Saturday, March 10, 2012
Surgery Date is Official!
The surgery date has been set! I will have my blade-plate removed and a trochanteric slide osteotomy. Two more additional screws will then be added, but placed in a way that they would not need to be removed unless the metal became an issue. I will also be having some excess bone growth shaved down in the front of my hip. I have my pre-op appointments the day before and will be talking with the anesthesiologists/pain-management team about having ketamine used during the operation and in-patient stay. My stay at Children's should be 3-4 days depending on how the surgery and recovery goes. I will post updates as I get them! EEEP...less than a month to go!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Tentative Surgery Date: April 6
I heard from Dr. Millis via email on Friday afternoon and will hopefully hear from him via phone call in the couple days. We have tentatively set my surgery date for April 6th or Good Friday. There has been marked improvement in regards to bone formation since seeing Millis in December, so it looks like the femoral blade-plate will be coming out. I will also be having a trochanteric slide osteotomy in which the greater trochanter will detached, lowered, and reattached to a lower portion of my femur, but at the same height of the greater trochanter of my left hip. It will then be fixated with 2 large screws.
My FO incision will more than likely be re-opened to use the same approach. I am working with my pain doc and Millis as well as Children's to hopefully have a ketamine infusion/treatment during the surgery and the stay in the hospital to help with the CRPS. I will be in-patient for about 3-4 days. I will also be having some bone overgrowth shaved down in the front of my hip, so the surgery should last about 3 hours. I am not sure of all the particulars for the recovery in regards to time non weight-bearing because of my poor healing. But, I also have my bone stimulator from the beginning of the recovery, so hopefully it will continue to help with the healing progress. I will be anxious to get back to PT/Sports Performance because of how much it has already helped and hopefully the next time around will get me even further after the necessary tweaks are completed. I am also staying optimistic that this will be my last right hip surgery and will be able to move on to my left and ultimately, take a break from surgeries after this year.
Unfortunately, my left shoulder has been flaring terribly lately. It feels like a tendinitis, but you can definitely feel the crepitus with any movement. At times it feels lax and even unstable. I have tried to work on strengthening exercises, but it only seems to get aggravated with more use. I have will be seeing a shoulder surgeon at Methodist Sports March 20th who also has expertise with EDS. I am hoping it does not come to the point of surgery, but alternative forms of treatment like PT and NSAIDs are no longer enough. I am hoping he will have some answers for me and a game plan on what to do next.
My goal during the next weeks until surgery is to increase my cardio endurance and lose about 10lbs. With constant surgeries over the last few years my weight has fluctuated so I am trying even harder this year to get into routines of better eating habits and consistent workouts. At my prime with ROTC and running I averaged between 148-152 lbs and about 16% body fat. Right now, I am about 170lbs and hoping to drop about 10lbs with increased cardio now that my hip is strong enough for extended time on the elliptical and even walking on the treadmill. This year I am going to "get ripped" and get in the best shape I have ever been. The harder part for me is cutting out a lot of sweets :) I am also learning to cook more healthy meals. I know diet is a big part of carving out a lean body and I need to learn better eating habits. I have been working on goals in stages and diet and weight loss are never easy for me so I will continue to work until it is muscle memory ;)
I will post updated information after I hear from Millis!
My FO incision will more than likely be re-opened to use the same approach. I am working with my pain doc and Millis as well as Children's to hopefully have a ketamine infusion/treatment during the surgery and the stay in the hospital to help with the CRPS. I will be in-patient for about 3-4 days. I will also be having some bone overgrowth shaved down in the front of my hip, so the surgery should last about 3 hours. I am not sure of all the particulars for the recovery in regards to time non weight-bearing because of my poor healing. But, I also have my bone stimulator from the beginning of the recovery, so hopefully it will continue to help with the healing progress. I will be anxious to get back to PT/Sports Performance because of how much it has already helped and hopefully the next time around will get me even further after the necessary tweaks are completed. I am also staying optimistic that this will be my last right hip surgery and will be able to move on to my left and ultimately, take a break from surgeries after this year.
