Just a quick question for all those experienced hippy’s….

How would you compare your recovery from having your hip resurfaced to any other surgeries that you might have been through? 

For example, I shattered my collarbone mountain biking about 10 years ago and need a Basamania procedure to repair it.  That procedure requires inserting a long screw down the length of the collarbone, letting it heal for 4 months, and then removing the screw.  The process to my body was major trauma, big surgery, lots of healing, second smaller surgery, and then more healing.  I have also had an emergency appendectomy, which was actually more painful than the collarbone, but the laparoscopic procedure allowed me to heal very quickly, was back at 90% in 4-5 weeks.  So I know what those healing processes are like.

Just looking for a comparison point.  Not that it really matters, but I am trying to get myself (and my family) mentally ready for this process.

Thanks!
-Patrick

I had a hysterectomy and woke up with extreme pain when I moved at all and getting out of bed was killer hard.  I woke up from HR with relatvely no pain and walked down the all the same day.

I had a lung collapse, was intubated by having a metal tube driven through my ribcage, then inserted a plastic tube for aspiration of fluid.

Both tubes were painful, the anesthesia was topical for the insertion of the metal, so no anesthesia for under the ribs. It was noticed by me (the surgeon was actually pissed that he had to drive it through more muscle than usual  >:( ). The plastic tube was in for about a week and eventually rubbed against a nerve that runs under the thorax, so that was an issue when I breathed.

I have a high tolerance for pain, those pushed the limits. They were removed the same way (basically no anesthesia).

Compared to those, the surgical pain from the HRs was like a cakewalk. I'd describe it more like having an extreme workout, when your muscles give out and your muscles are just really sore. There was no sharp pain anywhere for me, discomfort when sitting too long and soreness... Yup... I had to rate the pain for the nurses, typically 0-1 out of 10 on an ongoing basis.

I have done years and years of martial arts, carrying large bruises about, pushing my body for hours, so that is where I come from. Still, I recognize harsh pain and this was not it for me. This was my experience both times.

The recovery was a diminution of the same experience over several weeks, but with the major reward of having no OA pain.

Never really had much surgery apart from a vasectomy a few years ago!  They sent you home with a 'jock strap' to keep your tackle in place.  Before you could go home you had to 'pass water' so I pulled my jock strap down to pass water but the elastic was rather strong and it slipped out of my fingers and twanged back .........  I can assure you that the pain was significantly worse than any pain that I felt after the resurfacing! 
Being serious, I haven't had much pain at any time after the hip surgery and the recovery has been brilliant.  I had another milestone today and tied my shoe laces for the first time today.

Nice job on the shoe laces, that's a great feeling.  Hern - my buddy in HS blew out both of his lungs (at different times), oddly, it seemed to happen when we were both on the toilet, laughing about farting, as teenage boys do.  All of sudden fomr across the stall wall, he says "I think my lung collapsed".  His recovery looked a lot more difficult than either of my HRs.

My neighbor kid justy blew out his spleen in a bike accident, laid up for 2 weeks in the hospital, not allowed to do anything for 8 weeks, no serious activity for 3 months.  I suppose that's similar in the long term to HR, but early on, I think his spleen issiue was way worse.

My coworker had a TURP (prostate reaming), recently and with the tubes coming out of him and the discomfort, stories about what was coming out of him for the next few weeks, sounded way worse than either of my HRs.

Last March I had a snot-induced sinus infection, each day I would go up to the job site, only about 1000 ft higher from where I lived and the headache pain, even with acetominphen and pseudophed, was way worse than the pain of either of my HRs, (except for the first PT session, but that was short lived).

In summary, for me, HR was pretty painless and the recovery was not bad at all.  I enjoyed lots of it, lots of positive days that were inspiring.  Something to keep in mind, is that the full recovery period for HR is pretty much one of the longest recoveries one would have for most surgeries.  That can be a bit trying, but generally people find other moderate exersices during that period.  Also, by the time you get to surgery, you've already been beaten down by several years of OA. 

Tin, I was told that the usual cause for 'spontaneous pneumothorax' was either a tall, lean body type where the lungs are basically smaller than the frame and regular stresses may produce small tears in the lung, and the totally unnecessarily ignored and ultimately Hern's fault pneumonia (adjectives and description my own  ;) ) which also causes said small tears in the lung.

I'd bet your friend was tall, growing fast and stressing when you were toilet.

So for those of you keeping score at home….it looks like hysterectomy  and vasectomy have 1 point, collapsed lungs have 2 points, and hip re-surfacings are still stuck on zero.   :)

Anybody out there with any broken bone comparisons?

I've had 2 cervical discs removed and fused (with bone from the hip) which meant 6 weeks in a two-post neck brace with very limited movement.  Those were both successful surgeries (life changing) 20+ years ago, and back then I could not have imagined anything more difficult.  Now after 2 BHR's I'd say they were about the same in terms of surgical discomfort and overall aggravation (but the neck surgeries were 2-fers-- a hip surgery for the bone graft for the fusion, and the neck incision), but with the one notable difference of not being able to get around as well after the hip work that for me was more difficult because I'm normally up and doing stuff alot.

