Acute pain 3.5 months post surgery. Sound familiar to anyone?

[Glenn Urban]

In a nut shell, I posted this at a different portion of the site, as an add-on to my 4 week after surgery discussion. I have had some helpful advice, but wanted to see if someone else has experienced something similar.


Sailing along thinking I am bullet-proof, that the surgery is amazing, 3.5 months after the operation, then I start moving a bunch of bags of bark from Home Depot (on sale for $2 a bag...that is $27 a yard...cheaper than having it delivered...or so I thought ) when all of a sudden, not while lifting but while raking some of the bark around, I get this severe jab of pain in my arse cheek, presumably right in the area of the surgery.  A couple more scary jabs of pain, and I am done, go home, lay on couch, no more pain till the next day, and it was not until the same time..in the evening...I was had just taken a pin out of a door hinge - had to kneel down and get up from the ground - and was walking in the garage and wham! Hit again with this kick in the right arse cheek...enough to make me cry out...a combination of funny-bone pain and just a knot of rock in there. In hind site, I also carried around a 5 gallon container of paint the day before. I thought about the effect it might have on me, but, I also thought, "Hey, I am 3.5 months out from surgery. That bone has to have grown around that device...it is in snug and secure".


I keep getting the same pain now, maybe less painful because I am not surprised by it anymore, in the a.m., after moving around a bit..takes a little bit of activity...then I feel it come on...slightly...then more, then it hits, then it dies off once I get comfortable. Like sitting in a chair, no problem. Laying down, no problem.


Does this sound familiar to anyone else?


Thanks


Glenn

[/size][size=78%] [/size]

[blinky]

I join the chorus on the other thread in thinking it is overuse.


I know you feel great, but you are only 3.5 months out, 14 weeks. That isn't so much. Your bones may have knitted pretty well around the prothesis, but your soft tissue is still healing and the muscles are still getting stronger. Somewhere, probably on this site, I remember reading that three months is the most vulnerable time because you feel so good, but your femoral neck isn't up to snuff yet.


Every doc has different recs.  Dr Gross was my doctor and he told us to hold off on certain activities until we were six months out. No deep squatting, no carrying over x lbs, no running, etc. Some docs are stricter, some are looser. And just because at six months I was allowed to do those things, that doesn't mean they were completely comfortable.


Take some time off and rest, take Advil/Tylenol, ice. Be patient. You may find that in a few more weeks you feel much much better, and you may find you still have several very specific weaknesses.

[Quig]

Blinky nailed it.


And, I don't think what you're feeling has anything to do with the implants and/or bone. I'd suggest it's soft tissue and you're going to feel that for a long time to come. I'm over a year and I still feel gripes at times right where you're describing. Those gripes are always after strenuous exercise/use and continue to improve but they're annoying.


At 3.5 months you're still pretty darn early in your recovery. Relax, back it off a bit and just know that those soft tissues are going to be doing lots of healing for quite some time.


Good luck!

[moe]

Very familiar story, over and over on this site. Too much too soon. Take it easy and let it heal if you want to be good in the long term.

[Glenn Urban]

Blinky, Quig, Moe -  Thank you for the replies.


Seems like it is getting worse, not better, but, after hearing the feedback and reading a bunch of older stories/posts in this area on this site, I am thinking I am getting good advice.


Thank you and I really appreciate it.


Glenn

[blinky]

If it is getting worse, I would check back with the doctor. We think it is just overuse, but we don't have MDs next to[size=78%] our names. [/size]
[/size]
[/size][size=78%]And rest. Really rest, not just a day off, but a good three to seven days off. Stop hauling those paint cans! See if that helps. [/size]

[Glenn Urban]

Update:  Hip getting better, but still slightly discouraged.  Turns out I re-bruised a good portion of my leg from the back of the knee area about a foot in both directions up and down. Did not see it till a couple of days ago, so, what it looked like prior to when I had my setback July 16 is not known. Right now it is relatively faint, but it looks bruised just the same.


It gets confusing when you see the different doctor recommendations for restrictions. One should listen to their own surgeon, I get that, but, this site has a lot of info as well.  One doc keeps the brakes on for almost 11 months, another takes off all restrictions at 3 months. And then I see a guy ran a marathon at 4 months post op, etc.  Moving bark bags, getting up and down off the floor when doing a remodel, moving around a 5 gallon bucket of paint at 3.5 months... Evidently too much for me.


Going ahead with the right hip resurfacing despite the set back on the left. No more searing pain, just a tightness, like a squirrel tucked a walnut in my hip.


Hoping that August 21 brings good news, as I get a couple of X-rays on both the right hip to be resurfaced the next day, as well as my aggravated area, to see if the device has moved.


Thank you to all for the input.


Glenn

[John C]

The walnut you describe is sometimes referred to as a "monkey fist". Very common during the first months, and I could still feel it slightly at one year. I don't really notice it now (9 years), but I can still find it when I use the foam roller over the area. Many people, including myself, feel that the foam roller is a great thing. I had some trochanteric bursitis for the first year or so, and it really helped with that, as well as the monkey fist.