Unfortunately, my left shoulder has been flaring terribly lately. It feels like a tendinitis, but you can definitely feel the crepitus with any movement. At times it feels lax and even unstable. I have tried to work on strengthening exercises, but it only seems to get aggravated with more use. I have will be seeing a shoulder surgeon at Methodist Sports March 20th who also has expertise with EDS. I am hoping it does not come to the point of surgery, but alternative forms of treatment like PT and NSAIDs are no longer enough. I am hoping he will have some answers for me and a game plan on what to do next.
My goal during the next weeks until surgery is to increase my cardio endurance and lose about 10lbs. With constant surgeries over the last few years my weight has fluctuated so I am trying even harder this year to get into routines of better eating habits and consistent workouts. At my prime with ROTC and running I averaged between 148-152 lbs and about 16% body fat. Right now, I am about 170lbs and hoping to drop about 10lbs with increased cardio now that my hip is strong enough for extended time on the elliptical and even walking on the treadmill. This year I am going to "get ripped" and get in the best shape I have ever been. The harder part for me is cutting out a lot of sweets :) I am also learning to cook more healthy meals. I know diet is a big part of carving out a lean body and I need to learn better eating habits. I have been working on goals in stages and diet and weight loss are never easy for me so I will continue to work until it is muscle memory ;)
I will post updated information after I hear from Millis!
Monday, February 20, 2012
8 Months Post-Op
I am 8 months post-op from my FO with Dr. Millis @ Children's. I saw my local OS today, Dr. Maiers, for a follow-up and to get new x-rays. It does look like the fracture site is starting to ossify, but Millis will be the judge of whether or not it is healed enough to do the "trochanteric transfer" and align it with my left hip. During the healing process the bone shifted leaving the greater trochanter of my right hip 2+ cm higher than that of my left. It effects the strength and function of my right hip, not to mention throwing off the alignment. The femoral blade-plate and screws will come out, the greater trochanter adjusted and will probably be left with 2 screws and hopefully no more surgery on the right hip. My left hip has been hurting quite a bit, which can be from a variety of factors, but right now the chronic bursitis and feeling of impingement are aggravating. I am hoping in 6 months my left hip can be fixed and I can take a break from surgeries for a very long time. Millis does not believe that my left hip will need an osteotomy, but probably more like a residual impingement.
I am very apprehensive just thinking about another invasive hip surgery, especially on the right because it has been such a long struggle trying to fix a problem someone else created. But, this is the first time I finally feel like we are truly coming to the end of this road. I feel like I am getting stronger with PT and getting to a point physically I could not have imagined a year ago. My PT and I have even been talking about the possibility of getting strong enough to run! I am feeling positive about the steps and direction I am headed, but also nervous to go through the surgery-recovery process once again. I was actually hoping to avoid or decline the option of the trochanteric transfer, but when I saw the x-rays today I was shocked how "off" it really looked and it clicked in my head why they would push for that option. I ultimately want to what is best and what will give me the best outcome, but it is not always the easiest decision. I also know to expect that every time my right leg is cut into my CRPS goes into overdrive and it becomes a struggle to get under control. I am glad that my new pain doc is pushing for a ketamine infusion started during the operation and maintained for at least 3 days in-patient, which is my expected stay, ultimately hoping to put the CRPS into remission or at least keeping it from spreading. I emailed Millis this evening with x-ray pics and a cd of the images are being sent to Boston, so hopefully I will hear from him soon in regards to specifics!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Skillet - Awake and Alive
I saw SKILLET headline at WinterJam 2012 in Louisville, KY. They have been a favorite band of mine for over 10 years and the show was absolutely amazing! They are a Christian band and not only can they relate to so many, so many relate to them and their music, me included!
