2 weeks post op

[mikebaker]

I am new to the forum but not to this great website!! I have been wrestling with the decision to get a hip resurfacing since 2005 and had my first BHR done on my left hip on July 28, 2011. The whole experience has been quite amazing. My doctor has said that they will do my right hip at three months post my first operation if all is well at six weeks with my left hip. I am hoping that I can be of some help as I have received so much information from all of you. The first signs of osteoarthritis occurred in 2001 when I was training for my first ironman triathlon, my riding buddy noticed that my left leg was rotating outward slightly on the upstroke of my cadence on my bike. Later, the groin pain started and then finally x-rays and the eventual conclusion. My doctor who I met in 2005 wanted me to wait as long as possible before doing the surgery. I was going to get the surgery done last year but my wife and I had triplets and therefore I just could not be on the mend with three little ones to take care of. The triplets are now 1 year old and I am almost 2 weeks post op. From all the reading I have done, it seems as though the choice of surgeon is critical. I tried to do some research but since I live in Canada it is my belief that as a general rule there is some hesitancy in publishing certain statistics. However, I was able to get some comfort and booked my surgery. The surgery itself was fairly uneventful, I opted to go for a spinal and was awake for the whole procedure. They must have given me something because even though I could hear the doctor hammering in the retractor pins, reaming the acetabular socket, drilling into the femur to place the guide wire and finally hammering on the femoral component I could not really care less about it! I have watched the surgery a number of times on you tube and I was trying to follow what was going on and where they were at with the surgery. Around 90 mins later they were stitching me up and I was on my way to recovery. I think in hindsight I wish I could have slept through the surgery. The spinal was really good until I reached my hospital room then I had some issues with my blood pressure dropping and some nausea. The real issue for me was the drugs given for pain killers. I was told to try and keep the pain under control as if it got out of control it could take days and slow my recovery. So I took all the wonderful medicine that was prescribed and it really messed with my breathing and lowered my oxygen saturation so much that they sent me for a chest x-ray to make sure. On the third day I stopped taking anything other than extra strength Tylenol and it has been all good since then. I am not taking any pain killers now and can sleep quite well at night. My doctor is very conservative and wants me toe touch weight bearing up until the 6 week appointment. I was hoping that I would be full weight bearing and feel so strong but I will do my best to listen to the instructions as it is not that long in the grand scheme of things. I have looked at my x-rays and they look ok to my untrained eye other than the stem of the femoral component which is straight as an arrow but seems to been a little bit off midline. This might be due to my anatomy as I think I had a very mild case of hip dysplasia. I am hoping all went well as from what I have read if the angle of the acetabular component is fine then I could enjoy my new hip for many years to come. I would be heartbroken to go to a THR but I made the decision to stay with the national health system and take my chances. Well that is all for now, I am hoping that this post is not too long. Again I wanted to thank everyone for their efforts in creating this great website, there is simply no other website like it and it has provided me endless comfort in my search for understanding and decision to go forward with the surgery. All the best for now and I will keep you posted if you are interested. Take care and thanks again, Mike.

[Lopsided]

... when I was training for my first ironman ... because even though I could hear the doctor hammering in the retractor pins, reaming the acetabular socket, drilling into the femur to place the guide wire and finally hammering on the femoral component I could not really care less about it!

You certainly are an iron man, Mike.

[Dannywayoflife]

Fairone on the spinal when I get done I want to be ko'd totally!! Hope that your recovery goes well mate and you get back to running your tri's! Keep us all posted on your progress
Danny

[mikebaker]

Thanks Danny but I think that my triathlon days are over. I want this to last as long as possible. I did manage to complete 5 ironman triathlons before calling it quits from the pain. I raced the first 4 and managed to go under 12 hours at Ironman Canada. My real passion was American Football which I believe contributed to my condition and therefore I do not really have a triathlon type body - ie 5'10" and 220lbs. In 2005 for my 40th birthday my friend registered me in Ironman USA and I trained to walk the marathon and I finished in just over 16 hours. I remember during the race there being one guy running with a THR and being in amazement as he ran by. However, his gait looked really bad and I wondered whether it was well advised. I will keep you posted on how it goes. Take care, Mike.

