Hip Talk Forum About Hip Resurfacing

Hello all,

I am a kajukenbo practitioner and have learned that I need to get my hip resurfaced. At first I was all for re-leaving all this pain but after talking to the doctor and several people I have my doubts. First my doctor tells me that there will be limitations in my movement. For example, I would not be able to lift my knee past my hip or even do a high chamber for a roundhouse kick. Then I heard from someone that not all the muscles in my leg would be reattached because there was just no way of doing that (I took this one with a grain of salt). I was also concerned about the metal particles and what the long term effects it may have on my joints or organs. I found this forum one night and thought I should post some of my concerns with others who have more experience. I am at the moment seeking out a second opinion before even considering the procedure. I have read many people saying that they had no limitations in their movements after the procedure was done and was wondering if it is the device itself that will make the difference. I have not been in class for about a year now and am utterly depressed.

You'll find quite a few people who have gone back to martial arts. We are all in different times of our recovery, so you can track what people have run into. I'm fresh out of my second hip resurface, so for me I figure about a year before I get back to full blooded training.

The 'can't bring the knee up past your hip' is a misuse of a recuperation restriction. Many doctors use this rule to prevent damage while healing. Some don't agree (like my doctor), but the intent is to get your body properly healed so later you can do as much activity as possible.

Get as much info as you can, you'll see that the recovery can be significant and you can go back to a lot of activities. I'm planning to at least go back to bag training and forms, will see about full contact.

Hernan (35 years Tae Kwon Do).

I agree with hernanu.....as he says, the movement restrictions are only temporary...also...my muscles were not cut, infact Ive never heard of this happening.

My operation was early Dec 2010...and although strength and flexability take a whille to come back, theres no reason why they wont. Im only about 4 inches from touching my toes....training with weights and using the heavy bag. There are restrictions to what I can and cant do, but having no pain more than makes up for that.


good luck with whatever you decide to do  :)

I do not practice martial arts, but I am an athlete and I have not heard of those type of restrictions, except during recovery. After 4 weeks I was allowed to lift my knee past my hip, etc. I am now at four months and will find out at the end of the month when I can resume high impact activities such as running. That may be 6 months to a year, but well worth the wait. I am sure you will be able to get back to your kicks...your fellow hippys on this site who practice will give you plenty of answers!

Just how experienced is your surgeon with hip resurfacing?

Mine is very experienced.

Hi,

And thanks for the reply. I am so glad to hear about all of your experiences and how positive it was. My doctor was adamant about the no knee above the hip movement because of the likelihood of dislocation. I am not sure how much experience he has with the resurfacing, I will have to find some way to check that out. If all of you don't mind and if it is against the rules to post it here, can you send me a personal email telling me the device that you received because I still have this feeling that it may be the device itself that may make the difference. again, thank you so much for the positive feedback, it has been the first good news that I have received in a long, long time.

Well...mine is a Birmingham. But I still think that maybe you have miss understood your surgeon...the "no knee above hip" rule is only for the first few months of recovery. If he is actually saying that it is for ever then find out how many he has done...and if he isnt experienced...I would say to find someone else.

Quote from: kajubones on March 12, 2011, 02:27:27 AM
... I am not sure how much experience he has with the resurfacing, I will have to find some way to check that out.

Ask him!

I am a 4th degree Master black belt in Tang Soo Do and my husband and I run a karate school. I am 13 days post op my second BHR on the left hip. I had the right hip done on 2-25-08.

With the right hip it took me a year and a half to get back to practicing martial arts but that was only because i had sciatic nerve damage and foot drop. However, my biggest drawback was fear. Once I started training I took it slow and didn't kick above the waist. I wasn't long before i was doing front snap kicks, roundhouse kicks and inside-outside kicks over my head again! I don't have all my flexibility back (my signature break was holding a board over my head and breaking it with my right foot.) I still have some difficulty with pivoting kicks but that was due to the arthritis in my left hip. Hopefully that will be resolved after this surgery!

The key is to take it slow and have the patience to let your body heal. The first time I had no choice because of the nerve damage (which is mostly resolved now) but this time there is nothing to hold me back and it will be hard not to overdo it.

I am a 52 year old female and for the past 20 years martial arts has been a very big part of my life. At one point I thought I would have to give it up but I didn't! I may not have the most perfect kicks but I am not ashamed to get out there with my students and take my husbands class. They know what I've been through. The perseverance, intensity and patience that I have learned through years of martial arts training have enabled me to overcome many obstacles. That's the most important lesson for my students to learn.

Remember, proper nutrition, cardiovascular and strength training and vitamin supplementation all play a significant part in a successful recovery. It's a rough road back, but definitely worth it. Good luck to you!

Quote from: lkallok on March 13, 2011, 11:06:13 AM
I am a 4th degree Master black belt in Tang Soo Do and my husband and I run a karate school. I am 13 days post op my second BHR on the left hip. I had the right hip done on 2-25-08.

With the right hip it took me a year and a half to get back to practicing martial arts but that was only because i had sciatic nerve damage and foot drop. However, my biggest drawback was fear. Once I started training I took it slow and didn't kick above the waist. I wasn't long before i was doing front snap kicks, roundhouse kicks and inside-outside kicks over my head again! I don't have all my flexibility back (my signature break was holding a board over my head and breaking it with my right foot.) I still have some difficulty with pivoting kicks but that was due to the arthritis in my left hip. Hopefully that will be resolved after this surgery!

The key is to take it slow and have the patience to let your body heal. The first time I had no choice because of the nerve damage (which is mostly resolved now) but this time there is nothing to hold me back and it will be hard not to overdo it.

I am a 52 year old female and for the past 20 years martial arts has been a very big part of my life. At one point I thought I would have to give it up but I didn't! I may not have the most perfect kicks but I am not ashamed to get out there with my students and take my husbands class. They know what I've been through. The perseverance, intensity and patience that I have learned through years of martial arts training have enabled me to overcome many obstacles. That's the most important lesson for my students to learn.

Remember, proper nutrition, cardiovascular and strength training and vitamin supplementation all play a significant part in a successful recovery. It's a rough road back, but definitely worth it. Good luck to you!

Excellent post.

Im learning these lessons the hard way....it doesnt pay to be too impatient. ;) ;) ;D ;D

Black belt at judo and tae kwon do by the way

Many of the reports that I am getting about the no movement restrictions seems to be from the Birmingham device. I know that my doctor uses another one but I think you could be right about my misunderstanding him. I definitely am going to find out how much experience he has. Thank you for the advice (from everyone) I will definitely give myself a chance to heal and keep in touch. I am sure I will have hundreds of other questions, it is in my nature.

2nd degree black belt in Kajukenbo lives in San Francisco.

Your flexibility does come back, I've just started kicking again at 31 weeks, I've been running for a month or so. I've posted a detailed thread on my recovery in 'hip stories'. Good luck.

My surgeon used the Comet device on me, but I think they are all basically structurally the same, so that wouldn't cause any disparity in restrictions or lack of them. I'd talk to your surgeon, find out if those restrictions are for older total hip replacements, and maybe get a second opinion from a more experienced doctor like those commonly referred to here.

I know that I'm currently doing stretches that go well beyond 90 degrees at 7 (left) and 4 (right) months comfortably.

Hello all,

I got my second opinion from another doctor and he did not say much about the differences between the devices but he did say that the Birmingham did not have any restrictions as the wright device did but not in so many words, he just kind of nodded knowingly. I was just happy to hear what he said that I did not even care about hearing the words. Anyway, that was about a month ago. Now my insurance denied the authorization for the out of network doctor to do the surgery :(. They said that I did not meet the required criteria for the authorization?!! On July 10th it will be one year since the pain started. I have been dragging myself to and from work trying to walk normally so as to avoid the questions about my limp. I also had to endure my supervisor asking me for a doctor's note after being out for only two days because I was in so much pain that I could not sleep. My hip hurts bad, I can even feel the pain in my knee, ankle and groin. How much more qualification do I need? The insurance company feels that my surgery is a routine procedure and that it was not an urgent matter and I was told that they still needed to review my records to make a decision. 5:00PM today I was told that my request was denied!! I am trying hard not to be depressed but this is just too much! Sorry, but I am just ranting now...

Quote from: kajubones on May 25, 2011, 02:03:20 AM
... another doctor and he did not say much about the differences between the devices but he did say that the Birmingham did not have any restrictions as the wright device did but not in so many words ...

Do what?

There are many different brands of resurfacing, and they should all provide unrestricted movement. I have got the Wright C+, Hernanu has got the Cormet, Gary has got the Finsbury, Chris - Birmingham, Mac - Biomet.

Are you sure you found a real resurfacing doc yet?

D.

Sorry to hear about the insurance; maybe going to a different doctor within your network will help them change their mind.

It also would help to see a doctor that explicitly talks about the issue, without knowing looks that may be misinterpreted. If you look on the site, there are many doctors who are listed, maybe one is within your network and can give you at the least a thorough examination and some good information. I also think there are some folks here from the Bay area, so maybe they can give you their experience.

Hey Hernanu,

Thanks, it really does bite that the insurance denied my request. The Doctor that I wanted to get the surgery from actually checked with the insurance to see why I was denied and you were right, it was because the doctor was out of network. He told me of another doctor that is covered under my insurance and I am going to make an appointment to see him.

Regarding the restricted movements, when I first spoke to the first doctor I saw he told me that there would be restrictions in my movements due to possible dislocation and that lifting the leg above the knee was not something that I would want to do. I made sure that what we were talking about was the resurfacing and not the total hip replacement. At that time he said yes that the resurfacing was limited and that I would have to modify my movements if I wanted to go back to the martial arts. But I heard from others that they did not have limitations after their procedure, after healing and physical therapy of course, So I suspected that it was the device that made the difference. But now I am hearing different and when I emailed my doctor he did confirm that there are no limitations and that the only limitation would be due to body structure and muscle strength and my own flexibility.

Honestly, if that was what I was told before I would have been on the operating table long before he finished that sentence. I even saw the look on his assistant's face because she originally told me the same thing that I am hearing now about no limitations. But when the doctor told me that I have to modify my movements and that I could not lift my leg above my waist the assistant looked embarrassed. I did not say anything because I thought she just made a mistake and I did not want to cause her further embarrassment. Besides, after hearing the bad news from the doctor I was really depressed and wanted to think about what to do.

I don't know what to think about that whole thing. I just want to get rid of this pain and get my life back.

There are movement restrictions for most patients in the first 6 weeks, while the capsule heals, your hip will remind you instantly if you break them! Shortly after this period you find they all become irrelevant, then it's just a matter of building up the damaged muscles to get them in balance, stretching and conditioning etc. It does feel a bit like starting from scratch, as the muscle memory is impaired.

Quote from: gary2010 on June 01, 2011, 05:15:00 AM
your hip will remind you instantly if you break them!

Yeah Gary. I am currently experimenting this after today's PT session. I see this as a good way to listen much more to the body.

Quote from: kajubones on May 31, 2011, 11:11:02 PM
.
.
But now I am hearing different and when I emailed my doctor he did confirm that there are no limitations and that the only limitation would be due to body structure and muscle strength and my own flexibility.

Honestly, if that was what I was told before I would have been on the operating table long before he finished that sentence. I even saw the look on his assistant's face because she originally told me the same thing that I am hearing now about no limitations. But when the doctor told me that I have to modify my movements and that I could not lift my leg above my waist the assistant looked embarrassed. I did not say anything because I thought she just made a mistake and I did not want to cause her further embarrassment. Besides, after hearing the bad news from the doctor I was really depressed and wanted to think about what to do.

I don't know what to think about that whole thing. I just want to get rid of this pain and get my life back.

I don't know if you saw this, but check this story out: http://www.surfacehippy.info/jimroxburgh.php (http://www.surfacehippy.info/jimroxburgh.php) and you can see the lack of restrictions once you've healed.

