Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Putting my hip to the test

I am sitting in the airport in Omaha, NE after doing a finalist presentation today. First of all, the presentation was beautiful!! I can't say enough good things about the people I work with . .. they are simply the best! Keeping our fingers crossed that we made a big impression and will be selected for a site visit next month.

So, my hip got to experience sitting in a small, cramped airplane seat, walking through O'Hare and changing terminals and up and down during a finalist presentation. I am pleased to report that I am well on the road to recovery. I am still stiff if I sit too long but it's not nearly as bad as it was. I have become a work out freak and took an hour last night to go work out before dinner. It definitely makes a huge difference in how my hip feels so I can't miss. I also have to say that I love the result of all the working out that I have been doing. I bought a new black suit to wear today and received comments from my team on how thin I am now. Yipppeee!!!

I don't get home until 1 am tonite and see my new pt tomorrow morning. I am anxious to see her and get my butt kicked as well as get stretched a bit. This Thursday will be 9 weeks for me. One more week and I can up my bike riding and get back to rowing. Amazing!!

I feel like I have a whole new lease on life . . . absolutely no pain and my muscles are all trained now on how to act so it's just a matter of continuing to build them. I feel like I will be pretty strong when I go back to see Dr. Philippon at the end of July. Can't wait to actually do some hiking and enjoying Vail this time.

Thanks to everyone who has read my blog and left comments and best of luck on your own surgeries and recovery!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

April, Thanks for sharing every detail of your hip experience. It truly allows others like me who are considering this surgery and PT to see exactly what is involved and how much work/time is necessary for a full recovery. By reading your blog, I can see that PT is the key, but also a good OS helps too.
A couple questions:
1. Once you decided to do the surgery, how long of a wait was it with Dr. P until your surgery date?
2. Your best guess, how many days off from work would you say is required after surgery. I have a desk job.

Thanks - Paul

April said...

Paul - A good OS is vital!!! I talked to a local surgeon before I made the trek to Vail. There is a reason I didn't stay here to have it done.

Answers:
1. I purposefully scheduled my surgery after ski season so my wait was much longer. I don't really know what his wait time is. Whatever it is though - it's worth it!! He is the best and I wouldn't trust my hip to anyone else (obviously).
2. I pretty much have a desk job too even though I travel a bit. This, too, is a hard question to answer because it depends on how you want to do physical therapy. I did 2x/day at Howard Head and with all the cpm, laying on your stomach, etc. I think it would be difficult to work and recover quickly. I credit my fast recovery to my commitment to physical therapy and working on my own. 6 weeks may seem like a long time but I know I wouldn't be this far along had i not made the time commitment up front.

Feel free to email me directly -- almcz@aol.com. I would be happy to answer any questions for you.

April