Ton 'o Bricks

Attempting the "Couch to 5 K" and having to start all over again. No bueno. I feel like lead trying to run and my hips are freaking out. But I KNOW that I can do this!  I want to be a runner so bad I can't stand it!  I want those darn metals, people!!!  Just kidding....sort of.  So, I'm opening up the blog to YOU!  Any tips from you runners out there?  Or even just some words of wisdom from you fitness gurus?  

I may be down, but I'm NOT out!!!

xoxo

Hot Baths at Dawn

Yep. You read that right. It's not even 0300 and I've already hit the whirlpool tub for the morning...taken my Tramadol and Celebrex... and said my prayers. Hips hurt so much they woke me up. Boo!  So I thought I'd take the opportunity to update my friends and fellow hip chicks....and pray I don't drop my iPad into the tub!  Yikes!

I had my appointment with Dr. R at Texas Children's Hospital....always a fun experience (you recall my affinity for Disney and lollipops). The poor man is baffled. I have stumped him. He has absolutely no idea why I should be having the pain I am after FAI surgery was supposed to correct the defect. Great. The doc is stumped. And this nurse is even MORE confused. So, it's back to hip injections we go!  If you've kept up with the blog (and if you haven't, welcome!) I wrote a quite descriptive experience of said injections in my post titled "Children's Hospitals" (if you want to go back and read it, I won't rehash the experience here). My dear friend and fellow hip chick, Janelle, has recently gone back down the injection route and sounds like it doesn't get any easier. So, we will continue to pray this finds some, albeit temporary, relief until we decide if another surgery is in the future. 

On a happy note...Big Daddy and I have joined a gym!  I haven't been able to run in months, which really, REALLY bums me out. But I'm rockin' that elliptical like nobody's business and lifting weights. Trying to get back in shape after all this hip mess is quite the challenge, but I'm soooo ready!  I started running again about a year ago and my weight hasn't changed all that much since then (because of the irregular run sessions) so it's time to get serious and get this body back in shape!  I'm also doing the myfitnesspal app, so whoever wants to be my "friend" come on over!  My user name is sweethipchick...come find me!  xoxo

With A Vengeance

I am lying here, while my baby girl gives me a back rub (she is so precious to me!), feeling that oh so familiar sensation deep in my hip bones. And I just want to weep. It's back. The pain is back...with a vengeance!  Well, or did it ever really leave in the first place?  Who knows?  So, I'm back on the good 'ol blog again...pouring my little heart out. I thought we were done. I truly thought that we were through with all this hip mess. There was always a chance the surgeries wouldn't completely work...that the dysplasia would be too severe...but we didn't want to believe that. Besides, I recovered so well!  I did all the Physical Therapy and even started to RUN!!!  But that soon came to a screeching halt, due to pain. Thinking that maybe I just need to get a few pounds off these poor hips, I dropped 20 pounds....and instead of the pain subsiding, it's grown worse and worse with each passing month. We can no longer call this "post-op pain"....this is a much bigger beast and has been growing every step of the way. 

I finally got the "stubborns" out of the way and saw my family doctor today. "I thought we were through with all that hip mess!" declares Dr. S. Yeah. Me too, buddy. Me too. So, we're back at square one. Referral to the hip specialist and back I go to Texas Children's Hospital!  (I recall they have good food there, which is a plus!)  But for now, it's Tramadol and Celebrex and very hot baths. And prayer...LOTS of prayer. Prayer that the doctors will figure out what's wrong. Prayer that they can fix me with minimal to no further surgeries. Prayer that I can make it through another work day, tears pushed aside, so I can be the best nurse possible for my patients....and the best wife and mother for my precious family....and the best doggie-mommy to our sweet baby boy, Gunner. ❤️

Laptop Down!