Now I was not this limber before all of this hit, but close enough. You definitely can lift your knee above your hip, as I've started to do some front kicks and some very slow stretches above the hip while standing. I'm at 6 months on my second hip, so I am taking it slow and easy, getting the lay of the land. Stretches while sitting down, though I can lean forward and touch my chest to my knees now and can do the palms on the floor while standing.

Like Gary said, your body will tell you what's good and what's not, just follow the advice I'm sure we all got - never stretch into pain.

Quote from: hernanu on June 01, 2011, 10:59:39 AM
and can do the palms on the floor while standing.

Oh...now Im jealous....I can only touch the floor with my fingertips :o :o :'( :'(

No need, Chris - I think you got to the bag way before me.

lol......maybe a little too early  ;) ;D Infact I still cant kick with my op leg, as the jarring hurts like hell.

Yeah, I am jealous also, that is some nice flexibility. It is sad because just before my hip started hurting I just bought a really nice book on stretching. Being able to have nice kicks was one of my goals, now walking without a limp and sleeping without pain is my goal. I hope if I ever get this thing fixed I can get half that flexible.

Ultimate flexibility is limited by the geometry of the pelvis and especially the angle of the femoral neck, which varies considerably between people. Stretching enables you to get the optimum performance out of your skeleton.

I see that Fabian Cuenco has a Finsbury Adept same as me, and he's got a full range of movement, looking at his x ray though, his femoral neck looks quite steep (compared to mine) and doesn't flare out immediately below the prosthesis. This is me:

Don't know Gary, my x-ray does not look like yours either.

At the moment my flexability seems to be restricted by the rather large stomach that seems to have appeared from nowhere  :'( :'(

....but Im stepping up the cardio sessions..so hopefully it will be gone soon  :o :o

lopsided - hope you don't have hammer toes  ;D

Hi guys,

I wanted to ask you another question. When I saw some photos of some hip resurfacing I noticed screws in the x-ray on some folks. I read somewhere that it may cause chronic pain if there are screws in the pelvic bone. Do you know if this is true or not? Most x-rays that I have seen does not have any screws in it.

Screws are used in cases of hip dysplacia which is a congenital deformity; to correct it the acetabular cup has to be moved from its natural position, so they screw it to the pelvis.

I have one screw on each side to hold each cup in place.  It was required due to the bone quality and basically the damage done to the joint - there was also protrusio (longer term OA damage more often found in women).  If there weren't screws, they wouldn't stay in the right place for me. 

I have no aches or pains at all in or around the joint.  If you have a look at my pic which shows the right side - you can see the screw (I've also got one on the left).  From what I heard today, the size of the screw required to affix the cup in place also depends on bone quality.

I think it is one of those things though - you have to weigh up what kind of pain we are talking here and could it be worse than what the pre-op pain is?

Quote from: kajubones on June 06, 2011, 03:24:18 AM
I read somewhere that it may cause chronic pain ...

If you get any of the good devices done by one of the top surgeons, there should be no pain.

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies. Can you tell that this thing really has me worried? I set up another appointment to see another doctor in August, he is fully booked  >:(. I was hoping to have the surgery during the summer while my son was off from school. I am so glad to hear from so many people and once I have mine's done I want to help others like myself, Hippy forever yay!

K Bones,

It is the other way around. You should be worried that you have arthritis, and glad there is a real treatment for it.

D.

What is the name of your insurance company?  Where are you located (i.e. California, Ohio, etc)?

Mac

Amen to that, D. Your optimism is hard to argue with and is a much needed change of attitude for me.

Mac, I am in San Francisco, California. My insurance is Healthnet Hills Physician Blue and Gold. Not sure if it is a PPO or HMO. I am covered under my wife because the insurance at my work is way expensive.

I have no idea if they are related but I have Healthnet in Oregon.  They have Dr. Pritchett in Seattle in their network.  May be worth a call.

Dan

Hey Dan,

Yeah the insurance might not be exactly the same. It seems that Healthnet also has brown and tolen and some others. I also have an appointment already but not until August to see another doctor. I have been calling them everyday to see if there are any cancellations so that I can get an even earlier appointment. Thanks for the info though :)

Good luck with the appointment.  I was lucky and got one three weeks out.  And I could have had my surgery within a month.  Sounds like most people on here had to wait much longer.

Dan

August isn't too far away.  It will be here before you know it.  (Maybe it's just me but this year has flown already!)

Make sure you start to write your list of questions to take with you.  I know that Pat had a really good list at: http://www.surfacehippy.info/questionsfordoctor.php (http://www.surfacehippy.info/questionsfordoctor.php) that has a lot of questions to consider.

Hey Dan,

Thanks, I can use all the luck I can get :). I gather you have not had your operation yet either, right? Well, if not then I wish you luck also.

Hey Lori thanks for the advise, that is a great idea! I will definitely check out that link to see those questions. :).

You don't need luck, the surgeon does.  I believe we make our luck by doing our research and picking the best surgeon possible.

I will have my surgery on August 1st with Dr. Pritchett in Seattle at some ungodly hour of the morning.  I hope my surgeon is a morning person. 

Look forward to hearing from you on the other side.

Dan

Quote from: DGossack on June 11, 2011, 12:44:33 PM
You don't need luck, the surgeon does.  I believe we make our luck by doing our research and picking the best surgeon possible.

I would say there are four steps to getting it right:

• Choose the right device.
• Get a good surgeon.
• Do all the PT.
• Your commitment.

Good advice provided above.  I'm sorry to hear your employer's insurance is too expensive and your wife's insurance limits your options.  Have you considered returning to your employer's insurance for a year or two, just long enough to cover a top surgeon (assuming it will do that)? 

What about Dr. Bose in India?  He is one of the best in the world, he will respond to emailed x-rays, and surgery at his hospital is much cheaper than here.  Some U.S. insurance companies will pay for that trip to India since it does save them money, would your wife's insurance company?  Is it worth asking?

Mac

Hey Dan,

I hope it is skill that the doctor has and not luck but I hear you, LOL. It will be great talking about this on the other side like you said.

D,

What do you mean by choosing the right device? I hope that does not mean that there is a wrong one as in a bad one?! I am kind of sold on the Birmingham at the moment but I like the idea of the CAS Computer aided surgery and I hope the doctors that perform the Birmingham uses that as well?

Mac,

That is an interesting idea! I will talk to my wife about that and look into getting information as to whether or not our insurance will let us do that. It is always great to have more options.

Quote from: kajubones on June 12, 2011, 10:45:12 PM
What do you mean by choosing the right device? I hope that does not mean that there is a wrong one as in a bad one?! I am kind of sold on the Birmingham at the moment but I like the idea of the CAS Computer aided surgery and I hope the doctors that perform the Birmingham uses that as well?

K,

There are most definitely right and wrong devices. This might depend on you, and your surgeon, as much as the history of the devices. The Durom had sharp edges and was found to be a bad device. The ASR was too difficult for many surgeons to place correctly. Some patients' bone stock is not so good and they need mini hips. Some surgeons prefer a certain device because they have been trained in it or even developed their own tools for it.

The Birmingham has the longest history, and is no doubt a good device. But is it the best? My surgeon considers the C+ better than the Birmingham, and there are papers about this.

I specifically wanted an uncemented device, and Birmingham do not do one.

From what I gather, none of the top resurfacing surgeons use computer assisted surgery. Their own skill is better.

All devices are not the same, so do your research.

D.

Hi D,

Wow, I feel overwhelmed with the amount of info out there. My fear is that I am going to keep putting this off until everything is perfect (like I always do with everything because my wife says that I am a perfectionist). I need to get this done soon because my health is suffering. I really like what I have been hearing about the Birmingham. How do I find out if it is the right one for me? LOL, I feel like I am dating again but this time with a hip device.

By the way I have another question that I have been afraid to ask. These devices don't last forever (like how us martial artists will) so if it wears ahead of time then do I have to get a total hip replacement after that or can they just go in and replace the parts, you know kind of like changing the breaks in your car? If they have it, I would like to have a Bionic hip and send my sparring partner through the wall, just kidding. ;D

Quote from: kajubones on June 14, 2011, 01:46:37 AM
... so if it wears ahead of time then do I have to get a total hip replacement after that or can they just go in and replace the parts, you know kind of like changing the breaks in your car?

It depends on what wears out and what the quality of the bone is when they remove the old parts.  A good surgeon is going to revise with the most bone conserving option based on the condition of the bone remaining.

The device I have is called a Birmingham Mid Head Resection (More info here: http://www.mcminncentre.co.uk/birmingham-mid-head-resection.html (http://www.mcminncentre.co.uk/birmingham-mid-head-resection.html)) which is another step between a resurfacing and a total hip.  It's used if the bone quality no longer supports a resurfacing and is likely going to be the next step for people who wear out their resurfacings in the next 15 - 20 years :) (I had to go straight to this option as my bone quality wasn't good enough for the BHR)  It isn't yet FDA approved for use in the US, though by the time you need revision there might even be other options available. 

When it comes time, check out what the top guys are doing in the field and they'll give you what the best options are whenever that may be. 

If it wears out you get a large head MOM total hip, keeping the acetabular component. Do you know Sifu Marc McFann? Pro JKD/MMA coach, known for his Silat as well; he's got a large head THR one side.

A well placed resurfacing should last for life.

Don't put it off. And yes, it should be perfect.

D.

I guess it depends on what happens internally huh? I hope by that time there will be something new.

Hey Gary I have never heard of Sifu Marc McFann but I will look him up. I heard rumors that maybe Chuck Norris also got something done with his hips, but that could be untrue.

Quote from: kajubones on June 15, 2011, 02:52:01 AM
I guess it depends on what happens internally huh?

I would say what happens internally depends on how well the device is placed.

Especially if it's a claw hammer

Quote from: gary2010 on June 15, 2011, 07:12:57 AM
Especially if it's a claw hammer

Yes Gary. You know what condition my hip was in before the operation by the type of implant. In fact, before the operation I could not cut my own toenails, now I can pull bash my nails in and lever them out quite comfortably.

Quote from: kajubones on June 15, 2011, 02:52:01 AM
I guess it depends on what happens internally huh? I hope by that time there will be something new.

Hey Gary I have never heard of Sifu Marc McFann but I will look him up. I heard rumors that maybe Chuck Norris also got something done with his hips, but that could be untrue.

I'm sorry kajubones, I just couldn't help this - there's been a whole lot of jokes and web sites that have sprung up about what Chuck Norris can do, if you add the new life he could get from redone hips, there'll be no limit...

Here's a sample:

When Chuck Norris was born, the only person who cried was the doctor. Never slap Chuck Norris.
   
Chuck Norris doesn't churn butter. He roundhouse kicks the cows and the butter comes straight out.
   
Chuck Norris walks to keep the Earth rotating on its axis.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
   
... and so on.

Now I'm going to have to think of something with Chuck Norris as a hippie.

   

Chuck Norris resurfaced his own hips.

Quote from: FlbrkMike on June 15, 2011, 10:43:32 AM
Chuck Norris resurfaced his own hips.

You win!  ;)

Quote from: FlbrkMike on June 15, 2011, 10:43:32 AM
Chuck Norris resurfaced his own hips.

Hilarious. Then he revised himself... just for the fun of it.

Quote from: hernanu on June 15, 2011, 11:11:05 AM

Quote from: FlbrkMike on June 15, 2011, 10:43:32 AM
Chuck Norris resurfaced his own hips.

Hilarious. Then he revised himself... just for the fun of it.

;D ;D ;D

Quote from: kajubones on June 15, 2011, 02:52:01 AM
I heard rumors that maybe Chuck Norris also got something done with his hips, but that could be untrue.

Ive heard that somewhere too...although that doesnt mean its true  ;)

LOL, I have heard those jokes but not the ones that you posted. That really made me laugh! Chuck Norris is cool, I read is biography. I bet he could resurface my hip without surgery.

"Chuck Norris was bitten by a snake and after hours of horrible pain the snake died!"

