I had my RBHR done yesterday morning by Dr Pritchett. Yesterday was really encouraging for me. Post-op pain was easily managed and boredom had me begging for a PT by late afternoon and I got my wish granted around 6 pm. Got some exercises done and did a short walk around my room and a longer walk down the hallway with him, then later that night and even longer walk with my nurse, all with a walker. I never sleep well in hospitals and last night was no exception...got mire than usual but lessentially than an hour and a half total. Today started early, with an OT appt at 7:15, a PT appt at 9:30, and discharge from the hospital by 10:30. The drive home was a drag, stopped 3 times over the 250 mile drive to get some walking in, each time tougher to get out of the car. I haven't touched a walker today, just been using forearm crutches. I've been home for almost 6 hours and the swelling and pain are more than I expected, but I'm not terribly surprised as its obviously a pretty physically traumatic procedure. I've added Aleve to my meds, along with icing, to try and get the swelling under control. Narcotics are helping, and I'm also on what I'm assuming is a typical antibiotic regimen, plus aspirin for blood thinning. My wife has been an even greater blessing than normal over the past couple of days, and our pets (two dogs and a cat) seem to sense something's up and gently giving healing vibes. That's probably enough for now, I just took a lot of comfort in reading others stories here and figured I'd start my own, silly as it might be in a haze of painkillers. Skipping tonight's scheduled PT due to how active my day has been and a bit more pain and swelling than I expected.
Congratulations! Good to hear things are going reasonably well for you. Was curious about your drive home...Spokane area?
Congrats, livendive! I find it amazing how well we can get around so soon after that kind of surgery. Though driving is definitely not fun that early on.
Ice, elevation, and staying on top of the pain meds to stay ahead of the pain helped me a lot. And sleep -- I napped quite a bit. After the first week things will improve quite rapidly, so hang in there. :)
Congratulations :-)
And good luck with the recovery. Remember in these early days, each day see's massive improvements :-)
Excellent news congrats mate! :)
Well done. Hope I'm posting something similar in 6 days! Top effort by you.
Congratulations on the new hip. Great you are sharing your story. As you said, the stories are so helpful to new people. It is always nice to look back after you heal to remind you how far you have come.
Good luck and take it easy. You will have a great summer this year.
Pat
Congratulations!
My 175 mile drive back to Portland was pretty brutal as well. It was the day before thanksgiving and took us almost 6 hours.
I embraced the prescription pain killers for the first couple days, just so I could sleep through the night. I then moved onto Tylenol. Dr. Pritchett had me on antibiotics and aspirin as well. He also told me to ONLY take Tylenol for the pain, if needed, and AVOID Aleve and ibuprofen based drugs while taking the aspirin.
I am at week 7 and the pain has moved from the incision and joint to the muscles as I am hitting the PT pretty hard. Walked 4.2 miles the other day. Riding stationary for about 30 mins a day and doing the PT work. I am also almost walking without a limp. Still have difficulty sleeping through the night, but it's getting better each day. Sitting in a chair at work all day is actually pretty brutal as well.
Congratulations. Tomorrow is my one year anniversary. Remember, recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck with all.
Day 2 is in the books, and was mostly better than yesterday, albeit with a couple hiccups. As I said yesterday, my swelling was pretty significant, and I got a bit behind the pain curve. I can't normally sleep on my back, and, at the risk of oversharing, I've been peeing a ridiculous amount since the surgery. I managed to get a couple hours of highly interrupted sleep last night, but got tired of disturbing my wife with the battle of getting out of bed every twenty minutes, so when I got up at 2, I just stayed up so she could get some solid rest. I emailed Dr Pritchett about taking Aleve for the swelling and he responded that it would be okay, so I took a couple this morning and a couple tonight, and will probably discontinue based on the advice Shabbis got unless it gets out of conttol again. I did all three sets of my assigned PT today, took a shower, shook off the common side effect of painkillers, and went on a couple walks around my immediate neighborhood with crutches, almost totalling a mile. The swelling is down to more reasonable levels, though the bruising is coming on now, with clearly defined edges and pretty warm to the touch. My biggest problem today was choosing the wrong loveseat to sit on while breaking in my sock assist...soft and low, my leg tried to buckle toward the inside when I was getting up, triggering a short period of intense pain while I corrected my position and worked thru some serious muscle cramps. I got similar cramps during my last set of PT, so will probably take it easier tomorrow, while keeping an eye on the swelling and heat, and using just ice instead of combining with Aleve. Onward and upward. :)
Quote from: OtterDriver on January 07, 2015, 12:36:59 AM
Congratulations! Good to hear things are going reasonably well for you. Was curious about your drive home...Spokane area?
