So just what have I been up to since closing this chapter of my life you ask? SO MUCH! A little WanderlustI celebrated graduation by spending almost 3 weeks in Europe. It was such an incredible experience... and because of my new hip, I was able to fully enjoy every minute of it. If any of you have ever been to the Greek Isles you know just how many big, uneven stairs there are throughout the island. I can't even imagine being able to manage all those stairs with the way my hip felt before PAO. I was so thrilled to find that I had absolutely no problem with them on our trip! We did so many fun things on our trip that required a ton of walking- like visiting Plitvicka National Park in Croatia or walking the streets Prague in search of the best goulash or hiking the hills between the little towns of Cinque Terre in Italy. No matter what we did or where we went, my hip was ready to go. I couldn't have been more thankful for these surgeries and the life I am now able to live. Backpacking in the Rocky MountainsThe week before I moved to Salt Lake City, my friends and I took a little backpacking trip to Conundrum Hot Springs just outside Aspen, CO. If you haven't heard of this place, you gotta check it out. It's a long trek in (especially with all your gear!), but it is totally worth it! Breathtaking views and natural mountain hot springs awaits you at the top. It was so much fun... and absolutely no problem for my new hip :) 14,000 ft of funThis new hip and I have also been keeping busy this summer by climbing some 14ers... 5 of them to be exact! There is no better feeling in the world than summiting a mountain and being able to see for miles around you. You are literally on top of the world... It's a magical experience to say the least! If you would have told me this time last year that I would be climbing 14ers just 1 year out of surgery, I would have thought you were crazy!
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Just call me doctor :)
My biggest advice for all the PAO warriors out there is this: Let all the crap you encounter teach you things. Let it change you. And let yourself grow. You will be a force to be reckoned with when all is said and done :)
1 year post-pao
8 months post-paoIt's been a few weeks since I've last updated you all, but that's because I have been so busy just living life! Following hardware removal, I took 2 weeks to slowly resume activity and have been feeling great ever since. I have successfully completed my 4 month orthopedic clinical rotation and am now enjoying a full week off before beginning my final clinical rotation in acute care. So how am I spending my free time you might ask?
I am living my life on the mountain! I have made FULL RETURN to skiing without any problem! And it's so interesting to me because, although I am significantly weaker than I have been in years, I really feel like I am skiing better than I ever have. It's only in looking back now that I can see just how hard my muscles had to be working to stabilize my hip. I remember the day that I found out I would need PAO and how terrified I was that this very thing would be taken away from me forever. Words cannot even describe the joy that these past few days has brought to me knowing that for the first time in 3 years, I am able to do whatever I want without this silly hip holding me back :) 24 Weeks Post-PAO
... because sometimes things just suck.As the saga has progressed through the years, I have turned to lots of online forums about pelvic floor dysfunction, labral tears and hip dysplasia to help me figure out exactly what I was getting myself into with all these treatment options. In doing so, I came across so many gut wrenching stories from girls across the country who really struggled in their journeys--even after surgical correction and rehab. In fact, it was these very stories that inspired me to write this blog. Even if my words could help just one girl to not suffer the emotional scarring that so many others have experienced, it would all be worth it. With that being said, I know that a lot of my posts have been all rainbows and puppy dogs... but you and I both know that this has been no walk in the park. But it's not that all this positivity has been fake either. It's been very real. It's just that some days, it takes a lot more work. Sometimes impossibly more work. Putting a smile on your face every day can be absolutely exhausting. So much of my life--of what makes me who I am--has been taken away from me (albeit temporarily of course). And it's devastating. However, I have been afraid to let myself acknowledge this loss because what good would feeling sorry for myself do? I thought that if I were to give into this sadness, it would make me weak and somehow unfit to bear the burden of this process. But let me tell you something, the greatest thing I've learned is that it's ok to not be so strong all the time. I think it's important to let yourself feel the very real loss of the life you are used to living. Scream. Cry. Throw something. Give yourself that space and do it as often as you need, but put your brave face back on when you're ready to resume the fight because this is, in fact, only temporary. The inevitable question we all ask
Going through a clinical doctorate with all of these health issues has been a challenge in and of itself, one that I initially saw as some cruel and unfair twist of fate. But now, I can't help but think that perhaps this timing was actually quite beautiful and necessary. It was simply meant to be.
4 weeks post-pao
3 weeks post-PAO... in chicago
3 weeks post-pao
2.5 weeks post-PAO
As a patient in the University Hospital system, you have access to all your health records. So naturally, being in PT school and all, I nerded out hard and closely examined all my tests and lab results when I got home. In school, we learn a lot about standard lab values and contraindications to exercise/therapy. I was shocked to see that my hemoglobin levels at discharge were roughly around 8 mg/dL--a value that we typically learn in school to be a "proceed with lots of caution" cut-off. There are some hospitals that even use this as a strict contraindication to therapy due to compromised oxygen capacity (even though research is starting to show that this is an outdated philosophy). Either way, I finally was able to understand the true severity of the anemia and why I had been feeling so fatigued and out of breath.
The hardest part of my day was getting ready in the morning. Even as a PT student, I truly took for granted just how much mobility and energy is required for self-care. I am really lucky to have an amazing roommate (who is also a PT student... talk about a bonus!) that has been able to help me out so much. She pushed me around school in the wheelchair, carried my backpack, helped me get food together... the works. I wouldn't have been able to return to school this soon without her. Did I mention this is the same roommate that helped me through my first hip scope last year? Talk about a great friend! |
AuthorJust a physical therapist and her journey being on the other side rehab. Categories
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