Another Week Gone

So it's officially been a month since my surgery took place. It's so hard to believe.
Last night I was faced with a fever of 102.7 and can't figure out where the heck it's coming from and why it's worse at night. It wasn't too bad this morning but I do still have it. The pain was almost unbearable last night and it actually had me crying because to be quite honest I didn't know what else to do ! I was so tired when I got home from work that I threw the salmon in the oven and went straight to my bed to lay down. Thankfully Bryan paid attention and helped out, even with the pasta.

As I was writing this the doctor called and said that the one result they got back that was elevated was my liver enzymes, which are at 379. She stated normal should be between 3 and 50 (called it my GGT level).

"When a blockage or inflammation of the bile ducts occurs, the GGT and AP can overflow like a backed up sewer and seep out of the liver and into the bloodstream. These enzymes typically become markedly elevated—approximately ten times the upper limit of normal.

GGT is found predominantly in the liver. AP is mainly found in the bones and the liver but can also be found in many other organs, such as the intestines, kidneys, and placenta. Therefore, elevated levels of AP will indicate that something is wrong with the liver only if the amount of GGT is raised as well. Keep in mind that, GGT can be elevated without AP being elevated, as GGT is a sensitive marker of alcohol ingestion and certain hepatotoxic (liver toxic) drugs. It should be noted that for unclear reasons, people who smoke cigarettes appear to have higher AP and GGT than nonsmokers. Also, levels of AP and GGT are most accurate after a twelve-hour fast. You are beginning to get an inkling of the complexities that arise when evaluating abnormal LFTs!

Normal levels of AP range from 35 to 115 IU/L and normal levels of GGT range from 3 to 60 IU/L. Some causes of elevated AP and/or GGT include the following:"

• Primary biliary cirrhosis

• Primary sclerosing cholangitis

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

• Alcoholic liver disease

• Liver tumors

• Drug-induced liver disease

• Gallstones

I did ask her if this may be causing the fever and other symptoms but she couldn't answer me. She basically just told me to stop drinking alcohol and to have them retested in 3-4 weeks. Considering I only drink maybe once every 3-4 months I can't see how this could possibly be related to that. Time to go do some research.

Sleeeepy

I woke up so tired today. Still have a slight fever of 99.8 and I ache everywhere. It was unseasonably cold today and the rain is still coming down. I think a little bit of my stiffness is due to the weather. My back ache is horrible and my right hip at the pelvic brim hurts even when I am breathing. I haven't heard from the doctors office yet on my bloodwork results so I figure probably tomorrow morning.
The Oxycontin has made me so sleepy today too. I am supposed to be taking one time release every 12 hours and right now it does appear to take a slight edge off of the back pain. Of course I am sitting here sleepy and find myself kinda dozing off a little here and there when it gets quiet. I really hope this isn't how it is going to be. I need to be sharp when I am working or bad things happen ! I need to be able to get outside too and stretch a little bit, play with the boys and walk the dogs. Right now I have no motivation to do any of those things.

Can't sleep

Well after visiting the doctor today I am even more anxious than I was before. After looking me over and walking in with a fever he is testing me for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus. It may also be an indication of ANV - Necrosis in my hip. He did a full set of bloodwork to make sure it's not something as simple as an infection but he said with my symptoms and how long I have had them that he is pretty concerned, after all I do already have arthritis. The pain level is at a 9 now most days so he also prescribed Oxycontin (only 10mg dose) and I have a standby for Lyrica if I find that isn't enough relief.
I am sitting here in tears tonight. I am so sick of this. I don't want to be in pain anymore or to suffer the way I have been. I keep telling myself that it isn't fair. There hasn't been a day yet that I haven't asked why it has to be me, why I can't just have a normal full life. Instead I am faced with pain every single day and there is never any escape from it. The sadness and anxiety have finally won and I am losing that will to remain positive, too much emotionally for any one person to have to deal with.
I am going to try and sleep again, but the leg cramps are keeping me up. If anyone can muster up some good thoughts, please send them my way.

