A Summer Full of Fun

Where has the summer gone. It still has a month left but it went by so fast. This post is just a little update of everything I have been up to since the last post. It has been a busy couple of months.

June came and school ended. It was the best year teaching yet.  I had so much fun with those kiddos and I was so happy.  I enjoyed doing things with them. The best part there was no pain. It will be great to have my own class one day.  I worked right up until the last day of school.

I then got a few weeks off before my next adventure. It was time for vacation bible school. This is something I have always looked forward to every summer. It was going to be a fun but very busy week. I send4 hours with these amazing kids and two aides.  I was in charge of 10 kids with the help of the aides.  It was the best year yet. I was able to run with the kids in gym and play the games with them.  It was great. Yes I know I am not supposed to run but I wanted to play with them so much my heart won.  I was up and down off the floor more times then I can count that week.  

Everything we did I had a smile on my face and not that fake one I hid behind for so many years. There was fun and laughter to be had at every turn and no pain any wheres to be seen.  I was having fun and I was happy. To share my faith with kids is a great feeling and know that they were learning and having fun was great.This week  had worn me out. I was running on 6 hours of of sleep on 18 hour days.  This year will always hold a special place in my heart. Every time I ware my VBS shirt at the gym I will remember what a great time I had.

The week that followed VBS actually started the same day VBS ended. We head to Keuka Lake for our week long family vacation.   I was ready for this week.  I had rented a paddle board for the week but more about that later as it was a major part of vacation.  This week was time for rest and fun with family as it always is. We spent time together, laughed and laughed. It was nice just to be focused on all of that and not anything else and by that, I mean pain.

Before I mention the paddle board, I do need to mention that I needed a lot of help doing this and the one person I never thought would have been interested in helping me did. My amazing 18 year old nephew helped me more then words can say. He gave me words of encouragement.  He held the board still and was just there.  He even cheered me on. My sister was a great help too.   Thank you so much to my nephew you know who you are. It meant the world to me to have your help and to see how proud you were of me. You are a pretty amazing person and you should be very proud of yourself for how you treated me and made a wish come true.

This week I decided to do something I didn’t have the guts to do in Hawaii. It was paddle boarding. For the people who don’t know what that is. It is a larger surf board that you stand on and move around with a paddle.   Let’s just say that this was going to be even more challenging because of my cerebral palsy. I have a secret though and it  is I had been practicing for a while to be able to do this.  Since before we went to Hawaii.  I was standing on a bosu ball at the gym and pretending to paddle with a 10 pound weight.  I had gotten pretty good at it.  Well lets say it was an experience from day one. Trying to get standing on that thing like I watched in videos was impossible. I fell off many times that day. My nephew was right there helping the whole time.  I didn’t stand that day and knew I probably wouldn’t stand that first day. Well as the week went on we kept thinking of ways to get me to stand and the best and most effective way was to use the dock.  My nephew would hold the board and I would walk onto it. First try and it worked.

My sister held my hand to the end of the dock and my nephew let go and I was on my own. HURRAY!!!  I stood for awhile until I lost my balance and fell.

I was so excited. The second attempt at standing that same day went very bad leading to a cut hand. Long story. I was able to do the paddle board kneeling as long as I wanted and stood a couple more times that week. It was a pretty amazing feeling.  To be strong enough to even try this was amazing. Last year or even before my hip it would have been so hard and impossible.

I also got to go on two walks that were more than a mile and a half. I could have kept walking but Jake my four legged baby was getting tired each time. It was nice just to spend time with him.

However this week brought much more. This week brought laughter. I was laughing and joking like the old me. Smile on my face 24/7.  It brought the most important thing, Family. We spent time together just being us. It was great to watch how everyone interacts with each other. It was just nice to be with everyone. Until know I never noticed how much pain made my head cloudy toward then end. I was always thinking ahead and not living in the moment. I hated that so much. This vacation I was so focused on everything that was going on around me and was a much a part of it all. With the weekending it was time to head home and back to reality.  I was sad to see the week end. When you look forward to something so much it is hard to see it end. But as the saying goes all great things come to an end.

Now back to the boring things.  I am still fighting a battle that I started with this hip journey of mine. My weight lose. I have gotten close to my first goal of 200 pounds many times but have not reached it just yet. The date is September 14 2014 , I will hit that mark, if not sooner. Yes that would make it two years late to the date that I originally wanted to be that weight.  Thanks to the support of many people this goal will be coming true. My personnel trainer has been kicking my butt to get there. In this battle I have noticed that I might be overweight but I am fit. I am able to do so much that I wasn’t able to.  I can walk/run on the elliptical over 2 miles. I am using weights on both arms and some times just my right arm alone. I am stronger then I have ever been. My leg feels so much more stable and stronger it is amazing. I am becoming a better me and I love it.

Being back at home I am setting new goals and meeting them with flying colors. Just like treading water. I set a goal the other day to be able to do it for 5 minutes straight and I did it for 7. I am forcing old habits out of my brain and replacing them with new ones slowly. Like putting my pants on standing up, squatting to pick things up. It is amazing the little changes that I notice and no one else knows. I noticed just the other day that my bioness is helping I think I moved my foot while walking and it was turned off. I am very excited to see if that goes anywhere. Just the little things these days are still making me smile. It is the best feeling in the world.

As the summer comes to an end I have one more amazing vacation ahead. A fun filled trip to Minnesota. Where we will be going to the Great Gather (MN State Fair) and more. There will be a post on that hopefully.  The end of the summer also brings the begin of the school year. That also means my second hip anniversary is coming up, how time flies when you are having fun.  It has been the best summer yet and I know that there are many more to come.

Loving every moment in life.

As always if there is any topic you would like me to write about please let me know.

 

 

Just a little update

This quote is from one of my favorite shows. You will have to read to the end to find out why I picked it.

We have made it to May 2014. How time flies so fast these days. Life has been going on like normal and I love it.

I have been teaching almost every day that there is school. I am enjoying every minute of that. I am sitting on  floor with them when I need too. When on the floor I am able to sit criss cross apple sauce for an extended period of time with no problems. I have been that way for up to 20 minutes.   There are times where I am even able to kneel and then sit on my feet. Which is something that my muscles have been to tight for.  It is a great feeling being able to do all this once again. I can’t remember the last time that I was able to sit criss cross for up to 20 min. I am enjoying teaching and not coming home exhausted and needing to sleep. It is my life and I love it.

As life moves right along the milestones become less visible to me. But after I do something it clicks that it is something new or a mile stone. However I do see things that other people don’t.  Just the other day, after teaching a half day I was able to complete a lot of house work. I was carrying empty and full totes of Easter decorations up and down our stairs by myself. One time I just picked one up and carried it alternating feet up the stairs.  After all that I went outside and cut the grass. You might say why is that a big deal. Well first it is something I haven’t really done in about 15 years. My dad or brother always did it.  Today was my turn. I may say it did take me forever to start the lawn mower. Just because I need to start it with my left hand. But I got it. I will say that the mower is a push one not ride on. Well I cut both of our front yards no problem.  It was even easier then the heavy snow blower. Well after cutting both front yards I decided to give the backyard and hill a shot. Well I did it. I pushed the lawn mower up and down our back hill which is no small hill. What an amazing work out. I guess it was a good thing that Joe needed to cancel.

Every time that I am at the gym I see my leg getting stronger and doing things sort of the right way. We still need to get some of the muscles working correctly. It is great to see that I can blend my hip and not fight with it. Being able to bend the way it is supposed to. I have even begun to doing running intervals on the elliptical. I can run in 1 minute sprints then rest for 1 minute doing it f or 10 minutes all together. The last time I think I ran was when I was maybe 18 and that didn’t feel great. Hopefully this summer I will be able to play with the kids at Vacation Bible School better. All this working out has helped my leg get stronger and me get lighter and leaner.

This next part takes a little back story. For about 10 years now I have had the feeling of my left knee locking. Well I had an MRI and nothing was wrong but some arthritis. I was entered in to some physical therapy to strengthen the muscle that helped support the knee. This did the trick for a very long time.  It would lock every now and then. Well I have been able to become very physical lately and trying to squat more to work those muscles. Well this past Monday Joe my personnel trainer /physical therapist came to workout. Well lets say it was eventful and not so much. We were doing something on the exercise ball with resistant side stepping to help my hip  muscles. Well lets say I felt my knee get tight and the feeling like it was going to lock. Well great he would be able to see it but I didn’t really want tit to lock, I wanted to keep going. Lets just say that it was the most painful lock  yet, but nothing compared to my hip. I just laid there after nothing I usually do to undo it worked. Joe came over and looked at it. I trust this man with my life so I let him do whatever he wanted. He tried everything to get it to release.  He moved my knee and felt nothing wrong with it, he applied pressure and some tension to no help.  I let him move it no matter how painful it was, I wanted and needed to know what was going on. While he was doing all of this we learned that it was my Hamstring that was causing the knee locking feeling. Not really my knee. It was a massive hamstring spasm.  Well after 20 min to nothing helping Joe had me get up on the coach and straighten it as much as I could. I was unable to weight bear at all. The great guy he is he went to my kitchen and got me ice. He felt so bad that this happened. I told him that I was fine and that crap happens. I have gotten so used to it that it doesn’t bother me anymore. He explained and talked me through what was going on and how to take care of it. Joe was amazing and I was so blessed that it happened well he was here. I wasn’t scared the whole time that he worked on my leg and knew that he knew what he was doing. I think that was the most calm I was in that amount of pain. Thanks Joe. Joe has always explained things to me, how, why they happen and what he is doing. It has been an amazing feeling know that I am in amazing hands. Well know that we know what the problem is we might have a fix for it.

So you might ask this affects my hip replacement plays into this story.  Well I was no weight bare on my left leg as that is how long the spasm lasted. I had to use my cane and trust my right leg to fully support me. It did just that. Even into Tuesday my right leg was holding it own and holding me up. I had to baby my left stronger leg. That means I have been relying on my right leg a hell of a lot. That happens to be the leg that I had my THR on. It is also the side of my body that has cerebral palsy. It is has done an amazing job. Three years ago this would have been impossible. Thanks to the THR my leg is so much more stable. Because it is stable I have had the ability and chance to strengthen it. It is 100 times stronger than it has ever been. I am so happy that I had my hip replaced when I did.Keep fighting everyone. This experience and many others have shown me why having my hip replaced was the right choice.

So now I need to explain the quote that I have chosen at the beginning of this post. Part of my world did close down. The part that was consent pain and suffering. This is a part that I never want to open again. (But I know it will happen my hip needs to be replaced again). Yes I still get pain but nothing like before surgery. But is closed and I am happy about that. That was my world for 10 or more years that I wouldn’t let people into until the end. A world that I would never want anyone to experience. But because of surgery and my attitude that I have cared since I was little a whole new world has opened. I am once again living life the way I have always tried too. I always hated saying I can’t and once again I am saying I can. My world is great, amazing places, full of experiences, new places, new skills and oh so much more.  And as the last part of the quote says I am going through something here that I never expected. I am living again and loving it.

My journey is not over yet. I see so much more in my future and know that there a few things in the near future. July brings on Vacation Bible School and a family vacation to the lake. August is bringing a fun-filled trip to Minnesota. A trip to their amazing Fair where I will be spending a lot of time on my feet. Hopefully there will be another meeting with a new to the group a hip sister.  Summer will end and bring on the next school year of teaching and will love every minute of it. This journey of mine is on going and life changing. This is a new start to the rest of my life.

Thank you to everyone that has been reading this blog. Please help spread the word so we can help as many people who need it. If there is ever a topic anyone wants me to write please let me know. As always loving every moment in life.

Hawaiian Vacation

Note there are going to be a lot of pictures.

This was the most amazing trip.

Holy cow what can I say. This was more than an outstanding vacation.

Mom, Dad and I headed to Hawaii on January 14 one day before my 30th birthday. We were set to spend 7 days in paradise.
After a long 9 hour plane ride don’t even get me started we were in Honolulu. Our first stop was the Outrigger on Waikiki Beach.

The Best Hotel in Hawaii hands down.

This is an amazing hotel that I would recommend to everyone. It is right on Waikiki beach. We had an oceanfront room with this amazing view!

The view from our Room.

We had room service which was awesome. We had a great first night however we were going to be up early the next morning to do something so very special.

