DOING EXCELLENT

Sorry it has taken me so long for another update I had another visit last Friday and Dr. Piehl told me that I am total weight bearing so that means NO CRUTCHES!!!!!!!

I was so ecstatic to hear that news the bone is completely healed and I can resume normal activity as tolerated except no running, no lunches, no squats and no weight training. Which I am ok with at this point I figure I need to get the whole walking thing down pat first. I start Physical Therapy this coming Friday December 18th I will go two times a week for six weeks then I am scheduled to go back to work February 1st and I am more than ready to get back in the swing of
things.

My next appointment is actually on my birthday January 15th, we will start discussing my next surgery at that point and I am aiming for October for my right PAO. Me and Dr. Piehl tentatively discussed left hip screw removal in the same O.R visit to cut down on another O.R visit but we will discuss that when it gets closer to time.

I originally thought that I would wait longer but since this surgery/recovery has gone so amazingly well I figure why wait just go ahead and get it over with.

Here is an update of my incision at 12 weeks!!!!!









Things with Wesley are going amazingly well it has been so great to be able to drive to Newberry and spend time with him and his family. I really enjoy being out in the country everything is so relaxed and quiet. I cannot wait to give him his Christmas gifts!!! We actually went shopping last Saturday in Charlotte for the whole day and I had absolutey NO PAIN in my left hip. I was so incredibly excited to feel the way I did after a whole day of shopping it was GREAT!!!!I hope that things are goin well with everyone and that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. I wake up each day and realize how incredibly thankful I am for the amazing friends and family I have standing beside me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!!!!!!

7/8 weeks post-op

Dr. Frederick Piehl, me and his Physician's Assistant

Sorry I am a little late on updating for the 7 week post-op I have been busy trying to get out of the house at every possibly moment.

Here is my 7 week incision photo!!
It is looking AWESOME!!!! -------- Only thing I have used is Vitamin E oil ;)

I had my 7 week follow appointment last Friday November 13th and got some NOT SO GREAT news I am not allowed to put any weight on my leg still and I will be out of work until February 1st instead of January 1st as my bones are not healing as fast as Dr. Piehl would like. I am pretty disappointed about this because I am so ready to get back into the swing of things and get a full paycheck but I guess better to be safe than sorry and have to go through this all over again on the same leg. Dr. Piehl did say that I could start putting weight on my foot assisted with crutches on Thanksgiving so hopefully that will go well. I will start Physical therapy at some point after my next appointment which is December 11th. Dr Piehl did give me the clear to drive which was nice although Sunday afternoon my harmonic balancer on my car decided to break so my car has been sitting in front of the house ever since ( so much for car privileges) I guess it happened at a good time seeing as how I am not working right now so no rush to fix it.

I was able to go to Newberry on Saturday last weekend and spent the whole day with Wesley which was AWESOME!!!! It is so gorgeous out in Newberry, and the smells and scenery remind me a lot of McBain where my father's side of the family lives. I was able to meet Wesley's parent's and grandparent's and they were so welcoming!!!!! I cannot wait to get back out there again!!! Hopefully this Sunday if my car is fixed!!!!
This past week I was able to take Hunter's Education classe which are required if you were born after 1979 in the State of SC you have to take this class in order to be able to get your hunting license so I completed that and passed my test with 100% so now I am able to go hunting with Wesley!!! I am really excited about this although I am sure it will take me awhile to learn exactly what to do it will be fun while trying!!!!!!

I have tried to start a little Christmas shopping picking up things here and there my goal was to be DONE by Black Friday but I am thinking that is not going to happen but that is OK with me I will just have to finish when I finish its hard to hit a lot of places at once on crutches anyways.

I have officially lost 30lbs post op!!!! I am in a size 8 now as opposed to a size 12 before surgery so I am pretty pumped about that. I can get my size 6 jeans on but they are still a little tight for my comfort so hopefully once Physical Therapy starts I can shed some more weight and get into those!!!!!

SO GRATEFUL!!!!!!!

I felt compelled to write a post to let everyone know how incredibly grateful that I am that I was given the chance to even go to the Dr. to find out what was wrong and get a diagnosis let alone have this surgery which is upwards of $80,000.

I find myself thinking it could be worse there are people out their who wonder where their next meal will come from and at one point I was thinking poor me I have to have this surgery and this recovery has actually been AMAZING in letting me realize my TRUE friends and to be grateful for what I DO HAVE as others have it much worse than me.

and I want everyone to know how AMAZING my mother has been through all of this to take me to the Dr. and the store and cook me dinner every night I could not ask for a better person to have by my side through all of this, as she has been through the emotional toll that surgery like this can take on a person. MOM I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART

I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN THEIR FOR ME THROUGH THICK AND THIN I APPRECIATE EVERY LITTLE THING THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME AND I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!!!!!



here is the 6 week incision update!!!!!!

