New member - Hip Resurfacing with Dr. Mont

[nevinyoung]

Hello everyone. I am two days post left hip resurfacing with Dr. Mont in Baltimore. I am of course apprehensive about my recovery but have high hopes.

The staff at the hospital was great in places and terrible in places. They are all individuals, truly. The docs, pt people, and some of the nurses were great. Some of the nurses were totally lackadaisical. It is probably that way everywhere, though.

I will hope to keep you updated on progress to give others an idea of how they might fare, who have the same questions I have.

Nevin

[Marco Polo]

Nevin:  Welcome and best wishes for an uneventful recovery.  If you have spent any time on this board you will have picked up that slow and steady wins the race.  Follow your doctor's orders and do your PT exercises with regular icing to control swelling and you will do great!

Keep us posted on your progress.

[bestbob]

Hello NevinY - I echo comments made by Marco, and also wish you a uneventful and satisfying recovery. Assuming you have been reading the site, you will find a wealth of information here, and constructive/helpful comments if you have any questions.

Bob

[podgornymd]

Be patient and dont push it too much. Congrats and good luck.

eman

[Charvel101]

Well done I will follow your progress , I am under Mr Mcminn next Monday fingers crossed all goes well for us both

Chris

[Pat Walter]

Hi Nevin

Welcome to Hip Talk.  Thank You for joining and sharing your story.  I moved your story to the Hip Stories section so other patients can find your story easier. I also added Dr. Mont's name to your story blog.

I wish you Good Luck and know you will do fine.  Try to be patient and easy on that new hip for awhile.  Stay in touch when you can.

Thanks again for sharing your story.

Pat

[Anna]

Good luck in your recovery Nevin  :)

[hernanu]

Welcome Nevin! as you can see all of us are in different states of recovery. There's plenty of info to read, we are also here to talk to if you have any issues.

[Reno]

Hi Nevin-

Sounds like so far, so good, which is wonderful!  I pray nightly that my surgery will be without complications, and I pray for a speedy and complete recovery. 

My well wishes go out to you for the same!  I will be looking for your updates during your recovery process.  My surgery date is Aug 26th, just 11 days now... 

Take care!
Reno

[nevinyoung]

I just thought I would update-- I am now at 10 days post surgery. The first few days went by in a blur, mostly resting and watching television, sleeping, and deciding that I don't like oxycodone very much. Two days ago it was like a light switch flipped and my operated leg became much stronger and I get around the house on one crutch quite easily. Today I went about a quarter mile down the road and back on one crutch and felt fine. I take the oxycodone at night to sleep but have switched to aspirin and ibuprofen during the day.

At this point, I think it will just be a matter of getting stronger and healing more every day, and waiting until the operated leg feels like it can bear more weight. I can sort of shuffle a bit on it if I have to but avoid doing so-- I want to use the crutches so as not to cause any problems.  My post op appointment is in about 12 days from now. I am thinking of heading back to work (office job) for a half day on this coming Monday and seeing how it goes.

Nevin

[nevinyoung]

Also, I thought I would mention for those who are about to get the procedure--

go out and get a raised toilet seat. It will make it much easier. Also, I can't wait to send these mechanical compression devices for my legs back to the vendor-- that is something I can do this Monday, I think.

If you find yourself sweating a lot, for no reason, it may be the painkillers and not the surgery. A lot of people have told me about the "percosweats" since I have inquired.

[Reno]

Hi Nevin-

This is great news about your progress! You are a wonderful model for me to follow, beginning in just 4 days now, on Aug 26th when I have my THR.  I have my raised toilet seat coming, along with a walker and crutches. 

I am glad to hear that you are down to only taking the pain meds nightly and that it is working for you at this early stage. I am allergic to every pain killer I have tried to date and I abhor the way they make me feel, including the profuse sweating. If the sweating is still a problem, it might be good to have a personal fan close by. I just ordered one with a remote control device, as I break out in sweats numerous times during the night. So, I can imagine what it will be like after surgery with the effects of the anesthesia and pain meds...

Good luck as you continue your recovery. I will be on the lookout for your updates.
Take care!
Reno

[podgornymd]

      two things that may help out is : get an ice machine and use it 24/7. Sleep with it and it will decrease your need for pain meds. Also there is a non narcotic called tramadol which doesnt have the side effects of narcotics but also are not as powerful either.

    I didnt have to take any narcotics after surgery mostly due to the ice machine and b/c i didnt want to take them.

[Reno]

Hi Podgornymd-

Tramadol was the med I took for about five days, prior to the last prescription, which was Dilaudid. The Tramadol caused twitching and a mini seizure.  :-(   And, the Dilaudid made me feel so dizzy I had to lay down for about 5 hours, so I stopped it and was still dizzy for about a week afterwards... 

Is the ice machine expensive and which one would you suggest?

Thanks for your advice.
Reno

[podgornymd]

tramadol can lead to seizures so probably not a good idea for you. i used a machine called game ready. My insurance covered it for me so not usre how much it would cost to buy it. There are other ice machines mentioned on this web site which i think is called polar ice machine. I loved my game ready machine and able to use it through the nite. My wife was invaluable b/c she would get up in middle of the night and check to see if the ice melted and refill it. It was very safe in terms of not causing frostbite b/c  you could control the temp and the time.

[Jason0411]

ride that roller coaster of recovery and don't worry about the lows because the highs will out weigh them in the end.

Good luck

[nevinyoung]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. As for pain relief, I think at this point I am past going out and getting new devices or prescriptions-- I am making do just fine with ibuprofen and aspirin during the day, and a couple of oxycodone at night before bed. I hope to stop that entirely within a few days and just do aspirin and ibuprofen or aleve or something. (I have never liked acetominophen, in case you are wondering). The pain right now is about like it was on a bad day pre surgery, and seems to get better every day.

The invoice from Sinai Hospital came in the mail yesterday-- it is covered by insurance, but in case anyone is curious, the charges not including the actual surgeon's bill, which should come separately, was a bit over $22,000, when I stayed in hospital from 5 a.m. on Monday and left at 5 p.m. Tuesday. That included operating room, anesthesia, etc. Should we wonder why our health insurance is so expensive in the US? (And ironically, my employers and I have easily paid to my health insurer over the years twice what they have paid out on me, even including this procedure).

Today I walked on crutches to the end of the street around the corner from me and back-- it is probably about a half mile. I will do it again this afternoon, I think. Has anyone tried using an exercise bicycle as part of their recovery program?

[Reno]

Hi All-

- Podgornymd, thanks for the name of the ice machine you used.  I had not considered they might be covered, so I am going to check with my insurance company to see if it is an option.

- Nevin, it great to hear that things are moving along well for you.  I will be joining the Hippie group in less than two days.  I am in total agreement with you regarding insurance companies and the insane costs, even when one is insured. YIKES!

Take care!
Reno