Monday, February 10, 2014
Almost 12 weeks!
On Friday last week I got cleared for full weight bearing (obviously gradual) and all my other restrictions are lifted!! I am so happy and excited to finally start feeling like a human again! So around my apartment I have been walking without crutches and out and about I am just using one crutch. I have a pretty good penguin walk going on without any crutches, but I know thats all just weak muscles and with time, it will get there. I still have a lot of pain and trouble lifting my leg up when standing, my hip flexors just seem really slow to the party. So far when walking I have a lot of pain deep in my glutes too, but I would imaging this is all just muscle weakness issues. Tomorrow I have my first PT appointment since getting my restrictions lifted so I cannot wait to see what we get to do! Below is my most recent xray:
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Almost 10 weeks RPAO
So I am almost 10 weeks RPAO and I have to say, this recovery is hard. Its really, really hard. And long. My scopes were a breeze compared to this recovery. I am still on crutches as I have not been cleared for weight bearing yet. There was a BIG mix up at my local hospital that delayed my xrays getting to Dr. Buly and I cannot start to weight bear until Dr. Buly looks at my xrays and clears me. So in the mean time though I am struggling as my left hip has been causing me a lot of pain. I know that this hip too has issues such as acetabular retroversion, a labral tear, FAI, and femoral anteversion which means sooner or later I will need surgery on it, but thats hard to imagine at this point giving how long this recovery is.
I do see improvement in things though, such as lifting my operated leg has become a lot easier for me and I finally feel like I could go down to one crutch and I could walk without falling! I have been using the bone stimulator once a day as well as I have started taking an NSAID again as I am hoping that it will help me get off the pain meds sooner. I still often have pain pretty consistently throughout my lower back, groin and down into my knee. My PT is still going well, although its been hard to get to these last few weeks with the weather the way that it is (windchills well below zero, a lot of blizzard like conditions, etc.) so I have been lucky to make it even once a week. When I do go, the pool feels amazing! I am so happy that I was able to start pool therapy after my incision healed.
So it seems like there are always people asking about what to bring to the hospital when having a surgery like this where you will be staying for a few days. I literally packed like I was going to the artic circle and used almost nothing, not to mention my experience was a little different in that I only stayed 2 days in the hospital (when the average is 3-5 days) but here is the list of things I found helpful at the hospital and at home:
I do see improvement in things though, such as lifting my operated leg has become a lot easier for me and I finally feel like I could go down to one crutch and I could walk without falling! I have been using the bone stimulator once a day as well as I have started taking an NSAID again as I am hoping that it will help me get off the pain meds sooner. I still often have pain pretty consistently throughout my lower back, groin and down into my knee. My PT is still going well, although its been hard to get to these last few weeks with the weather the way that it is (windchills well below zero, a lot of blizzard like conditions, etc.) so I have been lucky to make it even once a week. When I do go, the pool feels amazing! I am so happy that I was able to start pool therapy after my incision healed.
So it seems like there are always people asking about what to bring to the hospital when having a surgery like this where you will be staying for a few days. I literally packed like I was going to the artic circle and used almost nothing, not to mention my experience was a little different in that I only stayed 2 days in the hospital (when the average is 3-5 days) but here is the list of things I found helpful at the hospital and at home:
- Kindle (or any kind of tablet/e-reader)
- Phone (at HSS I could not make any out of state phone calls so using the hospital phone was out)
- Toothbrush (although if I had not brought my own, they provided one for me)
- Some comfy clothes to go home in (I wore some big baggy sweats, sports bra, a baggy t-shit and hoody (cause it was Nov), and an oversized pair of unddies).
Other than that, everything else was provided for me. Each morning I was given the chance to wash up and put on a new gown. I thought that I would be able to change into my own clothes sooner than the after of leaving, but between all the things you are hooked up to, you don't really get much of a chance to be in your own clothes because the nurses need to be able to access things.