Thanks, and to answer your question, no, TrI Cities. But now your username has me interested...pilot for Kapowsin?
Not for Kapowsin and not the "Twin Otter"...single engine version for a tour company in Alaska!
Are you one who jumps out of "perfectly good airplanes"?
Quote from: OtterDriver on January 09, 2015, 08:33:29 PM
Not for Kapowsin and not the "Twin Otter"...single engine version for a tour company in Alaska!
Are you one who jumps out of "perfectly good airplanes"?
I am one of those guys, and if my memory serves correctly, I have a couple jumps out of a single engine Otter, though far more out of twins. I was a commercial fisherman in Alaska for a few years in my early 20's and love it up there. Southeast is definitely on our "would move" list for the right job. Actually, my wife and I just rented a 40 ft trawler for a week in October and with skydiving off the menu this year due to my hips, we're trying to figure out whether we can afford a 3 week rental to cruise up the inside passage and dink around southeast for a bit.
My last jump was off the left float of one of the Beavers we used to operate. A few years ago now, but probably getting a new rig to take back up with me this summer!?
Southeast is where we fly...specifically the Juneau area. A company in town rents Nordic Tugs if you didn't want to motor all the way from Seattle for your boating adventure.
Good to read your post. Glad to hear you made it through the procedure and are back home. Sounds like you are doing all the right stuff. Prepare to be amazed with the new hip.
Quote from: OtterDriver on January 10, 2015, 12:13:52 AM
My last jump was off the left float of one of the Beavers we used to operate. A few years ago now, but probably getting a new rig to take back up with me this summer!?
Southeast is where we fly...specifically the Juneau area. A company in town rents Nordic Tugs if you didn't want to motor all the way from Seattle for your boating adventure.
A Nordic 39 is what we rented here and it was perfect for the two of us. Off the float of a Beaver? There's a DZ in Eagle Creek, OR still flying jumpers in a Beaver, but obviously without floats. That's a pretty unique log entry, very nice!
I've wanted to get up to the solstice boogie in Anchorage, I haven't made it work yet. Maybe that could be our trip next year (my wife is a jumper too).
On a hip related note...I just got back from a one mile walk...used crutches the first 0.4, carried them the last 0.6. :-)
Good for you...keep up the good work!
I had a hand tendon surgery on Wednesday and am waiting to regain enough strength to be able to grab crutches. I now need my left hip re-surfaced as well.
When it rains it pours!
Just curious why you chose Dr. Pritchet and what materials were used on the surgery. He is on my short list to do my hip resurfacing.
Quote from: OtterDriver on January 10, 2015, 08:14:22 PM
Good for you...keep up the good work!
I had a hand tendon surgery on Wednesday and am waiting to regain enough strength to be able to grab crutches. I now need my left hip re-surfaced as well.
When it rains it pours!
Completely agreed on the "when it rains, it pours" thing. I got injections in both hips in September, and while the doctor was injecting my right hip (with some frustration at the lack of joint space), he hit a nerve bundle that caused a major "electric shock" sensation and caused my leg to spasm pretty hard. Two days later I got what I thought was a bug bite on my right butt cheek, directly behind the hip, but within a day or two of it getting worse, it became apparent that it wasn't a bug bite. Turned out it was Part 2 of the chicken pox I had as a child, i.e. shingles, which is really just the second coming of chicken pox that just sits dormant in your nerves...presumably as a result of the trauma to the nerve which said, "Oh yeah? Stick a needle in me? Well try THIS on for size!" lol
And more recently (as in right now)...I've been fighting a back & forth battle with swelling all week, drinking tons of water, having to get up to pee a lot during the night, but I feel like I'm winning. with the swelling on my hip visibly down and 7 lbs lost since last Wednesday. However the swelling has gone down the leg all the way to the foot, and the knee, ankle, and my big toe have grown increasingly painful. If it weren't for the surgery last week, I'd have recognized what was going on days ago and responded accordingly, but I thought it was just part of the process till around 2 this morning when suddenly my ankle and big toe became the most pained parts on my body, rendering my leg non-weight-bearing and even the pressure of a blanket intolerable. Sure enough, I'm having a gout attack in the foot/ankle on the operated leg. I've been eating healthy, so can only guess that this is due to dehydration because I didn't drink enough water yesterday and the swelling keeps "repurposing" what water I do have in my system. In any case, I'm pretty miserable today. Back on Aleve, guzzling water, icing the ankle, and hoping it passes quickly.
