemed to know her stuff and wasn't fazed (or seemed not to be) by the PAO. The disappointing part was, being connected with my local surgery, there wasn't any equipment in the room other than a fitness ball. I am used to hospital PT departments, where they have loads of equipment at there fingertips, and really hope my recovery isn't going to be affected by lack of facilities. I do have a health insurance so plan to use the private physio route with that if this one isn't enough.

She wasn't able to do that much with me until I am fully WB and have had my 8 week xrays. I did expect that, but at the same time was disappointed because I am raring to go, and wanted more to do. She corrected my technique on a couple of things, and added a couple more simple exercises, but thats it until I see her again after my follow-up, so have to wait 4 weeks. :(

So, I am all good.......except for a major case of cabin fever!! I am missing work, driving and my Independence. Why is it, when we are in the full swing of busy days, all we want is the chance of some time out, and lazy days in front of the TV-but hate it when we get it!??

However, hubby has next week off. so we are planning to go away for a few days to a pretty little Yorkshire village about an hour or so away. A change of scene will be nice, the weather forecast is pretty good, so hopefully some good meals out in some country pubs will cheer me up. Then it will be just a couple of weeks until my follow-up.

Big improvements :)

I have made a huge leap forward this week.

Pain seemed to start to reduce after hitting the three week mark. I have been able to crutch around a local shopping centre for between 60-90mins, and although I took loads of meds beforehand, wasn't anywhere near as sore as I expected afterwards and the following day. In actual fact, I felt the exercise did it good, so intend to try and walk (well crutch) a little each day

I have my first Physio apponitment on Thursday, which will be just over four weeks post-op. How sad has my life become, that I am ridiculously excited for this! It is in my village, which is great on one hand because it means that I can crutch there easily, and don't need to worry about transport, but not so good in that I won't get hydrotherapy, which is at the local hospital. I am quite looking forward to seeing the physios face when I tell her about the PAO surgery, because last time they were terrified to touch me not having dealt with a PAO before.

My incision is looking really good now the allergic reaction to the glue is clearing up. It is much smaller than before, and a straight line measuring about 8.5cms, which is covered by my underwear. I am amazed that such a huge surgery can be done through such a small cut.