Bionic's Bone Blog

[DirkV]

Hi Bionic,
In the small world category, I followed a thread in the Yahoo group about playing hockey w/ resurfaced hip(s), and found out that one of the guys there played the same youth hockey program but one age group younger than me. Anyhow, this guy had a good posting about the long-term recovery and mentioned that specific aspect as something that very gradually got better until one day it back to normal.
I know my cheeks haven't filled in yet (at 11 and 12 months) but they are progressing. So I've kept that guy's post in mind when I consider worrying about my malformed butt.  :)
I guess that's a benefit of bilateral: you can't see the relative disparity and get concerned.
I would be interested to hear from longer term hippies if they noticed this at 1 1/2 yr or 2 yr or whatever.
-Dirk

[Bionic]

3-Week Anniversary:

I figure it's time to stop counting in days, even though I continue to see progress on a daily basis.  There were several interesting developments this week.

First, it dawned on me that the dark incision I was seeing was actually a scab.  Why didn't I realize that sooner?  I made this momentous discovery when I noticed parts of the scab starting to flake off.  So it won't be this dark, crusty thing forever.  That was good news!   Even better is that the skin revealed as the scab falls off looks almost normal, both in terms of color and texture.  I may not have such a bad scar after all.

My incision length is hard to judge right now.  Once I have a plain view of the scar from one end to the other, I'll make a measurement.  Based on the scab and my eyeballs, I'd estimate it's about 5".

We've had a good deal of snow recently.  Rather than risk a fall on the ice, my wife and I went to visit our local suburban mega-mall for a walk indoors.  I had always regarded this as a huge mall.  I've walked that mall many times on my arthritic hip, sometimes wondering, with all the pain I was feeling, how in the hell I was going to make it back to my car.

I simply breezed though the mall yesterday.  I walked it back and forth, top floor and bottom.  I explored all the side corridors.  After half an hour, I concluded that the mall wasn't so huge after all!  What a difference a good hip makes!

I found myself grinning stupidly at my own mobility.  Feeling brave, I transferred the cane to my right hand and held it up in the air as I tentatively moved with unaided steps.  It felt like I was a 1-year old walking for the first time.  It was working, and I was giddy with the thrill of it.  I walked maybe 100 steps without my cane, working hard to balance but finding it to be not so hard after a while.  Then I used the cane on and off.  I had conquered the mall.

My wife is now telling me I'm walking straight, and it's the first time she can remember seeing that.  My kids are telling me I look taller.

This morning, upon awakening, I decided not to reach for the cane.  The first steps were tender and hobbled, but once the joint started moving they smoothed into something approximating a normal gait.  Now I'm keeping the cane, not at arm's reach, but across the room.  I can get it if I need it, but I don't want it if I don't.

Movement in general continues to get easier.  I can now sit at my desk as long as I want without getting uncomfortable.  Driving feels normal.  The discomfort in the seat has nearly vanished.  Swelling is almost completely gone.

Overall, the third week has been a triumph!

[Tekka]

Bionic,

Your making great progress, it's funny how people comment how well we walk now..we must have been hobbleing like old men.

The cane, I find myself forgetting it when I go from room to room, like you I still can't believe how great the hip feels.

Well done, take it easy mate.

Terry

[Bionic]

Thank you, Terry.

I left the house today for my daily 1-mile walk and got half-way down the driveway when I realized I had forgotten my cane!  I went back in the house to retrieve it, and I used it for about the first 100 yards.  Then I decided to try carrying it.  I managed the entire rest of the walk without it.  That was a milestone. 

My walk has some very hilly portions, including one portion with a 10 or 15-degree grade.  No problem.  I felt a little tightness in my hip flexors and glutes, which I took as a good sign that I was doing some real work. 

I felt the slightest discomfort when I first started climbing the big hill.  The soreness was in my outer quad (vastus externalis), just below the greater trochanter.  I slowed down a little and the discomfort passed.  There was also a little groin pain on startup.  I don't usually feel pain in my groin, but I decided not to freak out.  I figured that, if my implants had slipped, I would be feeling it big time, and it wouldn't be a little transient flash of discomfort.

The scab from my incision is almost completely gone.  The scar is smooth and narrow, except at the very bottom.  There is a very small area where it looks like the two sides of the incision healed at slightly different levels--the back side of the incision is about 1/10" higher than the front side, over a region of about 1/4" long.  There is kind of a step effect on the skin there, which I hope will correct itself.

Did anybody else get this?  Did it go away over time?

[Tekka]

Bionic,

I'm six weeks today, yes that stepped effect on the scar does flatten out, mine has!!

Today I made a decision not to use my cane at work, I had it next to me but I did'nt need it, although by the end of the day I was labouring a little.

Little by little mate.

Terry

[Bionic]

Good to hear it, Terry.  Thank you.  I actually think my "step" is a little flatter today than it was yesterday.  I think I'll wait to email Lee about it.

I'm still using my cane here and there--mostly around the house.  Chuck has talked about "start-up pain" a lot, and I have a feeling of start-up instability.  It gets better after a few steps, but it's good to have the cane around for those moments.

[Bionic]

Hi everybody,

It's time for me to be moving on.  I've enjoyed chatting with you and wish you all the very best.  May all your strides and wiggles be restored, and stay that way :).

