Had my 4 month follow-up at Boston Medical Center the other day. They took a set of x-rays, which looked good, and my doctor increased my weight-bearing up to 50%. I have to stay on 2 crutches still, but it feels good to stand with equal weight on both legs. I have one more appointment in Boston in a few weeks, then back to NYC for my final appointment at New York Presbyterian in September.
Author: Openbah
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Banned for life
I’ve always wanted to be a bone marrow donor, but could never remember to research it. I was reading someone’s blog tonight and they had a link to the National Marrow Donor Program website. I got excited about signing up, until I read:
If you have any of the following conditions, you will not be allowed to register:
- Chronic back pain requiring ongoing medical treatment (including chiropractic care) and/or daily or frequent prescribed pain medication
- Herniated, bulging or slipped disc anywhere along your spine diagnosed in the past 2 years
- Single back surgery in the past 2 years
- History of a spine fracture, if caused by bone disease
- History of a spine fracture in the past 2 years, if caused by injury
- Placement of rods or pins for scoliosis
- History of a hip or pelvic fracture and/or repair
Figures. I can’t donate blood until March of 2009, due to the 4 units of someone else’s blood I received during and after my surgery. At least one day I’ll be allowed to do that again, and I’m not banned for life.
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3 month post-FVFG follow-up
It’s been 3 long months since I was operated on at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. A lot has changed in the past few weeks. The hip doesn’t hurt like it used to. When I’m relaxing, it doesn’t hurt at all. I take Motrin sparingly, almost exclusively at night.
Until this point, I was on a non-weight bearing status, and was desperately looking forward to a change. Well that change finally came this past week at my 3 month follow-up in NYC. The surgeon looked at the film from an MRI I got last week and said things looked great. He was able to show me where the new bone graft was integrating with the old hip. He said I can start putting weight on my leg, starting with 30 lbs. I’ll slowly increase the weight on my own over the next 3 months. Hopefully in September I’ll be able to walk unassisted and never have to use crutches again!
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2 month post-FVFG follow-up
I saw my surgeon in NYC on Thursday, he said things are going well and that in 4-6 weeks we might be able to see some changes in an MRI.
He had a couple things to say which were tough to hear. The first was that my leg most likely will never have the same range of motion that it had before, because the structural damage to the head of the hip is already done and won’t heal. The second was that the healing process could take up to 2 years to complete. I never thought that this whole process would take so long.
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6-weeks post-FVFG
Aside from not being about to walk, things are pretty much back to normal. The hip is tender and still has some swelling, but the lower leg is back to normal. The range of motion in my foot is still limited, but that will get better over time.
I take Motrin 3 times a day, and that seems to be enough to manage the pain. I still can’t get comfortable, and sleeping is a challenge, but that’s nothing new.
I see my surgeon in NYC in 3 weeks. I’m assuming he’ll at least change my weight bearing status from non weight bearing to touch down weight bearing, which means I’ll at least be able to rest my foot on the ground instead of holding it in the air all the time. Considering how conservative he is, I highly doubt he’ll up things any more than that.