Ernie’s Hip Resurfacing with Dr. De Smet 2021
January 22, 2021
Well there are 3 of us from North America that have now become Surface Hippies. Hipmon [British Columbia], Jason [Colorado], and myself from [Ontario, Canada]. There are also over 20 Swedish people here for Hip Resurfacing. Jason and I are already back at the Hotel but Hipmom is still in the hospital because she had both hips resurfaced.
It was quite the experience from my perspective. I was scheduled for surgery on Jan.20 at 3:00 pm but in the morning they came to my room and asked if I was ready? I did not mind going in early because I just wanted it to get the surgery over with. The nurse just asked if I ate anything and since I did not she told me to shower with the anteseptic soup and they would get me.
Well from what I recall this is how it went:
– the wheeled me down from my hospital room and had me walk to the operating table
– the anesthesiologist just confirmed I had not eaten and I just had small amount of water
– they put an IV in my arm and it was like a dark see through curtain was decending on my vision
– next thing I know I wake up in recovery room and nurse mentions surgery was complete
– Jason saw me in recovery room and said I was asking, “if I should shower with the antiseptic soap?” Weird
– if there was pain I should click button for morphine to control the pain
– if the button was lit you could click for a shot of morpine if not lit you had wait for it to work
– as soon as it was lit up I was clicking; there was definitely pain [for Hipmom it must have been worse]
– when they wheeled me back to the room the nurse advised not to use too much morphine because it will be hard on you later
– once back in the room the pain was not too bad and I did not use the morphine button
– the first day was tough and I was wondering if this was worth it [yes, Hip Replacement would probably be worse]
– I am back at the hotel and continuing rehab with crutches
I am glad that I went for the Hip Resurfacing. Even if it does not allow me to get back to running I still think it is the logical choice. It still puzzles me that more surgeons don’t embrace Hip Resurfacing; in the long run it would probably save money.
It’s unfortunate that I had to pay for the surgery myself but anybody considering the Hip Resurfacing should ask them selves what their life is worth? In my case I just included the cost in my mortgage … I tell people some people buy a new car, I bought a new Hip.
February 3, 2021
Update: Two Weeks Post Op
My recovery is continuing at home and this is my experience so far:
– at the hotel we continued our recovery with forearm crutches which were given to us at the hospital
– had slight bruising on outside of upper thigh and slight swelling
– physiotherapist Linda visited us daily and had us doing progressive exercises
– nurse Elly would visit us after therapy and check our incision and inject us with blood thinner
– Elly instructed on how to inject yourself; I don’t like needles but it has to be done [another week]
– flight home was half full so it was no problem to frequently get up and walk around
– my ankle swelled up after flight; contacted nurse Elly who said to elevate and ice the leg
– I do my exercises daily and seem to be improving; I can walk with 1 crutch
– my limitation is that I am under quarantine and cannot leave my condo for longer walks
– I am happy with my progress and at my age a conservative rehab is probably better anyway
So far, I am pleased with my progress and look forward to walking outside once my quarantine is over [1 more week]. For me going to Belgium for Hip Resurfacing was an ordeal but I am happy I did it. I am grateful that this option was available to me; there are many people in the world who do not have this choice.
Will provide another update in a few weeks and hopefully I will be walking without a crutch.
March 24, 2021
Everything was going real well until a little after 6 weeks. The incision looked great and everything felt good. A few days after 6 weeks sometime during the night a bulge appeared at the bottom of my incision that was about as large as a third of a tennis ball. Other than the bulge the hip still felt good. The week before I was doing body exercises with lite weights and lots of speed walking and even taking 2 steps at time going up stairs. After the bulge appeared I stopped doing 2 steps at a time because I could feel the tension on my stretched skin. Wondering if my exercising caused the bulge I cut back a little bit with my exercises.
I have never had major surgery so this bulge really concerned me and it took me a while to get some reassurance from a Doctor that this was not a serious problem [I hope].
