Monday, November 4, 2013

17 months post surgery - recovery so far.

Random Thoughts...

Two days ago would have been my Dad's 87th birthday. He's been gone three years now and I miss him everyday .

I often wonder what my Dad would think of my life these days, the fates that have befallen me and the life choices I've made since he passed. He would have totally freaked out that I quit my good stable job to start a yoga studio. I know he was proud of my Yoga accomplishments - but make a living at it? He'd be skeptical at best. - and would have tried his best to talk me out of it.

I know for sure that he would have been so pissed about my faulty hip. He probably would have led the revolution to sue the hell out of the maker of that hip. Bill Cox would not have rested until his daughter was compensated for all her suffering and those poor bastards said they were wrong. Just the thought of my Dad's indignation at such things makes me smile. He always had my back - that's for sure.

Recovery Progress

Anyways - here I am at 17 months post- hip revision surgery. There becomes less and less to report on my progress— since progress at this point is slow. Any improvements now come at a snails pace. However I am finding out what is still not fully recovered and wonder if it ever will be.

Right hip external rotation is still very compromised. The weakness in the right buttocks (gluteus maximus, medius and minimus) is still weak. This causes instability in that hip and surfaces any time I walk for extended periods of time especially on uneven surfaces - like hiking.  Boy oh boy does my back and hips get angry when I hike. It takes me a good two to three weeks to recover. It makes me incredibly sad to think that I may never be able to hike again. Yosemite, Hawaii, the canyon below my house - potentially off-limits. I'll keep good thoughts that I can overcome this obstacle and that I will be able to hike in the future.

The 1/2 inch leg length difference seems to only exacerbate the hip instability problem and jack up my back. So I have to make sure that every pair of shoes I own has a 1/2 inch lift or the heels altered 1/2 inch to accommodate the leg discrepancy. The guy at the shoe repair shop knows me by name now. He asked if my insurance was covering the costs of the shoe repairs - I laughed - um No.

So I continue to work my Yoga practice to repair what the surgeons had to mess with to take out my metal on metal hip. Some days are good - I feel like I've made some progress and other days not. The good news is that there are more good days now than bad! As a result,  I am feeling more ready to MAYBE re-start up my yoga studio soon. I'm actually considering looking at places to lease. It's kind of exciting - but a little scary at the same time. I'm only able to teach so many classes a week - and I worry about that. What are my limitations and can I run a successful Yoga studio within them?

Awww...burning questions with no real answers...yet.

Namaste' Friends