But, I still needed to do something physical. I mentioned earlier that I took up strength training, and when I say strength training, I mean I wanted to be a bodybuilder. If I couldn't run, I was going to find something else to do to be active. So I started lifting heavy, drinking protein shakes, taking supplements, etc. I noticed some change in my upper body physically, but in don't think I was ever mentally there. Nor did I like that the scale still didn't change much. (At this point, I had gained 10 lbs from not running.)
Are you all learning I'm a little vain when it comes to my body? I hate to say it, but I think it's imperative to mention for when I begin to talk about my thought process with surgery and then recovery. But it is what it is, I want to have a nice body that I feel comfortable in and proud of from all the work I put into it. Which is exactly how I felt when I was running so much.
Moving on.
At the beginning of March I had my consult with Dr. Ryan at OSU. I drove to Columbus by myself that day, stopping first to get an MRI, then to Dr. Ryan's office, where I also got more X-rays. I met with a Nurse Practioner first, whom I really really liked, and then Dr. Ryan himself. We talked about everything I had already done, and then more specifically the pain I had. I mentioned that it was an oddity that every time I went grocery shopping was when I felt it the most (from standing up for so long). And that running outside was way worse than on the treadmill. That the small of my back was very painful, sometimes radiating into my butt. My groin pinched. My hip all up and down it burned and ached. The symptoms worsened with cardio type activity, and that sometimes I had great days with no pain, but I often had horrible days. Sometimes, I would feel like my other hip would act up too, but maybe bc it was overcompensating for my right (painful) hip.
It was then that dr Ryan pulled up my MRI and X-rays, and gave me the official diagnosis of FAI in my right hip. He also mentioned that the labrum had some fray to it, but wasn't completely torn. His next step was to have me get a hip fluoroscopy injection, but that I could do that in my area so I wouldn't have to travel back just for that. He said that often times that if the hip injection provides somebody with relief from pain, that it's a good indication that the pain is coming directly from the impingement.
So onward to the hip injection.
I had it done in my area the following week, and it really wasn't too bad. There was a little bit of pressure, but not terrible. I think I was just more freaked out about this long thick needle going into my hip cavity than anything! Once I got home I was able to access the situation a bit more. I did still feel pain in my low back, and also in my groin, however, the pain up and down my leg was completely gone. This was great news! I even ran the next day and it felt great!
This was good news to have an official diagnosis, but also defeating news to me, in that it was a good chance I'd need the surgery to feel relief from the pain brought on by FAI. It was at that point that I went back and forth on if I truly wanted to get surgery. On one hand, I didn't feel pain if I hadn't been active. On the other hand, I like to be active, and that's how I keep my shape. But man oh man, after reading other people's FAI stories, I feel like it's gruesome and I didn't want to go through that. I literally wavered back and forth for days and a few weeks on if I wanted to get the surgery.
Ultimately, I knew that since the condition is bc of extra bone- there was nothing other than surgery that could fix it. And maybe I also came to the realization that I needed it after having a painful couple of days as well.
I went to my follow up appointment at the beginning of April to see Dr. Ryan again, and this time my husband came with me. I learned here that I had both CAM and PINCER type FAI, as well. We talked about where to go from here. Dr. Ryan is a very conservative guy, that I really feel like wants you to want the surgery 100% before committing to it. He's great in that he makes you think long and hard if you want to go through with it, plus the recovery, etc, and to make sure we know there are other options as well- which is mostly more PT and not being as active in cardio and such. I do understand all of that, but I feel like- in my case- I'm still young, and have a lot of desire left in me to follow my dreams of being a runner again. Something that I could not do at all if I did not have this surgery.
Another disclaimer- I do understand that the surgery isn't a promise to make me a marathon runner, and that there is always a chance it doesn't make the pain better. But. I have to try. If I don't, I will always live in the land of the "unknown" and "what ifs".
From there, we schedule an appointment to come back for Pre-Op instructions ...
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