I tried exercising today because I was getting concerned about my weight. Since I have not been working out lately I have gained a lot. I was pretty heavy to begin with but now I cannot even keep off any additional weight let alone lose some. At 5' 9" I am about 220. I tried walking on the treadmill and doing Yoga but every move I made was painful. Diabetes runs in my family and now I am getting anxious about finding a way to knock off some weight. My appointment to see the doctor regarding the hip resurfacing is not until August. Dieting is hard for me, not because I love to eat but because there is really not much choices in healthy foods especially around work. I end up eating what I can get my hands on. Also I wanted to find some way to get my heart pumping for 30 minutes but it seems that the only way to do that always has something to do with your hips or legs. I even tried doing the abs work out on the P90X video and most of them had legs or hips involved.

Kajubones,

Can you swim? Or water jog with a flotation belt. Water aerobics is also great exercise especially if you use the water weights. The water provides a great workout with no impact on your joints! Cycling, including the stationary bike and/or spin classes are great as well!

Good Luck to you! I am sure others will provide you with some other great ideas. Everyone is wonderful on this site.

June

It's very frustrating I know, but there's plenty you can do; I found the static bike eased my soreness, 3 minute 'rounds' at 100RPM with a minute's dynamic rest in between will get your heart rate up. Hang up a car tyre and hit it with a pair of sledgehammer handles. Isometric squats and 'plank' exercises, I got up to 7.5 minutes in front plank before the op. Pull-ups, dips, bench press, rowing. Have fun!

i found the elliptical machine was good and and did not to bother my hips too much.

By the way I have another question that I have been afraid to ask. These devices don't last forever (like how us martial artists will) so if it wears ahead of time then do I have to get a total hip replacement after that or can they just go in and replace the parts, you know kind of like changing the breaks in your car?

Thats a really good question and one I have been really worried about as well.  Is the next step a full MOM large ball replacement or is it possible to do a second resurfacing?  Does anyone know?  I have read that resurfacing can only be done 1 time but it seems that it would be possible to be done two times, assuming the underlying bone health would support it.

By way of background I am 36 y/o that is scheduling my surgery for the next few months (still not sure if Biomet with Dr. Gross or Birmingham with someother Dr.).  I trained in MMA and actually am here on this site due to an injury sustained in MMA.  Because I am young I am VERY concerned this thing will not last for more than 10 or 15 years.  Hence, my question about the next step.

Thanks to everyone for their encouraging stories.  Keep fighting the good fight!

BOB

The consensus among the resurfacing docs that I have read or asked, is that if the femoral component fails, the only option is to revise to a THR. If the cup fails, depending on the brand, they might be able to replace it with additional screw fixation, and save the resurfacing cap on the femur.

Hey guys,

Sorry, I was a little out of it there for a while. I am prone to depression and had to take some time off. Thanks for the advice about the exercises. I cannot swim and have no membership to a gym. The only real work out I get is Kajukenbo and some running back in the day. I may have to get a gym membership soon so I can do something.

Hey Bob,

Yeah I was also concerned about what happens when the device fails. hopefully they will have something for all of us by the time that happens. I guess the main problem right now would be our health and quality of living. I mean the pain is horrible and I am not really one to sit around I am always out doing something. Now I am stuck in the house when I am not at work :(. Besides if we don't do something about the pain our health will just get worse and if you are like me who gets depressed well there is a correlation between exercise and depression also so it is like a losing battle.

take care
k-bones

Quote from: rbt2011 on June 20, 2011, 06:30:57 PM
By the way I have another question that I have been afraid to ask. These devices don't last forever (like how us martial artists will) so if it wears ahead of time then do I have to get a total hip replacement after that or can they just go in and replace the parts, you know kind of like changing the breaks in your car?

According to my surgeon it should last the rest of my life...even with martial arts and weight training.

Hi Chris,

I was told otherwise. I was told that it may last about 20 years or less depending on usage. It is metal on metal so it does wear. I wish that was the case (lasting a life time) and again I hope that some other advancements will be made in between now and then.

By the way has anyone ever heard of someone getting both hips done at the same time? Not to sound like I am always complaining but my other hip is starting to hurt now as well. My wife says that maybe because I am putting more weight on the side due to the pain on my right hip.

After my surgery, Dr. Gross said that he fully expected my resurfacing to last the rest of my life. Of course we are still a little short on statistics to support that, but he was very optimistic, and saw no reason to put a timeline on it. I see infection as being the main risk to my resurfacing not outlasting me. Dr Pritchett has posted a study on a small group of early metal on metal resurfacings, some being cementless, that showed 99+% survival at 30 years. Admittedly the components are not current models, but it continually surprises me that this study is not quoted and referred to more often. I am pretty sure that Pat still has it on this site.
As to getting both hips done at the same time; some surgeons will do it, but it varies as to whether they are willing to do them at the same time, or like to separate the surgeries by a few days, weeks, or months. Most will warn you to expect the first couple of weeks to be a fairly tough if they are both done at once. Though there are lots of people on this site that had both done very close together, based on how my first one went, I cannot imagine having mine done without at least a six week gap. I really like having at least one good leg to stand on.

Quote from: kajubones on June 25, 2011, 07:20:51 PM
By the way has anyone ever heard of someone getting both hips done at the same time?

Not exactly at the same time, but one done Monday the second done Wednesday of the same week. There are some others on here that had both done the same surgery. It's totally up to the individual and of course if the doc agrees to do both. There are pros and cons either way. I'm totally glad mine were done that way. I admit it was quite a challenge the first week or two. Not so much pain and discomfort but mobility issues. It's more of a mental challenge than physical. At least it was for me.

According to Dr. De Smet, the longer you have a resurfacing that is placed correctly, the less wear there is. No surgeon can give a life guarantee. The whole idea is that it is a better design than your real hip. He also regularly does bilaterals on the same day. The bilateral patients handle recovery remarkably well.

If my resurfacing lasts a day less than fifty years, I am going back to complain.

D.

Quote from: kajubones on June 25, 2011, 07:20:51 PM
By the way has anyone ever heard of someone getting both hips done at the same time? Not to sound like I am always complaining but my other hip is starting to hurt now as well. My wife says that maybe because I am putting more weight on the side due to the pain on my right hip.

I had both done in the same surgery.  If I'm completely honest with myself, I don't think that if I had one done the un-operated leg would have coped with the rehab as both joints were pretty messed up. 

The compensation factor is definitely something to consider.  After the surgeon operated he indicated that it was actually my left leg, the one that I would have considered my good one that was a lot worse.  It was the other one that hurt all the time and that was probably because it had to do most of the work.

Some surgeons won't do both at once and others just prefer not to.  This is a decision that you need to talk over with your surgeon. 

I would suggest talking to a good physiotherapist before hand as well so you can understand the rehabilitation implications for you based on where your limitations and muscle weakness will be post-op.  My rehab is a lot slower than others on this board but this is mostly due to how few of these muscles around the hip area were working properly pre-op (and for a very long time - I'd say ROM was near non-exisitant for almost a decade).  For the few months before surgery we worked on those muscles the best we could with the limitations and I really do feel that this made a huge difference to my post-op condition.

Though it will probably be another month before I'm on top of things, already my ROM is out of this world compared with pre-op, the arthritis pain is gone and even though I have my woe is me moments, it was definitely worth it.

Wow, I can't believe some of the things that I am being told. I know I am not misunderstanding the
doctor because I write down my visits with him and what we talked about. I am not feeling to confident right now about some of the information that I am getting from them.

I've been studying martial arts for the past 25 years and my journey started in Oct. 2010 which I thought was a groin pull that just got worse and worse!  Finally in Jan. I was told that I had no anterior cartilage left and my only option was a hip replacement, but I am only 47!  Introduced to Dr. Su at the hospital for special surgery in nyc and now have an appointment for a hip resurfacing on July 22nd and I am a nervous wreck! I am very close to canceling with all of the press about the problems with the metal ions in your system and what if something goes wrong?  I've read about the 90 degrees thing and that is a big problem for me, how can you possibly stretch if you can't go over 90 degrees, much less kick!  I would love to hear success stories from other martial artists.  Also, how long after the surgery before you can drive?

If you go to the first page of this topic, several of us have addressed these issues, and you can also read posts by martial artists on this site to see how we've progressed.

To summarize, the 90 degree rule is used by some surgeons as an initial limitation, to allow healing; in my case, I had no such restriction. I am at 10 mo on my left hip and 7 mo on the right. I am stretching on both sides well beyond 90 degrees, so that is no limitation for me at this stage. You'll find other martial artists (Chris Finn, Nekko, gary2010, etc) who have had resurfacing and are in different stages of returning to the arts.

Metal ions are a real concern. I've researched it, considered it, and am confident that proper cup placement and surgical skill is the antidote now. No surgical procedure is 100% effective, but in this case I feel that dealing with one that is 95% effective is not bad odds.

I drove at two weeks on both hip surgeries.

Thank you for help.  I have young daughters and I have help for the first two weeks, but after that I am on my own.  I want to make sure I can drive them to and from camp, and that I won't be totally dependant on others because that has what made me insane lately! 

You want to be careful, since you are still in healing mode at two weeks. My doctor had few limitations, basically told me that if I could comfortably get in and out of the car and work the accelerator and brake (automatic), that I was good to drive. This still meant that my drives were limited to about 15 - 20 minutes and no other heavy activity - I was still on two crutches.

I understand your desire to get back to normal, especially with young kids, but your main effort should be to heal. How long of a drive are you looking at, and do you need to walk through areas that are not paved, etc. ?

I drove an automatic at 3 1/2 weeks, with cushions on the seat to bring it up to 90* and the left (operated) leg out straight. I was advised 6 weeks for a manual car or right hip. At that stage you definitely don't want to sit in one position for more that 20 minutes. Getting in and out of the seat is the hardest part. I found at 6 weeks discomfort set in about 40 minutes and increased to the point where I would have to get out, at 8 weeks no problem at all.

Hi, has anyone heard of Dr Reice (not sure of the spelling) from UCSF?

Yeah, it does not seem like anyone has ever had their hip done by doctor Riese before. I am really having a hard time picking a doctor to do this operation for me. I tried contacting my insurance to see if they can refer me to a doctor within the network but they told me that they do not have a list of doctors and that I will just have to find one and check with them to see if they are in the network. Can anyone suggest how I can go about this in a more efficient manner then searching all ortho doctor's in the area and calling them one by one?

Hey everyone!

I've been reading the MMA/Martial Arts/Athletes posts and found lots of inspiring stories.  Seems like the vast majority of people are making great recoveries.

My question is specific to those who have returned to BJJ/martial arts/MMA training on the ground.  Have you had any dislocations, popping, clunking, or pain when you returned to training? 

I thought I read somewhere that Chuck Norris got his hip done and people were commenting on how well he was performing in grappling lately. I do not know if he does BJJ per se but I have heard that he has put together his own team to compete in some sort of cage fighting. Sorry but he is the first that I have heard of that does grappling that may have gotten a hip resurfacing. I have seen videos of him doing Jujitsu and ground fighting, he looks pretty good.

I'm not sure if he's had his hip resurfaced or not but he's a bjj black belt so should be fairly handy on the ground!

Chuck had a THR in 2009. Don't know if he considered resurfacing, but I guess his surgeon is a very good THR surgeon and does not like resurfacing.

Wow a THR? I would have thought that his movements would have been limited from that and there he is doing Jujitsu!

Quote from: hernanu on July 11, 2011, 09:39:39 AM
Chuck had a THR in 2009. Don't know if he considered resurfacing, but I guess his surgeon is a very good THR surgeon and does not like resurfacing.

He would have been 69 years old at the time.  THR might have been the best choice.