5 weeks post-op

Sorry I am a little late posting my 5 week update but I have been so busy getting out of the house at every chance I get!!!!!!

I had my 5 weeks appointment last Friday and it went pretty well except I STILL CANT DRIVE ;(, He said not until I can fully bear weight so who knows when that will be.

I was able to snag a copy of my post-op xray with my screws!!!
It is weird to think that I have 5 screws holding my pelvis together!!!
But as you can see the coverage on the left side is much better than on the right. I also discussed with Dr. Piehl when they would look at doing my right hip and he said at least a year after my first it all depends on how good the bone heals within that time so we will wait and see at around the 6-8 month post-op mark and schedule from there. I know some people might think im crazy for doing them so close together but I would much rather go ahead and get it over with and have a better quality of life then continue to put it off and live in pain. Plus my family and friends has been more than amazing through this recovery so I know that they will be right by my side the second time around!!!!

I also discussed screw removal on the left hip and he said that there is a possibility that he can go in at the same time they do my right hip and remove those screws so that would cut down on a surgery which is a relief.

I as given the go ahead to move back downstairs and so I sure did. As soon as I got home from the Dr. I packed up all my stuff in my room upstairs and my brother Tyler carried it down for me!!! It has been awesome being in my own room with all my pictures and my own bed.

Things with Wesley are going better than I could have ever imagined I still feel as if I am in a dream he is so amazing. He made me three of the sweetest cd's last week. We grilled steaks on Halloween and they were awesome!!!

I have my next appointment on the 13th so I am hoping that he will tell me I can start driving and bearing some weight on my leg!!!!

I am hoping to go tailgating for the USC vs Florda game on the 17th.

I also went to the dermatologist last week and I have to have three moles removed from my back the week after x-mas so hopefully that will not be too painful but at this point I think I can take the pain haha.

All of my little nieces and nephew came over on Halloween to go trick-or-treating and they were so adorable.



I will update again soon!!!!!!!

NO BLOOD CLOTS

I just got back from the hospital after them running some tests on my leg to see if I had any blood clots and GREAT NEWS no clots thank goodness that was probably the scariest few hours of my life

I went to my orthopaedics office first and he took an x-ray to determine if the intense pain I was having was from some of my pelvic bones shifting around but he said everything looked perfect so that was good news but he sent me to the hospital for more tests just to be sure there was no blood clots and they came back negative so that was a sigh of relief!!!!

So I have my next appointment next Friday!!!!

I was sure to ask when I could drive and he said not until im full weight bearing BUMMER
that day cannot come soon enough I am sure of that

FREAKING OUT

So I called the Dr. this morning to be on the safe side about my intense calf pain and they took it as an emergency call and pretty much told me I have all the classic signs of a blood clot and that I need to be seen immediately so they made me an appt for 11:30 today.


Not really sure what they will do to determine if I have one or are at risk for getting one but I am freaking out at this moment because they said if they determine I do I will be admitted back to the hospital....

WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED

ONE MONTH POST-OP

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN ONE MONTH!!!!!!!!

I have officially hit the one month mark although it really seems like longer, I guess that is what sitting in the house day after day will do to you.

Sitting here thinking about the past month, it has been a lot easier than I originally thought it would be I think my friends, family and WESLEY have played a huge role in my cheerful recovery. They have kept me grounded and my spirits high ;)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
* I can get out of bed and go to the bathroom all by myself
* I can take a shower and get dressed by myself
* I am now using only crutches
* I can get up and down the stairs ( not the normal way) I have to sit down and schooch up and down the stairs mostly because I don't want to risk falling.
*I have lost 21lbs ;)
* I can lift my leg up to about 90 degrees and put it straight out in front of me
*I can sit in a chair for about 4 hours max (before surgery about 2 hours was max)
* I have gone to Target 3 times ;)
* I get out and about around 4 times a week
* my friend Shirra and her mother took me to the fair
*I have been on a date with Wesley!!!!!
* My incision is almost scab free, I have started putting Vitamin E oil on it
* Muscle spasms have started and at times can be pretty intense so I take a 750mg Vicodin which seems to help
* I attempted to lay on my right side last night, that lasted around 15 minutes and I realized that was a bad mistake after doing it, ooooo how I long to lay on my side but I guess that will come soon enough.
* I have hung out with my co-workers three times in the past two weeks!!!
I would like to thank all the friends and family who have made this recovery as painless as possible. I have gotten out quite a bit in the past two weeks which has truly helped raise my spirits.

Here is my incision at one month post-op!!!!!

I will update again soon!!!!!!

ITS OFFICIAL!!!!!