February Update
January has already flown by and February is half over! I am still looking for work, but am getting some leads and hopefully an interview and job soon!!! I have been spending my Monday afternoons for the last month at Sports Performance by Methodist Sports Medicine. I have been getting a weekly butt kicking by my PT, Noah. I am really seeing improvements and only have a slight limp at the moment. Each week gets harder, but I am enjoying being able to work this hard. I bought my first pair of running shoes for the first time in years! I have been able to eliminate the use of narcotic pain killers, weaned off crutches, increasing strength and now am going to kick up the cardio and drop some weight. I have been trying to work on things in stages and my next goal is to lose weight and improve my endurance.
I see Maiers next week and will be able to update Millis with new x-rays and we can then plan our next surgical steps. I have been thinking about it a lot lately and I am not sure if I want more done than just the plate removal and some bone overgrowth removed. Having a trochanteric transfer means breaking more bone, weeks non-weight bearing and starting over. Not to mention every time my right leg is operated on, my CRPS gets worse, especially through the healing process. I would rather just do the plate removal and then concentrate on my left hip. My left should hopefully only need a scope for residual impingement, but we will know more after some new images. I am really pushing for one final hip surgery and to be able to heal and move on. I will continue to think and discuss this and will make a decision when I know more information in a week or so. Fingers crossed all goes well!
Although my hips seem to be improving (the left is irritated), my nerves are not doing as well. My new pain doc has confirmed my "nerve issues" are CRPS-2 and the initial "trauma" that set it off was my RPAO in June 2009 when not even 24 hours post-op my thigh turned a bright and hot red. It was not an infection and no one could explain it, but it was actually the leg over-reacting to the surgery. I also found out that my low back pain that I assumed was from my years of hip surgeries and continuous gait changes is actually a disc degenerating and slightly bulged between L4-L5. It is not the cause of my CRPS, but is something I will need to watch and take care of in the future. It could have been from years of athletics, Army training and also from the hip surgeries and throwing off my spinal alignment. I am already doing all I can to help it with PT and strengthening core muscles, working on even gait, etc. My pain doc also wants to wait and have ketamine used during my next surgery to help with the CRPS and hopefully put it into remission. If necessary, we will do another sympathetic block if needed, but am trying to wait unless I have a flare prior to surgery that is out of control. We are also increasing my Lyrica to three times a day to help with the increase in nerve pain hoping that it will be enough and to use the "big guns" around the time of surgery. I really like Dr. Ratzman. He is very thorough and we seem to be on the same page in regards to treatment.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! I have not had the greatest history with this "holiday" and even though this year I do not have a significant other to share it with, I will be sharing the day with the ones I love. My family gives cards to eachother and will watch "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown."
Enjoy everyday with the your loved ones!
I see Maiers next week and will be able to update Millis with new x-rays and we can then plan our next surgical steps. I have been thinking about it a lot lately and I am not sure if I want more done than just the plate removal and some bone overgrowth removed. Having a trochanteric transfer means breaking more bone, weeks non-weight bearing and starting over. Not to mention every time my right leg is operated on, my CRPS gets worse, especially through the healing process. I would rather just do the plate removal and then concentrate on my left hip. My left should hopefully only need a scope for residual impingement, but we will know more after some new images. I am really pushing for one final hip surgery and to be able to heal and move on. I will continue to think and discuss this and will make a decision when I know more information in a week or so. Fingers crossed all goes well!
