Stressed

My dad is one of the most perceptive people when it comes to my emotions and what's going on in my life. Today I woke up and it really hit me hard that next Tuesday I'll be undergoing my second PAO surgery within a year of the last one. I barely slept last night, got maybe four hours and just felt drained, he picked right up on it. He told me exactly what I wanted to hear, that it's okay to be down and depressed and just want to lay in bed for a while, but he then told me what I needed to hear, that this surgery is necessary, that it will get me to where I want to go. I took that part and put it in the back of my head, because what he said initially is what I wanted to do, lay in bed, feel sorry for myself, but tomorrow is a new day.

There's no doubt that what I'm undergoing next Tuesday is scary, my doctor will be cutting a five inch incision, cutting through muscle and nerves and then fracturing three sides of my pelvis and rotating it so that my bone fits better in my joint. It's scary, but knowing that I've already had it done on my right hip calms me. I've been through this before, I think my mind has forgotten a lot of the recovery, partly because I was on some heavy drugs and partly because I don't want to remember most of it. Truth is, I don't want to go through this, but I have to.

I'm hoping that tomorrow is a better day, being done with school hasn't given me too much to focus on up until Monday when I leave for Salt Lake City for my pre-op appointment. Until then, i'll definitely be taking advantage of my mobility, taking as many showers and baths as I can fit in, drive a little bit, sleep in every position I can and take advantage of my independence, because next week all of that will change.

I'm grateful for all the support I've received throughout the past few years, it definitely hasn't been easy, but I'm almost done. Last surgery for a while I hope!

Lots of love,

<3 B

Update (video)

Hello everybody!! 

Just wanted to post a video of how I'm feeling! 2 weeks until surgery, getting a little nervous, but ready to get through it! 

http://youtu.be/Dv0S6CSycPc

Love to you all! 

<3 B 

PAO recovery: How to stay sane!

IHey all,

I am going to be undergoing my second PAO (periacetabular osteotomy) in about 19 days and wanted to share some of the things that really helped me get through my last PAO without going absolutely bonkers. Obviously everyone is different and some people are going to find different things to help them cope, but this is what helped me, so here goes:

• Honestly, the thing that helped me get through this surgery and recovery was my family and boyfriend, without their constant support and entertainment, I really don't think it would have been as successful as it was. If you're preparing for this surgery and are under the impression that you can do everything without any one's help, unfortunately you're going to learn a hard lesson. It was a hard pill to swallow when I had to give up my independence, but once I did it was much more enjoyable, for everyone. Being stubborn and not letting anyone help you is not the way to go! 

• Comfy outfits were a must after surgery, I didn't like wearing pants too often, especially right when I got home so I got some cute nighties :) It took a lot of the pressure that pants put on your skin off and lets face it, putting pants on when your hip is immobile is not happening so these nighties were the best!

• Buy some candles before your surgery and when you're home have friends or family bring you flowers, having something bright and alive in the room with you will help improve your mood. Who doesn't love flowers and candles?

• Make your bed nice and comfy and get lots of pillows, you're going to be spending a lot of time in your bed so might as well make it as comfortable as possible. The pillows help with keeping you comfortable, I had to sleep on my back for quite a while after surgery so putting a pillow under my knees and calves really helped. When you're ready to switch to your side (opposite side of your op hip) put a pillow between your knees to help keep your hips stable. I also love having stuffed animals around. My boyfriend buys me a new stuffed animal every time I have surgery and writes the date of the surgery on it's foot. I have two so far (arthroscopic surgery and RPAO) I'm looking forward to seeing what he gets me this year :)

• This walker looks so fun, the one I had last year was not this sturdy. Using a walker was my favorite way to get around, especially in public, because if I needed to take a break and sit down, I could :) Crutches also wear me out so I definitely preferred the walker. 

• This shower seat was a life saver, I don't think I was fully weight bearing until about 6 weeks after my RPAO so showering wasn't going to happen without this seat. This is another one of those times that you have to accept that you can't do everything yourself, Noah had to help me shower, shave my legs and all that fun stuff, because I couldn't bend over to do it myself. 

• Most people may not have access to one of these, I'm not sure if you can buy them and attach them to your shower somehow, but this thing is awesome too! It allows you to shower without getting your incision wet and when you're seated in one position and can't move much it helps you get clean while sitting.

• Staying hydrated is so important all the time, but it doesn't hurt during recovery too. I got a water bottle that has measurements on it so that I could track how much water I'm drinking throughout the day. It also helps so you don't have to make multiple trips to get a cup of water and it has a lid so no need to worry about spilling! :)

• Of course it's important to stay entertained while laying in bed for weeks on end so I've decided to share some of my favorite ways to stay entertained! Smallville, Gilmore Girls and Halo are some of my favorite shows to watch and video game to play! Some of my other favorite series and movies that are on Netflix: Prison Break, Supernatural, Ink Masters, Silver Linings Playbook, Troy, Once Upon a Time. If you don't have netflix or some other avenue of watching TV shows on, I suggest you get it, it helped me a ton during recovery!!

