Now lots of free time.

[seadragon]

Hello everyone. 

I think now is the time to send a quick update on my situation.  I'm a 32 yr old male who lives in Los Angeles.   I've read every blog post on surface hippy yahoo group, hiptalk forum, hip resurfacing yahoo forum, and even the FAI yahoo group for the last 3 years. I would wake up to the email list and check them through the day.  Lots of reading and learning. I could probably list the most popular posters and recite there situations, how they are feeling, and there recovery process.  I would like to thank all of you for your candor, and openness to share your experiences. Particularly  Pat for this site and Vicky for the other one for having a place to learn.  

As many others, I have tried many things to relieve pain in my hips. Massage, acupuncture, acupressure, physical therapy (water and land), chiropractor, ART, and spoke to multiple orthopedic surgeons (arthroscopic, thr, and resurfacing). Nothing relieved my pain. When my back became weak, that's when I felt like a 90 yr old. It was time.   Though I'm on the young side, I want to live. Not live in pain. 

At present, I'm in recovery at HSS in NYC after bilateral hip resurfacing with Dr. Su. It's way too early to comment on my recovery related to the future, but I can say that over the last 10 years of hip pain, I committed to doing this and now it's done.  Pain management and PT are the next steps of this process, but the relief of surgery complete is exciting. 

More to come, but since I have all this free time, I thought I would send a quick note. 

And, as many say, Dr. Su is the man.  HSS has also, so far, been excellent. 

My best.
Mark

[Dannywayoflife]

Congrats mark I wish you a swift and full recovery!
Danny

[Woodstock Hippy]

Congratulaions Mark, hope your stay in NYC is pleasant.  Good job going bilateral all at once.  How long will you be here?

[mhiller]

Congratulations Seadragon.  You did it!  That must be a load off your mine after all the research you did having made that final decision of what was best for your situation.  I'm still in the "I'm scared to make the wrong decision stage".  I guess I am still collecting data for my situation.  It is getting tiresome!  I've never been a good decision maker.  It's great to hear your story and  I wish for you all the best and that you have a speedy recovery!
Martha

[Rach41]

Congratulations on having the op. I too suffered in pain for 10 years before finally realising I need to be brave, (yes I was very scared) and get my hip done. I will be 3 weeks post op on Tuesday and whilst the first two weeks were tough I know feel as though I have turned the corner. This forum is fab and loads of great advice from members who have walked this path before us.

Good luck in your recovery, Rach 😊

[hernanu]

Congratulations, Mark! It's great that you tracked down the best surgeon for you, crossing to NYC and Dr. Su. Sounds like you went through the whole panoply of options, like a lot of us did. Good that you took control of your life and went ahead.

Bilat! welcome to the club, although you did it at once like some of our members. The recovery is not a cakewalk early on, but it is completely exciting to be done with the OA pain and limitations, then to move on past the surgery's impact.

How are you feeling? How's the PT and walking going?

[Anna]

Congratulations! Im so happy for you. I hope you make a speedy recovery and please keep us all posted .... I particulary would like to see overly goofy and happy action photos a few months down the line

[seadragon]

Hey thanks everyone. The last 24 hrs have been a bit rough. I knew having both done would be difficult, but the first couple days have been interesting. Mostly sleeping from the pain medications, but standing for the first time was very difficult. In addition to the dizziness from the meds, both legs felt like they were not mine. What an interesting feeling.

Finally had real food. Walked with walker to bathroom. It's funny how the little things like moving 10 feet feel like such an accomplishment.

Pt again this afternoon. Time for a nap. Probably be discharched on Monday or Tuesday, depending. Then to the hotel for a bit.

Dr. Su said everything went well, angles are perfect, and keep working on the stretches.

All in all, it's all good.

[rubyred]

Hey, glad your doing well. Keep us posted on your progress x

[Rob6297]

Hey Mark, glad you're doing well!  Hope you have some great nurses like me ( shawna) (Noel), ( kelly) maybe Juliana during  the overnight!    HSS was just the greatest!  Try the meatloaf it's awesome!  I too had the dizzy's while I tried to get up, went away after giving up the pain meds.  Make sure you ice every minute you're there and take home some ice packs too.   I had only 1 hip done....so I'm sure your recovery will be a bit more difficult....make sure you have some help at home for a week or so.  Really hope all goes well from here. It should.  I truly had no problems with the recovery and am already riding my bike outdoors daily. Hope you recover the same!  Any advice feel free to ask, although I can't help with any bilateral questions.
Heal well!
Joe

[Tin Soldier]

Nice job.  Nice to have it all behind you huh?  well most of it behind you.  I think the mental stress of pulling the trigger was more difficult than recovery.  Welcome to the bilat club also. 

