Yesterday I had some x-rays taken prior to my review with Jit. The X-rays show good early bony healing to 2 of the 3 cuts that were made to my pelvis during surgery. Unfortunately the fracture line in the ischium (the sit bone) is still apparent and therefore not stable enough for me to completely come off crutches yet. Jit explained that during surgery he injected a bone stimulant to promote bone growth. As the ischium is so deep it would not have had the benefit and needs more time for bone to develop and close the gap between the two edges. It does explain why I get a sharp pain in my right buttock if I put too much weight through my right leg so it's at least a couple more weeks with a single crutch for me.
I spoke to Jit about the altered sensation in my right lateral thigh and he confirmed that it is a result of some damage to the Lateral Cutaneous nerve of Thigh, which is unfortunately a common side effect of the PAO surgery. He is pleased that the sensation is slowly returning even if it causes me sharp pain and discomfort at times.
Otherwise Jit is happy with my progress and I am allowed to gradually increase my loading with exercise, focusing on building quadriceps and gluteal strength. I have started to ride my bike and it feels great to be out and about and no longer stuck in my lounge room on the exercise bike. My fitness has taken a big hit with doing minimal exercise over the past two months, and it did feel as if my heart was going to explode while riding up a small incline. But I guess I need to start somewhere. I am not one to focus on things such as weight and a number on a scale however I have recently been more aware of my appearance and have felt self conscious. I figure it is probably because I am currently the heaviest I have ever been. I can pretend that it doesn't matter but I do feel disappointed in myself. My rational brain tells me "it's okay.. you have had major surgery and you needed to take some time out" but being someone who prides myself on being healthy it is very hard to keep the negative comments out of my head. I am writing this, not for your pity, but to highlight that surgery is not just a physical thing and there is an emotional rollercoaster that goes with it. I will continue to take small steps towards my goal of being "me" again with another layer of resilience added.
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