These are just a few things that really helped me get through recovery successfully and I'll definitely be using them all again in about 21 days time!! Sending all my love to my fellow PAO warriors and remember you're not alone! 

:) Thanks for reading 

<3 B

One week out

Here I am! I am one week out from my right PAO surgery, it's kind of hard to believe. in this blog I'm going to do my best to do a run down of what I've been through in the past week or so, so here goes :)

Last tuesday I headed to Salt Lake City to reunite with my boyfriend who I hadn't seen in 6 weeks. We had 2 amazing days together that really helped my pre-surgery anxiety. My parents arrived on wednesday the 18th of December and I had my pre-op appointment to make sure that all our i's were dotted and t's were crossed. We then went to PF Changs for my "last supper." That night I got very little sleep because of my anxiety and nerves. On the 19th we woke up at 5:45 am and headed to the hospital where I was checked in at 6:30, I was really tired and not the happiest person. By 8 o'clock, they had my IV in my hand and epidural in my back. I was wheeled off to surgery after giving my family lots of hugs and kisses. The next two hours I had no idea what happened, because I was knocked out. I woke up in the recovery room around 10 o'clock and felt pain in my right hip, I wasn't too sure what was going on, so I decided to ask the nurse by me when I would be going into surgery, "Your surgery is done, my dear." Insane! It had gone so fast, seemed like a split second to me, thank goodness for anesthesia. I was kept in the recovery room for a couple of hours to make sure that I was stable and then they took me to my hospital room where my amazing family was waiting.

The first couple of days were pretty pretty draining, but the pain was so under control it was pretty shocking. When the anesthesiologist told me about the epidural I was slightly nervous to get it, but I am so glad I did, it completely numbed me and I felt no pain whatsoever. My boyfriend was such an amazing nurse, he did pretty much everything I asked and was so good at helping keep me calm, especially with my family. The first night was pretty intense. The nurses wanted to make sure I was stable because I had surgery that day. I've always suffered with low blood pressure, my normal is usually 110/68, but my blood pressure the night of surgery was dropping even lower, the lowest I registered was a 68/40 so needless to say the nurses came in frequently to check my blood pressure. Every 30 minutes they came in to check vitals: blood pressure and heart rate. My blood pressure got so low, the doctors decided to give me multiple bags of fluids. I went through 4 bags of fluids and my blood pressure didn't increase, finally the nurse decided that my heart rate was 68 bpm and I wasn't showing any symptoms to cause concern. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep that night. The next morning I was cemented to the bed eating every meal, getting my meds and using my awesome bladder catheter. My family spent a lot of time with me, we watched Elf, played games, but mostly we talked and they got a kick out of me on my pain medications.

The next day my catheter was taken out and I was taught to use the toilet again, that was a bizarre experience for sure. The physical therapist worked with me every morning and afternoon and helped me walk further and further each day with a walker. I also wore these amazing compression pumps, compression stockings and a CPM machine. I was so impressed with the staff at the Utah Medical Center, they were so attentive, compassionate and friendly. I really felt a connection with each one of them and was told by many that I was their best patient and my family was so fun to be around, I'm sure they tell all patients that, but it made me feel good :). My doctor came in almost every day to check in on me and answer any questions that I may have. On friday they took my epidural out which was my least favorite thing, because the doctor that took it out didn't communicate that she was taking it out to my nurse that day, so she had no idea to increase my pain medications. The pain was pretty excruciating. Finally they got my pain under control and a doctor told me that it was likely that I could be discharged on Saturday 12/21, this was shocking to me, because I thought I wouldn't be able to leave till at least Christmas Eve. We were discharged on Sunday the 22nd and flew home at around 3pm. The plane ride was pretty uncomfortable, but being that it was only an hour and a half made it bearable.

I am back home now and have had a great last couple of days. I spent the night with my boyfriends family on Christmas Eve and had an amazing Christmas yesterday with my family and boyfriend. Each day has had it's challenges, but I am so blessed to be home and healthy. My range of motion in the surgery leg is pretty great being a week out from surgery. I have yet to see my scar, because I need to leave my bandage on until next thursday when I see my doctor. I am slowly decreasing my pain meds and getting great sleep. My dad and I have started the Lord of the Rings trilogy and have been chipping away at it everyday. I am so pleasantly surprised at how smooth and painless this process has been. I was so anxious and scared of all of this could go, but none of my fears have come to be a reality.

I feel so lucky for all the love and support I have gotten. God is so good :) Here are some pictures of the process :)

"Last supper" at PF Changs before surgery (Noah and I)

Before surgery

IV in 

After surgery, feeling good!

My Rock!

After surgery, all loopy with my stuffed animals :) 

My compression pumps and stylish dress :)

Sister and boyfriend :) 

My A team :) Mom Sister Noah me and Daddy

One of my amazing nurses Courtney, such a happy and lovely lady!

Heading to the airport from the hospital

Marooned in the kitchen/living room for Christmas dinner :)

Merry Christmas from my beautiful family :)

My love and I

:) Hope this helps someone! I'll be sure to post as the weeks go on and more things happen!