I finally got in to see my doctor and we set up a surgery date on November 28th, it could be earlier if someone cancels their appointment. Now that the date is kind of set I am worried about the actual surgery, never had surgery before. I still have worries about the device failing because of my martial arts. I was told by the doctor that this procedure is relatively new in relation to total hip replacement and they just don't know how long it will last. I was given a time frame of about 10 to 15 years with "normal" use but I know that doing the martial arts is nothing like normal use. I am worried about wearing it out and getting a total hip replacement :(.

Well, it's ok to worry, but the way I look at it, you get 15 years of full activity and then IF you need to revise, you'll have very good bone structure for the revision. No one can give a guarantee, but I'll take a solid 15 years of feeling like this.

If guys like corey fulk and floyd landis still are ok with there implants then the rest of us should take encouragement from that! Touch wood they will last along time!

Sorry, I know what you are saying. I was just looking forward to being active "forever." Really disappointing. By the way, when all is done and you are nice and healed does it feel normal when you move around? I was talking to this poor guy who got his knee done and he says that it does not feel normal when he walks. It does not feel like it did before the pain and the surgery.

Kajubones,

I don't feel my BHR...it feels like a completely normal hip, actually much better than the hip I had the last 3 years!!! I am 9 1/2 monts post-op Left BHR.

I plan on being active forever! If my BHR fails in 15-20 years, I imagine the advancements in THR will enable me to continue my sport.

June

Kajubones, like June says, the hip doesn't feel different, just feels weak at first. The recuperation feels like really overworked muscles, but outside of the clunking (due to weak muscles), there's really no feeling that you're housing an implant.

The recuperation is different from regular martial arts workouts, though, which is why I had to get rid of my "I know how to work out" attitude from 30+ years at this. The PT folks know how to get you right, so I gave up six months of my kind of workout to make sure I got the PT portion right.

I am now starting to do kicks (no bag) , punches on the bag, reasonable stretching (no axe kicks yet) and in all of those, I don't "feel" the implant in either hip. It just feels like regular kicks and punches, with some weakness where I need work.

Quote from: kajubones on August 29, 2011, 04:40:55 AM
Sorry, I know what you are saying. I was just looking forward to being active "forever." Really disappointing.

Hey kajubones:
The statistics are something like a 94% survivorship at 14 years on these bad boys (that is with all those inferior devices and inexperienced surgeons as well).....So.....have some faith man!

Mine IS going to last forever and I AM going to go back to all the things I used to do.  Maybe I will try some new sports too, just to wear the other side out  ;D

Don't focus on all the things you think you won't be able to do or the possibility that maybe it won't last a lifetime.  Just imagine how blessed we all are to be living in a time where there IS a "cure" for this problem. 
You will be able to get back to your martial arts.  Best of luck on the surgery, Have you picked a doctor yet? 

Hey there,

Thank you guys so much for the positive words. I can't tell you how much help this forum has been for me  :).

By the way, I just got a call from the doctor's office and they told me that my surgery has been moved up to oct 6th due to some cancellation. I will be having my preop on Sept 22. I will keep you posted.

Good news, then kaju ... the time for relief has been moved up for you. Oct. 6th is around the corner, you can get started on your new life.

Thanks Hernanu. Sorry I was out of it for a while because of some computer problems. Anyway, this week is my Preop on Thursday! Getting a little worried now about the actual surgery. Never had one before so I do not know what to expect.

It was also my first major one, only prior being a chest procedure for a collapsed lung. Don't count that since I didn't have general anesthesia for that. I was also worried, but the procedure went so quickly and well that I was actually pretty cavalier about the second one.

The great thing is that after the surgery, all that pain and limitations are gone.

That sounds great. I feel so crippled right now, it makes me depressed. My lower back is starting to hurt as well maybe because I am compensating so much when I walk up stairs because of the pain.

I had my preop today. We went through a training where we were told what to expect before, during and after surgery. I also had to go though some tests: blood, urine, blood pressure, EKG, then I got to talk to the anesthesiologist about what to expect. I was given my instructions, and many words of encouragement and support. A very different feeling came over me from when my request was denied by my insurance. I will keep you updated as I go.

A lot of issues cleared up for me afterwards. (Disclaimer - not a medical practitioner, don't even look like one) I think we're dealing with so much before, it's like an explosion afterwards, just have to count what's left after the debris clears out. I had a bad lower back, knee pain, sciatic pain, incredible tightness all around, neck pain and a bad attitude  >:(. Glad to say all of that has cleared up at one year.

The only thing left is some weakness when pushing my body - some IT issues on my right leg, weakness in sideways / cutting movements, etc. But other things - stretching, straight ahead weight lifting, bag work, all of those are returning to my form of about 6 years ago. Now to drop some weight and get to where my youngest daughter doesn't tell me to do so, and I'll be good.

Glad you're setting yourself in, keep us up to date on the insurance.

10.06.11 was my surgery date...
Came out of surgery surprised that it was already done. I was just talking to the nurse about feeling dizzy then I heard some drilling and woke up. She noticed me waking up and told me that they were almost done. Next thing I know I was wheeled into recovery, my body was still numb from the waist down. I was monitored for a while and then sent into my room. After a while a nurse came in and tried to get me on my feet to walk with a walker. First I sat up, hip was mostly stiff but no pain felt yet. My leg would not move without some extra help. Then I stood up in with a walker, the entire leg was stiff but still no pain. I walked around a bit with the walker, sluggishly because of the stiffness and I was still a little dizzy. Around that time my dinner was there so I tried sitting down at a chair so I can eat. The dizziness got progressively worse. my body started having a cold sweat and my vision started turning hazy white. I have never felt like that before so I did not know what to make of it. I told the nurse and she immediately called for help to get me back into the bed. She said I was passing out. the feeling was so horrible that I just stayed in bed for at least two hours hoping that the feeling will go away completely. it did. After that everything seemed pretty routine (to the doctors). On the day I was to be discharged the doctors were concerned that my heart beat seemed so high, especially for someone that is just in bed. The monitored me the whole day with my fever going up and down and my heart rate being fast always. They did not want to release me because they wanted to make sure that I was ok, and thank god they did! It turns out that I had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my chest). I was happy to stay another night! I went home on 10.09.11 but now have to do some therapy for the blood clot. My wife is administering shots to me twice a day for blood thinners and I am also taking some blood thinning medication. The idea is to get my blood to clot at a certain level (which they are monitoring closely) then I can just continue with the pills (no more shots yay!). today is my 5th day post op. I still feel weak and dizzy all the time. Leg is very swollen. just trying to take it one day at a time...

A pulmonary embolism....that's serious. Glad they kept you and that you are doing well now. Sounds like you had a fairly intense hospital experience to say the least. Take care and keep on feeling better.

Luanna

K Bones, an incredible account of your post op! You seem to be taking everything in your stride.

D.

Hi Luanna and D,

Thanks but I am actually crying like a baby now. I just can't remember anymore what normal feels like :(. They are still working on the blood clot thing and I think that would be a little easier without the shots but they tell me that the shots should get my levels up faster. When I tested this week )(on the 11th) they said that I was up to 1.1 on my INR levels? I have been getting the shots since day one (on the 6th) and my level is still normal. They want it to be 2.0 to 3.0 :(. I guess it is more shots for this week.

Sorry to hear about the embolism, kajubones!  glad they caught it.

From what I've read, 0.8 to 1.0 is normal (if everything else was normal), but for therapeutic anticoagulation the goal is 2-3, which is probably what they want for you. Hopefully you'll hit the goal soon, so you can focus on regular recovery.

S'alright to get emotional, you're going through a lot, no one gets through this without emotional impact. How's the hip?

Hang in there Kajubones.  We'll be thinking and praying for you.  You are going to be just fine. 

It sounds like, although it is uncomfortable to get the shots, the doctors are being aggressive and are going to knock this thing out quickly.  Keep your spirits high and you'll be out of there before you know it.  How does the hip feel?

Hi hernanu and rbt2011,

Thanks for the word of encouragement, it is sooooooo appreciated. My hats off to you guys for going through all of this before me, It is definitely a challenge. I hear what you guys are saying about the blood thinners and I am trying to keep an open mind about it. There were so many things about the whole experience that was just horrible but the one thing that really stands out for me at the moment is: The home portable toilet thing that goes over your regular toliet! Who invented that thing? I sat down in it to try to do my business and found no place to pee! I had to keep repositioning and when I thought everything was good and I was able to take care of things my pajama pants that was around my ankes was wet! Apparently the seat was high to allow you to sit in it safely but left a gap in between the actual toilet and the seat.

Anyway, my hip is stiff right now and I can't really move my leg due to all of the swelling and weakness. I have not really had regular physical therapy yet because of all these other problems. I have just been trying to walk around the room and the garage. leg is really stiff and the muscles to lift them straight is sore and really weak.

I have another appointment today in regards to the blood thinners, I will keep you guys updated...

I hope you have been given, and are wearing, the TEDs.

kabujones-

I have to totally agree with you on the raised toilet seat.  I could not get comfortable on the stupid thing.  I don't know who designed it but they should have had to use it for a month before releasing the design.

And you definitely can't pee while sitting down.  I learned to pee before I sat down.

Good luck with the blood thinners.  I had to take aspirin for awhile after surgery to help prevent clotting.

Dan

Thankfully I did not use the toilet seat thing, since my counter was right next to my toilet, letting me leverage myself with both it, the wall and my crutches. I became quite adept at balancing on it. Did great stuff for the guns also  ::) .

The muscles are stiff now, but they work themselves out as you recover. Plenty of folks here just did mostly walking, and it worked for them. The blood thinners will be gone soon, you can get to regular PT when that's done - then you have plenty of time to do those exercises. No detriment to your recovery, just a hitch in the road.

Are you icing? that'll help the swelling. Even if no real PT, there are exercises you can do - the butt clenches (my words), ankle pumps, I was given also a thing where you lie down and keep legs straight, but move one hip down, then switch to the other - this was actually pretty good for me to get some life into those hips. Another thing that might help your motivation is to sit down with home PT folks and start planning for when you can do it - set a schedule and talk to them about what you want to do and what you want to accomplish.

You're a martial artist, you'll be on the PT and other exercises pretty well soon enough. Then you can take advantage of the new hip. This sucks, but if you ever need it again (hopefully not), it probably won't be like this.

LOL, oh man you guys are funny and I needed that! Yeah that toilet thing has to go (no pun intended). Lopsided, not really sure what the teds are. DGossack, thanks I am trying to hang in there, with friends like you guys out there I don't see how a person can't. hernanu, I did some pretty creative tricks lately but ended up regretting them because it always ended up with me peeing on something unintended. I have been trying to do the same exercises you are talking about. my problem right now is that I cannot lift my right leg (from a lying down position) to either swing it on or off the bed. I guess it is just strengthening the muscles. I tried icing for the swelling and elevating. the elevation seems to work well but the swelling comes back. The doctor told me that I should have some thing at my knee that compresses and prevents the swelling. Not really know what she means. She said that she will check on it and in the mean time she had my legs scanned for blood clots.

I also went to check my levels today. 1.2! Man this is going to take a while and in the mean time my stomach is all bruised from all the blood thinner shots! One thing at a time, I know. I at least got my pain killers changed because the oxicodone was giving me fevers and I was nauseated and hallucinating. More to come...

You too? That oxycontin and oxycodone about did me in. I had to stay in the hospital for an extra day because I was so ill from the pain meds. And talk about hallucinations. Thought I was back in the 60s. Not good ones either. Not uncommon I hear. I was on tylenol after I left the hospital and I needed more pain relief so I worked with a pain specialist and took low dose ketamine as needed for another week. It's used for combat troups in war zones. Strong pain relief but no cognitive dulling so they can help themselves and the medic get them off the field.

If I need to have the other hip done my surgeon will work with my pain specialist so that we don't have any more trouble with pain medications.
Hate that Oxy stuff......
Luanna

TEDs, K Bones, are surgical compression stockings. You should have been wearing them immediately from the operation. In fact one should have been on your opposite leg from before the operation. They are specifically to stop blood clots.

I have met one hippy who got DVT (in his leg, not his chest), and he was not given TEDs.

