I had written a few weeks back regarding Dr. Rodriguez from Lenox Hill in NYC. Since that time Ive received a second opinion and was told once again that the only option I have to relieve the pain Ive had is through a resurfacing or thr. I met the ortho dr from my job and she assured me that he is at the top of his field.I was also put in contact with a few other fireman who he has operated on.They are both doing extremely well.Full range of motion,no restrictions,no pain.The only down side is that with our job I was told that I would never be able to return to full duty.This has been the hardest part of this whole ordeal to swallow. Never the less at this point the pain Im having is so severe that I can barely bend down to pick up my children,or even get out of a chair. I have scheduled surgery for May 9th.I was told Id be out of work for 3 months and then resume a light duty position. I spend alot of time reading other peoples stories.I want to say that this site has helped make this decision a bit easier.Thanks
Welcome! This is a decision you will not regret!
That's great. Congrats and my best wishes for a good outcome.
Glad you've made the decision.
When you get a few weeks from the surgery, you may find yourself second-guessing that decision, like many of us did. Don't let it get the best of you.......life without the pain is so much better.
Good luck.
Ive already had arthroscopic surgery on same hip to repair torn labrum and remove loose bone fragments.I was told at the time that the rehab from that suregery was far worse then that for resurfacing. It was grueling and painful and after 9 mos of 3pt appointments a week plus accupuncture twice a week I was worse off then pre op.Has anyone endured both of these surgeries and do they compare?
I haven't, but I have yet to read a post about surgery for torn labrum that had a positive outcome. If memory serves, there are at least 6 or 7 folks in this forum who've had similar outcomes from a labrum repair. I hope they chime in.
I wonder what the actual success rate is for that type of repair? Anecdotally, from what I've read here, it's zero.
Akat01, my hubby's a firefighter and one of his guys had HR and has returned to work full duty. I hope that your dr can give you that kind of confidence. This guy that had one is in his 50's and had surgery with Dr. Lammens in Colorado. PM me if you want to talk to him.
As for the 'scope/labrum repairs, I also know a guy who's had that and returned to ski coaching and ski racing (Masters) as well as competitive road biking, mtn biking and moto-riding. Heard good things about that surgery and thought I was headed that direction until the dr told me - nah - your hip has arthitis and you need a THR.....and after I fired him, I found the right dr for my HR :-*
Good Luck in your journey. We've all arrived here for the right reasons!
I was told from the get go that the labral repair was a long shot.It works for some but not others.For me it was the only shot I was given at returning to work. They say about a third of patients receive positive results.Unfortunately I wasnt 1 of them.At this point Im just really looking forward to getting this surgery over with,starting rehab and enjoying the summer.Thanks for the input.Its tough to talk with people who havent actually endured what your going through...
Unless you have some other medical issue you should be able to do anything with a resurfacing that's properly installed. WHy is your doctor telling you that? I can see it with a THR but not a resurfacing.
I agree with jbenett. I was very restricted like you post op. I have a whole new outlook now. Read all the stories from hippies who are doing extremely athletic activities. This is a fix, not a patch from what I see here.
Im not sure about why they dont let us return w this particular surgery.But there are certain things that they just wont clear you to return with.The only thing that I could think of is that we work in a city with mostly high rise buildings,and maybe they fear the constant up and down along w the heavy load we carry could pose a problem.Believe me had it not been for this reason I would have done resurfacing a year ago and not spent 3 months on crutches and 9 months of pt.
I spend alot of time reading through other peoples stories and it seems as if most have suffered with oa for years before opting for this surgery.I was diagnosed with agressive post traumatic arthritis after injuring myself at work.Its been over a year but still no wheres near the time it seems most wait. This decision is eating me alive. Not sure if i should wait it out and see if somehow things turn around or just move forward so I can get my life back.Im not an avid runner/cyclist as many of you are.I just want to be able to play w my kids,ski,play some softball and get back on the golf course.
My OA was more of an annoyance for several years, and didn't really interfere with my activities until the last 4 months. However when it did interfere it did in a very big way. There was no question in my mind.
A question for you would be what are the odds of something turning around? Is it possible that all the components are still intact and that, in time, they will heal? My x-rays showed the head of my femur flattening out from bone on bone contact. Nothing other than surgery was going to improve that.
Atak.....I'm with 1254. The cartilage is not going to repair itself. If you're bone-on-bone, it's not going to "turn the corner". I was, prior to surgery, only intermittently in pain. I would have weeks of pain, referred knee pain, etc., etc. And, I would have pain free periods, where I could run, jump, do "Insanity" workouts. But, the pain-free periods were fewer, tennis was completely out, and I was becoming more sedentary. I figured - given the odds - I'd rather have 10 - 30 years of high activity at my age (44) than wait five more years and have higher activity later in life.....when other bits/pieces are falling apart.