Bionic

[Bionic]

Hello everybody.  It's been nearly a year since I've posted here, during which time I've been recovering from my right hip resurfacing surgery with Dr. Gross.  My one-year follow-up is next week.  I'll be doing it locally.

You wil not be surprised to hear that everything has gone very well.  A few aches and pains here and there, mostly under the incision.  A few times I've strained something and limped around for a couple of days.  But no significant setbacks.

Life is good.  I work out 3 or 4 times a week on an elliptical cross trainer.  I've actually gotten my pulse rate over 180 for the first time in years.  It feels so good to exercise!

General fitness and muscle tone are coming back.  You'll be relieved to hear that my previously flat butt cheek has plumped up and is now nearly symmetrical with its brother.  Fat is melting off.  I'm feeling more and more like my old self.

I've done a little running at about 2/3 max speed.  I'm not quite ready to go full out.  But, I'll tell you, even 2/3 feels phonomenal!  The joy of movement!

I'm back to 40 and 50 mile bike rides.  I played soccer this past fall with my kid's team.  I work out with weights and recently started doing squats.  I'm only doing about 100# for now.  I forgot how amazing it feels!

I got a pain in my hip after my first squat workout.  Then I realized it was the non-operated hip!

The only thing that persists as a problem is movement with my hip highly flexed.  There's some clunking and popping in that position, and it's a little uncomfortable.  So I just avoid it until I recover more fully.

After a day of hard work on the elliptical, I sometimes feel a little tight in the joint--like it needs to be stretched out.  I'm still guarding the joint and won't stretch too far.  Soon enough, I will, though.

All in all, this really feels like my own hip.  I've had no "foreign body" sensations.  My duck-footed walk has straightened.  I walk with my feet straight for the first time in my life.

I have no regrets about the surgery.  Quite the contrary; I am thrilled with the results.  And I continue to be grateful to the fine work of Pat and others in making information about hip resurfacing so easily accessible.  Many thanks.

Bionic: R U/C Biomet 2/11/09 Dr. Gross and Lee Webb

[Pat Walter]

Hi

It's good to hear from you and even better to hear you are back to a very active, pain free life.  Glad everything is going well.  Hope to hear from you once a year!

Good Luck.

Pat

[obxpelican]

Glad to hear all is well with the hip, good things are happening I see.



Chuck

[JeanM]

Good to hear this update from you Bionic!  I'm glad you're doing well!

[mari]

Good to hear you are doing well.  I too, will soon celebrate a 1 year anniversary.  Things are going very well, a little clunking now and then and some crunching when I raise my knee up.  My scar is not flat; I am disappointed about that, but my body doesn't make nice scars.  I will be making the trip to see Dr. Gross for my one year checkup in March.  I am very glad I chose this over a total hip.

[Bionic]

Two years and all's well!

I'm feeling great and am continuing to enjoy the freedom of movement.  My kids are happy not to have a lame dad!

I haven't had my 2 year x-rays yet, but there is no reason to worry.  The hip is solid and pain-free.  I walk, jog, run, bike, work out on the elliptical trainer, lift weights, and chase around my dog, kids, and wife.

I have very few lingering issues.  I still get pain in the muscle under the incision when I walk over 4 miles.  I think this is because I rarely do that and never gave my body a chance to adapt to it.

The hip still feels funny in some unusual positions--like lying on my stomach with my knee to my chest, but that's easily enough avoided.

On a typical day, my hip gives me no problem at all, and it functions exactly the way I need it to.

I'm still very happy I had the surgery, I'm happy with the doctor and implant I selected, and am grateful to this site for providing a great vehicle to learn about my options.

[hernanu]

Thanks for checking in! I appreciate hearing from members that are years down the road and still feeling good; it helps for those us who are just starting compared to you.

[newdog]

Thanks for the update. At 4 weeks post-op, it is certainly encouraging to read posts from veterans like you. I can't fully appreciate my new hips yet but I'm getting there. I can't wait to feel that freedom of movement. What would we do without this site?

Wonderful story!

Steve (newdog)

[Bionic]

Hello old friends,

My 4-year anniversary passed and I didn't even notice!  That's a great testimony to how well I'm doing.  It's almost a surprise to see my scar these days, as I have virtually no other indication that any work was done on the hip.

I'm not doing anything terribly strenuous these days, but the hip is still up for anything I decide to do.

I wish you all continued good luck with your own surgeries; I continue to be grateful for mine!

[hernanu]

Not noticing is awesome. I'm looking forward to my fourth now that a couple of you graduates have popped in.

Excellent news, good luck and keep in touch.

[Pat Walter]

Happy 4 year anniversary!  I wish you many, many more.  It is great that eventually you don't even think about your hip replacement.  We just get on with life and it becomes a distant memory.  Hard for people in post op recovery to believe, but that is what happens.

Good Luck and Thanks for stopping by!

Pat

[mari]

Bionic it was good to hear from you here.  I remember talking with you by email between your surgery and mine; you were one week ahead of me; same doctor and hospital.
Glad to hear you are doing well also.  I am so glad I found this group when I was exploring hip surgery options.

[Bionic]

Okay, this is getting repetitive.  But repeating good news is always a pleasure.  I'm now past my 5th anniversary and continue to have no problems.  The hip feels great and maybe even has gotten better.

I wish I had time for more physical activity, but the hip has not held me back from anything.  Thank you all again!