Help - Questions - Anxiety - Fear

[mmooney42]

Hi,

I posted this under Dr. Su's section as well.

I am 43, 44 next month, healthy active male.  Tore my labrum 14 years ago.  Scoped 10 years ago.  Been researching HR for years.  Currently, I am scheduled for surgery with Dr. in a few weeks, but I really don't want to get it done.  I am scared out of my mind and my anxiety levels are through the roof.

Right now, I have what seems to be a constant soreness in my groin, not severe, but something that is always there.  You constantly feel it.  A few months ago, that wasn’t the case.  It would just get sore with certain exercises.  But now, I feel pretty consistently.  Mild soreness, like a light burning sensation that gets worse with certain exercises.

Timing wise, I'd rather wait until December (I work as a football official in the fall), but am conerned I won't make it that far this time.  Each year, I keep re-evaluating and try to make it through another season.  Part of me wants to get it done and get on the road to recovery, but part of me never wants to get it done.

I am not sure what others have experienced from an anxiety, depression & fear standpoint leading up to surgery, but I am feeling it pretty hard.  Can't sleep and always thinking about it now.  If the date wasn't scheduled, I probably wouldn't feel that way, I'd just be complaining about my hip and talking about needing to get it done.  But with the scheduled date approaching, the realization hits me hard.

When I go down for my pre-surgical visit, my hope is that I will get to see Dr. Su and have him look at the new xray and see how much has changed since Septemer, and discuss the posssibility of putting it off and maybe go the cortisone injection route.

Also, how much help is needed post surgery.  My parents are local and can help with our 4 kids for only 10 days post-op, as they are then going to Florida.  My wife works part time and I would be home alone 3 days a week with no help around.  Curious to know what others think.

Any advise is appreciated.  I am struggling with this quite a bit.

Thanks,
Matt

[Arrojo]

You have absolutely nothing to fear by having the surgery.  It will be the best decision you ever made.  I am so glad I did NOT postpone mine.  The sooner you have it done, the better your recovery will be.  Simply letting it get worse and worse (it will not get better by itself) will make recovery that much harder.

I trained for my surgery as though it was a goal race and came into it in top shape physically (with the obvious exception of my bad hip of course).  This enabled me to hit the recovery running, so to speak. 

My recovery went famously - I qualified for the national Masters T&F championships in the 100 meter dash a year later and this April I am celebrating my 2-year anniversary by running the Boston Marathon.

The sooner you have the surgery the sooner you can start doing all the things you love without pain.  There is no advantage to waiting, Dr. Su is the best.

In terms of recovery, I needed little help - except of course that I couldnt drive for 6 weeks or so.  I was down to one crutch after 1-2 weeks and off crutches in 3 weeks.  Do your PT faithfully after surgery and before surgery do lots of pushups and situps - you will need your upper body strength.

Good luck to you.

[mmooney42]

How soon can you drive if your surgery is on your left hip?  I see that it was 6 weeks for you, but yours was the right hip.  With no family help after 10 days post op, I will need to drive my soon to be 4 year olds to pre-school.  How quickly can someone with LHR start driving?  -Thanks.

[Miguelito]

Technically as soon as you are off the drugs. Realistically? Not sure. I think i did at 3.5 weeks but my memory is hazy. I recall others mentioning a lot earlier. 10 days is probably not within the typical persons expectation.

Mike

[Miguelito]

Let me amend my earlier response and just say that i would not have been able to drive at ten days, save perhaps in a major emergency. I suspect j could have done it earlier than the 3.5 weeks i first drove at, but i would be doi g you a disservice to minmize the significance of this surgeries impact.

Mike

[chuckm]

Matt, to be able to drive after left hip resurfacing you need to be off the painkillers and you need to be able to sit comfortably in the drivers seat. Both will be a challenge after only ten days but it might be possible. Check with your surgeon.

If your vehicle has a maneuverable seat you might position it so your hip doesn't bend much. Try pillows too. Hopefully your drive is not far.

Chuckm

[sharleen]

I think that most of live in denial for a certain amount of time, putting it off and putting it off. It only gets WORSE! I left my first one so long that By the time I finally bit the bullet I could barely walk. A lot of people do this and then ask themselves after the surgery why on earth they waited so long! To be pain-free is like having a total renaissance! I have now had both of my done (3 years apart) and have a completely new lease on life. I had all kinds of huge doubts ranging from the general anesthetic, catching a staff infection in the hospital etc etc. I stupidly read about all the things that could possibly go wrong and then thought that I'd get ALL of them! pathetic! My recovery in both cases has been remarkable considering how bad my hips were. And NOTHING bad happened to me! WHEW! I am alive and well. As far as driving goes,I was back in the saddle about 2 weeks after the surgery. However with children  involved I think I would have waited longer. As you will hear endlessly we all heal at a different rate so no one can say.
All I can say is "Go for it!!!" You will be thrilled with the outcome I am sure.

