Flower My Pedi Please - And I'll Take Those Shoes, What a Deal - Scooter Girl Gets Some Pre-Op Glam

Ready for Dancing in these

Flower my Pedi Please!

A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!  You've been told you will not be able to walk for 6 weeks and that you will be in recovery for 6-12 months after surgery, what does that girl gotta do?  

She has to go the day before surgery and invest in an amazing pedicure. 

Nothing completes a girly girl like a bright pink pedi with a pretty flower painted on top.  

Even though I could not sit properly in the pedi

massage chair due to my swollen and damaged hamstring, I managed to sit cockeyed through the procedure while a very nice lady at our local salon took care of my soon to be bed ridden feet.  Being that it was summer and I would find myself indoors for a while, I opted for a very bright shade of hot pink and had her top it off with a daisy hand painted on each large toe.  While I didn't know if it would be allowed to stay on during surgery, It is up to your anesthesiologist, I took a chance and was relieved to find my pretty pink toes staring up at me post-operatively. A little bright spot through my pain wincing eyes.   

This post is simply to bring a little lightheartedness into the story of Scooter Girl's Proximal Hamstring Rupture repair.  

Trying on just for fun paired with compression sock

I have to say that I was very happy with my decision to take care of this pre-surgery pampering.  I have enjoyed glancing at my feet at times while laying down for all hours of the day. It somehow brings the feminine to a place that, much of the time, seems dull and boring.

Girls - Take Care of Yourselves!

I'll Take Those Shoes, What a Deal!

Part two of this post, Ladies?  You know how every now and then you stumble upon a pair of shoes?  You know the ones, high end designer, the last pair on the discount rack?  You do the double take, that glance, which makes you flush with instant recognition that they were just waiting for you and only you, then the hesitation, "what if they don't fit?"

These are the ones!  Magnificent!

A week before my surgery I was out with my husband, niece and grand niece.  He needed a pair of work shoes so the four of us launched out towards one of our favorite shoe stores.  As I hobbled about in discomfort, holding onto the day as a token of a day out before my long recovery and housebound days would keep me inside, unable to sit and unable to stand and walk unaided for many weeks, I ambled to the discount rack.  I had been hoping to spot a pair of shoes for my niece as a gift, however, there, in a perfect brown box atop the little velvet bag and baggie of two extra heels was THAT pair of shoes.  $250.00 Ellie Tahari kiwi and cream stiletto sandals.  I knew in an instant they were for me.  At a half size too small according to the box, I snagged the box off the shelf in such a way that wreaked of sneaky, looking over my shoulder in hopes that no one else was trying to dive in at the same time. I strode over to a little bench, reached down through my pain and put those little kiwi sandals on my feet.  They were a perfect fit!  I stood in them, wobbly leg, "she has conquered."  I watched as my husband made his way over to me, standing tall, proclaiming, "THESE SHOES SHALL BE MY MOTIVATION TO DANCE AGAIN AND BE WHOLE!"
$19.99.  Now all I needed was that pedi and I was ready to be cut open and face what was coming next.

Ladies - Take Care of Yourselves!

New Pedi added 9-26-15 with yellow sunflower
I could finally sit for it.

It helps to feel girly and fresh in my cocoon

Ma, Do You Want To Be Lame For The Rest of Your Life? Get an MRI ! Notes from Scooter Girl

There comes a time when your kids speak to you with firm, emphatic, COMMAND!  "Mom! go get an MRI, call right now."  "Ma, do you want to be lame for the rest of your life?  Get an MRI!"  Your leg will never heal right and you will physically be half the person you were!  Those words cut right through the fog that had been lingering over me for a week after the cartwheel.  I had been going it alone, not thinking it was so bad.  I wanted to believe that it was just a bad tear.  Yet, it only felt worse, and to top it off, I was concerned about spending money on myself for medical treatment.

I made an appointment to see my primary doctor right away.  They were able to get me in within two days due to a cancellation.  At the appointment my pain level was really high and after climbing up to the exam table, getting the once over of the leg by my doc, climbing down and standing, due to my inability to sit properly I nearly passed out as the pain level was through the roof in several places behind my upper leg.  She said she could not tell how severe it was and referred me to the organizations non-surgical ortho doc. several days away.  I was spasming so badly in her office she offered me a shot of Ketorolac Tromethamine (Toradol) in my right buttock.  She also gave me a prescription for Tizanidine for muscle spasm.

I went home that day, knowing that something was really wrong, called my son, who lives in Asheville, and his response was of major concern spoken with authority.  While my husband didn't think it was as major, my son had a bad feeling about it.  He was incredibly angry that the doctor didn't order an MRI that day and implored me to call her office and have her write an order for one immediately and to go ahead and call an MRI agency and make my own appointment.  Honestly, it all seemed so difficult for me.  I have been healthy my whole life and navigating medical calls and appointments was looking like an arduous task ahead.  He spelled it out for me, about being lame the rest of my life, walking with a limp, never having my healthy leg again.  His words cut right through me!  My kid, the one I spent his life caring for, guiding, consoling, disciplining was now in the role for the first time of instructing me with firm voice and tough LOVE!  My sister, who lives in Kansas City was mirroring his same concern and at the same time she was trying to guide me on now to arrange my own MRI.