So Wesley and I are officially boyfriend, girlfriend and I couldnt be happier ;) He is the most amazing guy I have ever met!!!!!

We went over to a friends house Saturday night to watch the game
although we lost I had a good time and it was nice to get out of the house.

This past week has gone rather well. Only thing to complain about is muscle spasms have started in my hip I have combated those with ice and a heating pad as well as a Vicodin every now and then. Also the calf muscle on my left leg is SUPER sore I am guessing from not using it in so long so I have been keeping the heating pad on that.

Saturday was an action packed day my brothers girlfriend Heather took me to run errands and then I went with my friend Claudia to run errands then went with Wesley to a friends to watch the game!!!!

Sunday was pretty laid back just sat around the house.

This morning I went downstairs and started a load of laundry!!!!!!!
I sure do miss my own room hopefully Dr. Piehl will clear me at the next appointment to move back down there permanently.

I am going to Mellow Mushroom tomorrow with Claudia and my co-workers and I cannot wait YUMMY!!!!!

Then Thursday night I am hoping to be able to go to pottery for Jennifers going away party!!!

I will update again soon.

3 weeks post-op

Well today is officially three weeks post-op!!!!!

Things have pretty much remained the same for the past two weeks although I am a little bit more mobile I can take a shower all alone once I have a seat in the shower I can take the shower and get out and get dressed all by myself!!!!!

I made my first trip downstairs yesterday all alone!!! To see my own room and get some clothes to wear.

I went out on Tuesday night with my co-workers for Jennifers last hoorah before she up and moves to Oklahoma on us ;( It was really nice to see everyone

I have officially hit the weight loss mark of more than 20lbs ;)
lets just hope I can keep it off
my appetite has definitely taken a turn for the better I don't snack at all and I have not had a soda in over a month so NO CAFFEINE!!!!!

I somehow over did myself yesterday cause last night I was in a lot of pain probably taking a shower and making it down and then back up the stairs did it.

I was able to see Wesley last night!!!!!!!!!!!!
He always puts me in a GREAT mood and a big smile on my face we had dinner with the family and watched The Proposal it was HILARIOUS.

I still have the constant muscle fatique feeling in my hip but Dr. Piehl said that is normal and will be there for quite some time until I can regain control and start walking again on my left leg.

My incision is healing quite nicely when im in the shower
I slouth off the dead skin around the incision which should
help in the healing process. Dr. Piehl said next week
I should be able to start putting Vitamin E oil on it which will aid in the healing process.

I get to see Wesley again on Saturday!!!! and I cannot wait ;)

will update again soon

GREAT day!!!!!

Well today started out GREAT Wesley killed his first deer of the season I am so proud of him 8pt 150lbs!!!!!!

Played some cards with my mom for a little while in the wheelchair then went and took a cat nap before my friend Jennifer came over and visited for a little while she was in town from Aiken so it was nice of her to stop by.

Tonight was pretty bad my very naughty dog Lillie decided to do her business in my parents room and my mother has pretty much had her fill of my bad dog, I felt awful because I am so helpless and I couldn't help clean up the mess, plus she threw up in my parents bathroom last night and that didn't go over well either, so I am having to find a place for her to stay until I get well and can take her to obedience classes.... ;(

not much pain persay today just the constant muscle fatique feeling in my hip it sort of feels like a ton of bricks sitting on my hip which I have pretty much gotten used to. It is getting harder to fall asleep at night since I am used to sleeping on my side this whole sleeping on the back thing has gotten really old really fast.

I am excited about going to dinner with all of my co-workers to Wing-and-Ale Tuesday night although my friend Jennifer is up and moving to Oklahoma.. I sure will miss her bunches... ;(

All of my ster-strips have fallen off my
incision and it looks to be healing pretty nicely ;)

Using the crutches is going really well much easier to manuever than the walker, tomorrow I am going to attempt to tackle the stairs in the house so we shall see how that goes. I am so ready to get back in my own bed since I have been staying upstairs in the guest bedroom.

Well I am off to bed and try and get some rest

I will update again soon

GREAT WEEKEND

So my Dr. gave me the go to ride in a car and I took it and ran with it.....last night I went on an AWESOME date with Wesley!!!!! It was rather weird putting on makeup I can definitely tell that I have lost weight in my face!!!!! All in all I am close to hitting the 20lb weight loss mark thus far!!!! My date with Wesley was AMAZING as they always are he is such a genuine guy and I NEVER want him to leave!!
Today my brothers girlfriend who has been so GREAT through this whole process came and picked me up and we went to Target to pick up some essentials for me!!! I never realized how many people would stare at me in the electric wheelchair its like HELLO people I just had major surgery here I swear im not just playing around on this thing. My niece Kirsten and my nephew Blaze came along for the ride. After we were done at Target we went to lunch at Wendy's. Then after I got home I FINALLY GOT A SHOWER!!!!!!!! I was also able to use Veet on my legs and they are super smooth!!!!! (o the simple things in life) I kind of exhausted from my whirlwind the past two days but it has been more than worth it thats for sure because staring at the same walls day after day was getting really old!!!! My friend Susie also stopped by this morning and brought me the first season of Brothers and Sisters to watch so I am excited about that!!!

