Surgery Countdown: 1 day and 1 night to go

Flowers, Nerves, and Hair
 
 First
Look what I got Today!

 
This just warms my little heart.  So sweet and thoughtful

Second
How do I Feel
Today I woke up super anxious.  I didn't think I would be so stressed since I've done this before.  My body broke out in hives, I feel dizzy, nausea, and have a headache. My skin also broke out and it hasn't broken out for a long time.  Not to mention, I am in A LOT of pain.  Deep breaths, deep breaths.


Third
My Wacky Crazy Hair

I have always wanted to do this to my hair since I was a little girl and throughout my teen years, but my parents would not let me.  And since I still have the mentality of a 19 year-old, I thought in honor of my surgery, I would do this wacky thing to my hair. 

I am entering a new chapter in my life.

I am going to be a new woman with new hair.

Inspired by Barbie, My Little Pony, Gem, Starlite (Rainbow Brite's horse) 

Here are my before pictures:

 (In my bathroom bc there is good lighting, but came out a little bright. Im not a photographer)

What I did

My colour, Purple

Pick a strand

Don't forget your gloves

Just glop it on

And here is my hair streak

Well I guess it isnt that crazy, it is just a little peek-a-boo.  I wanted to add bubblegum pink too but the store was all out. Can't wait until the purple fades to lavender.

PS  I have had purple hair for three days and Gavin hasn't noticed yet.  I wonder when he will notice.

Surgery Countdown: 2 days and 2 nights

Things to do the Night Before

Pedicure

You're not going to be able to trim your toes for awhile, so unless you have a sweet friend who will cut your toenails you better make sure you are pedicured up.  No polish though.

Shave your Legs

You're not suppose to shave your legs the day of, and cannot shave the surgical site for 3 days prior to surgery.  Make sure you are all groomed because you won't be able to shower for a week.  This includes washing your hair.

Don't Eat after Dinner  

Or at least after midnight.  Make sure you get your midnight snacks early.  This includes drinking, chewing gum or sucking on candy.

Hospital Check List

ID, check, insurance card, check, comfy clothes, check, pillow, check, crutches, check, cash for parking, check.

No Asprin or NSAIDS
Because these thin your blood.  In fact, my primary doctor told me no vitamins because some of these thin your blood too.  My surgeons office said Tylenol is A.O.K.

Think Positive and Relax

Make sure you do something relaxing and usual so you don't get too anxious.  I will be watching my T.V. shows and reading Reader's Digest like every night.  Also, don't underestimate the power of positive thinking.  Send yourself good vibes.


Get to bed on time so you are all rested up.

Surgery Countdown: 3 Days left to go

Things to Get Before your Surgery

Shower Chair

This is my old man shower chair that I have already because I can't stand up long enough to take a shower.  I will definitely need this after my surgery so I am glad I already have it around. 

Anti-Bacterial Soap

This is Anti-Bacterial soap.  You only need one bar but it was on sale so I bought the pack.  You will need to shower with anti-bacterial soap the morning before your surgery.

This is for the Girls

Wax

Ferndale Shirt Represent

I chose to wax my legs before surgery because you wont be able to shave for awhile.  This is my favorite wax at the moment. Nad's

Toilet Chair

I didn't buy a toilet chair to raise the toilet seat because I have someone to help me go to the bathroom and I am a veteran at hip surgery and have mastered the challenge of going to the bathroom, but if you don't have anyone to help you and you have never had surgery before this will make going to the bathroom much, much easier.

A Cute Outfit

Okay, maybe your outfit doesnt have to be cute, but it does need to be loose and comfy.  When your surgery is over and you are getting dressed you are going to be very groggy and its going to be hard to get your clothes on.  You will also have large dressings over your wounds so won't be able to slip on tight yoga pants.  It is also possible that you might have some other contraptions on your leg.  When I woke up from my last surgery I had on stockings, a very bulky weird device and a large ice pack. So pick your outfit wisely so that you can easily get dressed.  If you need a jacket pick one with a zipper because those are easier to get on.