Although my hips seem to be improving (the left is irritated), my nerves are not doing as well. My new pain doc has confirmed my "nerve issues" are CRPS-2 and the initial "trauma" that set it off was my RPAO in June 2009 when not even 24 hours post-op my thigh turned a bright and hot red. It was not an infection and no one could explain it, but it was actually the leg over-reacting to the surgery. I also found out that my low back pain that I assumed was from my years of hip surgeries and continuous gait changes is actually a disc degenerating and slightly bulged between L4-L5. It is not the cause of my CRPS, but is something I will need to watch and take care of in the future. It could have been from years of athletics, Army training and also from the hip surgeries and throwing off my spinal alignment. I am already doing all I can to help it with PT and strengthening core muscles, working on even gait, etc. My pain doc also wants to wait and have ketamine used during my next surgery to help with the CRPS and hopefully put it into remission. If necessary, we will do another sympathetic block if needed, but am trying to wait unless I have a flare prior to surgery that is out of control. We are also increasing my Lyrica to three times a day to help with the increase in nerve pain hoping that it will be enough and to use the "big guns" around the time of surgery. I really like Dr. Ratzman. He is very thorough and we seem to be on the same page in regards to treatment.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! I have not had the greatest history with this "holiday" and even though this year I do not have a significant other to share it with, I will be sharing the day with the ones I love. My family gives cards to eachother and will watch "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown."
Enjoy everyday with the your loved ones!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
A New Pain, Doc That Is!
I started this year off setting new goals and changing things I was unhappy with, etc. My first accomplishment and goal met for the year was weaning off all of my narcotic pain killers. It was not an easy task, the nausea was terrible, but I am definitely glad to no longer have them in my system. I feel more alert, aware, clear and have more energy. I did not realize how much they were effecting my energy, my body, and even my spirit. My dad tells me that "I have the twinkle back in my eyes." Overall, I feel better and am looking into other avenues to handle pain.
Being off the pain meds have not changed my level of pain which means it is my nerves as the source of pain. I saw a new pain doc (Dr. David Ratzman)that specializes in pain medicine, management and anesthesiology. He is also my besties pain doc and is familiar with EDS and highly knowledgeable with CRPS. I had so much paperwork to fill out prior, but the appointment was thorough and everyone was so nice. You could tell he cares about the patients and puts effort into finding what is best for them. We talked about my medical history and he want to look further into CRPS, because the presentation is not as typical. I told him that my surgeon (Millis) says "nothing about me is usual." It is true. Nothing is simple, easy or normal :) I have a lot of the symptoms and presentation of CRPS, but do not get as severe of the color changes, it is still falls within clinical diagnostic standards of symptoms being out of proportion to others. Some people may have severe pain with little to no vasomotor response and in others, there may be little pain with intense vasomotor response.
Symptoms of CRPS include:
-severe, constant burning pain
-edema
-increased/decreased hair or nail growth
-vasomotor instability-vasomotor changes range from cool-pallid, mottled changes from vasoconstriction to warm erythematous changes of vasodilation
-diminished motor function
-muscles spasms
-bone changes
I experience a majority of these symptoms and they started with electrical pain and numbness in my right foot and have developed over the last couple years to include a severe burning pain in my thigh, etc. I have tried everything from high doses of Neurontin, desensitization therapy, sympathetic nerve blocks and regional nerve blocks. I am currently taking Lyrica 200mg BID and Cymbalta 120mg daily to help with the nerve pain and flares. I maxed out Neurontin and it was causing too much stomach sensitivity so switching to Lyrica has been very beneficial. Ratzman believed that I have failed numerous conventional therapies, so we talked about what our game plan would be. We talked about doing a prophylactic sympathetic block prior to surgery in March to help with the nerve issues. He also brought up having a ketamine infusion done throughout the surgery and hospital stay because of the methods I have failed and it can offer longer relief than the sympathetic blocks and even "reboot" the nerves in a sense. He was going to request records from Children's as well as speak with Millis and their anesthesiology department to be able to arrange the treatment. It would be the best option right now. He also wanted me to think about a spinal cord stimulator which is surgically implanted and sends pulses or vibrations to the nerves to block the pain signals from the spinal cord. It would have to wait till after my surgeries are over because it effects imaging. But, because I have failed so many of the treatments and the symptoms keep getting worse it is something I am suppose to think about. Having something in my SPINE freaks me out at the moment, but he just wanted me to know that I still have options left.
