Well, I went through with it :) Dr Gross resurface my right hip at 10:30 this morning.
Whoever said that Dr Gross has a well-oiled machine was correct.
.everything from yesterday's pre-op to today's prep and Surgery has been well organized and efficient.
In my room...no nausea problems but a little foggieness from narcotics. I can see that I will be working to get off those quickly
The joint feels great but I have some pretty teeth-gritting muscular pain. Medicine helps some.
I didn't get settled in a room until right before the PT left for the day so I will not walk on it til tomorrow am
I am hoping the walking and movement will help the muscular issues.
We had talked about my husband staying the night but there isn't really a comfortable place to sleep (and the room is fairly small) so he went back to the hotel
All in all, I glad I did it. Will update along they way. Thanks to everyone on this site for youtlr advice and stories!
Great stuff, you've done the hard bit now good luck with your recovery and keep us posted!
You are in good hands. Dr. Gross did my right hip 8 months ago, and I feel great. You will have to work through muscle issues, but they should settle soon. Congrats for making the move. Happy recovery!
Welcome to the other side!
Good luck with healing and getting back to normal. Five weeks out and feeling great, impatient for the next phase.
Day 2 post op...we made it home yesterday (6 hr drive). I tried sitting in the front seat with it reclined and that did NOT work...we stopped about an hour in and I was in so much pain and discomfort that I thought I was going to throw up or pass out or both when I stood up. I moved to the backseat with my legs stretched out and that was MUCH better.
I have been taking the nucynta ER twice daily and the fast acting nucynta every 4 hours and I do not think I would be able to get through without it. The pain is getting better but my muscles are still super, super sore and tight. I did walk outside and enjoy the sun a bit (73 degrees in Dec...who would've thought?
I did manage to sleep most of last night in my own bed with the help of several pillows. Have been using the polar freeze thing alternating hours and trying to walk in-between for at least a few minutes. Everything feels stiff in my operated leg and it is super heavy when moving it around.
But I am feeling better little by little and hope for an even better day tomorrow!
Hi Rebecca
Congratulations on the new hip. Give it time and you will feel much better. Often seems like the 6 week mark is a point where many people feel much better and more normal.
Meanwhile, take it a day at time. I bet by Christmas, you will feel much better.
Good Luck and let us know how you are doing when you can.
Pat
Congrats Rebecca,
I am 2 1/2 weeks out from surgery with Dr Gross and I am feeling really good. I would recommend just taking it easy the first couple of weeks. Take the pills, do the exercises, and don't break any of the restrictions. Move around enough where you are not at risk of getting a blood clot and get as much rest as you can.
I waited 3 days to drive the 8 hours home to Tampa. I was struggling at the end of the drive due to a headache. The only thing that helped was laying my seat all the way down - don't know how safe that is. The first 10 days I was getting headaches but no real hip pain. If it was not for the headaches this would have been real easy.
I hope you keep doing well.
Congrats RebeccaT! Yea I remember driving was not comfortable at all early on.
The trip home was the hardest part. I wasn't in pain, but was so profoundly tired and uncomfortable I just sat on the plane and counted the minutes. Too drugged and tired to read, not tired enough to sleep. Ugh.
The rest isn't easy, but is easier, and you should notch victories every day.
Ok I really thought this was going to be easier! Pain seemed to subside fairly substantially yesterday so I laid off the narcotics in the afternoon. (I did take the extended release one, just not the faat acting) Woke up at 1:45 in tears. Took a nucynta. Took 2 Tylenol about two hours later. Helped a lot, but I think I will stay pretty consistent with the nucynta for the next few days.
My glutes and quads are soooooo stiff ... I cannot tell if the joint is better because the rest of everything hurts!
On the bright side, I can tell that my ability to move the hip when I am getting up and down has improved.
I am really ready for the stiffness to dissipate. Did anyone take a muscle relaxer? I wonder if that would help, as it feels like my muscles are just knotted up ... But usually muscle relaxers make me anxious and twitchy so not sure what is the lesser of the evils!
Anyway I appreciate everyone's encouragement and all the stories out there. I keep looking back at some of your stories to see if my issues seem "normal"!!
Hoping for a better report tomorrow!
I am sorry! Stay on the narcotics. That's why we have them. Give it a little more time. GI issues inspired me to get off them early. People who don't suffer from GI issues stay on them longer.
I had involuntary muscle tightening immediately after surgery for a few days. Night one post op it was in my back on the left side, later in both glutes when I put my feet up. It wasn't cramping per se. Changing positions helped. Some postures triggered it while others eased it. Do call Lee if it gets too bad.