Luckily for me I have Gavin to help me get dressed so I don't have to worry about that part, but I think I will still forgo my bra since I know Gavin is good at taking those off but I have never seen him put one on. ;)  HAHA

Food

You may not feel like eating or cooking during your first few days of recovery.  During my last surgery I slept most of the time for the first few days so I was only awake long enough to eat a little.  Go to the grocery store and grab fresh snacks that are easy on the stomach.  Choose foods such as fresh fruits, and whole grains with lots of fiber.  Steer clear of foods like cheese that will make you constipated.  It is also a good idea to prepare meals in advance and freeze them, especially if you have a family to feed.

Surgery Countdown: 4 days until the big day

Famous People with Hip Dysplasia and Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI)
We Are Not Alone

Hey my hippy peeps, we are not alone; other people have hip dyplasia and FAI too.  We can get through this together.  Here are some famous people with this condition.  Lets come together and bring awareness to these conditions.

Famous People with Hip Dysplasia

Hip Dyplasia (hp) (dis-pla´zhah) 

                                 A painful deformation of misalignment of the hip joint.

Zahara Jolie-Pitt,  the adopted daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, has the painful condition, hip dysplasia. 

Wyatt Whitney the Cable Guy, the son of Larry the Cable Guy was born with hip dyplasia.  Larry the Cable guy has been a huge support to the International Hip Dyplasia Institute because he started the foundation.  

He not only has raised a ton of money he has also raised awareness for hip dyplasia.  He has candidly shared his son's hip dyplasia story to bring hope to others who have a child with hip dyplasia.  He and his wife personally send out letters to pediatricians to check children for hip dyplasia.  I sure wish my pediatrician would have checked me.  A huge shout out to Larry the Cable Guy and his wife Cara for all they do.

Mary Lou Retto, had her hips replaced at 37 because of her painful hip dyplasia.  She was an American gymnast and an Olympic Gold Medalist.  She accomplished so much despite her condition and all the pain she was in.

Famous People with Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI)

Femoral Acetabular Iimpingement (FAI)

                    When abnormal contact occurs, the femoral head causes painful pinching                                  (impingement) as it meets the acetabulum, compressing and sometimes                                                      tearing the cartilaginous ring that surrounds the acetabulum

Alex Rodriguez, also know as A-Rod, is probably the most famous person who underwent surgery for FAI.  Rodriquez is a fantastic professional baseball player who has played for the Seattle Mariners and now the New York Yankees. He had a scope done in Vail, Colorado with one of the best surgeons, Dr. Mark Philippon.  After his surgery he was back on the field in no time, about 6 weeks.

Greg Norman, a Australian proffesional golfer, was also treated for FAI by Dr Philippon.  Norman was the #1 ranked golfer in the 90s.

Priest Holmes, a NFL former running back for the Baltimore Ravins and Super Bowl Champion, had surgery for FAI.  He retired from the NFL in 2007.

Do any other hippys know of more celebrities with these conditions?  Hip dysplasia and FAI can happen to anybody, any age, any gender, any race.  Hip issues are not just an old person condition.  Let's raise awareness together.

Surgery Countdown: 6 days to go

Because it is Thanksgiving I will tell you what I am thankful for


I am extremely thankful that I am able to have this surgery next week with one of the best surgeons.  I am grateful for a chance at a new chapter in my life.  I am grateful that I have health insurance and that I have a husband who is supporting me through a costly surgery.

Many people in the US don't have access to affordable health care and I know this first hand because most of my life I didn't have health care.  Not only that, but many of my friends and family don't have health care either.  I hope that one day everyone will have access to health care, because there is nothing more important than your health.

Our country is arguable the richest country in the world, but we are by far not the healthiest country and our not living the longest either.  My wish is that all my friends and family, all the children, and all the elderly can be happy and healthy.

I know it is Thanksgiving so it is a perfect day to start your positive thinking and give thanks to all the wonderful things in your life.  I also, know that most of you will eat a lot so remember to

Fill up on fruits and vegetables

Floss your teeth

Give your body a good stretch

and a brisk walk

Think positive

Love your families

Remember to treat your body and mind good so you can live a long healthy life

I love you all and I hope everyone has something to be thankful for today.

PS I am not eating turkey today, we are making Chinese Hot Pot  and I got an apple pie from Whole Foods for dessert.

Also I am going to be doing something crazy and wacky to my hair in honor of my surgery.  I have always wanted to do this so stay tuned.  Here is my before hair.