I also have started intense physical therapy called Sports Performance by Methodist Sports Medicine. It is personal training with a physical therapist and I have been so sore since, but in a good way. Noah is going to kick my butt every week and help with exercises that I need to do to get stronger. AND, I am doing it with my bestie, Jessica Anderson!
My next goals for the year to accomplish are finding a new job since the lay-off, finish my 2 Incompletes from the Fall semester, continue to get fit and stronger and organize/schedule my March hip surgeries. Although the year has not started off as well as I would have liked, I am improving physically and continuing to push towards my goals and dreams with more drive and energy then I have had in years!!!
Being off the pain meds have not changed my level of pain which means it is my nerves as the source of pain. I saw a new pain doc (Dr. David Ratzman)that specializes in pain medicine, management and anesthesiology. He is also my besties pain doc and is familiar with EDS and highly knowledgeable with CRPS. I had so much paperwork to fill out prior, but the appointment was thorough and everyone was so nice. You could tell he cares about the patients and puts effort into finding what is best for them. We talked about my medical history and he want to look further into CRPS, because the presentation is not as typical. I told him that my surgeon (Millis) says "nothing about me is usual." It is true. Nothing is simple, easy or normal :) I have a lot of the symptoms and presentation of CRPS, but do not get as severe of the color changes, it is still falls within clinical diagnostic standards of symptoms being out of proportion to others. Some people may have severe pain with little to no vasomotor response and in others, there may be little pain with intense vasomotor response.
Symptoms of CRPS include:
-severe, constant burning pain
-edema
-increased/decreased hair or nail growth
-vasomotor instability-vasomotor changes range from cool-pallid, mottled changes from vasoconstriction to warm erythematous changes of vasodilation
-diminished motor function
-muscles spasms
-bone changes
I experience a majority of these symptoms and they started with electrical pain and numbness in my right foot and have developed over the last couple years to include a severe burning pain in my thigh, etc. I have tried everything from high doses of Neurontin, desensitization therapy, sympathetic nerve blocks and regional nerve blocks. I am currently taking Lyrica 200mg BID and Cymbalta 120mg daily to help with the nerve pain and flares. I maxed out Neurontin and it was causing too much stomach sensitivity so switching to Lyrica has been very beneficial. Ratzman believed that I have failed numerous conventional therapies, so we talked about what our game plan would be. We talked about doing a prophylactic sympathetic block prior to surgery in March to help with the nerve issues. He also brought up having a ketamine infusion done throughout the surgery and hospital stay because of the methods I have failed and it can offer longer relief than the sympathetic blocks and even "reboot" the nerves in a sense. He was going to request records from Children's as well as speak with Millis and their anesthesiology department to be able to arrange the treatment. It would be the best option right now. He also wanted me to think about a spinal cord stimulator which is surgically implanted and sends pulses or vibrations to the nerves to block the pain signals from the spinal cord. It would have to wait till after my surgeries are over because it effects imaging. But, because I have failed so many of the treatments and the symptoms keep getting worse it is something I am suppose to think about. Having something in my SPINE freaks me out at the moment, but he just wanted me to know that I still have options left.
I also have started intense physical therapy called Sports Performance by Methodist Sports Medicine. It is personal training with a physical therapist and I have been so sore since, but in a good way. Noah is going to kick my butt every week and help with exercises that I need to do to get stronger. AND, I am doing it with my bestie, Jessica Anderson!
My next goals for the year to accomplish are finding a new job since the lay-off, finish my 2 Incompletes from the Fall semester, continue to get fit and stronger and organize/schedule my March hip surgeries. Although the year has not started off as well as I would have liked, I am improving physically and continuing to push towards my goals and dreams with more drive and energy then I have had in years!!!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Act of Valor
Act of Valor is a movie coming out next month that stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs. It is a story of contemporary anti-terrorism inspired by true events. To watch the trailers go to: http://actofvalor.com
This movie trailer caught my eye as I was doing some research for an art project. I wanted to do a 2-D black and white piece that combined many aspects of the military and those who risk everything to protect our freedom. I was downloading pics from all branches when I came across this trailer and my jaw dropped. This will be an amazing movie starring the men who do this for a living. Nothing could be more real or raw. The brotherhood seen between the men and the courage, honor and loyalty they possess will make this one of the best military movies EVER. These are no actors, but THE SEALs. I am definitely excited for this movie!
