Countdown is still on....

I really can't believe I am doing this surgery thing. I just walked a mile yesterday around the city and I loved it! Then, I realized...oh shit. In four days that leisurely stroll will be a thing in the past for a while. The thought of having to just crutch around has a suck factor. But, I am going to force myself to think of the positives....Here we go...

1. Wheeling around in a chair and get great parking spaces...
2. Develop amazing arm muscles, something I have been in search of for years yet never found.
3. Really get to perfect my lounging skills, although, I find myself not needing too much help with this one.
4. No dress clothes for more than a month. This is pretty high up there in the positive list. I have my sweats lined up already!
5. Catch up on all my trashy entertainment magazines (I mean who doesn't want to hear the latest crazy on Charlie Sheen....).

Others reading, please feel free to add some positives to your list...I would love to hear them.

Today, on my last saturday prior to surgery, I am going for another walk. Woo hoo...Big day for this girl!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Sunday and relatively calm....

It is Sunday, March 13 and I have a little over a week to go before the big day. Last week, I was a nervous wreck...trouble sleeping, worried about the pain, etc.

Once I had my pre-op with Dr. Millis and his awesome staff, I realize that I am in the best hands and the other side of the surgery is all recovery. Recovery....a really important thing for all of us not to lose sight of. For years, I haven't had recovery but rather the opposite. I have been going downhill with my quality of movement and life with my bad hip. It was never going to get better on its own, no matter how hard I want to believe I can live with it and saying, "oh, its not that bad." The truth is, it is bad. The hip is going to continue to hurt, break down and become riddled with arthritis. With that said, the alternative with this surgery is the hope to salvage my hip and become close to 100% as I can ever remember.

So, I guess, that is why I am calm today. I am looking forward to recovery, although long so I can walk more than one mile at a time, pain free. So I can work out at the gym without worrying about the aftermath of pain. So I can do things that I always hesitated to do because of the fear of pain and not rely on a bottle of aspirin or pain relief medication.

The recovery is going to be long but I am so tired of same old same old with my hip. I am just grateful I have a top 10 doctor in one of the best areas of medicine in Boston who has promised he will help me. What more can I ask for?

So, if anyone is here thinking about surgery, worrying if you should or shouldn't, just think of the other side...and trust me... I AM THE BIGGEST BABY EVER! I hate pain, I am afraid of all of it, but the thought of running just because I can is just the best thought ever!

On a side note, I will be able to watch NCAA basketball in my hospital room...so yay for that! I always try to take time out of work to watch, so it looks like I have a reason to sit on my ass and watch!

Happy Sunday everyone!

One step closer now that pre-op visit complete....

So, the day has come and gone. I had my pre-op visit anesthesia crew and my surgeon and staff in Boston.
First up was my stop with the anesthesia crew at Beth Israel. I must say, I expected a little more information there but then again I am the type of person that expected a walk-thru of the surgical area and room, which clearly did not happen and was not going to.
The woman in charge of telling me what to expect was super nice and very patient with me, as I had what seemed to be 100 questions. While I am not thrilled with any of this, it was nice to hear how anesthesia has evolved over the years for the better and that I will fall asleep much quicker than I would years ago. Apparently once they wheel me through the doors to the operating room I will be out seconds later. The less I see, the better I guess.
I learned that with my surgery I will definitely have an epidural. I was a bit worried about a needle in my spine but fun fact alert....the needle actually does not go into the spine yet on the side of it and it is very topical in terms of where they put it into you.
What I was not thrilled to hear from Dr. M was the amount of "things" I will have attached to me after the surgery.

Here is what we got:

2 IVS
1 drain tube from the side of the top of scar
1 catheter
1 epidural line

All of it is just gross, but it is what it is at this point. After hearing Dr. Millis' enthusiasm for how much this surgery will help and amazingly improve the quality of my life, I can't help but kinda getting a bit excited for all of this. Especially since I am happy to hear that when I first wake up the epidural will still be in so I won't have mind-numbing pain.

