Patient Stories

Shayauna

I am a 20 year old college student. It has been over six months since I first injured myself. I was hiking a volcano during my study abroad when I felt a severe stabbing pain in my groin. I initially thought I had pulled a muscle, but after days of limping and pain I decided to go see a doctor. I was sent to the hospital to check for a hernia. Soon after my arrival I was told it wasn’t a hernia and they wanted to check for bursitis. Long story short, I was discharged with painkillers, crutched and a diagnosis of bursitis. I was cleared to continue my travels for the next month and a half.

Once I arrived home to the US, I was in such severe pain I went to urgent care. This was the first time I heard the idea of a labrum tear. Unfortunately, I was switching insurances at the start of the new year so, I had to seek out a new orthopedic surgeon. This surgeon ordered an MRI to check for a tear and sent me to PT for tendonitis. After weeks of PT not working and my surgeon struggling to give me a definite answer on surgery, I got my old insurance back and went to a new surgeon.

It with with surgeon #3 that I found out I had dysplasia. I was referred to a dysplasia specialist to determine whether or not I needed a PAO. Today, I found out that I will be getting a PAO with a scope to fix my tear in the same surgery. My Dr. told me I need to lose 30 pounds before my surgery. I have no set date yet as we are waiting for an OR to open up with availability. My Dr. said this could be up to a 3 month wait and I am dreading having to be in such severe pain and pushing recovery back even farther.

I am struggling with hearing all this information about losing weight, getting a major surgery and having to start a new exercise regime to regain mobility. I have been on crutches for the last 6 weeks and was using a cane 4 weeks before the crutches. I have been on painkillers since my first doctors visit six months ago. My surgeon advised me that I need to go off of my painkillers 3 weeks before my surgery start in order to make my recovery better. He also recommended I start bicycling and doing pool exercises right away. I feel like my life is going in a full 180 flip.

Has anyone had similar experiences where they had to do a pretty significant weight loss in a small amount of time for surgery? I feel like I am crying all the time because I am so frustrated with how long this process is taking and recovery hasn’t even started yet. Nonetheless, I know that this surgery will be best for me in the long run and I am trying to stay as positive as possible throughout this process. With that being said, any tips, tricks or stories would be greatly appreciated.