[about 6.5 weeks after Hip Resurfacing]
– I think the bulge appeared Sunday March 7th sometime during the night … stopped sleeping on that side; uncomfortable
– the bulge did not hurt and it seemed soft to the touch
– contacted Nurse Elly [Belgium] on March 9th and sent her a photo of the bulge
– Nurse Elly said to monitor it and if it does not subside see my Doctor [cannot expect her to do much from Belgium]
– by Friday it was not improving so I set up and appointment with my Doctor for Tuesday March 16th
[about 8 weeks after Hip Resurfacing]
– probably because of covid it is difficult to have a Doctor see you so the March 16th appointment was just contact by phone
– March 16th my Doctor recommended that I get x-rays and blood test to check for infection
* also, little bit worried about the number of x-rays … must have had 15 to 20 in the past 3 years
– really wish my Doctor would actually see me and have a look at the bulge; very disappointing
– went for x-rays and blood test before the weekend
– Saturday March 20th I had a good look at the incision and it looked worse; it seemed wider and there were some bumps along the incision
– the bulge at the end of the incision still seemed the same but generally the incision looked worse than at the 6 week mark
– took a photo and sent first photo of bulge and the new photo for comparison to my Doctor’s Office
– Doctor [that was on call] contacted me and said that it did not seem urgent but if I got high fever I should go to Hospital ER
– he made and appointment for me to contact my Doctor on Tuesday March 23rd
– he mentioned that it could be a seroma and that it may be good to wear compression shorts to assist in healing
– purchased compression shorts and started wearing them on Sunday
– Saturday and Sunday it felt like I was a little under the weather but much improved by Monday
[Tuesday March 23rd phone call with my Doctor]
– Doctor informed me that x-rays looked good but blood test indicated some inflammation
– I asked if she could have a look at the bulge and incision because it looked worse than at 6 week mark
– she said that the bulge may have to be drained but she would consult with surgeon and call me back
– she called me back later and informed that if I want a quicker response I should go to Hospital ER
– she emailed me results of my x-rays and blood work to take to the Hospital ER
* wish I would have done this sooner [stressed]. I am probably over reacting but the bulge was concerning
[Wednesday March 24th – 9 weeks after Hip Resurfacing]
– it took about 3 to 4 hours but finally a Doctor was able to have a look at my bulge
– the Doctor said it was most likely a seroma but he does not recommend draining it
– he said it was not that large and that draining it could cause slight chance of infection [why take the risk]
– he recommends wearing compression shorts and said it will most likely be absorbed in time
– also, just to be safe, he made an appointment for me to see a Hip Surgeon just to confirm everything is in order
* really appreciate this Doctors diagnosis and it made me feel much less stressed
Other than this bulge [seroma], I would say my hip feels great. It’s nice NOT to be limping and to be pain free. In another month I will try doing some slow [soft] running and see how it goes. Unfortunately, during covid our gym is closed so I cannot use a bike or the elliptical to get a good cardio workout. What I really miss, is working up a good sweat from a cardio workout.
I have not heard many people mention seroma’s as a problem after Hip Resurfacing but it may be worth asking your Hip Resurfacing Surgeon if wearing compression shorts may prevent them from developing.
April 7, 2021
Update on my Bulge [Probably Seroma]
Wearing the compression shorts really seemed to help my body dissolve the bulge. I bought a couple compression shorts and started wearing them all day and night. By the time I saw the Hip Surgeon on April 1st the bulge was almost completely gone. For the first few days the inside of my shorts would be a little [very little] stained with whatever was discharged along the incision. I was a little worried but after about 3 or 4 days this stopped. Possibly the bulge would have disappeared on it’s own but I think the compression shorts really helped.
[April 1st – Hip Surgeon checked my incision]
– the bulge was almost completely gone but the incision still looked a little rough with indentations and a few longer pimple like bumps
– the incision looked much better than when bulge was there
– had the Hip Surgeon look at the incision and he said that it was healing; he suggested I put polysporin on it to help it heal
– he had some knowledge of Hip Resurfacing because he asked if it was the Birmingham … I told him it was the Adept
– he said it should continue to heal but if I had any problems I can contact him [very reassuring]
– did some running with poles; 1 minute on 1 minute off and was able to run a little over an 8 minute kilometre
* could probably run a 6 minute km no problem but do not want to over do it [generally run 5 or 6km max 2 or 3 times a week with poles]
[April 7th – 11 weeks since Hip Resurfacing]
– the incision still looks a little rough but much better than last week … must be healing
– sleeping on the incision side since last week … almost imperceptible
– just today I rode my bike for 35km and the hip felt great [first real cardio work out since Hip Resurfacing]
Also did some research on problems with sutures; this is what I found:
– sometimes sutures can be expelled by the body several weeks to several months after surgery; they call this a “Spitting Suture”
– sometimes you may see small thread protruding and other times, it looks like a pimple or red bump near the incision
* sounds like this is what may have happened to my incision?
I am very satisfied with my Hip Resurfacing. It is unbelievable how good my hip feels … it just feels so normal.
