Jumping through hoops

Once I got my diagnoses I came home and did what most people do. Googled it.  I started with the buzz words that Dr. Edwards mentioned, "labrum", "FAI", "Dr. Byrd".  As I started reading about all of this a sense of peace came over me.  I finally had an answer.  I wasn't going crazy, and I wasn't going to be in pain forever, there was an answer.  Reading through Dr. Byrd's resume I knew I was going to be in good hands.  Hip arthroscopy isn't as common as it is with knees and ankles.  There are two main doctors that have been on the cutting edge of this procedure, one in Colorado and one in Tennessee. I spoke with Dr. Byrd's office the next week and was told I would hear back in a few weeks about surgery, but they most likely would be able to schedule me in early January.

In the few weeks in between I was researching and googling everything that I could.  I wanted to try and find the cause of this problem and the root of it was femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).  Basically it's a problem in the way the hip socket is formed.  Your hip is a ball and socket joint with the head of your femur (leg bone) and pelvic bone.  In my case, the head of my femur isn't perfectly round which causes a problem in the joint that puts me at a higher risk for tears in the labrum.

Two weeks later I got a call from Beth, Dr. Byrd's nurse practitioner.  She explained in full detail what my next steps would be and exactly how they would go about treating it.  Then she dropped the bomb.  Because of my insurance, I would have to show that I have done six months of preventative rehab before insurance would cover my surgery.  She went on to tell me that since I hadn't sought medical treatment until October, that I wouldn't be eligible for surgery until April.  I immediately had flashbacks of those workouts I did in pain and regretted every single one of them.  Why hadn't I listened to my body? Why was I so stubborn? I should have gone to the doctor right when it happened.  I immediately put all the blame on myself.

Beth was awesome, she talked me through my options, and has been a great resource through this whole process.  I opted to go to Nashville to Dr. Byrd's office to get a shot of cortisone and to meet with their physical therapists. I was hopeful that this would help manage my pain and get me strong and ready for surgery in April. In early January Gabe and I headed to Nashville.