I write from a most perfect little corner of the world...Sanibel Island, Florida. My mom, brother and I have spent a week of perfect rest here on the island---shelling, beach walks, dolphin watching, , tackling puzzles, reading books, and laying my tired bones in front of the Gulf of Mexico for some good healing. Anxiety is far from me, at least for these few days. I miss Nate so much as he was unable to get off of work for this trip.

Two weeks ago Nate and I road-tripped to see Dr. Clohisy at Washington University in St. Louis. He was our second opinion once we put a hold on the February surgery. We had a three-hour visit with assessments, new x-rays, and some quality time with the doctor. We received some very devastating news news...that which I most dreaded. Dr. Clohisy confirmed my FAI (mushroom shaped femur) that was not shaved down during my August surgery and in addiction, confirmed that my August surgery was over-corrected. A failure.

Dr. Clohisy translated this to mean that indeed I will need a complete re-do of my LPAO, as well as a correction of my impingement this time around.

It's all so confusing and we have more questions even since we were there on Friday. Clohisy ordered a joint injection, a higher dosage of anti-inflammatory, and a different form of PT as to not focus on range of motion but instead new levels of strengthening. He believes that once we address the real joint issues, my bursitis will also decrease.

We are currently making plans to travel to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis for a late-April surgery. We are confident in Dr. Clohisy's abilities.

Amidst the crushing news, we received some exciting news. Dr. Ganz, the Swiss doctor who first created the PAO surgery, will be visiting Dr. Clohisy in mid-April and will be looking at approximately 10 cases while he is here in the United States. Dr. C generously added me to the list to be assessed by him while he's here. We're grateful for this surprising offer.

We are holding on and eager for new days ahead.

A new hipster friend recently sent me this caption from Robert Bailey's "The Wilderness Experience" which rings so true to our experience during these "unsettling and barren" days:

The wilderness is an experience of contrasts. Ity is an unsettled, barren, perilous area, but it is also a place where God IS. It is a difficult, lonely, unnerving site, but it is also a place where God DWELLS. It is a draining, exhausting, discouraging situation, but it is also a place where God HEALS and STRENGTHENS. It is a removed, desolate, debilitating condition, but it is also a place where God MOVES and LOVES.

For today, I will welcome this last day on the island and receive this version of God's comfort (where God IS).

I'm off to shell...

Backwards

We had PLANNED to have my RPAO this past Friday. In fact, we did not.

Many of you have kindly sent messages of hope and encouragement, thinking I am now a week into my surgery.

Here's a little snippet from an email we wrote to our dear friends and family as we made the decision to postpone last Friday's surgery:

The RPAO surgery we had scheduled for this Friday (Feb. 25th) would ultimately and hopefully correct my congenital hip dysplasia and the labral tear I have on my right side. This is the same exact surgery I had back in August on my left side. We have been gearing up for yet another major life change, almost two months away from work for me, and a long recovery. We have everything in place (caretakers, meals, and all!) to make this the best experience it can be given the major trauma it is sure to be. The pain has been so worrisome, we had several friends join us at our house to pray last Thursday.

HOWEVER, these past few weeks I have been feeling new levels of pain on my left side (the side I had surgery on in August). Aside from bursitis on my hip, I had thought I was healing correctly. These past few weeks, I've had new and extreme groin pains and even some new pain on my back hamstring. After some x-raying, Dr. Maiers saw a slight impingement and thinks this could be the cause of some of my pain. The other fear is that I might have re-torn my left labrum, by which I need another arthrogram MRI to confirm yes or no on this. The news of the impingement was both relieving (to provide an answer as to why the pain) but then also crushing as I've been reading all about impingements (clinically called "Femoracetabular Impingement" or FAI) and I am overwhelmed by the fact that FAI's can be the precursor to osteoarthritis---the very thing the PAO was supposed to avoid back in August.

Dr. Maiers had mentioned that when he and Dr. Scheid went in for my August surgery, they saw "slight impingement" but opted not to revise it as they had so many other things to do in that surgery---they say they would rather be more conservative with the bone then take too much off. It is becoming more common than previously thought to have a mixed phenomenon type hip (dysplasia and FAI together) and surgeons are recognizing this more and more.

So, the point is, there are more surgeries to do on my left side and yet my right side severely needs surgery as well to take care of the dysplasia, the labral tear, and potentially FAI as well on my RIGHT side. And then there's the question as to why my left side MIGHT have torn again and whether this surgery worked back in August. We feel we have a very long road ahead and this completely overwhelms us.

So, as of today, March 4, 2011, we have plans to travel to St. Louis for a March 18th appointment with Dr. Clohisy, an attempt at a second opinion.

More updates to come as we learn them.





May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:22