Surgery scheduled - 3 months and counting

[23109VC]

   I have been lurking here for a while - making a handful of posts here and there.  I've been dealing with hip pain for the past 10-12 years or so.  I am 38 years old.  I can remember being in college and noticing my left hip felt "tight" when I was in the gym doing leg workouts....  3-5 years later I can remember noticing that my left hip hurt a lot after a long session of racquetball....  but it was fine for normal day in/ day out activities...

I eventually gave up racquetball, the only sport I was any good at or enjoyed, about 8-9 years ago because the pain I experienced after playing was just too much to deal with....  now..I wouldn't even bother to try... i wouldn't make it 5 minutes on the court w/out some sharp intense pain stopping me in my tracks..

I'm married with three kids..and my 3 year old can outrun me when we go to the local park.  I can walk fairly normally.. on goo days you'd never notice that I have hip pain..  on a bad day... people ask me why I'm limping..  the "why are you limping" comments have become more common and more frequent in the last year..  not being able to get my shoes tied has become a daily occurence.  trying to clip my toenails is virtually impossible...  and even getting my pants or underwear on is a challenge. when i put my right leg in, i get pain from putting all my weight on teh bad side..and once I do get the good side in, when I try to lift my left leg to get my pants on, I can't lift my leg high enoguh... I end up dropping thepants as low as I can.. sort of dangling them down near the floor so I can slowly lift me leg into them....  it's a pain..literally.    I take two aleves every morning.. and one tramadol...  if I miss my aleve, that is not good. one time i went on vacation, forgot my pills, and decided to see how long I could go wout pain meds.  A week later I woke up and my left leg was actually frozen in the sockt...I could move it but the pain eas excruciating tot he point that it made me almost cry...that scared me... that was a couple years ago... since then I have NEVER forgot my pills... 


I did a lot of resarch here about the different devices and doctors..  I have opted to see Dr. Gross and go for the uncemented implant.  he even called me personally to discuss the procedure.  That wa a really nice touch.  I'm located in so cal, and my HMO sent me to a guy in LA who was very nice, but admitted he had only done 30 resurfacings.. no thanks.  When my employers open enrollment period came, I switched to a PPO..I will pay a bit more annualy for medical care and will pay something out of pocket for this procedure..but I can see who I want.  I figure I want to do this once and maybe have a shot at never doing it again.  If I go to a nebie doctgor and it fails..and I only save d few thousand out of pocket, I'd eel like an idiot for not going to the best doc I could...

I scheduled my surgeyr today.  End of February.  It's exciting to think that I'm getting VERY close to fixing this pain..but also scary to think of what I have to go through with.  I've seen the surgery videos on youtube...you know it hurt a lot, when despite seeing those videos.. you still want to do it.

One thing I have focues on to keep myself positive is thining about being able t play with m y kids, pain free, and bea ble to resume physical activiteis that I have given up or not done b/c of the pain.  I still have my racqutball racquets and gear and I may get my racquet restrung... I know I can't reallyl play for 6-12 months after the surgeyr..but it will be fun to think about the fact that I will be back on the court soon.

I recentlyl bought anice DSLR.. a Nikon D7000 ffor those of you who know cameras...and I paln on shooting some "documentary" video with my new camera..sort of do a running log of how bad I am now...going for teh surgery,a nd highlighting my recovery...shoudl be neat to see before/after.. limping and reeling in pain now... smashing a rollout shot in a year..  

keep your fingers crossed for me.  thanks to those of you who have IM'd me and answered my questions. 

I'm almost there.....

[ReneeP]

Congrats on your upcoming resurfacing!  I scheduled mine 3 months ahead, and those three months went by fast.  Before you know it, you'll be on the other side.  You'll wake up from surgery and that joint pain will be gone.  Then life can begin again and you can go back to what you love. 

Renee

[obxpelican]

I'm 2 years and 4 months post-op from a succesful Dr. Gross surgery, it was one of the best things I've ever done, most days I wake up and do not even give it a 2nd thought about my implant.

Dr. Gross is a great guy, Lee and Dr. Gross will sit there and answer any question you have at your pre-op appointment, when I got my phone consult I too was impressed with how much time I had with him, it had to be 40-50 minutes.  I am glad I made the decision to travel too, here in Pgh I found one practice who had not done too many.