If you want your life back, go through with it.
Again, good luck with the decision.
Akat, just picked up your thread, to go back a bit to your question re arthroscopy and HR recoveries. i had arthroscopy in 98 and HR in 2003. the HR recovery was much easier for me (i was going to say walk in the park but that's not quite true is it!). with arthroscopy i didn't get back to pre op state for 3-4months and with HR although it took time for it to "feel" normal and me to forget about it, once i'd passed the magic 10 week stage i was still very careful but back to full duties, i had two very small kids (1 and 2.5) and 10 weeks post op was able to care for them properly without help.
it feels scary to take the plunge but you won't regret it, as long as you've picked the right surgeon you'll be great. the rest of your life is just waiting for you. good luck and i look forward to hearing your recovery story and i'm sure it will be a success for you. Sal
That's what I've heard about arthro, it seems to be more of a "putting it off" maneuver. Although, the only place I've heard the discussion is here, where we pretty are all looking at HR soon. I guess my perspective could be a little biased. Also, the labrum just gets in the way, labrum is for the birds :o I'm being facetious, but there is a little truth in that statement, because the labrum is carved off during HR and you shouldn't have problems with it again.
The restriction on returning to full duty is interesting. I wonder if there are some other fire fighters on the forum that have had a similar experience. It would be interesting to get more details on the restriction (carrying weight, climbing motions, harnesses and fall protection?). Maybe it's a legacy policy more appropriate for THR? Seems to me if your surgeon approves and you can do all the motions, carry the weights,...then it wouldn't be problem.
BTW - Akat - congrats on scheduling the surgery.
Akat - I went for a few years of just annoying disomfort, like I needed to "pop" my hip joint. BUt once things turned worse, I got steadily worse. I ride dirt bikes and was having trouble getting on my bike, and the last few months had to ride my daughters Yamaha, which was shorter than my KTM and also had to get on with the bike on the kickstand. Then I was having trouble catching myself on the 'bad' side. We ride a lot of single track in Colorado and it was getting scary - so much so that my last ride was in October and our season went long this year with late snow, into November. It killed me to not be able to ride. As the O/A starts robbing you of your activities, it speeds up as time goes on. I was not even really taking very long walks at the end, prior to the surgery. Trying to exercise to stay in some kind of shape prior to surgery was getting harder. If your xrays show degeneration, bone on bone (or close) and it's interfering with your Life - then seriously consider what all have said here - taking the plunge now WILL get you back your Life. I am just past 12 wks. It feels like forever and yet it feels like my recovery is flying by. I have no O/A hip pain inside my hip. I have muscle pain from those muscles healing. They are tired, too and weak, but I know that I will be riding pain free in a couple more months and all this will be behind me. Whereas if I didn't have the surgery, I'd be looking at another compromised riding season. It's personal, no doubt, but there's no 'recovery' from the O/A.
Good luck!!
Denise
As much as I go back and forth w my decision I know in the end I need to have the procedure done if I want to return to an active life.Ive gotten so trained to not make certain movements due to pain that I sometimes forget my limitations.Ive been an avid skier since the age of 6.Its now been 2 winters that my skiis have been collecting dust.This will be 2nd summer with no golf.And foremost I havent worked in my firehouse since March 29th of 2011. Im ready.And I have to say that the people who write back and forth on this website have been instrumental in my decision.I hope that it turns out the way it does for many of you.One last thing.Ive heard that some doctors ask to have patients donate their own blood in case theres a need for transfusion during surgery.I asked the surgical coordinator if this was something they do and was told there wasnt a need. Any thoughts on this and has anyone needed a transfusion during their surgery.I have pre op testing next Friday and would def bring this up again if it seems that its needed even once in a while.
I didn't do it / need it (that I know of) both times, but it can't hurt if your doctor asks for it, otherwise... I didn't worry about it.
My Dr. used some sort of blood recirculation thingy that he said eliminated the need for a transfusion.
I think the need for transufsion during this hip surgery is less common that it used to be. Might have to with surgical technique? I didn't need any for either hip. That said, it would be nice to know that if you did need blood, you'd already have a stash of your own blood waiting.
My coworker is going in for a THR on Monday and she mentioned that they will use the recirc system. Didn't know about that. Sounds like a great idea.
I was thinking about donating my own blood for the surgery but my surgeon said if I do this he will need to put it back during the surgery and advised not to. I figured I rather have my existing blood than a few weeks old batch. I followed my surgeon's advice and no transfusion was needed.
