a HIP mom

http://www.rediscoveryourgo.com

I’ve decided to write about a topic you may never have heard of, are not aware of and may be helpful to share with others. 

I will be presenting this story in segments due to the length and nature of the topic. 

It’s hip resurfacing surgery …… and I’m one of the lucky girls that needs it.

To make a very long story short, back in 2004 my left hip started bothering me. At the time I didn’t know it was my hip, I thought it was my left knee getting ready to blow out and only certain times would my groin bother me.

I had major surgery in 2004, which took a total of 10 hours to complete. When I got home I felt like new, except for one thing, I could no longer sit Indian style. I could still hike the big mountains, jog, ski, play tennis, bike, lift weights, etc. but I could no longer take my left leg and move it sideways, only forward and backwards.

For the past 5 years I was able to maintain the levels of activity my body was use to, until the fall of 2010 and all of 2011. It's been a constant worry to me and a real downer.

In October of 2010 I decided to go see an Orthopaedic surgeon in my area due to the fact ski season was just around the corner and I didn’t want to miss it. During my visit the doctor asked what was going on with me and explained that when I jogged, or walked up hills backward (excellent training to build the quad muscles for skiing) the muscle around my left leg felt like it was going to blow right out the side of my leg. He then had me lie down on the examination table and that’s when the fun began. He immediately took my left leg and gently moved it outward, towards him in a horizontal position. The pain was so great I wanted to sink my claws into the first person I could get my hands on.

He immediately told me (even before viewing the x-rays) I would need a hip replacement down the road. I had degenerative hip disease, in other words, Osteoarthritis (meaning ‘wear-and-tear arthritis).

I’m very good with doctors opinions but was not going to the operating room without kicking and fighting first. After talking about my options (and he did tell me skiing is not recommended for the upcoming 2010 season) I decided on door number one. The awful cortisone shot in the old hip prize. Let me just say this, about that, no matter how much pain you are in, there are better ways to combat it. Ya know when you hear people talk about white-hot pain, well, that’s what it felt like.

I have never felt pain, like I did, when that needle was going deep inside my groin to reach my hip bone. I honestly thought I was going to pass out on the table but remembered if I breathed just right I could bear the pain. Now that I think about it, I might have been hyperventilating and that’s why I almost passed out !

That cortisone shot got me through ski season, my gym workouts and anything else I needed, and wanted to do, up until April of this year.  

( to be continued )