I also received my bill from the hospital today and all I have to say is YIKES


GAMECOCKS WON TODAY AGAINST KENTUCKY SO WE ARE NOW 5-1 AND RANKED IN THE TOP 25!!!!!

WILL UPDATE AGAIN SOON ;)

1st post-op appt

Sorry so long since the last update things have been crazy came home from the hospital on September 29th and my Grandmother passed away on October 2nd so things have been pretty hectic around here.

Transition from hospital to home was rather rough the first few days but once I got the hang of things they began to iron out!!!!

The whole giving myself blood thinner shots was rather tough at first but I kept telling myself you don't want a blood clot and then I would give myself the shot!!!

I had my first post-op appointment this morning!!!!!

I was so relieve to hear Dr. Piehl tell me that I CAN SHOWER!!!!!

he took the bandage off of my incision and just let it air out so no bandage, its really weird looking at it .

Dr. Piehl was amazed at how well I am doing I can get out of the bed and go to the bathroom and get in the wheelchair all by myself and get back in the bed.

I stopped taking pain pills about the third or fourth day home because the nausea was so intense.

He cleared me to take a shower, use crutches and ride in a car as tolerated still no weight bearing for about another 6 weeks, my next follow up appt is October 30th

PT will start probably after I can bear weight on my foot!!!!!!

I have enclosed a picture of my incision from my appt today
I got to see my x-ray, Dr. Piehl ended up cutting in four places and I have five screws I dont have a copy of my x-ray to post but expect to at my next visit!!!!!

How I remember it!!!!!!!!!

Sorry it has taken me so long to update my own blog.

My co-workers have been nice enough to do it for me since I have been out of it for the past week

This is what I remember from the hospital
Some of it may be accurate some of it not since I was on narcotics

I will start with after surgery in the recovery room ;)

I woke up in the recovery room SCREAMING for my mother
all I wanted was her to be beside me they were nice enough to allow her to come back in the recovery room to be with me.

I was told I needed one pint of blood in surgery and that everything went GREAT

After that they wheeled me up to my room 827, I only remember bits and pieces from that night I know I called a few people but cannot really tell you what was said

that night was a very very long night they came in ever hour to take my vital signs and fill my hip cooler up to keep the swelling down.

The next day was pretty intense I was itching and itching and itching from the morphine, after a few hours my eyes and my face starting swelling up and turning really red I also had red dots on my pupils come to find out I was having an allergic to my antibiotic ANCEF so they stopped the antibiotic immediately the itching subsided a little bit but I was still itching a little bit from the morphine.

On Friday I had quite a few visitors my manager Brenda and Libby came and brought me a cute little stuffed bear that has a cast on it with a crutch.

My co-workers Jennifer, Valerie and LaTara also came to see me as well

Also Wesley came and saw me and brought me a balloon and a nice flower ;)

Shirra and her mother also came and saw me and brought me beautiful flowers an awesome plant and a GREAT little bucket of goodies

Brittany also came and saw me and brought me a nice inspirational book, balloon and a cute frog.

after Wesley left that evening my fever spiked to almost 104 my mother came back down to stay the night with me because she was worried about me they started giving me Tylenol to try and get my fever down for the next few days it seemed to go up and down and up and down staying pretty steady around 102

On Saturday it was a pretty good day they got me out of my bed for the first time which was AWESOME it was extremely painful I screamed pretty loud and probably frightened just about everyone on the hall but man it felt good to get out of the bed.

Sallie came and saw me on Saturday as well as Susie who brought me Gatorade and Hilary, Valerie and Jennifer who brought me Gatorade and some beautiful flowers.

My sister in law Stephanie stopped by to see me as well

My mother stayed with me all day Saturday which was nice, she allowed me to take a nice little nap while she pressed my morphine drip every eight minutes that was an AWESOME nap that's for sure.

Saturday night Hilary and Jennifer came and saw me late night to keep me company that helped lift my spirits as I was feeling quite down ...... ;)

On Sunday all my tubes were removed YAY!!!!!!!!!!
and I got to see my incision for the first time WOW it is much bigger than expected but if that is what they had to do to get the job done im ok with that.

