~*RUN*~

The view from atop a hill about half way into my first real run since surgery!  5 miles!  So beautiful!  In the mountains around the base of Horsetooth Reservoir!  Felt SooooOOO good to be back.  Triathlons are my thing from now on, so as to ease up on the jarring of hips/knees, etc. from running.  The low impact of the swimming and biking in there will alternate different muscle groups and challenge my endurance.  :)

God is Great

This evening I had undeniable sense of what is meant to be, is happening.  That sounds funny as I write it out, but what I am saying is simply, "God is Great!"  I have realized over the past few days this week, that there is a reason for everything.  I believe that God knew that I could not be lame for 4-6 weeks.  I truly believe this as the past few days have unfolded.  During my downtime pre-surgery when I was not able to work out much, I was starting to obsess over this crazy diet thing, which I have never done before now (27 years old and never done a 'diet').  I also had this thing on my phone which tracks calories to the half calorie from what you consume to what you work off.  Needless to say, as soon as I would eat something I would feel the need to enter it into my little food log.  I was starving!  Up until today, I have been entering my food and water consumption and workouts for 6.5 weeks entering into this log everyday.  I did this super strict, crazy 'diet' for 7 weeks which is a way long time and as all diets, it's not the best for your body, especially if you are an athlete.  I cut out all fruit, bread, and dairy.  Now for those of you who know me, you know I love fruit, bread, and dairy-especially ice cream.  I cheated and had ice cream twice during this stint of time.  Of course it is all a balancing act and nothing should be taken to extremes.  I am now back to my healthy, balanced diet of bread, fruit, vegetables, dairy, and protein along with my daily workouts!

What I learned from this whole diet/food diary thing is what to be aware of-looking at ingredients, sticking with raw and fresh, staying away from processed and how my body feels when I eat certain stuff.  I have to say that I feel like I am pretty good about self control and knowing my body anyway.  It's a machine that works for you, you have to take care of it.  Good input=good output!

Ok,this is totally not the direction I intended to go tonight...so anyway....other than the diet thing-since my hip has healed so miraculously fast, I am able to help Heath out alot more than expected and alot sooner!  I can work at my farm with my Daddy and Heath.  I can also help alot more with pea harvest which is starting precisely, tomorrow!  I feel so totally humbled to know that God knows what is best for me and my life.  I am in the palm of his hand in which he lifts me up in my lowest moments and celebrates victories with me from everyday stepping stones to miracles!

God's Hand

Today my boss let me have an easy day.  So blessed!  Yesterday was my first day back to work and even though I was at my desk most of the day it was still 15 hours from when I left the house to when I got home. Any other time, that is pretty normal, but since Mom has been here, I have been pretty quite for the most part with lots of resting throughout the day.  Worked on a few things and work and got the rest of my pictures hung up in the office then headed to my follow up appointment with Dr. Sarin here in Scottsbluff.

Heath took me and he listened to the doc and is my witness to what he said!  HUGE blessings!  Healing is coming along great!  They removed the stitches today and it was a breeze, way better than I expected!  I walked in on crutches since there is quite a bit of walking (even though Heath dropped me off at the front door).  Doc wants me off crutches as I can and then get on a stationary bike on Monday morning!  Just no running, pounding, or jumping at this point, not yet anyway.  He doesn't think I need physical therapy because I can also get back in the pool and slowly start swimming again.  Unless something traumatic happens, I cannot hurt it or make it worse.  We will touch base via phone in two weeks and then I will see him again in a month!!!!  WOW!  Amazing!

On the way out, Heath took my crutches away from me and didn't offer to pick me up at the door.  LOL.  So, I guess I am off crutches now!  When I got done, I was exhausted.  Since John didn't need me back at the office I went home.  I seriously passed out.  Heath went to take Justin to "Guys Night Out" at the church and I didn't even hear him leave!  I did wake up to the wind practically blowing the screens in, so I went around and closed all the windows.  By that time Heath got back and had already taken Justin to church.  He started making dinner and I iced my hip.  Pheasant and mashed potatoes!  So lucky to have a man that can cook!

As he was cooking, we were listening to Dan Fitts chase storms around the area.  KNEB kept us up-to-date on where the bad parts were headed.  Lots of hail....some as large as a baseball!  Unbelievable!

As I was relaxing in the recliner (this hardly ever happens! the relaxing part), I saw the neighbors house was  highlighted in the sun.  I grabbed Heath and the dogs and we went out into the front yard and I got to capture this beautiful experience.  A break in the clouds passing through tonight!  God's beauty in the midst of the storm!

Father's Day 2013

This morning was rough, but after some icing my leg and eating breakfast,  I pulled it together to go to church.  There have been so many wonderful people praying for me and I wanted to be able to thank them.  After church we quickly stopped by to see Miss Connie and Ernie so Mama could meet them.  I always talk about them because I have done 3 Bible studies with them and they are like family to me!