Sick ... again

I woke up feeling awful again this morning. My head hurts for some reason and has for the last 3 days. My back hurts so badly I can't stand it and my right hip is burning. I hate feeling like this. My temp is right at 100 so nothing really major but I am starting to worry a little considering the last time I had a fever I had an infection starting from the facet injections. I think I may just need to reset and sleep a little, but today I am seeing Dr. Weinghart and can ask him what may be going on.
My left hip soreness is gone and my butt doesn't hurt anymore. I need to stretch a little today but not feeling really motivated to do anything. I will try and get myself going, but man I just want to rest ! My hands have just started to get a warm numb feeling in them so it looks like a migraine may be hitting soon. Time for some Maxalt !

Brrrrrr .........

It's so hard to believe it has been 27 days since my surgery. Time is flying !
The weather is changing here and it's starting to cool off and it's been raining. I haven't felt well the last couple of days due to a headache that just won't go away. I am still a little sore in my backside but I don't think I can pinpoint exactly what is causing it other than my *ahem* activities from the weekend (and last night). I have picked up my physical activity and working on extending my range of motion. Either way it is very tolerable and nothing a couple of tylenol haven't been able to help with. I may switch to Motrin for an anti-inflammatory until it goes away. The soreness at my incision site is almost gone too.
I can now lift my leg completely off the bed and bring my knee right to my chest without even so much as a small pull. I have been extremely paranoid thinking that they cut some nerve somewhere so I don't feel pain, silly I know but this has gone so well so far.
I am seeing Dr. Weinghart tomorrow to address my rehabilitation, he has been my general doctor since this all began. I am hoping to work on a good pain management program for my bad hip, something I am reluctant to even talk about since the surgery. The pain is getting seriously bad along with my back, but I don't want it to cloud any reports of my operated hip on here because I want people to know that to this point the surgery has drastically improved my life .. even if it's only been half of my problem.

Quick weekend !

Wow that weekend was too quick ! I spent some time with my daughter on Saturday looking at new cars and finding something with a gentler suspension for my body. Sorento's certainly do not have very much give for the back and hips. I found some nice vehicles and haven't set on anything right now due to the massive carry I have. The Jeep Commander is definitely topping the list.

I had Saturday night to myself with no children at home. Had a nice date out for dinner and then we relaxed at home, which was so nice. This is going to get a tad personal so if you don't want to know you may want to stop here ! If it appears to offend anyone I will just remove the post.
So now for the personal part, not sure anyone even talks about this post-op. The new hip changes made a huge difference. I was extremely nervous about even trying anything intimate yet. Nothing really hurt but a muscle knot at one of the incision sites. The support on the knee is pretty important so the leg doesn't get pushed down too far. There was more pressure put on the right hip but it did ok. Thankfully he was well aware and was gentle with me.
So 3 weeks post-op my life is definitely moving back into a normal direction and not feeling the locking and catching of both of my hips. My back is extremely tight today but I have been stretching and walking around the office at least once an hour. The knot is gone but I do feel a slight soreness in my butt, kinda like after you run too much and wake up sore the next morning. It was a really good weekend and I feel pretty refreshed.

Defeated !

So again today I am feeling that defeated feeling I felt a few months ago. I went in to Dr. Oeser only to be told they tried to call me to reschedule my appointment ... again. Odd thing is I have nothing from them, not even a voicemail. So this time they want to make it 3 weeks out, which irks me considering I waited 2 weeks for this one. So since my Facet injections and my hip surgery I have seen the PT .... wait for it ..... 0 times ! No medication refills, no stretches to get through the pain better, no follow-up to make sure everything went ok with my injections and there are no adverse reactions, absolutely nothing.
So what to do next ? I am calling Dr. Law's office yet again since they referred me and see if they can't find me a new PT that isn't this neglectful. It just amazes me with the extent of what has happened to my body that they aren't more concerned with my rehabilitation. What if something was going wrong or that I had swelling in my back .. etc. No one would ever know ! It's an extremely scary thought for me right now considering the level of pain I have been at the last couple of weeks.
Thought I would add though that if it weren't for the internet and common sense I couldn't have started doing the rehab myself !