Shirra came and gave me an awesome bath and shampooed my hair for me

Nicole and her mother came and saw me and brought me an awesome bucket of stuff to keep me busy!!! They also went and got me WENDYS for lunch which was the best meal in a few days ;)

I had some BEAUTIFUL flowers delivered to my room from Claudia and her mother

Sunday evening my dad and my mom and my niece Summer came to spend time with me I got up and walked from the chair to the bathroom with the walker which was an AWESOME feeling

On Monday morning Dr. Piehl came to see me to make sure everything was going ok.

I let him know things were going as well as can be expected he said surgery went GREAT and I should have a very uneventful recovery he also said he would see me at my first post-op appt October 9th.

Physical therapy came in and worked with me I was able to walk to the door and back with the walker with no pain so that was HUGE ;)

On Monday Valerie snagged a wheelchair for me and I was able to go around the hospital and visit some of my co-workers which was nice to be able to get out of my room and see different scenery.

On Monday Wesley came and stayed quite awhile with me ;)
he always knows just what to say to lift my spirits and makes me laugh
he always puts a big smile on my face ;)

My sister in law Stephanie also stopped by with my niece Ashlynn and we watched cartoons for a little while which was nice ;)

My brothers girlfriend Heather brought my nieces and nephew Blaze, Kirsten and Summer to see me.

On Tuesday I found out I GET TO GO HOME!!!!!!!

Susie came and spent her lunch with me which was nice ;)

I was told I was going to be taking a wheelchair home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that was a HUGE relief as it would allow me to get out of my room and roam around the house by myself

My manager Brenda came and helped pack up my room for me which was a god send.

I was extremely nauseated Tuesday so that helped a lot.

So on Tuesday around 2pm I was out of the hospital THANK GOD!!!!!

If I left out any details or anyone who visited me I am so sorry

I appreciate all my friends and family who have visited, called, text and sent me cards.

I will post another entry about after I returned home

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!

Home At Last!

Sorry for the late notice, work sometimes gets in the way of life. Tiffany went home on Tuesday! She seems to be making good progress. We took her a wheelchair Monday at lunch. She escaped from her room and came to see us. You know Tiffany, she can't be still for long, so being in the same room for 4 days was driving her crazy!!

Tiffany's stopped taking the pain medicine because it was making her nauseous. (..... Glad I'm not at home with her.) She still needs help getting to the bathroom. She has a follow up appointment on October 9th.

Hopefully Tiffany will be feeling up to taking back over her blog to keep us all up to date on her rehab.

That's all for now!
Valerie & Jennifer

All drugged up!

Pre-Surgery

Few Pictures...

Tiffany in the lobby of Palmetto Health Richland,
Ready to go!! GO GAMECOCKS!!!!

Tiffany in her pre-op room. Looking stylish.. as always! :)

Tiffany in her room post-op with gifts...

and her morphine machine

Successful Surgery

Hello everyone. This is Valerie & Jennifer- the coworkers Tiffany warned you about! :)

We are just updating the blog about the surgery. It was a success. It did start late... official start time was 2:55pm when it was scheduled for 1:00pm. So they had our princess waiting almost 2 whole hours!!!! YIKES! The surgery was about 5 hours long.

Good things so far:

Surgery went very well- no ICU needed.

No blood needed yet- hemoglobin count was 12 today.

Nurse tech who put the IV in did a great job- she did not feel a thing!

Night staff was excellent.

Bad things so far:

ITCHY!!!!!!! possibly allergic to the antibiotic or morphine. Either way- VERY ITCHY!

Experiencing some cotton mouth. blegh.

Watched USC game but doesn't quite remember it... (but WE WON! WOO HOO! GO COCKS!!!!!)

few nurse/ nurse tech (day staff) issues.

But over all- so far so good. Visitors welcomed. Flowers and gifts are not necessary but appreciated! ;)

Pictures to come!

DAY OF SURGERY!!!!

SO TODAY IS THE BIG DAY!!!!

I find my self relatively calm this morning last night was a different story I was tossing and turning much of the night would wake up crying from a vivid dream but I guess that is all part of the territory.

I had an AMAZING date last night with Wesley he took me to Texas roadhouse for my last meal before surgery a STEAK!!! It was super delicious
I find myself smiling every time I mention or think of him what a GREAT feeling
he has definitely helped calm my nerves through this past week and I am truly thankful for that

I have a few butterflies thank goodness they didn't turn to nausea like I suspected they might a bunch of my friends have called and text to wish me well and that means more than they will ever know.

Well this will by "my" last post for awhile as my co-workers will be keeping up with my blog in the next few days!!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE THAT HAS CALLED, TEXT AND SENT WELL WISHES I REALLY APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU

THANK YOU

WELL HERE'S TO A SUCCESSFUL SURGERY!!!!

I LOVE ALL OF YOU

p.s GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COCKS!!!!!!!

less than 24 hours

Alright we are on the home stretch here...