Quote from: KevinHalicki on January 11, 2015, 09:23:00 PM
Just curious why you chose Dr. Pritchet and what materials were used on the surgery. He is on my short list to do my hip resurfacing.
Good questions! The simplest answer on Dr Pritchett is that he's close...only 250 miles away. There is another doctor who does the procedure a similar distance from my home, Dr Sparling in Vancouver, WA, but Pritchett has far more experience (3800+ resurfacings) and strikes the right balance for me in terms of practical experience and an ear to the evolving body of knowledge on the procedure. He's been publishing several times a year for decades, but hasn't fallen into the trap many researchers do of prioritizing academics over practical work, still doing a couple hundred HRs per year. His demeanor might be considered odd or reserved by some, but as a scientist by trade, I'm well accustomed to working with very smart people that have non-traditional communication habits. He's been incredibly responsive to my emails, and really I'm just over the moon with him as my surgeon. I have some serious problems going on in my neck right now too that also require surgery, and Dr Pritchett has spoiled me with his blend of knowledge, experience, and responsiveness such that I wish I could find a similar doctor for my neck.
As for materials, I went with the standard CroMo alloy metal-on-metal. I do have the fairly common skin sensitivity to costume and other inexpensive jewelries (presumably the nickel content, but unconfirmed by testing) such that sometimes it doesn't even have to touch my skin. The connecting pins in watch bands, screws in sunglasses, and snaps on my jeans can all trigger a localized reaction despite the fact that those components don't actually touch my skin. I discussed this with Dr. Pritchett in terms of possible going with his Synovo Preserve system (titanium hardware with ceramicized ball and HDPE liner in socket) and he said he would use whichever hardware I chose but that he would go with CroMo if it were his hip in my situation. He correctly explained that the correlation between skin sensitivity to nickel and implant sensitivity is tenuous at best and that testing for implant sensitivity prior to surgery has proven pretty inaccurate and of little predictive value. He also relayed that, in the event I ended up being one of those rare individuals who does have a reaction to the metals in the BHR, he believed he'd be able to revise to a Synovo system, but he thought this should be a backup plan, not my first choice, as it's unlikely I'll react to the CroMo alloy and should attempt to take advantage of its greater durability and infallibility to osteolysis from HDPE wear debris.
Well, it's been a somewhat trying week. For background info, aspirin and ankle pumps are the two things I've been doing to prevent blood clots. It turns out, for people with gout, aspirin can cause and attack, and in my case it did (well, I believe that's the cause, because I've been eating healthy). Gout, in turn, makes a person more prone to blood clots, and an attack removes the ability to do ankle pumps. I didn't recognize the attack coming on till it was too late, thinking it was just post op pain and swelling. As a result, I spent all week on crutches, in pain, not sleeping, and not doing PT. Finally, on the advice of a few friends who work in ERs and the dial-a-nurse from my insurance, I went to an ER Wednesday night with calf/ankle/foot swelling to the extent all skin was drum tight and my toes couldn't touch the floor with my foot flat on it. Good news, no clot, but lesson learned. Took some medication for the gout that has significantly reduced the pain but not eliminated it. Then yesterday I took a spill on our concrete driveway...funny story, but it'll have to wait because we're headed out the door for my scheduled follow-up with Dr Pritchett in Seattle. I'm somewhat confident the fall did no damage. The joint is a bit stiffer and sorer, but nothing extreme. Wish me luck! :-)
Let us know how the xrays look after your visit with Dr. Pritchett. Sorry about all the other complications, but if you heal like I do, then you'll be up and walking around in no time.
I agree with your comments regarding Dr. Pritchett. Professional. Humble. Very quiet until you get him talking about his practice. Very responsive via email. I also went with his recommendation of the high carbon cobalt chrome BHR implant.
It has been 52 days since my surgery by Dr. Pritchett and everything is going to plan. Back to walking normally with just a slight limp. PT getting more and more progressive. I can now test ROM and it's quite amazing. I have FAI in both hips, now that it's gone in my operated hip and I can actually lift my knee higher than I've been able to in years.
