Rob,
Congrats on your new hip! I'm so pleased that the op seems to have gone well!
Thanks for tge support over the last 6 months or so it helped me a great deal before my op and hope you have felt the same.
Just remember take it easy now and let your body do it's job of healing you!
All the best brother
Danny
Hey that's awesome, but I didn't see his post. Did everything go well?
I believe his op was Tuesday, I'm sure he'll be on here to tell us how the op went when he's feeling better!
Danny
anyone heard from Boomer? He was supposed to get right today I think. Curt
Hey evryone. Thanks for the posts, i appreciate it,
Op went well, I am just a bit out of it right now but will catch up when I am released. Thanks for all your support.
No worries bro, your in my thoughts and prayers
Danny
Congrats Rob.
Curt
Great news, looking forward to your post and congrats.
Congratulations. You have been in my thoughts all week. You are now on the other side. Best wishes on your successful recovery!!! :)
Congrats Rob & welcome to the other side. I'm sure your recovery will go well.
Simon
Hey everyone.....I am back and feeling great. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes, it means a lot and really helped me through the process.
The op was, dare I say, a piece of cake. I am day three now and just got home a few hours ago. Virtually no real pain but definitely soreness and swelling. I have noticed that the hip will bite me back if I try to move too much or too fast but that is to expected. I cant say enough about Dr Schmitt and the anterior approach. He is a true profession and checked up om me several times. I was proud when he told me that there was virtually nothing in there but bone spurs left. I really do feel great and the scar is only about 7 inches or so. The only thing I would change is I wish x-rays were taken after the surgery to see what the prosthesis looked like. Looks like I have to wait til the 2week check up.
The only trouble I had was yesterday on the way to rehab. I had been in my room in the dark sleeping (trying to sleep anyway) and then to went right to rehab where the sun was shining right into the room. I got a nasty headache and my blood pressure dropped pretty low. So, needless to say I felt like crap last night and this morning. That was more me than anything having to do with the surgery so I am not upset in the least bit.
Other than that I feel good. I know I have a long way to go but I am cautiously optimistic for the next few months. Many thanks to my family, my wife especially, for being there for me and for all of you guys for your support along the way. I truly appreciate it.
More to come soon, take care.
Great to hear you're home safe & ready to start your recovery Rob. So pleased for you.
I'm only 6 days ahead of you, but I will say that each day gets better & better.
All forward from here.
Well done mate.
Simon
WOW!! How excited you must be!! This is a wonderful report, despite the headache. Sooo very happy for you. Glad to hear the Dr. was great too and your scar will fade to nothing. Please keep us pre-ops updated, as even the most trivial things are very important to US !! Happy healing...
Elle
Congratulations! Even if you have the nicest hospital in the world with the best nurses, gourmet food, and a comfortable bed, there is no place like home.
Best wishes as you recover. Push your body a little but not too much. And remember RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
Dan
Yogurt, ice, rest, mini PT, and some video games, or good book, or maybe Mythbusters marathon.
Good job, Rob!
Rbt2001 - Thanks for the update post. I'm so glad you are back home and on your way to a quick recovery. You can enjoy the 'no spur' feeling from now on. Thanks for sharing your experiences and progress. I'm about one month behind you.
Tin-Thanks for the advice. Yogurt is perfect food for recovery and for some reason I never really thought about it. Picked out a few good books that I have been meaning to get through the last few years. Already put a good dent in one today. Nice picture of your first steps by the way. You looked WAY better than I did.
Danny told me about some calcium supplements. Thats a great idea as well. Is anyone taking calcium supplements, iron supplements, multivitamins, fish oil, etc post surgery? I never really went over that and will try to check the past posts tomorrow.
Mslendzin-You will good fine. Schmitt was great. Do you meet with him again prior to the surgery? You are the beginning of January, right?
Overall, I am feeling pretty good. I have very little strength in my hip flexors (cant really lift my leg up) and have zero strength in abduction? (going from outward to inward). I also just cant shake this low, dull headache that comes and goes for the last 4 days. The good news is, I already know it is better than before. I can actually stand up straight and dont have joint pain. My back, while super stiff from not being able to bend over, feels about 53 million times better than before.
I have my moments of frustration and still some feelings of anger/anxiety/fear over this whole ordeal. But, I need to focus on the positive and I can say that I honestly have a great deal to be thankful for. The success of this surgery being just one of those gifts.
Thanks again to all for the kind words.
