Glad you are feeling like the rest of us. I will be going for my 3 year checkup in August and my hip has given me no problems at all. The only inconvenience is the gestapo TSA agents at airports but it is only minor. I find it interesting how Dr. Gross is always slightly tweaking his protocols rather than always doing the same things. Everytime I read a new account there is some new procedure his team is doing. My wife is a nurse and has met and worked with many doctors and she told me that Dr. Gross was the most impressive doctor that she had ever met.

It does give you a great feeling to know that your surgery was performed by one of the best. I think we are almost like a cult that has Dr. Gross as our leader. Follow the exercises and you will be doing things you have not been able to do in years. When I answered the questions he asks when you go for your checkup I thanked him for giving me my life back. I think that is a common refrain from everyone that took the plunge and traveled to Columbia for the surgery.

I did an exhaustive search, I lurked on here for months and followed the results of Dr. Gross hippies and it was Dr. Gross or Dr. Su, I think with either I would have gotten great results.  I think what did it for me was the remarks about the hospital and staff of Dr. Gross that basically nailed it for me. Another is the fact that I am not an urban kind of guy.  I loved the look and feel around Columbia, SC.  I've been to NY, I will never go back, it was fun to see but I am far more country ;-) than a city kind of guy.

I've never met a doctor who actually sits or stands away from the door like he does.  He has NEVER acted like he was rushed to move on to the next patient.

I've petitioned Pat for our own Dr. Gross section on this site, email her and help me guys  ;-)  I think it would be handy if we had a meeting place where information could be placed and new Dr. Gross patients could hang out.

Chuck 

Update...

Well, last night was my first night out of the hospital.  I will admit, last night itnhurt a bit.  Nothing agonizing, but it hurt.  When i first woke up on the hospital I was pain freem so a zero out of ten.

The next day in the hospital, it was a bit sore, maybe a 2-3/10.  Lt night was probably a 4-5.  I may have fallen behind on the meds...when inwent to bed in took my two oxycontins and it was ok.  When insole up I was sore again, but once I took my meds it was ok..but it was still sore.  I'd describe it as my leg feeling tight and kind of puffy.  

During the day I felt better and my wife and I drove to downtown Columbia and went to one of the museums and had pizza.  There is a little organiz pizza shop called Z pizza...it was pretty good.  By the end of that little trip my leg had swollen a little,so back to the hotel.  I've had it on ice and it's back to normal.

The polar care ice machine is great!

I bumped into another Dr. Gross patient in my hotel hallway..she had her hip done the same day as me, and we were in group PT together.  It's nice to see some one else who understands what I. Going through ace to face.  The staff at my hotel has also been very helpful.  Some of the staff have commented that they often see guests on crutches who are having procedures done across the street at the hospital.....probably other Gross hippies!

I'm taking it easy the rest of the night.  Wil lay in bed, watch a movie, and go to bed.  I'm hoping to be out of here Tuesday at the latest.

I can still tell that my hip pain is gone, and I'm excited for my leg to stop swelling, heal, and feel back to normal.  IRS going to be so great to walk around, layin bed, walk up stairs, etc etc and have no pain.

Dr. Gross reallydoes give you your life back.  I already feel more cheerful and happy!

Elevate and ice dude.


Chuck

Guess what I am doing now??  Elevated + ice.   ;)

Me too... :)

I found a direct coorelation between activity level, being sore, and swelling.  You feel good, so ya push it, then you pay a bit. It's all good :). Just take it easy.

Guys... Pat created a Dr. Gross section, we would love to see your story on it, even if you've already posted it, copy and paste or just ask and we can move it.

The new section is to be more informational not for recovery or newbie posts, but rather a place where newbies can find out about a particular doctor.


Thanks in advance guys.


Chuck

UPDATE...

I a, back home in southern California!  It feels so good to be home!  I managed to make the flight home on day 5 post op.  Surgery was last we'd, and we flew out Monday. 

When I got to the Columbia airport and was walking into security on my crutches, the TSA person says to me, "Dr. Gross' patient?". I was surprised to see even the airport personnel know about him!  I told her yes....they sent me to secondary where I was patted down by a TSA guy.... I honestly didn't think it was all that invasive...but i guess I will probably have to do that whenever i travel now...  I had iced all morning knowing I had a lot of time ahead of me on a plane.  The 30 minute flight from Columbia to Charlotte was easy.  The plane was half full so I had mo one next me and could stretch out...

