I have not posted here on my blog for quite some time. I found that I could reach a larger audience on Facebook with the group I created called "Young THR". This group has been an inspiration to many as well as myself. I have learned so much and continue to learn from all the members in my group. If you find yourself alone and looking for a support group to help you with questions and to make friends going through THR.......I highly encourage you to join my group! Laura Here is the link and please ask to join the group! http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/358316260408/

Updates.......it's been awhile!

I cannot believe over a year has passed since my life changing operation.......my left THR. I actually FORGET that I ever had it done! The only time I remember I had a hip replacement is when (for example).....I accidentally slip and then I go into my protective mode and land on another another body part to avoid hurting that hip. The large bruise on my right arm I got from slipping on my motorboat's seat (chasing my 8 year old Mitchell who was taunting me as usual)...LOL. So..........yes, I am thrilled I am over the big hump and getting back to a normal life without the word "hip" being a daily/hourly/every minute thought in my mind.

Good and bad news....................the bad news first.....i got laid off from my preschool teaching position due to low enrollement :( Good news.............after sending out over 40 teaching resumes.................I got an interview and got the job for a head preschool teacher in a public school near Stoneham, MA! So.......twice as much money.........but the commute will be a bitch!!!!!! Over an hour each way (traffic in....no traffic home)......but, the good news.........I was chosen out of hundreds of applicants, so I can't complain.

We spent a week in Barnstable, MA on Cape Cod. Had fun.......lots of swimming, clamming and eating lobster. See pic of the view from our house above. Then, we headed to my lakehouse in Vermont and my best friend Debby flew up to visit for 4 days..........she's like my twin (born the same day, same hospital as me.......think the same thoughts). Went to the Cabot, VT cheese/dairy factory, laughed alot, swam and had a great time. I'll try to post more later......got to go pick up my daughter Maddie now who was just playing lacrosse in Maryland at the Club Championships. ....

to any newbies....

I've made a few new friends over at Hip chicks and I'd like to share my whole hip story with you...............all my posts are the very earliest ones on my blog (early 2009). They go from my hip story all the way through surgery and recovery. For anyone with CHD contemplating a hip scope..............please, please, please think very carefully about it and do your homework first. The more I know (and experienced first-hand)....scopes should not be done on those with CHD, especially if any arthritis is present. The outcomes are very poor for most. Lots of doctors out there are just not aware because CHD is not all that common and arthroscopy is so new to the hip world. I ended up with a total hip replacement due to lack of judgement by a physician in Boston who did a scope on me. I don't want to scare anyone, but I also feel the need to bring this subject to light because I have now read more than I care to about women like myself in the same boat.

Hip Chicks

I joined this new group called Hip Chicks.................yeah! Wish I had found them before my surgery.

hit with the flu..........

2 of my kids have the flu.......even though we all had flu shots. They probably have that pig disease I've been hearing about (lol). They just have fevers and feel crappy. I've been out of work all week due to illnesses including my own stomach bug at the end of last week. Hopefully, we can get all our "oinks" out of us before Thanksgiving and Maddie's play next weekend.

Just food for thought..........did you ever wonder if you can get transmit sickness from licking an envelope? I mean..........isn't it kind of gross to think that most people lick their envelopes and we then open them with our hands? I never really thought about that before yesterday. Hmmm.

Before & After THR Pics

5 months after THR Nov 9, 2009 (please ignore the lovely stretch marks)

June 5, 2009

hip update........

I haven't posted in quite sometime....and I apologize for not updating those hip friends of mine. For those weary of THR ......... as I was.....in the end, it's the best thing you can do for yourself if you have neverending hip pain. I am now out of physical therapy 3 weeks! I worked DAMN hard and am proud of it too. I have been completely pain-free for over a month and half. It's as if a fairy came down....waved her magic wand and everything was better. I have no limp and my scar is fading. It's still long and very apparent, but that will always be.

My journey has just begun.........while I hope for the best and that my new hip will last a lifetime, I have to be realistic that many things can happen over time. It may wear out or I may fall and hurt myself. For now, all is well and I do not think of my hip often. I am not reminded with each step that something is wrong. I walk like I did when I was a kid...............and that is truly a miracle!

Starting to cave in!

Yippee....heard some great news today that Obama is going to drop the "public" option which makes me very happy! If that were to happen.....companies would drop their private care and go public...thus leaving all the private insurance companies for only the very rich or go out of business entirely. It would have been a disaster to our country in every way possible.