Rob, I love the attitude. There is going to be UPS and downs, but a continuous improvement. The first part of it is the absence of that Damned hip pain.
Keep it going.
Rob, you're doing really well mate and each day DOES get better and better!
The emotions you're feeling are similar to what I felt staright after my op - particularly in the first week. A lot of up & down - manily up thankfully. The fatigue is the worst part I found, but once you get moving it's amazing how quickly you improve.
Box on champ and keep us posted.
Cheers
Simon
Congrats! It's only going to get better. Stick with the physical therapy....it's your fast pass ticket to getting better.
Hi Rbt2011, Glad to hear that in these early days you feel you are now better then pre surgery. I wonder if the dull headache is due to the drugs, I hope these end for you soon. What level of PT are you doing this early? How mobile are you? Do you use crutches and have you had to conquer stairs? I'm scheduled for a presurgery appointment with Dr. Schmitt Thursday this week. I'm scheduled for surgery on 1/9/12. So glad you have good feedback on him.
Good luck in the healing process! You are on your way!
Rbt2001 -
I am very happy for you now that you have the resurfacing surgery behind you! When you feel up to it, I would love to see how you do with PT and when you reach important milestones like your surgery pain diminishing.
I get bilateral hip resurfacing by Dr. Schmitt on December 20th. It's just around the corner, and I'm getting really excited to begin with healing pain instead of just going from one day to the next without hope of ever getting out of pain or out of the house for that matter!
Dr. Schmitt said I can wean off my pain medications anytime I felt like it after my surgery, so I'm quite interested in hearing any details of Schmitt's aftercare, your pain levels, and your followup care & PT that you'd care to share. Good luck with these first weeks of recovery!!!
Two4one and mslendzion,
The pain has been very, very manageable. I know I was worried about it preop, but it has been not bad. Don't worry.
I do the standard PT they recommend at the hospital twice a day. I can't do one of the exercises (they are more movements than exercises) because it hurts. I have been off pain meds since day 3 or 4. Headaches are much better now. Pain level is low overall. My Range of motion and strength are bad, but I expected that.
The only concern I have now is I am getting some clunking (which I have read is normal). Other than that, it's been good. Best of luck to both of you and I will definitely answer any questions you have. You will both do great!
If you get a chance at your next appointment, ask him what cup angle is best.. I am interested in that and forgot what he said.
Take care
I don't mean to butt in on Rbt's thread, but thought I'd add some of my of own experiences to this discussion since I'm also a Schmitt surface hippy. My surgery was the day before Rbt's on 11/28 so we actually were in the hospital at the same time.
As far as pain, I don't do well on narcotics so haven't taken them, either pre-op or post-op. Therefore, I didn't use the Vicodin pain pump in the hospital. Instead, I was given Toradol via IV every six hours which is a very effective anti-inflammatory and all that I needed to manage the pain. Upon discharge, they automatically write a script for Norco as the take home pain med. Again, I requested a non-narcotic alternative and was given Motrin 800's which I've only used as needed, not round the clock, in addition to frequent icing. YMMV, but I haven't had to manage narcotic night sweats, headaches, nausea, drowsiness, brain fog, etc, which I know would be adding stress to these early days of the recovery process.
Like Rbt's, I too can't say enough about Dr. Schmitt, his staff, and the entire DMC Huron Valley-Sinai experience. The new orthopedic wing that opened just a few weeks ahead of surgery was gorgeous and state of the art...good timing for all of the Schmitt patients posting here. One thing I noticed compared to my postpartum hospital experiences after delivering my two babies was the peaceful environment which I found to be very calming. Oh, and the "room service" food was surprisingly very good.
Mobility has been okay getting around the house, just taking it slow and steady using the walker per the instructions of the hospital PT's. I've also been managing pretty well using the equipment aids as instructed by the OT's, with the exception of needing help with the TEDS socks. Home health care started the day after I got home with a visiting RN checking the incision, swelling, and taking vitals. PT will be starting in a day or two and I've been doing the hospital exercises in the meantime. Taking showers has been a bit challenging which leaves me wiped out afterward, but I know that will get easier like everything else.
It's a huge weight lifted when you get this surgery behind you since I found the anticipation to be worse than the reality. Good luck everyone.
Rob, the cup angle preferences seem to be around 40 degrees. Dr. Gross stated that the only measurement that seems to matter to him is that the angle be less than 50 degrees. Anything less than that seems to have nearly zero problems due to angle. Hope it helps and congrats on your recovery, sounds great.