I found this interesting because I just began re-reading some of my favorite books which are written by Dee Henderson. She is a Christian author and my favorite books are from her "Uncommon Heroes" series about the lives of SEALs, PJs, Federal Agents, etc., and how they live their lives with Christ, how they have relationships and deal with everyday emotions and fears. I started reading these probably Sophomore year of high school. I fell in love with these books and the sense of patriotism only bolstered my love for God and Country. I have always had a passion and desire to be able to serve.
Ironically, as I am getting back into reading for leisure, even taking a step to re-kindle my relationship with Christ I find more that only excites me to push harder. These also come after I told myself at the beginning of this year that I would do what is necessary to get back into peak physical condition, rehab my hips and pursue active duty. It is interesting how things play out and when I decided to pursue active duty I continually find more that only strengthens the flame.
I mention this movie because of how exciting and unprecedented it is. SEALs, as well as PJs, Marine Recon, Delta, Rangers, etc., are silent warriors that are highly-skilled and trained and risk everything for their fellow warrior, their families, their country. They all do it for no recognition or praise. These men make me proud to be a soldier and to be a part of our history. These men risk their lives everyday, even when the American people know nothing of what they are doing, they risk their lives. Our country has lost a sense of patriotism and community, ideals that soldiers everyday fight to protect. I hope this movie does extraordinary because individuals like this deserve abundant praise and gratitude. I look forward to the day that I began active duty and hope that I have the pleasure to interact with such extraordinary men. God Bless Our Troops!
This movie trailer caught my eye as I was doing some research for an art project. I wanted to do a 2-D black and white piece that combined many aspects of the military and those who risk everything to protect our freedom. I was downloading pics from all branches when I came across this trailer and my jaw dropped. This will be an amazing movie starring the men who do this for a living. Nothing could be more real or raw. The brotherhood seen between the men and the courage, honor and loyalty they possess will make this one of the best military movies EVER. These are no actors, but THE SEALs. I am definitely excited for this movie!
I found this interesting because I just began re-reading some of my favorite books which are written by Dee Henderson. She is a Christian author and my favorite books are from her "Uncommon Heroes" series about the lives of SEALs, PJs, Federal Agents, etc., and how they live their lives with Christ, how they have relationships and deal with everyday emotions and fears. I started reading these probably Sophomore year of high school. I fell in love with these books and the sense of patriotism only bolstered my love for God and Country. I have always had a passion and desire to be able to serve.
Ironically, as I am getting back into reading for leisure, even taking a step to re-kindle my relationship with Christ I find more that only excites me to push harder. These also come after I told myself at the beginning of this year that I would do what is necessary to get back into peak physical condition, rehab my hips and pursue active duty. It is interesting how things play out and when I decided to pursue active duty I continually find more that only strengthens the flame.
I mention this movie because of how exciting and unprecedented it is. SEALs, as well as PJs, Marine Recon, Delta, Rangers, etc., are silent warriors that are highly-skilled and trained and risk everything for their fellow warrior, their families, their country. They all do it for no recognition or praise. These men make me proud to be a soldier and to be a part of our history. These men risk their lives everyday, even when the American people know nothing of what they are doing, they risk their lives. Our country has lost a sense of patriotism and community, ideals that soldiers everyday fight to protect. I hope this movie does extraordinary because individuals like this deserve abundant praise and gratitude. I look forward to the day that I began active duty and hope that I have the pleasure to interact with such extraordinary men. God Bless Our Troops!
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