It has been almost eleven months since my first PAO, and five months since my second one. I'm doing well. I walk 1-2 hours a day, five-six days a week, and am usually on my feet while I'm working. For the most part, I don't have very much trouble. The biggest nuisance is the nerve damage resulting from the surgeries. Before my surgeries, the surgeon told me that four people in every hundred have nerve damage following the surgery. I'm one of those. There are a few frustrating things:
1. Showers - These can be miserable. Sometimes, if the spray of the water is on the wrong setting, the feel of it against my legs anywhere between my hips and knees is really uncomfortable and stings. Shaving is scary because I can't feel my legs, and so I have to watch really closely so I don't cut myself.
2. Some Games - You know those games where if such and such happens, you get to wail on a person and like smack their legs or whatever? Those are awful. It's not a big deal if it's my arm or my shoulder or back or my lower legs, but it produces a terrible, searing pain in my thighs and stings really badly.
3. Cold Weather - Why did I move North? It makes the pain worse. It doesn't just make the nerve pain worse, but the actual surgery site as well. It all but freezes the screws in my body.
4. Heat - When my hips hurt, sometimes I apply a heating pad. This is all fine and well for my hips, but my nerves don't like it and they sting. This stinging isn't like the others. It's bearable, just obnoxious.
Sometimes my hips still pop in and out of place. This happened on Saturday while I was on set working on a film. I happened to be on a ladder. It was kind of scary and hurt, but after a little while, I limped around like it was no big deal. It happened again a few days ago walking home from work. I sat down for a little while and popped it again, and then limped slowly home. That one was more scary because there weren't many people around and it was cold out. I still can't lay on ne side for more than ten minutes, but it's only been five months since my second surgery, so that's normal.
Well, there's an update on what the average PAO with sciatic nerve damage looks like.