I packed my suitcase this morning tried to bring the least amount as possible so hopefully I don't have stuff I will not use.
I am sure the nice little goodie bag my friend Susie got for me will come in rather handy!!!
A few magazines and some crosswords and Sodoku puzzles and some CANDY!!!!!

I laid by the pool all afternoon and actually took a little snooze in the sun so that was nice got a little tan/pink let's hope that turns over night.

I have a date tonight with Wesley for my last meal before surgery since I cannot eat or drink ANYTHING including water after midnight.

Hopefully the hours in the morning will go by fast since my surgery is scheduled at 1pm that is a long time to go without food and water.

Today I have been pretty calm I have had to stop a few times and take deep breaths to get the butterflies to go away out of my stomach I am just hoping and praying that they do not turn into nausea tomorrow.

I have to be at the hospital at 11am surgery at 1pm

my co-workers Valerie and Jennifer will be updating my blog most likely the first couple days and I gave them free reign so hopefully I will not find too many surprises on here when I come to. Although it might be rather fun/interesting to see some of the stuff to they post!!!!!!!

I plan on updating tomorrow morning to let you know how I am feeling day of surgery but if I become to busy then I will update as soon after surgery as I am able

THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL MY FRIENDS,, FAMILY AND CO-WORKERS FOR ALL THE LOVE AND SUPPORT THROUGH THIS JOURNEY OF MINE!!!!

last day of work!!!!!

TODAY IS MY LAST DAY OF WORK FOR 3 MONTHS!!!

It seems kind of surreal that in 48 hours I will be getting ready for major surgery, I know that everything will go GREAT I have an awesome surgeon and amazing friends and family to help me through this journey.

I have given my co-workers access to my blog so they will be updating the days after my surgery as I will probably not be up to it.

So many thanks to them for that.

I am suprisingly not nervous however I am sure come Thursday morning is when the anxiety will hit me!!!

I will update again before I go into surgery

GREAT WEEKEND

Well I had a GREAT weekend this weekend!!!

Got to spend time with some great friends

Friday night I spent at home doing last minute cleaning and laundry
then Saturday night I went over to Susies to watch the CAROLINA game
WE WON against Florida Atlantic

then tonight I spent with a GREAT guy we went to a movie and out to dinner

and now my aunt and her boyfriend are in town from Michigan until Wednesday morning!!!!

I am so ready for my surgery day to be here!!!

I work Monday and Tuesday this week and I took off Wednesday
to get last minute things together before the big day ;)

ONLY THREE MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!

POST-OP DONE

I AM OFFICIALLY ONE WEEK AWAY!!!!!!!

All of my pre-op registration and nurses stuff is done!!!!

So now I have to finish packing my suitcase/bag to bring to the hospital!!!!

I have a sense of calm and reassurance that has come over me the past few days.

I have even started making a list of the things I want to do after surgery

like SHOPPING!!!!!! with no pain It will be great

I really want to hike in the moutains and bike Cade's Cove in TN

I am so excited about all the possibilities that lie ahead after this surgery

I know it will be awhile after surgery before I can accomplish these things but I am ok with that heck I have been 26 years without the surgery so whats another year during recovery

I figure it will make me work that much harder to get better faster!!!

HERES TO BEING POSITIVE ABOUT MY RECOVERY

YAY ;)

I WANT TO AGAIN THANK ALL MY FRIENDS FAMILY AND CO-WORKERS THAT HAVE BEEN SOOOOO SUPPORTIVE DURING THE PROCESS

I LOVE YOU ALL MMMWWAAAHHHHH

SINUS INFECTION

OK SO IM A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AWAY AND WHAT DECIDED TO POP UP
A FRIGGIN SINUS INFECTION

I HAD TO LEAVE WORK EARLY TODAY BECAUSE MY HEAD WAS POUNDING AWAY
AND THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT I AM UNDER TEN DAYS OUT SO THAT MEANS ABSOLUTELY NO MEDICINE AT ALL

SO I LEFT WORK BEFORE I LOST MY SANITY AND TRIED TO NURSE THE HEAD
WITH A COLD WASH CLOTH

IM HOPING AND PRAYING THAT IT RUNS ITS COURSE BY MONDAY OR IM GOING TO HAVE TO CALL THE DR AND POSTPONE THE SURGERY AND I WILL BE VERY TICKED IF THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE I AM SOOOOOO READY

I WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THE PROGRESS OF THIS NASTY INFECTION

ARRRGGGHHHHHHH

TEN MORE DAYS

As the day is fast approaching I am getting a tad bit nervous but I know that I am more than ready for this surgery.

The pain in my left hip is significantly getting worse and the clicking and popping is getting more frequent and hurts a lot.