For a while, I have been Eeyore...the woah is me, this is going to suck...But, the reality is, this surgery is going to give my life back in terms of being able to freely walk, run and be active for the first time without pain in a very long time.

I would say the highlight of the entire visit was the "crutch walk" lesson. It was also a highlight for my mom, but for her it was a comedy highlight. Rewind three days ago when I picked up a pair of old crutches in my basement at home and "practiced" using them around the house. I was WAY off base as to how I was walking. Fast forward back to the lesson. I have learned that I will be moving quite possibly slower than a snail. As it is I have two speeds, slow and stop. Now I will adopt two new speeds, stop and reverse. I am not kidding, this crutch walking will be a true treat for all those watching this big kid move along.

Now with pre-op over, I focus on that dreadful day...my blood donation on Monday. Second one and final one. We all know how much I am looking forward to that to be over!

Have a great day everyone....

Ahhh...Hello Pre-Op and Charlie Sheen....

The day is here....my pre-op day! When it was booked a month ago I thought it was a long ways away. Now, it is here, which makes this surgery one step closer to real in my mind...yikes!

Tonight, while watching updates of Charlie Sheen (this guy has really lost his mind. Watching him is really like a train wreck, crazy to watch but you just can't look away...) I began to think of all the very important questions  to ask my doctor like: How long will the epidural remain after the surgery, how often will I have PT while in the hospital, what level of pain should I expect, etc... to the very trivial questions of: will I have a television in my room to watch March Madness Men's and Women's Basketball tournament because it is my favorite sport and tournament to watch, will I be able to wear my favorite tshirts to feel "like myself," etc....

I will report back with the latest information I obtain and obsess about after pre-op day.

Dr. Millis, I hope you are ready for me!

Donating Blood is the bane of my existence.

Hello everyone.
Well, I am ready to donate my second pint of blood tomorrow and low and behold I have been blessed with a fabulous cold. Of course all the experts say it is not allowed to donate while sick, so now I have only one more option available before surgery. This is lovely! Can you sense the sarcasm? My hope is that I have at least two pints available before surgery.
So, that is my post for the day....riveting, I am sure.

This week is full...

Blood donation Monday.

Pre-op Tuesday.

Updates sure to follow....

Humor with PAO....

Hello all my PAO friends! My name is Kelly and I am beginning a PAO blog. The goal of this blog is to be informative yet humorous through this process. You see, I realize that while I have been sulking around thinking about my upcoming surgery, I must maintain my humor, because clearly, even though I have been dreadful while counting down to the big day, my comments have made my friends laugh.

Now, while I do think I am funny (for the most part), I did not think my struggles with my blood donation for the surgery was a laughing matter...clearly the laugh was at my expense...So, as all you PAO post-surgery people out there know that you have the option to donate two-three pints of your own blood prior to surgery. While I hate needles, I figured, what the hell. I am going to be poked, prodded and violated by numerous needles in the hospital, soooooo what the hell is one needle every seven days for three consecutive weeks. Let me tell you what one needle is for a big baby like me...a DISASTER. Apparently, the first time I went to donate blood, the needle just couldn't find its way into one of my many veins in my arms. The volunteer stuck me about 5 times and to no avail, nothing. I was sent home. No blood given from me but plenty of painful needle attempts to me. The second donation was a success with one pint of painfully given red whole blood for my upcoming surgery. One down...two more to go!

So, the specifics of my PAO...

I was born with congenital hip dysp., both hips.

My right one corrected itself. The left one did not want to cooperate.

Fast forward 32 years later...I am 33. I have the classic symptoms of a limp, pain/annoying hip after walking less than a mile, etc.

I live in Boston and was suggested by my primary care doctor to schedule an appointment with Dr. Michael Millis at the Children's Hospital. Little did I know what a top notch doc he was...He accepted me as a patient and shortly after that...a surgery was scheduled.

I am going to pre-op on March 8th. I am going into surgery on March 23rd...

And now...the countdown is on...Blood donations don't fail me now!