Periacetabular Osteotomy (PAO): The Day of Surgery

         I recently got out of the hospital after undergoing a major hip surgery called a periacetabular osteotomy. When I checked into the hospital, and got into my gown, they gave me a narcotic, anti-inflammatory, a pill to fight nausea, and a pill for nerve pain. Then they gave me an iv with a sedative. Following that, they gave me an epidural and took me into the operating room where they gave me an oxygen mask and a general anesthetic. I woke up about three and a half hours later in the recovery room.

         When I woke up, there were four nurses around me, and one of them told me that the surgery had gone really well. I am not a severely emotional person, but I immediately began to cry. The nurse asked if it was because of pain, and I said no. She asked if there was anyone in the waiting room I wanted to see and I said that my mom and dad were both out there. She told me that only one of them could come back, and that I would have to choose. It didn't really matter to me, but I figured that my mom, being a mom, would be more emotional than my dad and would really want to see me, so I told the nurse to bring my mom back.

         I cried until I got to my hospital room, and was able to get my emotions under control. A nurse wheeled my bed to my room and in the elevator asked what was wrong. I took a deep breath, and with tears rolling down my face, told her:

        "I'm just so grateful. I have this great family here for me, and a great family and friends at home supporting me and waiting for word that I'm doing well. And I had a great surgeon, and everything went well. and I have great nurses and people taking good care of me here. And my best friend texted me before surgery to wish me good luck and he is just always there for me. I have this huge support system. I'm just a very lucky girl."

        The nurse told me that I'm a very sweet girl, and when we arrived in my hospital room where my parents, an uncle and a cousin were waiting, she told my mom that.

        It took me a little while to completely come out of it. I cried again because my two brothers, Brett and Jake, both texted my dad to see how I was. Brett asked, "is she in pain?". Dad asked me, and I said that I was not. Then, Brett asked, "is she happy?". And that made me sob with immense gratitude and love. And I wished with all my heart that he and Jake were be there. I felt my brother's love for me very strongly through that question.

       That day, I remained hooked up to an iv, which gave me pain killer as frequently as every 10 minutes when I pressed what I fondly called my "happy button". I also still had my epidural, so I was numb from just below my chest to my toes, and was given other oral medications every few hours. I also had x-rays taken, and met with one of the anesthesiologists, who talked to me about how I was feeling and what to expect over the next couple of days regarding my medications and pain in general.

        The worst thing about the first day was the nausea. I threw up somewhere between six and eight times, mostly water. I tried eating an almond, two dried cranberries and a very small bite of shortbread and one bite of asparagus the entire day, and didn't keep any of it down. The pain was always there, but it was a five or six on a 1-10 scale, so it was tolerable.
     
      And that was my first day.

Two Days Away from PAO Surgery

        I have hip dysplasia. That means that I have a shallow hip socket, and that when my femoral head attempts to rotate inside the acetabular (socket), that it causes pressure and pain. My hip also tends to dislocate quite a bit because of the dysplasia.
        To cure the hip dysplasia, I have to have a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) in each hip. A PAO involves cutting into the hip, rotating it so that it gives me better coverage and stability, and enlarging the acetabular by grinding away some of the bone. Three-five 4" screws will also be inserted into my hip. This video gives a little more information on the surgery.

 

        I have been waiting for this surgery for four months, and now, here it is, two days away, scheduled for December 18th. There are so many questions I have about the recovery and my time in the hospital. And I can't find the answers to these questions online anywhere. People ask me about my surgery all the time, and I hope that this blog will increase their understanding. I also want to help individuals who will have this surgery after me.

 

       People ask me if I'm excited. I wouldn't use the word excited. I'm scared, not because of the surgery, but because I feel like I'm losing my independence and privacy, and because I feel like instead of being kind Aubrey or Sweet Aubrey, or Talented or Smart Aubrey, or even Sarcastic and Stubborn Aubrey, I'm becoming Gimpy Aubrey.

 

       But I am ready for this surgery. I feel very strongly that this is something that I need to do, for myself, but also for my future family. It's a few years in the distance, but someday I'm going to have a family of my own, and I want to be able to carry a child for more than ten minutes without being in pain, and I want to be able to run and play with my children. I want to have normal pregnancies, and walk around the house without limping. I want to be able to scrub my kitchen floor. So, I'm doing this more for my future kids than I am for me.

 

       People have strengthened me so much along the way, and I know that they will continue to. I am very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. This morning, my parents and I will leave New Mexico, and drive to the University of Utah Othopedic Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Last night, I had four people come to tell me goodbye, and another person call. I also have another sweet friend who I found out is on her way over now. I have received care packages and cards already, and I haven't even had the surgery yet. I am so very blessed to have the incredible support system of friends and family that I have. They have strengthened me so very much and I don't know what I would do without their constant care and love.