Chuck

   I have been lurking here for a while - making a handful of posts here and there.  I've been dealing with hip pain for the past 10-12 years or so.  I am 38 years old.  I can remember being in college and noticing my left hip felt "tight" when I was in the gym doing leg workouts....  3-5 years later I can remember noticing that my left hip hurt a lot after a long session of racquetball....  but it was fine for normal day in/ day out activities...

I eventually gave up racquetball, the only sport I was any good at or enjoyed, about 8-9 years ago because the pain I experienced after playing was just too much to deal with....  now..I wouldn't even bother to try... i wouldn't make it 5 minutes on the court w/out some sharp intense pain stopping me in my tracks..

I'm married with three kids..and my 3 year old can outrun me when we go to the local park.  I can walk fairly normally.. on goo days you'd never notice that I have hip pain..  on a bad day... people ask me why I'm limping..  the "why are you limping" comments have become more common and more frequent in the last year..  not being able to get my shoes tied has become a daily occurence.  trying to clip my toenails is virtually impossible...  and even getting my pants or underwear on is a challenge. when i put my right leg in, i get pain from putting all my weight on teh bad side..and once I do get the good side in, when I try to lift my left leg to get my pants on, I can't lift my leg high enoguh... I end up dropping thepants as low as I can.. sort of dangling them down near the floor so I can slowly lift me leg into them....  it's a pain..literally.    I take two aleves every morning.. and one tramadol...  if I miss my aleve, that is not good. one time i went on vacation, forgot my pills, and decided to see how long I could go wout pain meds.  A week later I woke up and my left leg was actually frozen in the sockt...I could move it but the pain eas excruciating tot he point that it made me almost cry...that scared me... that was a couple years ago... since then I have NEVER forgot my pills... 


I did a lot of resarch here about the different devices and doctors..  I have opted to see Dr. Gross and go for the uncemented implant.  he even called me personally to discuss the procedure.  That wa a really nice touch.  I'm located in so cal, and my HMO sent me to a guy in LA who was very nice, but admitted he had only done 30 resurfacings.. no thanks.  When my employers open enrollment period came, I switched to a PPO..I will pay a bit more annualy for medical care and will pay something out of pocket for this procedure..but I can see who I want.  I figure I want to do this once and maybe have a shot at never doing it again.  If I go to a nebie doctgor and it fails..and I only save d few thousand out of pocket, I'd eel like an idiot for not going to the best doc I could...

I scheduled my surgeyr today.  End of February.  It's exciting to think that I'm getting VERY close to fixing this pain..but also scary to think of what I have to go through with.  I've seen the surgery videos on youtube...you know it hurt a lot, when despite seeing those videos.. you still want to do it.

One thing I have focues on to keep myself positive is thining about being able t play with m y kids, pain free, and bea ble to resume physical activiteis that I have given up or not done b/c of the pain.  I still have my racqutball racquets and gear and I may get my racquet restrung... I know I can't reallyl play for 6-12 months after the surgeyr..but it will be fun to think about the fact that I will be back on the court soon.

I recentlyl bought anice DSLR.. a Nikon D7000 ffor those of you who know cameras...and I paln on shooting some "documentary" video with my new camera..sort of do a running log of how bad I am now...going for teh surgery,a nd highlighting my recovery...shoudl be neat to see before/after.. limping and reeling in pain now... smashing a rollout shot in a year..  

keep your fingers crossed for me.  thanks to those of you who have IM'd me and answered my questions. 

I'm almost there.....

[Pat Walter]

You have choosen an excellent hip resurfacing surgeon.  Concentrate on the positive and make those plans to be on the court again.  The surgery post op period will go by quickly and some people have only a few problems.  You won't be completely disabled, just sore form surgery and waiting for the body to heal.  You will still be active within a short time and sharing time with your family.  I was eating out every meal while in Belgium and sight seeing 5 days post op.  Some people don't have as quick a recovery, but you can still get out and be active with your family.  You will be slowed down and be taking naps, but you will still be yourself and able to be Dad.

When you get your videos together, load them to my Surface Hippy Video site  http://surfacehippyvideos.com/shvideos/  and send me an email you have uploaded them.  I will then grab them and put them on the main Surface Hippy site.  Most videos are way too large to send via email.

Good Luck.  The time will go by quickly.