Looking forward to PT

I am seeing Dr. Oeser today and I am pretty anxious. My operated hip feels fabulous but my right hip and back are getting out of control. I am at a loss as to what to do. The soaks aren't helping anymore and the nerve pain is getting bad again. I wanted to walk last night for my hip but then my back prevented me from going anywhere so I just watched some TV on my bed. I have gotten really good at texting though during this whole thing.
I did some light stretches last night and I am now able to lay flat on my back and lift my leg almost all the way up off the bed. When I first had the surgery I couldn't lift my leg off the bed at all. Shows me that the muscles are getting stronger and I am healing. I laid down with an ice pack on my hip and back for a bit last night but it wasn't much relief.
I will update again tomorrow reporting what the PT is suggesting.

Hit 3 weeks post-op !

So it's been 3 weeks now and I am feeling really good. I overdid it a little last night in the pool by trying some new ranges of motion and I am paying for it today. It's not horrible but I am reminded when I step down by a small pull in my groin. It feels very deep though and not something surface related to the muscles. I know it will be fine once I stay off it a little .. and wearing heels wasn't one of my best choices today. The hottub felt really good and walking in the river felt ever better when I alternate them. I slept like a rock last night ! I couldn't even make it through a movie cuddled up with my little man.
I am seeing Dr. Oeser tomorrow for my back to see what we can do to help my pain. I feel like the injections have been wearing off and I am hoping they don't try to push some narcotics on me again. I have been doing really well without them to this point, the Darvocet doesn't seem too bad before bed but I definitely can't take it during work hours.

20 Days Down

So it's been a whole 20 days since my surgery. It feels like a lot longer that's for sure. My recovery continues to go really well. We took both dogs for a walk last night and I even broke out into a light jog. I am making sure to not make any sudden changes in direction so the hip remains moving one way and I don't hurt myself. I did some light stretching before we started so I didn't feel like I was carrying rocks in my legs. The bad hip is sore today and it hurts in the butt again, but it's tolerable and nothing tylenol didn't help with. The incision sites are calming down and healing really nice. The scars look like little butterflies. The bruising is almost gone too. Tonight will be swimming night and I can soak a little bit in the hottub, those nights feel so good. I am so happy that I went through with this surgery.

Emotionally I was able to finally let go. So I cried a little and came to terms with everything in my mind and my heart. The wall I spent so long building up, only to let it down, is starting to rebuild and it will be a long while before I ever let anyone close to me like that again. I have so many other positive things in my life to look forward to and appreciate right now. So tons of healing going on inside and out and I know I am going to be ok now that I got over the mourning period and the loss. All feels right with the world right now.

Feeling good

Well I am closing in on my 3rd post-op week and I feel extremely good physically. I have very minimal tightness now and I am learning ways to stretch those muscles that get tight. I am now going to focus on losing a few pounds and try to start eating the way I did before this process started and once again try and hit 130 pounds. I got all the right foods last night and I am feeling motivated. I will still be taking the Bioflex and viatmins to keep my recovery moving forward.
Mentally I am not doing so hot due to my emotions being all over the place. I have been feeling lonely and really miss having that support, but at the same time I know deep down I am going to have to work on getting better.

So tired ..

Today was a long day. I went to the pool and soaked for a bit and the walking felt great. After about an hour we took off and went to a local carnival. Right about then I started to notice horrible pain in my groin area that had me almost in tears. This was on the right side and my left hip remains to show any signs at all of pain. My Gluteus Minimus is so sore it's not even funny and I am feeling a constant pull down the inside of my leg. I had to do some laundry tonight and my legs ached terribly, may be due to not enough water. It's been pretty warm and I feel tired from that alone since we don't have central air. My back was slightly sore but of course that is due to my arthritis, nothing some Darvocet can't fix so I can sleep though. I hate these drugs so much. I can not wait to get my right hip fixed now.

