Over One Year Since my First PAO

It's crazy to think that it has actually been over a year since my fist PAO. I remember basically everything. I remember all of the medical things that happened, as well as the emotional process.

At a little over a year, the right hip gives me more trouble than the left, which has been recovering for the last seven months. I still have nerve damage that makes the outsides of my thighs numb. The cold weather is terrible and it makes my hips stiff. Imagine how gears work when they are exposed to the cold and are not well oiled. My hips work similarly. I don't have the strength or flexibility that I used to have, and there is a lot of pain associated with trying to regain that strength. Sometimes my hips give out - it feels the way it feels when knees buckle. Occasionally I still pull out my cane for a little support. Mostly though, I'm doing okay. I'm glad I had this surgery, as well as the second one.

When I found out that I had to have this surgery, I was so angry. I thought that it was destroying my life. It was killing my dreams. But honestly, it has proved to be an enormous blessing. My life has changed completely since these surgeries - my identity has changed, my perspective on people and life has changed, and my goals are much different than they were a year and a half ago. My body still feels broken, and sometimes that feels devastating. But my soul feels stronger. These surgeries produced a crazy year for me, but that year has been a time of great self-discovery and learning.

I remember when I was preparing for my first PAO. I was scared. I wasn't afraid of the surgery itself. I was afraid because there were so many unanswered questions that I had, and I couldn't find the answers anywhere. For the curious individual, I have several other posts that describe my experiences. For now though, here are a couple images.

My leg in a CPM after surgery

My incision (seven inches) four weeks after surgery
right after having the dressing removed!!