May 20, 2021
An update on my progress up to 4 months since my Hip Resurfacing
[April 20th – 3 months after Hip Resurfacing]
– walking 3 or 4 times a week & weights 2 or 3 times a week
– was doing some fast walking with poles up to this date
– Started doing some light running WITHOUT poles
– usually went about 3 to 5k with some fast running spurts
– few days in tried easy running without walk breaks but it was too much
– if I tried to increase my stride length there was pain on inside of groin
– for a few days I would limp a little just after starting to walk … then back to normal
– made decision to do more walking than running – do not want to damage hip
[April 28th – wiped out on my bike]
– looked behind me for too long: when I looked forward saw garbage cans but could not swerve around them and fell
– it was lucky that I did NOT fall on my resurfaced hip
– had some scrapes and my left shoulder and right hand sustained some injuries
– did not cycle again until May 16th
[May 5th – speed test]
– went for a walk/run and felt really good
– started with a 1 km walk and then wanted to see if I could break 6 minutes for a 1 km run
– did a 5:38 for 1 km [new record post hip resurfacing]
– there was mild pain afterwards and I have not tried another 1 km speed test since then
[May 20th – 4 months after Hip Resurfacing]
– less than 4 years ago I was able to run a 5k under 20 minutes but by then osteoarthritis had already started
– hopefully I can get under 25 minutes for 5k if I heal well [aging also takes it’s toll]
– my challenge is to increase my stride length – may take some time because my leg was probably adapted to limping
– would like to run some road races again but even if I can’t I am grateful to have had my hip resurfaced
– it is still unbelievable how normal my hip feels
If it was not for this website I never would have had my hip resurfaced. Hip Resurfacing is a risk but so is Hip Replacement. It is up to everybody to do their own due diligence and do what is appropriate for them. My Hip Resurfacing is still not totally healed but so far so good.
I really appreciate this website and all of the guidance it provided me.
August 21, 2021
An update on my progress:
[Running]
– have been running/walking 3 to 4 times a week and try to go 5 to 7k in total
– past month I have been trying to run 4k consecutive
– the 4k distance feels good as long as I do not go too fast
– if I push the speed too much my leg tightens up and I have to slow down
– it’s definitely improving because a few months ago the tightening would happen sooner
– have been working on increasing my cadence rather than stride length [recommended by petemeads]
– in another month or 2 I will start running 5k consecutive
– my fastest 1k is 4:18 and my fastest mile is 7:20
– still reluctant to really push the pace; will wait a few more months to be safe
*** running video 1 ***
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eV0l0rRK446BnUPBfgRCrRiFi41bUTzv/view?usp=sharing
*** running video 2 ***
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XNH781-OqfUDaLvJAQYkspUk6niDAFrf/view?usp=sharing
[Cycling]
– usually only cycle once a week and sometimes twice
– generally I go 30 to 35k but have gone up to 47k
– happy with 30 to 35k for longer aerobic workout than running
– try to push the pace uphill for some added intensity
[Weights & Stretching]
– generally try for 2 weight & stretching sessions a week
– usually workout for 45 minutes to an hour maximum [intense]
– with my stretching I also include martial arts kicks
– it’s been around 30 years since I was involved in martial arts/kickboxing
– up until about 5 years ago would still do rounds on the heavy bag once or twice a week
– video of me was without much warmup so my kicks are not very high [not my gym]
– never had the flexibility of the “Van Damme” but if I warmed up I could kick a little higher
– pivoting on resurfaced hip still freaks me out a bit [there must be a lot of torque]
*** kicking/punching video ***
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VbVlH4jgEdEaikNLzQKxY_sEeo4JVEO6/view?usp=sharing
For those considering Hip Resurfacing I can only say that for me the result is amazing. I hope my Resurfaced Hip lasts a lifetime but there are no guarantees and you have to do your own due diligence. As I mentioned before; Hip Resurfacing surgery is a risk but so is Hip Replacement surgery.
July 31, 2023
Update on my progress:
The hip just feels normal and I can do everything as before.
– running 4 to 5 times a week; generally 5 to 10k
– just happy to be running and not really training that hard
– ran 5 races in past year; 2 x 5k, 4 miler, 8.5k trail race and a 10k
– surprised to finish in the top 3 [age group] in all my races
– running close to a 80 second 400 meter; may try to lower that time
– also, some weights & stretching
Just enjoying life and I am so grateful that I found this Website.
Hope my update helps others who are considering Hip Resurfacing.