Surgery Countdown: 7 Days to go

The Recovery from my Last Surgery was Awful
Not to scare anybody, but after my last scope I had a very difficult recovery.  I was just not prepared mentally for the recovery process and I had a lot of surprises along the way.  Let me walk you through my last recovery from my September 13, 2010 right hip scope.

Getting in the Car

After my surgery it was really hard to get into the car.  I was groggy and in a lot of pain and any slight movement to my hip was uncomfortable.  After a lot of help from Gavin and from the nurse I got in my car and I was ready to go home to recover in my own bed.

Going up and down Stairs


Next was going up the stairs.  This was a lot easier than I expected because I had practiced walking up and down stairs on crutches the week before.

Going to the bathroom


So getting home was pretty much the easy part.  The first big challenge I had was going to the bathroom.  You cant just plop down on the toilet like usual. Well, at least that is what I usually do.  I had to have Gavin pick me up and actually set me down carefully on the toilet.  Nothing brings a couple closer than surgery.  Seriously.

After the process of actually sitting on the toilet you can't pee because of all the medication you are taking.  Seriously, nothing is coming out of there.  I actually called my doctor because I couldn't pee and he said it was a normal side effect.  Phew, okay thats normal.


You also get constipated which is not very fun.  I didn't poop for a week and when I did, that was not fun.  The trick is to eat lots of small snacks throughout the day.  During my last surgery I didn't feel like eating very much of anything.  Note to self: remember to eat.

Headache

Okay the next challenge was the massive, huge, throbbing headache that the percocet gave me.  I didn't realize it was the percocet that was giving me the headache until about a week later after a couple of phone calls to the doctor.  Remind me never to take percocet again.

Sleeping Trouble


If all of the above wasn't difficult enough sleeping was something else to suffer through.  I had to sleep on my back and I am not a back sleeper but wait, it gets worse, I had to sleep with my feet tied to this device so my legs wouldn't move at all.  Every time I wanted to sleep Gavin would tie me down, and not in a fun sort of way ;).  If I tried to cheat and unstrap my legs Gavin would get really mad.  The device was sort of like this.

Not allowed to Shower



 Well Hello Handsome, I would love to join you but the doctor said I cant shower for a week.  Eww I know.  But I  don't think I was that stinky because I didn't leave the house of move around much.  And then after you can shower you only have one leg to stand on and you cant bend it. Therefore, you cant shave your legs or wash your feet.  Sexy, I know.  That is why I am waxing my legs before surgery.

 Hair Loss
Okay I made it through the first week.  Thank goodness.  After two weeks no more sleeping in the torture device.  I thought I was out of the woods, but then my hair started falling out in big clumps.  Like gross, disgusting, horror moving clumps of hair.


After talking to other surgery patients I guess this is normal too.  This is something I am really worried about for my upcoming surgery.  I don't think anyone would like it if their hair started falling out.

Can't Drive for 4 Months



I couldn't drive for four months.  This is really frustrating because I was stuck at home all day and felt like I had no freedom.  Staying home all the time got really boring and can honestly say I played a lot of solitaire.  I was happy to be able to drive again.

Its hard to Travel
I actually traveled a couple of times while on crutches.  It is so hard to navigate the airport on crutches and carry your luggage and once you get to your destination it is a whole different story.  Being on crutches in the comfort of your home is much easier than being on crutches in a foreign city.  Here is me in Hawaii, which was beautiful, but I was on crutches. 

Depression
Depression is common in post surgery patients.  It is especially common when the patient isn't getting better and is facing a problematic recovery.   I should have been better after the 4 month mark but I new something was wrong when I was in more pain than ever before, and my left hip started to give me problems. 


I was on crutches for 8 months, which is such a long time.  Recovering from surgery isn't just physically challenging it is mentally challenging as well.  It is so hard to stay positive when you have just faced such a huge failure.   No one wants their body to give out on them.


Well at least I know what to expect this time around and hopefully I will have a much smoother recovery.  I am not going to take percocet and hopefully this time I will get better and wont need to be on crutches for another 8 months.  Right now I am trying to stay positive.  Dr. Sampson is an excellent surgeon and he assured me this recovery would be a much different and a much more positive experience than my last surgery.