Three Years and a Day

Yesterday was the actual three-year 'versary and I have to say that not much has changed since I wrote about my Two Year Hippiversary. 

I could end with that, but that would be so unlike me.  Not to disappoint, I'll elaborate.  When I was considering PAO I wanted to know everything I could expect including what it might be like in 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, whatever.  For those who are similarly inclined, here's what it's like for me at 3.  Every person follows their own path and each recovery is different so this is just one data point.

First, to answer Amanda's question about jumping.  I was told by my OS "no running, no jumping, no squats, no lunges, no stairmaster" for the rest of my life.  I occasionally run here or there, not as exercise but to chase something, and I have done the occasional on-ice single jump, but I don't make a point of doing any of those things.  I like to jump off rocks and such for photo opportunities because it's fun but that's just now and then.   I am old enough and had enough hip damage that preserving my PAOs comes with more restrictions than a younger person would have.  If I chose to do those things regularly I'd just need hip replacements faster and I'm not in any hurry!

Here are my updates:

~Scars are so light that I can't even see them without putting on my glasses.
~I never take pain medication for my hips.
~I almost never limp.  Last time I did was after walking 3 miles on pavement.
~Extended walking and hiking are not still not my friends.  I've bitched about this before but it is what it is, and other hippies have said the same.  That's not to say that I won't hike but I do think twice about it since I know I'll pay for it with stiffness and soreness -- sometimes for days.  I think trekking poles would help as well as working up to long hikes (instead of just going out and hiking after sitting on my butt for a month).
~Flexibility has not improved but I haven't really focused on it -- yes, I need to.
~I am getting pretty flabby and need to get into the gym but that has nothing to do with PAOs and everything to do with laziness
~I can wear heels - not every day, but when I need to - no problems.
~Extended standing, sitting for long periods, walking on hard surfaces, carrying heavy loads - depending on duration and other factors I may pay for these with soreness the next day, but I just take care to avoid when I can and mitigate when I can't.
~I go about my business without thinking about my hips at all most days.
~I never have problems getting through airport security even though I still have 13 screws in my pelvis. 
~My screws were countersunk so they don't bother me and don't need to be removed.
~I still have a large chunk of heterotrophic bone at the front of my left hip joint.  It creates some interesting ROM challenges but not enough for me to think about having it removed.

That's all folks!