So, Why Is The Checkride Not Going To Happen Anytime Soon Now?

Well, it's because of what is going to happen tomorrow.

Why tomorrow?  Well, the reason for what will happen tomorrow likely began over 6 years ago, if not more, and will take a bit to explain.

In late 2016, I was doing karate and thought I had pulled a groin muscle on my right side.

Family doctor at the time said it was a groin pull, even took x-rays apparently looked at them and said groin pull.  More on that in a moment.

Nothing helped it.  Not even physio.  It just kept hurting.

Another doctor seeing my in early 2018 for something else and noticed how I was walking.  Discussed it with him and he said it wasn't a groin pull but most likely was a problem with my hip, and I should go to an orthopedic doctor to get it looked at ASAP.

March 2018 I get in with an Orthopedic Surgeon, he does a thorough exam, takes x-rays and says I have hip arthritis, badly in the right hip.  He doesn't want to operate on it as its too late for anything short of a replacement, and he wants to hold off on that as long as possible. 

Great, so at 44 I get diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis.  I thought that happened to old people.

Oh,  remember the x-ray by the family doctor in 2016? It actually shows the hip arthritis but he either blew it off or never bothered to review it and thus I did not know about it and wasted time on physio for a groin pull that didn't exist and a lack of care of the hip arthritis.  Thanks for that. Since then I've switched doctors.

Years go by, pain and aches continue, and intensify 

In short it's been daily pain and getting all the worse since it began in 2016.  Complete with limping and hobbling around, trouble sleeping, etc.  

Hurts (realistically more) if I do jitsu, hurts if I don't do jitsu. 

So, I keep doing jitsu because: 1. it's fun and challenging; 2. It's a really great bunch of people; and 3. It's a workout and I want to keep the weight off and keep being as active as I can be and do as much as I can make my body do.

I also keep doing it because you should never let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do.

Hip gets progressively weaker, locks up at times,  and I'm less and less able to do stuff with it and it keeps hurting, I can actually see the range of motion decline year by year while doing jitsu.  

Basically, it has been daily aches ranging from a dull persistent ouchy kinda ache and stiffness with occasional jolts, to feeling like a knife is shoved in the joint, to someone taking a blow-torch to it for the past couple years. 

Suck it up and drive on, and just understand that the pain will be there no matter what, no point whinging about it, just deal with it.

Finally, in December 2021 the Doctor examines me and says it is time to do a hip replacement.

That time is tomorrow.

As such, there will no driving for at least a month, likely no flying for 2-3 months, and no Jitsu for a minimum of 6 months!

So to be honest, I'm rather apprehensive about tomorrow as this is pretty major surgery and is going to knock me on my tail for quite some time. 

The top of the leg bone will be cut away and a titanium pin shoved into the leg bone, topped with a ceramic ball.  A titanium cup is screwed to the hip bone and a plastic liner placed within the cup.  Ball then goes in the cup and voila, new hip! Sounds simple enough. 

I'm really hoping it works and I get a decent functioning hip with a normal range of motion and capabilities, and a chance for a future without daily pain from the hip. Would be nice.

So yeah, I don't normally ask for them, but some thoughts, good wishes, and prayers for a successful outcome if you're of mind to do so would be appreciated.