Curt
Curt-thanks for the info on the cup angle. Dr. Schmitt had a way of explaining it specifically because just using a protractor isn't accurate.
MGM
You are not hijacking this at all. You did a much better job describing the experience than I so please continue. Two4one and mslendzion are Looking for info on the surgery and Dr. Schmitt so thanks for sharing. That's the point of this whole site and what makes it so great.
Sounds like your recovery is going great. Keep it up. I would agree that the Toradal was the best (I didnt like the narco stuff either). I will agree to disagree with you about the food. Are you getting the clunking too?
Lol, didn't mean to sound overly enthusiastic about the food. It just exceeded my low expectations given the usual stereotype of hospital food being inedible. Maybe I happened to hit on their better offerings because I actually ordered the Greek salad more than once given how tasty it was.
I've had a slight clunking feeling twice since being home, but it wasn't very pronounced and, at this early post-op stage, is normal from the posts I've read here.
rbt2011 you are awesome. In your healing state you are thinking of us yet to cross to the other side. Thank you!!!
Hello mslendzion, MGM, and Rbt2011!
It's so wonderful to hear how well you 2 recent Dr. Schmitt hippies are doing, and I'm glad to read and hear about all the good things you and other patients are saying about this surgeon. From the levels of pain you are reporting post op, now I'm thinking I'll be weaning off my pre op pain meds much sooner than I anticipated.
I got my hospital call today from the surgical nurse to take a history, etc., and I am impressed with their warmth and professionalism. Friends and relatives are saying things like "before Christmas, Really?", but they don't understand that my bilateral resurfacing on December 20th will be the best Christmas present of my life. I feel like a little kid counting down the days!
Two4one,
Glad to hear all the presurgical scheduling is going well for you. I did find everyone at HVSH to be really good as well.
I had always read posts about people's recoveries having up days and down days. While I was off pains meds fast, I did take a few last night and this morning. I have been going at it pretty hard and I think I over did it yesterday. Regardless, no need to worry. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when it is all over with.
MGM. I had some at home PT today and have a real hard time bring my leg to center (adduction?), and with flexion. I have some pretty good muscle pain and am super weak. My pain is coming from the inner groin when I try this. The PT said this was likely due to the surgical approach, but I am just wondering if you are having this as well.
Rbt-- Had my 1st home PT yesterday and it definitely was tough, to the point that my leg was throbbing trying to sleep last night...ice and Motrin. I'm now able to push out/pull in to center when sitting unlike last week in hospital rehab and, yes, I can feel it in the groin and thigh, but it's more tightness than pain. Then she had me lay on my good side, pillows between legs, and asked me to lift the leg up. No way, zero strength, and the pain was excruciating when she tried to gently lift it a bit. Unable to do such a simple exercise really showed me it's gonna be a long road back.
Speaking of PT, did you get a referral from Schmitt's office for outpatient rehab? I'm wondering how important it is to locate a therapist who's familiar with HR or if a general ortho/hip PT is okay?
It's not that long a road back, MGM. At least you'll be shocked by the progress.
I also had the same thing when I first tried to do side lifts. I just could not move the damn thing! I was more pissed than anything else, and took it as a personal affront, since I KNEW my muscles hadn't gone that far. My PT llifted it slightly, it was the hardest thing I'd done in a long time to try to push it, even with her helping.
The next time she came (about four days later), I had tried several times on my own and could not move the thing. She helped me to lift it and it wasn't quite as impossible, just improbable for me to lift it. I asked her whether this was unusual and did I need to go to some remedial class ::) .
She was pretty interesting in her description. She said that she thought it was more than just muscle strength or the healing process - she thought the muscles needed to re-learn working together again, since they had undergone major trauma, the muscle memory needed to be reawakened. She felt the support as you raised it was training the muscles as well as supporting weakened muscles. I thought it was pretty foofy and told her so, she laughed and said that it was something she felt from many THR rehabs she had gone through (I was her first HR... you always remember the first one ::) ).
Anyways - the third time, I had been practicing a bit, and actually was able to raise it a bit before the PT. When we got to this exercise, I actually only needed a bit of support and my leg went up. After that, on my own, the side raise became easier and easier. It was never easy until a few months went by, but by a couple of weeks later I was doing about 15.
You'll get there quickly, there are just some obstacles to overcome.
I was very surprised at how weak some of the muscles were after surgery. Leg lifts, both to the front and the side were impossible at first. I did my abduction moves lying in bed and that was difficult at first. I could barely do those I can't imagine doing them laying on my side and lifting my leg early on. Then I graduated to doing them standing up and to the side. It was only after weeks of those exercises that I could begin to lift the weight of the whole leg like you describe.