January 15 my 30 Birthday.
Ready to do the very special thing that I waited 9 years for and worked so hard to do. I was hiking Diamond Head today. Dad decided to join me on this expedition of mine. He is pretty amazing. Got all suited up with my Bioness and all the things we needed.  6am rolled around and we were on our way to Diamond Head. I was so excited. Well we got to the park and we were paying to get in and somehow it was mentioned that it was my birthday and the nice lady let us in for free. First birthday gift. All parked and even got Mom facing the mountain. Dad and I embarked on our trip very close to sunrise. Climbing was surreal. Hiking on rocky dirt switch back trails was interesting. I still couldn’t believe that I was doing this. We made it to our first look out point and because we had started just before sunrise we got to see the sun coming up over the ocean. What a beautiful sight.

Half way up Diamond head and we got this amazing view

We were going to hit our first set of stairs. Here went nothing. Up I went alternating feet like a champing. No problem they were a piece of cake. A few more trails and we were at a dark tunnel. There were twist and turns there. Only hit the railing once to busy trying to take a video or a picture. At the end of the dark tunnel there was a “fun surprise”. 99 step stairs straight up. These were what I was most nervous about.

The second Mountain I had to climb.

Up I go.

After a few pictures I sent Dad ahead of me and as there was no one behind me I could take my time and pictures. Started up the stairs that looked like a second mountain. One foot in front of the other. Even managed to video a little. Dad made it look so easy, he did an amazing job, 82 never looked so good. I went up those stairs with great pride. I was happy to be doing them at all. None the less alternating feet. Made it to the top with a smile on my face and was treated to a nice little view.

The view from the top of the 99 stairs

Dad made it to the top first

Right after the 99 stairs there was a spiral staircase. No rest for the tired. Up we went. At the end of those stairs we entered into a bunker. The reward at the end of that stairs was an awesome view. See for yourself below.

There were so many stairs.

They view that you could die for. I felt like I could touch the clouds.

This was on the 99 steps.

Climbing out of the bunker one heck of a step.

After the bunker it was a short walk to the end of the trail .  There were a few stairs left. The view from the top was so worth it all. It was as close as I can get to heaven. I had such a big smile on my face the whole time.

The view from the top of Diamond Head.

I reached the top. It was so worth it. Best Birthday ever

It was an amazing way to start the celebration of my birthday. I accomplished something that I have wanted to do for a long time. It was the best feeling standing at the top of Diamond Head. The smile was so big on my face and it never came off. I was very proud that my Dad made it all the way to the top too.

Hanging out in the bunker with my hiking side kick.

The hike back down was easier than up for me. Thank goodness we didn’t have to go down those 99 stairs. Mom even got to see us coming down. It is something that I will never forget. It is a memory that will last me a life time. We had a nice breakfast at a local place and a piece of coconut cake.

Yup Diamond head is mine.

After that it was time for some relaxing on the beach. Oh my goodness I loved swimming in the ocean. I couldn’t do that at home on my birthday. The day didn’t really feel like my birthday no snow it was warm but I loved every minute of it.

The night ending with dinner at Michels. This was a French restaurant that was just amazing. We got to watch them cook things right at the table. It was really cool.

Weighing in at 208. Very proud of my self. 30 never looked so good.

It was an amazing day that I will never forget. It was lovely to relax and do what I wanted. Spending the day with Mom and Dad was the best part. We got to be with each other and I loved that. It was a different birthday but I loved it. I hope Mom and Dad had a good day too. This is a day that will always be with me. I set a goal, worked hard to get there, and then accomplished it.  My heart was so full that day it was amazing. To be standing at the top looking down on the world was amazing. This is one of the biggest things that I have done in my life. I am so happy that what those doctors said 30 years ago never came true. We might have limitations but they can’t stop you. I will always hold my head high. This is a birthday that I will never forget.

January 16
Another amazing day was ahead. I was living a life long dream. Today I was going to swim with dolphins at Dolphin Quest.  I was so excited. Once again I was up early 4am my body took a little longer adjusting to the time change. I was enjoying this time I had by myself in the am. I was able to just take in all the things that were going on around me. I would sit out side and just marvel that we were in such a beautiful place.  Everyone else was finally up and ready to go. We were headed for breakfast at Dukes, an amazing restaurant right in our hotel.

Headed for the dolphins and can’t wait. As I saw where I would be swimming I got very very excited and a little nervous. The nervous was that I would need to be getting in and out of the water with out a railing. With my cerebral palsy I have bad balance sometimes and can have hard time doing certain things. But nothing could spoil this moment. I was willing to try ans ask for help if I needed it. Well it was an amazing hour. I was able to feed the dolphins, touch them until my heart was content, and even kissed one. I got in and out of the water no problem until the end. Almost fell in from standing up so many times. I had a great time. It was everything I hoped it would be. An experience I will never forget. I was very proud of myself and loved being with the dolphins. It is another day that will never be forgotten.

I made a new boyfriend at Dolphin Quest.

Hugging a dolphin was so cool.

Loved touching them.

A day that will never be forgotten. Two new best friends.

Have a treat.

We spent the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the amazing weather. We ended the night where we started it at Dukes. Best restaurant. We had our first piece of Hula Pie. It was to die for. If you go to Dukes you need to eat this pie.

This Pie is amazing. It was so good.

January 17
Today was going to be an easy but fun day. We were headed for the North Shore and a drive around the island. When we reached the North Shore we were treated to an amazing sight. There were at least 30 foot waves. See pictures. None really do the waves justice but they come close.

Driving to the North Shore

Headed for the North Shore. Never get tired of looking at the ocean.

Waves and more waves.

The waves were just so big. This is the famous sunset beach.

None of these pictures do justice to the size of these waves. They were at least 30 feet high. It was one of the coolest things to watch.

Heading back to the hotel was an experience in 5 o’clock traffic. Dad did a great job driving, even if the navigator (me) complained. Dad id learn how to change the topic awful fast and it was very funny.  On the way back I had my Hawaii Five-0 moment we drove by the statute in the opening.

A show that I am totally in love with

However I missed watching it in Hawaii as the time change The day ended with another swim in the ocean and room service. It was a fun day!

January 18
We started the day at Duke’s once again. This is a great restaurant. We were spending the day on Waikiki Beach. We rented some beach chairs and an umbrella for the day.

This is where we camped out for the day.

I got a special treat of renting a boogie board. I was excited because my surgeon said no surfing but could paddle board but didn’t have the guts to try. I was very jealous of the surfers however. My heart was really telling me to try it. But I knew better. The boogie board was a ton of fun though. Spending the day with Mom and Dad really doing nothing was great. See those two sitting there in the sun enjoying themselves made my day. After hours of sun and fun we were headed back to the room. After a nice shower I learned that I was very sunburned. Even managed to burn my scar.  On the weekend we got a special treat of live music right outside of our room. It was great. We spent time listening to the music and just enjoying each others company. The night ended with me doing some shopping at night.  Great time just walking around Waikiki.

Look knees are almost even and my feet are both pointing the same way.

I loved the ocean.

This was done as a joke but thought I would share. Diamond Head in the background.

Yup tried my hand at boogie boarding. Not that great at it. But had tons of fun.

The view from our hotel.

January 19

Today we were headed for a special brunch. But first I wanted to enjoy the nice weather. I went for a walk. Once again I was enjoying my hip and having no pain. I walked more than 2 blocks and was loving every minute of it.  I got some shopping done. I even walked far enough to find the statue of Duke. Thanks to some help from a stranger I got my picture taken with Duke.

I walked to Duke and much father that day. It felt great

Selfie with the Duke statue

I headed back to the hotel and stopped at the salon to get a new hair due. I get part of my hair put in corn rolls. I really thought it looked cool. Headed back to the room for a quick change of clothes and headed to brunch. We were going to the Oceanarium, This is a restaurant with a giant aquarium in the middle of it. We were eating lunch with the fish. HAHA. I met a new friend. I named him Lance.

Selfie with my new friend Lance. Yes I named the fish.

Another little friend.

Mom, Dad and I spent time talking and enjoying each other.   After what was a great brunch we were once again headed back to the hotel. Spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the ocean and enjoying the weather. One last night of live music. Watched another amazing sunset and took so many pictures. You can never have to many pictures of a Hawaiian sunset.

This is from our balcony. These sunsets never get old.

Another beautiful sunset from our hotel room.

I spent part of the night walking around again. I loved being out and doing things.

January 20.

Our last day in paradise. I was very sad that today was our last day here but knew that the vacation was not over yet.  Today Dad and I were headed for Pearl Harbor. Once again something else I needed to sit out on 9 years ago. The only thing that would have made this better was if Mom could have joined us. Dad and I headed out, I had put on my Bioness to help with all the walking but I very quickly learned that it was broken.  What a heart breaker.

The flags flying at Pearl Harbor.

Being at Pearl Harbor was such a humbling experience. Being so close to something that I have only ever learned about in text books. Knowing that so many men gave their lives so we could have our freedom is amazing.  I stood there just thinking about them and how they are an inspiration and heroes. I learned so much that I will never forget. It was a great experience.

The ship is still leaking oil. Some believe that the oils are the tears that the ship is crying for all those that were lost. The belief also is that the ship might cry its last tears when the last Arizona survivor dies. I think that is an amazing idea.

To all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the Arizona. There are crew members that are now buried along side of their fallen brothers.

A sight that will never be forgotten. The water is shallow that some pieces of the great ship still stick out of the water.

This is the real anchor from the USS Arizona. Dad had a hard time getting the whole thing in the picture because of how big it is.

I made it through all that walking with out my Bioness. I was very happy that I could do it. It showed me that yes I need it but I am very capable of doing things with out it. But yes it is easier with it, I will grant you that.

One last swim in the ocean. I was loving that so much. We ended our last night at Dukes. Tropical drinks all around and a little Hawaiian music. Oh how I am going to miss this place.

Celebrating our last night in Hawaii.

Two ladies with leis.

Mom and Dad and I together in a selfie. Thanks for an amazing vacation.

January 21

Time to leave Hawaii. We got all packed up and left the Outrigger a place that became a second home for 7 days. It was a sad to say good bye.

Goodbye my Friend

We ended up getting to the airport 3 hours early because the airline didn’t tell us the flight was delayed. There are some great views from the airport. I could have stayed another week but knew it was time to start heading home. The trip was not over yet we were headed for San Francisco, for a day.

Airport selfie. What a great trip, I hated to leave.

View from the airplane. Goodbye my Friend. I will miss you. Thank you for the amazing memory.

Headed for San Fransisco

After what seemed like all day we were in San Francisco at 6pm their time. My hip held up to the 5 hour flight just fine. But I was a tired and a hungry grouch. We all were not very happy. But we made the best of it.

Sun setting on the way to San Fransisco

January 22
After a quick phone call with Bioness to try to get a part replaced and nothing settled but buy a new battery and give that a try. We were off with an amazing tour guide. We were able to make a stop at Radio Shack  to get a battery. Didn’t help, it still didn’t work.
So we spent 4 hours with our amazing tour guide. We got to see so much. I did a good amount of walking with out the Bioness once again. Our tour guide took us to Pier 39, Lombard street, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge twice, we saw Alcatraz and we ate a a famous restaurant. We got to see so much more but that those were the highlights.  I loved all of it. Dad and I even got to walk down Lombard street. It was a good last day to our awesome vacation.

We walked around Pier 39 or Fisherman’s Warf. But there is no fish market there. Who knew.

They let me off the Rock. We didn’t get to visit, but it was cool to see from a distance.

What a view of the Golden Gate.

This is at Pier 39. Very famous restaurant.

An amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

After finishing out nice tour we were headed back to the hotel to watch some TV and have a little break before we needed to get on our 6 hour flight to the east coast.

Finally at the airport. After going through so many airports I never once went through a metal detector, which I was a little sad about I wanted to set it off. HAHA. I always went through the body  scanner. There was one time where the body scanner might have picked it up but I don’t think so.  Well it was about 8 at night in San Fransisco. I spent a little time shopping and I started writing this post. (Little pokey) 11pm  rolled around and we were getting on the plane once again heading for Washington DC. Vacation was finally over.  😦 After leaving Hawaii which was the hardest part I was ready to head home by this point.

The view from the plane. San Fransisco at night.

Venus in the night sky.

January 23

The Sub rising over Washington DC.

6 am and with very little  sleep we were in Washington DC. Seeing the city all lit up as we flew in was pretty cool.  Landed with about an hour until our next flight took off for home.  Time to say good-bye to my shorts for 3 months or so. They will be missed. One last plane ride until we were in the tundra. It was about -2 back home and someone didn’t have a jacket. All loaded up and ready to go one last time.