TEDs and blood thinners (useually Herapin injectedin your stomach fat) are essential for avoiding clots.

As you already have a clot, these are still useful. If you are not wearing TEDs now, demand them?

What surgeon did your operation?

D.

Lop-

Interesting that Dr. Pritchett didn't prescribe TEDs for me.  He did have me take aspirin for a week or so.  And lots of ankle pumps too.  I don't know if they gave me something after surgery for clots.

I had trouble moving my operated leg at first.  But I would force myself to move it as much as I could even if it was very painful.  It got easier after about 10 days.

Best wishes.

Dan

TEDS - I was expecting those but Pritchett didn't prescribe them for me either. Aspirin for 14 days after surgery for blood clots and that was it.... similar to you Dan and lots of ankle pumps too! So much fun.

I still do about a thousand ankle pumps a day just out of habit.....

Luanna

Quote from: kajubones on October 12, 2011, 10:23:06 PM
my problem right now is that I cannot lift my right leg (from a lying down position) to either swing it on or off the bed. I guess it is just strengthening the muscles.

My physical therapist at the hospital gave me a technique for this that worked pretty well: take your good leg, slip its ankle under your operated ankle, use it to support and guide the operated leg on and off the bed. I also had the same trouble while my leg was stiff. It took about a week or two before I could move on / off on my own.

I used TEDs also for about a month on both legs each time - always wanted to look like Ben Franklin anyways. That and aspirin were my anti clot strategies - and ankle pumps. I still do them too, Luanna.

Never had TEDs, no problem.

Hi guys sorry I did not reply earlier, yesterday was a bad day for me. Anyways, Lopsided yes they did put that on me. The nurse called it a special sock that will help with the circulation in my legs. I had two of them on also but I don't think I got them until the following day, can't be sure I was so drugged.

Luanna, that oxycodone or whatever it is was the worst! I would have these strange fevers where I would heat up and then wake up like I came out of the shower and jumped into bed without drying. Then I would get the chills and then back in the fever. I would hear voices or talk to people in my head. Watch people walk by and then suddenly notice that the door was closed so there was no way to even see that. It was wild. I also had no appetite as I would constantly want to throw up. I can tell you though that oxycodone has got my vicodine beat in the pain relief department! The Vicodin kicks in after a long while and does not last too long or put too much of a dent on my pain. I almost took the oxycodone again but logic won that battle (yay mr spock).

Hernanu, I was told not to cross my legs. I have some limitations right now: no 90 degree angles with the hip and no outward angles, no crossing of the legs (they told me that crossing either leg through my centerline was a no no. I have to tell you though that I may have broken some of these rules unintentionally for at least a second then fixed myself as best I could. Those are hard resitictions when trying to relieve yourself of the pain or just plain getting in and out of bed. I hope I did not damage the placement of the device because I really just want all this behind me now.

Hope you have a better day today.

Yep, the voices seemed so real. I honestly was sure that a guy was jumping out of the 7th floor window of the hospital (he did it 2 nights in a row).  :o  I knew that couldn't be right because there are only 6 floors in the building. That stuff sure messes with your head if you are allergic to it. Glad you at least have something so that you can tolerate the pain now. I also heard people arguing outside my door - very distinct. I asked the nurse to tell those folks to either come into the room or go somewhere else to gossip.  At least the conversation they were having was entertaining.

The nurse smiled and said....."you are reacting to your pain medication....let's take you off it right now."  And she did....Ouch.........................

Luanna

KAJUBONES,

How are you feeling? 

Look forward to reading that you are recovering easier, and that your blood clot is not a concern.

Ok - you gotta follow the doc's instructions, but other folks did the same thing with a crutch instead. Give a hippy a lever and he / she can move the world.

hi guys,

I was really out of it for a while there. I had an appointment (friday)for blood to be drawn at 12:00 noon and an appointment to follow up with the coagulation department so i tried sitting around to wait for it. The first thing I did wrong was listen to Mr Spock. I got some less aggressive pain killer that shot my pain through the roof. The other thing I did wrong was just try to sit any way that would not give me pain, which was darn near impossible! I think I should have just stood the whole time. Anyway, to make my long story short I ended up in emergency with this horrible pain that left be sweating and twisted and exhausted. They gave me four shots of some strong pain killer then send me home at 5 in the morning. Ever since then Oxycodone and I became good friends. Oh, almost forgot they xrayed me to make sure that the device did not become dislocated.

This morning though the pain was very noticeable. I think I might have to ask for a higher dosage. Also my hip seems so tight that I cannot stand nor sit down. Is that Normal? I just feel so uncomfortable, I cannot sit in any good position or lay down in any good position. this is torture.

 

By this time you should be beginning to get comfortable and be well off pain medication.

Are you icing the hip during all this ? I assume your surgeon knows all of the stuff that's going on.

Hey guys,

Lopsided, I am still a lot of pain. Yesterday I got a chance to see my doctor and talk to hip about what was going on (staples removed yesterday). He said that he suspects that cumidin (the pills that I am taking for the blood clot is causing the swelling. The doctor told me that We could do one of two things: 1) manage the pain and try icing and other methods to get rid of the swelling, or 2) have them install something that will remove the fluid. HE said he did not feel comfortable about the second option because the cumidin will just make me bleed :(. I opted for the icing. Iced in yesterday for twenty minutes once and twice today so far. Still struggling to feel normal.

Hernanu, I just started icing yesterday. I don't even know how that really works like how long I should ice for and for what period of time to get results. Good news is that I do not have to take lovenox shots anymore YAY.

If you're just starting icing, you'll get a lot of relief from that. I did this:

• Apply ice for 15 minutes over a thin towel or cloth
• Let the area warm up again for about 30 minutes
• Re apply

I used my own handy dandy ice pack - a zip lock bag with a strong zip, took a hand towel, got it wet (not dripping), folded it to fit within the baggie (as flat as possible), seal then freeze. You never have to re-add water, it melts in about the right time (10-15 minutes), it's flat and can be bent so if fits better and very light. I also used when I started driving under the leg. I still have it, for those times when I get sore.

Here's a good site for it:

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/ht/iceinjury.htm (http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/ht/iceinjury.htm)

thanks hernanu,

I am going to try that...not feeling good again. on my way back to bed...:(

Hi guys,

I felt so miserable, my ears were ringing, temperature going up and down, Hallucinating, weak, and in constant pain. My doctor decided to put me on oxycotin 1 every 12 hours, Neurantin (not sure of spelling but it is supposed to b,lock pain in this nerve that is being presurred by the swelling in my hip) 1 before bed and oxycodon 7.5 mg two tabs every 4 hours. Luckily one of my wife's friends was over the house visiting and noticed that the two bottles of oxycodone that I had were two different dosages. Seemed strange to me as the doctor said that she was just giving me some extras and did not mention the dosage change. So I tried to use the new one at 5.5 mg 2 every 4 hours and guess what my head cleared!

After another day I started feeling sick in the head again. even my ears were feeling strange and people talking made my head pound. so I reduced the oxycodon 5.5 to 1 tab every 4 hours and I am feeling good again! the pain right now is some pressure from a region that is swelling inside my hip. I can sit somewhat with a little pain I can stand and walk with a walker with a little pain as well.

I am having this fever problem though and I do not know if it is anything to worry about. Both the doctor and I feel that it has something to do with the oxycodone. But even he said that if it is over a hundred derrees then it is something to look into. I tracked it for the last couple of days and the temp danced around at a low 99.9 (once) and the rest of the time went as high as 101.5 and as low as 100.0. not sure but it is worrying me.   

I had a really terrible reaction to oxycodone and oxycontin as I wrote above - fever, ill, disoriented, and miserable. I worked with a pain management specialist to have a compounding pharmacist create an oral ketamine med that worked great when the pain became really too much. They use it with combat soldiers in Afganistan. It causes no cognitive dulling so the injured soldier can work with the medic and help get out of harms way. Not like morphine where the person is out of it. It's an amazing medication but has a bad rap because people have abused it by taking large doses for recreational purposes.

I wonder if you might try an alternative pain medication?

Luanna

I agree with Luanna, maybe try something different? Don't give up, there has to be something that will be O.K. for you.

Hi you guys thanks for the info and the kind words. The doctor email back and said that the reason why I am having the fevers is because of the Warfarin (cumidin). He said that it is because of the bleeding around the area of the surgery that is caused my the blood thinner. That and with Oxycodone and I am having fevers here and there.

Yes that oxycodone is the worst.

I am hanging in there. It helps a lot to know that there are people out there that know what I am going through!

I hope you are feeling better kajubones and that you and your surgeon have figured out what is going on. Do you still have fevers? Has he checked for infection? Please keep us updated and take care.

Hi jjmclain,

I changed up some of my medications again: oxycotin 1 every 12 hours, neurontin before sleep, Oxycodone 5.5 mg 1 every 6 hours. I feel loads better but I can still feel some effects such as ringing and sensitivity in hearing, some sensitivity in sight (I can see a little bit better now). The hallucinations are also gone.

after this my last four readings of my temp was 99.2, 99.1, 99.3, and 99.3. and yes I have kept them up to date as to what was going on with me.


As far as other things I am having trouble standing up straight probably because I have not done it in a while. I get tired really easily, almost past out in the shower this morning. my operated leg is still prone to swelling. The fluid goes down to my feet and I have to get in bed and elevated that leg to alleviate the swelling. I am still icing and it does help a lot.

Seems like a lot of things for just one procedure. The blood clot is still being worked on and monitored by the doctors as I am still taking Cumidin and I believe this is supposed to be a 3 month therapy.

The procedure was originally to give me lovenox (another blood thinner) when I got out of the hospital to prevent blood clots. They started on it while I was still there and it had to be delivered via needle into the stomach muscles. Unfortunately when I was diagnosed with the blood clot I had to keep up the lovenox until my INR levels were good enough to stop the shots. I now am healing also from massive bruising at the stomach and it is really uncomfortable.

Kajubones,

I was on coumadin for the first 4 weeks (in order to prevent blood clots) and it gave me some strange symptoms. Sometimes I would just get shooting pains down both legs and I swore everything was due to the blood thinner. As soon as I had an ultrasound at my first post-op at 4 weeks and they determined there were no clots, I was allowed to go off of it and I have to tell you that things were great after that. I sure hope things improve for you.

June

How's things going, kajubones? hope the fever is lowering and you're in less pain.

Hi guys,

I had a really "fun" day yesterday. I went to UCSF early in the morning to get my INR levels for my coumadin and then in the afternoon I had an appointment set up with my Ortho but on the way home as I was talking to my brother in law about stuff when I suddenly noticed how dizzy I was. I just thought that I might be tired but suddenly I could not catch my breathe. Then I started getting tunnel vision and had cold sweats. I told my brother in law that there was something wrong and that I might have to go back to the hospital. He took me into ER were they took me in and ran all sorts of tests. hours and hours later they concluded that I was anemic so I was admitted to the hospital over night and was given a transfusion. My fever is now gone, my hip pain level is tolerable, the swelling has gone down a tad bit, my heart rate is still elevated at rest but they assure me that it will work itself out soon, my anemia is a little bit better (normal is 15, when I went into surgery it was 10, when I was admitted yesterday it was 7 and now it is 9.)

Too many complications. I am so tired. I am back home right now and for that I am happy.

Sorry you went through that, I'm glad you're better now that they've found that you're anemic. Hopefully that straightens things out.

Hi Kajubones,

How are you feeling today? Hopefully better. You've been through so much. Thinking about you and sending you well-wishes!

