A New Year and More Surgeries!?

I know it has been a long time since I have posted and A LOT has happened since then! 2010 was a long and hard year. Last year started off with a messy break-up and surgery in early February. I graduated in May with my Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science and ended the summer in August with yet another hip surgery. August, as well as February, were hip arthroscopic surgeries on both hips to fix torn labrums and impingements. My left hip has been doing quite well. The only surgery it has had was a left hip scope, no LPAO as of now. I get bouts of bursitis, but it is holding strong. Unfortunately, my right has not been doing so well. I have had a RPAO, then a right hip scope to fix a badly torn labrum, repair impingement, release the iliopsoas tendon, clean-up some tissue, etc. It was a lot more damage then expected, especially since my activity level is quite low, compared to prior to the RPAO.


1 Week Prior to Surgery-Eating dinner at The RAM with my bestie, Jessica!

My right has been a struggle. It bothers me on a daily basis and affects every aspect of my life. After my scope in August a few of the hippies got together for "Hippie Union 2010." We spoke about our stories, experiences and struggles. It was during this time that one of my fellow hippies, Marcie, was talking about some research studies that she had found about failed PAO's, complications, etc. It was eerily familiar because it was nearly identical to what I was experiencing. I then began to do some more research. I pulled up many articles, etc. Some of them stated not to be your doctors first group of PAO patients because the learning curve is very steep with many complications and 9/10 failures. I then spoke with my Dr. Scheid's nurse about this, because I was so upset that I was needing more surgeries to fix problems that should have been addressed at the time of the PAO. She told me that "I was waaay before 50 patients," putting me in that "test" group. "Great!" I was a guinea pig for my doc and did not even know about it. I then made an appointment to see Dr. Scheid and confront him myself. Not only did he side step every question and was very defensive, he told me I had a "reverse PAO preformed," but all I was ever told was a PAO, which are two separate procedures. All I was ever told I needed was a traditional PAO. He saw nothing wrong, but I pointed out the mal-formed femoral head/impingement on my original x-ray and he told me "that wasn't his job, Maiers did my scope." It was his job to make sure my femoral head fit back in my newly moved hip socket. Maiers had already performed the scope and Scheid followed. It was his job to check his work!!! I also asked if the PAO was suppose to prevent future labral tears? He told me "that it was suppose to slow down the process of arthritis, etc." I was confused as to slow down a process that never existed. I had no OA or degeneration prior to my RPAO, but did after. My labral tears were also more severe after my RPAO, despite the drastically lower activity level. Scheid originally told me that the RPAO would prevent future labral tears, which has not been the case. I couldn't believe that he had made my hip worse. Not only was I practice, he never told me of his experience, which doctors have to disclose, but that he couldn't even keep my history straight. He tells me one procedure was performed, but a separate procedure was actually done. I didn't even think he had a clue about who I even was. He didn't bring in my file and his notes were mediocre at best. I then told him that I was going to see another doctor because my hip was causing me more problems now then before my RPAO. I left, and have never gone back.

I continued my research and realized not only was I a "test patient," but that my hip was royally screwed up. In addition to the hip problems, I have developed nerve problems in my right hip and leg since the RPAO. I am on a lot of nerve medication daily to keep it in-check and have pain medicines and a TENS unit to help with pain management. I also pursued another doctor to fix what Dr. Scheid screwed up. I went back to Dr. Maiers to discuss options and things we could do while I waited for an appointment with Dr. Millis at Children's Hospital Boston. Maiers helped with referrals, as well as calling Millis to bring him up-to-date on my situation. Maiers told me that it doesn't get better than Millis and he knew him well from medical conferences. I saw Dr. Millis for a consult in November. He spent nearly 2 hours with me and went into every detail we could imagine. It was clear that I had a problem and things would need to be fixed. He told me at a minimum another scope and possibly a re-RPAO. But, he was also confident that he could fix it, to what level is unknown, but was positive that he could restore function, etc., and would do his best to make my hip as good as he could possibly get it. He also told me that my case is very complicated and would not be easy to fix. I could see his frustration with doctors like Scheid, who perform surgeries on patients when they are not fully and properly trained and the patients pay the price. On one hand, it was hard to hear that I am starting the process over, but on the other hand Millis was confident that he could fix it! The first step in the process would be the screw removal, which I scheduled for January 10th, 2011.

Waiting in the Pre-Op Clinic @ CHB

The surgery came and went...I am now about 2 weeks post-op from my screw removal. Dr. Millis preformed the screw removal at Children's Hospital Boston. It was not a typical hardware removal because of the pin positioning. Usually it is done outpatient, but I stayed for nearly two days because of the digging and extensive nature of my surgery. It took about 2 hours, almost 3x the typical case. Millis also performed a scar revision to fix the old scar and allow for the wound to heal better. I have nearly an 11 inch scar. Usually, I heal very poorly and have to do wound dressings for weeks, but not this time. Not only does my scar look amazing, it is healing great. Millis did internal sutures, then glue, then steri-strips and then packaged the wound. I woke up to a whole new scar which was completely unexpected. The care at Children's was amazing! It was the best hospital experience I had ever had...and everyone was so nice and caring. I can see why it is the #1 Children's Hospital as well as the #1 Orthopedic Hospital. Dr. Millis is also the Orthopedic Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of Children's Adolescent and Young Adult Hip Program. Most of the research articles I have found have his name on it! I am now just in the recovery process and am waiting to hear back from Dr. Millis about my MRI results and what our next steps will be. I know it will be surgery, but not sure how it will be executed.

Recovering in my room @ CHB

I have also returned to IUPUI for further education. I decided against the Master's Certificate and went for a Paralegal Certificate instead. I thought it would be better prep for law school and give me an opportunity to work in the law field and get some hands-on experience. I took the LSAT in December and am applying to law school for the fall semester. My top pick is Indiana University - Indianapolis Law School in which it will be a dual program, J.D. and Master's of Philosophy with a concentration in Bioethics and Health Law. I have continued to stay busy with school, friends and family. Chloe, my aussie pup, has also had some training and earned her Canine Good Citizen in the Fall of 2010 and we will be pursuing Therapy Dog, in which we will be able to visit hospitals!