[grapesintx]

Hi Matt…

Just thought I would chime in about waiting for the surgery.  I discovered I had OA in September…after only having symptoms since this summer.  I found out I was an excellent candidate for HR surgery in November.  Since it was towards the end of the year, I thought it would be best to wait until 2014 so I would benefit from having my insurance deductible and out of pocket maximum met.  I asked for the very first appointment in 2014 Dr. Gross had available.   Two weeks ago today I had my surgery.  When I met with Dr. Gross and he looked at my new x-rays, my hip had deteriorated significantly since the first x-rays he looked at that were taken just four months earlier.   I needed bone grafting and screws –which meant instead of the rapid recovery that he was anticipating with full weight bearing immediately after surgery…I will be on crutches for six weeks and I’m only supposed to put 10% of my weight on my leg for the first 4 weeks.  UGH!  I can’t wait to be able to walk without these crutches!   Another reason not to wait…I had no idea how badly I would feel for about a month before the surgery.  I was barely able to walk and would wake up in the night everytime I moved.   

I’m doing great now!  At two weeks I’m able to work at my desk on the computer as much as I need to.  I feel 100% confident that I could drive, but my husband is insisting that I don’t.     I wouldn’t want to be running errands, getting in and out of the car, but picking up/dropping off for school?   I think that would be fine. 

Lorie
Dr Gross 1/22/14
 

[mmooney42]

Lorie,

Thanks for the insight and feedback.  If I go ahead with the surgery next Friday, as mentioned, I will only have my parents around for 10 days when we get back to help with the kids.  Then they are gone for 5 weeks.  My wife works M-W-F.  So starting at about 13 days post surgery, I'd be home alone on those days.  We have 2 in preschool that need to be dropped off and picked up.  The other 2 take the bus, so that's not an issue.  Also, I kind of fear being home alone those early weeks.  All this is weighing on me.

Another option is to wait to about the first week of April and go to Dr. Marchand in RI.  He trained with Dr. Su and has done about 900 HR's.  He's obviously not as well known but has a very good reputation in the area.  It's close to home, so we would not need to go to NYC, my wife could go home at night, family could visit and we'd also have the support needed for the kids needed with that timing.  But it would also push my recovery back 6 weeks.

The 3rd option would be to try and push through and make it to late November/early December.  I'd probably need cortisone at some point with that plan though

I have the presurgical tomorrow and plan to talk to Dr. Su about the options and explain my obvious anxiety that I am having.

Matt

[bestbob]

Hi Matt,

I/we sense your apprehension about going forward, and this is something that you can only answer, so please take my following comments as what I experienced. Glad that you are discussing all of this with the Dr, and being honest with him will go a long way.

First off, at 10 days and driving a car seems a bit wishful. Agree 100% as others have stated, you need to be off the drugs. If a driving accident occurred with your per-preschooler in the car, just think how you would feel. I for one could not have driven after 10 days, and actually waited for 4 weeks I think, and then only drove around the block. Others have done better than I though.

Having somebody at home during 3 to 4 weeks post op is nice, just knowing that if you need something and/or want a little support goes a long way.  Have read where others got by very well, but for me I had somebody with me almost full time for the first 4 weeks. Sleeping can be an issue so during the day you may be tired, and getting food, bathroom duties, and etc help is needed.

Regarding waiting 6 weeks or until Nov/Dec, with me having somebody at home and no little kids, I had mine done asap. I had minor OA and a torn/detached labrum like you. The hip and groin pain was so bad I didn't want to wait. Yes I was scared, but the benefit of the surgery outweighed the risk of waiting.

Also, I can't say enough that having a highly qualified dr that has done many operations reduces the risk as we all know. So, the other question you may need to ask is, is there any increase of risk with the other dr having 900 ops versus what Dr. Su has? Being that he was trained by Dr. Su, you can't get much better than that though.

Not sure if cortisone injections will help a torn labrum, another question for the dr.

Let us now how it goes, and wishing you the best luck.

Bob

[HowieF-16]

Your fears are normal. I went to great lengths to avoid a THR.  Over a two year period, I endured cortisone injections (no help), a hip scope to clean out loose bodies (temporary help) and even had Synvisc injected (Awesome for about a week).  After my scope, the Doctor got the whole picture.  I had Zero cartilage on my femoral head and was missing 30% in the socket.  I was only 48 and there was no way I was going to have a THR (where I live, no one performs HR).  Finally, at 50, I couldn't take it anymore.  I wasn't loosing sleep at night.  I just couldn't enjoy all the things I wanted to do.  My choice was a lifestyle choice. 

I had my right hip resurfaced on January 8th with Dr. Raterman in Tampa.  I am very pleased with the surgery.  I was off painkillers fairly quickly and even drove at about the 10 day point.  It was a quick, nearby errand on an early Sunday morning with no traffic.  What I learned from that was that I wasn't ready.  I was off my walker at the 9 day point and finally at the 2.5 week point, I went back to work half-time.  That drive was difficult...about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic.  A week later, I was full time again and driving was much easier.  It seems the recovery has been much quicker than I thought and recognizable progress is being made practically every day.  Today, I am 4 weeks post-op and gave up the cane.

