6 1/2 Weeks Post Op: This One's (more) For the Girls

Thursday marked 6 weeks post-op for Osteoplasty on both femoral head & acetabular rim, synovectomy, debridement & repair of labrum with disolvable anchors, cleaning & removing of debris and smoothing out damaged cartlidge.  Maybe there was more, but that's what I remember as of this moment, lol.

I'm doing great, can't really complain.  I do complain, but you know.  I've been off crutches for 2 weeks although 6 weeks is the usual time on crutches for labral repair.  For this, of course I was thankful.  The recovery for this surgery is par for the course of FAI.  Day by day, when I wake up in the morning I never know what I'm gonna get.  If I look at my progression over time, it's been steadily improving.  If I compare my progression to how it's "supposed to look", I'm doing amazing.

If I compare where I am to where I wish I was, it sucks.  Because the truth is, where I'd like to be is never having to deal with the surgery, recovery, bills, crutches, PT, etc.  But then again that's me being negative.  Which leads me to my next point.

This is where the guys might feel like running, or staying, or maybe finding sympathy for the lady in your life.

What I've discovered over and over again...once a month actually, is that my FAI symptoms and all other joint pains tend to increase significantly with PMS.  So not only does it make me mean as a snake in hell, but it causes my pain to be so severe I can barely walk.

Since my surgery I have had two really bad/scary flare-ups, both during PMS.  The worst of my pre-op FAI pain was always during PMS and actually when it got so bad that I was totally unable to put one foot in front of the other was during pregnancy.  Obviously, as I've been suspicious of, hormones have an affect on FAI.  I'm gonna spend some time gathering info on this idea.  I know there are some articles out there because I've ran across them in the past. 

But, on a positive (yet possibly insane) note, for the first time in months I am meeting Mommy friends at the zoo with the littles.  It's a big day.  Praying it a) doesn't rain, b) doesn't kill me, c) doesn't cause me to have a nervous breakdown and throw my precious children into the monkey cage and take off.

So, please let's hear from you fellow female FAI friends (or guys brave enough to comment on your experience with one).  Do you notice a pain increase or decrease for that matter, during PMS or hormonal changes.  Post a comment and let us know, thanks!

***Update:  We (I) survived the zoo.  Post-op hip did fine, a little achy, but nothing bad.  Left side suffered...ahhh...will it ever end?
****Update #2:  Spoke to my PT and she said several female patients had complained that their pain increased significantly during PMS or menstration.  I'm gonna dig up some info on this when I have time.