For home supplies I did not do much different this time than with my scopes, but here is a list of things that people find helpful for recovery at home:
- raised toilet seat (I did not get one of these because I had my surgery out of state. I did not go home after surgery right away and I had a 14 hour drive home and used about a million toilets between NY and MI that were not raised so I just go used to it. I did not find it difficult, but I have heard that people loves these)
- shower chair (another thing that I did not buy, but people have said is super helpful in recovery and I can see why, the first two weeks after surgery are super hard and moving around is not your best friend)
- long grabber
- crutches (this one seems obvious, but having to be on crutches for a long time can be difficult for some with other injuries, like shoulders, so they have found non traditional crutches like Mobilegs are a great buy. Personally I was fine with my free traditional ones)
- crutch pads (recommended if you are going to go with the traditional crutches)
- Lots of baggy sweat pants, shorts, etc. Most people are at least a little swollen after surgery requiring baggier pants and underwear
- Make some meals before hand. Even if you are not going to be alone much, its always nice to give the person who is caring for you a break by having stuff pre-made :)
Sunday, January 5, 2014
6 Weeks post op PAO
Hey Everyone, so this past Thursday I was 6 weeks post op. It seems crazy that its been that long, but here was are! Excuse me if this post is cynical, after 4 right hip surgeries and 6 weeks on crutches. my ability to stay positive all the time is waning a bit. So, not much has changed in the past 2 weeks, I still have a good amount of pain, still taking pain meds regularly. I got to stop taking my asprin for blood clots though, so thats good, one less thing to take. I had an unplanned hiatus from PT because of the holidays and one day I was not feeling well, so it was about 2 weeks between appointments. On Friday though I had a reevaluation and it made me realize that there are some things that have gotten a lot better since surgery. On Tuesday I get to start in the pool. which I am super excited about! I think that it will really help me with my confidence about getting off crutches. I am not suppose to get off crutches until I am cleared by x-ray, which should happen later this week. I am nervous about it though cause most of the time my leg does not feel ready to take on more weight as of yet, so I guess we will see what the xray says. This is all so different than my scopes, but because bones were broken this time, obviously we have to make sure they are healed before adding weight. It seems like by 12 weeks most people are off crutches so I am about halfway there!! As much as I want to just be done with the crutches,. I know that my hip is just not ready yet. I have been able to lay on my operated side again, which feels soooo good. I am a side sleeper so this has made my nights much more bearable.
My left hip has been acting up more and more though which is frustrating. I know that eventually I will need surgery to fix the impingement and labral tear, but its so hard to imagine needing more surgery at this point. My other fear though it that this PAO has opened up the proverbial 'can of worms' regarding my malalignment issues and that eventually I will need a femoral osteotomy and a possible tibial osteotomy before things will be correct. But at the same time, worrying about these things will do no good, so I just keep trying to concentrate on whats in front of me. I hope that this PAO at least gives me the opportunity to start working again. I miss it greatly.
So later this week I will know a little more about my weight bearing status. On the personal front, my husband and I have moved into our new apartment in our home town (about 8 hours from where we were living). I am enjoying having a smaller space to get around and clean! We went from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment! As much as I loved our house up north, trying to clean and do housework in such a large place was just awful on my hips. Its odd how these hips have effected so much of my life. I am enjoying being close to my family though (yet not living with them haha).
Thursday, December 19, 2013
4 weeks post op RPAO!
Well, today is 4 weeks post op. I kind of thought that at this point I would be further along in my healing process I guess. Compared to my scope around this point in time, I am still getting a lot of pain, which is frustrating. I have pain when standing and walking almost all of the time. Usually in my hip flexors, groin and deep in my glutes. I still have at least another 2 weeks on crutches at 20% weight bearing and then most likely I can work on weaning off of them. I have been doing PT 2-3 times a week and thats been going well. I can definitely see progress, its just all a lot slower than I anticipated.
And of course, because my life is not interesting enough with surgery, finally there has been movement on the adoption of the 3 foster kids my parents have. The adoption petition was filed last week and is set for finalization in Feb. Our family is beyond elated and we could not have asked for a better Christmas present! As well, my husband and I are moving back to our home town. So in the next few week and months we have a lot of personal things happening which are exciting, not to mention the prospect of getting of crutches soon!!
And of course, because my life is not interesting enough with surgery, finally there has been movement on the adoption of the 3 foster kids my parents have. The adoption petition was filed last week and is set for finalization in Feb. Our family is beyond elated and we could not have asked for a better Christmas present! As well, my husband and I are moving back to our home town. So in the next few week and months we have a lot of personal things happening which are exciting, not to mention the prospect of getting of crutches soon!!
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Two Weeks post op
Hey Everyone!
So in a few hours I will be 2 weeks post op. It seems odd that I am so far out from surgery in some ways as I am still stiff and sore, but in other ways I see how much I have improved. The two days I was in the hospital I could barley push myself upright! Now, I move in and out of bed pretty well, I can lay on my non-operated side for a bit as well as my stomach. It feels sooo good to be able to move around a little bit. I had my first physical therapy appointment yesterday and that went well. The PT just covered basic stuff like ROM, health questions, etc. and then gave me some isometric exercises to do.
