New Dr. Gross Hippy Day 9

mari · February 27, 2009, 05:07:39 PM

Thank you Pat for this wonderful site. I learned much before I made my decision as to where to have my surgery. I am recovering nicely at age 62. I have no pain, but swelling has been a problem for me. Even after icing a lot I still have trouble with the calf of my leg being quite uncomfortable by evening. I leave the ice machine on all night and that seems to help alot, along with elevating the foot. I also try to elevate it several times a day, and wrap the calf with a cold gel pack. If anyone else has any other suggestions please let me know.

Thanks to all who have contributed their stories; they helped me decide to go through with this. Dr. Gross and his assistant Lee Webb and nurse Nancy have been terrific, and my experience at the hospital was great also.

Mari

Bionic · February 27, 2009, 05:23:50 PM

Congratulations Mari on a successful operation. The only think I might add to address your swelling is to keep doing your ankle pumps and other PT.

I found it very helpful to drink loads of G2 (low sugar Gatorade). It was right around the 1-week mark, maybe a little later, that I noticed my swelling was really going down. I wouldn't be surprised if you're doing much better by the end of the weekend.

obxpelican · February 27, 2009, 05:30:06 PM

Mari,

Make sure with icing to elevate above your heart, the swelling will go down eventually but it's different for everyone.

Glad your experience with Dr. Gross and his crew was a positive one, I've never hear of anyone complaining about them, only good things.

Chuck

Quote from: mari on February 27, 2009, 05:07:39 PM
Thank you Pat for this wonderful site. I learned much before I made my decision as to where to have my surgery. I am recovering nicely at age 62. I have no pain, but swelling has been a problem for me. Even after icing a lot I still have trouble with the calf of my leg being quite uncomfortable by evening. I leave the ice machine on all night and that seems to help alot, along with elevating the foot. I also try to elevate it several times a day, and wrap the calf with a cold gel pack. If anyone else has any other suggestions please let me know.

Thanks to all who have contributed their stories; they helped me decide to go through with this. Dr. Gross and his assistant Lee Webb and nurse Nancy have been terrific, and my experience at the hospital was great also.

Mari

stevel · February 28, 2009, 12:40:05 PM

The only item I have heard about Gross hippies is they experience a lot of swelling and need to use the ice machine. This seems to be confirmed by reviewing recent posts. One would need to compare to posts from patients of other doctors to confirm if Gross hippies have more swelling than normal.

Bionic · February 28, 2009, 01:21:30 PM

I'm not aware that Gross Hippies swell more than usual. My swelling was much less than many people here have reported. It peaked about about 6 days post-op and was down basically to zero by 2 weeks.

The ice machine really helped to contain swelling in the beginning, but I stopped using mine at about 4 days post-op and just used an ice bag.

obxpelican · February 28, 2009, 01:26:39 PM

Steve,

Actually the only bad swelling I had was the Sunday after my long trip home the night before in a car, I iced, elevated and was fine by Monday, I used the ice machine mainly for the monkey fist that I had post-op. I had very little swelling beyond the first couple days.

You yourself had swelling down to your foot 10 days post-op with Dr. Su (see quote below), does that mean all Dr Su patients have swelling issues? Probably not. The ice machine is just a great way to treat patients.

I am 10 days post-op and back home in Douglas, Alaska. I have had swelling down to my left foot (operated side) and need to raise my feet above my chest at night and periodically during the day. I take a couple of pain pills at night, but none during the day. I walked one block to the post office yesterday, using a cane.

I think Bionic had very little swelling on his hip except for the day after he got home like me and then only minor swelling for short time, the same for my friend Lisa who lives nearby me who got operated on October 22nd, I have another fellow Dr. Gross hippy in Chicago who had very little pain or swelling although he used the ice machine a lot after he got home.

Dr. Gross uses the machine because it's easier on the patient because you don't end up with frost bite because it's cold water pumping through tubes in the pad not ice against your body.

My pain was never worse than my hip on my worst days, I was given 20 pain pills and I still have 8 pills left.

Many patients end up with some swelling it's just something that happens when you're operated on no matter who the doctor is.

Chuck

triathloner · March 09, 2009, 02:49:59 PM

I'm a Dr Gross hippie, I really didn't have any swelling after I left the hospital. Maybe I was just lucky I guess.

karenj_m · March 09, 2009, 06:50:25 PM

Bionic:

I was about the same as you....didn't find the swelling to be super excessive at all, but 3 days after I was home is when I noticed it more so....

But I wore my ice machine thingamajiggy ALL THE TIME to keep the bruising down too.

Worked great! Love that little guizmo ;)

mari · March 09, 2009, 09:42:06 PM

Looking back, I have realized that a lot of my swelling was due to traveling by car for close to 1400 miles. We stayed at hotels two nights on the way home and I did use the ice machine then, but when I rode in the car I just sat in the back seat with an ice pack and had my leg on a pillow, but not elevated. I am sure that's what contributed to the swelling. It took several days at home to reduce the swelling. If I had to do it over I would lie down in the back with my leg elevated. Just a word of caution to anyone thinking of a long car ride.