We had a couple hour layover in Charlotte and ate lunch.  We got on our flight to san diego and I till felt ok.  The flight was set to be about 5.5 hours.  I planned mt medication so i could take my oxycontin before I got on the plane, so it would be in my system during the flight.... It started raining, and the baggage crew got delayed...we boarded the plane..which was packed....and we sat at the gate for 1.5 hours....just sitting.... That stunk.  So myd 5.5 hour flight turned into 7-7.5....  Imasked the stewardess if I could move to an aisle or bulkhead seat..but the plane I was on had no empty seats.  The stewardess basically sia dit would be up to me to ask someone if they would volunteer to give me their seat....I looked at the bulkhead sears and they had no more legroom than the regular seats.....the best seats were I. The emergency exit...but of course I couldn't sit there because I was on crutches...  So I stuck itout in my coach seat.. I had a center seat which was not good, but luckilymi was sitting next to two small people...so I had space to spread,out.  I explained to the eo people next to me that I was 5 days post op from hip resurfacing and they were very acomldating.  I also hot several bags of ice from the stewardess to use to ice my hip.  I wore loose fitting silky workout pants...and NO UNDERWEAR....  My hip was swollen enough wearing undies felt tight on my thigh....so I just pulled the waistband open and shovedmthe bag of ice on the outside of my hip and had the cold bag of ice directly on my hip...I basically had a bag of ice in my pants the whole flight!  It sure helped.

Taking my meds when the flight started helped to.  It knocked me out for part of the flight which made it go faster.  Th elate hour or so my leg started to feel pretty swollen....I got up and just stood I the aisle for about 30 minutes a couple times during th flight too.

I was a bit worriedabout whether the flight home would be too difficult, but it was ok.  I think a first class seatwould have been better...but it was fine.  I made it and I was on the plane almost 8 hours....  Ifmthe flight had bgwm 3-4 joursmit would have been a piece of cake.

My hip is still sore, but only when off the ice too long or when my meds wear off.

I can walk on my hip...i can walk sjort distances wout the crutches but limp.  But the pain is not from my hip, it's the tissue soreness from surgery.  I was actually somewhat more comfortable on the flight back VS the flight TO the surgery, because beforethe surgery, if I sat up...like how younare forced to sit on an airline seat...my hip hurt because of my reduced range of motion.  Now, postop, I can sit up, and at 90 degrees there is no more hip pain!  It's strange to sit up and expect to feel the pain I've felt for so long...but it's not there! 

I'm still using my ivpce machine.slept last night with it hooked up overnight.  I think my leg got swollen even though I had ice on it I flight, because it wasn't elevated....  The overnight icing in bed with elevation really helped.

I am surprised how good i i feel at only 5 days.  I can't wait to see how I am as time progresses.

Thanks for the update! Glad to see that even though the trip was more of a hassle than expected that it was bearable. Now the good part starts as you see the improvement without the old pain.

Quote from: 23109VC on March 01, 2011, 01:30:34 PM

I am surprised how good i i feel at only 5 days.  I can't wait to see how I am as time progresses.

Good job and congrats on getting home!

Being a week ahead of you, I can assure you that the next week will make for another huge jump in improvement.  I'm sitting here completely pain free with no swelling at all.  I'm so ready to go for a walk, but I'll have to wait a bit with 2 more weeks at 10%... :)

Sounds great!!

Today I noticed that my foot was swollen...I've done a good job at icing my leg...but I think maybe the long flight , and being stuck in a sitting. Position caused my foot to swell....

I'm using my crutches for longer trips around the house, but can walk short distances without them.  I was fortunate to have a good dexa scan and didn't get the 10% weight limitation....

We are off to pickup my son from school and are bringing the litle ones with us and will stop by our neighborhood pond to feed the ducks on the way back... It's fun being home from work...I'm going to enjoy the next couple weeks while I recover...my leg is getting better and its good to stay home to rest, but I'm not home "sick"....  I had a good time with my kids, playing on the ps3... Just taking fit easy...and of course icing and elevating!

I'll update more later

Are you able to sleep through the night or do you find yourself having to get up and move around?

I'm  normally  a very sound sleeper.

Since ive been recovering i do think ive woke up more than often, but not because im in pain.  I have awakened several times a night, but its because my mouth bedame VERY dry..  I think its the pain killers.  So i wake up, but not because it hurts...i wake up because i need a drink really badly.  I keep a glass of water by my bed, and take a sip, then go nack to sleep.

As far as night time pain and discomfort, I've been ok at night in that dept.  I notice when I wake up, I'm sore still and once I take my meds I feel a lot better.

I may post. General thread to address my footmselling.  I'm curious who else had their foot swell?  Didn't really notice it much right after surgery, but today and last night I noticed my foot was swollen and itchy.  My calf feels a bit swollen too.

My wife says, maybe you're allergic to the metal in the implant.... I told her to stop it..she was getting met worried.  I'm hoping it's just leftov swelling from our long flight yesterday and will subside.

Is it Normal to get swelling all the way down at my foot?

my foot and calf swelled up 8 days out then went down just as quick .. keep an eye on it but i wouldnt be to concerned from my experience

and ice and elevate ... ::) ;)

I had to read your post twice to realize you were talking about your foot swelling as opposed to your leg.  I'm used to reading about leg swellings, but I don't remember complaining about their foot.  I hope you dropped Lee a note about it, just to play it safe.  On the other hand, I suspect you are right about the flight (and duck feeding) leading to the foot swelling.  Still, I would keep Lee informed.