I did donate my own blood 3 wks prior to the surgery and I needed it. I'm a woman, 5'6" and 130# and not sure if that had anything to do with it or not. I reacted severely to the warafin and my INR was over 6 (normal is like 1.2 to 2 or something like that) so I was told to stay in bed for a whole day until they got it under control and it made my stay in the hospital 2 extra days. My INR was all over the place the whole 3 wks I was off/on warafin. Not sure why but I was glad that when they said I needed blood, I had my own to get back. No harm in giving it, if you don't need it, it just gets tossed in most cases.
One week till surgery. So the little bit of sleep i had been getting is now being interrupted by horrible anxiety issues. Ive been able to get in a descent amount of exercise though. Ive been on an elliptical 40 min a day 4-5 days a week. Plus some free weights for upper body and some core exercises i was doing at pt. I hope it serves me well down the road because i definitely pay for it every morning. Pre op testing done so now its just a waiting game. At this point i wish i was headed to hospital now. Its definitely motivational to hear stories of everyones progress.
Akat01,
You are doing everything you can to get ready for the challenges facing you. The physical part is the easiest part. All of us Hippys have been training our bodies forever. The hard part, the importent part now, is to get focussed on the positive outcome. You are ready, you've picked a good surgeon. Everything is going to turn out well and you are going to be better the very minute you awaken from surgery. Everything starts getting better immediately.
I'm only half a Hippy, but I can tell you you will not regret your decision to move forward. Read the posts from Tin Soldier, Hernanu, Woodtstock Hippy, Oxipelican, Dan, Curt and Kirk to get motivated. These guys have walked the walk already and lead the way for us. You are going to start picking up pieces of your life that you dropped recently. It's a recovery in many ways.
Best wishes for a great experience and an easy recovery.
Live Strong.
Boomer
C'mon Boomer - you're a full hippy, you're just going to be a hippy2 ;D
Akat01 - you're on your way, and while it's normal to be nervous, Boomer is right on (70's roots). Focus on the positives and your reward. There's no guarantees, but the percentages are hugely in your favor for a good outcome. The procedures for me were not too bad, I was off pain meds before I left the hospital and then the recovery takes up a lot of your time.
All of the stuff you're doing pays off, you're in the hands of a good surgeon and you're in the chute. The recuperation is not easy, but you see improvements on a daily basis, and best of all ... that pain is gone. Not lowered, not hanging back to bite you, but gone. You'll be sore, you might need extra care, all of that could be, but the OA pain is erased. And then you get better.
The core work, the upper body, the elliptical will all help you on your way, but being kind to yourself mentally works too. Imagine that something will be and it shall be so (apologies to Gladiator).
You can talk to us about any of this, but also confide in your loved ones - they can help you emotionally and mentally, you're going to heal in all sorts of ways after this.
Good luck for 9th May ANAT01. I am next Tues 15th May! Wishing u lots of luck and look forward to hearing from you after the op. Rach 😌
Good luck to you also.Lets hope we are back here next week talking about how smooth the operations went and what a differance it is to b free of hip pain!!!!
Good luck with your surgery. Break a leg! ;)
I used a recliner for my recovery. It made all the difference in the world. I slept pretty well.
Every night I would try lying on the bed for a bit but kept going back to the recliner for about 2 weeks.
akat01,
First, I hope you're asleep and don't see this until tomorrow. I will be 2 weeks post op tomorrow and only thought is...wish I had done this sooner. First couple days after are hard, but every day you will see so much improvement it will surprise you.
Follow your Docs instructions, think about every move you make BEFORE you make it. I got distracted by one of my daughters while going down the stairs, took the next step with the wrong leg and WOW...immediately knew about it.
Don't try and do too much too fast (i'm guilty of this due to having to be back at work already), you can't rehab overnight by trying to speed it up and doing more.
I've decided that for at least a few more weeks, there is no such thing as multi tasking. Concentrate on what you are doing and do it the way they want you to do it.
Totally agree with you that this site made the decision easier. It can also help with the post op/rehab. Anything you're unsure of ask, you'll be surprised how many went thru the same issues.
Good luck and happy healing. Six months post op from now should allow you to get ready to ski by the new year...jb
Good luck tomorrow, akat01 !!! time to get everything back.
On the other side. I was told surgery went real well. More damage then what showed on x rays so its good i didnt proctastinate anymore. Dr rodriguez and his staff have treated my wife and i like royalty. Still numb from the waste down and havent been moved to a room yet. But im feeling no pain at this point. The sensation of mot being able to move my legs or toes is freaking me out.. But they say it subsides in an hour or two. Hoping to get up and walk later today. Dying for a drink...thanks for all the well wishes. On to the next chapter
Oh and the best surprise was i awkoke w no catheter. Woooooooo
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Sounds good, check in when you can.