Rebecca -- I had both of my hips done by Dr. Gross 2 years ago and I suffered severe muscle cramping the first time. So much so that I spent a whole hellish night in the local ER as they tried everything to stop the spasms. That said, Dr. Gross prescribed me Flexeril over the phone the next day and I took that for about 48 hours. It helped tremendously. Immediately after my second HR (5 months after the first) I was started on Flexeril in the hospital and he had me take it for 3-4 days post op due to my history.
Don't hesitate to call the office and speak with Nancy and see if she can prescribe you some to take -- it will help the muscles relax and you will be much more comfortable.
Echoing what everyone else has said -- don't expect too much for the for the first 10 days. Rest, sleep, drink lots of water, eat well, do your exercises and just be. 2 years later my hips are great and I rarely even think about them anymore. It just takes patience and time.
Good luck!
Juno
It'll get easier, I promise! The stiffness definitely does suck - I couldn't wait to be allowed to stretch at 6 weeks and it helped a lot. Just know that the time will end up passing much faster than you expect and you'll be out the other side before you know it.
Echoing others, I recommend taking the narcotics while you're in pain. I would definitely at least keep the night-time ER dose until you're sure you're OK without it (and I'm still taking Tylenol every night at 8 weeks, just to make sure I don't get sore sleeping, although I expect this to taper off soon). And don't hesitate to call Dr Gross' office if you're still having trouble.
I think I am turning a corner. Much less stiffness today. Easier to get up and down. Leg still feels pretty heavy but it is easier to get in and out of bed or the sofa.
Main thing I notice now is that if i sit with my leg on the bed or sofa, and the operative leg slightly bent, if it starts to tilt inward I can't really control it AND it doesn't feel very good. Same thing when I am standing... Turning leg in (which is on Dr Gross's list of things not to do) definitely gets my attention. I suppose that is from the muscles being cut (or so I hope).
Trying to just stick with Tylenol for pain in addition to the extended release nucynta...that way I can get some work done (and hopefully some online Christmas shopping, since I am not nearly finished!)
Looking forward to more improvement!
one week post op-- the bandage comes off today, and I will be interested to see the incision. Looks like it will not be too obtrusive when wearing a swimsuit, at least based on where the bandage is (lucky for guys who do not have this concern :) ...
The past two days I have actually felt mostly normal (unless I try to move my leg...) I can actually think and am interested in doing something other than watching TV or looking at Facebook! Of course, now that I am ready to work from home, things in the office are really slowing down, I can tell! I've saved up a few projects for next week, though, so will be good to get on them.
I am able to control the pain on tylenol now. The only unfortunate thing about this that I can see is that the narcotics were really helping with sleep, and now that I am not taking them, and not doing much activity, I find it hard to get to sleep (not to mention the fact that sleeping on my back is not entirely comfortable, and the incision occasionally itches like crazy...) But I did manage to sleep 6 hours or so last night, so not bad all things considered
Stiffness and pain in my muscles is noticeably less by the day ... although any lateral movement of my leg still results in a significant ache. (I know you aren't supposed to cross the midline, but lateral movement to the outside is also painful!)
I have not lost my appetite during this whole event, and friends have been very gracious with food and holiday goodies -- so I am quite anxious to get back to something other than heel slides and foot pumps ... but I am rereading the material from Dr Gross that says DO NOT OVERDO IT ... so I will attempt to follow instructions and try to control my appetite in the meantime!
Yesterday I took my first outing -- a trip to Costco -- we were gone about 2.5 hours. I used one of the driving carts at Costco -- was mostly impressed I didn't run over anyone. We grabbed some lunch after, and by the time we were headed home I could tell my leg was swelling and I was getting a little woozy. Back on the ice, and this morning it's down to it's normal size, almost.
Although Dr Gross says you can drive as soon as you are not taking narcotics, I am not sure that I feel comfortable enough to do that quite yet ... maybe next week? It's still a hassle to get in/out of a car, too ...
I will continue to post here, as I found other Hip Stories quite valuable as I was preparing, and even now just to look back and see where people were in their recovery at this point. Hope everyone has a lovely holiday!
This sounds like great progress. You are brave woman to go to Costco for 2.5 hours.
Ha that is 2.5 hours out of the house all together, maybe 45 min at Costco. I do enjoy it, but not that much!
Merry Christmas Eve Eve...doing well here. Had a small scare yesterday. While putting on my shoes, I stepped down funny (or pressed my heel down funny) on my operated leg. I felt a click and my hamstrings got really tight and it hurt enough to get my attention. After mildly freaking out, I got on here and read some similar stories and felt a bit better. Today it's pretty loose and feeling good again. I am still using two crutches (12 days out) but alternate to one occasionally around the house. I wrapped most of my Christmas gifts today and even drove out to buy a couple of last minute ones...driving feels ok, and I am generally using my right foot for the gas and the brake unless I have to brake hard (andi have mainly stayed off major roads.)