Keep a it. You will be amazed at how quickly strength will come back.
Best wishes.
Dan
Same for me as the others. Practicing the front leg lift and the abduction to the side while STANDING (courtesy of Hernanu) was very helpful in gaining confidence in lifting the leg while on my side. Still, it was the last set of muscles that I could work with and the weakest overall. Still gaining strength as I go. Don't despair, it comes.
Curt
hernanu, DGossack, curt
Thanks for your encouragement and perspective on the recovery timeline. I had another home PT session yesterday and she threw a lot more at me. She's worked with many surgical hip patients and feels I'm ready since I've been able to do most of the exercises unassisted with the exception of leg lifts of any kind. Like you all said, she said keep trying and one day, it'll just happen.
My biggest problem following PT is that my leg aches/throbs which wakes me up throughout the night. Of course, she tells me to ice, ice, ice after she leaves which I would do anyway and Motrin helps take the edge off, but it makes me wonder if that's a sign that I'm doing too much too soon??
Rbt-- How's your rehab been going? I asked my PT about the groin pain you mentioned. She said, in her experience, her male patients feel post-op groin pain much more than females, based on the anatomical differences that also contribute to more hernias in males v. females, more easily torn ACL's in females than males, etc. She didn't think surgical approach was the issue since her THR patients have different incision locations and seem to follow the same pattern.
2 week update
My 1 follow up with the surgeon is Friday. Looking forward to seeing that X-ray and hearing about how brave I was during the surgery :D
I am pretty much down to 1 crutch most of the time. Occasionally, I do try to walk without a crutch but my gait is pretty bad. So, I am trying to now really focus on good form and will be with the crutch for a while longer. I am not where I thought I would be, not where I want to be, but I am getting there. Lots of good posts on Dannywayoflifes post about this earlier today. One day at a time, right!
The pain seems to be all but gone in the joint. I never had too much of that achy, dull pain except for when i pushed exercise too hard. My pain was when i walked and moved the leg. This, i can definitely say is gone. While i may walk like an 90 year old man right now, ill get there. I do feel some muscle soreness and pain but it seems to be isolated to movements to the side or front.
PT isn't bad. Overall I have seen improvement in the last 4 or 5 days. I still have little strength in the hip flexors. I'm hoping to get released to swim this week and figure the hip flexors will work themselves out soon enough. From what I read, they are some of the last muscles to start shaping up.
Scar has healed nicely. No issues there. I'm really surprised at how little problem this was. I have had some big cuts before that required stitches and they were a lot more problematic than this was. The glue they used to close the wound has been great.
I have quite a bit of clunking and get wiped out pretty easily. It's cold and icey here so my walks are limited to in the house (I have a very small house) or the local grocery store. Looking forward to getting released to ride an exercise bike soon as well.
My back is an absolute mess. I never had a back problem per se, but it's been killing the last week or so. I actually have been back on the pain pills just for this, not my hip. I think it's from all the sitting and lack of stretching (90 restriction is harder than I thought) out of my hamstrings which are embarrassingly tight to begin with.
I have been getting really down and feeling super emotional lately. This is totally not like me and really think I'm falling into a depression. The usual problems and stresses that everyone has as well as the hip surgery really have taken a toll on me emotionally. I can't even believe I am saying this but I am seriously considering talking to a psychiatrist about it. I just can't seem to shake it at this point so I think I'll check out this option tomorrow.
But, overall I am happy with the surgery and looking forward to a continued recovery. I have a long way to go but I'll get there. Thanks for all the support. Take care.
Nothing wrong about talking to a counselor about it, Rob. I also did that, treated it like any other part of the recuperation. There is stress in this whole process, no matter how good it is in the long term, it is a major challenge.
Folks who are not in this don't get the challenges, but we do. If you need help with any part of this, go for it.
Rbt-
I agree with Hern...this whole process is life changing and long and I think it is perfectly normal to have ups and downs as we navigate our way through it. My moods seem to shift quite a bit as new challenges and accomplishments happen and I seem to have very little "control" over what my body is doing and how it is healing.
If you start to sink into a depressive state, please find someone who can help you climb out of it.
Luanna
Hang in there Rob. I had very similar issues early on. I felt I was behind where I should have been. Especially after reading some of the posts on here. What I realized is that we all go into this with different backgrounds. We have to take it at our own pace.