[MattJersey]

Glenn, I hope your hip is ok, and next is a success.


Everyone recovers different, and judging one's own recovery against others' stories is not a good idea as there are too many differences and too many variables. In particular comparing to the hero recoveries and marathons at 4 months etc.


Maybe you could set different goals, maybe focused on your stretching or exercise/recovery programme. At four months I played golf, against the standard advice of my surgeon, and wasn't good. At 8 months things weren't quite right and I realised I had neglected my exercises and continued strengthening. But by 12 months I was solid and at 15 months shot best round of golf I ever have and won my club's open championship.


For sure, it takes time to rebuild strength and flexibility. I hope in 3.5 more months you're reflecting more positively, but perhaps you need to really think about "in 12 months" if you're just about to get your second leg done.


Good luck. I'm optimistic that after 6 months from now, doing your exercises carefully on both sides throughout, you will be marathon (or bark raking) ready!


Matt

[Glenn Urban]

Matt and John, Thank You for the input.


Had my right hip resurfaced Aug 22, and am home now recovering.


Nausea for 8 hours post surgery an hour after I came to.  I had full feeling in legs unlike the first surgery, where it took about an hour to get feeling back.


Different Anesthesiologist than first time, but interesting conversation before the surgery.  I told him I have a history of getting sick after coming out of general anesthesia, but that after my left hip was done in April, I had no nausea.  He explained that since I got a spinal, I did not get sick. I had not heard this before, and found it interesting, and it sounded logical. Not so fast. So, as I said above, sick for about 8 hours post surgery.


That said, the surgery itself seems to have been a little more comfortable, but that could be the pain pills talking.


The flight home sucked, as I was airsick within the first ten minutes (this was from surgery/anesthetic...I don't get sick on flights). So, I do not know what happened, other than, if I had gone through this misery the first time, I might not have gotten the second one done this year.  I just happen to hate nausea.


Positives of 2nd surgery:  I have less pain in the hip, though this could be subconsciously staying ahead of the pain curve with my meds.  It is over with. I don't have a 3rd hip that I know of.


Negatives of 2nd surgery:  Nausea for 8 hours after surgery, and then again 3 days later on the flight home.


Thank you again for the input from all on this thread, and on the entire site


Glenn


 

[Shiggy]

Hi Glenn,

Congrats on having the 2nd hip done. I had my left hip resurfaced by Dr Pritchett in June and am debating on having my other hip resurfaced before the end of the year.  With respect to the nausea, I too was sick after surgery from the pain meds. I puked during OT. Luckily, the OT person was able to grab one of those blue puke bags just in the nick of time before I blew.  After leaving the hospital (same day as surgery), I only took Tylenol for a week for pain and didn't have any nausea issues.  In addition to the spinal, they sedate you with Propofol, which is great stuff for not causing nausea. If you ever have the pleasure of receiving a colonoscopy, ask the doctor to use Propofol.  I learned this the hard way having been given Demerol for my first scoping. I puked like mad afterwards.

I couldn't imagine getting on an airplane so soon after surgery like you did. Sorry it was miserable. Glad you made it home okay.

Best wishes in your recovery.

Derek

[Glenn Urban]

Derek-


Thank you for the response.  Interestingly, that same drug is what I had as well. It was explained to me that my generals in the past were quite different than the spinal I would be receiving. He said he would duplicate the cocktail of the previous surgery.


So I was sick about an hour after coming to and it lasted about 8 hours, and even the nurses thought it was unusual to be sick like I was, before even filling the oral med prescriptions. They changed to a different anti nausea drug, and I felt much better, but again, it was 8 hours of heaving into that blue bag, and not very productive since there was nothing there really, after the last traces of the sports drink stopped.


I had zero nausea in April. I seem to be good with the oral meds, and was fine until I got on that plane...noticed a lot of sweating going on a few hours before the flight. I might have had a bad reaction to just not being on a regular body cycle, so to speak.


The newer video of Pritchett and Orlando Williams took most of my hesitation out of my mind in regards to the second surgery.


As for the flight, I started thinking that one more day is likely all I would have needed to get my flight nausea to have not appeared.  As I mentioned, April was completely different than this surgery.  No nausea, but the pain in the hip seemed much more evident than this time around. It could also be that I just have a different learning curve approach after going through it the first time, and perhaps am avoiding certain movements that were painful first time around.


Thank you again for the commentary. 


Lastly, booking first class on Alaska for the return post op was smart. I had an issue with the 90 degree rule flying back on Southwest, and this time, a little extra room was really appreciated. Booked far enough in advance, the extra cost for 1st class and being able to stretch out just a little bit further was awesome.


Glenn


Glenn


As for you and your second surgery, part of my equation on whether or not to do the second one was the extended recovery time the longer I wait to get the second one done, and the cost of waiting. What I mean about the extended recovery time is that, if I waited say a year, I have burned a year for the left hip to recover, but then I will be repeating that time again when the right one is done. I figured I might as well try to overlap as much as possible. After burning through my deductible, I will have the benefit of not having as much out-of-pocket expenses.


