Approaching Hip Replacement Surgery part two
Approaching Hip Replacement Surgery- and/ Don’t Ignore the symptoms in the body Part One
By the time you read this, I will have had my first major surgery. Even these words can make me gasp-but sometimes, one has to give in to what is actually happening in the body. About three years ago, I started having some recurring pain in my right hip flexor- where the hip meets the leg. Not paying much attention to what turned out to be an early sign of osteoarthritis, I flew to Glastonbury and participated fully in a pilgrimage there. Stay tuned… more on Glastonbury later. That response with additional yoga stretching ought to have done it, and cured the persistent pain.
The discomfort came and went, with little consistency until last August when I woke up with what felt like shin splints. Not really knowing exactly how to navigate this, I first tried a local chiropractor. It was unsuccessful at best, and dismissive at worst. I ended up with a very helpful and aware chiropractor who I trust implicitly. She kept talking about hip replacements and how it helped her.. and my response was always, “No way.”(always targeting and moving towards this topic). Sometime in the early winter, I started having a clicking thumb.
This new and interesting symptom led me to a practice where there was a hip and leg specialist. Deciding to make an appointment to discuss the “shin splints” , I thought I still needed some answers regarding this persistent pain. In the meantime, I happened to go to my GP, who recommended XRays .. What came back was a big surprise,
“There is moderate to severe loss of height from the right hip joint superiorly..— with mild associate subchondrial sclerosis. Mild right. ? Mild right femoral head osteophytosis is also present (bone spurs). “ Say whaaaat??”
Rather than give every single small detail of the next steps, suffice it to say, I had a real wake-up call. One of the shockers was that I had taught Hatha Yoga for over 20 years.. and the hip was where I was (yes past tense) the most flexible. As it turns out many yoga teachers or former ones have hip replacements. (REALLY?) That day and diagnosis was a tipping point for me
I HAD to do this differently. But how? What is the lesson here? Oh yes, acceptance and surrender, two practices I know about but do not always lean into.
That said, it was important to change the usual response. I began to receive in the records advice like, use White Light meditations. There are many on YouTube, and all good. Meditations deepened. Friends seemed to pop up from nowhere, especially one who makes flower essences. She created an incredible blend to take from then until the surgery (that I leaned into also), and even a blend to take afterwards. I was all set. Thank you Holly. The other is my friend Debbie, who has done several body talk sessions with me, as well as the last one with identified Mahaavatar Babaji as being very present as a support and guide during this time.
As much as this time has been challenging, I have learned to surrender to what the body wants and to prepare it for the upcoming surgery. As of this day 5/25/2025 I am not feeling too much anxiety or fear. I feel taken care of on all levels including by my dear husband, Thomas Shott, who will be my main caregiver. Update will come soon once the surgery is complete.
Lesson learned: Don’t ignore the body, check on symptoms sooner rather than later.
Essentials: a walker, various pain relievers, a stick to pick up stuff for the first couple of weeks, food in the freezer, white light meditations, anti-inflammatory medications, a trusting spirit, friends to send Reiki and/or prayers on the day of
Next blog: What happened during and post-surgery