Almost home. Getting closer.

9:30 am finally back home. I was happy and sad at he same time. I was happy to be around family and friends again. I was very happy to see Jake. However I was sad that the best vacation that I ever had was over.

Final Words:

This is a vacation that I will never forget. My parents and I have created ever lasting memories. I know for a fact that this is the most amazing vacation that I have ever take. It was the first one in a long time that I was able to just enjoy it. Well maybe the first one where I didn’t have to worry about pain. I was able to relax, take part in pretty much whatever I wanted and what my heart wanted. No surfing though. I was loving life for all that it was worth. Loving the time with Mom and Dad in paradise. Being me and making dreams coming true. Loving who I am and what I can do at the moment. Everything that I had worked so hard for was coming try. It was a vacation, a time to be with people I loved. For a few days I forgot that I had my hip replaced and loved being me. Happy, trying things, walking with out my Bioness and loving every single moment of it.  Knowing that Mom and Dad were on a real vacation where they could do what they wanted, knowing that they were happy to watch me try things. It is a vacation that will never be forgotten.  My heart aches to be back there and I know it is because the vacation was one of a life time for all of us.

So you may ask why I decided to share all this an not just my hike up Diamond Head. Well I wanted everyone to see how much I was able to do. 3 years ago this would have all been impossible but I would have done it. We left on January 14 which marked 16 months post op for me. Who knew that I would be pretty much pain free and totally enjoying life. Showing everyone that there is a light at the end of this long long dark tunnel is an amazing feeling.  Knowing that my life has forever changed and I can be 30 and do things that many 30 year old do is amazing. 3 years ago if someone told me that I would be hiking Diamond Head I would say that it was possible, but you were crazy.  But I did it and it puts a smile on my face every time I say or think of that.

I hope and wish that there are many more pain free vacations in the future. I am ready for it. I am ready for whatever life throws at my way. I have set goals and reached them with my whole heart. I am loving every minute in life.

Loving Every Moment in life.

My feeling about this whole trip. I loved every minute of life.

December 2013

What can I say I have been so busy I haven’t even had time to write on my blog in a while. Where to start.

Well it is Christmas time at the White Household again. Bring on the craziness that I love oh so much.  That brings on the fun and little extra time.  So you might ask how that relates to my hip.

Well lets see I have been teaching and working at Wegmans and know that there is just more of that to come.  I teach at least 3 days a week if not more and then working Sundays at Wegmans. It has been amazing that my hip has been tolerating this and so much more. There are weeks where I get to go to the gym twice a week and most times that is after teaching.

I started back in October working with a personnel trainer, who by the way is amazing. It is my old physical therapist. This guy is great. We have been doing so many neat things. The strength is building in my right leg and I am very happy about that. Even better I am losing weight again. I hope this helps this hip last longer if I get to a better weight. He is pushing my limits and I am truly enjoying it.

This is just one of the new things I am able to do. Leg and arm are holding their own.

Now that Christmas time is here there is a little time for a break. I am helping where I can. I pretty much did the Christmas shopping, which I totally loved by the way. Running from store to store and no pain to speak of.  Well just muscle pain. Those words are still amazing to type. Just knowing where I was a year ago to where I am today is amazing. Yes last year I was able to help but nothing like this year. I thought Christmas last year was the best this one might just top that one but maybe not. We are making cookies, wrapping gifts, decorating and doing whatever else needs to be done. It is so much fun. I am going until I pass out at about 10pm and then I start it all over again the next day. The pain when it is present is all muscle and tends to hang out for a day and leave. Usually from over doing it  but I keep pushing the limits so my hip at some point might learn that I am the boss.

Well as Christmas gets closer I get more excited to be part of it. I enjoy being with my family and watching them enjoy Christmas. Knowing this year that I have been able to do so much more to help is great. That the only pain that I have is from over doing it is even better.

As I sit here and write this I know in just under a month I will be turning 30 in the best shape that I have ever been. My body is working and hopefully working right. I will be making the most of this birthday and will wrote more when that day comes.

Thanks to everyone that has been reading this blog. I hope that you have found it very helpful. I wish and yours a very Merry Christmas and an amazing 2014.

Jake and I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

I made it!!!

It is hard believe a year ago I was laying in a hospital bed wondering what the hell I did to myself.

As the title say I made it.  It has been one awesome year. It seems like yesterday that I was counting down the days till surgery. Now I have made it a whole year and don’t know where to start.

This year has had its ups and downs. The way surgery and the medications play with your emotions sucked, however those days are so far gone. I feel like a “normal” person again.   It is a great feeling my body is finally caught up on the sleep that I had been miss oh so much for a year. It is a great feeling when you can climb into your bed and know that you can sleep however you want because it is not going to hurt.  Yes at first the sleep was rough but it has become so much better. I am once again enjoying sleep.

If you have been reading the blog you know I have been up to a lot this year. I was making the best of it and don’t plan to stop. Every little and major thing this year has put a smile on my face. From tying my shoes to running with kids, to walking pain-free have been amazing. To squatting for what I feel like is the first time in my life.

I love putting on my socks now!

I have attempted to lose more weight and can say slowly but surely it is happening. I have set a new goal of January 15, 2014 to be 200 or less pounds. I am gaining muscle every where and I can see it. I am also losing fat in other places. It is a great feeling. Thanks to my new hip I can do a lot more things and am a lot more physical now. I have been able to run on the elliptical and am back on the treadmill climbing at an incline. Yes with both I have no pain well muscle pain but that is nothing compared to before surgery pain.  I don’t just sit on my butt I like to be moving. Well until my hip has had enough. Yes it lets me know when enough is, and yes sometimes I don’t listen. Nothing ever changes.

So you might ask how do I really feel after a year. Physically I feel great.  I am in the best shape that I have ever been in. My right leg feels stronger everyday.  Yes it has taken me a year to get the strength back but that is ok, it came back which is the most important thing.  I am starting to trust my leg more and more everyday. Trying new things and pushing the limits. I found out yesterday that I could squat as long as I had something to balance or a second and then could let go. I had a huge smile on my face. There is very little pain. Yes it hurts when I over do it. That pain is usually muscle pain and nothing more than that. It tends to go with in a day or so.  On those days my ice pack travels to bed with me.

The farthest I have made it on the treadmill

First time in a long time. It felt good. I almost fell over trying to take the picture

As for emotionally I would say this. One that it has busted my self-esteem, two strengthened my out look on life and third has taught me that smile changes everything.  My self-esteem has hit new heights because I once again trust my leg and don’t need to worry about what is going to happen. I am see changes and they are good so I look at my self different now. I am happy all the time, I am not that tired, stressed person that I truly hated so much. It was not me at all.  It has strengthened my out look in many ways. It has once again let me see that I can do what ever I put my mind too. It has allowed me to say yes I can again.  I know that everyday is a  new day and I might get to try something new.  Lastly I have leaned that smiling is amazing. The simplest things can put the biggest smile on my face, not a fake smile but one that means everything to  me. It is an amazing feeling.

This hip has allowed me to create a bucket list of things that I want to do.  One of the top things on that list is to hike Diamond Head in Oahu Hawaii. I had to sit out nine years ago due to my unknown hip pain.  It was hard for me not to be able to do that. Well I can say in 4 months I will be heading to Oahu with my amazing parents. On January 15 my 30th birthday I will be hiking that very mountain.  My heart is full with joy and excitement.  Knowing that one reason that it is going to happen is because of my new hip. Well and my determination that I will do it no matter what. There will be a post about that, you can count on it.

As I have said before music seems to speak to me at points in my life. Well my niece introduced me to the Imagine Dragons and lets say many of their songs speak to me and who I am. The on that is really playing in my headed right now is Radioactive. These few lines keep playing “I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow”.  That is how I feel most days that everything is waking up.

I do need to say a few thank yous to the people who have helped me get this far. These are in no certain order. Dr. Clarke, thank you for being a skilled surgeon and saying yes, because if you said no I might not be doing all this,  Joe my PT, thank you for teaching me all that you did. You should me that I had the strength in my leg when I thought I didn’t. You pushed me past my limits and knew that I would push the limits too. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of that, You did an amazing job and should be very proud. To my family, each and every one of you have helped. From just listening across the miles. From the kind words to the hugs to just being you has helped me greatly. Thank you all.  Lastly to my amazing parents. Dad you knew what and when I needed to hear certain things. Even through your silence you were helping. Mom you were my rock. You held my hand a year ago and never let go. You are still holding it you just don’t know it. You were my shoulder when I needed to cry. You both knew when I needed you and when I needed space. I would not have made it through this journey with out you. Words can’t say thank you enough.

Many people have said that I am an inspiration but in my heart I am just being me and pushing through like I have always done. This year has changed my life for the better. It was hard but what isn’t, life isn’t meant to be easy.

I regretted this hip in the beginning, but now I love it to pieces. It has given me my life back. I am so happy that I went through with this. I am living everyday like it is a whole new journey.  I have learned that I have the determination deep down to get things done. I am getting to live life the way that it is meant to be.

This journey is never easy. I have had to fight since day one. I fought to have the surgery done, I fought after surgery to get back to me. I went through 4 and a half months of physical therapy to make it to this point. I did whatever it took to get where I am. It has taken a whole year to gain my strength and stamina back.  My hope for the future is to still see improvements and to enjoy every single one of them. This life is mine to live and I am making the best of it. I am so happy that I had this done.

My Mom and Dad gave me an amazing gift today. It means the world to me. See the picture below.

I think this says it all. One of the best gifts.

Life is always changing and I will change right with it. Words can never fully explain what my heart feels on this day.  Looking forward to the future. LOVING EVERY MOMENT IN LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two AMAZING weeks!!!

These were two of the best weeks to date. They both left me speechless. I have been waiting all summer for these two weeks. Had had an AMAZING time.

The first week was vacation bible school week. This years theme was Discover the Superhero in You. How awesome is that. This is something that I have been doing  for the past 5 years or so. It is a very busy week. I am with the kids for 3 and a half hours straight. It doesn’t bother me I love every minute of it. Our day is broken into 30 minute blocks and moving between two different buildings. We have craft, gym, class, service, snack and music. In there is an opening and closing gathering. Most of these activities include getting up and down off the floor many times. For the first time in a long time I was able to run with the kids in gym on Monday. It was so much fun and a giant smile on my face. It was fun to see the kids laughing and joking with me. Yes, I know that I am not supposed to be running but it was so worth it. I had so much fun this week. By Friday my leg was becoming very tired and not happy with me. But I put a smile on my face and keep going. I was having too much fun to give in. This is a week that I will remember for a very long time. Knowing that a year ago I made it till Tuesday when the pain really kicked in I made it a full week this time. The kids were amazing. I can’t wait till next year. Hopefully it will be just as great.

This is a little note also about Vacation Bible School week. My family and I were leaving for vacation on Thursday to Keuka Lake, We do this every year. So after teaching and getting up and down off the floor everyday I would head home and help with what ever was needed to be done to leave Thursday. I even went shopping on Wednesday. I was using a lot of energy this week and still going. I made the drive down with my parents and drove back that night to be home Friday for last day of VBS and closing night activities. After closing night I made the drive back to the lake. I made it all week without a nap until Friday. I was very impressed.

This is how my Friday night ended. God’s way of showing me how amazing he is.

Sun setting on Friday what a way to end amazing week number 1 and start number 2. God has a plan for me!

Our week at the lake was ready to start, with tons of fun, friends and family time.

Saturday I got to wake up to this great view. I never do get sick of it.

Keuka Lake our week-long home thanks to great friends.

Saturday morning was spent walking around the farmers market that is huge called the Windmill. It was good fun. My leg was ok with it and no real pain at all. It was being good after the week before.  But my leg didn’t know what I had in store for it. But it would. The rest of the day was spent in the water with family and some much-needed relaxing.

Sunday was another day of firsts in a long time. I took Jake my dog for a walk for the first time in a long time. He was very happy and so was I. We walked 1.50 miles together. Someone got tired before I did. By the time we got back to the house I was tired too but not sore!!!

My baby Jake on his first walk in about 2 years. We walked 1.50 miles together. He got tired first.

I could get pretty used to this view and I think Jake might like more walks. Wish we had a place at home that I could take him.

