6 Days Post Op

Today was a great day.  I had my first follow-up appointment and was eager to meet with Dr.Ho again.  I was able to take a shower again and fended much more gracefully this time around.  As I was allowing my incision area to get some air, I snapped a picture.  The was the first real glance I managed to take since I am typically so queasy.  The red area is some sort of reaction to the surgery dressing, it doesn't bother me.  I can hardly believe the surgical skills of the doctors to be able to make such progress with such small entry points.

We made it to his satellite location and played the waiting game, again. 

 Barb, his nurse, removed the sutures, and eventually Dr. Ho saw me and allowed my questions to guide our appointment.  Without my prompting, he informed me that I'd be able to begin physical therapy fairly soon.  This was music to my ears.  I was worried I would have to beg and plead for a more aggressive recovery, but it seemed obvious to him that I was ready.  He let me know that I am probably ahead of schedule in comparison to other patients, but I still need to be very cautious.  He wants me on crutches for another 3 weeks and says I can drive when I feel I am ready.  I've been off the pain meds since Day 2, but I am not ready to give it a try for at least another week.  He believes I will be more than ready to return to work on April 7th, but would like to see my sit 50% of the time, limit my walking during the day, stay out of the hallways, still use my crutches during work, and try to ice with a freezer pack at least once during the work day.  

He also reviewed the pictures that I was given from my surgery and specifically discussed my case.  Dr. Ho said I was lucky we caught this "so early" to which I responded, "2 years is early?"  He said, "Well, whatever you've been doing, you did something right."  I was kind of surprised to hear this since I really did push through a lot of pain over the last few years, but thankfully I didn't do too much damage.  He said that there was noticeable bruising and irritation inside the hip area from the CAM impingement.  

Despite all the rubbing, only a partial tear was formed and with the excess bone now gone, he said the tear should actually heal itself.  I was glad to hear this.  The psoas was also then rubbing from the other side causing more irritation and he was able to release that, which will also make movement much easier for me. I did ask him how likely it is that something is going on with my left hip and was disappointed when he reminded me that the body is often symmetrical and it would not surprise him if I see issues on the left side at some point in my life.  At the same time, however, he reiterated that physical therapy for both sides should help if there are any early signs of problems on the left side.

All in all, I came away from the appointment overjoyed.  I hope to schedule my PT for Monday and will have my first day alone tomorrow.