I was amazed at how weak my hips flexors were. And when I got in the pool at about three weeks there was no way I could kick. In fact I am still a little weak on kicking but almost there. Definitely plan on aqua jogging. The best exercise I did early. You can move the hip without any weight.
I didn't jump on the bike too early. Take it easy at first. Short sessions with no resistance.
Don't expect to be at a certain point. Enjoy the journey.
Best wishes.
Dan
Hang in there Rob. Definitely go and see a professional - you have for your hip, do the same for your head if you feel the need.
I've been going through flat patches too. I put it down to both the mental & physical drain caused by the op itself, sleep deprivation, huge life change & hope for the future, anxiety of progress, medication, pressure on yourself to progress so you can help out around the house & with kids, pressure on family around you taking the load etc - there's so much to digest. All this whilst keeping a positive attitude & not to mention keeping up with your exercises. Recovery has been much harder than i thought would be too. It's quite a cocktail to deal with.
Don't be embarrassed about checking out a psychiatrist.
As far as your progress goes, you seem doing very well for only two weeks!
Rbt-
Once the 90 degree restriction is lifted and you are off of blood thinners (if you are on them), things will progress much faster and you will feel much better. Hang in there a couple of more weeks!
June
Rob;
The emotional/psychological aspects were very similar for me. Now even 10 weeks out, and doing quite well physically, there are periods when it is not easy to cope with the fallout of the experience, and what it means for the rest of my life, and accepting all the "forever" the changes this infers. These periods are less than earlier on, and for me, maybe complicated by the looming 2nd surgery coming in a couple of months.
Anyone who can help, regardless of medical specialty, would be good to talk to and work with. The societal stigma of the past on seeking such help is much less that it was, and regardless of the utter nonsense of how society may look at that kind of help, if it helps, by god go for it, it's all that matters.
People here understand this dynamic very well, and are wellsprings of support, and have helped me tremendously. I've found that even my wife, with tons of knowledge of this surgery from a professional level working at a hospital where many are done, and even after having lived through this with me, are not able to grasp all the deeper, subsurface psychological implications of the thing, and not for lack of compassion, interest or anything, but simply because they do not directly experience the feelings involved and how deep they run.
Best of luck, and best regards.
Dan
Thanks everyone for the kind and encouraging words. It helps more than you know. Not quite sure where I would be without everyone's advice and support.
Rbt2011- My surgery was on 12/5 and I just posted something today about feeling a little flat as well. I think you build up to the surgery and are glad to get it over but there is still a long road ahead.....I feel like I am not here nor there in a way. Being rather isolated at home (no kids and hubby at work) and not feeling ready to drive yet (surgery was on my right) doesn't help. I am having a hard time wrapping my head around any "real" thinking. While I hate to see you going though this, it is somewhat of a comfort to me!
I too, am amazed at my glued together incision and how small and neat it looks already.
Hey Rbt2011,
Hang in there, and I think it's great that you are making sure to take care of your spirit and mental well being. You're going to get by with a little help from your friends, and I know everyone here is pulling for you.
I find your candor inspiring and strong. Thank you for posting and sharing your journey.
Rob, I think that the elevator ups and downs are pretty common to lots of us. As I joked to one of my co-workers, Pat's site here is a little like a group session to me. "Hi, I'm Curt and I had a resurfacing on my right leg 10 weeks ago." ...."Hi, Curt, welcome".
Sometimes this site seems like a big bragging bin with lots of accomplishments and milestones. The very next day it might be consumed with talk about metalosis and revisions, setbacks and disappointments. I've come to the conclusion that everyone has started from similar points of desperation about their hips, but we quickly embark on separate paths: different surgeons, different approaches, devices, scar size, on and on...
Our recoveries, ages, abilities and expectations are seemingly widely varied as well. I quickly found that I was not going to be one of the wonder cases, signing up for my spring half marathon to the amazement of all. So I contented myself with walking and making my slow, sluggish advances. Embrace YOUR recovery, with its slow-downs or setbacks or whatever, and find that path that allows you to see that your are getting better and will do so for the next 6 months or year. The steps backward are hopefully just a challenge to spur you on (or make you ease up) until you are back on that path.
We are lucky here to have so many that have either been where you are, or know someone similar, and even if we can't offer great advice, we can offer support. I feel really fortunate to share and read comments from you and all the others here, as I know you do. We collectively pull each other along. Enjoy the ride with us Rob, you'll get there.
Curt