The difficult part for me now is not being able to ski, surf, run or bike outside right now, especially now that I am a lot more mobile, it's becoming a battle of willpower not to strap on the skis or paddle out. I have my 3 month checkup coming up with Dr. Pritchett, I am going to see if I can at least start road biking.
Driving to Seattle and back was a lot of road time and pretty uncomfortable by the end, but the checkup went great! One down, one to go. :)
(https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10906388_914507558582456_6898105985159536383_n.jpg?oh=73b88b5d73a1513b0661d255f8c8c117&oe=556E3DBB)
X-ray looks good mate ;)
Congratulations on the early stages of what sounds like a successful recovery (with the not unexpected ups and downs). Did you drive yourself round trip?
No, I only broke the "no driving" prohibition twice, both very short (2 mile) trips to the pharmacy the day before my checkup. My wife drove us too seattle, with me having one pillow wedged between my incision and the seat bolster and another folded in half between my knees so my right leg didn't flop toward my left around right turns. On the way back I drove the first 110 miles and was pretty much at my limit, sore and tired, so she took over again. :-)
This was the fifth orthopedic surgery of my life, preceded by one knee and three shoulders. None of the others left me feeling remotely as helpless and relying on someone for assistance with routine tasks. I'm glad I was married for this one (was single for the others), as my wife was an absolute godsend. :-)
Your joint surgeries sounds like my life. Two shoulder, two knee and two hip (same right hip). I was into symmetry until my HR after the scope. It seems your recovery is going well. Remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint. I overdid it early in my Rehab and had a bit of a setback causing a month delay in my recovery. Keep plugging along.
Today is three weeks post op and things are going well. I returned to work last Wednesday (16 days post op) and made a bit of a mistake. Having read here that one of the problems with an office job is all the sitting, and remembering to get up and walk frequently. Well, apparently I took that a little too far...taking a stroll around a few neighboring buildings as my pain levels went up & up. I'd started the day around a 1-2 on the 10 point scale, and left work after 6 hours closer to a 6 or 7, ready to get home where I could safely respond with oxycodone. I did recover somewhat overnight, but still found myself at a 3 or 4 the following morning and back on a crutch, with my first formal out-patient PT appointment also on the agenda. In all I made it another 6 hours on Thursday, plus PT, and took Friday off. The three day weekend helped as I diteched the crutch again Saturday morning, did my at-home PT, and made it through 8 hours at work today without a crutch or even Tylenol being necessary.
Long story short - I overdid it a bit on my first day back to work, but I'm trying to avoid that error now and have only a slight limp remaining at the 3 week mark. :)
Welcome to the "feel better -> overdo it -> ease off until you recover" cycle. :)
I was in that loop for (I think) about 18 months. Of course you get stronger as time goes on and what was once overdoing it is now OK, but it's hard to resist pushing yourself a bit more every time.
Quote from: oldsoccerplayer on January 27, 2015, 08:10:04 AM
Welcome to the "feel better -> overdo it -> ease off until you recover" cycle. :)
I was in that loop for (I think) about 18 months. Of course you get stronger as time goes on and what was once overdoing it is now OK, but it's hard to resist pushing yourself a bit more every time.
Ha ha, yep, that seems to be the process. This week I made longer days, two 8 hour days and two 9 hour days, with level of discomfort gradually increasing throughout the week. Today I'm going to call to schedule my left hip, then take another three day weekend, and hopefully be up to 10 hour days next week (my normal schedule). Tomorrow my PT transitions to the pool, which I'm looking forward to despite warnings that I should expect to be "wiped out within a few hours afterwards". :)
I've had a couple sessions in the pool now and, never having this type of PT before, am now a big fan. On the down side, when my knee gets off-center while treading water, the combination of muscles pulling the leg forward and water resisting that motion results in enough inward rotation for some VERY sharp pains, however the slower pace of movements and constant resistance in all directions more than make up for that negative. Currently doing forward/backward/side-to-side walking, squats, flexion, extension, and abduction, the last of which already has greater ROM than my non-operated hip. I finish with 15 minutes of treading water and my legs feel like lead by the time I get out. My left hip is now schedule for March 2nd and I'm thinking this PT will have the added benefit of proactively strengthening the muscles on that side to, which should aid in recovery.
I'm also having the disc between C5 and C6 removed and those vertebra fused on March 4th (two days after LBHR), so that week will probably not be very fun. But, based on my recovery so far from my right hip resurfacing (now 4 weeks post op), I'm very much looking forward to a summer of feeling better than I have in years.