The other first that happened today was that I got in a kayak for the pretty much the first time in my life, It was a trick getting in but oh so worth it. It was easier if the back half of the kayak was on dry land, it would balance better. I paddle myself that first time probably over 2 miles. My right arm was strong enough to keep pulling. I had so much fun my hip never hurt once doing all that. Getting out of the kayak was a different story. The easiest way that I could think of was to roll of the kayak in the water that was a little deeper. It worked as long as someone held the kayak. I got in that kayak about 5 more times that week.  This picture is from the last time that I did it. I pulled my niece along for the ride too.

The rest of the week was SUPER. We had tons of fun with family and friends. Even went on a mini wine tour and a couple of walks. My hip made it till Saturday until I got made at me. I was very happy about that. I think that it was ready for my bed, I had been sleeping on an air mattress all week which I loved.  I had so much fun with family and friends.

I know these will be two weeks that I will not forget for a long time.

As I finish writing this post I know that the one year mark is literally right around the corner. It feels just like yesterday that this journey was starting.  I am having the time of my life being free of pain and being happy 24/7 again. This journey has shown me so much.  Here is to a great rest of the summer and the start to a pain-free school year subbing.

Me and Keuka Lake. My sun burn from Kayaking showing.

Vacation!!

Oh my goodness it has been over a month since I have written on this blog. I am happy to say I have been very busy LIVING LIFE!! I am very happy to say that. This post as it says is going to be about my trip to Minnesota. All I can say is amazing.

I left a few days after my parents did which meant I was flying alone for the first time since my hip replacement. First can I say how nice it was to be able to bend over and take off my shoes no problem. At my home airport we don’t have metal detectors just the full body scan. I didn’t tell them that I had a hip replacement and went right through no problem. Sat on the plane for 2 plus hours and no real pain. I did all of a sudden remember that I needed to move so I didn’t get a blood clot. Have no idea why that popped in my head and being almost 9 months post op I think I was ok. But I became very wiggle after that because I can’t really do ankle pumps with my right foot. CP gave me foot drop. Made it here no problem, just ready to move.

There was a group of us that traveled from my home town to see my nephew graduate from high school. There was 7 of us from NY there to see him walk across the stage. We might not have all been at the ceremony but watched from the house and were very proud.

We had a few great days together. Getting things ready for a fun graduation party. The graduation party was a great time. I was sad to see my family go but knew that my nephew, sister and I were going to have some fun.

We did some fun things well I was there. They did keep me very busy which was great. It put the new hip of mine to the test. I had a great time with my sister shopping and making chocolate. We did so many great things together. There are two things I am going to share because they seem the most relevant.

My niece, her boyfriend and my nephew and I went to the Minnesota Zoo. I have been here before but it is still a great trip. This is not some small zoo. I spent 6 hours straight on my feet and LOVED every minute of it. Thank you to my new hip and lovely Bioness I was able to do all this. We walked the whole zoo. We even went back to the farm and played with some goats. I as rally enjoying myself. We were laughing joking and enjoy each others company. Best part was I didn’t hurt. What an amazing joy. I did find out that I still walk a little slow. But that doesn’t bother me at all. It was a great trip to the so. One that I won’t forget. What made it the best was I was with my family!

This is was after 6 and half hours of straight walking. I was so proud of myself and I love my Bioness!

My nephew and I decided that we wanted to go to the Mall of America and ride some rides. Here we come roller coasters and more. This is the first time I have been on rides since my thr. Very excited and even more excited to be doing it with this nephew. We have a special bond and really enjoy each other. We had so much fun together. We went on so many great rides and I was able to get on and off them no problem. That put a smile on my face. That five-year old kid in me showed up again. We rode roller coasters and other things that allowed my hip to be put to the test. I was a total blast. Lots of laughs.
Today was leaving day. 😦 very sad to go home because I had such a great time with family. One more time through airport security. This time I did set off the metal detector. They didn’t have a full body scanner so I had to get a pat down. I made sure I told them about my hip before going through on a warning from my mom that set it off too. I didn’t like the pat down and hope there are not many more in my future but I kinda know there are. I will become ok with it. It will be my normal. It was a great trip. I am so happy that. Was able to go. I can’t wait till next year.

View of home from the plane

25. AMAZING!!!!!

I have been waiting to write a post like this. I hope that it gives many people hope for the future. It has given me great hope for the future.

This week started on April 29 and will end May 5. What an amazing week it has been. That is all I can say. This week started great and ended the same.

It started on Sunday with and amazing 5 and a half hour shift at Wegmans. When I work at Wegmans I am on my feet for the whole time by choice right now. I could have a 10 min break but it does not feel worth it to me. I worked that whole shift like it was any other day. I am not demoing any more so I was helping like I would normally. I was shopping for things that our department needed that meant walks around the store. It was great. I was even able to shift all my weight over to my right leg. I got a little pain after doing that but it went away. The only thing that I felt bad about was that I was not home to help with the garden work that my family was doing. The day ended with no pain!

Monday I was off to a full day teaching. It was very nice. They were working on plants. It was fun. The day was good. I decided after teaching to hit the gym. So after working all day I did a full work out. It was a busy but good day. Still no really pain. After working all day I headed for the gym for a good work out. It was great I felt good doing it. Yes my hip was tolerating it. Not hurting or throwing a fit like it does some times. After the work out I was finally headed home. I was tired but a good tired. The night finished great still no pain.

Tuesday was here and I was off to teach again Today I was what you call a floater. I was going to different classrooms every half hour or so. That way teachers could go to meetings. It was very interesting and very busy. I was doing a lot of walking and it felt great. It was a fun day over all. After that I had a nice PT appointment for my left knee. Lots of hard work and laughs. Day ended with no real pain. Just some muscle pain. Another day over and many more to go.

Wednesday, I was excited to sub today as I was in a special education Kindergarten room. I have been in this class before and love it. The kids are great and the adult are great too. Something happened today that I truly enjoyed. I was sitting on the floor with the kids and one was having a rough time and I was able to calm him down. After I did he put his head down on my knee and just laid there, then another student climbed in my lap at the same time. My hip held up to all of that. It has been many years since I have had a child sit in my lap while I was sitting indian style. The day went on with nothing major. These kids are amazing in this class. Lots of sitting on the floor and getting up and down. The day ended great. After a great day I decided to head for the gym once again. I had a good workout. Tonight was the first night that I hd some pretty bad muscle pain. I took my ice pack to bed with me and it felt great. It brought back some memories.

Thursday all I can say is holy cow. I can’t believe that I have made it this many days with very little pain. Today I was the teacher in a second grade class. The kids were very intrigued by my Bioness. One of the kids wanted to know if they could wear it. No was the answer of course. They were a very busy bunch of kids. They loved doing just dance to get their wiggles out. My leg was physically tired and only a little sore. The day ended with some hugs from the kids and asked if I could come back and sub again. That made my day. Headed to bed knowing already that I was working on Friday.

Friday and my amazing week is almost over. Today I was headed to be a k- 1st special education teacher. It was a busy day but fun at the same time. These kids were busy bodies, they were always moving. But I love it. We had an assembly and many fun activities and a lot of hard work. The day ended well. Took some ibuprofen tonight to help my sore tired muscles. Was really ready for bed. However the day was not over yet.

Saturday was just as busy as the rest of the week. I am a third grade religion teacher at a local church and four of my students were making their first communion. I was headed to that special mass. I did find out that one of my students would be making it at the 4:30 mass. They did a great job and were happy to see me. My hip handled the kneeling well and gave me no problems. Back home and time for some PT for my left knee. Joe kept me busy and tired me out some more. My hip did good since we are doing wall squats with ten pound weight now. I was not able to do that very well before surgery, now I can do them. They are not perfect but I am getting better. I worked in the garden for the first time all year. It felt great I was able to kneel stand and sit. I was getting up and down no problem and really enjoying it. It felt good to just be in the sun after such a long week. We were headed to church to see my last student make their first communion. It was very nice. The day ended with me being sore but pushing through.

Back to Sunday again and you know where I am headed. Another 4 hour shift at Wegmans. What a day. I was set to demo for four hours. My hip being sore and tired didn’t like this very much at all. I dealt with it and made it through the day and headed to bed that night knowing that I was teaching on Monday. The cycle never ends.

As I sit here and write this I know that I have a busy week ahead again. I am teaching four out of the five days and have two PT appointments. They are the last two. I hope that they are the last two for a long long time even though I love spending time with Joe. I took Friday off so I will not have to re schedule my PT appointment and get a few things done that I have not been able to do.

Writing all of this has shown me that I am slowly but surely getting my life back and that it can be amazing. I am enjoying every minute of teaching again and doing many fun activities with the students that I once couldn’t. I have not had this much fun teaching in a long time. Yes there is still pain present but both of the jobs that I have are demanding on my body. I push my body to the limits and it pushes right back, however I don’t let the pain win and I never will. As I look at it all this working is just bringing back my stamina and strength. The pain is slight and just a minor interference in life. Just thinking that a year ago I was coming home everyday from teaching and taking a nap because the pain was unbearably and my body was way over tired, I never took a nap at all this week. There are days that I might complain about the job I was given but I make the best out of  the situation. Right now I can’t pick the job that I get, but I am ok with that. This hip replacement has changed my life and has allowed me to live again.

The end of this month is going to bring an other great accomplishment. I am heading to the airport to fly to MN for my nephews high school graduation. For the first time since my THR. Second I am flying alone so it should be a great experience. I will post how that all goes. I am planing just to go for it and not tell anyone and see what happens.

As the quote on this page says ” Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try” I tried everything this amazing week and came through with flying colors I believe. I decided to try many things this week and have reached an amazing accomplishment. I am getting ready to have a full-time job.  I am getting the chance to really teach and not worry about the pain. It is the best my leg can support me the whole way. It is the greatest feeling. Yes getting to this point was a ton of hard work. Yes I am still healing  and know that it can only get better and better.  This is a year-long journey. Being almost 8 months post op and being able to do all this is great. I have come so far and hope to go so much farther.  I .m seeing that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer and closer

Thank you so much to everyone that has been following this blog. I hope that it have given others hope.  It has given me a place to share my feelings and hopefully help people which I love to do. If there is anything that anyone would like me to write about please please let me know. Nothing is off-limits. Well maybe one or two things. But I am pretty open.

Ending as I do. LOVING EVERY MOMENT IN LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

25. Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

It has been a busy Holy Week around our household. Lots of work getting ready for Easter. But with the hard work comes fun too.

The week started with Palm Sunday and this led to some thinking on my part. I thought how awesome I am doing from where I was a year ago. It is a great reference point because I was able to stand through the reading of the Passion and kneel part way through it. A year ago there would have been no kneeling after all that standing.

Headed to Wegmans where a year ago I had to cut back on the hours I was working to only 5 hours. Yes that is the same amount of time that I am working now. But it was decided to wait for an 8 hour shift until the summer when I am not teaching to see how my leg fairs.

My hip was amazing this week. I worked two days and had no problems at all. That is so great to write.  It has been awesome every time I came home pain-free from teaching. Weighed in on Wednesday and I was at 204 that is a total of 56 pounds lost just over half way to my goal.

Good Friday rolled around. On this day that Jesus bared his cross on his journey honorably I feel I have done the same with my cross on my journey. I know that it is not at all the same.  Today Jesus gave up his life to save all of us. I am very proud to have him on my side. Thank you Jesus for making the choice you did. You r truly the greatest. We were decorating the house in the full swing of things.  Had a great time decorating eggs with my nieces and nephew.  We had lots of laughs. It was great just to sit there and listen to the four of us joke and spend time together. With things getting done efficiently this years it seems as we have extra time to breath. That is a nice treat. I have not really used my ice pack at all this week and am proud of that.  I have been using it for six months.

Holy Saturday was here and things were going as planned. Lots of things to do around the house. Lots of prep work and table setting. We even finished early and wondered what we forgot.  Still no real hip pain. Once again I was remind where I was a year ago and still can’t believe that I am able to do all this running around and be OK with it. I have noticed lately that I have been able to put more of my body weight on my right leg. That is an amazing feeling after babying it almost my whole life. It is strong and it is working. So all those years I thought that my CP was getting in the way I bet it was my hip. My parents and I were headed off to the Easter Vigil tonight. This is one of the greatest celebrations in my Catholic faith. Three years ago I was blessed to be part of the Vigil as I became Confirmed. It was just as beautiful this is year if not better. Sitting there holding my Mom’s hand I felt very lucky to have the most amazing parents and how they and God have made it possible for me to make it this far in my journey. Back home after a great Mass with just a little more work to do.