[David]

Congrats Mark...
Happy, safe recovery...
From another Dr. Su alumni,
David

[seadragon]

I totally agree that the stress and emotional roller coaster from making the decision to move foreword with surgery is completely different than the physical issues of recovery. Going back and forth about what's the right thing to do....when to to it....who can help....what about work.....all the what if's. Even up till I was standing next to my intake bed waiting for the nurse to roll me in to the operating room. All those psychological games can play havoc on your mind.

And then you know it's the best decision you can make. I remember being rolled in and seeing all the people in the room. I saw Dr. Su in his space suit. I gave a nod (or tried to) and then scooched over to the little table, before falling asleep.  that was it.  From that point forward it is a psychical recovery. No more emotions.

Now it's about ice, stretching, taking all the pills, and heeling. It's totally different. There is pain. The lack of mobility is really frustrating. Getting out of bed is like doing a triple backflip. I'm 4 days post op, and waiting for things to get better. I'm holed up in the hotel for a few more days and hopefully I can go home on Friday.

Not sure if I have a point, but before and after surgery are very different. Can't wait to comment on being pain free, but I'm sure that will take some time.

Also, just to say again, my trip to NY to see Dr. Su was completely worth the logistical nightmare of having a pregnant wife at home.

[WTW15]

Congrats!!!  Small steps - every week you'll see progress and I agree - the stress pre-op is so much more than it needs to be.  We just work ourselves up into such a frenzy and then it's all over and "why all the fuss".... 

[bilateralbliss]

Congratulations on becoming a same day bilat!! Yes suppose it`s harder at first BUT if we didn`t have a good other hip in the first place to support why wait!! Like you my view was both are done now, the only way is forward. Remember my legs feeling strange for a few days, soon passed though. Even to the extent of only being on over the counter pain meds. Was in hospital for a week.
Before the 6 week restriction was up recall walking and forgetting my crutches indoors, which was as the physio had said would happen!!  Take it slow and easy

[imgetinold]

Congrats!  Just get through the first two weeks, take it easy, and then you won't believe how quickly it gets better, and how much better "better" feels.  Good luck!

[morph]

Congrats seadragon. Thought your last post was spot on. Your wife is expecting as well! Congrats on that too. My wife was asking if they could do another small op down below at the same time, one step at a time me-thinks

All the best with your recovery!

[imgetinold]

Seadragon,

Hope you are doing well.  Any update?  You're about 12 days out now, so possibly near what some experience as a "turning point" in your recovery.  It was for me at about 2 weeks, although I'm not a bilateral (yet).  Give us a shout when you can.

[seadragon]

I'm terrible at keeping up on the board, but I have been reading all the posts.  Sorry.  Today is day 13. I'm still on two crutches, though much quicker getting around than a few days ago. Don't feel comfortable without the crutches yet. I feel like the worst is over, and the pain and swelling are on the way out, which I love. I do have quite a bit more discomfort on the right leg than the left. Not sure if that's because that hip was done first, and then I had to lay on it for the left.

Sleeping has been very difficult. I'm up a couple times a night to "try" and change positions and go to the bathroom. Last night I woke up with a good soreness in my right quad. For some reason  I freaked out and thought it was a blood clot. I don't think it is, but I ended up searching about blood clots online. Not a smart thing to do. It's probably my IT band or a deep muscle. I'll monitor it.

Yesterday was the first day I didn't take the Percocet. Pain levels are in the 2-3 range and range of motion in both hips are better than they have been, but still very tight. Overall, kind of bored. I have a week till my first pt session.  Walking a couple times a day (not very far), and doing basic excercises.

Did u guys have deep muscle soreness for a couple weeks post op?  I don't think it is, but what does a blood clot feel like? 

Feeling pretty good. Haven't turned the corner yet. But I can see the curve in the road. I think week 3 will be a good week. Thanks for everything.

[hernanu]

Hi seadragon, were you given anything for treatment of possible bloodclots? I was given aspirin (good amounts of it) and TEDs socks for the first 4 weeks. I know others have been given anti clotting injections and other medicines.

If you are at all concerned about it, call your doctor. A phone call is easy, and can alleviate concerns or you can take quick action if needed. Blood clots are one of the things we need to be concerned about, so it is necessary to keep a lookout.

Having said that, at two weeks, you are still very early in the recovery. You will have muscle soreness of all sorts due to the major surgery you just had. So I think you want to be aware of blood clots, since they are a fact of life for us (and most people) after major surgery, but other things are also in play now.

I'd call the doctor's office and ask them exactly how to deal with blood clots and how to spot a possible issue. It will make you feel better to be more informed.

Activity is also important in helping to avoid these. The more blood flow due to walking, etc., the less opportunity you're giving for a clot to form.