7 days post-op: brief update

Here's a short video update of my recovery and what was discussed during today's visit to the doctor's (first post-op appointment). I will be posting more detailed updates on how my first week post-op went, in addition to posting pictures from the surgery where you will see the damage to the cartilage and the tendon release.

5 days...

...to D-day and I'm freaking out. Copious amounts of alcohol will be consumed this weekend.

Oh I might have something to say after all

Geez I feel like a visitor on my own blog now. Before I started this post, I took some time to scan through all my previous blogposts and sadly noted that all I've written about since December 2009 is my injury. It's been that goddamn long. So many things have changed since then. I relocated to another continent, went through months of adjustment anxiety, quit my job because it was stressing the f*** (sorry) out of me, and felt quite shitty about not being able to run even half a mile before I clutched my leg in pain.

No, I still don't have a friggin clue what this injury is all about. I've been meted out many different diagnoses and have obediently followed every rehab advice each doctor has ever given me. I have been injected with cortisone several times and nothing except for a short 3-week phase of normalcy when they got my hip joint (let me tell you, a shot in the hip joint hurts like hell). Those were the most awesome 3 weeks EVER. But I was acutely aware that this meant something is not right with the joint.

Assumed analysis is labral damage, along with psoas tendon impingement. Assumed because my MR arthrogram shows none of this, but my doctor assures me that arthrograms are only 98% accurate. 98%??? Seriously, I have got to be one of the unluckiest people in the world. That's just awesome.

So the logical (more like the only option) next step is arthroscopic surgery. Mine will include psoas tendon release and poking around to check for labral tears, bone condition, and anything else that might look not normal around the hip area. Although I'm glad this procedure is not as invasive as open hip surgery, I'm also convinced it's not that small of a deal either. 3 inch and a half incisions and psoas release mean 4-6 months recovery time. If they do find labral tears, recovery will be more complex.

Fingers crossed. Let this be the end of it. Please.

Really??

"So it's not hamstring tendinopathy...hmm, your iliopsoas tendon looks swollen, hip tendonitis. Let's give you a cortisone shot."

Dear doc, can we please not play the guessing game and get this over with? It's been over 2 years for Christ sakes and my patience is running thin.

PS: I refuse to believe that a soft tissue injury can set someone back 2 years. Another round of MRAs are scheduled...please let it be a stress fracture so I'm not embarrased by all this time off running *prays*

This is harder than I thought

Between not being able to run for a while, temporarily living at a friend's place, working/Facebooking all day everyday, and depending on the hubby for everything, I admit to having screwy moments when I just want to go back to India. Just had to vent.

Same old same old

I know I haven't blogged in a long while, but unfortunately since I have temporarily halted running, there seems to be nothing interesting to write about :( I made this decision after a recent vacation (involving sitting long hours on airplanes) made the butt/leg pain come back ten-fold. Good thing is that I now have insurance and will be seeing my first doc on the 28th June. After that, I will decide whether to call the Toronto Lakefront Half quits or not. Not looking so good at the mo.

In the meantime, I haven't given my quest for a self-diagnosis and turns out I may not have piriformis syndrome at all. Ischial tuberosity/ischial bursitis is a big possibility. Anybody know know/hear anything about this?

In other news, I'm happy to report that my diet has changed for the better. Of course I'm still learning portion control but I think I might have overcome the 'fat hurdle'...nuts, fish, and even string cheese every now and then! I think this country is spoiling me.

Weighing in on the cholesterol

This morning, hubby woke me up at 5.30am to get ready for a mandatory health check-up at his workplace. I had been waiting to do a blood test forever just because I was super curious about what my cholesterol levels were. I was pretty sure I was well within the normal range, but it’s good to know anyway. Here are the results of the health check-up:

Weight = 120lbs (117 when I arrived in the US. Nobody believes me when I say I can put on a pound a day.)

Body Fat% = 18% (17% when I arrived. This is not looking good.)

Blood Pressure = 102/72 (Normal)

Cholesterol (total) = 141 (Good)

HDL = 33 (40mg/dL or lower indicates a major risk factor for heart disease. Crap, this is scary.)

Triglycerides = 61 (Normal)

LDL = 96 (100mg/dL or higher indicates a higher risk factor for heart disease. Normal)

Cholesterol Ratio: 4.3 (3.5 or less is desirable. HDL is the culprit in my case.)

Ok, so the truth is that I generally keep my overall fat intake low, which means that I’m inhibiting intake of good fats as well. I will now admit that I have a problem: fatphobia. I think avocadoes, nuts, olive oil, and all other good things will make me fat. I think this comes from years of being overweight and having had tough times getting down to a normal size. Although I have read enough to know that good fats actually help keep the weight down, I can’t bring myself to eat them. That will somehow now need to change.