Easter Vigil. Me at my lightest 204 pounds . 56 pounds down and more to come.

Waterfall Braid kindly done by my Mom.

Headed to bed after helping Mom and Dad with a few more things. No ice pack once again. I am getting there.

Easter Sunday!

As the sun rises on this beautiful Easter Sunday. I am remind how Jesus rose from the tomb. Each day we get to start a new. What an amazing gift. This Easter has meant so much more this year to me. HAPPY EASTER TO ALL. I decided to swing past Wegmans well getting bagels to let them see me in some normal clothes. One of the ladies that I work with was almost brought to tears. She has seen me transform over this past year and half that she has worked with me. She was amazed at how I was walking with out my Bioness and how great I looked. We had a great family gathering. Lots of fun looking for Easter baskets that the Easter Bunny kindly hid. Yes when my family gets together there are many laughs too. When there are 23 of you all together lots of things will happen. No stolen candy but jokes about that happening. It is just great to be part of a large family where we all care for each other so much.  After baskets were found we had a lovely meal.  Standing this whole time was not bothering me. I guess my body is pretty used to it. That is such a great improvement. I have with them. I have walked around for three days with out my Bioness and I have no extra hip pain that I might get from not using it.  Either my foot drop is getting better, or my leg is not bothered by it as much. I like both options. Loving posing for pictures these days.

My Goddaughter and I on Easter Morning!

As this amazing day comes to and end I have gotten to think about many things. How lucky I am to have the most amazing family that raised me as their own. To have amazing parents that are there no matter what.  God picked the most perfect place for me. I think I have finally figured out way this Easter was so special for me. I was able to just enjoy it. Not worrying about what will happen tomorrow and how much I will hurt. I just was able to watch joyfully everyone enjoy themselves. Which in its own was the GREATEST gift that God could have given me. The ability to just be with my family and enjoy every single minute.

I would like to end with the following. As this day comes to an end I feel astonished by the miracle that Jesus preformed on this day. This year Easter has been the best yet. I am feeling great and am pain-free. I feel like I have been risen. God does many great things and I am one of them and very proud of it.

Thank to all that have been following my blog. I really hope that I am helping people.

24. Everything will be alright

I have had tried to write this post a couple of times now. I hope this time it will sound right. I want people to see the that there are ups and downs to this journey. As many know I also have cerebral palsy on the same side as the THR.

Well in the last couple of days I have been thinking. When I started this journey with a 1/2 inch leg difference which I always blamed on my CP. Yes it might have been part of it. Now that the hip has been replaced the legs are even for the first time in my life. Yes I love being even but it has brought something to my attention. I no longer have the rock in my gait. I have been working hard at strengthening the muscles that help with that. But having the leg length gone and the rock gone must of the time has led me to think.  There is no longer visible signs of my CP on the outside. Yeah that may seem strange but that limp has been there since as far as I can remember. Now I am afraid that people wont understand why I have to do things different. Yes when I have shorts on you can see my Bioness but in pants I look just like anyone else sort of. That slightly might be part of my problem. I have never wanted to be “normal” and now I am starting to look normal and that is bothering me too. This might  seem totally crazy to some people. But hay that is what is in my brain. Yes my right arm will still be a visible sign to others that not everything is OK.
Knowing that it will only get better and better is hard too. Not that I want to go back to where I was ever.  You get so used to being a certain way for so long. I was happy with where I was and thought I as at my best but now I have the chance to be even better. Do things that I once thought were unobtainable. Yes I might be the same Blaire again but I am getting the chance to be a better Blaire. I am trying everything new like I am 5 again. How many people get that chance. For so many years there were times when I would watch people do things and know that I might never be able to do that. However once again the world has been opened up to me. I am one that very rarely says I can’t I have always tried before I say I can’t. Well once again I have found new skills that I once lost the ability to do.

I will say that change has always been hard for me. So to have the bump in the road seems almost normal to me. I know there is more change to come. Just like today I was at Church and was kneeling and I thought about how a year ago that was not possible. My hip would not let me do it.  Everyday is a new experience that I get to live and live it my way. As the nicer weather starts to head to my area I am thinking of all the fun things I can do now.  I have many hopes for the summer. I am hoping to lose 40 pounds and be close to my ideal weight. I can’t wait to have a GREAT week at VBS. An amazing family vacation and a trip to my nephew’s High School Graduation. The trip for graduation will be the first trip through the airport post THR.  I am planning to enter OT for my right arm again. I am hoping to find a teaching job and just to have tons of fun. When I have things to look forward to it helps the bad days be that much better.  I am ready to live my life again and will do the best to be my best.

Loving every Moment in Life!!

23. March 14, 2013 YES 6 months.

As the title says I have hit a major mile stone in this hip journey of mine. I have hit 6 months post op and couldn’t be more excited than I am. First I want to talk to you about my 6 month check up that I had March 12.

March 12 we all head to Syracuse for my check up with Dr. Clarke’s PA. She was a little nicer on this visit which was great. Headed of for some x-rays. I will be glowing by the time that I am done. They also x-rayed my left knee this time, more on that later. The x-ray techs loved my shirt.

This is a great shirt. Yes they are my own x-rays.

The PA told me that the x-rays of my hip looked good. However she gave me some new news that I was not ready for. She told me that I have hip dysplasia in my left hip. However it was very very slight. I was told that it might never bother me at all or it might take many years for it to cause me pain. I like the first choice so much more and hope that is what happens. I like to think that the weak muscles on my right side let my hip dislocate and not stay in the socket. With that news I was a little sad. But know that it is going to be fine. She examined my hip and said that everything looked great. I got the all clear.  She said still no lifting over 50 pounds on a regular basis or running. I can do it enough to play with kids but not everyday of my life. They just want my hip to last as long as it can and running makes it wear more.

After my hip got the all clear she took a look at my left knee. She said that it had very little arthritis.  She said that the noise just might be normal for my knee, however she didn’t like the idea that it locks sometimes. It was decided to put me in some more PT to strengthen my quads on that side. Yes and No, I was thoroughly enjoying my time with no appointments. Yeah I get to see Joe.

When my appointment was over I was walking back from picking up my x-rays and I could hear my mom say that I was not rocking while I was walking. That put the biggest smile on my face in the middle of the doctor’s office. I was so happy that she noticed.

6 Months. They all look the same to me now.

Well since I got the all clear I got a special treat. A milk shake, you used to do that when I was sick and would come back from the doctors.

Treat after getting the all clear at the doctors. I had a second one later. Bad diet day.

MARCH 16!!!!! 6 Months Today!!! What an amazing journey that I have been on. I went to bed last night for the first time with out my ice pack. It was a nice treat. I was a little sore in this morning but nothing a little stretching couldn’t fix. I am working again and loving every minute of teaching. I didn’t teach today but it was a nice break. I did head for a workout for the first time in 2 weeks. That was way to long. It felt good well I was doing it but as the day has gone on I have become sore and know that I will be taking my ice pack to bed tonight. Not much else happened today. Just a lot of thoughts that I would like to share.

I have been thinking that if someone would have told me that I would be where I am 6 months ago I would have said they are crazy. Just about 7 months ago I could not sleep and barely make it through a shift at Wegmans. I am now loving sleeping again and never knew how much my body missed it. I am working 5 hour shifts at Wegmans and soon hoping to complete an 8 hour shift. I am loving every day that I get to teach and can’t wait to have my own classroom some day. I am now with a giant smile able to go up and down the stairs alternating feet for the first time in my life. It takes a lot of thinking but I can do it.  I can now get on the floor without any support and sit Indian style for a short amount of time. I am working hard to loss more weight and increase the strength in my right leg so it can help out more.

The best thing that  have gotten is the ability to live. I can do what I want now for the most part. I am able to walk better and longer with little to zero pain. I am happy teaching again. I can do things with the kids and not worry about the pain as much. Yes my body is still healing and know that it might take a whole year. But it is a Whole of hell better. As the summer approaches I can’t wait to see what is in store. It has been a ton of hard work that is fully worth it.

I do need to say a big thank you to my parents that have been here every step of the way. You are amazing and I know where I get it from. Thank you for being there. This journey would have been twice as hard with out you. Thanks for putting up with all my crap day in and day our. Thanks for making me smile. I love you both to pieces.

I have been put on this journey for some reason that is unknown to me and know only to God. Maybe one day He will share with me. But I am good not know. I am amazed with myself everyday and even more when I accomplish something new. It might be the simplest thing from lifting my right leg without using my hand or being able to bend my hip almost to 120 degrees. I am amazed at the will power that I have and gained through this journey. I am impressed every single day that I wake up and am able to be pain-free. I am my own super women and hope that others see they are one too.  I am blessed to be given a second chance to live life. Well I guess it is the first chance to live it the way it was meant.

Yes I still have rough days and I might not be the happiest camper but I am try my best. As I have said before I don’t think that my brain a fully caught up to my body at the gets me fully frustrated. I still except to get pain when I do certain things and am slightly nervous when I don’t It had become my normal. My brain can tell my body what to do but my body doesn’t respond but most of the time it does. This is journey is a lot for my brain to wrap around and one day everything will make sense to me.

Now that I have gone on and on I think it is time to end this post and head to bed.  I have taken every step of this journey head on just like everything else I do. I am happy that I was put on this amazing journey, I know that I might be able to help someone in the future. Loving every moment in life!!

22. Bioness and Hip.

This post is not going to be too much about my hip. But it will at the same time. Crazy I know that’s me.

I know I have said this many times before but I also have cerebral palsy on the right side of my body. Yes that is the same side as the THR. It was found in January 2012 that I have something called foot drop do the cerebral palsy. It just means that I don’t get a heel toe strike when I walk. My toes hit the floor first. Well I tried out a Bioness L300. This is an electric stimulation device that I wear below my y knee. It stimulates the nerve below my knee that controls my foot. So when I wear the device every time a take a step my foot is picked up and I get the heel toe strike. It has made a major difference in my life already. More about that later.

Friday March 1st was a special day around here for me. It was my one year anniversary with my Bioness. I have owned and used my Bioness that long already. It just seems like yesterday that I started using it. I could only wear it for and hour and increase over the days. When the month ended I knew that I needed it and that it was going to help greatly. I didn’t care about the price it was priceless to me. At this point I still had my bad hip that was half dislocated but I was ready to push the limits. I was already walking laps around the gym at I work out at going up and down stairs. I started a Bioness Bucket List.These are mainly walking things that I want to do. Yes many of the things would have to wait till I got my hip done but at that point I didn’t know when that was going to happen.

Well on the one year anniversary I decided to do something special. Well I decided that I wanted to check something off the Bucket list. I felt that my hip was strong enough to handle it and I was ready to tackle it in the snow too. I was headed for a walk around Cobbs Hill Reservoir. You what is the big deal. This is a big deal to me because I have never been able to do this and have watched people do it and always thought that one day I will do that. Second it has a major connection to my family. My Grandfather used to run the reservoir as his job. My Mom has told me many stories about her childhood there and my Grandfather who I have never met. I have been told many times that he would have loved me very much. I felt that this was a way for both my Mom and my Grandfather to be there. The walk around the reservoir is .69 miles and I was ready. My Dad decided that he wanted to come along for the fun. Not even the snow and cold was going to stop me.

When we got there I was very excited about this whole thing. Winter clothes on and ready to go. We made it a quarter of the way around and I was not even tried. We stopped for some pictures.

Quarter of the way there.

Reaching the half way mark was a major mile stone. Even better was I was keeping up with my Dad who is a pretty fast walker. Hip is still happy and my leg is not tired. All that working out and PT has helped off in ten fold. Three quarters of the way there and I was over the moon. I took a few pics and a video to document the journey. The smile on my face was great.

These are my foot prints in the snow.

We saw the car and we were finished I had just walking .69 miles. I did it!! This had been on my radar a year ago just as a thought. One year later I was able to do it and have fun at the same time. Almost 6 months ago this would have been possible but rough going. It was an amazing trip that was well worth it. Life is getting back to normal and I am enjoying every minute of it. Know that I have a new hip nothing will hold be back. I am trying so many new things and the Bioness is helping all the way. There were a few more pictures and we were done with the walk. I have a new goal at Cobbs Hill Reservoir when we have nice weather.

One year later. 50 pounds lighter and a new hip. I love my Bioness!!!