Other than PT, I do not do much. I do the basic after surgery, at home alone, protocol, which is watching Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond (who does not love the classic sitcoms!), as well as some reading and keeping people updated on my surgery. So far the pain is not too bad, although the last day or so has been worse than normal, but even these 'bad' times are manageable. I got my surgery report and I got 5 screws put in. Dr. Buly was able to change my anterior central edge (CE) angle from 11 degrees (normal is 25-40 degrees) to 37 degrees! I was lacking a LOT of anterior coverage, so hopefully thats all fixed now. Other than that, the surgery report did not say much other than they had a hard time getting my socket loose to move it, but after some extensive cutting, it came loose.
So I just wanted to do a quick update. Things are going well and pain is well controlled. I should be getting a CD with my images from the hospital soon and once I do I will post before and after pictures of my hips. Hope everyone else is pain free and enjoying some nice winter weather (ie, snow!).
Edit:
So yesterday I got my CD from HSS with my images, so here is my post op x-ray
So in a few hours I will be 2 weeks post op. It seems odd that I am so far out from surgery in some ways as I am still stiff and sore, but in other ways I see how much I have improved. The two days I was in the hospital I could barley push myself upright! Now, I move in and out of bed pretty well, I can lay on my non-operated side for a bit as well as my stomach. It feels sooo good to be able to move around a little bit. I had my first physical therapy appointment yesterday and that went well. The PT just covered basic stuff like ROM, health questions, etc. and then gave me some isometric exercises to do.
Other than PT, I do not do much. I do the basic after surgery, at home alone, protocol, which is watching Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond (who does not love the classic sitcoms!), as well as some reading and keeping people updated on my surgery. So far the pain is not too bad, although the last day or so has been worse than normal, but even these 'bad' times are manageable. I got my surgery report and I got 5 screws put in. Dr. Buly was able to change my anterior central edge (CE) angle from 11 degrees (normal is 25-40 degrees) to 37 degrees! I was lacking a LOT of anterior coverage, so hopefully thats all fixed now. Other than that, the surgery report did not say much other than they had a hard time getting my socket loose to move it, but after some extensive cutting, it came loose.
So I just wanted to do a quick update. Things are going well and pain is well controlled. I should be getting a CD with my images from the hospital soon and once I do I will post before and after pictures of my hips. Hope everyone else is pain free and enjoying some nice winter weather (ie, snow!).
Edit:
So yesterday I got my CD from HSS with my images, so here is my post op x-ray
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
A week post op
So, I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get an update here, its been a long week, but good, week post op! I guess I will just start from the beginning as far as what I remember immediately post op :)
So my surgery was scheduled for Nov. 21st at 8:30 am at the Hospital for Special Surgery. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am!! When we arrived I checked in and got signed up and then pretty quickly they took me back for surgery. In the surgery waiting room I changed into a gown, put on those lovely socks with the rubber on the bottom so that you do not fall sliding around, and then I was suppose to try and give a urine specimen to make sure that I was not pregnant. Well, of course I could not pee, after an hour and a half of trying, I finally gave up and they tried to take blood instead. I am notoriously bad at giving blood, so of course this turns into an ordeal of poking me three times just to get some blood. Finally they do and that part is over. Also during this time a nurse (who had a British accent and insisted on calling me Sarah Jane) was getting me prepped with an IV and 2 PA's came in to get some history and check my range of motion, etc. Then the good stuff started, Dr. Buly showed up as well as the anesthesiologist. Dr. Buly signed my hip and my wrist band and then after a few minutes we were off. I was taken down into the OR (which is freezing) and I moved over onto the operating table, was asked a few questions by the anesthesiologist, medicine the stings was put into my IV and I was out.
When I woke up I was in the recovery area, which was basically like a really long, extra wide hallway, with something like 50 beds in it and a curtain separating each bed. I woke up pretty quickly but in a lot of pain. I had a pain pump that I could press a button and every 10 minutes it would give me medicine. At the time every 10 minutes seemed like a lifetime! I was surprised by how much pain I was in given that I thought that I was suppose to have an epidural. It was unlike my last epidural with my scope that literally had me numb from the waist down when I woke up. It took about an hour for my pain to get under control again. My mom and Adam were able to visit me every 2 hours for 15 minutes while I was in recovery, which was nice, but did not seem long enough. There was some trouble finding out if I would be able to get a room or not that night because I guess they were all full, but luckily around 9PM I got a room and was taken upstairs for the night.