I might post a few more times before the surgery but I have been rather busy,three of my nieces Birthdays are this month Aubrey turned 7, Breanna turned 6 and Ashlynn will turn 3 WOW how they grow up so fast ;)

Then my lil nephew Blaze celebrates a Birthday this month as well as my mother
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM TODAY!!!!!!!

Also my friend Susie had a Birthday on the TENTH

YAY FOR SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS!!!!!

so the countdown is shortening ten more days!!!!!!!

A NEW DAY

This past weekend was a pretty good weekend spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday night with GREAT friends!!!!

As the surgery is nearing closer im starting to have vivid dreams every night of my recovery it is sort of making me kind of nervous and scared, but at the same time I am soooo ready for this ordeal to begin and be on the long road to recovery.

A friend from High School passed this weekend and it made me realize that one second can change a lot...... RIP JAKE BOLTIN you will be missed

I THANK GOD FOR ALL THE BLESSINGS IN MY LIFE

PRE-OP

LET ME JUST START OFF WITH GOOOOOOO GAMECOCKS!!!
WE WON OUR FIRST GAME LAST NIGHT AGAINST NC STATE
THE REF'S MADE SOME RATHER CRAPPY CALLS BUT NONE THE LESS
WE STILL WON!!!!!!!!

Well I had my last appointment before my surgery.

The Dr. listened to my heart and explained my surgery to me and let me know I would be on a morphine pump after surgery to manage my pain.

He also said hospital stay would most likely be 4 days maybe 5 depends on my progress.

He said that I will not be using the CPM machine due to the fear of me falling asleep or moving my foot the wrong way and aggrivating the incision and the screws.

My mother had a neat cooler thing that wraps the hip and pumps cool water around the hip so he said it was ok to use that so I was excited about that, hopefully that will help with swelling and pain.

He also said that he would put me on blood thinner shots YIKES
I dont do shots very well and having to administer them myself might not go so well
I suggested my mother do it since she had to do them for her prior two hip surgeries

my mother also asked the Dr since we live in a two story house and I am in the basement if I needed to be living on the upper level and not do stairs he responded with a yes you should def not do stairs for 3-4 weeks for fear of falling down them since I will be so unstable, this is a HUGE bummer since being in my own bed and my own oasis (my bedroom) will help
but I guess since my parents will be taking care of me anything to help them out the better and I sure dont want to end up down the stairs thats for sure.

After my appointment I left the office with a sense of reassurance that everything is going to be fine and I will soon be on the road to recovery!!!

Thank you again to all my wonderful friends and family that have stood by my side!!!!!

mix-up

Well thank goodness my ortho office called I was mistaken my pre-op is Friday Sept 4th not tomorrow, which im kind of excited about because tomorrow is the start of UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCK FOOTBALL, something that is dear to my heart they are playing NC State tomorrow so lets hope for a VICTORY!!! I am looking forward to hanging out with my friends tomorrow for the game since I wont be doing much tailgating this year.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COCKS!!!!!!!

THE LAST HOORAH

I would like to start off by saying thank you so much to all my amazing friends and family that have stood by me through my range of up and downs and my emotions that have followed they have been there through it all to comfort me, bring me back down to earth and remind me everything will work out the way it is suppose to that being said I had my last hoorah party this past Saturday to spend time with all my friends and family together one last time before I start this long road to surgery and through recovery. My final pre op appointment is this Thursday September 3rd which im kind of nervous about. We will most likely be discussing the surgery and what to expect etc. My mother has donated blood for my surgery as well as one of her friends whom I appreciate dearly for doing that for me. Just wanted to write a little post to say THANK YOU to everyone who has been there thus far for my journey I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

MY FIRST APPT WITH DR. PIEHL

As my first appt with Dr. Piehl was fast approaching I had tried to do as much research on PAO sugery as I possibly could.

Within the time period between the appointments I had my CT scan and my MRI
my ct scan only confirmed my bi-lateral hip dysplasia not much more than that

My MRI was extremely painful with the injection (contrast) in the hip, as soon as they started to put the needle into my hip it started to spasm and felt like it needed to be popped so they had to stop so I could stand up and pop my hip after that it wasnt bad at all.

Then they wheeled me to the room where the MRI machine was
and they tied my legs together, explained the process to me gave me earplugs
and the MRI started it took about an hour from what I remember
really loud knocking and very confined space
wasnt too bad just annoying and uncomfortable.

I received my MRI report and cd the next day as I work at the hospital
where it was performed.
It was not a good idea to go pick up the report thats for sure
the report stated bi-lateral hip dysplasia yet again
then it also stated I have and anterior and posterior tear to my labrum
I was quite dissapointed and upset with these results but tried to keep my head up
as I am not a radiologist or Othopaedist and really dont know how to read in Dr. terms
so I tried to stay positive until my visit.