It was a great day and I had tons off fun. When I got home I sent a message to Bioness with a picture and this was the message that I got back and was posted on their Facebook page.

“A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Blaire on her 1 year anniversary with the Bioness L300 Foot Drop System! We’re so proud of all your accomplishments. You never cease to be an inspiration to us and others! Thank you for sharing your journey. We’ll be cheering for you every step along the way. :)”

Thanks Bioness

I guess my hip had a major part in this little journey. I just over a week I will be 6 months post op and can’t wait to see what the future holds for me. Loving every momentum in life.

21. New Found Skills

It has been almost a month since I have posted on here. I have been doing so many great things time just flies by. I have had no PT for a full month. I am still do the things that Joe taught me at the gym and continue to keep working. I am hoping to see improvement still in strength and endurance. I am hoping to see Joe this summer and show him what a great improvement I have made.

As the title says I have some new-found skills. I am very excited to share them with you all. The first takes a few pictures and explaining.

Tying Shoes:

For a year before I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia I could not tie my right shoe at all. Some days I could do it. Most days I would tie my shoe and slide it on. After a few weeks at pt in 2012 I was able to once again bend enough to tie my shoe, but in my own way. I will show you.

This is how I tied my shoes before surgery.

This was a lot of bending of my back to do this. Let’s say that Joe did not like it very much. I was happy that I could tie my shoe again. 🙂 Over the moon after not tying my shoe in a year. This is how I did it right up until surgery.

For six weeks I was not allowed to bend past 90 degrees so my lovely Mom or Dad tied my shoes. Thank you guys.

Well after going back to my old method the more flexible that I got I started tying my shoes the way I did before my hip bothered me. This is how.

This was my compromise.

Siting on a chair or the couch to tie them. Still bending my back and a little bit more at the hip.

Well Joe decided that I needed to learn a whole new way that would flex my hip more. Let’s say that I was not very excited about this. It meant a lot more work on my part. I will show you the pics then explain.

Look at me go!

This is my new way to tie my shoes. My right hip bends past 90 degrees every time I do this.

It is more work on my part because I now need to get down and up off the floor often. It has made my right leg stronger though. I can now get on the floor by using my right leg first. Great. That probably makes no sense. Well I am enjoying my new way. It is taking time to getting used to. I need to break my bad habits and remind myself to do it that way. I am happy that my hip is bending more and that it takes some of the stretches I would do away. It will become natural just like everything else.

Squatting:

Yup I said squatting! Joe had started teaching me to squat it helps bend the hip to 120 degrees. It is rough because it is something that I have never done in my life. I can get my hip to 120 degrees but as of right now I need to hold on to something.

Started by holding on. I can bend to 120 degrees doing this.

This pic is after weeks of practice my hip bends a little better when not wearing jeans. I can now squat at a students desk when I am teaching as long as I can balance on their desk. I have done it a couple of times without even thinking about it. It was great.

The next pic was only the second time I had tried this. I was able to hold it for about 30 seconds.

Squatting sort of. First real-time with out holding on. Look at that hip bend.

It is getting better every time that I do it. As it becomes easier it becomes natural and that excites me. Even before surgery this was something I could not do. My hip wouldn’t even bend past 90 degrees no matter how hard I or Joe tried. What an improvement.

As the weeks and days go on I learn that I have many new skills that might seem simple but are a big deal to me. It can be something as simple as lifting my foot without my hand to put on my shoe. Or sitting through a movie at the theater not having to move because of pain or move at all. To climbing to stairs alternating feet and then coming back down the same way. That puts a smile on my face every single time. To knowing that I am returning to my “normal” whatever that should be. I am getting stronger ever day and I can see it. Just on February 25 I stood up off the floor with my right leg in the front with out holding on for the first time!! I was super impressed with myself.

I saw this sitting on the counter the other day and it brought a smile to my face.

You may ask why this brought a smile to my face. Well just about 7 months ago I was taking these every four hours just to make it through the day. I now might take them once a month. I am proud that I no longer need them. My pain is pretty much gone. I have muscle pain from teaching them how to work all over again. That is what brings the smile to my face.

Yes there are goals and skills I have not reached yet but I can see them in the near future. The major one that is going to take time is getting the rock out of my gait. I have what you call a reserve Trendelenburg gait or Trendelenburg lurch. It will take strengthen muscles in my right leg but I am getting there.

I always seem to think a lot when I am typing for this blog. But hay that is what it is for right. Life is always changing and I am seem to be ok with that now. Change used to be so hard for me to deal with. Yes it is still hard but I seem to deal with it better now. I am breaking a lot of old habits and forming new ones. I guess you can teach an old doge new tricks. HAHA. It may frustrate the heck out of me to have to change so much but it is ok. I am happy to do it as long as it is going to help. I am and have always been happy with who I am. I am also happy with where I am. I am getting the strength back and even more. Now that my right leg is working so much better I notice that my right arm might be able to be better.  It might be time to return to OT. I know that has nothing to do with my hip.

I am more than happy that I had this done. It has given me my life back.  Who ever knew. I am enjoying work at Wegmans again and teaching and love every day that I don’t need to turn down a sub call. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Here is a trip to Hawaii in my near future, to hike Diamond Head. That goal has taken me far.

Blaire

20. Life Continues!!

The title says it all. Life does continue. So many little things equal to many big things. This week showed me many different things.

Monday brought me another good workout. Still no real pain and I have been going since last Thursday. The five-hour shift at Wegmans treated me well. No extra pain like the last time. Once again what a difference a few weeks makes. I am happy that I had the guts to take that leap and work the 5 hour shift. It just showed me that yes I can do it and it will be OK. Today was one of my last PT visits. Many great things happened during PT today. First is I was able to squat better than I could on Saturday. I had been practicing. Still holding on well-doing it, but if I tell you that there was no way even holding on that I could do this before surgery you would be amazed how far I can do it now. Next my pt had me put on my Bioness and asked me to walk with it on. It is going to show you how much my hard work has paid of and what a difference the THR has made. I was walking with the Bioness and my PT noticed that I was walking faster than the Bioness could respond. My hip has let me increase the speed that I can walk. This made me smile I always thought I was going to be pokey. Now I am pokey only if I choose to be. One time after I stopped walking I looked over at my PT and he had a big smile on his face. I asked him what he was smiling at. He said that both of my feet were pointing forward. I told him that is what he had taught me to do and I worked hard to get it to do that. My right foot before surgery was pointed out at a 20 degree angle. Since before surgery and after I worked very hard to get it to point forward. It is now and I don’t even have to think about it anymore. I was happy that he noticed. It was great that something so simple made him happy. Well for me it was not so simple. The day ended great.

Wednesday I weighed myself in and in almost a year I have lost 54 pounds!!! Very proud of myself. It was a lot of hard work and still working. When I look back and think how much work it was with a half dislocated hip and pain. It makes me even more proud that I did it. I went for another great workout today. I hit a couple of mile stones today. I went up and down the stairs 4 times. That equals half of the 99 stairs that I will have to hike up Diamond Head. 48 up and 48 down. I was working on the stairs for a surprise for my PT on Saturday. I will tell you more when that happens. Second major mile stone was that I did 2 miles on the elliptical in just over 30 minutes. Best distance yet. I am excited that all these new things are not causing me pain like they were in the past. It is an amazing feeling.

Friday was another great day. I taught again the first time since January 16. Today I was a kindergarten teacher. That is my favorite. The kids were amazing and it was so much fun. Half way through the day I posted this on Facebook. I have made it a half day so far with ABSOLUTELY NO PAIN. As I sit here typing this I have tears of joy running down my face. THIS IS AMAZING!!!! As the day came to an end I decided to sit on the floor with the kids. I sat on the floor for a good 15 minutes Indian style. That put a smile on my face that I was able to do that. A year ago it would have been possible for me to sit there but not Indian style and would have been a lot of work to get up and down. My PT and I decided to move our last visit to tomorrow so I could meet his family that I have leaned so much about. I was very excited. I felt great when I got home the only pain was back pain above my right hip. I took 2 ibuprofen and all was better. It was an amazing day. When I think about it, it was hard to believe that three weeks ago that I was in so much pain that I didn’t want to move. Still sleeping with my ice pack at night but hoping to lose it soon. But I kinda like it now. The day ended great no real extra pain. Here is to Saturday.

Up early for my last PT visit. Well if you haven’t figure it out yet I have been seeing my PT Joe since November at my home. When he left his job at the clinic I thought that it was pointless to start with a new pt that knew nothing about me. If this was my doctor I would follow him too. It was the BEST decision I could have made. Well I have been working with Joe for just over a year on and off, so I didn’t but did want to say goodbye. I am ready for my life to move on and see what I can do on my own. Today Joe was moving my leg around and said that my hip was bending at 105 degrees. Nice. After some stretching, I had a surprise for Joe. I told him that I could go up the stairs WITHOUT holding onto railing. So up I went showing him. Yes it is easier with Bioness on but I can do it with it off. He was impressed. I had told him that I had been working very hard at it. It is not perfect but I can do it most of the time. I will keep practicing until it becomes natural for me just like my foot pointing forward. The second surprise I had for Joe was great too. Joe had been teaching me squat while hanging on to something. When I first did it a week ago. I would hit about 90 degrees before I had to stop. Well I worked very hard all week-long. I was able to do it today and bend my hip to 120 degrees which is what a normal hip should bend to. Even before surgery my hip no matter what we did  would not go past 90 degrees. What a major improvement. I will take it. After a lot of  hard work I got to meet Joe’s lovely family. His wife is awesome and his two kids are great. They are very happy young boys. I enjoyed sitting on the floor with them playing with toys. Put a smile on my face. It was very nice to meet his family since I had heard so much about them. Finally time to say goodbye to Joe. 😦 First a picture.

This is my PT Joe. He has done amazing things with me. Thanks for everything.

One last time I want to tell you how great Joe is. He has been there since the beginning. He has pushed my limits. Thank you Joe. He has gotten me to do things that I have only dreamed of. Thanks Joe. He has helped me see that I might say I can’t which I rarely say, but can push the limits and get there. Thanks Joe. You should me the PT can be fun and helpful at the same time. You have handed me a key to my life. You are truly amazing. Now that you have a big head I feel better. So thank you for everything you have done. Maybe I will hire you as a personnel trainer one day. It is going to be weird to not have an appointment two times a week. It will be the first time in 4 and a half months. 🙂

As I have mentioned in the past music has played a major part in this journey. I have had songs that speak to me at certain times in my life and this one has come back again. It means a lot to me because it explains my life. Since day one the doctors never believed I would make it this far, but I believed I would. Check out this song and you will see what I mean. I Believe

As I sit here and type this I have thought about many things. I know that I can continue doing things on my own but know I always have help when I need it. My major thought that might seem weird is how strange it is to work and live without pain. Might seem crazy but I had gotten so used to the pain so to not have it bothers me some times. May seem weird but when you have lived with pain on and off for 10 years it becomes your normal, it is hard when that changes. Trust me I don’t want the pain back ever. I love that my life is now becoming closer to my “normal”. One day I will get there and will be happier than a pig in mud. As you can see life does continue after a THR at the age of 28. The light at the end of my tunnel is getting closer and closer.

I would like to thank everyone that is reading this blog. I hope that people are finding it helpful. There are many young people out there that need to hear the success stories. I hope mine has helped.

Little Off Topic

I decided to write on something off topic. But it isn’t really. I have been doing some thinking lately. Sorry if it seems a little mixed up, but that is how my brain is thinking right now.

As most people know I was born with a disability. When I was younger I was not that happy that I was different then all the other children. However as I grew I have come to fully accept who I am. God made me different for a reason. Yes I might not know why. However I am OK with that.

People have asked how I can be so strong with everything that has happened to me. Well let me explain the best I can. First I have known no different then a life with Cerebral Palsy. Since the day I came in to this world I needed to fight to be here. When doctors tell your parents that you are going to be deaf, retarded and in a wheelchair the rest of your life, you can either live up to those low standards or blow them out of the water. Well not then but as I understood things I decided to blow them out of the water. When you watch your siblings play sports you just want to be part of it, that was the same for me. I would do my best to keep up with them. When I learned about my hip yes, I wondered why me. I don’t I have enough on my plate already. But I thought about it, as this is an other chance to show the world what I made of. So to answer the question being strong is in my DNA. That is the best way to put it.

