8 days post-op doing well

[edrosen]

I had my right hip resurfaced 8 days ago by Dr. Su at the Hospital for Special Surgery. The surgery went well according to Dr. Su, about 95 mins. No cartilage was remaining in my right hip. 2 nights in the hospital, then home. The Hospital for Special Surgery is very organized and well run; the staff there competent and friendly; a good place to be a patient.
I am walking around in the house, and have been doing about a half mile a day on crutches on the road - my wife drives me to the end of our snowy, icy driveway.
I have some pain in the incision area, and some groin pain intermittently. I have taken the pain meds sparingly - they tend to give me a headache, and I have not needed them too often.
Had my first PT appt. this morning, mostly did the exercises I was shown in the hospital, just more reps.
Dr. Su has not placed any precautions on me; leg/ankle crossing, 90 degree rule, etc. It's interesting to see the degree of variation around this topic, even in the hospital, some of the nurses would place a pillow between my knees to keep me from crossing my legs.
I can't wait to get back in the pool, and to take a real shower!

Ed

[jwtoto]

Hi Ed,

I was really glad to read your post since I am in the process of setting up a surgery date with Dr. Su for my right hip. Could you share any particulars with me about your stay in New York or your condition before surgery? I assume that you traveled there. Did you do any PT while at HSS? Did you ask if Dr. Su found any cysts? What kind of PT arrangements do you have now and did Dr. Su specify the PT he wants you to do? Did you have much contact with Dr. Su or did you have more contact with his PA?

I am so happy for you that you have no movement or position restrictions. I hope that I have no restrictions either. Thanks for posting and I hope you get back in shape very soon.

                                                 Jerry

[nysoccermom]

There is a lot of information on this web site which will answer many of your questions: http://www.hipresurfacingnewyork.com/edwin-su.html  Under Patient Info, go to Hip Resurfacing, then Post Op Instructions. It gives his PT protocol in stages, immediate post op, one month out, etc. There is also a FAQ page with general, pre-op, post-op and other questions answered. Dr. Su does have his own very similar web site, www.edwinsu.com but oddly enough, I find that some of the information on there was not what I was told or experienced (regarding precautions, length of hospital stay, etc.), perhaps it is slightly outdated. I had bilateral resurfacing with Dr. Su 11/12/09 and will try to answer your questions.

I live approx. 3 1/2 hours away and my husband stayed at the Helmsley Medical Tower, right around the corner but less expensive than the HSS guest facility. It was clean and comfortable and had a small kitchen which was convenient. The HSS web site, www.hss.edu, also has a lot of information such as "What to Expect Concerning Your Surgery" as well as a neighborhood directory with hotels, parking, restaurants, etc.

As far as PT in the hospital, it is daily but they basically just help you get up and walk. They must clear you prior to discharge and you have to be able to get in/out of bed, walk a certain distance and go up and down stairs (they have a small set, maybe five steps in their PT department). I stayed 4 nights with a bilat, the first night in recovery. After discharge, I had PT in my home twice a week for a couple of weeks. At my 4 week follow up, I was given a prescription for outpatient PT 3 x per week for 6 weeks.

I saw Dr. Su for my initial appointment when he spent as much time as necessary answering my questions. Once we decided to go ahead with the surgery, I met his PA who went over the specifics and other staff members who were very helpful and scheduled my surgery. I saw Dr. Su. on the day of my surgery when he answers any last minute questions and signs the hip he will operate on. When I went back for my 4 week appointment, I saw his PA though if I specifically requested Dr. Su I think they would have accomodated that. I will be seeing Dr. Su for my 3 month follow up. I found that Blaire (his PA) answered my follow-up questions promptly via e-mail.

[edrosen]

Hi Jerry.
I live about 100 miles north of NYC. Luckily, I was able to stay with friends near the hospital the night before the surgery. The Hospital for Special Surgery contacted me the day before the surgery as to what time I should arrive. HSS holds a preparatory class (I found it to be quite useful) in which they distribute information about places to stay for those who might need it. My wife was able to pick me up from the front door of HSS upon discharge for the ride home (they are very accommodating).
I did have some brief PT sessions while at the HSS. The focus was mostly on getting to know how to move around on your own, using crutches. They have a small set of steps to practice on, which came in handy since I have a flight of stairs in my house. My last PT session also introduced some exercises for muscle strengthening.
The HSS set up my at home PT appointments through the Visiting Nurse Service of NY. Right now i am going to have in home PT 3 times a week. I don't believe Dr. Su specified the type of PT. He told me to walk, and to try and do a little more each day.
I did not ask Dr. Su about cysts. I sent my Xrays and MRI to Dr. Su in the mail, and he reviewed these first. Prior to my surgery, I had one appointment with Dr. Su, at which I met his PA for the first time as well. Most of my contact has been with Dr. Su's office staff. Ben and Christina have been very patient and helpful in answering my concerns. Dr. Su responded to e-mailed questions right away.

Thanks for your good wishes. I think you will be in good hands with Dr. Su and his team.

Ed

[jwtoto]

Thanks for the information, both of you.

After looking at the stretching pictures on the website I felt a surge of eagerness to be done with surgery and into the recovery phase. I live way farther from NY then you do. I'll be flying from California on the weekend before the surgery. I have set up my surgery date for a Thursday in mid April. I had my choice of Friday or Thursday and could still probably change it. Any suggestions? They won't let me out of the hospital until the following Monday no matter which day I choose so what is best, to stay one day longer or not?

I probably will not go back to Dr. Su for any check ups so I won't see him until the day of surgery. I am sure I won't be able to have much of a talk with him about anything. Does he come back to talk with anyone that may be waiting to hear how you did during surgery? My wife will be with me so I thought she could ask him some specifics about my case afterward. Any suggestions?

I feel kind of strange committing to major surgery with a doctor that I will never meet until the day of the surgery. Still, with his reputation and what others have recommended to me I'd rather go with Dr. Su than anyone closer. It's just kind of spooky, that's all.

                                    Thanks,

                                         Jerry

[nysoccermom]

I can definitely understand your unease with not meeting Dr. Su prior to the day of surgery. If it helps at all, it seems like nearly every nurse or support person I came into contact with at HSS both prior to and after the surgery said something to the effect of "Oh, you had Dr. Su, you will do great" and they are the ones that know best. On the day of your surgery, when Dr. Su comes in prior to the operation, he is prepared to answer any questions you may have though by that point I just wanted to get on with it as I knew I was in good hands. You also will have the opportunity to ask questions of a PA who comes in prior to Dr. Su and the anesthesiologist who comes in after.

My surgery was on a Thursday afternoon and I was discharged Monday morning. If you don't have an aversion to hospitals and your insurance covers it, I think the extra day will only be a benefit to you. The food is decent and the nurses are generally kind and responsive.

Dr. Su spoke directly with my husband at some length after the surgery. In addition, at my follow up appointment I got a copy of my surgical notes (could likely be e-mailed to you) which are rather fascinating if you can separate what you are reading from the fact that it was done to your body.

I'm sure you saw it but there is a page on that web site with information specifically for out-of-town patients.

Good luck to you. While I'm sure there are surgeons closer to you that would do a fine job, you won't be sorry that you went with Dr. Su.