His poll numbers were sliding.....so of course to save face, he had to do something. At least G.W. Bush held to his principles even when it wasn't popular to do so. I guess Obama really didn't believe in his healthcare plan in the first place if he's so willing to just drop it when his polls go down. Once again.........this just shows you the pathetic and manipulative man he is. Not surprising in the least I must say.

No new hips for old people?

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aGrKbfWkzTqc

This is something Obama wants in his plan...............to avoid procedures for the elderly including hip replacements. I don't know the situation with his grandmother and why they would give her one in her last few weeks of life, but we are going to allow this man to dictate who gets one and who doesn't? This is insane! I am 37 years old and just had a hip replacement. May god strike Obama down if my rights are taken away from me when I am older and my other hip fails or a I need another one in 20 years. What if I am diagnosed with terminal cancer........am I supposed to walk around in pain for 2 years or whatever my time was?

This is just another dictation of the biggest dictator America has ever known running this country. Telling the American doctor and patient what procedures can be done and when. We have enough of that with private healthcare. Although I have Blue Cross and for the most part......very happy with my HMO. They don't question my doctors orders. I've had 3 MRI's in 3 years, cat scans, 2 hip surgeries........the list goes on. I cost the healthcare system a lot of money. However, I get good and decent healthcare and I want it to stay that way.

We'll pay 'cash' for clunkers, but we won't 'cash' for new hips for old fogies? I guess cars are worth more than the elderly.

What can I do?

This is a question that has been on mind for some time now. As I sit back and watch the country being taken over by the most greedy, socialist, self-righteous and illegitimate president that I ever witnessed........I wonder.........what can I do? I'm just a wife, a mom of 5 kids, a teacher..........I am really just ONE person in a world filled with all different views, ideas and people. What can I do?

So, I asked myself this question and then it came to me..............do nothing. Sit back and watch this fool make a jackass out of himself. He is dying a slow death. I think the downfall of this president is what this country needs to get back on track........to see things the RIGHT way.....to take back our country and get rid of this cult-like liberal mindset our mainstream media has put out there for the generic and naive public to take in. Only then will things get changed. A new president (a Republican hopefully or at least a moderate democrat) to fix what Obama has made a mockery of. This is shameful America. Wake up! We can do some small things to make some change....... Blog about him......have debates with your liberal friends......vote for republicans in your local offices.........don't allow anyone to change your views because it's popular to do so. As Glenn Beck says......ask questions, get to know the key players and educate yourself on what is going on in this crazy world right now. Only then can we see clearly what needs to be done......but in the mean time, I just hope we don't all go down in flames with him.

bye-bye cane

I am 'almost' there...........cane and pain free. It was the first time I was walking around the kitchen getting dinner on the table and I realized that I had not picked up the cane. My gait was sort of normal! Usually, I walk like I am lopsided or have to take one serious dump. I can't believe I am tasting my freedom....freedom from walking funny, freedom from restrictions on what I can do and freedom from the stabbing pain I felt with every step I took. A day didn't go by for the past 2-3 years that I wasn't aware of my disability with every movement. I couldn't lie still at night or sit in a chair for more than 5 minutes without re-arranging myself and then eventually having to get up and move around only to have the pain stay there. It was like a ball of elastic bands being pulled in every direction with a few pins stuck inside that would jab me when I put my weight on it. It would ache...sometimes so much so that I would cry (even with meds) and sometimes it was that dull ache that never subsided. It's as though I am living a dream now....something I never thought possible for myself. I was relegated to practically living a sedentary lifestyle...unable to keep up with my kids or my well-being.

For anyone on the fence about have a total hip..........don't wait. Get the best surgeon and get it done NOW before BHO takes over your medical affairs. My timing couldn't have been better............but I worry that the day will come (as in Canada) that many surgeries such as mine will make sufferers wait many months or even years to have theirs done. I read a book called "Getting Hip" in which a Canadian woman in her 40's had to come to New Jersey to have her hip replaced in a timely fashion. Good 'ol universal healthcare up there in Canada. God I hope this reform does not take place here.

my new mode of transportation....

the cane! Mine even has green plaid, so I am really cool....lol. The hip scar is coming along nicely. I have this awesome PT who is at Live Free Physical Therapy in Groton, MA. She gave me a soft tissue massage to decrease the scar tissue under the incision and help with the elasticity of the skin and movement. I will probably be going about 2x per week for the next couple of months. I still walk with a limp but it is not as noticable. I'm battling allergies now which I never had before in my life.........not sure where they are coming from. I wake up stuffed up and then it drains into my chest and sits there all day. Not fun. I am hoping it's due to all the nasty rainy days with pollen & mold. My biggest fear is that I am allergic to my new titanium hip which would really SUCK. They say that is not at all likely, but with me........anything is possible.

