Interrupting the regularly scheduled Landon updates for a bit of an update about his mama:

My hips have always given me problems. They click, pop, catch, give out, are unstable and in general just cause quite a bit of pain. I finally went to a doctor in Chicago in 2007, where he took an x-ray, told me I didn’t need a replacement and sent me on my way. It was a frustrating, worthless appointment.

Fast forward to 2015 when Brian and I lived in southeast Ohio. Exactly five months before our wedding, I visited a new horse barn, was riding a new-to-me horse and she threw me as we picked up a right lead canter. I got back on, but had never experienced such hip pain before, which ultimately led me to a hip specialist at an orthopedic practice in Columbus.

Through a series of tests, imaging and physical therapy, he ultimately diagnosed me with bilateral labral tears and mixed femoralacetabular impingement, meaning I had bony overgrowth on my femur and acetabulum and the excessive bone tore the bands of cartilage that protect the hip joint (the labrums). Six weeks after our wedding, I had my first hip surgery to fix the tears and bony protrusions on my left hip. Seven months later, in 2016, the surgeon repeated the procedure on my right hip.

After we relocated to Pittsburgh in late 2016, my right hip continued to cause problems so I found a new hip specialist in Pittsburgh, who performed a revision surgery on my right hip in 2017. Later that year, I was pregnant with Landon, who arrived in 2018, so that of course put any hip-related thoughts on the back burner.

The joints, however, especially the right side, didn’t hold up well, but thinking about them was low on my priority list with an infant in the house who required more care than the average baby thanks to several prematurity-related issues.

Brian finally convinced me to seek medical care in early 2019. My Pittsburgh doctor didn’t see any obvious problems, so I went to my Facebook hip groups for advice. Several members recommended I find a surgeon who specializes in “version” issues, which led me to the Cleveland Clinic.

The surgeon there immediately suspected a version issue based on my history and a brief physical and range of motion exam. CT scans verified my femurs are retroverted, which means they are twisted in such a way that the ball and socket of my hips don’t fit together properly. Medical studies show unaddressed femoral retroversion is a leading cause of failed hip arthroscopies — exactly what I’ve been dealing with for years.

The only fix for femoral version issues is to perform a femoral osteotomy, which involves cutting the femur in half, rotating it and using hardware to put it back together. In my case, the surgeon used a metal plate and six screws. This surgery readjusts the position of the femoral head and ensures it fits well within the acetabulum. Although only the bone was cut, it affected the placement of all my muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissues. He also had to manually move my acetabulum up a bit to have the femur fit correctly.

It’s a big surgery and unfathomably painful. Six weeks later, I’m still on a steady cocktail of various muscle relaxers and pain medication. I’ve been on crutches since the Nov. 5 surgery and the doctors estimate about a total of 12 weeks on crutches. Recovery hasn’t been straightforward, though, so I think that 12-week figure might be ambitious.

Although this surgery is much more involved and a longer recovery than a total hip replacement, the doctor’s goal is always to preserve my natural joints for as long as possible and hopefully slow the progression of arthritis, which I already have from years of unaddressed hip problems and bone against bone.

I’m possibly looking at a smaller hip surgery on my right side to address some remaining issues inside of the actual hip joint. I’ll also likely need a femoral osteotomy on my left side as well — certainly not a thought I relish, but the longer I avoid it, the more damage my hip will sustain.

I cannot speak highly enough of the medical team at the Cleveland Clinic. The surgeon is competent, has a decent bedside manner and is extremely responsive to phone calls and e-messages. The Clinic is also very accommodating to out-of-town patients and works to schedule multiple appointments and tests the same day so I can maximize each trip to Ohio.

The hospital’s anesthesiologist was funny, kept me as at ease as possible in the anxiety-ridden pre-surgery moments and even initiated the idea of a nerve block with my surgeon when he realized I was about to undergo an osteotomy, which he said are “very painful.” (He was right.)

The nurses, too, were wonderful. They kept me well-stocked with Kleenex when the pre-surgical tears began and one stayed right by my side talking to me after they wheeled me in the OR and my anxiety spiked before they put me to sleep. And, of course, the nurses during the two nights I spent in the hospital were lovely. Even the housekeeping staff was exemplary; my housekeeper brought me a beautiful flower one morning.

Recovery is long, slow and hard so far. I’m in physical therapy once a week right now since I’m so limited, though I expect to bump up to twice a week when I can bear more weight. Lexi and Landon are stellar helpers when I do my exercises at home.

As painful as this has been, by far the hardest part has been not being a physically capable mother. Landon was quite undone when I first got home from the hospital and wouldn’t come near me, wouldn’t nap and cried a lot. As the weeks go by, he’s warming up and is turning back into the big cuddlebug we all know he is. Heck, he probably thinks I’m having a blast since I get to walk around with crutches or a walker. What fun toys!