Luanna

Hi Luanna and Hernanu,

Yesterday I was still a tad bit dizzy and started to get the chills. I went to sleep early and woke up today at 8:00am. It is now 2:19PM and I am trying to stay up and gain some energy. I am still a little bit dizzy. No fevers, pain is ok, but I did notice something else going on. I hope it is nothing but it kind of concerns me. Earlier my wife called and I walked over using a cane to answer the phone when suddenly my right hand had a spasm and I could not move my fingers. I am right handed and was using the right hand for the cane so I took it as my hand was just tired. Earlier I was watching tv and I yawned when my left jaw suddenly locked and spasmed (don't know if that is an accurate word for what I felt) all I know is that I could not move the jaw and I had pain on the underside of my left jaw. I can't explain it except that it was upsetting to maybe have some other problem creep up on me. I am going to check all of my medications and their side-effects. I have an appointment with INR again tomorrow so I will be talking with them or will call a doctor for advice. Not having much fun :(.

Kajubones,

I'm not a doctor, but with all that's going on with you, I would think you should be in a hospital where you can be monitored 24/7 so a medical professional can get a better picture of what's going on. They need to see some trend lines to get a good picture, and that isn't going to happen unless you are hooked up to the right equipment. Seems like you've done just about everything you can do on your own.

The "kept overnight for observation" phrase would seem to be a very good idea. I hope you get the help you need. You're one hell of a fighter.

Boomer

Wow, you are really going through a tough recovery.  I am glad they have tracked down the anemia.  I think the sooner you can get off the meds the better.  It sounds like your body is just reacting to everything that has gone on.

I had elevated body temperature for several weeks after surgery.  There was almost fever at times the first week but then it was just like hot flashes.  My mom, a retired nurse, thinks it is the bodies reaction to the pain meds.  And that it takes weeks for the body to flush out the heavy duty stuff.

I agree with Boomer that you may want to consider some sort of medical care until you get the major symptoms behind you.  Even something like a nursing home.

Best wishes.

Dan

Hi Dan and Boomer,

Unfortunately It seems that unless I have some abnormal symptoms (at least the way the doctors see it) then I will not be kept in the hospital. That was the way it was explained to me the last time I was there. They said that they just treat immediate symptoms and that when everything seems ok and stable then they will release me, which they did after the anemia. I told them that I was still dizzy and weak but they told me that if I have shortness of breath again that I should go back to the ER.

I am happy to report that my fevers have gone and that my energy level is much better. I was able to stay up most of the day yesterday and am doing pretty well today also. My INR dropped to 1.9 though which may be due to the transfusion but they assure me that I am still within the therapeutic range for my blood clot. I have an appointment with my Ortho tomorrow which I missed last time due to being admitted for anemia. I hope they have good news for me as well because I really cannot take anymore bad news right now. This surgery and recovery has been hell for me and it feels like a whole year has passed instead of the four weeks that it has really been.

All of your kind words has helped me a lot. Many of which has also been repeated to me by my grandmaster and my kajukenbo brothers and sisters. On that note I almost forgot to thank Luanna for her much appreciated thoughts and words, Thank you.

I will keep you guys posted as always...

The tide has turned for you! All good news from here on out. You're getting better. He'll of fight bones, keep banging.

Boomer

Glad you are feeling better today.

I'm so glad that you have your grandmaster near you as well as your kajukenbo brothers and sisters to support you as you travel this path.
Please let us know what your Ortho says after your appointment tomorrow.

Luanna

Kajubones,

That's a much better report from you! I was getting worried. Sounds like your much better. Please keep us posted on anything new.

hi Boomer, Luanna, and newdog.

I went to my Ortho appointment today and everything is good! I only saw the doctor's assistant this time around and she just wanted to get an assessment of how I was doing and whether or not to change up any meds at this time. Everything seems to be working out well. I am healing slowly but surely and she assured me that other things will clear up as I get off of the meds. We finally got to talking about physical therapy but at this time she said that they may be sending someone over the house for a while until I am well enough to go for therapy outside. The swelling is down but not completely gone yet, I am still a little dizzy at times but have much more energy than before, I am still on the blood thinner therapy and will be on it for three months, I have another two weeks before they officially remove the movement restrictions.

Right now the only problems I am having is that I am constantly sleeping in the same position all night (on my back) because of the movement restrictions. (restrictions: do not bend knee 90 degrees to hip, do not cross leg through center line, do not extend leg out too far to the sides.) Trust me I do not want to do anything that will land me back on the operating table for any reason but my back hurts! I have to constantly get up at night to take pressure off my tail bone and lower back. I can't wait till I can sleep on my side again.

But all in all I am thankful for the other things that I can do now :). Phew!!

Good news.

I was afraid to try sleeping on my side (laying on unoperated leg with operated leg on top) and back was killing me too. I was up every hour walking around and trying to get comfortable.

Then......my physical therapist showed me how to place the pillows and move onto my side so that it did not cause any crossing over issues. Heaven!!! So, as soon as your PT comes to your house be sure and ask them to show you how to get on your side without going past your 90 degree restriction. Having 2 positions for sleeping really, really helps.

I still wake up every few hours and I'm at 8 weeks. I think my body just needs for me to get up and move a bit.

So glad your doing well today. Those pain meds are nasty....hope you can get off them soon. I had to go to a specialist and get a pain med. that I could tolerate. Only needed it for 2 weeks.

Keep healing!!!!
Luanna

KAJUBONES,

We have been following your recovery and are all glad you are doing better.  Keep the faith my friend, good times will come again!  You are past the worst part and the recovery for you is finally starting.  Really glad to hear you are doing better and feeling better. 

Before you know it you'll be down at Crissy Field running and taking in the cool, fresh air. 

Keep fighting the good fight, hope you feel better.

A body pillow works, they are about 4 foot long.

The way I did was to lay flat on my back put the pillow between my legs then slowly roll with the pillow between my legs.... YMMV.  As Luanna has said, talk to your PT.


Chuck

Bones,

Treat yourself to a recliner. You can't roll over, so no worries and you can change the elevation and your position from time to time to relieve the pressure on your back. You'll never have a better excise to buy one!

So happy to hear you are doing better.

Boomer

Sounds like you're getting past the complications and into the real recovery. You've had a tough path, once off the meds and out of the side effects, things will progress quickly. Good thing you're a fighter, like all the folks here.

Hi Luanna, Hernanu, boomer, chuck, rbt2011.

Thanks you guys :). The info about sleeping sideways sounds great! I can't wait to talk to the PT person. I am sure you guys are right about getting off the meds will quickly help my recovery but for now they want me to stay on the meds (pain killers and all). Don't get me wrong I really want to get off of them myself to see if some of these other symptoms will clear up.

While all of these things were happening I did not notice that I have not been going number two! Going for the laxatives today, I don't want this to be a problem either!

I have to tell you guys that things really looked hopeless there for a while :(. I did not even get to mention the kind of problems that we were having regarding the lovenox shots! When I was discharged after the surgery I had to keep up the lovenox shots until my INR levels were within the proper limits. I was given 14 shots 100 MG each to be administered twice a day. The prescription states that it was not to be refilled for another 90 days! Yeah the numbers did not match up 14 shots twice a day and you could not get any more shots until 90 days were up? Well, I ran out of shots and we were talking to the doctors and the insurance and Walgreens about getting the prescription refilled. My wife had to pay for the shots out of pocket at 80$ a shot and she had to do this three times because I needed it! Meanwhile I was having all kinds of problems and we were constantly calling people trying to get this problem resolved. I have to tell you if I was doing this by myself while I was having all of those problems I would have been in big trouble! Eventually the whole matter was resolved 8 days after I no longer needed the shots, My wife got her money reimbursed but the fact that we had to struggle through that on top of everything else still ticks me off! The doctors (I spoke to four of them), the insurance, and Walgreens were all pointing fingers at each other and the problem just persisted. All in all not a great experience.

Kabujones

I am do glad you are doing better.  You have had a rough go of it.  It sounds like you are on your way.

My experience was much easier.  How could it not be?  But I had a terrible time with bowel movements also.  I didn't have a bm for six days if I recall correctly.  And it really stressed me out.  And the raised toilet seat was the most uncomfortable thing ever designed.  I even drank coffee, which i can't stand, to try to get things moving.

Even after I had my first bm I had still had some difficulty for another week or so.  My suggestion is to use laxatives and bowel friendly foods for awhile. And keep yourself well hydrated.

Best wishes.

Dan

Hi Dan,

Thanks I have been trying the laxatives and stool softeners. It seems to be working a little, not yet back to normal but at least something is happening. I was even considering drinking prune juice, yuck! I too do not drink coffee. I thought I was the only weirdo in the world that is not a coffee fan, glad to hear that I am not alone! Drinking it gives me a stomach ache.

Last night when I went to sleep I noticed that I can feel my heart beat, I did not think anything of it because there are certain times where I can feel my pulse so I thought this was just like that. This morning around 3:00AM I woke up and felt it pounding in my chest. I told my wife and she took my pulse and it was 101 per minute! One of the reasons that they ran those tests on me and found the pulmonary embolism was because of my elevated heart beat. I guess it is still there. Really weird to be about 5 weeks out from surgery and still having this problem. I hope this goes away soon :(.

It sounds like it's going, but you've had a rough go of it. Outside of the embolism, how's the hip doing? (kind of like... besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?  ::))

Hey KB...sure hope things straighten out for you...
Regarding your #2 issue...lot's of Raisin Bran and whole prunes was the thing that set me right.
Best...

(kind of like... besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?  ::))

LOL, Everything else seems ok. Fever has not come back, I am tolerating the meds ok, pain is under control, still a little swelling on my leg and at the incision but that is to be expected because of the blood thinners. I am still walking with a walker and still have the restrictions for another two weeks. Can't wait to be able to sit without pain, take a long shower, drive my car, and just plain be normal again.

Regarding your #2 issue...lot's of Raisin Bran and whole prunes was the thing that set me right.

I love rasin bran! I grew up on that ceral so you bet I am going to get some of that ASAP, thanks!!

Sounds like you are on the road to recovery. Hope it goes smoothly and easily for you from here on out.

Luanna

thanks Luanna :)

Hi guys,

I finally started my "in patient physical therapy" where a physical therapist comes over my house and works on some exercises with me. Yesterday was my first day. She checked me out first and I am happy to report that my elevated heart rate has finally come down. Yesterday it was at 70 beats per minute at rest and not the usual 101! My leg is still swelling quite a bit but other than that and a little pain at the hip everything seems much better. I am also able to walk without the walker or a cane but I have a really bad limp as the hip is really tight. The physical therapist told me that it was an indication to her that the muscle that connects from my waist to the hip bone is weak and that is normal for that type of surgery since they had to go through there to fix my problem. I find myself smiling more now and at the little things like being able to sit comfortably while eating dinner or just being able to step outside the house and in the sun for a little while, really nice :).

That's great kajubones, you're on the right track now  ;D.

Sounds like you're farther ahead on strength, but the tightness is working against you. It'll ease away as you work on the PT. You'll start to see improvement, just enjoy and be patient; it'll come. The swelling is normal, ice and ice and movement is what gets that gone. I'd use the cane as much as possible, to let that gait work itself out well. You deserve a good outcome on it.

Real happy you're over the hump and just another hard working hippy now.

Thanks Hernanu :). Like you said, I am getting there but slowly. My next appointment with my Ortho is this coming friday the 18th. I hope I can start working on getting off of these pain killers. I guess the next two long term goals is being able to drive and getting back to work.

By the way I asked my Pt about being able to sleep sideways and she did show me how to do that pillow between the legs thing. I was so happy to get off of my tail bone! Unfortunately I cannot stay in the position for too long because the hip starts to hurt, I think it is from the tightness. I have to talk to her about that to make sure I am doing it safely. I think my five weeks is up already so my Ortho should be lifting the restrictions soon.

I think it took me longer to sleep on my side, but everyone is different. Good news though.

Today was my first day for out patient physical therapy. Everything was good except when the therapist was assessing my muscle strength. He had me press my thighs inward against his pushing and I felt this incredible pain at the hip socket! I was afraid that I dislocated my hip for a second. I was told before that if I felt pain on the outside part of my hip that it was the muscle and that if I felt it on the inside on the leg like near the groin that is the hip socket itself.