The first night my pain was well controlled with the pain pump and I slept fairly well. The next morning I was up around 6 am because thats when the hospital staff starts to really check on you and get things rolling for the day, like allowing you to bathe, etc. I had a bunch of different people throughout the morning come into my room for various things, checking vitals, my pain pump/epidural, my wound drain, etc. I tried to press the pain pump as little as possible because I wanted the epidural out as soon as possible because once that came out I could get my urinary catheter out, which was annoying me. So I was started on oral pain medication later that morning and that evening, around 6 PM the epidural came out. By late evening the first day I had everything unhooked except the urinary catheter, which was scheduled to come out the next morning, early. I also had PT the first day too, which I was REALLY scared about getting out of bed and walking, especially being hooked up to all the machines that I was. But it really was not too bad, my PT was amazing. I was able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom that first afternoon, without too much issue. My mom and husband were there during all the visiting hours, which were from 11 am to 9 pm.
On the second day, I got my catheter removed at 6 am and at that point I was officially off all the machines! I was able to sit up and eat breakfast in a chair that morning, as well as lunch, which was quite an accomplishment. Most of the pain that I had was trying to sit up and scooch my butt over to the edge of the bed. Whenever I tried to lift my pelvis off the bed, it felt like my right side was going to fall off! Once I was standing I was fine and good to go. Surprisingly enough, on the second day I passed PT (which consisted all of walking down the hall, going up and down some fake stairs, and then back to my room. After PT, the ball started rolling for me to get discharged!! We were super surprised how early I was getting discharged considering we were told it could be as many as 7 days in the hospital! So about mid afternoon on my second day post op, I was released from the hospital!
I rested on day 3 at the apartment in NYC and then on day 4 we started our travels back to Michigan, which was about a 14 hour drive, since we had to stop every 2 hours for me to get out and walk to prevent blood clots.
So this post is getting pretty long already, but needless to say, we made it safely back home on day 4, just in time for my mothers 50th birthday and Thanksgiving, which is today :)
In the few days that we have been home, I have felt really good for the most part. I have been getting some back headaches from some of the medication, but we were able to switch it up and the headaches seem to be getting better. I am sleeping a lot and drinking a lot and thats about what my days consist of so far. I will update more after I see PT later this week.
Thanks for reading!
So my surgery was scheduled for Nov. 21st at 8:30 am at the Hospital for Special Surgery. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am!! When we arrived I checked in and got signed up and then pretty quickly they took me back for surgery. In the surgery waiting room I changed into a gown, put on those lovely socks with the rubber on the bottom so that you do not fall sliding around, and then I was suppose to try and give a urine specimen to make sure that I was not pregnant. Well, of course I could not pee, after an hour and a half of trying, I finally gave up and they tried to take blood instead. I am notoriously bad at giving blood, so of course this turns into an ordeal of poking me three times just to get some blood. Finally they do and that part is over. Also during this time a nurse (who had a British accent and insisted on calling me Sarah Jane) was getting me prepped with an IV and 2 PA's came in to get some history and check my range of motion, etc. Then the good stuff started, Dr. Buly showed up as well as the anesthesiologist. Dr. Buly signed my hip and my wrist band and then after a few minutes we were off. I was taken down into the OR (which is freezing) and I moved over onto the operating table, was asked a few questions by the anesthesiologist, medicine the stings was put into my IV and I was out.
When I woke up I was in the recovery area, which was basically like a really long, extra wide hallway, with something like 50 beds in it and a curtain separating each bed. I woke up pretty quickly but in a lot of pain. I had a pain pump that I could press a button and every 10 minutes it would give me medicine. At the time every 10 minutes seemed like a lifetime! I was surprised by how much pain I was in given that I thought that I was suppose to have an epidural. It was unlike my last epidural with my scope that literally had me numb from the waist down when I woke up. It took about an hour for my pain to get under control again. My mom and Adam were able to visit me every 2 hours for 15 minutes while I was in recovery, which was nice, but did not seem long enough. There was some trouble finding out if I would be able to get a room or not that night because I guess they were all full, but luckily around 9PM I got a room and was taken upstairs for the night.
The first night my pain was well controlled with the pain pump and I slept fairly well. The next morning I was up around 6 am because thats when the hospital staff starts to really check on you and get things rolling for the day, like allowing you to bathe, etc. I had a bunch of different people throughout the morning come into my room for various things, checking vitals, my pain pump/epidural, my wound drain, etc. I tried to press the pain pump as little as possible because I wanted the epidural out as soon as possible because once that came out I could get my urinary catheter out, which was annoying me. So I was started on oral pain medication later that morning and that evening, around 6 PM the epidural came out. By late evening the first day I had everything unhooked except the urinary catheter, which was scheduled to come out the next morning, early. I also had PT the first day too, which I was REALLY scared about getting out of bed and walking, especially being hooked up to all the machines that I was. But it really was not too bad, my PT was amazing. I was able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom that first afternoon, without too much issue. My mom and husband were there during all the visiting hours, which were from 11 am to 9 pm.
