Hip news .....

Good Evening! This morning was my doctor appt. w/my current hip surgeon. For my past two appointments I got stuck only seeing his PA, so I was really praying that things were different this time. We took x-rays, and Dr. M quickly came to the conclusion of recommending that we do the hip revision surgery. We talked a long time, reviewed the x-rays together, and discussed reasons to do it this summer – instead of waiting another year. I think I am his youngest patient … it was me & the seniors in the waiting room. He believes that my limping is due to the difference in leg length, which is something that can be fixed (pretty close to perfect) during the revision surgery. The ball and socket would be replaced, but not the shaft that is in the femur. The hospital stay is only 1-3 days, and 4-6 weeks of recovery . . . this is a lot shorter than the original recovery of 3 months. More physical therapy, of course! Glad I did not sell the scooter at work. He was not concerned w/my past healing issues, so really this should be fairly minor compared to the long, drawn out foot saga. As much as I was hoping for a quieter summer, I am somewhat relieved to have a plan in place and know that we are “getting on with it.” We scheduled the big day for Thursday, June 30th. Thankfully, my boss was gracious about missing the last week of summer camp. I told her that I will organize everything, before I leave! The technology has improved considerably, so there is a strong chance that I this may be it for life . . . implants have come a long way in recent years. I really prayed that God was make it evident, if I was supposed to do this now and it was obvious ….. I love it when you really know! I was going to go and get a second opinion, but there really is not a need for that now. I’ve talked to three other doctors over the years that have referred their parents to Dr. M for hip surgery, so I know he is one of the best in STL. Lots to still process & think through, but wanted to keep you updated. Deep down I am relieved, but it still caught me “off guard” a bit today. Amazing enough, I drove back to work & walked in and worked with 120 kids the reminder of the day. Pray that my foot continues to do well & there are no other issues with that this Spring ….. May will be one year, since the last foot surgery. Will keep blogging ….. thanks for your continued prayers, as we combine foot/hip news. In Him, Jenny

Monday Update ....

Post #455 ...

Happy Monday! I am doing well with my toe and do believe that the achy feeling is going away little by little. I had off work today, which was wonderful! I can’t even think of the last time that I had a weekday off and did not have any medical appointments.

My hip has not been the greatest …. Not sure if we are getting closer to the time that it needs to be replaced or what is happening. I made two appointments for the next several weeks to get it checked out …. one appt. with my current hip surgeon and one appt. w/someone new. My limp is noticeably worse …. about eight parents commented to me about it on Friday & then two other people from church mentioned it last Wednesday. Two months ago my assistant at work told me that my jean pockets were not lining up. Mom measured my leg length last night and the “bad side” is about an inch shorter, which is a lot “off” when walking. Today I noticed that crossing my legs when sitting was uncomfortable, so maybe dealing with the hip will be my summer – we’ll see.

Last week I heard the CEO of Chick-Fil-A speak at a luncheon on Wednesday and then he came for a tour of JA on Thursday afternoon. Kids had just left and the place was a pit, so we scrambled to get it together. Chick-Fil-A is possibly going to help build a JA BizTown in Atlanta, Georgia sometime in the future.

Heading out for dinner ….. enjoy the sunny, St. Louis weather this week!
Jenny

Doing okay ....

All is going okay with the toe surgery “recovery.” I wore the surgical shoe for the first few days last week and then have resorted to whatever works day-by-day this week. It continues to be really sore and swollen, but I keep telling myself that yesterday was only one week. The toe has been very achy this week, so I’ve done a lot of Advil. Surely it will get better with time. I’ve not been able to exercise, as by the evening it is really swollen. Tonight I’m going to try soaking it in Epsom salt for a bit. Hopefully the achy feeling will subside as we get further out.

Yesterday I made the mistake of trying a silicone toe sock and that was rough – way too tight. Then I also tried wearing a pair of regular hose with a skirt and I was itching by noon. By evening I said to myself, “everything is coming off … hosiery, toe sock, bandage, etc.”

Everyday this week I’ve had people comment that I am limping ….. hard to tell if it is a difference in leg length w/my hip or the hurting toe. The latter sounds the most logical at the moment.

I’ve had big groups of kids everyday this week, so tomorrow I am trying a tennis shoe.

Thanks for checking in!

Toenail surgery done .....

I survived . . . many thanks to those of you that prayed today! It was a rough go, but I made it. We did six shots of Novocain & each was 25 minutes a part. I read on my Kindle, while waiting. After the last round, I said let’s just do it & get on with it …. then he worked on it for another 20 minutes, so I was there awhile. He must have asked me twenty-five times if I was okay. We chatted about all his “friend doctors” that he referred me to along the way. He wanted to know if everything else was good with my foot and I said, “you bet it is good!”

So if all goes as planned, the ingrown toenail should never return. The acid medicine does seep out for the next 4-6 weeks, so I do have to keep it covered. At least we did it now and not in May with summer around the corner. He warned me that the toe will look at lot worse in the weeks ahead, before it looks better – glad for the “heads up.”

At the moment, I can feel the toe throbbing w/pain, but it should be somewhat better by tomorrow morning – first night is always the worst. I’ll likely wear the surgical shoe for the next few days, just to make sure a kid doesn’t step on it or anything! Thanks again for praying & thinking of me … glad it is over. Will keep you updated ....

je