I also went to an open house and found the perfect home ! After speaking with the mortgage broker it looks like I may be able to get into it too with the new home buyers tax incentive from the stimulus. There is a ton more room and everything has been remodeled. I am looking to run numbers Monday :).

Pictures

I was a little weary about posting pictures because my body is bad enough as it is, but since the people visiting are so supportive I honestly don't care anymore. The scars are pretty minimal and considering I am only 2 weeks out I think it looks great myself. I am using vitamin E on the scars to hopefully lessen their appearance but you can see that one in the front that was giving me a hard time. There is one other missing but no one needs to see my "brighter side". My legs look huge there ! Maybe in a couple of months I will post an after shot to see what they look like. Either way the hip feels fantastic, I will take scars anyday.

2 weeks post-op

It's been just over 2 weeks now since the surgery and I couldn't be happier with the results. Today for lunch I walked up to Target and my left hip is almost completely pain free. My leg muscles still have a few tight spots and my incision sites are sore but I do understand this will take time to heal. I am completely off pain meds as well right now until I see my PT for my back.If my right hip turns out like this I would bet that I could be pain free within a year. There is nothing like that in the world.
My friends at work can tell a huge difference in me now too. My mood is changing daily and I am not wearing the pain on my face constantly. My right hip still hurts immensely but without the left making it worse I am coping better. They are planning a get me stinking drunk night, which I am welcoming with open arms. I am even doing better mentally. I thought the depression from things with Rob would start to get me down but to be quite honest they have motivated me. I am a good woman, a good mother, a good provider and a good friend. I want to continue to be those things even though things didn't work out with him. Maybe having him come in to my life had a greater purpose, and that was to show me that I will be ok, that I can rise above anything in my life and learn from it and improve it. Today is rated at a 9 !

Back to work ... again

So I am back to work now 2 weeks post-op. I saw Dr. Erickson yesterday and he was impressed with how quickly I am recovering. I have been out with the kids the last 2 nights playing softball and football and walking around the lake. It feels really good to exercise but my back and right hip are starting to really get sore. He did ask me to stay off it a little due to having a bad reaction to the stitches they left in. They started a small infection but they are out now and my body just needs to heal itself. I have been doing more and more the better I feel. I cleaned the house top to bottom because it felt like I had been slacking for so long trying to stay off the hips. I need to get on top of the house and fix the swamp cooler next ! Taking a nice soak in the tub was great using the bath therapy stuff I got a couple of months ago.
I am feeling extremely depressed over the latest situation and hope this doesn't seriously affect my recovery. I am trying very hard to focus completely on getting better and hope the rest just gets better in time. I miss having him around that's for sure.

2 in one day !

Wow, 2 updates in one day. It was pretty late last night.
Today I woke up a little tight in the hamstring but nothing a short walk couldn't work out. My back is seriously becoming a problem and I hope with some good physical therapy I can figure out how to cope with everything all at once. Having the Facet Joint Arthritis along with favoring a hip and still having one with issues I find myself extremely sore by the end of the day. There have been some bad muscle spasms too but hopefully within a few months I will be as close to normal as I can be considering. I also can't wait to get these last stitches out Tuesday !

No limp !

For the first time today I was able to walk without a limp ! I have been going to the pool and soaking it which has certainly helped with the tightness. I have been taking some walks and there is really only a small amount of pain, that of course I can deal with. I am having to take a new approach to my recovery and hopefully it proves to be productive. I also wanted to thank Katie for stopping by and reading. This isn't an easy thing to deal with but once it has started moving forward the progress is huge.