No new posts lately due to a faulty laptop.  And whenever I seem to try to drag myself to the desktop, one of my precious offspring is on it.  So....I've been slacking.  Sorry.  In happier news, I'm still workin' and I'm still runnin'.  More and more and more.  I'm like the little engine that could.  Some days I backslide and some days I'm chugging up that ridiculously steep hill and praying that I'm somewhere near the top.  Kinda like life, huh?  Stay tuned for more updates...and if anyone has any laptop advice, I'm all ears!

Cool Runnings

Running. A concept I have only just recently embraced. Albeit...slooooowly. But I can do it, by golly! Moving is still painful and hips get quite stiff. Still busting out the ice packs everyday, but I'm movin and groovin, y'all! I even ran a little 1 mile race earlier this month...a little family "fun run". My daughter and I took that mile and DOMINATED! Okay, that's a lie. She dominated and I brought up the rear. But I ran the whole thing!!! She went ahead of me and was at the finish cheering me on. I've never run an entire mile non-stop in my whole life! And I did it!!! Next up, tackle the infamous 5K! I've already signed up for a race in September (the color run "Run Or Dye") and my goal is to run the whole thing....no walking. Lily and I may do another 5K before then, we'll see if the ol' hips can take it. She's hooked now. The run bug has bit, and she's itching to do a 5K! So darn proud of her!! Even Big Daddy is taking about starting to run again! He just wants a cool medal like us girls! ;-)

Eye of the Tiger

Cue it up, and blast it y'all!

I think we can make it official. I'm a runner! Woohoo! Still going through the "Couch to 5K" program....and hating, errr I mean LOVING it! *big smiles, BIG smiles* As (prayerfully) anticipated, each run gets a little easier. The rhythm gets more in sync, I get a little faster and go a little further. I've seen parts of our beautiful neighborhood I've never seen before! Now, I know I've mentioned how much I LOOOVE not only our gorgeous neighborhood, but our fabulous little town...well, get ready to hear more about it! I'm gonna shake this 'ol blog up a bit and start talking about things other than these crazy hips. The good Lord-willing, I'm done with surgeries and it looks to be I'm on the road to "normalcy" *what's THAT??* so I want to start chatting about other things, in addition to hip stuff of course! I mean, the title states "The Harmonious Hip", so of course I'll always be up for a good acetabulum discussion. But, it's also "Harmonious"....which would suggest "all encompassing" and "balanced", right? Of course right! So, expect some Mom-talk, some fitness-talk, some nurse-talk, some Texas-talk, some discussions about my favorite things in life, etcetera...etcetera...etcetera.... Bonus points if you can name that musical!!

So, howdy y'all and welcome aboard! I'm so happy y'all are here!! Got a question/comment? Give me a shout! I'd love to hear from you!!

A pic of my post-workout shenanigans...still loving me some ice packs! Owwwch!

Knock knock! Who's there?

Opportunities are a funny thing. They come and they go....and just when you least expect it, a really BIG one comes knocking at your door!

So, just the other week, I received an email from a friend with such an opportunity....it was an audition for a very big event featuring some of Broadway's greatest producers, directors and performers who had collaborated to bring all of the different "Phantom Of The Opera" stories together in one musical concert. Apparently they were seeking some local talent to fill in some of the solo parts. And they picked me. Me!!! What? Really?? Me??? Yes, I'm still pinching myself! We had our first rehearsal last week and I met the director and worked with some of the Texas A & M chorus. I won't "name drop", buuuut let's just say, this particular director is also a famous Broadway performer who happens to be in my personal playlist. I literally listen to this guy while I'm working out...and here he was right next to me, giving me blocking!!! Surreal, y'all. So anyways, my part...small, but actually pretty important in the storyline of the Phantom. I feel I've been given this baby and I'm going to accidentally drop it on it's head or something! I've never been so nervous in all my life! Such an honor, I can't even begin to express my gratitude for this incredible, once in a lifetime experience! For those of you locals wanting ticket information, here's the link! http://opas.tamu.edu/phantoms.html It's April 4th and 5th at Rudder Auditorium at Texas A & M University.

p.s. Hips are doing amazingly well...now we'll just see if they can hold up in my 4 inch heels! Yikes!!