Well its 2:48 am day after surgery. Ive been up for 24 hrs with no sleep besides during surgery. I had been doing quite well until about 6:30 when pt came in for walk and exercises. When he was first going over everything he said that id b in hospital until Fri. After the walk he was so pleased that he told me He'd bet id get out tomm. About 10 min after doing bed exercises the pain really set in, and haven't been able to get it under control. At this point they've given me percoset, oxycontin(only 1.. Id rather not go down that path) shots of morphine and just now ambien. This mix of pain and sleep deprivation is flippin me out. The hip itself feels great. But i feel like i have a knife in my buttock and my knee is throbbing. I had surgery on knee rite before my first hip operation and its never felt rite. But never like this. I cant imagine how u all are able to return to work so quickly. My job offers unlimited sick leave and was told today 3 months would b earliest id b returning to my light duty position
Bet you are glad you are on the otherside! I don't have any words of advice as not had the operation yet, 5 days and counting! Are you in less pain with your hip post surgery? I think maybe take all the meds you can and each day will be better. At least the anxiety of having the op is over. Good luck with your recovery. Rach
Just take the meds now to get comfortable and get sleep. You will not want them as time progresses - but you need them now. So many martyrs out there that said they were off in a day or w/in hours of surgery - but everyone's tolerance for pain is different - not good or bad, just different. I took the strong stuff the whole time - on time - in the hospital and at home for the first week or so, then I began to not feel the need for it and started coming off them. Slowly up until about week 9 or 10 I was still taking Tylenol #3 at night for sleep. Then just Tyelnol and a couple benadryl, and now at week 16 I can go to bed with no meds at all. Maybe a little tylenol if I overdid it that day, but nothing on a regular basis.
Be Nice To Yourself - Your Body. Rest is so important these first few days. The PT and exercise and all takes a toll. Congrats on getting to the other side!!!
Atak.
Ice. Ice, ice, ice. I haven't seen anyone discuss that, and you may know this already, but post surgery ice is your best friend. I constantly iced for two solid weeks, then trailed it off to a few times per day, or just post-walk. Good luck with your recovery. Give it a few weeks, and you'll sleep better than you have in years.
Andy
I was on morphine and other stuff ( cocktails, anyone ) for two days, then went to Tylenol. My doctor believes in pain medicine early and he did prescribe the oxycodone, but did not need it at that time (3+ days after the surgery).
I'd use what you can for pain, it doesn't help the recovery to be in pain.
I was able to get some good rest thursday night. Wole up friday to a shot of morphine and felt like a new man. I was able to walk w the crutches while putting full weight on operated side. I was released from pt and saw dr soon afterwards. I ended up home by 2 pm fri afternoon. Im still ecstatic to be home but not nearly as comfortable as when i had nurses bringing meds,ice etc on an hourly basis. I feel terrible asking my wife tp do all this for me. Shes taking care of our 6 and 5 year old. So im trying to do as much for myself as i can, which in turn infuriates her.Viscious cycle. Last nt while trying to get up my thigh cramped on me. Possibly the worst pain ive ever experienced. Home pt today. Hope to get some exercises to start loosening this mess up
So glad yr home and doing ok. I know it a lot for yr wife to do and I will be feeling the same next week when I think how much my husband will have to do! Been out today getting my pjs and enclosed slippers! Lol feeling so nervous and scared though have to admit! U were operated on we'd and on the Thurs did u sleep better post surgery? Has yr let swollen much? Just wish it was over for me, u were probably feeling like this last week! Take it easy Rach
I did sleep much better thursday. They gave me ambien knowing that i hafnt had any rest. I slept from about 10:30 pm till 5. It made a huge differance. First night in my bed ladt night was not so restful. I ended up on the recliner by 2 am and slept on and off till 530 and that was it. Had nurse and pt at my house this morning. They were both surprised w my flexibility and relatively light swelling. Looks huge to me but they say its usually much worse. No black and blues whatsover. Make sure while getting prepped u get the hip kit. The shoe horn for slippers and the grabber for everything else are great. I was able to shower both yesterday and today which makes u feel human. And as long as your husbands around to help w kids youll be fine. Nightime stills scares me but the last 2 days have been great. Good luck. Keep in touch. And although its nearly impossible try not to stress to much.
Had two pints of blood, not my own.
Agree with many others regarding going for the surgery. Until last July I had no pain in either hips, then,
suddenly agony, could hardly move. First surgeon advised cortesone injections under general, which I had-
did`nt work. He wanted to do a second lot. Though would have liked to have prolonged having them properly "fixed"
reality kicked in as I realised the only real solution were BHR`s plus they would actually definately work :)
Had both done on the same day last December, immediately the pain went and I knew was on the healing path.
Yes I was bone on bone but believe me no one wants to reach that stage if possible.
Hope this helps