Sorry - been awol....having a life !

ooops... missed a few weeks there - was off on a work trip to France which I'm pleased to report went well as it involved lots of trekking around airports and towns & cities - all of which the new hip coped brilliantly with. Even the now bad hip behaved itself. Then I had a lovely week on holiday and did lots of walking and a little cycling, and it continued to behave itself.. I love my new hip !!

I'm now 9 weeks post op (I think - just had to check the calendar which is a good sign) and it's not all about the hip - at last !! I'm at the point of more or less being able to do most things - can do upstairs now although there is a bit of residual muscle tightness down the left of my thigh - about halfway between the knee and hip.. so am working on that with my physio.. can put my socks on and tie shoelaces - not quite with total ease yet but I can do it and that's what's important !!

Inevitably now the left is fixed, my mind has turned to thinking about the right - no real symptoms - just the odd niggle if I've been sitting in a funny position. My OS has told me I'd be a great candidate for a PAO (the mother of all hip surgeries and not be taken lightly) on the hip and as it's largely symptom free he thinks if we do the PAO I might never need a THR.

I guess what I'm struggling with is I've had a great recovery from the THR (touch wood) so far and I know the PAO recovery would be much tougher and longer. Having had 2 previous ops on the left hip in the last 2 years which were difficult to rehab from I'm not in any hurry to go down that path again any time soon. I also feel like I have my life back now and I want to get on and live it and not have to rely on other people AGAIN for another x number of weeks while I'd be on crutches unable to do cook, look after the house, walk the dog etc.

Plus, thinking about having kids and although I know it would be sensible to get the PAO out the way - I'm sick of having the hips dictate what I can and can't do and just want to live. So, I've left it with my OS that I'll have a follow up at 1 year post op for the left hip and if I experience any increase in pain on the right, I've to get in touch with him. So fingers crossed it stays as it is. I think my gut feel is if I could get through having kids etc and a few more years down the line, have a THR on the right I'd be happy.

Seems extreme I know but I am a bit freaked at the thought of messing with something that doesn't hurt at the moment (athough once the pain starts it means that damage is being done and a PAO will become less successful) What I do know though is if the right starts to hurt the way the left did when it began to deteriorate a few years ago, I'll be knocking down the surgeon's door for a PAO asap. I guess I want to have my cake and eat it but is that so wrong ?!!

'Scuse the rambling !