In all honesty it almost impossible to compare them fairly given the time that has elapsed, parts of the body, and the time to get off restrictions (1 year for the BHR's).

In terms of getting ready, one thing that really helped as I got ready was the realization that the day before the BHR would be the last day my hip would get worse, and thereafter it would continue to improve.  That helped me calm the pre-surgery jitters, and it has proven to be 100% true.

Best of luck, good things are on the other side of this for you.

Dan

Okay.  I had a separated shoulder (also mountain biking), and they basically cut off the end of the collar bone.  Not much pain, really.

I also cut the extensor tendon in the back of my hand and had it repaired.  Also, not a terrible recovery.  The length of time was irritating, but not painful.

I think you'll find the recovery from this pretty easy compared to your collarbone thingy.  But, it will be six months to a year before you can safely do most of the things you want to.

Lycra man....... OW......  :o

Kidney stone or BHR? - pain on the kidney was way worse.  My first trip to the doctor I was asked "on a 1 to 10 scale"  yep this was a 10 - it was not until my second trip, and the kidney stone was further down, that I understood my first trip was really only a 5.

With both hips, about 5 months apart, the pain was well managed and could be kept undercontrol with pain meds.  It never "put me to the floor" like the kidney stone did. 

Hope this helps.

Well put DanL, and Phill - from what I've heard kidney stones can be really painful.

Lycra - slip and snip isn't supposed to be that painful, you sure they snipped the right thing?  ::)

I'm seeing a trend here, I think generally speaking HR is not an overly painful and not difficult to recover from surgery.  I think the mental side might be the more difficult piece.  Knowing you have OA, knowing you have no choice but to do surgery (or be in pain the rest of your life), the gratifying feeling of waking up with less pain (sometimes) than had previously, then the few weeks of main recovery (can be draining), and then when you're feeling good, you still have 6 months to a year before you can return to the heavier activities that a lot if us were doing for most of our lives. 

Mentally, it can be a bit challenging.

This is probably one of the worst things anyone can do, compare their recovery results vs. someone else's results.

We're all different with different surgeons utilizing different tools and techniques.

I would say overall hip surgery is not considered one of the worst things to go through but as a doctor once told me, your body is made so that it cannot remember pain, now you may know that you had pain but you cannot bring it back to the point where you can feel it again and thank God for that.

My first question to every hip doc was what were their pain protocols, I am a baby when it comes to pain.



Chuck

Quote from: patrick_d on October 29, 2012, 05:12:32 PM
Just a quick question for all those experienced hippy’s….

How would you compare your recovery from having your hip resurfaced to any other surgeries that you might have been through? 

For example, I shattered my collarbone mountain biking about 10 years ago and need a Basamania procedure to repair it.  That procedure requires inserting a long screw down the length of the collarbone, letting it heal for 4 months, and then removing the screw.  The process to my body was major trauma, big surgery, lots of healing, second smaller surgery, and then more healing.  I have also had an emergency appendectomy, which was actually more painful than the collarbone, but the laparoscopic procedure allowed me to heal very quickly, was back at 90% in 4-5 weeks.  So I know what those healing processes are like.

Just looking for a comparison point.  Not that it really matters, but I am trying to get myself (and my family) mentally ready for this process.

Thanks!
-Patrick

Thanks to all for your stories of other recoveries.  I know Chuck doesn’t agree, but I have found these comments helpful.  It is very nice to have some reference points for other procedures and how they compared to HR recovery.  Nobody truly knows what it will be for them until they go through the process, but that is why it is nice to have all these stories and discussions on this forum.

Dan L â€" Your comment about that final day being the last day your hip would get worse really resonated with me.  Thanks.

Andy â€" “collarbone thingy”…. Nice description, that made me laugh.

Phil â€" That helps a ton.  The pain from my appendicitis sounds similar to your kidney stone. The 15 mile drive to the hospital was horrible, I felt every single bump and pebble in the road.  It only took 20 minutes, but at the time I thought it would never end.

Tin Soldier â€" I am sure you are right that the mental part is the hardest.  I very clearly remember taking a short walk on a nice sunny day shortly after having my “collarbone thingy” and thinking “I am going to be okay.  Just let your body rest and heal.  It is going to be okay.”  I expect to have some moments like that again.

Patrick,

Glad to share that with you.

I was in full panic mode about 30 days prior to the first BHR, while on the outpatient table getting an interarticular injection in the other hip (which was resurfaced 4.5 months after the first), and being in an operating room anticipating what was to come, really set my jitters off.  Afterwards, when they wheeled me out, (and I woke up from twilight sedation) and undoubtedly based on posts read here over those last months prior, I came to that realization, and even for a person who hates medical procedures and needles of all kinds, a calm set in knowing the whole process of degeneration and short term fixes was almost over, and the road to improvement was right around the corner.   The recovery from the surgery is no picnic, but was so much worth it; one of the best decisions I have ever made.

It has been such a remarkable transformation, it is like magic for me.  Super-Smooth walking, no OA stabbing pain or dull, prolonged bone on bone pain for days after exertion, just some muscle healing and ongoing patience required to obey the restrictions, and I follow the program and exercise and watch my weight to preserve these as long as I can.  Both hips continue to improve each day.

Best regards,

Dan