i guess i'm hip

Yesterday, I had to leave work early to go see my hip surgeon, Dr. Millis. It has been several years since I last consulted with him, because of various health insurance problems. But I was glad to get to have a checkup with him, because my hips really have been bothering me. As is customary, I went in for x-rays before the actual appointment. I got there at 2:50 for what was an appointment schedule for 2:45 (stupid trains...I left work at 2! it's supposed to be a 20-minute ride). I didn't actually see the doctor until 2 hours later. However, he's wonderful & entirely capable, and totally worth the wait. Every single patient of his raves about how much they love him. So while I had hoped to get out of the hospital earlier than 5:30, I still made the movie in time (more about that later) and met & bonded with another patient who had been through a PAO, so I wasn't complaining too much.


When I did finally have my appointment, I was surprised to see that it was with both my doctor & the physical therapist (who I usually only see after my hip checkups). It turns out that there isn't nearly as much structural bone damage as I had been thinking (it really felt like there was!) so much as it is muscular, and has a lot to do with my poor posture. Those who know me probably notice that I walk with my ass sticking out a little bit. That ends up causing bad support throughout my entire body. So what the doctor & PT want me to work on are exercises and stretches that will help me strengthen my lower abdominal muscles, so that I am "organized" more stably, and am walking and moving correctly. That, they believe, ought to help ease a lot of my hip pain! Hurray!

I'm well aware that a total hip replacement is imminent at some point in my life, but the doc wants to stave that off at last for the next few years. I am hoping that this PT will really help me carry myself so that I can even eventually do away with the cane again! (I have to admit, a tiny part of me was hoping he would say I should start looking into a hip replacement, because I know that will be the first time maybe in my life that I'll have "normal" hips and be able to bend and flex in ways I never have before! He does, however, want me to start consulting with THR surgeons, so that everyone can keep an eye on me and so we'll all know when it's really time for one.)

So, I was sent home with some exercises and 2 more upcoming appointments: one in a couple of weeks to re-consult with PT, and one in 2 months to re-consult with Dr. Millis. They want to see if this muscle-building really is going to do the trick for me. I'm hoping that's the case.

The last and weirdest thing for me was that I was also sent home with the instruction to take 1200mg of Ibuprofin a day! (600mg in the morning, and again at night.) I feel kind of weird doing that...I've never been huge on taking medications, and I rarely take painkillers. I had been doing so a bit more often recently, because of hip pain, but even then "often" was maybe 400mg once a week. This seems like so much! I don't know how my body will react. I know Ibuprofin is really mild and probably won't do anything (except thin my blood? no, nevermind, that's aspirin), and I know it's an anti-inflammatory so should help with my arthritis, but still...it seems strange to me to be taking it every day, even when I'm not hurting. It's probably partly a preventative measure, but...I still don't feel 100% comfortable about it. I had a hard enough time being okay taking oxycontin post-op back in 2004! I am not so worried about becoming addicted to Ibuprofin...but maybe I am a bit worried I'll become dependent on the pain-free-ness of taking it regularly...?

I suppose I just need to think of it like taking a multivitamin every day, which I currently do. It's supposed to be helpful, and more of a supplement than a crutch (either in the supportive or restrictive roles). I'll give it a go. As they said in the movie last night, "[It] can't do any harm, right?" (Or something along those lines....)

And yes, to return full-circle, Bethany & I finally got to see Gone, Baby, Gone in theaters! We were able to put together this exciting afternoon with the entire plot of the story. And, I got to see my most favorite actor, Casey Affleck, take one of his first real leading roles (and do amazingly with it!). Oh my goodness -- I've said it before & I'm sure I'll say it again: I love those scrappy Irish boys! xoxo

p.s. In knitting news, there is a new post on Sweet Potato Knits.

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