Mac

My legs and feet swelled on the way home from South Carolina to PA. Not  real bad but enough that you could see it and I could feel it. I think it was from the long car ride. I elevated and iced and in a day or two the swelling went completely down. I still get some swelling in my feet and I can feel it on the back of my knees when I bend my legs. This happens when I sit for a long period with my feet lower than the rest of me. If I sit or lay with my feet level or elevated, the swelling goes down. My left foot and ankle has been slightly swelling for the last eight years or so because the veins in my left leg are damaged from a DVT I had in that leg. From what I have read, some swelling can be expected up to even a year post op. I would still call Lee or Nancy and ask them. I'm sure they will tell you it's normal due to the surgery.

This morning my foot was a lot less swollen.  I iced overnight and that probably helped a lot.

I noticed as this day has progressed that my foot has slightly become more swollen again.  Nothing crazy, but swollen a bit.I think it's a bit less than yesterday, but enough that I can feel it and see it.

Today is my last day of oxycontin.  I took two this morning, and I have one for tonight.  Tomorrow I will only have the nucynta for pain.  I noticed today that my butt was hurting a bit more...the area where my incision isnseemed more tender today.  Also, I haven't bought an elevated toilet seat, I just sit with my leg straight out...and this am I sat on the toilet a while....and whei got up my hip seemed more sore...I wondered if by sitting on the seat so long I agitated the incision site.

Did most of you b an elevated seat or just take care of business by keeping your foot extended?  I tried the raised gilet seats that looked like chairs..and hated them.  They were too confining.  They have arms that come up on both sides of you, and for me, they pressed my hips and butt together, making going to the bathroom difficult.  

If there was a raised seat that just rested on top of the toilet seat but allowed you to spade would legs out,that might work,better...I can't go if feet are pressed together...and those seatsmthat look like chairs do that.

I actualy got kind of worried when I got up off the toilet seat and my hip area felt ,ore sore..of course I panicked and thought that my sitting there too long at that angle maybe I hurt myself or moved the implant....  I think the soreness I'm feeling is just because I agitated the tissue/ skin and because I'm on less pain killers today too.

When I do my exercises, nothin in my joint hurts.  I do those leg slides, where I slide my heel backward, and flex the joint and I'm fine.

I would assume you'd have to do something pretty bad to movement implant...and I'm not doing anything like that!  I sit on the couch, ice, then intermittently get up and move around the house.  I may go get the mail today...that is a short walk across the street!

At what point should the pain from the incision start to go away?  Right now, its there still, but not too bad...but. Still get swelling and tightness.

I guess, I'm wondering when do you start to feel "fixed" without any sort of pain?  And when did most of you feel you could walk unassisted and without a limp?  

Shouod I invest in a raised toilet seat?  Am I risking hurting my implant by getting on and off the toilet without one?  I'm not violating the 90 degree rule because I have my leg out in front of me...but it probably would be easier to get on and offmidpf the seat was up more....

My foot would be normal as long as I had it elevated but when I got out it would swell. It took a few weeks for this to go away but it eventually did. Swelling is normal. Your body has suffered a trauma. When you think what happened, your hip was dislocated and a device was pounded into your femur. The problem with most of us is we want to get back sooner than our bodies are ready but in the end it is all worth it.

Sean,
I think it would be wise to buy a raised seat. The one I have does not have handles and I used my crutches or cane to help get up and down. One hand on the crutch and the other on the toilet tank. Be sure it is stable! Yes it is a pain to sit on them and try to do "both". I had to do #1 while standing, then sit for #2. It was tough when I had to do both real bad at the same time. Once you get used to it, sitting down then standing when done is a lot easier with a raised seat. Sorry for the graphic description.

I wouldn't worry about moving a implant. They have to be hit pretty hard and direct to loosen. I asked the Doc that and that is what he said. Falling down or getting struck hard in that area is the biggest concern. That's why we shouldn't ride bicycles until there is significant bone ingrowth into the implant. In case we wreck. Usually 6 months. Everyone should go by what their surgeon says.

Not using a raised seat is probably causing some strain on the surrounding soft tissues. Just be careful until you get one. I was told that if there was no raised seat or raised toilet available, do just what you are doing. Watch the 90 degree angle and stick your legs straight out and lean back if you can.
 
I am 7 weeks post op and my incisions are still sore. When I sit on them it feels like I am sitting on fat wallets (I wish!).
I still cannot lay on them in bed for more than maybe 5 or 10 minutes until they start to hurt. I was told to expect this for 2 or 3 months. I'm sure everyone is different. Oh and they still get itchy at times. Hope this helps.

Steve (newdog)

Sean,

Do as much around the house as your hip allows you to, be active as much as possible, between then elevate and ice as you have been.

The more you stay active the better, I can't remember if you were on a restricted rehab, if not put as much weight on that hip as your body will allow.

You sound like you are doing well with exception of that toilet seat.

Protect the hip, do the excercises.  When you are permitted WALK WALK WALK, it will help a lot.

Chuck