Recovery Timeline for Dr. Gross patients???

[23109VC]

Hi everyone.  I had my left hip resurfaced by Dr. Gross back in 2011.  It went great and that hip is still going strong.  Fast forward to now and my right hip is ready to be done and I have surgery scheduled in July.  The LAST time I was there .. I recall staying in the hotel for at least 10 days after surgery and the flight home was uncomfortable to say the least.  I did not do a whole lot after surgery except take my meds, and ice.  I did venture out of the hotel a couple of times to go to a restaurant and my wife pushed me around one museum somewhere local for a few hours - but I was ready to go home and ice.  I definitely was NOT wanting to be up and moving around a lot - nor did I want to be off the ice machine for very long at all.

I am aware that his new recovery timeline is much faster than before.  I have been told I can fly home from SC to CA in just a few days and I should not expect to be that uncomfortable - not like last time.  I”m curious as to whether I will be tethered to the ice machine like before?  Are you up and moving around and able to be more mobile quicker than I did last time?

I was trying to gauge whether or not it would be feasible or possible if I stayed in SC for a week, if by the end of the week I’d be able to get up and walk around - enough to do some light sightseeing - or would that be way out of the questions?  Aside from a really short trip to a local museum where I was pushed around in a wheelchair - I didn’t really feel like doing much of anything right after surgery, and I didn’t feel like I was really able to walk any significant distance for at least 2-3 weeks.  By week 3-4 i was able to get around much better - drastically better than the week after surgery.

I’m wondering if what I should expect this time around is that I can fly home sooner with less discomfort - but that I will still be wanting to just sit around on the couch and/or in bed watching TV, reading books, for the first few weeks - or will I be able to walk around Costco in that same timeframe?

I am just trying to set expectations.  Thx.

[ScubaDuck]

Wow!  Your replacement story sounds very familiar!  I had my left hip done by Dr. Pritchett in Seattle in August 2011.  He replaced my right one in December 2022.

I can't imagine how you were able to fly across country after 10 days!  I will say that my recovery was better this time but still the 2 hour car trip home was not super comfortable three days after surgery.  I was definitely moving around better with less pain this time.  Still I would say that I limited my walks to the hotel corridors for several days before going home.  My log shows that I did two 2 km walks nine days after surgery.  I would definitely make sure you have ice available since that seemed to really help between the Tylenol/Advil regimen three times a day.

Will you survive the schedule you describe?  Absolutely.  Will you have a lot of discomfort and not enjoy outings in the first few weeks?  Absolutely.  This initial recovery was  easier and quicker than the previous one but it still wasn't fun.

I kept a log for the first six weeks or so detailing my activity level, pain levels, and pill regimen.  Now at five months I am doing really well but a bit frustrated with still having some pain.  Although I am sure Dr. Gross has a different approach I can let me know my experience.

Best wishes.

[YetiKing]

i had my right hip done by dr gross on 2/16/21. stayed in hotel overnight - nurse came to check on me that night and dr gross came in the following morning.  he cleared me to leave and my wife did the 8 hour drive from sc to oh with me still slightly loopy and the ice machine running almost non-stop.  stopped a few times to get out and walk a little.  wasn't a great drive (as a passenger) but it was great to get home.

recovery has gone to plan and am back to doing everything i wanted to do.

good luck.