I forgot to mention that yesterday I got bit by a tick on my neck.  Now, I have absolutely nooo problem getting the ticks off the dogs, but I sort of freaked out when I found it on my neck.  I didn't have my contacts in, so all I saw was blood, I screamed a little bit!  Heath came running upstairs from the basement and Mama came as well.  Heath was trying to pull it off, but I just kept grabbing his hands.  I just remember my neighbor getting lyme's disease from a very small deer tick that was between his toes.  Gross, this one was on my neck!  I finally allowed him to remove it.  So far, I'm still alive!  Celebrating my "last meals" with lots of ice cream!  :)

This afternoon I spent with my Mama and Justin spent with his Daddy.  It was great.  They were working on their sprinklers together and Mama and I were laying in the sun.  I am very much unable to do anything that requires focus.  This was perfect.  Then the boys had to go into town to get a part and they brought back ice cream!  How awesome!

Justin very proudly hung this key holder.
His  Dodge keys are on the  right side.

After I left the farm yesterday, Heath sent me this picture.

There are no words!  :)  The dog LOVES water.  We had

called him off the ditch (high current) and we didn't

have his baby pool filled, so he made due with the

horse tank.  I'm surprised he got out on his own!

Happy Father's Day Heath, Dad, Grandpa!  You guys show amazing love for me and Heath for the Boys.  Thank you for your continuous support, encouragement, and help over the years.

~Great Day~

Slept in a bit today and then Heath made a HUGE breakfast.  I was expecting Mittie Mae and Little Miss Kasey today around 9 am.  He had breakfast made perfect timing and we just sat down to eat and Barb and Garry stopped by and joined us.  It was awesome!  I feel so strongly about sitting down with family to eat; I hold it's importance very high.

Kasey, Mittie, and Mom had not seen my new home yet, so I got my crutches and we headed to the farm.  Heath beat us there and was already hoeing the garden.  I showed them around and then I was exhaused so we headed home.  Time for a nap!  Mama and I worked on flooring ideas from our computers from the comfort of a recliner/couch!  WONDERFUL!

After several hours of rest and recharging, Heath got home.  My friend Ashley is getting married today.  I totally did not expect to be able to go, but due to everyone's prayers and a very successful surgery, I was able to start getting ready to go to the wedding.  Mama ironed my dress for me last night and Heath brought my curling iron from my house and I was able to pull it together.  (My crutches are hiding in this picture!)

Beautiful evening and beautiful weather and beautiful bride and beautiful everything!  ~Ephesians 5:22-33~

Beautiful Bride!

Beautiful mother-of-the-bride! and groom!

Gorgeous everything!

Mama's Day

We get to spend the entire day together today.  Sooo excited!~  RELAXing!  Supper tonight to celebrate Barb and Garry's 45th wedding anniversary!  What an amazing example to us all!

Storm Mountain Orthopaedics

9 am doctor's followup appointment went great!  Echo was there to see me and greet me and say good morning!  I walked in there without crutches, with Heath by my side.  Dr. Sarin and Jamie checked my incisions, took the big wrap off and put on two small bandaids.  Amazing how small of an area he used.  Dr. Sarin reexplained the situation (since I was not on drugs anymore :).  Totally amazing!  I will be weight bearing as soon as I can, using crutches for support only.  He did say that my labrum was torn away from itself so he didn't need to tack onto the bone.  It was flapping back and forth into my joint and destroyed part of my hyaline cartilage so he removed that too.  Basically he just cleaned things up in there.  He did say that I will have arthritis 10-20 years from now, but that means it will just be stiff in the mornings and then be ok!  He sent us on our way, with a followup/suture removal appointment back in Scottsbluff next Friday!

We got into the car and headed to my absolutely FAVORITE restaurant in Steamboat, Creekside Cafe.  There is seriously nothing better than sitting out on the veranda listening to the stream rush by (very high right now) with flowers placed just perfectly to set the ambiance.  Nice cool morning with no wait to get seated...usually there is at least a 30 minute wait because it is so fantastic.  I of course had to get the fruit, yogurt, and homemade granola.  It is indescribable!  Heath had the chicken fried steak.  I was just so much at peace, sitting there in the gardens with Heath.  It was soo wonderful!

We got into the car and headed out.  We had orders to stop every hour and walk around to keep my blood moving.  Heath was very good about this and we followed orders to the tee.  I did fall asleep for part of the trip which made it go alot faster.  No pain.  Great driver.  Wonderful life!

When we arrived in Nebraska, we decided to stop by my house to check on Miss Penney and the garden and the house.  Everyone was doing well!  We headed over to Heath's house and I passed out on my bed while he so GRACIOUSLY emptied the car.  His parents brought over an excellent supper for all of us.

