Bilateral with Dr Gross

[Ross]

Officially, it is over bilateral resurfacing 11/26 and 11/28 been up and walking.  Pain is pretty well controlled.  I am 6'3 and 220lbs so 20mg OxyContin was not enough.  Dr Gross increased the dose and pain was well tolerated.  Little tired so I will post later.  Thanks for all your support.

Cordially,
Ross

[patrick_d]

Congrats Ross!  You guys that do bilaterals amaze me.  Dr. Gross did his job, now your job is to rest and heal.

Best of luck!

[Pat Walter]

Congratulations Ross.  Take it easy.  Looking forward to reading about your progress when you feel better.

Pat

[blt01]

You will be glad you did this. Congrats.

Brad (blt01)

[hernanu]

Congrats and welcome to the bilat club! I'll leave the real hard core same day bilats to welcome to the more exclusive club... 

[Dee Dee]

Congrats.  When I had my first hip done there was a man there who had both done.  I was amazed at how well he was getting along.  One more week and I will be a bilat too.  Only mine are 6 months apart.
Dee

[hernanu]

No only to that, Dee.

[Ross]

Had my right leg done 4 days ago and that one is doing pretty good  My left leg was done 2 days ago and is swollen and painful..  Gotta keep icing the crap out of it.  I am wiped out and will post later

[hernanu]

Pretty normal, Ross - each one can go differently. The swelling is normal as well; you're doing the right thing with ice, etc.

[patrick_d]

Ross your body has been through a ton of trauma, well planned and expertly performed, but trauma non-the-less.  And you have 2X what most of us did!  Lots of rest and icing like Hernan said and maybe try getting the leg elevated some too if you can for a little while....toes over nose is the guideline.   

As for being wiped out....I am 16 days out and still need 9-10 hours sleep at night and a 20-30 minute light nap mid day.  I think that is all pretty normal for the first few months.

Hang in there.

[Ross]

I had so much anesthesia in my body that I felt horrible.  Took mag citrate without relief 4 milk of magnesia and finally a bottle of prune juice.  It was a little nasty for a while but I feel so much better.  The cocktail from anesthesia is was strong I do not remember the epidural at all during either case.  I awoke with zero pain and stayed that way for the next 6 hours.  My experience with the Dr Gross, Lee, and the rest of his team was amazing.  . 

Patrick,
How is your recovery going?

Ross

[patrick_d]

Yeah, that anesthesia can sometimes mess up your GI system pretty badly.  And I cant imagine what doing that surgery twice in 3 days would do to your GI tract!  Glad thing have gotten straightened out for you.

I sort of had the opposite problem, but that was because I couldn't handle the anti-inflammatory med Mobic.  All these meds just do a number on the gut, it seems that is frequently the toughest part of the whole recovery!

The rest of my recovery story is here: http://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/hip-stories/countdown-complete-on-to-recovery/

Keep resting and icing and update whenever you feel you can.

[Ross]

One week postoperative update aft bilateral resurfacing with Dr Gross.  Pain is very minimal.  I would call it more tightness and stiffness than anything.  My right hip feels much better than the left.  My right side was done first and was much worse than the left from a clinical perspective.  As soon as I started walking after the last surgery, the left hip was noticeably different.  The left side has more stiffness and popping.  I have been doing the PTexercises and walking 1500 feet twice a day.  My left hip would pop and then my lower back would start to ache.  I spoke to Lee who is really great about calling you back and listening.  Se told me to shorten my stride and to decrease the distance when the pain start up.  It is hard to tell which part of your gait is the most important.  Your stride,pace, or weight deliverance.  I ordered a Lafuma recliner as my sofa has a recliner in it but does not have arms to push off to get up without breaking the 90 degree rule.  My wife has been helping me out of the recliner at night when I become stiff and uncomfortable.  This time frame is progressively getting longer.  I use the pain meds at night mostly.  The need for independence is intense so I think hat I solved my problem with the elevate Lafuma with good solid arm rest.  The elevated commode is an absolute must and I would never enter into this surgery without it and in hind-sight a proven recliner.  The more independence you have the better you will feel about yourself and your recovery.  I can get in and out of my truck better and have tried to go back to doing the things that my wife and I normally do like Evening drinks with family and friends, playing with the Lionel trains with my son.  Those things made me feel so good about moving towards normalcy.  I feel optimistic and confidant about the surgery and recovery.  My wife told me you look and sound so much better than when you had that hip scope the first time around.  I can honestly say that the pain from the hip scope was easily 4x greater than anything hat I have experienced so far.  I can feel how great it is going to be reel soon.  Will post up later with updates.  Very grateful to Dr Gross very grateful indeed.

[hernanu]

It all sounds good, Ross - keep up both the good work and the positive attitude.

[Dan L]

Ross;

Congrats on your double-dip hip, and in short order you'll be smiling alot more than before.  Ice, follow the program, stay ahead of the pain when needed, and rest as much as possible to allow all the soft tissue time to heal.  I found the second time the muscle relaxers helped me avoid the narcotics alot more, which helped on many fronts (mood, digestive mobility, sleep etc). 

Your comments about independence really ring true: I felt that way and being able to do things without help was a big morale boost.  Do be careful when you are out and in a vehicle particularly, any small woopsie in a car context could lead to a larger problem.  I felt like and acted like the dogs going to the park whenever I got out after these surgeries-- the feeling of normalcy and independence driven by cabin fever-- was a life saver but did add some risk.  After riding with my wife up to our retirement home a couple hours away a week after the 1st surgery I decided I better drive the next times, (which I really should not have as I was told not to) but the morale boost was worth the risk (easy to say since nothing bad happened).

Best regards,

dan

[Ross]

Update:  Made it half mile today on two crutches.  My back had been aching while walking so I focused on using my quad to swing the leg through.  It made a huge difference.  1. 1/2 weeks postoperative  I'm on the move!

[Ross]

Two weeks postoperative today.  I think that the hardest part is still sleeping on my back.  Also, my back has been aching right in the sacral area.  I am really trying to focus on standing up straight and lightly using the crutch.  I tried to take one away....no way.  Starting to get a little cabin fever so have been venturing out.  I get annoyed when people hold doors for me.  Guess I have some insecurities but at least I say thank you and move on.  Christmas is coming and  everyone is excited.  Can't wait to see how I advance this week.  Thanks for everything.

Cordially,
Ross

[Dee Dee]

Wow. You are doing great Ross.   
I am a little grumpy from being house bound at one week post op. my walking is limited to the mailbox and back since the last effort sent me into an episode that ended in the ER.  (See don't over do)
I hope to get a little more mobile, but I am swollen and sore and don't really feel like doing much.

I think your recovery sounds on target!  Keep reporting.
Dee

[imgetinold]

Sounds like you are having a good, and likely typical, recover.  Especially from a bilateral.

You're hitting that time frame where it seems to get noticeably better on an almost daily basis.  Just be careful that you don't overdo it. 

Continued good luck to you!

[Ross]

If I could get my low back to settle down that would make me extremely happy.  Right on the sacrum is very tender.

Thanks for the advice Dee and IMG.  Hope that you heal quickly Dee.  Keep taking those pain meds, ice, and do those exercises even if it is uncomfortable.  I will say those Nucynta make your mood better as they have serotonin and epinephrine in them.  Thanks to all.
Cordially,
Ross