More Setbacks, More Blessings

Warning, this is a LONG post. There are lots of updates! Over the past few months, I’ve experienced some setbacks, but there have been blessings with each of them.  

First Update – My Leg:

My blog posts are never complete without an update or complaint about my leg. After the mastectomy in May, I decided to go back to PT to get my leg into shape. The PT recommended that I go back to my orthopedic surgeon for x-rays, just to ensure the hardware was in the right place, doing what it was supposed to be doing. So in June, I had x-rays and learned that the screw in my hip had actually moved. This was not the surgeon’s fault or defective hardware. The ball of my hip was simply too weak from disease to support the hardware, and the screw moved from the center of the bone to the top of the bone. The ortho surgeon told me that no PT would help me at this point and the only way to achieve quality with my leg was to remove all of the old hardware (the rod in my femur and the screws in my hip and knee) and have a full hip replacement. So he referred me to a surgeon in Kingsport who specializes in weird bone injuries. 

 

Second Update – My Teeth:

I’ve never had fabulous teeth, but since I’ve had cancer, I’ve been on bone strengthening meds. You are not allowed to have dental work while on bone strengthening meds because of rare but super serious side effects that can cause your jaw bone to break down. I’ve been off the bone meds since January 2012 so I can have a few things done while I’m on chemo break. Since I needed to get dental clearance for my hip replacement surgery anyway, I made an appointment. About 5 years ago I had a root canal and crown on one of my molars. The dentist discovered that the root canal failed and the only option for the tooth was to have it extracted. While the dentist was looking at the x-ray he saw a shadow, so he did an orbital x-ray of the whole mouth/neck area. So for about ten minutes, I thought that maybe my cancer had spread to that area of my mouth. I was terrified. Thank God it was just a pocket of infection. After a round of antibiotics, I was able to have the crown removed, and the tooth extracted. This delayed my surgery for a while, but it was worth it to get the tooth taken care of. Once I’m completely healed, I can get a bridge or an implant to replace it.

 

Third Update – My Dad:

My dad went to his doctor in July and learned that he had a defective heart valve.  So me, mom, and my sister went with dad for his heart catheterization test. They checked him into the hospital on Wednesday July 18 and determined the same day he needed a new aortic valve AND triple bypass. So they scheduled my dad’s surgery for Friday July 20. During this time, everyone’s plans and lives pretty much stopped. We were worried and scared for him. After spending 6 hours in surgery, the heart surgeon told us that it was a success. So we went home to nap and clean up. A few hours later, the surgeon called my cell phone and said they were rushing dad back to the OR because he was bleeding and they could not figure out why. It turns out that one of his bypasses sprung a leak and he lost almost 3 pints of blood. After a few scary hours, he was transferred back to the cardiac ICU. By Sunday, July 22, dad was transferred to a normal room and he spent the next few days resting and healing. They released him on Thursday July 26. He is still recovering, but he’s getting a little stronger each week.

 

Fourth Update – The Hip Replacement Surgery:

After my dad’s surgery and my dental drama were over, I was finally able to get my doctor/dental clearances in to the specialty ortho surgeon and get my hip surgery on the calendar. It was on August 17. I’m thrilled to report that I have pretty much all of my length back in my “bad” leg. There may end up being a slight length difference, but an insert in ANY pair of shoes will do the trick. No more specially built up shoes for that leg, yay! The surgeon told me that I have a cobalt chrome hip replacement and that it has the same probability of breaking as a bowling ball. That sounds good to me!

The first week after surgery was horrible. I had 46 staples in my leg, starting at my butt and going almost to my knee. Every move I made felt like the skin was ripping. In the hospital the first time getting out of bed was excruciating. I also lost a lot of blood during the surgery, so I needed some blood transfusions before they would release me. I was released on Monday August 20. Once I got home, I could not take a shower because I couldn’t get the staples wet. I had a hard time sleeping at night because I’m not allowed to sleep on my side for 6 weeks. So the first week was full of pain, swelling, and awkward moving. My husband had to help me dress /undress, and get into/out of bed. So the first week was depressing and frustrating. When I wasn’t totally drugged on Percocet, I was crying and worrying.

The second week was much better. I still had staples for part of the second week, but once I had my follow-up appt and had them removed, I felt much better.

I’m now in the third week and home health PT is helping me learn how to walk normally again. It’s going to be a long process, but I’m slowly improving. I just have to keep on working on it, and I have to remember to be patient.

 

Blessings:

It’s been a crazy summer, but I’ve been reminded over and over again that God’s timing is absolutely perfect. In May, I went to the same PT as my sister because she talked about how great he was. If he hadn’t suggested that I go back to the ortho surgeon for x-rays, I probably wouldn’t have thought to do it. So I owe him big time! If I hadn’t had dental drama, I may have been in the middle of my own surgery and recovery when dad had his heart drama. I wouldn’t have been able to visit him or be there for him at all. If I had gone to my ortho surgeon for x-rays during chemo, I would have had to wait for the hip surgery anyway. Being on a chemo break has allowed me to heal without weirdness. I’m almost completely healed already, so hopefully there won’t be a year of gauzing up my leg like the last time.

I learned some pretty amazing news regarding the cancer at my follow-up appointment too. They sent the damaged hip ball that was removed to pathology after the surgery, and there was no cancer on it. Typically, spots on the bones do not go away. This is a miracle. When I learned the cancer had spread to my bones, the hip area was the worst spot. Now, almost three years later, pathology says that they don’t see any cancer.

I feel very blessed. Even with all the weirdness this summer, everything has just fallen into place and worked out perfectly. God is always right here, wrapping His arms around me during the scary times, and holding my hand during the good times.