On the second day, I got my catheter removed at 6 am and at that point I was officially off all the machines! I was able to sit up and eat breakfast in a chair that morning, as well as lunch, which was quite an accomplishment. Most of the pain that I had was trying to sit up and scooch my butt over to the edge of the bed. Whenever I tried to lift my pelvis off the bed, it felt like my right side was going to fall off! Once I was standing I was fine and good to go. Surprisingly enough, on the second day I passed PT (which consisted all of walking down the hall, going up and down some fake stairs, and then back to my room. After PT, the ball started rolling for me to get discharged!! We were super surprised how early I was getting discharged considering we were told it could be as many as 7 days in the hospital! So about mid afternoon on my second day post op, I was released from the hospital!
I rested on day 3 at the apartment in NYC and then on day 4 we started our travels back to Michigan, which was about a 14 hour drive, since we had to stop every 2 hours for me to get out and walk to prevent blood clots.
So this post is getting pretty long already, but needless to say, we made it safely back home on day 4, just in time for my mothers 50th birthday and Thanksgiving, which is today :)
In the few days that we have been home, I have felt really good for the most part. I have been getting some back headaches from some of the medication, but we were able to switch it up and the headaches seem to be getting better. I am sleeping a lot and drinking a lot and thats about what my days consist of so far. I will update more after I see PT later this week.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
The day before surgery with Dr. Buly at the Hospital for Special Surgery
Hello Everyone!!
So tomorrow is the day, I will go under the knife for my first PAO and my 4th right hip surgery. I am still in shock with how I got here, it all kind of seems like a bad dream, but in the end I hope that my long hip ordeal can provide a learning experience for anyone else suffering with hip pain.
Yesterday I had my pre-op appointments which were no big deal. Basically they went over all the usual stuff with me (height, weight, blood pressure, etc.) and then I had to get some blood drawn. I was worried that my surgery might be cancelled again due to high CRP and Sed. rates but the pre-op doctor that I saw said that my numbers from the end of Oct. were no big deal and he was not concerned so that made me feel better. The only think different this time from my other pre-op's was that they did an EKG which I thought was pretty neat. I guess it did not show anything bad cause I got my surgery time.....8:30 tomorrow morning (Thursday, Nov. 21st) and I have to be to the hospital at 5:30 am! I am glad that its early though cause otherwise I would be up all morning just worrying about surgery.
Today my husband and my mom and I, we went on a boat tour of the statue of Liberty and lower Manhatten. It was really amazing to see all these sights! Its stunning the amount of people and the history that is here! We had a great time, but its about 2 in the afternoon and my hip is pretty much done with sight seeing and ready for a rest.
So, thats the story so far. New York is amazing and so far our trip has been great! I hope surgery tomorrow follows that trend as well. I will update my blog as soon as I get a chance after surgery. Until then, safe hip travels everyone!
So tomorrow is the day, I will go under the knife for my first PAO and my 4th right hip surgery. I am still in shock with how I got here, it all kind of seems like a bad dream, but in the end I hope that my long hip ordeal can provide a learning experience for anyone else suffering with hip pain.
Yesterday I had my pre-op appointments which were no big deal. Basically they went over all the usual stuff with me (height, weight, blood pressure, etc.) and then I had to get some blood drawn. I was worried that my surgery might be cancelled again due to high CRP and Sed. rates but the pre-op doctor that I saw said that my numbers from the end of Oct. were no big deal and he was not concerned so that made me feel better. The only think different this time from my other pre-op's was that they did an EKG which I thought was pretty neat. I guess it did not show anything bad cause I got my surgery time.....8:30 tomorrow morning (Thursday, Nov. 21st) and I have to be to the hospital at 5:30 am! I am glad that its early though cause otherwise I would be up all morning just worrying about surgery.
Today my husband and my mom and I, we went on a boat tour of the statue of Liberty and lower Manhatten. It was really amazing to see all these sights! Its stunning the amount of people and the history that is here! We had a great time, but its about 2 in the afternoon and my hip is pretty much done with sight seeing and ready for a rest.
So, thats the story so far. New York is amazing and so far our trip has been great! I hope surgery tomorrow follows that trend as well. I will update my blog as soon as I get a chance after surgery. Until then, safe hip travels everyone!
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