1 year....

Well, here it is! The completed project! The Ganz has healed up nicely and you can't even see where the fractures were! 

I can't believe it has already been a year. It has gone by so fast and I have been through/ accomplished so much! But the journey is not over. As a matter of fact it will never be over. I will always have to lead a healthy lifestyle to make sure my hip stays in place. I will always have to maintain my glutes and core and make sure I exercise to keep my hip healthy. Dr. White said something that really stuck with me today. He said that some people a dealt a hand in which they will never have to do anything to be healthy, but that I was dealt a hand where it was my job, my responsibility, to make sure I keep myself, and my hips, healthy. That really hit home with me because I have always asked myself why I was born with hip dysplasia? Like what did I do to deserve this? I didn't do anything to deserve this, but it is my responsibility to take care of it. 

Another great thing he said is that I am on my own from here on out... No more physical therapy (like at rebound), I can work out on my own, and that means sweating for the wedding can officially start. I am super happy that I don't have to go back to Dr. White for a long while, too! He's a wonderful doctor and everything, but most appointments ended in tears. Today, the appointment definitely ended in smiles!

I also found out that one leg is longer than the other, just slightly, so I will have to get an insert for my shoes. That will hopefully help me really balance out while walking, and during exercise. 

Well..... That's all for this blog. I'm sure I'll check in every once in a while when I hit big milestones in my life. But for anyone considering this procedure, or someone who has just had it and feels like they aren't doing well, I assure you it gets better. And it is all up to you! You are responsible for taking care of your health and body. I really hope that sharing my experience will change some one's life for the better. Don't limit yourself. Keep pushing. It gets better! 

Did I Mention My Surgeons Were Amazing?

A video about one of my hip doctors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jor_UInT2S8

Another Video, specifically Ganz:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IN0PUPBr5M

10 Months....

Hello everyone! So today is 10 months since my surgery! Since the last time I posted, I have been working out at the gym three days a week with my brother Justin. This has helped tremendously! I can't express how grateful I am for his help and encouragement. Physical therapy would never push me like he does. I am happy to say that I haven't experienced any pain in my hip. Just the soreness of the muscles surrounding that hold everything into place. I am so close to walking without any noticeable limp. And I have gotten further than I thought I would! 

Recently I have been doing the stair master! Soon I hope I can get on the treadmill and maybe run a little. I am feeling super good about everything and I can't wait to report to you all at my 1 year post op. 

First snow/ cold weather

Since my surgery in May, there hasn't really been any bone chilling weather or snow worth mentioning until now. The cold is definitely making me feel stiff, but the more I move the better I feel. And as far as walking in snow and ice, I'm managing. I'm making sure to take baby steps and watching for any really slick areas. 

It was a huge fear of mine, the snow and ice, but so far it's not so bad. I've been working on balance in PT lately and I think that really helped. I've hit a milestone and I can stand on my right leg without leaning towards the right. I can keep my body centered! That's huge! It means the muscles are holding the joint in place and are strong enough to keep me stable. My waddle is going away little by little, day by day. I am definitely feeling stronger and feeling less and less like I have to use other muscles to compensate. I haven't felt that weird dislocation feeling for probably a few days now! So I'm excited about that! 

For anyone who is considering this procedure (Ganz or PAO), don't let my setbacks keep you from it! Everyone is different and even though I still have six more months of physical therapy until I can really get back to being fully capable of working out/ jogging and such, I'm so glad I was able to have the procedure done. 

6 months...

Hey everyone!! I am so happy to report good news finally! I just left Dr. White's office and physical therapy is doing its job! The doctor says six more months of physical therapy and I should be as good as new. He said there is still some stability issues but they should all be worked out through a well rounded physical therapy regimen. I will be able to work on all the muscles now and not just the one butt muscle. I will also be working on core strength, so the "sweating for wedding" work outs can start soon! 

It was nice to hear the good news. He did say my case in particular was a tough one but he is confident I will come out of it just fine. So until then I'll just work my butt off, pun intended, and in another six months I'll update you all again.

Oh, before I forget, he also said the ganz part is pretty much 100% healed! Yay bone growth!! 

Five months....

A couple weeks ago in physical therapy, John, my physical therapist, decided that we should do something called "dry needling." Turns out, one of my muscles in my butt wasn't fully awake. He tested this by feeling the muscle during exercises I had been doing at home. What he discovered was the muscle was firing, but it was more of a spark than the wild fire we needed to really get that muscle strengthened. Dry needling is helping that muscle activate and it is helping me isolate that muscle during physics therapy exercises. 

For those of you who don't want to google what dry needling is, it is basically acupuncture with a twist. John sticks four acupuncture needles into certain points in that particular muscle and those needles get hooked up to an electric stimulation machine. It's like jumping a car... But only the car is my butt. 

It has certainly helped me isolate the muscle and really work on strength, but I'm still struggling with walking with a normal gait. When I really concentrate on my walking, I more often than not feel my hip dislocate still. Part of me feels like it's not a matter of strength, but more of a matter things not sitting right on the inside. I have four weeks until I go back to see Doctor White, and I'm really hoping by then my gait will be closer to normal, and that I won't be told I will have to go through yet another surgery. 

I have to say this has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.... I'm five months out and I'm still having complications with my hip dislocating. It's frustrating and some days I just want to give up, but I know that won't solve anything. I struggle a lot with the way people look at me when they see me walk too. I can't describe what that's like, but I can say that what they are thinking isn't even in the ballpark of what the truth is. 

I'll be sure to update again on Novemeber 11th! 

Three months...

Well this is a milestone week! I'm three months out and everything is healing good.... But I was hit with some not so great news today at my post op. 

The ball part of my joint is sliding out of the socket... The point of the surgery was to stabilize the joint and make sure it didn't slip like that and tear the labrum. This isn't a fault of the surgeons or anything like that, but a fault of my anatomy. The X-ray was pretty gnarly! Over the next few months the goal is to really strengthen the muscles around the hip: glutes, abs, quads, hamstrings. If the "sliding, popping" feeling persists after the three months, there is a possibility that I will have to have another surgery. They might have to reposition the socket part again or possibly change the angle which the head of the femur sits in the socket. 

I'm bunmed for sure. I was so ready to get a clean bill of health. I've lived with hip problems my whole life and I'm ready to be done with it all. Naturally I cried when he told me what the problem was. It's been such a long process, and I think anyone in my position would have done the same. 

So the next few months I just have to strengthen everything up some more and hope that that's the only issue. I really hope I don't have to have another surgery, but my health is the most important thing and I will do what it takes to make it right. 

Here's a picture for you all! Sorry it's not the gnarly one. But you can kind of see that it's not right in the middle.