Mama is arriving at 10:30 pm at the Scottsbluff airport!!  I haven't seen her since Christmas, SOOO excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :)

P.S.  I have learned a few things from this trip:  I LOVE STEAMBOAT-summer or winter!!  I will also start making alot of tacos and homemade granola once I get into my new house!

Done!

Today is the day!  Pain free from now on!  :)  We got up early and I went to take my antibacterial (requested by doc) shower around 4:30 am.  Heath went ahead and packed up the car and got everything ready.  No breakfast for me.  Huge blessing to be first on doc's list today for surgery.  We headed down the mountain and got to the hospital early.  We went for a little walk outside the hospital to take in the beautiful scenery.  We were the first ones in the hospital and had to use the little phone outside and have security let us in.  All went well.  Got all my paperwork filled out and my armband on and they took us back.  

They were all so very nice to us.  They got my iv in just fine and dandy with only one poke.  My surgeon, Dr. Greg Sarin, came in and checked in with me and told Heath that he would let him know how surgery went and where to go to wait.  Jaimie Zelkin-nurse practitioner, Dr. Scott Fahrner-my anesthesiologist, and the operating room nurse all came in and chatted with me.  I had a fabulous anesthesiologist!  He started putting stuff in my iv and told me that they would start getting really funny.  "What do you mean funny?" I said.  Then, Heath told me that I started waving to everyone as they were wheeling me away.  :)

They put me on a $100,000 operating table.  They put a post between my legs and a boot on my left leg.  They pulled my leg just slightly out of socket to get to where they could work on my labrum.  The original diagnosis was torn labrum off the bone with a plan to use 1-2 tacks back to bone with 4-6 weeks of non-weight bearing then 4-6 months to full recovery.  Once they got in there, they actually found that I still had good labrum stuck to my bone but the labrum was tearing away from itself.  So, while they were in there, they had to take into consideration that I was a 27 year old healthy triathlete.  He was consulting with the docs who let him use the equipment in the operating room.  They decided that it would be better to remove the floppy part of the labrum and actually some of the hyaline cartilage.  Now, we are talking about just a tiny portion of my hip joint here.  When I started seeing Dr. Sarin in March in Scottsbluff, we talked about 3 options:  removal, repair, or reconstruction.  He told me upfront that if it was a reconstruction, he would refer me to someone else.  After MRI and x-rays, etc. we decided we needed to do a repair.  Turns out we did a removal and when I woke up they told me to use crutches "as needed."  Total surprise!

As you can see from the below photo, I was very cold after surgery.  I was cocooned for hours.  I had a 2 hour surgery and I was supposed to be in post-op for 2 or so hours.  I was so out I was in recovery for 4.5 hours.  It was the first time in a long time that I could relax and so I was just totally enjoying this extended nap.  It was so weird, I could hear people talking, but I could not open my eyes or move my head from side to side.  I did know Heath was in the room though.  I remember waking up hungry which was an awesome sign.  The nurse gave Heath graham crackers and water with a straw to give me.  Eyes closed, he totally knew when I needed a drink and every time I was thirsty, he had that straw right there in my mouth.  I remember asking him how he knew when I was thirsty, apparently I was moving my lips in a funny way.  I guess I drank like 7 glasses of water and the nurses finally told Heath where to get the water on his own because I was drinking it like crazy.

As you could expect, with all the hydration, comes the restroom situation.  They suggested a bedpan.  So the ever so sweet nurses came in and asked me to scoot around and put the pan underneath me.  Heath and the nurses left the room to give me some privacy.  Now that was a new experience having my eyes closed with a bedpan under me.  I had no choice at this point.  Wow, is all I can say.

Well more graham crackers and water later, the situation arises again.  Hydration.  I just started crying because I knew that bedpan thing was coming again.  :(  (Apparently, the drugs make you cry.)  The nurses came in and said this time I had 2 options this time:  bedpan or unhook iv and try to get to the restroom.  So, they wheeled my whole bed over to the restroom and closed the old man's curtains across from the bathroom so I didn't give him a show.  I think I would have given him a heart attack.  I kept apologizing to these nice women for having to help me with this....they were all in there with me.  They just kept telling me that we have done this for many years, it's no big deal.  They were so nice.

I finally woke up and they told me that I could get dressed.  Luckily, I had brought a dress to alleviate the pressure of pants on my hip.  Apparently, I was really concerned with getting my unmentionables on and I just told the nurse that I might go commando!  She assured me that she would not announce it as I was being wheeled out of the hospital!