Pat

[newdog]

I too am a future Dr. Gross Hippy. I am scheduled for Jan. 10 and 12, 2011 (bilateral). Yes, it is very exciting and scary at the same time. It is impressive to have a famous surgeon personally call to discuss the surgery. When I answered the phone and I knew it was him, I guess I was even a little star struck in a way (what a bumpkin I must be). When he told me I am an excellent candidate for HR surgery, I could hardly speak and kinda choked up a little (yes I have become very emotional due to this ordeal). I think we spoke for about a half hour. He seems like a really nice person. I see you are coming from Southern Cal. I am from central PA, not as far as you but still a long way. It's hard to believe it has been 3 months since he called me (Sept. 1). I am going through the usual crap, sharp pain, limping, etc. Can't wait til it is over. Four months seemed like a long time but look, it's down to one month to go. Hang in there and I am looking forward to your videos, that's a good idea.

[stevejco]

Congrats and best of luck on your upcoming surgery. Yes, the "why are you limping" questions get old fast. My experience has been very similar to yours, married with three children as well. I have suffered for many years and it's been killing me not being able to go for bike rides with my family or romp around in the yard with the kids.  I can't wait to take a long trail hike with my dog again. It's been a humbling experience needing help with my toenails,getting dressed and the so many other daily activities I used to take for granted.

 I scheduled my bi-lateral resurfacing 3 months ago (Dr. Marchand) . Renee is so right that those months go by quickly. Use those 3 months to get your mind, body and home ready.

 I had my pre-admission testing at the hospital last week and have been off my pain meds since. Funny, I never thought my pain meds helped much. Man, was I wrong! I'm lucky the wife hasn't kicked me out. I've been such a grouch.lol  Next Tuesday I'll be crossing over to the other side with two shiney new BHR's. I can't wait! I think I'll be dusting off my racquet ball gear in the not so distant future.

Many thanks to Pat and the rest of the Hippies for all the advice and encouraging words.

Steve

[newdog]

stevejco,

Aw yes, the "grouch syndrome". I think I am getting better at controlling my mood, but sometimes I can't even stand myself LOL! My wife doesn't deserve my grumpiness.

Yes, the "why are you limping" questions do get old, don't they? Then when you tell them about getting the "surgery", you may as well tell them your getting a sex change or something. Most everyone never heard of hip resurfacing then when you tell them you are traveling somewhere else to have it done (if that is your case) then they really freak out.

Good luck to you and 23109VC! Just think, we will be able to run, jump and play soon.

And yes, Pat and the rest of the Hippies deserve a lot of credit for this website and the excellent advice.

[stevel]

Steve,

I dusted off the racquetball gear and started playing a couple of months ago after a 14 1/2 year break.  I bought a new racquet a couple of weeks ago.  The technology of the racquet design has changed a lot.  It feels great to dart around the court again.  Absolutely no discomfort around my new left hip.  I strained my lower back on the opposite side of my new left hip and rested for a couple of weeks.  Tennis elbow pain is gradually subsiding.  Makes me wonder, if I only knew that BHR's were first installed in 1997, I could have mine done years earlier.

Good luck with your upcoming surgery and recovery!

[andybc]

I'm sure you're making a good decision, but just to comment on one of the replies      "You'll wake up from surgery and that joint pain will be gone."

Well, if you've had an epidural it will.....but that's going to wear off! You simply replace one pain by another in most cases. The difference is that the new pain is going to resolve. I know people make these comments with the best intentions and, just conceivably, some genuinely don't have any more pain but I find it hard to believe. I speak as one who is 8 days post op. Frankly, I'm in more pain now than I was before the op. I have, though, been greatly reassured by all I've read on this fantastic web site....and I'm a doctor! I've been quite suprised by some of the post op sequelae and am going to try and post them on the board later today.

However, just to emphasise, I don't have any regrets about the op. Guess I just expected to be almost pain free straight away.

Andy BC

[jjmclain]

Hi Andy,

I am 3 weeks post op LBHR and I agree with you. It is a new pain however...no hip pain, but I have had leg pain since the procedure. My left side and leg still has some swelling and bruising, so sitting and sleeping are difficult. But it is getting better. I walk at least 2 miles a day with my crutches (I go to one crutch today!!!) so it is not a matter of inactivity. They do a lot to your leg and if you have dense muscle tissue (which they said I did), you will feel the pain from where they had to open you up, etc. But as everyone says, each day gets better. I even had a much better evening last night! The coumadin seems to really affect me for a few hours after I take it. I get pain in my feet and legs, but that subsides later during the night. They say they have never heard of that, but I am quite sure when I go off of it, those symptoms will subside. My bruising and swelling is less each day as well.