[hernanu]

Congrats on getting it fixed, Mike.

Your condition sounds about like mine - I had my second hip done three months after the first, and your body type sounds like mine. I also played football, but added martial arts, soccer and basketball to the windstorm to hit my body. Wouldn't change a damned thing, especially when this procedure helps to reverse the tide.

I agree with Kirk, don't rule anything out until the dust settles from the recuperation. Many people here have gone back to surfing, running, martial arts, dealing with rowdy kids, etc. Go through the recovery and see where your mind is when you are fully fit.

Anyways, welcome to the forum and it sounds like you're in good shape.

[mikebaker]

Thanks Kirk and Hernan, I really appreciate it. I really like your post Hernan with respect to "I would not change a damn thing". I have always said that to my friends and wife with respect to my football career. I loved the game, the memories and the experience. Playing that sport made me who I am and allowed me to succeed in so many other areas of my life. I know you are both right and that I should wait to see how it goes before deciding on what activities to resume. It is just that I have read other posts of people going 8 and 10 years and then getting that old pain again and looking towards a THR. If I do go for it again I will be much better with respect to getting my weight down and ensuring I am as strong as possible. I trained a lot when I was 220 lbs and I think that the extra stress was not a good thing. Anyway I appreciate the support and hopefully talk soon.

[ScubaDuck]

Mike-

Thanks for posting.  I also dealt with major adjustments on the bike to deal with my left hip.  My girlfriend could hardly stand to ride behind me and see my whole torso leaning to the side.

I only did one Ironman, Penticton 2000, before work obligations and later arthritis cut my triathlons off.  I am planning to do some triathlons and if everything goes well an Ironman again.

Although I want my hip resurfacing to last for along time I also want to live life along the way.  I will be monitoring metal levels as I increase activities.  My theory though is that the best way to prolong the life of the prosthesis is to have strong muscles.

It is interesting that you posted from Canada.  I am in Vancouver recuperating from my hip resurfacing.  I met Dr. Yao who is looking at my girlfriend's shoulder and does some hip resurfacing.  His staff said that it isn't very common here.

Best wishes on your recovery.  I am a few days behind you and mine is going great so far.

Dan

[mikebaker]

Thanks Dan and good luck with your recovery!

As I said it was a little complicated getting information on the procedure and the surgeons. Apparently going back a few years there was a limit on the number of hip resurfacings that doctors could perform which affected the doctors abililty to continue to train and develop. Now the Alberta Bone & Joint Institute has been formed and has published a few papers and started studies to track the success of hip resurfacing which I am confident will be consistent with other sources of published information over time.

Please let me know how things are going. I will continue to live life there is no doubt about that, I just may be a little more choosy on the activities. I would really like to wakeboard again. I used to live in the Caribbean and loved being on the water. Also swimming, biking  and weight training will most likely be very prominent in the future for me.

Take care, Mike

[wayne-0]

Hey Mike, Just wanted to let you know that i have wakeboarded and wakesurfed since my surgery and i have had no problems or pain at all doing it. Just a little optimism your way. Hope you get back on the water.

Wayne

[hipnhop]

Mike, i can't believe you were awake for the whole procedure.  It would cause me to have permanent nightmares.  I am glad you are doing well. Stay away from the meds if you can.  My doc kept pushing PErcocet thinking I was in pain.  Sitting was the hardest part. I got a real good foam pillow and that seems to help. 

Keep us updated.
HipnHop

[Tin Soldier]

Mike - I'm sure you've heard this before in reference to triplets, "how did you do it?".  We had twins and everyone says that to us and they are 14 years old now.  My OA didn't really show up til a few years ago.  Holy crap though I can't even imagine taking care of 1-year-old triplets and a bum hip.  On the other hand, good job on getting it done now.  You'll be able to chase them around while they start climbing the walls here pretty soon.  You will also be able to kneel without that sharp pain shooting up to your ears (it felt like for me when kneeling).