Anyway, Everything else was good and I am going to go by the dojo tonight to visit my friends (kind of also to motivate myself to stretch and work out my hip so that I can go back and train.

Hey kajubones, how's the recuperation going?

Hi kajubones,
How was going to the dojo? Hope you are doing well and recovery is going smoothly for you now.

Luanna

Hi guys,

Sorry I have not been on here for a while. I have been struggling through physical therapy and going back to work. Walking is still a bit painful but on my un-operated side. I am hoping it is just because I am still limping. Physical therapy has been slow and painful as my muscles are really weak and some of the exercises are difficult for me right now. This Friday I had a scary episode in the shower where I felt really weak and out of breath. I informed the doctor right away and he called me personally on my cell phone to check up on me! He assured me that my Cumadin levels were good so he does not think it is another blood clot and told me to watch out for racing heart beat and cold sweats on top of the difficulty breathing. He said if it persists to go to emergency. The rest of my Friday was uneventful though and I got to leave early from work because of the Holiday, Yay! I have not been back to the dojo to work out just to see my friends and grandmaster. I am afraid to walk through that door because grandmaster will try to get me to do something and I do not think I am ready yet.

I hope your holidays have been great. hope to talk to you guys later.

Kajubones (Harold)

Good to hear, Harold... Given the troubles you had, this is good progress. I wouldn't worry about the strength, that will come. Good that you're back on, I still had a limp at three months, not bad, just slight but I felt it. It might be good to bring the cane back into play if you need a break for a couple of days.

Good to hear from you, I'd stay back from the dojo until you're ready - it will be a bit.

Hey Hernanu,

Thanks, you guys have been great especially with all that I have been through. I heard about this guy recently at ranch 99 supermarket in Daly City and he is thinking of having the surgery as well. I gave his daughters some info and directed them to resurface hippie. I hope he gets on here so he can ask his questions and get the same support that I had.

As far as the dojo I have been keeping away but I might be visiting next week just to see my friends. I really want to get back and this time I want to do things slow. I love the martial arts and I hope to be doing it for the rest of my life, I hope.

Kajubones (Harold)

You will Harold, just give it time. You'll be there

 :) thanks

I went to the Dojo this past Tuesday to stretch out in the back but got pulled into trying to practice a little. Anyway, the next day I was so sore. I could not do much on the mat and all of the regular stuff that I used to do was beyond my capabilities now :(. If that was not depressing enough on Friday I suddenly had a hard time walking because now my unoperated hip started to bother me. It was strange because it did not really bother me...oh wait, maybe it did bother me after I worked out! I could not tell because I was so sore all over. Just worried that it might also have worn out like the other one. I at least wanted a year or two in between surgeries. :(

Hope your soreness is lessening by now. I am having to take everything really easy right now as well. But - taking it very, very slowly seems to be the best approach for me.

Take care and keep posting.

Luanna

Hi Luanna,

The soreness seems to have gone at least from the rest of by body anyway. My left hip has been bothering me all week-end though. I had to take some painkillers because it hurt a lot. I will take it slowly but I fear that my left side is giving out as well :(.

Just take it easy for a bit, see if that clears up. One thing I did when I did my exercises with one HR, I would do the same exercises on both sides, since that would not only benefit the operated side, but the other side as well. You may have some weakness on that side that is being strained now that the operated side is getting stronger.

Hi Hernanu,

Yeah, I think slow and methodical is the way to go. strengthening both sides sounds like a great idea. I think losing some more weight might help as well, it is just so hard to do that because working out was the only way I was able to keep the weight down before.

I've been dropping some weight. I was trying several things, calorie counting, etc. until I chanced on a comment by someone here (do not remember and the search engine is working against me in this case) that mentioned Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution.

I was ready to change things, since the HRs have allowed me for the first time to be optimistic about my body. I'm not an advocate and am still on the beginnings of it, but I have lost about twelve pounds in about two weeks (the goal is 1 to 1.5 per week). I'm eating extremely healthy (lots of leafy vegetables, protein sources) and loading up on vitamins, etc.  I have no urges to speak of and feel very well. It does require you to put aside some of the usual suspects (grains, milk, sugar) and some not so usual (most fruits), but in my instance, it seems to be working well.

Just my 2 cents, it may not work for everyone, but there it is.

Harold and Hern,
Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution is really good for weight loss. My hubby has lost 30 pounds on it to date. 20 more to go. It's kinda hard to stick to because it cuts out all refined flours and sugars and gets you eating lots of salads, vegetables, and a small bit of protein for the first phase.

It also has other really profound health benefits. He is one of the top 100 heart surgeons in the world and is continually looking for ways to help make his patients more heart healthy. He seems to know his stuff. His book rambles a bit but the program works.

Glad to hear that it's working for you Hern. 12 pounds in 2 weeks is quite a bit. I'd be interested to hear your take on his rationale and the science/research behind his diet.
Luanna

It's what sold me on it, Luanna. I was a biochemist long ago, so some diets did not make sense to me. I like his approach to presenting the diet, the reasoning behind it, etc.

The proof is always in doing it yourself  and seeing how it goes. I have lost weight quickly and expect that won't continue, and I probably don't want it to, since my goal is weight loss while maintaining muscle. I knew I needed to change things and now that I'm a year past, I think I can focus on other things more, like diet, exercise and all of those things that are possible now with two healthy hips. I think that's the first time I've ever thought of them that way, but why not? They feel healthy and therefore they are (apologies to Cogito ergo sum).

So let's see about the health benefits - I have a checkup in a couple of months and we'll look at the test results. My main focus is to drop the weight to support both my exercise goals and maximize the survivability of the implants under less mass.

UPDATE ****

Of course, there are people who torpedo your best intentions. I just finished my diet compliant Caesar salad with hardboiled eggs and a glass of water, when a coworker who owns a farm dropped a container of cookies in front of me and proudly said - my wife just made these cookies... They looked a bit big, but being a guy, I couldn't hunt for someone to split it with, so I ate it, finding it that it was a chocolate chip cookie with a whole Oreo stuffed inside of it.

So I think I just gave up two weeks of my life at some point and some weight gain for this. Hopefully the diet deities will see my good intent in not insulting him and only punish me slightly. 

I mean it was an Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie!!!!

Who could resist a cookie like that???  ;)

Luanna

Right ?!?!

Oh well... still a good diet and I'm back on that pony.

Hernanu and Luanna,

Hi! I will look into this diet you are both talking about, it sounds great. By the way, I went to the dojo tonight to stretch out and I am super tight! I mean I lost so much flexibility even in my other leg! In fact my other leg actually hurt under the strain. On my way home I got to thinking that I am so far away from how I was even with the damaged hip. I did not realize how much a part of me the martial arts has become until tonight and how much it hurts (emotionally) to be in this state. I have no one else to talk to about this because they would not understand. On top of it all I feel like I am all alone, in my own personal hell. My wife will never know how important this is to me. Anyway, I know you guys know what I mean. I really need to learn patience, that has been my weakness and now I have to face it. I am also worried like you Hernanu that I will wear out this hip really fast. I felt so timid doing some techniques that I got strange looks from the other guys in class. That was not how I was before. I moved as fast as I could and as hard as I could but with control so as not to hurt anyone. Now I feel like an egg shell, ready to crack at the smallest sign of force. By the way, is it safe to do jump kicks; falls; rolls; or even jog. Sheesh this is crazy!

Harold

Hi Harold,
Just be sure to take it easy. I've reread your entire story and you've made some amazing progress from where you started out after surgery. A pulmonary embolism is a major big deal.

You are doing GREAT! I'm at 6 months almost and still taking it slow and easy and making good progress now.

Luanna

Hey Harold - sounds pretty normal to me. I was still pretty tight at your point. Remember too that you took about a month's hit before you were able to do any PT, so you're going to deal with a month's lag time.

I treated my regaining ROM as if I was teaching a new white belt, without any stretching training (no dancers). I usually told them that the flexibility that higher belts have they worked on and will come in time. It took until about four months before I could touch the floor bending forwards, about six months before I could do flat palms to the floor.

The flexibility will come. You do need to be patient and remember that in a way you are apart, but it is a positive way. You have taken control of a condition that would have left you in a wheelchair or crutches eventually, and now have the chance to do the things you want to do again.

I've started doing full speed kicks now (round house and front) and to tell you the truth, although I haven't gotten back  to the heavy bag with kicks yet, I will in about a month or so. The pop in my kicks is still there (you know what I mean), and they feel so smooth now, it's hilarious.  I'm holding back on side kicks at full power, although I do the slow extension now as both a strength and balance exercise. I can also see those coming soon, since I tried low side kicks with some force and my hips felt fine.

I feel more and more confident that my hips will be just fine, and as a martial artist, your bone density should be off the charts, so that works in your favor. I understand how it drives you up the wall not to be there yet, but, like Danny, Nemesis, Peter and other martial artists, we need to be patient so that in one to two years, we're all doing things as fast and well as we did before. That's a goal, and I'm committed to it.

Don't worry about the timidity, it is the mark of someone who has gone through something difficult and is relearning to trust his body. You're still at 5 months along, I didn't even think to start kicking or working out with anything to do with martial arts until about 7 or 8 months. Then everything was slow and easy until I got the muscle memory back along with my confidence. I think confidence is like everything else that we're trying to heal; there's no need to hide the fact that your confidence has taken a hit, just another part of you that will heal with everything else.

I'd take it back a notch, I think you're expecting too much right now. You are doing something that the other people you're working out with can't even fathom - to restructure your body to do what it did before with a whole new architecture. Let yourself slowly come back to snuff, and your reward will be years of good workouts.

I have just started jumping in place to get more used to being airborne now (16+ months) since I also want to return to jump kicks. I finally feel strong / balanced enough to try successfully, but I don't see myself doing those for six months. I want my basic kicks strong, and to feel if I do fall, that it wouldn't hurt my hip. Probably by my 2 year, I will be doing some. At least that's my schedule.

Patience, my man. No getting around it, you want this to be strong as hell and then I think you'll be in good shape to continue. Five months is still early, but it will come.

Luanna and Hernanu,

Thanks :). I will try to take it easy. I am going to try to go to class and stretch some more. I will keep you posted.

Harold

Hey Guys,

I am finally off of the Warfarin (blood thinners). It is great in a way that I am off of them but I was not ready to hear the news that they gave me after telling me it was ok to stop taking the pills. The doctors at Hemotology are saying that since my blood clot had broken through their first line of defense which is the Lovenox shots that I will be likely to have another one if I had another surgery. Also I will have to take shots (Lovenox) when I have to fly on long trips. They also said to avoid sitting too long at the office and that I should plan on getting up every two hours or so. Man, I was not ready for that one! I thought after all of this everything was going to be cool but now I kind of feel weird. I really don't know what to think. I actually feel kind of sick right now: my neck and head is hurting kind of bad so I am going to cut this short.

Harold

Sorry to hear about that, Harold. I don't know enough about blood clots and their long term behavior, but I did do medical research on clotting a long time ago, and don't remember anything on long term effects from a previous clot.

I'm assuming they are saying that your body is more prone to blood clots, so as a precautionary measure they want you to use lovenox for trips. Getting up every now and then at the office is good practice anyways, need to have movement when in a job that requires lots of sitting.

Just like with OA, I'd get a second opinion from a good Hematologist and check out why they think another blood clot is likely to happen and what can be done to deal with that if / when it happens. Can never have enough information about your own body.

Hi Harold,
Good to hear from you. Sorry that you will have to take preventative measures to prevent another pulmonary embolism. They can be extremely serious so I can understand why your hemetologist wants you to take precautions when flying. I have no clue why they would think that you'd have another one if you went into surgery again. I'm not a doc but perhaps they can predict future behavior on what happened this time around?  Not sure.

How is your hip doing these days? Are you able to work out? Hope everything else is going well for you.