Just found out I will be working less hours in the Fall :( This is due to lower enrollment than expected. I still will teach the PM class and I start teaching art classes at the school as a side job, so I think in the end...I won't be losing out too much. This economy is affecting everyone....I'm just starting to feel the ripples.

While I'm here though...........since it is MY blog and some people don't like that I express my opinions on politics....I just want to say that I am very happy that the Cambridge police officer accused by Obama as acting "stupidly" is getting his revenge. Obama should have recused himself from opening his trap on that issue. Racial profiling? We have a black governor here in Mass and a black president in the U.S. Something tells me the country is not very prejudiced anymore. I am so tired of listening to the ranting of black leaders telling us that they don't have equal rights. I wasn't a part of slavery or injustice. Neither are my parents. Stop the whining and move on. I think the white police officer ought to tell Obama to take the beer he offered him and shove it up his *&%$#. Got that off my chest.

X-Ray Magic!

Tah-dah! Pretty cool, huh? I am now "officially" the bionic woman. The dr. said it looked perfect and all was well at my 6 week follow-up appt. in Boston on Tuesday. I have graduated to a cane now (lovely)....for 4 more weeks to get rid of my limp. A limp is fairly normal after hip surgery and it usally painless and will just go away in 3 months or so. I need to build up my hip muscles to make it remember how to walk normally again and have the strength to do it. I start outpatient PT today. I found a great place a few miles from home and will be doing that 2x per week for the next month or so. Maybe some pool therapy after that. I don't have to go back to Dr. Burke until next year! Yippee!

I'm home now from Vermont for a few weeks now and have been busy carting the kids off to camps. My computer died 2 days ago and Dell came out and replaced my mother board and hard drive the next day (way to go Dell...with all my original programs pre-loaded on). My computer works better than before.......but my old hard drive may be junk and I may be unable to retrieve many of my photos from the past 12 months :( I am having it analyzed now and will know soon what I need to do or pay to get it back.........it's always something!

almost over :(

I am in good spirits and getting better each day! Here I am at my cottage in Vermont :)

I'm still here in beautiful but (rainy and cold lately) Vermont.....and my mini-vacation recoup time is almost up. We are leaving Sunday afternoon. My parents were wonderful to make all my meals and care for my children. They haven't asked for a thing in return. I am trying to think of something they would appreciate from us since they would probably not accept money. I think our leaving is due time and we've outstayed our welcome...that might be gift enough for them....LOL. I am grateful to my parents and husband, my doctor, my kids, .......everyone who has been there for me through this very unique and difficult period in my life. Every day is better than the next! My incision is completely healed and only a pink long line exists. I am limping less each day and can walk further each day. I am amazed that I don't even have an ounce of pain! This is WAY better than I expected to be in such a short time (6 weeks). It is still hard to imagine being able to go back to work in September.....but in one month, I know things will be just that much better.

great to see my friend!

no....I'm not talking about my period. LOL. Debby...my best friend from HS came up to Vermont from Philly this weekend. We went to Clark's Trading Post (photo above is my little guy Brody (age 4) holding his pretend money with the "wolfman" on it) over in Lincoln, NH, mini-golfed at Mr. Puttz, sunbathed, swam (I had to watch because I don't have permisson to swim yet) and had a great lunch right on Lake Champlain at Breakwaters. Super fun and lots of laughs. We're gonna try to do this every year we decided.

I haven't felt any pain in my hip and I walk better each day. I still limp pretty badly and am hoping this is just due to my muscle weakness and over time will improve. I see Dr. Burke at Mass General next week and hope to have my precautions lifted and can just use a cane instead of crutches. I think things will go well as I feel like a new person. No drugs, no pain........wow...I'm still in disbelief this really worked.

quickie update...

I'm still here in Vermont at the lakehouse......the weather has been crap until today. We finally had one whole day without rain. The big fireworks show is tonight here at the lake (the family that puts it every year does it the day after the 4th for money reasons). My hubby Dave left with Joey and the Bogey to go home :( I miss them already. Maddie is sick with a stomach bug :( I am feeling pretty good. I am completely off drugs except for aspirin...yeah! I did go through some withdrawal symptoms...but my hip feels like a million bucks. Not even one tiny twinge of pain! A++++ surgeon and operation. I am very happy I went through all of it.....sometimes you just have to face what life throws at you. I was scared as hell to go through with it....but it wasn't fair to my family anymore or to me. I feel very brave and am proud of myself.

