It's Been Awhile...

First off I apologize for never updating afer the surgery--I let everyone know what's going on, update right before I go in for surgery, and than BAM...I stop!!! But, this year, one of my goal's is going to be to try and keep this thing actually updated!!! But, since there's been SO much that has gone on since I last wrote, I will write some today and then update on other things tomorrow and so forth. So, here we go....
First, lets start with the surgery! The surgery went well!!! My wonderful surgeon, Dr. Philippon, said that the bones and things from the previous surgery was healing great, but he could definitely tell why I was hurting so bad...There was a BIG hole in my hip capsule!!! So, he took a section of my IT Band out and reconstructed a new hip capsule!
However, because this is me everything can't go quite as smoothly as just that! :P So, after the surgery, instead of just having to stay over in the hospital that night (because it was late when we got out of surgery) and getting out in the morning, I had to end up staying for about 3 days! They had an epidural in my spine to help with the pain and when that came out we found an allergic reaction (from the medicine) spreading horribly all over my back, my heart rate went up high, and my blood pressure dropped clear low again (like it did when I was in the hospital in the fall...at about 70/40). I was finally able to be released from the hospital the day before I was scheduled to head back home to Utah!
However, our crazy adventure in Colorado can't end there!!! The day after being released from the hospital--our day to return home....Things changed from flying home to driving home!
See, we were all set to fly home, but after this surgery...now being in my hip brace again and with a big restriction on my range of motion, we were wondering how flying home was going to work. (Because the planes we'd have to fly home on are those small, 36-passenger planes). Two of my wonderful sisters, Janeice and Jodi, left Utah late Saturday night (the day I got out of the hospital) and actually drove all night and got to our hotel at like 5am Sunday morning, picked my mom and I up, and drove us home--instead of trying to have us fly! It worked out so much better, and I am so grateful to them! I have such a wonderful family who is always there for me and looks out for me and I am so grateful to them for that!!!
So, as of right now....My hip is doing okay! I am able to walk without crutches (I only had to be on them for about a week since the bones were doing well), but I do need to make sure I just don't wear myself out. I'm back into my lovely hip brace (that wraps around my waist--at like my ribs--and then goes clear down my leg to about my ankle), with range of motion from 0 to 90 degrees, and on for the next 3 to 6 months! I use a CPM machine each day for about 2 hours a day--for 6 weeks (so 2 more weeks. And basically just rest and try to do things as well as I can without overdoing it! No physical therapy though right now (or for awhile) because the doctor's just waiting and hoping my hip will heal up tight!
So, that's basically the update for now...at least as far as my hip is concerned! I will continue to to update everything else that's been going on another day! But as for today...I am grateful for everything that the Lord continually blesses me with--for my family and friends, for the health and strength that I do have, and for so many blessings and opportunities in my life! :)