Here is a look at my scars. The right hip is 3 months post op, and the left is 1 year post op. In these photos, the right one looks longer than the left, but I'm pretty sure in actuality, they are almost exactly the same size. The left one has just mellowed out and fleshed into my skin. The right one is still very sensitive to the touch, and very stiff. I've been having some trouble with the scar tissue on the inside of my body interfering with the free movement of my hip flexors and other nerves that run down the front of your pelvis, into the thigh. Right where the hip bends, for sitting and such, my scar is hard like a rock and hurts like hell if I stay in one spot too long. I am supposed to be working at scar manipulation to get it flexible, but it hurts! It also dries out and cracks if it is not moisturized or hasn't been massaged. For moisture, I use Emu Oil, which is a magical substance that can be used for just about anything. It is very fast absorbing, so it doesn't sit on top of your skin, or get rubbed off by clothing before it does it's job. Here is the website for the brand of emu oil that I use: http://www.jsemuoil.com/. I also use Vitamin E oil, and just about any other lotion without fragrance in it, if it is convenient. I've noticed that my scar on the right has these funny grey bumps in it. My therapist says they are stitches. They may come to the surface, and they may just disintegrate. I didn't notice these at all in my left scar, so they must have disintegrated faster.
I have to mention also, that with my left scar, I used a product called Dr. Blaine's Scar Care. It is a reusable silicone gel pad strip that you place over the scar and wear for 12 hours daily for 90 days. It is meant to recess the scar so it looks more flush with your skin, and reduce its overall appearance. I don't think I used it as much as suggested, but I definitely noticed a difference. I think in the photos, you can tell that my left scar looks flatter and broader than the right. This is due to the strip. It is too soon to start using it on my right scar because it is still too sensitive. I plan to though, maybe after another month or so.
I have graduated to one crutch, which has been more of a challenge for this recovery than the last. I have been going to physical therapy twice a week, where I do land and pool therapy. I have started doing basic yoga at home also. Getting up and down from the floor is not an easy task after hip surgery, and shouldn't be attempted until you are sure that you can do it. I do it only on my yoga mat, so there is traction, and slowly lower myself from a bending/ downward dog position. It is the same to get up off the floor- first on hands and knees, push back to downward dog, and then slowly to standing with your knees bent.
I have my three month post op with my surgeon next Tuesday. I will get to see how the bone is healing, which is my main curiosity at this point. I will then start to go to therapy 3 times a week. I've spent the last month really down in the dumps, and now I need to get myself motivated and really push myself to health.
So, that's where I am at. My scars are my battle wounds, and will be with me forever. They will also be about an inch longer after I get the screws taken out of my hips. I hate to seem vain, but it has been as much of a challenge to accept the way my body looks, as it has been to endure and accept the major structural differences inside my body. I'm thankful to have someone that loves me and thinks I look like a violin. It helps me not to think about it as much.