Yesterday marked 6 weeks post op and the official lifting of the 90 degree restriction, so I celebrated with an 11.5 mile bike ride with zero pain in my resurfaced hip. I'm also walking with no limp most days, though occasionally I struggle a bit. At the risk of oversharing, Valentine's Day was a huge success in our house, but I was a bit sore the next day (moreso in the non-operated hip than the new and improved hip). ;D
Edit to add: I'm also now putting my socks on and tying my shoes without the assist device, and this morning in the shower I brought my right foot up in front of my left knee (figure 4) to scrub it directly instead of using a long-handled brush or dropping a loofa on the floor to rub it across. Small victories! ;D
How is your ROM compared to pre-surgery?
Somewhat better abduction and flexion (the latter still improving), significantly better in extension. Not sure about external rotation, but don't remember it being a problem before and it also isn't now. Adduction needs a little work, internal rotation is still pretty painful but improving daily.
It really surprises me the variance in protocols between surgeons. Pritchett does an anterior approach? That probably explains at least some of the variance between his and Gross' post-op protocol (Gross uses posterior). I'm six weeks today and am now allowed to flex the hip up to 90 degrees and to ride a stationary bike.
Congratulations on the continuing excellent recovery, and of course the successful Valentine's day.
Quote from: jss on February 18, 2015, 11:28:32 PM
It really surprises me the variance in protocols between surgeons. Pritchett does an anterior approach? That probably explains at least some of the variance between his and Gross' post-op protocol (Gross uses posterior). I'm six weeks today and am now allowed to flex the hip up to 90 degrees and to ride a stationary bike.
Congratulations on the continuing excellent recovery, and of course the successful Valentine's day.
Nah, Pritchett used a posterior approach on me. I vaguely recall him seeming to hint he would do anterior if the patient was adamant but preferred the visualization posterior afforded himl. I wasn't about to argue against what he thought was best. I'm not sure what the difference is you're referring to in post-op protocol. The limitations I was given were no driving for 2 weeks, no immersion for 4 weeks, and a 90 degree restriction for 6 weeks. I haven't actually seen him since my 2 week checkup, so have just been abiding by the restrictions on my own, doing at home PT the first two weeks and outpatient since then...in a pool since the 4 week mark. Perhaps if I had asked, he'd have suggested a stationary bike over a real bike, but the notion didn't occur to me. I just felt strong enough and knew the 90 degree restriction had expired, so I went for it. I'm riding my mountain bike instead of my road bike due to its greater "stability", less aggressive stance, and because it has stirrups instead of clips which avoids the whole "twist to disengage" thing that I think might be a challenge and would significantly increase the risk of falling.
AFAIK they recommend a stationary bike over a real one for the first 6 months to avoid the risk of falling off and stressing the bones around the implant while they're getting back to full strength.
Quote from: oldsoccerplayer on February 19, 2015, 11:28:56 AM
AFAIK they recommend a stationary bike over a real one for the first 6 months to avoid the risk of falling off and stressing the bones around the implant while they're getting back to full strength.
For 6 months?! I'm getting these surgeries done now so I can actually enjoy this summer! Now that I think about it, there was one more restriction imposed...no high impact sports for a year, but to me that meant running (repetitive low energy impact) or stuff like hockey, basketball, football, soccer, etc. I can see where a cycling crash would qualify as high impact, but no running, biking, skydiving, or snowboarding for a full year would likely have me so bored I'd do something even dumber. Swimming seems fine if rather dull on scenery, so I plan on doing more of that this year, augmented with hiking when I want to be out of doors with great views and fun challenges. Cycling seems like a reasonable compromise for routine aerobic exercise ...perhaps better to ask forgiveness than permission? lol
For what it's worth, Dr. Pritchett initially told me six months before I could go back to running, surfing and skiing. But he removed all restrictions at my 2 month checkup.
I went surfing last Monday, it was about waist high, pretty mellow. Rode my 9'6" longboard in the morning tentatively, then switched to my 5'10" shortboard in the afternoon. Everything was sore the next day, except for my hip.
I won't surf in big surf, ski or attempt to run this year. No way the muscles are ready.
Quote from: livendive on February 19, 2015, 12:32:38 PM
For 6 months?! I'm getting these surgeries done now so I can actually enjoy this summer! ... but no running, biking, skydiving, or snowboarding for a full year would likely have me so bored I'd do something even dumber.