Well May 29th fastly approached
I got put in a patient room and they gave me these nifty blue shorts to wear
so Dr. Piehl could do another ROM test on me and watch me walk

after watching me walk doing ROM and taking a few more xrays
he explained to me that I do indeed have Bi lateral hip dysplasia
also have a completely torn labrum (hints the clicking and popping in my hint joint)
and that I also have what they call pincer impingement essentially my hip sockets are rotated backwards.
This was quite a hit to my emotions.

At this point we started discussing surgery and he stated I would need a PAO and labrum tear repair, he put my MRI up on the screen and explained everything to me, he let me know that the dysplasia is not the blunt of my problem but rather my rotated hip sockets allowing incorrect coverage to my hip joint.

We spend quite a bit of time reviewing my x-rays and pulled up my mothers as well to put them side by side which was neat since she goes to the same Dr. office as me

I decided that I cannot live with this pain for much longer as there is days that I cannot walk.
Dr. Piehl explained the PAO surgery in that they essentially go in and cut your bones in three places and realign the bones so that they correctly cover the hip socket.
and also while in there repair the labrum tear
he states the surgery will take around 5-7 hours
and that I will be in the hospital 5-7 days


Although there is days that I feel normal and sometimes question if I am making the right decision.
I know that I have made the right decision to go ahead with this surgery because over all my quality of life is very poor.
I am unable to go shopping,biking,hiking,work out, run, or any activity for that matter without my hip completely being so irritated I am in tears.

I scheduled my surgery for September 24, 2009
at Palmetto Health Richland Columbia SC ( I work here as well which im excited about!!!!!!)

THE DIAGNOSIS/ 1ST APPT

This is the first time I have ever done a blog so please bear with me if I start rambling on.
It all started when I was around age 19 just out of high school I started having pain in my hips sometimes the pain would shoot up my back and down my legs, but since I was so active at the time I attributed it to a pulled muscle/strain and kept on trucking on. I was very active in high school I was a cheerleader and also a swimmer!!!! I worked out religiously as well and tried my hardest to stay in shape. After graduating high school in 2001 I still stayed active in coaching at ACX for a summer with summer camps. I also tried to do the open team the following year and that is when the pain really started in my hips. We were doing toe touch backhandsprings and suddenly I felt myself not able to do toe touches as well as before. I had to drop off the team due to this, from that point forward my hip would click and pop every now and then and after popping (sort of like you do your knuckle) it would feel better for a few hours then need to be popped again. I sort of just dealt with it thinking nothing of it. As the years seemed to fly by the pain kept getting significantly worse year by year. In January of 2009 I got a new job with Health insurance benefits I decided that it was time to finally find out what was going on in my hip.

Fast forward to May 1, 2009
I scheduled my appt months in advance because my insurance was effective April 23,2009.
My mother recently just had both of her hips done she had hip resurfacing on both and has done tremendously well!!!!
I scheduled my appointment with her Dr. Dr. Thomas Gross in Columbia SC at Midlands Orthopaedics.
I was nervous but was hoping that he was just gonna say its arthirits or bursitis and give me some anit inflammatories/cortisone shot and send me on my merry way.

As I arrived at the office did paperwork and insurance stuff etc.
I sat in the waiting room for around 45 minutes

I had already had my X-ray's done and had them with me for him to look at.

I was called back by his nurse and she set me up with a survey all about what made my pain worse, what type of pain etc.

After answering these questions Dr. Gross came in and did a ROM exam on me
needless to say I was in tears after this from all the pushing and pulling etc.

He pulled my xrays up on the computer screen, and then the bad news began

He stated I had bi-lateral hip dysplasia and was most likely born with it (my mother had the same thing)

and then after that he pretty much was blunt with me and stated surgery is the only way to correct the problem.

I BURST out into tears thank God my mother was there to comfort me
and she knew the emotions that I was feeling as she had to have surgery on her hips as well.

he stated they would like to try a different surgery on me since I am so young they didnt want to do THR or Resurfacing because putting artifical parts in my body at such a young age is not practical.

Thats when we started discussing the Ganz Osteotomy or Peri Acetabular Osteotomy, he told me that he doesnt specialize in this surgery however his partner Dr. Frederick Piehl in the same practice does since he is a pediatric Ortho surgeon.

Dr. Gross took more xrays of my hips in some pretty weird and painful positions so that at my next appt with Dr. Piehl he would have a better look
he also wrote orders for an MRI and a CTSCAN.

As I left the office full of emotion and just utter shock I tried to stay positive
my next appt was May 29th.

THE START OF MY JOURNEY!!!

This is the start of my journey!!! I will be posting more in the coming days about my diagnosis and the emotions that follow thank you for checking out my blog!!!!!