Brian Rader Bilateral Hip Resurfacing Dr. Poole 2007
Before my bilateral resurfacing surgery on Oct 9, I posted to this website
several times w/ questions and concerns. Many folks here took the time to
respond and I was even able to speak with several people that had undergone
bilateral resurfacing. All of this information was very, very helpful for
someone, such as myself, who was extremely anxious about undergoing my first
major surgery. Now that I am “on the other side” (the common phrase, I believe),
I thought it would be appropriate for me to give something back to the
community!
I went into the hospital very early (5:30am) on Tuesday, October 9. My surgeon
was Dr. Colin Poole. Dr. Poole prefers a light anesthesia regime, which worked
great for me. First, I was hooked up to an IV and given something to relax me
(not sure what that was). Next, I was given Versed (also helps patient to relax,
induces unconsciousness, and (perhaps best of all) causes amnesia). Then, I was
given a spinal to eliminate pain. This was a great regime for me. I was not
intubated (which was great!), and when the Versed was removed after the surgery
I “woke up” immediately and was completely lucid with no nausea and zero pain!
After surgery, which took about 3 hours, I spent a relaxing hour or two in
recovery before a fun ride up to my private room. The nursing and care staff at
St. Luke’s was absolutely great. I cannot say enough good things about how
wonderful the care that I received was. The entire floor was dedicated to
patients undergoing joint/bone surgery and the nurses were familiar w/ the pain
induced by these types of surgeries and not at all shy about administering pain
medicine. The first night for me was very rough (like many other have posted).
The transition from spinal to IV morphine and Toradol was very difficult. I
slept very little and found it very difficult to get comfortable. I continued to
have some difficulty w/ pain management until I was successfully transitioned to
oral narcotics: Norco, Vistaril, and Diazepam. This combination has been really
great for me and has allowed me to both rest comfortably (which is very
important) and has also allowed me to begin moving around w/ walking and PT. One
HUGE caution here is all these pain medicines (IV and oral) have caused
consistent and at times severe constipation for me. I am successfully managing
this now w/ 4 stool softeners/laxatives per day, copious prune juice and a diet
that is heavy on fruits and very light on dairy and meat products. Before
leaving the hospital I worked with physical therapy and occupational therapy.
They made sure that I had the necessary skills to walk, shower, dress myself,
etc. before leaving the hospital. They also arranged for the necessary tools (reacher,
toilet riser) to be delivered to my hospital room prior to discharge.
At 3 weeks, I went in for my post-op x-rays and everything appears to be in
place and installed correctly. At this time, I was cleared for outpatient PT.
Now, about 3.5 weeks after surgery I am really doing well. I am walking w/
forearm crutches around the block w/ little or no pain. I am moving around the
house well and able to care for all of my own needs. I have just begun
outpatient PT, which is already paying dividends in helping to improve my gait
and beginning to work on my range of motion (which is bloody awful and has been
for years (decades?)). All in all, my spirits are good and I have more hope for
a pain-free and normal-functioning future than I have ever had before. I am
still on pain meds, but doc said not to worry as the bilat is a very major
surgery to undergo. I am in the process of weaning myself off the meds by
increasing the time b/w dosing. Before signing off, here are some hints/ideas
that worked well for me:
1. If possible, have someone stay with you in the hospital. Not only is this
great from a companionship perspective, but also can
greatly improve your care and comfort. The nurses appreciate not having to be
bothered for every little thing, and they also (I think) provide better care
when there is family around.
2. Watch the constipation.
3. I know this is weird, but I really liked the catheter. Never had the
“urge” to urinate. Eliminated the need to get up & go to the
head. I was worried about the removal, but it was no big deal at all. When the
nurse took it out, it kinda felt like a large-stream
urination. Zero pain at all when removed and a huge convenience when it was in.
Certainly not a big deal to worry about before surgery!
4. For me, 3 weeks was about the critical amount of time where I felt like I
needed full time help. Having a full time partner to go
through this with me was really great. My wife was able to get the time off work
& she took great care of me. From performing the many nurse-like tasks (some of
which are not pleasant) to helping organize the medications when my mind was not
terribly clear, having her around to help was wonderful. Best care imaginable!!!
5. Don’t be afraid to ASK for pain meds in the hospital. A lot of the time,
they assume you are fine unless you tell them
differently.
6. Before each nurse shift change to the night shift, I requested that the
charge nurse (head nurse for the floor) please
assign an experienced nurse (not a newbie or a floater nurse) to me for the
night. The nights were the most difficult time for me at
hospital and having an experienced nurse really helped me.
Anyway, that’s all I can think of for now. If you have any additional questions,
please email me directly at:
brrader@yayhoo.com
Thanks again to all of the people on the site for the help and support.
Brian