I was able to get my MRI referral and make an appointment with an independent imaging company the next day.  My husband drove me and by this time he was beginning to suspect that my injury was more complicated then a hamstring pull or belly tear.  (the belly is what the middle ground of our hamstring is referred to, typically the location of a regular sports injury tear, when some of the fibers have torn cross-ways).

I spent my half hour in the MRI tube, joked around with the technician about how I had injured myself with a cartwheel, and upon finishing, I looked at her in the eye and said, "okay, I know you cannot tell me anything, but should I be worried?"  She looked back at me and said, "It is good you listened to your pain." Then upon leaving the facility, with my disk in hand, the other tech yelled across to my husband, "she deserves a really expensive dinner out tonight, but no dancing!"  Chuckles abounded, I was worried.

I put that disk into my computer as soon as I got home.  After figuring out how to open the files, I was able to see the 200+ images.  Of course I could not tell what I was seeing with the exception of one thing.  The bad leg was completely white on the images.  Swollen tissue compared to the other leg and white stringy webbing.  I sunk, I knew it was not a good thing I was seeing.  The next morning, Friday first thing, my doctor's office called to confirm that I was keeping my appointment on Monday with the Orthopedic Doc.  Her nurse was very concerned and just blurted it out ---- "you have a complete hamstring tear and will possibly need surgery, please keep that appointment!".

                                                 One of the images

Hamstring research commenced - now I knew my life was about to change, I called my son and my sister and thanked them for making me act.

You just never know what will happen when you do a cartwheel AND listen to your kids when they speak with wisdom!  

Thank you for reading.  I have much to tell going forward, stay tuned and I welcome your comments and good humor.  Rachel - Scooter Girl.

Cartwheels, Lady Urinals and Scooters Oh My!

It is a rare occurrence to completely tear your proximal hamstring off of your ischial tuberosity, your "sit bone".  Water Skiers, Bull Riders, and now introducing Cartwheelers are among the active group of people finding themselves with such acute ruptures.

The Cartwheel:
How did I find myself, a 50 something active woman, cartwheeling into this surgical procedure?  It all seemed rather simple, nothing extraordinary.  I exercised in a Zumba class one afternoon, came home, found a patch of grass on my front lawn beckoning me to spin a cartwheel and 1/4 of the way around, crack, like a Louisville Slugger bat, a knife jabbing feeling in the back of my leg, that was that.  An MRI later indicated that my hamstring was 4.5 cm retracted and forming a nice hamburger like lump behind my leg.  More post MRI details later.

The Lady Urinal:
Jumping ahead a bit here, a 6-12 month recovery process looming.  Days 1 - 3 post op from out patient surgery and we find our Lady Urinal a HANDy device. Imagine if you will, you are unable to sit properly on any surface, for this entry, note the toilet is in context here.  I could barely stand, let alone hobble to the bathroom in the middle of the night, high on Oxycontin, dizzy coming down from anesthesia and ready to wet myself uncontrollably.  Calling out for a trusted person to help me stand up bedside, spread towel on floor, grab the Lady Urinal, position it between a working leg and leg frozen in time, from an incision spanning one's gluteal fold, just inches from said urinal placement, all while holding on for dear life, in near tears from the pain in my as$, was the procedure. In my case my trusted person was my husband.  The best 15.00 investment I have ever made.  More post op potty stories to come.

The Scooter:
She was a scooter girl, a 10 point turn hooter girl...sung to the tune of Skater Boy by Avril Lavigne.  In the case of my procedure, the recommendation of the Knee Wheeler by my doctor has been both a great help for getting around efficiently as well as in gleeful style - most days anyways.   Loosely worn boy boxers, zipping through the house and learning to use the break lock effectively while parking for such issues as toileting, making coffee, folding clothes and getting back into bed conjure up a curious vision.  Where would I be without my little red scooter.  I am afraid I would be nursing sore underarm folds from crutches and would miss out on the gentle glides down the ramp after physical therapy.  The decision to buy the wheeler with the all terrain wheels was a great choice.  It works well through the grass and over cobble stones and takes thresholds quite well.  More on getting around post op later.

My posts here are intended to help people with impending or post op surgery. Finding the humor in such tumultuous times has been helpful and having a friend to share the experience with who is in the throws of mending from surgery at the same time has greatly aided me in not feeling so alone in experiencing the feelings and emotions that go along with this process.  

Thank you for reading.  Scooter Girl.