New incision picture!

The steri-strips are gone! They were peeling off and getting really nasty dirty...so I couldn't take it anymore and removed them. Some had even been falling off on their own in my pants (yes, gross). So.......tah-dah!!!!!! I think it's perfect.........no stiches, just a line that is closed up. No redness or purplish coloring. I am really surprised how well it looks in just 23 days since surgery.

The other stuff you see on my thigh is just the adhesive glue that is stuck on my skin from the original bandages. I have to scrub that off...but it's pretty hard to do.

At the lake!

I made it to the lake with all 4 kiddos. It's nice to be here and the weather is amazing today. We went to Walmart (woo hoo! lol...big excitement around these parts) and walked the entire supercenter! I had an incident in the changing room as I was trying on some shorts (the stretchy, cheap kind that I can wear right now so I am comfy sitting)...and I couldn't get them on. I realized after I'd taken my other pants off....I couldn't reach down to pull on the other shorts! So, the nice lady who worked in the changing room.....offered to help. She had an oxygen tank and had her knee replaced. She was so kind. I don't think I have ever come across someone so nice and willing to help someone they barely knew. It's nice to know there are people left like that! Anyways.......I also got a raised toilet seat for the back house (we have two houses here at the lake and only one commode). I had to cart around a raised toilet seat in Walmart...does it get any lower than that????? LOL.

I just made it back up from the dock to the house and now heading off to get some fresh produce at Four Corners Farm :) I am getting in and out of cars well now and my hip is virtually pain-free.........it's just unstable. My other hip hurts more because of all the strain I have to put on it. I hope I won't have to get that one replaced too :( I am down to 2 darvocet in the morning! I am almost completely drug-free and I barely even noticed since I feel so great. I see the light at the end of the tunnel!

almost at the lake!

We are leaving in 2 days for our lakehouse in Vermont. My parents will be taking care of me and the kids (they have been saints). Dave is coming up to for the weekend and then has to go back home on Sunday to work. I really have been lucky with all my family support at home. They cook, clean, take care of the kids, get groceries......I couldn't ask for more! I kind of feel like a kid again...being taken care of. It's been so long since I'm not the caretaker. While I feel pretty darn good for someone who just had their hip replaced 19 days ago, I still feel vulnerable because I can't lift things and can't walk without my crutches. I still stay home most days just reading, watching movies or going online. It has rained for over a week solid........that does not help me to get out there and walk. My Dad is beside himself with boredom.......he keeps asking "So when do I get to leave?????". LOL.

I took my first 'standing up' shower since my surgery. I had been using a shower stool, but I just never felt completely clean using that thing. It felt great to stand there, but I held onto the shower bar. All very tiring though and my back hurt afterwards.

I heard some sad news today about a musician named Jay Bennett. I didn't know who he was until today because I don't really follow obscure indie music. His story was just sad and it hit close to home. He died while using a painkiller (the patch called fentanyl which was recalled at one point). They are not sure if he OD'd using the recalled patch (or newer version) as the old ones had a tendency to leak into the bloodstream causing breathing problems and even death. He had been petrified of his upcoming total hip replacement (due to his stage antics...jumping around and fell). He was quite depressed about it and wrote it on his Myspace blog. He also didn't have health insurance to cover the operation and had been trying to scrape up the money for it (I do have health insurance....and mine was totally covered). I can't imagine having to worry about finances too! I just for some reason felt really bad for this guy who was just 45 when he passed. It's just scary to think that life can just leave you like that at any time. Part of the reason for my blog is just that..........to help people who are dealing with the depression of hip surgery. It truly can be terrifying and depressing in the years, months and weeks prior to and after the surgery. I know because I've been there and I want to share that everything usually does turn out ok in the end. It's OK to feel anxious and depressed. It's all normal!

feelin' good!

Things are going so well! I feel great..........need less meds and getting ready to head to our lakehouse in Vermont on Friday (June 26th) to finish up my rehabililation with my parents and kids. The worst pain is in the mornings, but once I do take my meds...I feel fine and can walk around (with the crutches still of course)..but more and more I can do things with a little more finesse and confidence.

Mickelson is in 3rd place in the US Open! 5 behind, but hopefully he'll have a hot round today. I've been watching every minute of it since there is really no where for me to go.