To A Happy & Healthy New Year!

2012 has been filled with many challenges and I know 2013 will be sure to bring many more!  

I started 2012 with a femoral revision surgery that had to be post-poned till the spring. I had the right femoral revision in April at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Millis did my revision and it was a very successful surgery. The revision involved a trochanteric transfer and has been a huge difference in strength and mobility. I have spent many months doing PT and my strength and function has been the best it has been  in years. Although I still I have anterior pincer impingement and lack posterior coverage, my right is stable and has been consistently improving. I have even been jogging a little in PT (very little, but JOGGING)!

My left shoulder really deteriorated over this past year due to many years of intense physical activity, chronic dislocations and an underlying connective tissue disorder. I have multi-directional instability with primary posterior/inferior instability. I primarily dislocate posteriorly/inferiorly and the dislocations have become more frequent despite shoulder stabilization exercises. Because of this I will be having a reconstruction of my left shoulder which would include a capsular shift, closing the rotator interval and repairing any labral, etc., tears. At this point in time it looks like my left hip surgeries will be pushed back to prioritize the shoulder first. I will be wearing a compression "shirt" to help with scapular stabilization both pre and post-op. It will help in the neuromuscular retraining of my scapulas and shoulders. 

AlignMed s3 Posture Brace

2012 wrapped up my right hip surgeries and will allow the focus to shift to the left in 2013. A left hip scope will performed first to repair the labrum, remove the cam lesion, repair the capsule and evaluate the joint.  I will wear a post-op hip brace to help protect the repairs and control ROM. 2-3 months post-op I will have a Femoral Rotational Osteotomy to correct the retroversion and properly stabilize my hip. The hardware will be removed once the fracture site has healed. 

This has been the first year I have not had classes in 6 years! It was a nice mental break, but I will be pursuing grad courses starting this fall. I have been "soul" searching this past year about what I am "called" to do and I have a love for learning, but I have a passion for patient advocacy. Although I have tossed around the ideas of med and law school, I believe a Master's of Public Health is a way of meshing both law, medicine and ethics. I may even pursue it in combination with a Master's of Arts-Bioethics or Biology. I would love to be able to work for a hospital like Boston Children's in their Government Relations department. 

Every year I set new goals for the year. This past year I have been able to increase my physical strength and overall fitness. I am continuing on my goal to lose weight, but am pleased with increased muscle tone and look forward to slimming down in 2013! This year will bring many surgeries, but I have a great team and will be able to go in as strong as I can and hopefully that will help with the recovery process. This year I also plan on taking my work with Advocare, a nutrition & performance supplement company, and gaining some momentum and income. I want to be successful and have the ability with self-employment to maintain an income while undergoing surgeries and recoveries. Please check out my site: /www.advocare.com/121020640

I know 2013 will bring many challenges and its fair share of ups and downs, but hopefully more ups than downs! I will have a neice come June and my older brother will complete his first overseas deployment this year with the 10th Mtn. My current apartment lease ends in April and I have been looking at new places downtown and in the Carmel/Fishers area of Indy. I plan on continuing my involvement with patient advocacy. I look forward to starting a graduate degree, but I know with surgeries and recoveries that there will be many challenges. I have to come to realize that surgery will be part of my life because I have EDS, but I also need to be able to live my life. 

Wishing everyone a Happy & Healthy New Year!

Personal Mission Statement

I will live each day striving to be closer to God.

I will live each day with courage and a belief in myself and others.

I will build healthy, loving relationships within my family, friends and those around me.

I will live by the values of integrity, freedom of choice and a love for all people. 

I will strive to keep commitments not only to others but also to myself.

I will remember that to truly live, I must climb the mountain today, for tomorrow may be too late.

I will act in a manner that brings out the best in me and those important to me. 

I will be renewed by my own personal victories and triumphs.

I will continue to make choices and live with them.

I will not make excuses and blame others. 

I will, for as long as possible, keep my mind and body healthy and strong.

I will help others the best I can, and will thank those who help me along the way