Lenore – 5ish Month Update, Following Rusty . . .

Yesterday I made an appointment with my doc to check out my left hip (the non-surgical side).  It’s clicking for about 8 weeks which wasn’t a big deal by itself.  The last month I’ve been getting IT band like aches which I attributed to getting used to my legs being the same length.  But the last few weeks on occasion and the last four days in a row . . . I was awoken in the middle of the night by leg discomfort, sudden pains from the left hip down to my knee either from my inner or outer thigh.  I’m hoping it’s just paranoia but I need peace of mind.  I called my PT for his opinion and he said let’s see what the doc says first.  This crap pain just feels so familiar, though, and I hate it’s impacting the hip I called “old reliable”.  My left leg dragged my right leg across many a finish line in the past.  I don’t want to see it go out of service.

There’s a lot of worse things in the world that can happen so I need to put possibly having a third hip surgery in as many years in perspective.  Another year or six months of recovery is nothing compared to my expected life span.  I didn’t get a new car like I was planning yet.  My job while sometimes life draining is secure.  I already have crutches and a cane.  Sitting down to shower is kind of alright.  I just replaced my bike stem and got my saddle at a comfortable angle.  I can still swim like a fish (albeit a slow, slow fish).  I still have scar healing bandages.  I proved I can successfully run to the bathroom to throw up painkillers and work from bed on New Year’s Eve within a couple of days of surgery.  If I need surgery by the time I can run I will have completely skipped one of the high participant age groups in my area, Female 40-44.  I could have an excuse to not swim breaststroke in swim practice.

My newest gym buddy had bilateral hip replacements and Dan’s recent post gives me hope.

But for tonight, I’ll be over here with my bottle of wine/whine.