1 year ago today, I went to the hospital for my first orthopedic-related surgery. On June 1, 2023, I had a femoral osteotomy with bilateral hamstring and abductor lengthenings. The first few days out of surgery were a blur. All I felt like doing was sleeping.
Recovery was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through. There were definitely times when I wondered if the surgery was worth it.
I didn’t sleep well for the first several weeks; the urge to sleep struck at random times throughout the day. The pain was excruciating. Relearning how to walk in the summer heat was torture. I wasn’t able to stop using the walker when I wanted to, which was a really tough disappointment.
The adjustment to my legs after surgery was challenging. My feet didn’t turn in anymore, but I was no longer sure where they were in space. My gait was slow and laboring. My legs and feet spread widely apart when I walked. Gradually, I learned to accept that my legs would change and that recovery was a non-linear process.
I worked my butt off to make progress. I relearned how to bathe by myself. I went to physical therapy at least three times a week for the entirety of summer. In physical therapy, I was taught how to walk without the walker. With my physical therapist’s help, I started walking on the treadmill again. By the end of the summer, I could do several things that I was unable to do before. I could stand up without using my hands. My upper-body strength was better than it had ever been.
Despite all the progress I had made, I started my sophomore year in a wheelchair. It was the best option for my safety. Using a wheelchair isolated me from some of my friends. I struggled with my self-worth at first because I felt inferior. It was very difficult, but I gained so much perspective that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Throughout the school year, I continued going to PT (once a week). My physical therapist taught me how to run. I hadn’t ran in so long; it felt unexpectedly good. He even started me on high-intensity treadmill training.
For the first semester of sophomore year, my mind was focused more on recovery than school. It was very painful to sit upright in a chair for so long. So many aspects of school were harder because of my lack of ability to walk. Luckily, by Thanksgiving, I was cleared to walk to my classes independently.
I see differences in my legs almost every week. Sometimes my calves are tight; sometimes my feet are tight. Sometimes the right leg is tighter; sometimes the left leg is tighter. Having this surgery has really taught me to be flexible. I am so grateful that my hamstrings really aren’t an issue for me anymore. The surgery changed a lot of things—some good, some not so good.
It has taken up to a year for me to see all the effects from surgery. Some aren’t great, but the vast majority of outcomes are amazing. The outcome of the surgery has been well worth all of the pain and struggle.
Here are a few things I have accomplished after my surgery:
1. I relearned how to walk!! This was a pretty huge one. Not everyone learns how to walk twice in their lifetime.
2. I relearned how to run! I can now run at 3.4 miles per hour on the treadmill without much pain. I think that’s pretty awesome.
3. I went horseback riding on a full-sized horse. (I have only ridden a pony before surgery.) I even got the horse to turn around when he misbehaved!
