My So Called Dysplastic Life

For the last 3 days, the old, familiar, grinding, limp-inducing pain has returned...BUT IN MY NON-OP HIP! That's right, in the hip everyone said would last me another 20 years before becoming symptomatic. It's the same pain. I haven't even been able to experience the pleasure of walking through the grocery store without crutches yet and it's the same bloody pain. Josh says I should not freak out about it b/c it could just be from over taxing that hip for the last 13 weeks. That hip is bearing the brunt of my weight....but I know the pain. IT'S THE SAME PAIN! I can't have another surgery right now. I need to work. I need to replenish my savings. I can't continue to pay the ridiculous premium my insurance carrier is charging me. I'm supposed to start school in January. I'm supposed to start my life. I know life isn't fair....but COME ON! Most of you don't know me or my life so far, but suffice to say, I've paid my dues. For wha...

Updated Scar picture for you. I don't really see a difference. I have been applying Palmer's Scar Serum. It has Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter and the same active ingredient as Mederma.

Sure, I almost gave myself heat stroke, but I am glad to report that my hip didn't hurt a bit. I just hope they all take. I'd hate to have to replant 30 mums.

Things are going well. I go to PT twice a week. Though I am still tired all the time, (more of a general malaise, really) my stamina is improving dramatically. I can cook dinner, do the dishes and bake bread in the same afternoon without breaking into a cold sweat and passing out from exhaustion, so that's nice. I'm getting back to normal. I can also sit at my desk, hunched over my computer screen, in a decidedly "hip unfriendly" position for hours on end. As that is basically what I'm paid to do, that too is good. I slept terribly last night though. Couldn't get comfortable. Tossed and turned. Very weird. I did have a particularily difficult PT session earlier that day, so maybe that was it. Oh, and I am sooooooooo over the crutches. But yes, I am still forcing myself to use them, as ordered. I have been drifting in and out of a post-surgical funk lately. I think I am just bored and frustrated and tired of the limitations. I was telling my PT guy ...

I am cool. BCBS finally came to their senses and paid my bills. For those of you who need to know, my insurance company was charged about 26,000$ for the hospital stay (4 days), $2400 for the anesthesia and $6,000 for the actual surgery. There were other numerous incedentals which probably added another $2000 to the total. I know cost is a BIG concern for the partially or uninsured. I am not sure if an uninsured person would be charged the same amounts. BCBS paid significantly less than what they were charged.

That at 68 days out from surgery I can finally shave my legs in the shower. And I mean, the whole leg, from the ankle up! No more sitting near the bathtub with my legs cast over the side trying frantically to reach my ankle with a razor without slicing off any skin. Thank God! Also, I started my PT on Friday last. It's fine. My first appointment was pretty lo-fi, more interview and stretching than anything. My last appt. was a bit more strenuous. They have this machine which is basically a seated eliptical machine. I was on level 6 of 10 and worked up quite a sweat. It felt so good to actually be able to move my body again and exercise. Then my PT guy stretches me out in about 20 different ways and ices down the hip. I have PT from now until the end of August, twice a week. Insurance Update: I am now having to call my insurance company every few days b/c they STILL haven't paid my hospital and surgery bill and it's been over 60 days! Last week, they finally list...

So, my brother is in town and we're having a grand old time. Yesterday, we decided to try the new Vietnamese place in town, Pho Bac. We get in there and the poor owner is trying to service about 10 tables himself. He brings our menus and explains to us that his new waitress called in sick and he's THE ONLY ONE IN THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT. He is both Cook and Waiter. The poor guy! We decided to stick it out. Well, after waitng a really, really, really long time, Josh's and my brother's food is brought to the table. Silverware, however, doesn't arrive. After about 5 minutes of us staring at their food, we see the owner walking toward us with 2 rolls of silverware in his hands. He stops short and gives them to the table next to us (they don't have food yet). Finally, I can't take it anymore. I say to the table, "I got it!" and I leap up and take about 4 strides around the table when I freeze. I forgot my crutches. They are propped up casuall...