Luanna

HI,

working out has been off and on. I am worried about injuring the hip again so I would go to class and then stop going again for a while. I just can't seem to get past the fear. still working on it.

Harold

Quote from: kajubones on April 26, 2012, 12:51:10 AM
HI,

working out has been off and on. I am worried about injuring the hip again so I would go to class and then stop going again for a while. I just can't seem to get past the fear. still working on it.

Harold

Hey Harold, no problem with taking it easy on the way back. The important thing is to do things when you're ready for them.

A part of being a martial artist is toughness in confronting scary situations. In this case, that is a scary situation. We all fear compromising the HR, sliding back into pain, so on.

It's ok to look at it in the face and admit the scary situation. Then take the right action for it; to me the right action is to ease back from a place probably no one in your school has been. They have no concept of the pain you dealt with and no idea how they would react. When you do get back, ( and you will ) you need to be fully confident. It took me a full year to start doing full strength kicks, and some things are still in working to it phases.

Don't put any deadlines on when to do any of your techniques and certainly, don't let others put deadlines on you, they don't get to. Just let it flow, my man - again, some of the wisdom of disco ... "don't push it , don't force it, let it happen naturally... "

I am so glad to use the goodness of disco  8) .

LOL, disco rocks. thanks man, I really don't know what I would do without you guys. By the way, I got into a horse stance and I expeirienced some groin pain around (I am just guessing) the hip socket? I hope that is nothing but it really hurt! in face it took about 10 seconds for the pain to go away.

Hey Guys,

On September 27th I just took my 3rd degree blackbelt test. Afterwards I was not able to walk without pain, not because of my hip but because of my knees. Both my knees are swollen and it makes it hard to walk. I have tried modifying some of my movements as to not cause damage to the hip. It makes me worried that I might have banged up the hip if I hurt my knees so bad. Anyway, just wanted to keep in touch and let you know what is going on with me. I have not gotten on the forum because of other life events like being laidoff but yeah that is off subject. I hope you guys are well and thanks again for the support.

Harold

Harold, it's good to hear from you, and congrats on the 3rd degree! That's a great accomplishment, shows your mettle in digging in and getting back to high function. Not many 3rd degrees around.

I've been doing some serious kicks lately and have really tried not to change my movements to accomodate the hip. My thoughts were that if a kick (or a punch, they can put a lot of stress on the hips) is going to cause issues, then I won't do it and if the whole thing will compromise the hip, then I'll make the hard decision and walk away.

I've actually been trying to be more exacting on the proper way to do things, since in looking back, I think in some kicks (yeah, that's right roundhouse kick, I'm talking about you!) in my eagerness for impact and speed, I let my form suffer and it may have made things worse for my pre OA hips.

We are all concerned about letting our hips live as long as possible, but you don't want to push other parts of your anatomy to compensate for a problem that may not be there. I've been doing some hard kicks for about six months (20-40 minutes heavy bag work) now, and have not run into knee swelling or pain.  I've been through the preparations for a black belt test before, and I know you're pushing your limits, but the pain should be all around, not just on your knees.

One thing I did was to hunt down a physical therapist about five months ago and have her watch me hit the bag. Then she commented on whether the way I was striking was at strange angles, etc. I explained to her what to expect, and she observed me and let me know if I was doing things in the right way.  You have some great resources at your school, maybe you can get another black belt or your teacher and have them look at your form. They may be able to tell you if you're twisting or moving in a way to put too much on the knees.

How are your stretches? One thing that would hurt my knees was if I wasn't fully stretched for the routine I was doing.

In my opinion, I'd avoid changing your form, just let the kicks and punches happen the best way for your body. An un medical opinion, but so far it seems to work for me.

There's many kind of accomplishments, jobs come and go, but achieving a higher rank black belt after this kind of procedure is amazing to me. I've been there without the hip recuperation, and I'd like to hoist a glass to you.

Hi Hernanu,

Thanks for the compliment and helping me see the situation from another angle. You are right about the compensation on my part. I really do need to work more on the correct form of things. That has been my plan all along and I got sucked into this test, not really by my choice, and I felt that I was not ready for it. It was really a humbling experience because although I passed I felt like I really failed. The hip on the other hand was a real trooper, for that I was happy. Thanks for all the great advice! I will use them in my path to recovery.

Regards,
Harold

Hi Guys,

It has been about two years now and things are going pretty well with the hip. I am back on the mat at the dojo. Right now I am struggling with doing side falls because I end up hitting my hip on the mat. Last night my instructor tried showing me how he does his side falls but it also looked to me like he is banging his hip. I tried everything he showed me and ended up hurting myself. I don't know if I have been doing it wrong this whole time but he swears he does not hit his hip hard on the mat but I do. If anyone can give me info on this type of falls that would be great. I think it is important not to damage the hip so I have modified a lot of my movements already but the falls seem particularly hard to modify.

Thanks,
Harold

Hey Harold, good to hear from you.

It shouldn't hurt significantly when you hit the mat. The way I was taught in hapkido is that you want to expose the most area to the floor when you make impact.

This site gives a simple sample -

http://www.ultimatejujitsu.com/learn-jujitsu-techniques/traditional-jujitsu-techniques/white-belt/side-breakfall/ (http://www.ultimatejujitsu.com/learn-jujitsu-techniques/traditional-jujitsu-techniques/white-belt/side-breakfall/)

My instructor emphasized hitting the ground as flat as possible and hitting the ground hard with the extended arm on impact. So timing is important, but also relaxing the body.

We did a sequence. First sitting on the ground, dropping sideways and performing the last part, the impact. That lowered the tension and helped with good form on the hip, thorax and leg extension as well as the last hit with the arm.

Once we had that down, we did the full fall. Always on mats first, to get the form down, then we did it on the grass (checked for rocks and roots, of course), then on a hard floor when we got cocky.

It did save me once.

I was working at an amusement park, running games for customers, when I was posted to a game where a rope ladder which was attached at each end by a single axis (both sides of the rope tied to this). There was a large air cushion under the whole affair to catch people falling.

The goal was to reach the top of the ladder without spinning to either side, landing on the cushion. If you got to the top, you got a prize (beer glasses were very popular). The people who did the game became good at doing it, by maintaining equal pressure on both sides of the ladder.

I was practicing when few customers were around. I didn't notice that my partner in the game had moved the cushion after landing on it. I got near the top, about ten feet, when I got spun - looked down and saw only concrete under me.

I did the whole move from that altitude, probably more like six feet, hid the ground hard, slapped the heck out of the concrete on impact. Hurt like hell on my arm due to the concrete, but got up and no issues.

I told my teacher about it, expecting praise and he told me I was an idiot not to check that the cushion wasn't in place before going up. Korean teachers are rough.

Hi Harold,

I know that personally, were i ever to return to the martial arts the one thing I would avoid would be breakfalls; or, if I did them, it would only be from a kneeling position and then in slow motion. I just think the stresses it puts on the joint (the plant leg more than the leg that winds up on the ground) are just too great. I believe that it would shorten the life of the implant more than a little, and possibly risk early loosening. This is just my personal opinion, of course.

My background. I studied (taught a little) kenpo karate for fifteen years, from fifteen to thirty. My hips were bad when I was a little kid (I know now that I have [or had,  ;)] FAI in both hips, unclear if its congenital, or from jumping off roofs, or both), but that mostly subsided during the fifteen years I studied. Around thirty I just became less involved in the dojo I studied at, then it closed and that was (mostly) that. Still got together with the head sensei and another of the senseis to work out over the years (off and on) but that stopped when one hip really went about five years ago (I am 42). Had an HR one year ago.

I used to (occasionally) do a hundred breakfalls after class, one after the other. Some from an upright position, but mostly from a kneeling position. But I'd do them hard, as I'm sure you do. I look back now and wonder what the hell I was thinking. Youth. I am certain that that contributed significantly to my two wrecked hips.

An HR is obviously different from a natural hip, and everyone has their own opinion, but i can't imagine any doctor anywhere would recommend breakfalls for someone who had an HR. I know that the principal is to distribute the force of the throw/fall on unfolding parts of your body, but a really hard throw or fall (unless you roll to your feet, which probably wouldn't be too bad) at least as I learned them, is going to wind up with a lot of force transferred into the ground either thru the hip that hits the ground or the plant foot (which transfers much of the force to the hip joint).

I was only ever a first dan, but I personally wouldn't do a real breakfall again.

Mike

I'm back to doing judo and to be honest I'm not aware of the hip when training. I think you just have to train smart. I personally think that the worst thing is running but guys do it and have been doing it for years on the bhr with no probs.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the response. The breakfalls from that site is very similar to how we do it in kaju but any banging on the hip worries me. I too believe in protecting the device and am still trying to find a way to fall without hitting the hip. I think my doctor is very conservative when it comes to what I can do and running and jumping is a no no. I want to find a way to protect it as much as I can. It is a bummer that I have to modify a lot of what I do but it has caused me to question certain things that I would not have other wise such as: is it possible to generate power in my techniques without stomping my feet? Is it even necessary to stomp when I am doing certain strikes or is that just for the noise factor? Also if I am to prevent from hurting myself then should there not be a better way to fall without banging the hip?

Harold

Hey Hernanu nice to hear from you again :)

I think pretty much every teacher has different styles.

My instructor emphasized lightness on the feet, he had been a boxer in Korea as well. He didn't like techniques that were launched from too settled a stance, since we were focused on TKD full contact matches. We used more of a boxer's stance or while moving.

Even when we did forms, he valued smooth motion and exact positioning. So for me, I saved the impact for when making contact.

I think you want to do what you are comfortable with and are confident in. I don't do falls now, since I am just doing TKD, so all impact is feet and hands, so for me, it hasn't been an issue.

Hi Hernanu,

That would be great if I did not have to fall in class. The whole slap the mat before you fall to obsorb the fall does not work to good for me as my slapping does nothing to prevent the hard fall onto the hip. I tried with no luck to figure out a way to fall on my side without hurting myself. But if I want my techniques to work falling is essential for me as judo and Jujitsu is part of our style. If you guys think of anything let me know, it will be greatly appreciated.

Harold

Will do Harold. Maybe you can talk to another student that is good on falls and get their take on it.

Just to say, I slipped and fell on ice about 2 months into my resurfacing, landed on the operated side and experienced no ill effects whatsoever.

It's now been 2 1/2 years and I never consider my hip when fighting or doing anything else. Most of the people I train with don't even know about it.

I'm out at the moment with a torn shoulder - but that's another story...

Best wishes
Gary

Sorry about the injury Gary, but congrats on doing well with the hip.

I'm closing in on three years, pretty much the same story.

Sorry to hear about your injury Gary but thanks for checking in! Great to hear that your doing so well!

Just in case anyone's interested in shoulders, I've got multiple partial tears of the supraspinatus tendon, and most likely a punctured labrum - all this from an ultrasound scan I paid 25 quid for. I've been referred to orthopaedics on the NHS and will eventually get an MRI scan and presumably a repair (if they haven't flogged the machine and the operating theatre off in the meantime).

It's been 3 months now and I still can't raise the arm to front or side more than about 45 degrees, though I can fetch and carry normally. It doesn't like the impact even from running so I do static cycling, free squats and mess about with swords left handed. By the end of the summer I will have great legs and one big arm!

Is there by chance a shoulder forum?

Mate I feel for you! I have a dodgy shoulder also but luckily when I come to getting repaired my private med insurance will kick in.

Hope you get sorted soon mate


Danny

Man Gary! Good to hear from you, but tough. Hopefully you can get straight on this.

Two great legs and one big arm  ;D ;D ;D

Slaptear.com for shoulders.  It's not anywhere as good as this site but you might get some info.  I have a tear in my labrum but am functional and am not going to do anything about it for now.

Hey mindi - how's the psoas?

Thanks Mindi will look into into it; I've had shoulder problems on and off for 20 years and mostly just trained through them.

I really ought to know more about it. Shoulderdoc  http://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/

has the clearest diagrams I've seen

G