As for my attitude. I like to think this way. Yeah I could be sad that I have had all these things happen. That is just not me. Yeah I have had down moments in this journey and in life. However I can always pick myself back up and keep on going. The good things always out weigh the bad things. My attitude is my choice.

I wouldn’t be where I am today with out my AMAZING parents. They took me in even though I could have had so many things wrong. They have helped me become who I am. They have shown me the world is full of opportunists. They taught me that I might just have to work a little hard to get things done but that is OK with me. They have taught me that I am different then other people but at the same time that I can do what other people do. But most of all they have given me unconditional love that has taken me so far. They taught me that it is ok that I am different.

So the major point that I am trying to get to is that I love my disabilty. But I don’t see it as a disabilty. It is part of who I am and it will always be that way. Yes my right hand might not work like everyone else’s but I can use it when I need it. I use my hand in my way and it works. Yes it might get better if I work at it. However that is my choice and I will make it again when I am ready. I might not be able to walk like everyone else but I love my Bioness. I am getting better at that every day. thank you Bioness!
I love that I have been put on this hip journey. Yeah it might suck at times but it can only get better. It has opened my eyes to a whole new world. The best part it is pain free, well it is getting there. I am more then happy with who, and where I am. Yeah I would love a teaching job, working on it. I could have been what those doctors said 29 years ago. I am so happy that I am not. I face everyday and every struggle with a CAN DO attitude.

So I guess that this post was just a bunch of my thoughts. But it is great to let other people hear them. The next post will hopefully be hip related more tham this one.

18. Happy 29 Birthday!!

Tuesday January 15, the big day!! HAPPY 29 Birthday to me!!  I was subbing again today. Yesterday ended on a little down note. The pain just was bad. This morning I was sore but more manageable. I was head back to sub some more and hopefully have a great day. The day was good I had pain but not the gross pain that I was so used to. It wasn’t really bad until that night. After teaching I was home for a while before I had to leave again. We had a little party for my birthday at religion. It was fun.  There were a few people there that had seen the TV interview and said that I did a great job. Back home and dinner. Not the way I really wanted to spend my birthday but it was great. It was interesting to say the least. I was so much hoping to spend this birthday pain-free. In a way I did it was a different pain from over doing it. By that night when I went to bed I was done and hurt real bad but I made it through the day. I did some thinking today. I came into this world 29 years ago three months early just to be part of this great big world. I have loved every single minute of it rough times and all. I know that life could always be worse. I could have been what those doctors said I would be 29 years ago. I am happy with where I am. Yeah never thought at 29 I would have a brand new hip but I go with the flow.  Happy Birthday to me!!

Wednesday was a take it easy day. I just decided that I just need to give my body sometime to rest. I have always been one that doesn’t like to take medicine and didn’t take  anything. Bad decision on my part. I should have at least taken ibuprofen. I am just afraid of getting high blood pressure taken it for a couple of days in a row. I guess if it is not a long time it will be ok. I took a two-hour nap for the first time in months today. I guess my body needed it. Man was I ready to go after that. We went out to dinner for my birthday tonight. It was great. We enjoyed each others company and the cheesecake was great.

Thursday rolled around I was still sore but a lot better than Wednesday. Things are getting better. We went and saw a movie today for my birthday. I have learned that I now have a hard time sitting still at movies. I used to move do to the pain. Now I just can’t sit still.  If you can’t tell birthdays tend to last for a week around here. It makes it that much more fun.  By bed time I had no pain at all. However I had a major melt down. I was heart-broken. I want to teach so bad but my body doesn’t like it. Worked two full days in a row and it took that amount of time for the pain to go away. I lay here crying because I don’t know why. My head and heart say yes my body says hell no. I want too so bad!. This is what I was thinking. I just want my life back. I know that it takes time but I am ready. Even though I am 4 months post op I guess I can still have melt downs.  My Mom has been a trooper through this whole thing. She just listens when I need it. She will give her input and is always trying to make things better. I love her, I blessed to have been given such a great Mom.  She puts up with all my crap. Thanks Mom,

Friday woke up feeling great no pain at all. Back to myself hopefully. No workout today didn’t want to push it. I didn’t work out at all this week bad me. I need to loss more weight, I will get there. I felt better after my little vent the night before. I just thought that God has things happen for a reason and I just don’t know why. I will get through this just like everything else I have. Well my awesome PT came today and I told him how I felt and this was what I took from the conversation. Working two days in a row was not bad for me. Yes it caused me pain but it was good for me too. It is my body’s way of getting used to doing things again. He said don’t back down keep going. When it happens again and it will happen again use heat, Advil or ibuprofen. The pain should get less each time you do it. Might not seem like that at first but it is. He said my hip was stiffer when I started back at Wegmans. I have learned my lesson I will take ibuprofen next time. Had a good time doing PT.

Once again a song has helped me come through this rough patch.  I have made an amazing Climb and it only continues. Check out the video! I will move mountains.

As I sit here and write this I know that things will work out for the better. I just need to be patient.  I know soon enough I will be able to teach pain-free and have a ton of fun doing it. I know that this journey is a marathon and not a sprint. Only God knows what is in store for me and has done an amazing job. I know I have been as strong as I can through all of this. The journey goes on and on it is never-ending. Soon the time will come where I am so busy that I only update this blog once a month or on major mile stones. The day will come where I will see that I did an amazing job going through this journey even though it doesn’t ways feel like that. I will see one day that I have helped someone go through their journey a little easier. I just want to help people and feel like this journey has made a difference. I know that it has made a major one in my life. I am getting my life back or even better getting to have the life that I had been denied for some reason.

I can even kneel now.

17. First Subbing Job

Things are moving right along. It seems like it has been forever since I have last wrote on this. But has only been a week. What a great and busy week it has been. I have been having accident pron week. Nothing happened with my hip thank God.

Tuesday was my first dentist appointment since before surgery. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I have to take antibiotics one hour before any dental work. The person that was cleaning my teeth was very nice. She asked me the famous question. “Aren’t you too young for a hip replacement?” Yup but I don’t care it has changed my life. Everything went great. No cavities and no problems. Great news after a year full of different news. Love my clean teeth. Today is one week until my birthday.

Wednesday I was headed for the gym. Weigh in time first, 209 pounds. I am getting there, slowly. I think throwing surgery and a holiday in the middle of it didn’t help much. The work out was great. It is the greatest feeling to be doing them pain-free. I can’t explain how much pain I was in working out before surgery. Now it barely ever hurts. That is the greatest feeling ever. I went for a swim again and having a great time doing it. The day ended good. No pain.

Thursday was a slow day around here. I did get on the Wii fit. This time my age was 24. Four years younger. It was nice to have a slow day.

Friday was great. Still no sub call but going with the flow. My PT came and we worked hard. I went up the whole flight of stairs alternating my feet using the cane. That is harder than using the railing. Doing it slowly but surely. It is starting to become more natural.  After PT I was headed for BJ’s.  It was pouring rain and I am very careful not to step in puddles because of the Bioness. Well I was missing the puddle I opened the car door right into my head. OUCH!!! The accident pron week keeps coming. I was very tired today so I took a good nap and felt great.  My hip has not given me any problems this week. There are times where I just forget. It is a great feeling. I love being me again and even better.

Saturday was a busy but very fun day. First I did something I have always wanted to do. It was non stop laughs. See the pictures below. This is how like to spend my birthday week.

This was the best

Getting out was not easy and lots of laughs!!

Today my PT and I were getting interviewed by a local news channel to tell my story about my Bioness. The camera man was here for a whole hour. I feel like I did a good job, so did Joe my PT. I did my best to answer the questions. Can’t wait to see it on the news tomorrow. My hip was a little sore after all of that, but no big deal.

Sunday rolled around. My leg was tired but  I just go with it. I was headed to Wegmans. Only a three-hour shift today. I had a birthday party planned.  We had a great time with family and friends. Once again I loved every minute of it. Can’t believe that I am going to be 29 in 2 short day. Oh yeah my interview was on TV tonight. I did see it till the nest morning but here is the link. Please read and pass it on. I got a call tonight from a school district that I sub for. I was working a full day tomorrow as a teachers’ aide. Headed to bed yearly so I was going to get to see my story. But it aired on the 11 o’clock news on channel 10 here. Check out the link below and share if you can.

http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S2894995.shtml?cat=566

Monday morning. This is the first thing that I saw this morning!

You are totally Amazing, Fantastic, Wonderful,Fantabulos, Gorgeous, Wow. Wait till you see the News! Lead story!! Did I say Amazing-wow Mom and Dad

Do I love my parents. Da HELL YEAH!!  I guess I did a good job on the news. Watched the story and was very impressed. I am so happy that I was able to do it. What a morale booster.

Headed to my first sub job since before surgery. I had a minor panic attack on the drive over. I thought holy cow I haven’t really taught since last June. What the heck. I knew I wasn’t really going to be teaching today. I was still scare. I was a teacher’s aide today working one on one with a student. Don’t get me wrong it is great but I am a teacher. I was doing a lot of walking and standing. Yeah as an aide I can sit a little more than I normally would. It was a great day overall. The students that I was working with was great. I got a call from the office asking if I would like to come back tomorrow. Sure. I was tired by the end of the day. I was leaving and the secretary in the office asked if I had lost weight. I said yeas and she said I was looking great.  Some thoughts on today. It was a little weird to be working where no one knows that I had a hip replacement. I felt like people were wondering why I was wearing sneakers and walking really slow. Hey I don’t care. At the same time it is nice to have people see me as me for now. It was a great day. I can’t wait to teach now. It will be great. I just need to learn to not over do it.

First full day sub job!!

Headed back home and time for PT. Yeah get to see my buddy again. We had a good talk about the news coverage. Did some stretching and said I was a little stiff. I told him that I worked all day. He said that would do it. Asked how my pain was said it was muscle and only hurt once when he moved it. We did so more things and he said that my muscles were tired. Yeah I think they earned it today. I tired and so is my leg. As I sit here and type this my leg is getting sorer. But nothing that I can’t deal with. We will see how the morning treats me.

Today is exactly 4 months since I had my hip replaced. It has been an amazing journey that I wouldn’t change for anything. I know that it is just going to keep getting amazing. 4 months ago I could barely walk. But today I tried to keep up with 5th graders. Getting there. I am proud of myself more than words can say. I just need to learn not to over do it.

Tomorrow is my 29 Birthday and I can’t wait to see what the day and year to come will bring. Brings a tear to my eye that this will be the first pain-free birthday that I have had in years.

Thanks everyone for reading. Will do a birthday post tomorrow!!!

16. Life is moving along

I am learning surely that life does go on. Maybe with little bumps in the road. But whose life doesn’t have bumps. Just get over them and you will be done with them.

Wednesday I worked out for the first time since before Christmas. It felt great. I am working very hard to get the strength to come back in my right leg. I just want it back to where it was before surgery. It will come just have to be patient. That is not my best ability.  I am trying to lose 50 more pounds and hoping that I can do it this year.  The best thing that happened today was that I could use the elliptical for 30 minutes with no pain at all. I was even able to use it a good amount of time with out holding on. 🙂 Super excited! Thanks to all the work that I did on my balance with my PT.

The highlight of Thursday was that I didn’t hurt from the work out the day before. Major plus. Not much happened today. Like those days.

Friday was the first day of PT in the New Year. It was good. My PT said that I was a little stiffer then normal. There are two things that I think might contribute to this. This is just my opinion. First that I have been running around like a crazy women for a month.I am only three months post op at the most.  Second I really think that my Cerebral Palsy has something to do with the stiff muscles but not to sure. Guess I need to have a talk with my PT. We were working on a lot of things today. He decided that we need to work on going up and down the stairs. Alright, he decided to throw me a curve ball. If I remember right he wants to me come down with my left leg first and then the right. He then wants me to go up the stairs with my right leg first. We are trying to reprogram my brain to do this naturally. That might take some work on both of our parts. But a lot more on my part, I am trying.  I might just have to put a post-it note at the bottom of the stairs as a reminder. I have started to  get mad when I don’t it that way now. I make myself start all over again when I mess it up. Just who I am. We are also working on external rotation of my hip. This still seems to be very weak. But getting there.  The day ended with a shopping trip with Mom. Lots of fun.

