With this condition, I haven't always gotten the best news when it comes to doctor's visits, but this past week that changed! I went for my 6 week post-op follow up with my vascular surgeon and he is very happy with the progress. He said that my left leg (operated 1/27/16) was doing better than my right leg (operated 9/1/15) but that both were still in the normal range. He explained that the lower number on the right leg could have to do with the damage that was done by my blood clot in June. As long as things are fixed and working well, I wont get too focused on perfection.
Another thing we discussed were my scars. I had an old set of scars from the surgeries I had done in October, 2013 and they were just re-opened and extended with these most recent operations. On the left leg, my surgeon was able to take out the old scar and sew the new one up nice and pretty. The right leg does not look as nice. On the inner thigh, there is about a 6 inch portion that is con-caving and it is also discolored and still looks bruised but isn't. Doctor said that eventually he can fix it. He wants to wait around a year and then he will go back in and make it look pretty. That was such great news! Its not an exaggeration to say that the right leg looks a bit Frankenstein-ish, so knowing that it can be improved down the road is a great relief.
Unfortunately, I do have another surgery on the horizon. I have a labral tear in my right hip that I have been waiting to have repaired for 5 years now! The orthopedic surgeon was unwilling to work on the hip until the issues with my legs were sorted out. At that time, I still didn't have a diagnosis for the PAES so the hip went on the back burner. Well, after my first round of surgeries in October 2013, I initiated the process to get the surgery going. Being Canada, the wait took a little while. I finally got the call to get ready for surgery in June 2015. If you've read some of my other posts you may have caught on that I had other things going on that month. A lovely little blood clot situation. I had to put the hip surgery plans on hiatus until the legs were sorted out...again. This was another devastating blow but I was getting used to those. So after I got my left leg done in January I made the call to my orthopedic surgeon's office to book me in. I hope to have that surgery done in the next couple of months and then after that I have no plans for any more surgeries!
This year has been really tough on me and my family and I am so happy that all of this junk is almost behind me. I have had to give up so much this year and I am tired of giving stuff up. I've missed a year of school, I have been off work for 7 months, missed countless social activities, had to cancel vacations and miss a close friend's wedding. It has been one disappointment after the next, but that is over now. I have registered for a course at my university this spring, and I am making plans to take a little road trip this summer to see my best friend in Alberta. I am learning to let go of the anger at what I lost and focus on the future and all the promise that it holds. My optimism is coming back, and that is what I am most grateful for.
