Switching Sides

I’m trying to come up with titles that catch your attention and make you open my blog post. Did this one get ya? I’m hoping it did, but I’ve never been too great about hooking an audience with a title, so I’m not holding my breath.

Anyway, chances are your assumptions are wrong when it comes to what this post is all about. Mostly because previously I’ve given absolutely no indication as to the issue I’m about to discuss. Which is kinda weird. I usually talk about stuff like this. But I was so uneasy about the whole situation that I didn’t want to put anything out into the universe until I had more information.

As many of you know, I have had more than my fair share of hip surgeries in my lifetime. All on my left hip. Quick rundown? I broke my hip in college and had surgery. It didn’t heal so…another surgery. I refractured it so…another surgery. Then like 10 years later it was still giving me trouble and they discovered a labral tear (P.S. Siri just autocorrected “labral” to “Labrador”) so…another surgery. I retore it so…another surgery. They removed the hardware from my initial set of surgeries…another surgery. I think there was another one thrown in there, but I’ve lost count. I really think the number is 7. So 7 surgeries on my left hip.

But here’s the funny thing. That was my GOOD hip. In high school it was always my right hip that kept me on the sidelines during my cross country career. And it’s never really resolved, the left hip has always just been in the spotlight.

Anyway. Fall 2019 and I’ve finally had enough. I visited my orthopedist in Arlington and got an MRI and sure enough, I had a labral tear in my right hip. As well as significant impingement. So I did PT and then I had a cortisone injection and then enter Corona Virus.

Well I’ve had enough enough for realzies this time. The pain is just so bad. It’s starting to bother my lower back and now even my ankle is screwed up from compensating for my hip. It’s pathetic. My mood is tanked. Sitting hurts so much that by the end of the day all I want to do is lay down and then I fall asleep and then I feel like crap about myself because I’ve wasted hours and hours of my life. To say that this injury is significantly hindering my quality of life is an understatement.

So last week I broke down and scheduled an appointment with my awesome orthopedist and made the journey down to Arlington yesterday afternoon. I was super anxious. I didn’t know if he was going to want me to try PT again or give me a shot or suggest surgery or make me get another MRI (I had a speech prepared as to why I would refuse to get ANOTHER MRI). Lots of unknowns.

So he came in and did his exam and said it had gotten a lot worse since the last time I had come in. I told him all the issues I was having and he had good news. “I can fix that, Brittany.” PRAISE THE LORD.

It means surgery, but I don’t care. I’m over this thing and I know that surgery can work and I trust him. He’s the absolute best. And I’m all in.

And by all in I mean I even have my hip brace fitted and sitting in my bedroom. He even called in all my post-op meds and they’re ready to be picked up. All I’m waiting for is an actual date and time.

Now I have a matching set :)

I’ll be on crutches for 3ish weeks and in the brace for 6 weeks. I have to be extra cautious because of my EDS. I’ll be able to drive as soon as I’m off the hardcore drugs and can comfortably move my leg from pedal to pedal.

And that’s that. So yes, I’m switching sides. From left to right. But not in the way you might have thought ;-)