Saturday what a day. Where to begin! First I learned that there was something new I could do. I was able to cross my right leg over my left one without using my hand to left it. Yes I was laying on my back but I was not even able to do that at all before surgery that was how bad my leg was. But I can do it now. And am very happy about it. I still need to use my hand when I am sitting.  The day just kept getting better. I had been promising my PT that I would get on my Wii Fit board and give it a shot. Well I did it. I had so much fun. It gave me a Wii Fit age of 29!!!!!!!!!!! That is great because I am 10 short days away from my 29 birthday. Well I played many of the games and got my personal best for almost all of them. Well I decided to play the Hula Hoop game. If you don’t know what that involves check out this video. Let’s just say that involves moving your hips like u are using a hula hoop. Well before surgery my best ever was 15 spins. This time my best score was 188 spins 🙂 Super awesome. I was over the moon. I played Wii Fit for a whole hour and the best part no pain. Yet the day just kept getting better. I figured out that I could move my right foot while standing up. Yes the Bioness was turned off and I could move my foot on my own. I am getting closer to walking with it turned off and being able to do it on my own. This was the best day yet.

Sunday was here. That means it is time to work at Wegmans. Well over the holiday I was able to work at least a four-hour shift no problem. So that was my plan today. I was not demoing today. That was just fine with me. I was working on the counter helping customers. I did work four hours and had a good time. I think that I am getting close to my normal. I am a little afraid to push for the five-hour shift after the last one did not end so well the next day. But I will cross that bridge when I need to. The night ended with me being a little down. But I am starting to wonder if this normal after surgery. I lived that down moment and am now back to my old self and even happier as my birthday gets closer.

Monday has rolled around and I am feeling great. The only pain I have is in my left knee and that has nothing to do with my hip. Long story maybe some other time.  I was truly hoping to get a call to sub today but no luck. 😦 Hopefully soon.  My PT came. I had a little talk about the stiffness that he had seen on Friday. I asked if the CP could contribute to it. He said that it might but probably not. If it was the CP it would be everywhere just not in the hip-joint. He said the better option was me over doing it around the holidays. He said that by Christmas next year I will have no problems at all. Can’t wait!! Still working on the stairs and external rotation. Both are coming slowly but surely.  I decided that I really need to get back to working out three times a week. So I was off to the gym today. I did my normal work out but I had two pretty cool things happen. First I went down the last couple of stairs with out holding on to the railing alternating feet. Where the heck did that come from. AWESOME no matter how you look at it!! Second I was able to swim a quarter of a mile for the first time since surgery. Yes before surgery I was able to swim a half mile but I am getting there. I really feel like I am learning how to swim all over again for two reasons. First I don’t float as well since I have lost 50 pounds who knew. Second I am learning how to use my right leg in a whole new way. What the heck. It will get there soon enough. I am a fish and will learn how to swim all over again just because I love it that much. Today I got a phone call from Bioness (the thing for my foot) that a local TV channel wants to do a story on my story. I am super excited. What a way to end the day.

As I have said before music has played a major part in my journey. When I have a hard time it is something to listen to.  When the pain was so bad and nothing would help just my music would. When I was working out this song would make me feel better and help me get through! Check it out. Now that I am healing it is still just important because I was born this way and there is nothing I can do about it. This next song is how I feel about this whole journey. I am diving in. Check it out. My faith has taken me far and this song says it all.

As the days have gone by I have learned that life goes on. No matter if I am having a rough time the days still goes on. I live that moment and then move on. The things that I can do are getting greater in number and I am loving every minute of it.  I have always had a hard time with change but this change I think I am handling pretty darn well.  People might say other wise. But guess what I think I am doing great. As life goes on I keep thinking that one day things will get back to my normal. Where I am able to teach and teach full days. That I will be able to work an 8 hour shift at Wegmans. One day I will get a permanent job teaching and make a dream come true. My major dream right now is to hike Diamond Head I am getting closer every day. It is these dreams that I hold onto that help me to keep going no matter what. I know my life could have always been what my parents were told 29 years ago.  I am over the moon with where I am and how far I have come. Things are getting back to normal.

15. Happy New Year

Saturday December 29 my family left. It was great to have so many of them here this year. It made the holiday that much better. Today I made it out and snow blow the driveway for the second time. Well I was left home alone and sent out to snow blow. I don’t know whose great idea that was. I just made sure that I had my cell phone with me in case I fell.  The drive way at our house is a parking lot was an ice skating rink today. It was super slippery and I had the snow blower in the lowest gear that I could set it. I did it all by myself with no incidents and am super proud of myself. Getting there slowly but surely.

This picture does not do the size of the driveway justice.

Sunday rolled around and I was off to Wegmans for two days in a row again. I got the most annoying job for 3 and a half hours I shucked clams. Standing in one place for that long made my hip a little mad. But I figured out if I just kept moving in place I was fine. Lets just say that I don’t care if I ever see another clam again. I worked a 5 hour shift that day. Yup I did it was the most amazing thing yet. It made me feel more normal. It was a good day after all. By the time I went to bed that night I knew I had over done it with that 5 hour shift. Guess I am no t ready yet. Well I learned my lesson and will take my time from now on.

Happy News Year Eve!! Up at 4:30 and off to Wegmans for an early shift. Woke up a little stiff and sore. Wonder why, just kidding I know why. The 5 hour shift really did not agree with me at all. Well worked hard today and only worked 3 and a half hours. Wasn’t going to push it today. I was ready to end the year in a good mode.  After a short nap, it was off to the movies with Mom and Dad. It was the first time in a long time that I sat through a whole movie pain-free. Brought a smile to my face.  It was great to enjoy the movie and not have to move consistently. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Well after the movie time for Church. We got home to find the house dark. We had lost power well at Church. Oh man what a new years eve this was going to be. Right before we left for dinner the power came on. We had an amazing dinner. Back home for the night and let the fun begin. As this amazing year came to the end I had many thoughts, so here they are.

2012 has had many ups and downs. I have learned that I have amazing friends, a second family and that life is what you make it. No matter how bad things got this year I made the best out of them and rode this wild journey. Through out this year I have had three major accomplishments that have changed my life forever.  First I have lost 50 pounds in a year. What a difference that has made on this whole journey.  I feel like a whole new person.  Second I got my Bioness. I never took walking for granted and know it is so much easier to walk because of the Bioness. It has given me a chance to keep moving easier.  Lastly I have done something that no 28-year-old should have to do. I had a HIP REPLACEMENT. This is the greatest. It has changed my life for the better. It has shown me that yes I can live a PAIN FREE life. It has shown me that every little thing counts in life. The smaller the better.  I have counted my blessing all year-long and thank God everyday that I get to be here. I have learned that family is here for me no matter what through thick and thin. I have learned that I have two of the MOST AMAZING PARENTS ever. They have done so much for me this year, words can’t say enough. Thank you. I have been truly blessed. I know that God could have chosen a different path for me and I could have lived this path differently. But I am more then happy with the way that I have lived it. This will be a year to remember good bye 2012. I am ready for 2013 to show up and SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR ME. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.

Mom, Dad and I spent the night together and rang in the New Year with joy and excitement. The year ended and I am still here to see another. What a great feeling. Life is what you make of it and I have made the best of it. Off to bed we all went at one in the morning. The first dream that I had of the new Year was amazing. I was running in my dream. I have always been told that a dream is a wish that your heart makes. Well here is hoping and wishing that dream comes true.

What a way to end the old year!

I hope that everyone has and AMAZING NEW YEAR!!!!! That light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer and closer. For all those awaiting treatment and those who have had treatment, I hope that the future is pain-free for you. You will get there. Hold your head high and reach for the starts.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! HERE IS TO 2013.

Here’s to an amazing new year.

14. Christmas Joys

What an amazing couple of days.

It all started Saturday when my family arrived from MN. We were very happy to see each other. I gave my niece a big hug and even picked her up off the floor. It was a great hug. Lots more work today. My leg told me many times today that it had enough but I had to keep going.

Sunday was the first day of working two days in a row. I was so excited to get to work. I had the best time. It was great to work with people that I don’t get to work with that often. They kept saying “Blaire Counter.” Which has become a joke in our department.  They missed saying that for three months I guess.  I made it once again through the three hours no problems.  My stamina I feel is just not back yet.  I am  hoping that is something that will come back soon enough. After work I headed home and was put to work once again, but this was fun work. We were having the family over to decorate the tree and the house. It was so much fun to have everyone here. My hip put up with everything that went on. It was a lot of running around. But so so worth it.  Headed to bed pretty sore but no medicine just my lovely ice pack. Not ready to give that up yet. It is my favorite friend until I get cold.

Christmas Eve was finally here! What a great day it was going to be. I was a wake at 5 am to get ready for work. I was headed to Wegmans at 7. I was feeling good. I made sure that I did my pt stretches that morning like I do every morning. It really does feel good to keep moving. I was at work for two hours and feeling great so I told my manager that I was up to working a four hour shift. Yup after working the day before I worked a four hour shift. Slowly but surely I am getting there. I was so happy to be able to do that. It was an other mile stone that I could check off my list. Headed back home. Completed more things to get ready for some of the family to come over. We had an amazing evening together. Lots of laughs. We enjoyed listening to the manger story that my Mom tells and the Night before Christmas that my Dad reads. We were headed off to 10:30 Mass. At this point I had been up for17 hours and my leg was still hanging in there. Man before the THR it would have been a night mare by this point. After Church it decided to snow the snow was a good inch deep and it was the first time that I had been walking it since surgery. Oh man sort of had a mini panic attack as I did have the best of shoes on either. Well lets say I made it to the car no problem. I feel just fine walking in the snow now after that night. My sister even topped it of with hitting me in the eye with a snowball. Oh yes she did. It was a really good shot. After we made it home. That is another story. It was time for the real fun to begin. Time to set up the house for everyone to come over Christmas morning. 4 am Tuesday morning rolled around and I was finally headed for med. I had almost been up for 24 hours. My hip was getting pretty sore and very tired by this point. Still haven’t taken meds. Just my lovely ice pack and a 4 hour nap.

Merry Christmas everyone!!! The day that I had been waiting for was finally here. I woke up after my lovely 4 hour nap and was ready to go again. Adrenaline will take you far. My hip was definitely there. I did a no no today. No PT exercises and I didn’t do them before I went to bed the night before. Well lets say that everything was ok.

11am rolled around and people started showing up.  After all 31 people were here. The fun started. This next picture is of almost all my nieces and nephews. This is a family tradition at our house. I learned that the hip is working great after the position that I got in to take this picture.

Time to open presents. We had so much fun opening everything. I had the most fun sitting on the floor watching everyone else open their presents. That was the greatest feeling just sitting there and watching the smiles on everyone’s face.

I got an amazing present from my parents. An antique trunk. It is beautiful.  I love it so much. It is going to look amazing in my room.  Thanks Mom and Dad. After everyone left my hip decided it had finally had enough. It was very tired I could barely move my leg. It felt like it was 100 pounds. I took a well deserved nap. I woke up feeling much better. My leg felt like normal, phew!  First lets remember I am doing this all three months post op. I have learned a great lesson that my leg will tell me when it has had enough. I guess I should start listening to it. I am just that stubborn I guess. The night end with some of the family coming back for dinner. It was a great day. It was more amazing then words can say. It was what I had been waiting for all month long. My night ended with me asking my Mom to take this picture.

This made my night. Off to bed with my trusty ice pack. Oh man do I love that thing. I can sleep on it for an hour. Well these days it is more like passing out. Hey that is OK with me it is still sleeping.

December 26. Happy Anniversary to my AMAZING PARENTS!! Thanks for everything you have done for me. You took a major chance when you adopted me. Thank you. Today I thought about someone that I meet on Facebook that had her PAO today. She is from the Buffalo area which is close to me. She is super strong and will get through it.Well we got an amazing snow storm. By 10 o’clock at night we had 6 inches of snow and I was headed out to snow blow. First time since last winter. It was well worth it to prove to myself that I could walk in 6 inches of snow and push a heavy machine. It made my day. I was super careful. It is just me getting back to my normal. Life is getting there.

As I sit here writing this I have had time to think. This journey has been life changing for me. Yeah you guys might be tired of hearing this but it is for me. It has given me a second chance to live life the way it is meant to be. PAIN FREE!! Yeah it might not be perfect yet. I still got muscle pain but nothing like I used to be.  5 months ago I never thought I would be where I am today but I am. Yeah I might not share all the emotions that I have going on with people but that is just who I am.  The hip replacement has changed my life for ever!!

THIS WAS THE MOST AMAZING CHRISTMAS!! Can’t wait to see what the future holds for me.