Gross told me that a stationary bike was Ok at six weeks, but not to take if off the trainer for six months. When you posted about riding 11.5 miles, I turned as green as the dandelions growing in my front yard. I did my long distance six week checkup visits with the local xray and PT people. When Gross gets it, I'm really hoping he'll lift the outside bike restriction.
Talk about a cabin fever induced stupidity; I recently bought a used K2 mountain bike and have planned a trip to the Colorado Rockies for the week I hit the six month mark. I've already got my 52 mile route laid out. That ride will be my first time on it.
Livendive, good to read your exploits and recovery as you get ready for number two (and other stuff too, sounds like a 200,000 mile engine rebuild you're having!). I hope it goes well for you and you're able to hit your targets this summer.
Looking at your X-ray, it looks like a reasonable joint space there at that angle, but I'm no expert. It looks very similar to mine, presumably patchy coverage of cartilage, so I guess you're not in full time pain, just when you want to do something you enjoy. Is that about right? I'm in process of organising my op, hoping to be pain free in May ...
Best wishes.
Matt
Yeah, I agree that the problem on the left isn't strictly lack of cartilage, as there still looks to be a fair amount. The impingements aren't fun and I think there are one or more loose bodies floating around in there. Like you figured, the pain in that hip isn't daily. It comes in three flavors, low back after doing stuff I enjoy, occasional burning on the front (not common, but lasts for weeks when it happens), and occasional severe pain on weight bearing (what I assume is loose bodies stuck in joint space). The cortisone shot actually helped on that side too. Still, I had three different orthos decline to try arthroscopic repairs as a conservative first measure, the first two suggesting replacement and Pritchett recommending resurfacing. I think I could probably get away with my natural hip for a couple more years, but since this year is already cursed with "no high impact sports" and I don't want another such year in the near future, now makes sense for me. Plus, the right met my annual out of pocket limit, so it's basically "buy one get one free" if I do it now, saving me a few thousand dollars.
Not sure what's going on in the xray at the bottom of the left socket, but it kinda looks like a mess to my untrained eye. Also Pritchett pointed out a couple areas on MRI where I'm losing bone density or something like that.
I'm now about 30 hours on the other side of my left hip, and it's been a very different experience from the first. I was able to easily lift my leg off the bed yesterday, but found swelling in the glut and hip flexor area much more pronounced, so thought the general pain was much lower, but now I think there was a local nerve block in play that worked better because I'm now in more pain than I recall the first time around. Also, the epidural seemed to take longer to take full effect and I vaguely recall waking up twice during the procedure...or perhaps the first time I simply hadn't gotten all the way under yet. In any case, neither instance was alarming in the least, just oddly interesting. I did have a lot more bleeding this time around. After the first surgery, we changed the dressing twice, once on day 4, the other day 11. This time I left the hospital with my 8th dressing on and about as many clothing and bedding changes doe to my bleeding everwhere. Dr Pritchett worked the incision a bit more right before I was discharged, and added some glue, and that seems to have done the trick. We had to stop by another hospital to get some more bloodwork done prior to my neck surgery tomorrow morning and that proved challenging and I got a bit behind the pain curve in the process. Price I pay for wanting to combine two recoveries into one period of being miserable. We're now at a hotel for the night and I'm caught back up. A round of PT has my ROM back to where I remember the first hip being, and bleeding still looks under control. Time for some sleep...another update to follow either tomorrow night or Thursday, depending on how I'm feeling.
Hang in there mate. Hopefully the worst is now over. How come you change dressing so often? When I had mine they used one dressing that had to stay on for about 10 days and was not to be changed under any circumstances. It was good though as I was allowed to shower etc. and get the dressing wet.
Dave
Quote from: Daytona Dave on March 04, 2015, 05:26:25 PM
Hang in there mate. Hopefully the worst is now over. How come you change dressing so often? When I had mine they used one dressing that had to stay on for about 10 days and was not to be changed under any circumstances. It was good though as I was allowed to shower etc. and get the dressing wet.
Dave
I had two different types of dressings, the first (my first surgery was more problematic) was a traditional dressing which had to be changed daily, I also had a drain that had to heal, since they had had to use that during surgery.
The second time, it went much more smoothly, so I woke up with a silver based bandage that I had to keep on, take showers with, was much thinner. Overall a great experience.
Different strokes for different hips, I guess.
