I haven’t been noticing my hip so much at work even with the extra running around lately, though I definitely am feeling it by the end of the day when it gets quite achey.
I also haven’t been taking as many pain killers recently.  This may have something to do with my dramatic decrease in physical activity the past month, partly due to laziness, partly due to the cold and partly due to the pain response.  The only problem is that I have put on weight!  I have been meaning to get back into the pool and I think I will be spending a lot of time there over winter, I’ve just got to do it and get back into the habit.

My right hip (good side) has been showing similar signs to my affected left side.  No catching yet so hopefully no tear there.  It’s just been getting that stabbing ache right in the groin.  I’ve also been getting a very sore lower back in a place where I cannot figure out how to stretch it, it feels almost like it needs to ‘crack’, like it is out of line or something and I have been getting that nerve pain, (sciatic??) at the lower lateral buttock on both sides.  Both hips pop and snap like crazy, this is always in the groin, never over the greater trochanter but a lot of the time this is not painful.  The odd occasion it feels like it will pop, but as I continue moving it just jams and THAT is what HURTS!

I did manage a bike ride with Claire today and a couple of jogs last week, of course there are consequences but with my appointment in Auckland coming up next month, I am also deliberately trying to stir things up a wee bit.  There’s nothing worse than going to a doctor for a problem and having them look for symptoms that aren’t there on that particular day!

I am in the process of finding out whether ACC will pay for flights and the appointment.  There is question as to whether the specialist I am to see is the ‘nearest place of treatment’.  Although there is another specialist here in Christchurch, his experience is also limited to the same treatment that my current surgeon can offer.  Not only am I not prepared to have an open surgery and take a step or three backwards with either of them, from talking to some patients of the other ChCh surgeon, he comes across as particularly arrogant and not at all interested in helping anyone post-operatively.  I’m sorry, but bedside manner and feeling comfortable with a doctor is VERY high on my priority list.  If a doctor was the best in his field but cold as stone, I would not even consider being their patient.

So it was suggested that this specialist in Auckland may have the arthroscopic skills necessary to help me and I’m hoping he is NICE and that ACC will help me out with the finances.  I finally have a very nice case manager who I have explained everything to and she is going to do everything she can to help me.  I am going to fax her my clinical notes tomorrow to help them with their decision.  The only other thing that is against me is that the FAI needs addressing as well as the new labral tear.  ACC should cover the tear treatment, but because nobody knows the true origin of FAI and it is an anatomical problem, they may not cover it.  I am in contact with people who have treatment approved and other people that have had it denied so it could go either way.  There is no point though in repairing the tear and not the impingement because I will just end up in the same situation that I am in now.  If the arthroscopy can be done to address the impingement and reduce the risk of further labral tears and joint degeneration I will totally go for it.  More-so for the long-term effects than pain relief right now.

There is also the question of when we decide to start a family.  Is this condition going to affect pregnancy in any way?  Such as increased pain/joint damage from hormones, pelvis moving, weight gain etc. and also child-birth.  When we have kids, I’d like to have a natural childbirth, natural as in vaginal (I’m sure drugs will be involved at some stage, I’m not going THAT natural lol), not a c-section if possible.   If I don’t address the impingement, will this be possible or will the extreme flexion just tear the hell out of my hips and c-section be my only option?  If I have an epidural I may not even realise it is happening. Do I get this fixed before or after having kids?

There are so many questions and it is so unfortunate that the surgeons here just don’t have the skills to fix this problem without slicing a 10-inch scar into the side of your leg.  The technology is out there and some of the best surgeons in the world performing hip scopes are just across the ditch (Australia for those non-kiwis).  They are learning but it is going to take some time for them to gain experience and confidence in the procedure.  I’m not in a hurry to have surgery, I know my joint is not beyond repair at the moment and I am relatively pain-free compared to others with the same condition.  My main concern is joint preservation and childbearing as lets face it, I’m at that age and it is an important issue to me.  If it is suggested to me that I wait, then fine, I’m happy with that, I just want to make sure I do the right thing and in the right order

Thank you for the emails this week.  It is great to see people out there getting something positive from my blog!  I will reply to you ASAP, sorry for the delay.