Good luck in your recovery!
June

[ReneeP]

Hi Andy,
Just to clarify...in my experience, I had NO JOINT PAIN at any time after surgery.  The spinal wore off in a few hours for me, and all I was left with was muscular pain and swelling/bruising.  The arthritis pain I had before surgery has not returned, and yes, I noticed a difference as soon as the spinal wore off.

Renee

[jjmclain]

In case my last post wasn't clear, I too, like Renee,  have had NO JOINT PAIN. It has all been muscular in my leg.

[littleb]

Everything around it hurt alot, but the first thing I noticed was zero pain inside the joint itself. That realization made the rest of the pain easier to deal with.

[Luann]

Hi VC,
 Good luck, I am 6+ months out and doing great. You will be so amazed to be out of pain. We are all thinking of you! Lu

[23109VC]

wow!  thanks for all the great replies and words of encouragement...

While my surgery is still a few months off.. I know the date will be here before I know it..

I rec'd my "packet" in the mail from Dr. Gross - all kinds of things to process.  There are a handfull of tests I need to have done before the surgery...
I have a lot of thigns to do to keep me busy between now and then!

I've noticed more pain in my knee lately...  I think the hip pain is causing more pain in myiknee...

when i sit in the car, if I lift my leg at all, I feel this weird pain in my knee...  I try to still exercise... I can do plenty of upper body weights, and I can still do the stairmaster...  while my range of motion is much reduced on my left side, the lmited up/down of the stepper machine doens't seem to bug me much..and I an do 20-30 min no problem...  running with impact would hurt...but stepping is okay...  but when I lay o the groun and do leg lifts... even though on my left side I have a very hard time lifting my left leg very far at all...when I do exert effort to *try* and lift the leg up (while it's extended out straight) I get that same pain my knee..even though my knee has no stress on it and is not moving... it's weird.. this shoting pain in my knee...but I think it's fromt he hip.. referred pain...  can't wait for THAT to be gone too!


I nkow as the date gets closer I will get more anxious.  I'm excited to get fixed..but the fear of the surgery is real.  I'll be the first to admit I'm a big baby.  The idea of HOW the surgery happnes is not pleasant.  i hope that when I get there on the day or surgery they have something to give me to make me less nervous and relax me.. do they do that?  I'm not into geting doped up..but given how anxious/stressed I may be, soemthign that makes me "care" less..would be a good idea...

i had hernia surgery a few years ago..and while I know that is not really a big deal I was worried about that.. i remember being in the OR and the anesthesiologist was talin to me..and all off a sudden I just went OUT....  I'm hoping I go out just as fast... I know they do spinal with something else..

do they give you the "epidural" before OR after they knock you out?  I saw my wife get that when we had our kids and the needle looked HUGE and scary!  no way I want to see that in the OR!!

do they give me a catheter?  that soundx yucky too.. all this fun stuff to lok forward too..  i just need to keep focused on getting my hip / life back...and being able to run and play racquetball..

the idea of being able to RUN at full speed is nice. for years I have NOT been able to do that. now i an jsut sort of hobble if I try to "run"...it's sad.kind of a limping hopping thing...  not very fast.. the idea of being able to run at full stride..even for short distance will be GREAT... i can't wait.

thanks again for all the kidn words!

[littleb]

I was asleep before they brought out the needle. They left it in for 1 day. It came out so I could start walking around. I had the cath overnight as well but I think not all doctors require it.

[jjmclain]

They gave me something to relax me in my iv before they put in the epidural...so I did not feel that. I too was nervous and they had already made my husband leave so a nurse held my hand!!!! I was out before I knew it and didn't wake up until the surgery was over when I woke up in the operating room as they were putting everything away.

[23109VC]

sounds good... I want to go to sleep before I see any big needles or drills....    I know how they do it...but as they wheel me in there, I'm sure I'd be nervous..who wouldn't....

it's strange...the last few days my hip was feeling pretty good... relatively speaking.. i mean I always have major problems tying my shoes and stuff like that..but just walking around I wasn't limping that much...then the other night I did something/moved a certain way and BAM...it was hurting like NUTS all night....  that pain just reminds me why I'm going to do this!!

i'm now aboout two months and counting....  i'm off for two weeks...so may try to get some of my travel plans / etc all squared away before I have to go back to work...

[jjmclain]

Definitely try to get things organized before the surgery! It will make you feel better about everything. Once you recover from the surgical pain, you will be thrilled with your new hip.