Quote from: Daytona Dave on March 04, 2015, 05:26:25 PM
Hang in there mate. Hopefully the worst is now over. How come you change dressing so often? When I had mine they used one dressing that had to stay on for about 10 days and was not to be changed under any circumstances. It was good though as I was allowed to shower etc. and get the dressing wet.
Dave
First 8 dressings were at the hospital due to me leaking blood all over the place. Both times I got the same silver bandages. The last one Pritchett put on right before discharge included some extra glue and held till this morning. Today I've been thru a few more, again due to substantial leaking, but now a clear yellowish odorless serum instead of blood. Still on oral antibiotics, plus I had more IV antibiotics Wednesday for neck surgery. We're going to clean it up again later tonight and send pics to Pritchett as its red, much warmer, and swelling is drum tight with pitting edema. Pain is about the same as 1st hip, so I'm not terribly concerned, especially since I've been on anylti-b's non-stop. Still, doesn't hurt to ask when other warning signs are there.
Hello Livendive -
Now I know why I was discharged from Swedish on Wednesday with just Band-Aids holding my left hip together...they used up all the Gucci ones on you!
Just kidding...I've got a "silver" dressing as well, but fortunately have only needed one so far. I'm pretty sure we were neighbors for a short time!? I was in room 323 and meant to look for you during my PT/walk outing.
Hope things only get better for you and that your neck procedure went well.
Take care, Bruce
We may very well have been neighbors for a short time. I was in 325 till around 2 or 3 on Tuesday, probably right around the time you came up from surgery. Checking into Evergreen the following morning, my wife and I repeatedly commented on feeling spoiled coming out of Swedish. I can't think of a single thing done better at Evergreen, but there were several things we liked more at Swedish.
Things are improving here, it feels like I've turned the corner. I finally got some sleep last night, and my difficulty swalllowing has eased today...still painful, but I don't choke every time. Today I put a mile on the crutches walking around my cul de sac (0.6 this morning and 0.4 this afternoon). My incision is still draining, but it's definitely slowing down. We've just been using gauze and tape the last couple days for their increased absorption. I think tonight we're going to throw some glue in the hole in the bottom of the incision and put the last silver bandage we have on it.
Still going through ups & downs, mostly unrelated (2 for 2 on gout attacks post hip resurfacing, both times in the ankle on the operated side). I had my follow-up with Dr Pritchett today and he did some more work to help me stop leaking, as I was still going through multiple dressings a day. Some aspiration, glue, and a couple staples and it seems to be holding now. Attached is a picture of my now matching pair. I didn't notice it in his office, but the angles look kind of weird to me on the left side. The socket angle seems to closely match the right side. However the ball side seems kind of out of whack, both with the angle the stem takes through my femoral neck and with the way it's sitting in the socket. Hopefully that's nothing, just positioning or something, and I'm just seeing things through uneducated eyes.
Just another update: Yesterday marked 7 weeks since my left BHR, and it's definitely not keeping pace with the right side. I've had persistent groin pain on the left side, much more difficult with adduction (still limping, sleeping with a pillow between my legs, difficulty balancing on just left leg, having to sit and struggle a bit to put on pants, shorts). At this point the first time around, I was doing great, and only a few days away from my recently repaired hip taking a primary role as the other hip got resurfaced. My right hip did fantastic at carrying the load when my left went out of commission. My left is nowhere near ready to do the same if my right were about to go down.
Last week also saw an unexpected return to medical care, as Tuesday evening my left hip began stiffening up, with pain also in my lower back and abdomen on the left side. Eventually the pain got to the point that I nearly passed out, and I though perhaps I'd dislocated it or somehow otherwise really screwed it up, so my wife took me to the ER. Morphine did the trick and a CT scan revealed a hematoma of the iliopsoas and accumulation of fluid/blood in my abdomen. We went back to see my surgeon the next day and he said it was possible that this was "old" blood that had been sitting in the muscle since surgery, blocked by a clot that had just decided to liquefy, releasing it, but either way the best approach was a simple wait and see. The abdominal pain stayed pretty intense for a couple of days but has since abated and is now quite minor. Based on what reading I've done, it sounds like trouble with the iliopsoas post resurfacing is fairly common, and my hope is that it is simply a healing process from surgical trauma rather than something more persistent such as a socket not countersunk into the bone, resulting in abrasion of the muscle. I always expected that one of the hips would heal more easily and quickly than the other, and this certainly seems to be the case.
Good luck with getting all of that sorted out.