With regards to your fear, all I can say is I know and understand how you feel.  What you have now is a known quantity.  It may not be perfect, but you adapted.  You are afraid of the unknown.  I lived it.  I was also scared to death that I was finally giving up "original equipment" in this surgery and it was a one way street.  Once you 'go under" there is no turning back.  The good news is that you have a great doctor that your working with.  Believe in him.  He will do a great job.  Believe in yourself.  With a website like this, you know exactly what you are getting into.  Finally, as you have heard a million times...you will know when you are ready.  Good luck with your decision.

[hernanu]

Matt, I was able to drive at three weeks both times, on my left and right.

I had my left done first and that was fairly easy (drive an automatic). The first few trips were 10 to 20 minutes, not long at all, and I used my flat ice pack (tm :-) ) for comfort under my hip.

The first was done in late august, the second in late november, dealt with a snowy Boston area winter for that one. I had no problems with it, despite dealing with ice and such. As a matter of fact, walking with one crutch after an unexpected ice storm in Cambridge was more adventuresome than driving.

I pretty quickly ramped up to about an hour's drive in six weeks or so. I commuted to work regularly by that time, twenty to thirty minutes each way.

As for being alone, my parents stayed with me for a week both times. I found that it was great to have them for companionship and some early help, but when they left after a week, I was fine. I just positioned and arranged things so they were easily reachable and was able to manage well.

I did not have to deal with four year olds, but then again, they can definitely help you if you give them that responsibility. Outside of driving when you are ready, I think you'll be fine.

For the first few weeks, can't other parents help for a couple of weeks giving rides for those two days of the week?

[mmooney42]

Thanks everyone.

I met with Dr. Su today.  After going over everything and explaining my anxiety and concerns, along with him looking at my xray and testing my range of motion, we decided to put off surgery.  Mostly because I wasn't mentally ready, but also because physically, he said I still had good range of motion and that most patients are in more pain than I am in at the time of surgery.

So, there was a weight lifted off my back.  We have a new date set for November.  We discussed cortisone and he felt that was a good way to to go until we move forward with the surgery.  I just hope it will work.  On the drive back to Mass, I was overcome with a feeling that now I should have probably gone through with the surgery next week.  With the weight lifted off of me, it seems as though I now feel the pain more in my hip than I had earlier.

Also, both his PA and Dr. Su made the recovery sound a little 'easier' than I was anticipating.  They said I could be full weight baring right away with crutches for the first 2 or 3 weeks.  And then 1 crutch for the 4th week.  There is also no 90 degree restriction, which was surprising to me, as I thought there was for the first few weeks.  After learning all this, I think I could now go into surgery dredding the recovery a little less.

Although the weight and anxiety of surgery has been temporarily lifted, it's now been replaced with the anxiety and fear of potentially living with contant pain if my hip gets worse.  I also wonder if I will be able to work my football season in the fall prior to surgery?

We shall see.  I appreciate all the feedback.

Matt

[Miguelito]

Matt,

I'm glad you finally made your decision, at least for now.

I did want to chime in that if I am to make one criticism of my surgical experience it is that the people performing this surgery have not been thru it themselves, and I think the recovery is harder than they believe it to be. I see that you rightly put 'easier' in quotes, but the fact that you will be full weight-bearing just means that the doctor doesn't think you are at heightened risk for fracturing the neck of your femur (I think). There was no point even immediately post-surgery that I could not stand and even walk a couple of steps unaided (probably true for most people), but that doesn't mean that it wasn't a hard recovery. It was, particularly those first two weeks, and especially the first week.

The first week my leg was a log, somewhat swollen, and completely unusable. I had to sleep on my back for about six weeks, you can't even sleep on the non-operated side as that hurts too much. Lord knows how long it was before I slept on the operated side. That gets old quick. Even six months after surgery if I tried to hurry across a street to avoid traffic I could only do a hobble-jog.

I do plan on doing more PT this time around, going back to the gym earlier (last time it was six months), just in general trying to get my life back a little quicker than I did the first time. In part I think I can do that because I will be going into this surgery in better shape.

Sorry so long-winded, just wanted to throw in a little counter-balance to what you wrote. There have been a few people recently who had HR and were surprised at how difficult the first two weeks were, and I believe that surprise was caused, in part, by reading some perhaps too cavalier postings on this site.

MIke

[China Lady]

There have been a few people recently who had HR and were surprised at how difficult the first two weeks were, and I believe that surprise was caused, in part, by reading some perhaps too cavalier postings on this site

everything is relative! yes, the first 2 weeks are not easy but we made it. it took me some years to damage my hips and I will recover in some weeks. I am pain free now and that is simply great!