I must say, Blue Shield has been good throughout the entire process. No complaints coverage wise.

[Shiggy]

Glenn,

Hope you are feeling well at 1 week post-op.  Funny, your calculus is pretty much identical to mine regarding when to have the 2nd hip done.  I think the factors you mention are probably front-of-mind for most bilateral candidates.  My out of pocket has been met this year so that's an incentive to get the right hip done before end of year.  But more than anything, the calendar is the biggest factor as I want to be able to do the activities I enjoy come Spring 2018.  If I get righty done in October, I'll be at 6 months come April (10 months for lefty). I sent an inquiry into Susan to see if mid Oct is available.

I went back and read your original post about the pain in your ass (pun intended) after heaving around the bags of bark and drums of paint.  Recently, I have had a similar pain in my upper, outer left glute near the top/posterior area of the incision.  Yesterday, I cleaned out my garage and spent a lot of time bending over, moving things to my truck, etc. I didn't lift anything heavy but by the end of the day both hips and my lower back were pretty stiff.  Later on in the evening after a period of sitting on the couch I got up and could only take a couple of steps due to what felt like a deep cramp in that area.  If I didn't have full weight on the left side, there wasn't any pain but when I put weight on it, it hurt. I've had this issue a couple times recently after periods of being on my feet and walking. But I'm pretty sure it's the glute muscle and not the bone. The pain isn't sharp, more of a cramping like feeling.  Today, it is gone and I am walking around without issue. 

Derek

[catfriend]

Hope your recovery from the second resurfacing goes well. Just hold back from lugging those sacks of bark around for a while ;)

[Glenn Urban]

Hi Derek-


Sounds like you were doing almost identical activities to me, other than lifting, but the rest, sounds very familiar. I just remember the "shooting pain" that normally occurred for me if the knee crossed over to the middle of my body after surgery, occurring just walking around after doing similar activities to what you describe. So you will be seeing Susan in October :)...I am going to pay attention to your aches and pains as you described them, and remember my situation, and try to stay away from what I thought were really innocent behaviors in that 3 and 4 month stretch post-surgery. It might have been the bark, but it might have been the odd movements like you are describing, or both.


I have no idea why I was nauseated this time around in the recovery room, and I hope it does not happen to you.  Due to being so uncomfortable, I never really left my hotel room  for three days after I arrived after surgery.


I wish you the best on the second surgery.  I was going to try and get mine done 60 days after the first, but, looking back I am glad I waited a bit. I am looking at March 1, 2018 when I can try to grab ahold of my fleeting youth and be more active. I wish you the best of luck on your surgery coming up!  From what I hear, Pritchett rarely takes vacation, so hopefully you are in.


Keep us posted on the upcoming surgery.


Glenn

[Glenn Urban]

Hi Cat Friend-


Thank you for the wise words. Me and bags of bark are sworn enemies until at least March 1, 2018.  :)

[Glenn Urban]

Derek...re-read your recap from your first surgery...I had not taken any pain meds - at least not the oxycodein or the tramadol...and I was sick about an hour after waking...I had no feeling in my legs the first time around initially...it took awhile for it to come back..this time I had full feeling upon waking...I can't explain it...however, I AM due for the colonoscopy, and I will take your advice. Yes the blue bags...

[Glenn Urban]

And Derek, sorry...I was on pain meds the first time I saw your post...so sorry about the repeat response..lol..

[Shiggy]

Hi Glenn,

The post garage cleaning pain has disappeared thankfully.  It was replaced by another new pain on the outer point of my left hip. It feels like a mild bruise just under the surface. Subsiding but still there. Yesterday, I walked 9 holes on the golf course with my brother-in-law who was actually playing. I was watching. The left hip felt great. The more I walked the better it felt it seemed. Exactly the opposite of how the right hip felt. Pretty sore last night after all the walking. Reinforces my decision to get the right hip resurfaced...

I'm booked for Oct 10th to have my right hip resurfaced so I'm in. Just received the surgery packet in the mail from Susan late last week. Surgery is scheduled for 12:15pm (10:15am check-in).  My left hip surgery was a 7:45am surgery (5:45am check-in).  I noticed Susan wrote "Estimated times" on the packet.  The first surgery was originally scheduled at 9:45am and was changed about a week or so prior.  I was actually glad the first surgery was moved to the 1st slot of the day mainly so I didn't have as much time to fret and worry in the morning.  This time around, however, I'm not nearly as nervous knowing what to expect.  At least not yet anyway.

If you're interested in reading my entire story and recovery experience, I am keeping up a blog here:  https://shiggyblog.wordpress.com/

Catfriend has a detailed blog of her experience, also:  https://hipresurfacingwoman.com/


Hope your recovery is going well and good luck with the colonoscopy. The prep is the worst part of the experience, imo.  :-(

Derek

[Shiggy]

Catfriend,  how is your left hip holding up?  I'm assuming the right side is still ~100% recovered?

Derek