8 days post-op

This week has been interesting to say the least. I saw the doctor on Tuesday to have my stitches out and bled all over the place lol. One set wasn't even close to ready to come out and got caught on the tape. Needless to say those are the only ones left in. The others stung a little when coming out but it felt good to have that diaper dressing off ! I got to watch the video of the surgery and Dr. Erickson came in for a few to chat. He actually said openly that this was the closest he has ever been to giving up during a surgery. The amount of scar tissue they removed was insane and it ended up they had to shave down 3 bone spurs. It looked like scooping ice cream to me .. but who am I. The scar tissue kinda looked like a chicken breast with the white stuff hanging off. He had to move to the front of the hip which starts getting into really difficult territory. I asked for my own copy and may try to post some streams here. It was an extremely long surgery so it is definitely too big to put anywhere. It's cool to watch since there is no blood and it feels like your under water.
So as for pain, I hurt. I have been to the pool the last few days since he said it was ok for me to even with the last stitches in. The water feels really good and even a soak in the hottub was nice. I may be pushing a little too far and that's why I have the level of pain that I do. My back is killing me and the hip is stiff to move. The joint moves so much smoother now and I can feel it when I walk though and I don't have a huge limp. It doesn't help that I am sitting in a chair working all day, but I keep reminding myself to get up and move. I am taking maybe 3 Darvocet's a day when I need to push a little and get moving. As long as I take them far enough apart I feel some relief. I am thinking of actually getting out of the house for my breaks and weeding the garden .... I am so excited to be getting my life back.
Appt. with doctor Oeser on July 23rd at 4:30 for Facet issues !

5 days post-op

Today was my first day back to work and all I can say is wow. Having to stand in the shower, do my hair and make-up and get dressed was pretty challenging. My butt is really sore on both cheeks and there is a slight pull in the groin area on my left side. The stitches are itching pretty good too. My back aches a ton and I just assume that is from being on crutches and favoring my hip. I have been able to walk a little on it today and add a little weight. I hate moving so slow though when trying to get around. The crutches hurt like hell after a while !
I am still not driving so Rob brought me in today. I will be giving it a go tonight after he picks up his car. I am sure I am ready considering I can sit here in a chair for a few hours and not really be bothered. I feel some prickly stabs I think from the stitches but if I just put a little pressure on the bandage it stops. I am taking just the Tramadol now since my right hip is hurting really bad. To this point it hasn't been too bad. I am sure I will be pretty tired tonight when I get home and will crash !

3 days post-op

I was finally feeling well enough to make it down the stairs to the computer so I could update everyone.
Surgery went 2 hours longer than scheduled on Wednesday so it started off a little bumpy. Dr. Erickson said I had the worst hip he has ever seen and he didn't anticipate the size of the bone spur and the extra ones. I can't imagine what it will be like when he gets to my bad one ! The Clear Creek Surgery Center was fantastic and they took excellent care of me. I left close to 11:00 to come home and the surgery was scheduled at 7:30. It was pretty quick in my mind since I passed out and woke up in the same minute. I spent all of Wednesday in bed with ice and pain pills. The pain wasn't too intense but once the local started to wear off I felt it. Yesterday was better, I was moving around the house a little but felt a ton of pain in my butt. There is a waterproof dressing on so I ventured into the shower. By the time I was done my body was tired and I spent a lot of time back in bed. The ice is awesome and really relieves a lot of the throbbing. Last night we took a drive which I probably shouldn't have done. The pain pills wore off and we got stuck in a DUI checkpoint, my entire left side was hurting. Once I got home and took some vicodin I eventually drifted off to sleep and the pain subsided a little.
This morning I am feeling actually really good. I hurt of course but now I have a nagging itch under the dressing that I can only assume is from the stitches. It burns a little too and my butt is still majorly sore. With this being a holiday weekend we will be staying close to home and firing up the BBQ. Rob is getting stuff for fireworks and Heather will be here today to help me through the weekend (even being grounded from being out past curfew last night). All in all it has been a really good experience so far and the pain is something I can cope with. Now it's time to get the hip joint working like normal again and prepare for the next one.