Once we left the hospital we went to Qdoba!!!!!!  Naked burrito again!  YUMMY!  That was a way long time since I had eaten last...11 pm last night!  We went back to the hotel and just passed out again.  Both of us were out!  It was great!  Later, for supper, Heath went and got Beau Jo's pizza for us!  I was up and walking around the room and later we went outside and sat by the poolside to under the stars.  Way wonderful!

My hospital socks match my dress!  :)

Headed to Steamboat

Headed to Steamboat!  Heath picked me wildflowers every time we stopped!  Now, I really think the name of this beautiful dandelion should be "sunflower."  I have just  never seen a dandelion this *BIG* before.  It was absolutely gorgeous!

We arrived in Steamboat and ate at our favorite vacation fast food restaurant:  Qdoba!  I love their fajita naked burrito!  I could eat that like everyday, it's just a bunch of veggies and really good chicken and their ranchero sauce.  It's a great combination with black beans and brown rice!

I finally got to meet all the wonderful people I keep talking with in Dr. Sarin's office in Steamboat.  Trinket, the office manager, helped get my pre-authorization number for my insurance and Jamie, the nurse practitioner, arranged other things for me and of course, Echo, the golden retriever was there to help relieve any pre-op stress.  It was a great appointment, just answering any last minute questions that we had.

Shortly after my appointment, we found the hospital.  Yampa Valley Medical Center, Steamboat Springs, Colorado!!!!  This has been a llloooonng time in the coming.  Praises for this all coming together (in such a BEAUTIFUL location)!  We will be here at 6 am, ready for surgery.  No food past midnight!  AHHH!

We headed up to Strawberry Hot Springs...oh this infamous place!  Senior year in college we came up here with a bunch of Nabors and Busey girls.  We had so much fun skiing and going to the hot springs.  Clothing optional after dark...now Heath and I didn't partake in this activity, but that's not saying I didn't in college!  To be fair, it is accessed by 4-wheel drive only and is in the middle of nowhere.  There are several different temperature pools with various waterfalls, nooks, and crannies where you can relax.  It is super awesome.  It is built into the side of the mountain and is made of natural stones so the bottom of the pools are rocky.  You can see just about every star out there in the sky from the pools.  Check it out:  http://www.strawberryhotsprings.com/2005/.  I hope one day, you can all experience this beauty!

When we got there, we put on our suits and went to lay by the pools.  The timing was perfect because it was about 5 pm and the hot sun was gone.  I totally passed out, dead to the world.  It was incredible how much at peace I was in that moment.  I have no idea how long I was out, but felt so relaxed and at peace with everything, not feeling obligated to do anything.  It was wonderful.  When I woke up, Heath offered to go back down the mountain into town to pick us up some supper.  Still out of it, I let him go without even offering to go with him or anything.  Wow, he is super amazing!

Shish kabobs on the grill at the hot springs.

Once he left, I was sort of awake and decided to walk around and take in all the beauty around me.  I went to grab my camera and started meandering around the pools.  P.S.  Their lilacs were in full bloom and smelling fantastic!

* LIFE * IS * GOOD *

Decision to Pursue

I got up and went to the gym this morning for an hour long swim.  I was kind of testing the waters because my hip hasn’t been hurting real bad due to lack of daily exercise.  I did a full hour in the pool just general swimming, no real laps.  I used water weights and the aqua jogger.  After the workout, I remembered why I hadn’t been working out very much.

We went to Bridgeport and worked with the bin building crews as they dried and oiled each piece of our bins.  When I got back inside, much to my surprise, I had an email with a second opinion from a hip specialist out of Colorado Springs.  Just to get this email was a blessing because originally I thought that I would have to take a day off work to travel down to Colorado Springs for the opinion.  The next HUGE blessing was the fact that he told me the exact same thing my trusted surgeon told me.  J  Torn labrum with the ability to repair it and clean up any damaged tissue.

Moving Forward

I called Trinket today at Storm Mountain Orthopaedics to see if there was anything that I could do to help with tracking down my insurance to get a pre-approved authorization number for the surgery.  To my pleasant surprise, she had already taken care of it!

Confident to Pursue Surgery

I spoke with Dr. Sarin today and after reviewing my scoliosis x-rays; he felt confident in proceeding with surgery.  He said that he would work with my insurance to make sure I could do the surgery in Steamboat Springs.  They could do it here in the valley, but my surgery is rare and our hospital here does not have the proper equipment and Dr. Sarin would have to fly the equipment here for my surgery.  He is comfortable with their hospital there.  He also said their hospital in Steamboat is private and they tend to work with people and their insurance.  He would see what he could get done so I wouldn't have to chase them down.

Second Opinion

I mailed out my records (x-rays and MRI) to Colorado Springs for a second opinion, hoping that I could get some answers through a phone conversation.  John had a friend who recommending this doctor, Dr. Huang.  He has been very helpful in my process.