Sunday, November 2, 2008

Three Weeks In, Three Weeks Out


We went to back to see Dr. Yerasimides for the three week visit on Tuesday, 10/28/08.


The first thing they did was to take another X-ray. The first one they had Sam laying down, but the second was supposed to be on his side. Since he is still not able to do that easily, he was asked to stand up instead. When these were done, we waited in room 2 for the doctor.


Dr. Yerasimides told Sam that everything looked great! We had been warned in the hospital that there was a slight risk that the bones may not stay where they had been altered, so we were relieved to see everything better than it had been before the surgery.
Sam was told although he is welcome to try going back to work right away, it would probably be best to wait until the official follow up visit, which will be in 3 more weeks. Sam agreed that this made sense.


So, we are 3 weeks In from the surgery, but still, 3 weeks Out from being cleared.


Here are photos of the new X-rays:

Friday, October 10, 2008

Rehabilitation Underway

Sam had a rough first two days, but today he was up on crutches walking around the Joint Care Physical Therapy Camp!


More Later! Check www.samandmaryconverfamily.blogspot.com for pictures!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Joint Repaired

The Surgery went exactly according to plan, and aside from the procedure taking an hour longer than intended, it has been a good experience so far.

For more information, see this site, where we are updating daily:

www.samandmaryconverfamily.blogspot.com

Monday, September 29, 2008

Periacetabular Osteotomy

Are you limping?

I get that question a lot these days. Yes I am limping, and chances are I didn’t know I was until you asked. Very gradually I have begun to limp more and more, first because there was a problem in my hip that I was not fully aware of, then more and more as pain has become more pronounced each week.

As it turns out I have a displaced, or shallow hip, from birth, that until recently has done very little to deter me from being very active. The martial arts and weight training have kept the joint from becoming arthritic, and the muscles around the hip joint have been strong enough to stabilize the joint. Time has caught up to me however, and I am finding my day ending with hip pain more and more.

I always struggled with my flexibility. No matter how hard I tried for a full range of flexibility, I could never press past a certain point. I tried the stretching machines, sitting in the butterfly position and having training partners stand on my legs to force them down toward the floor, and steady consistent periods of intense stretching exercises. Something in my hip always pulled back. I have never been able to sit crossed legged and there was always a great disparity between my right and lift legs when kicking.

There is good news. A new procedure can correct this problem now. The only option in the past has been a full hip replacement, even for a young active person. There are only a few doctors trained in this new procedure, but one of them is in Louisville, and he has agreed to fix my hip.

The surgery is called a periacetabular osteotomy, PAO for short. Peri, or around the Acetabulum, and osteotomy means to cut bone. The hip is cut in two places and shifted in such a manner so that the top of the femur bone is fully covered. Then the hip is bolted into the new position and it heals into the corrected shape. The result is a hip that functions normally, is a stable weight bearing structure, and has the full degree of motion of a normal healthy hip. Best of all, the steady aching pain will be gone, and I can keep all my own parts

Surgery date is Wednesday Oct. 8th
Below is a diagram of the process and my own x rays.


Side view