In surgery they probably gave you a heavy dose of benzodiazipines (ie valium, versed,...) to make you not worry about the woodshop around you.  I prefer to be out, and I bet you could ask Mr. Anesthia man to turn up the juice a little on the next one.  I'm about 155 lbs, and it was lights out for me and I didn't even ask for that.

On the topic of narcotics, I agree, nasty stuff.  Since you have little ones, you can probabaly appreciate this when I say one of the best "drugs" in the world is having a sleeping kid on your chest while you both asleep watching Sesame Street.

Keep us posted on the recovery.

[mikebaker]

Thanks Hipnhop and TinSolider (great names by the way). Yes I think I will ask for a bit more juice next time. I am hoping to do the other side in 10 more weeks if all goes well and my 6 week appointment. I am a bit concerned by my xrays on the femoral component, however I think it will be fine.

As far as the triplets go, it has been a great experience and to be honest my wife and I feel that it probably would be harder to have 3 of different ages. My wife, who is also my hero, is so organized and runs a military type schedule which allows all of us to thrive. However, having said that no matter how much I loved the baby stage, which I did, at 46 the sleep deprivation was almost more than I could take. And given that our nanny only works during the day, the feeding every three hours was really tough because it took us about 1.5 hours each to feed all three, burp etc. when they were really little. Now they are an absolute joy and all really healthy. Thank goodness my recovery has been really good and I have been able to help at sleep time and my wife gives me one of my daughters (oh yeah we had two girls and one boy) and we hang out while my wife and our helper get the other two down. There is nothing like it and it is like a great happy drug without the side effects.

I got my bandages off yesterday and the doctor said the wound looked great and I am walking around our block two times a day right now. The feather weight bearing is a bit of a bummer and I have to use my crutches for 6 weeks and my doctors won't let me drive. I am going to try and go back to work next week and see how it goes. I am an accountant, and have tried sitting for one hour stretches and I have had no swelling. I am going to take my ice packs with me and do my stretches at work and try and keep my routine. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for all of the support you are all amazing.

Talk soon, Mike

[mikebaker]

Hi all,

I thought that I would check in and let everyone know how I am doing. To recap I had a LBHR on July 28, 2011. I was 6 weeks toe touch weight bearing and was worried about the positioning of the femoral component and a potential notch on my femur. The x-rays looked good, may have been a minor notch, I was allowed to go full weight bearing at 6 weeks and what a difference. I am at times forgetting that my surgery even happened and the pain is gone and I can not tell you what that has done for me. I am walking better than I did before but the years of limping are taking their toll and I have to really focus to correct my gait. I need to work on more strength and I can basically do most things without any issues other than climbing stairs and putting my socks on. I am going bilateral in December 2011 and need to work hard to get ready for that surgery, however I feel that I am in a much better place than I was. I know what to expect and I think that will make it easier. I am going to Vegas next week and am a bit nervous about going through the security checks but I am sure it will be ok and at 46, it will not be the first time with the glove treatment for me  . I am still worried about messing up my new hip and am a bit careful but everyday it gets a bit better. I am more help at home now but I am having a hard time carrying the kids around. They are sure starting to get big now - we have 15 month old triplets - 1 boy and 2 girls. Anyway I will sign off for now and say goodbye. I still check the site at least a couple times a week and you all are doing great, not much I can add there is a lot of support and expertise here. Bye for now.

[Lopsided]

Pleased for you that you enjoy your new hip and your triplets.

D.

[hernanu]

Good news, Mike. Sounds like you're right where you want to be. Take it easy, I know it's hard to do, since for the first time you're not in pain on that side, but you want to be in good shape for the second side.

[hernanu]

I think his surgeon saw something in the early X-rays that his femoral component wasn't placed optimally and would need to be feather touch to really promote good bone growth / stability. Sounds like it's grown in right and Mike's back in business (like you will be).

[Tin Soldier]

It's because he had triplets.

Good job Mike, good to hear that its working out well.  I was in a similar time frame between hips for bilat.  About 7 months.  Mentally it can get a little taxing, but I really have used my 7 month old hip a lot on the second hip recovery.  It feels really strong, pretty much don't even know I had it done.