I am acutely aware of every strange feeling in my leg, and there are a few ... But all in all it feels great and I am thankful! Couldnt have imagined this last week at this time!
Merry Christmas to you, too!
I hear ya about the small scares. Generally I feel good, very good, but now and then something will happen that will put me on high alert: a few days out, a friend helpfully walking with me put her foot under my crutch as I brought it down and I felt a jolt up my leg; over Thanksgiving, getting cocky about walking up and down the stairs and winding up with a sharp pain in the left hip; yesterday (!) forgetting I had surgery because I felt so good and trying to sit down in a curled up fashion and feeling an unpleasant pulling in the left hip. I guess it will be like this for awhile until we are truly healed.
I had a lot of small scares too, but thankfully they all passed and I'm still doing well!
Really glad to hear that you're doing so well Rebecca -- it's night and day reading your earlier posts vs now!
So 2.5 weeks -- down to one crutch with no problem (mainly around the house -- still take two when I go out because it's just easier if I encounter stairs or something.)
I am back to work today, from my sofa only -- I think my brain was getting a bit mushy from all the laziness the last couple of weeks.
I can tell if I overdo that my muscles are a bit sore, but nothing crazy. An hour or two on the polar care seems to take care of it.
I am also having no problem sleeping through the night for the most part, but I do tend to wake up if I turn over. Just one pillow between my legs seems to work for side sleeping though. My hip is sore when I wake up, but once I am up and on it, it feels fine.
Looking forward to getting back to the gym and back to normal eating (my "abnormal" eating is really a function of a combination of things ... surgery + friends bringing food + holidays).
Although Dr Gross requires no specific physical therapy, i do think I am going to get my neighbor who is a PT to come down and watch me walk with 1 crutch and give me some suggestions ... I feel like my gait is just funny. I definitely can't walk without a crutch. (Well -- I can -- but there is an extremely pronounced limp.) I feel that is normal at this stage but I want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to help things move along in the right direction.
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!
I am curious what your PT neighbor will say about gait and walking normally after surgery. Does it just come back on its own? Or should we be doing something to help it along?
Blinky, my neighbor says call her back when the 6-week restrictions are up :) ...
Really, though (although she did say that) she said the following:
-using a cane rather than one crutch should help me walk more upright (although I don't really feel that I am leaning on the crutch ...)
-I am turning my operated foot out, but I was doing that before (she said she noticed it ... I agree ...) I need to work on that after the restrictions are up ... need to increase strength in my inner thigh (muscle names eluding me at the minute) and practice walking a "straight line," basically ... really thinking about keeping that foot straight. She suggested practicing in the pool for now.
-Really working on core will help everything get back "in line" (and a chiropractor might, too, once I am able...)
So, nothing much to change now, but it was an interesting conversation. I will get a cane or hiking pole. Should only be for another week or two, I hope!
The slight limp is definitely normal at 2.5 weeks, at least based on my experience. Interesting that your foot is turned out because mine was turned in.
Update at 7+ weeks ... my hip feels great. Still limping a bit and not really Dr Gross' phase 2 exercises but I am doing them. (It just takes so long to count to 10, count to 5, etc! I am impatient!)
Took a little weekend trip Fri-Sun and walked a lot with no assistance, except for my husband's arm, which probably got a little tired, but over the course of Saturday I'd say we walked about 6 miles (with a good bit of rest in between) and there were no ill effects that I can tell.
I can definitely see improvement along and along, although not as much as I could on a daily basis about two weeks ago.
I sent in all my followup paperwork to Dr Gross last week -- was expecting to hear from them but I think I will touch base today to see what the next step is.
In any case, so far so good -- I can walk mostly without a limp if I really think about it ... but if I don't, it is definitely noticeable, so I have to work more on that. There is also some stiffness when I first stand up (or get up in the am) and strangely some pain at night (which reminds me of the old days pre-surgery ... but I am assuming it is muscular. It isn't horrible and only wakes me up occasionally...more strange than anything.
I have been doing the bike at the gym (boring, but ...) and some upper body exercise -- good thing because my eating is definitely outweighing my calories burned at the moment!
Planning our summer beach trip and looking forward to being able to ride a real bike!!
Sounds great! A beach trip is a strong incentive.
Funny I had the pain that reminded me of pre-surgery pain as well. Was thinking wtf how does this make sense. It eventually went away.