New Hip Day 1

[nigel]

Hi everyone,

I have lurked on this site for almost a couple of years now and today had my right hip resurfaced  today by Dr Bill Walter in Sydney Australia.

I thought Id give you a bit of background and let everyone know how i'm progressing.

I was first diagnosed with OA in my hips in 2005, mild in left and moderate in right, i gave up playing soccer and running. 18 months ago i first saw Dr Walter as i was fed up with my right hip hurting, being so stiff and my right knee and the left side of my middle back was hurting, he suggested  a resurfacing would help all these pains and recommended Hip Resurfacing,.Unfortunately i had to wait 12 months to be covered by insurance.

In that  time i got  a couple of other opinions, one recommended  a THR due to MoM issues , another said a resurfacing wouldn't meet my expectations as my hip wasn't giving me that much pain  and to go back to  whatever  activities i could until i was in more pain. I did then start running on a tread mill  ( up to 5km) after about 8 years  of no running. This i would say remarkably improved my right hip and my knee pain disappeared! My ROM was still only 60 degrees  and my back was getting worse though and day to day things were still greatly annoying me (e.g. tying  up shoe laces) so i went back to Dr Walter and he stuck by his recommendation,  i also sent my Xrays to Debbie to get some opinions. I was still so unsure  and i did end up canceling surgery the day before in Nov 2013, but eventually i have come to back to wanting to improve my life and today had the operation!

I had the operation at 8am and was so so nervous ,still was wondering if i was doing the right thing. I woke up at 10.30am, no pain  as my whole leg was numb. They had given me a sedative and then an injection in my groin into  the femoral nerve i believe. I  was in my room at 11.30, no pain at all really. My leg has been pretty numb and the physio wouldn't let me get out of bed due to this  but i have done a few bed exercises. Disappointed not to have got up and the physio was worried that  Dr Walter would be angry with her. Gradually my feeling is coming back  and i am so relived as one of my greatest worries was nerve damage. A bit dizzy and very tired but cant seem to sleep deeply (Hence why i writing this at 11pm!), but other than that ok.

I intend to email out my progress, hopefully my story will help someone the way  all the emails and stories have helped me. If any one has any questions please let me know.

Thanks for listening and thanks to everyone on this site

Nigel
Age 41 Sydney Australia
Dr Bill Walter Right Adept  HR 30/4/14

[China Lady]

welcome on the other side! you made it!
......... now stay calm and relax. the first week is the hardest.

[keepmovin]

Welcome Nigel!

Sounds like you're off to a pretty normal start on your first day.  You're ahead of the journey since you took the time to read other stories on this site - you'll know pretty much what to expect and also that each one of us had a different recovery.

Keep us posted on your recovery - the good, the bad and everything in between!

[nigel]

Well day 2 has come!

Didn't sleep too well  a couple of good blocks of sleep for a couple of hours though.

Had an xray and blood test after breakfast with no dramas

This morning i stood up with a walking frame and took a couple of steps and then sat in a chair, plan was to sit in the chair for 30 min but after 5 mins i felt pretty dizzy, hot  and sick, so i went back to  bed and had some oxygen and after  a while was feeling better.

Felt better after lunch and walked to the nurses station  with the walking frame  and sat in a chair for 40 min then about 4pm today i walked to the nursing station using  crutches. It was all pretty stiff and sore, but the pain has been very well controlled by whatever pills they give me.

Only down point today was the physio saying i could'nt return to running or soccer,  Dr Walter arrived at the same time and when asked he said  it was up to me but would more likely  to limit the lifespan of the HR. I wish he was  bit more like other Drs i have read about who say No restrictions! Whatever i'm sure ill be able to tie my shoes laces up better than before! Not too much more to report!

All the best

Nigel
Age 41 Sydney Australia
Dr Bill Walter Right Adept  HR 30/4/14

[hernanu]

Nigel, welcome and congrats. It sounds like you're recovering well, each of us is different, especially early on.

Obviously follow your doctor's regimen, but you'll find that after the proper wait (about a year for me) many of us returned to our activities.

So recover and then go on with your new and improved life.

[Miguelito]

Welcome to the other side! Good luck in your recovery!

Just want to give you a heads up that I found it hardest to get around from about 24 hours after surgery to almost 48. There seems to be a 24 hour grace period post-surgery where getting around isn't too hard. Just my own personal experience.

Mike

[nigel]

Thanks for the messages of support guys 

Day 3 has  probably been more challenging, i had some bad headaches and a slight temperature that has affected my sleeping and  i generally feel like i  have a bad hangover only never got to enjoy the party, still the nurses don't seem too concerned and say the slight temperature is pretty normal.
Day 4 and its Saturday and i get to go home, the assistant Surgeon popped in and said my hip was  the worst wear and tear they had seen in someone my age so that made me feel better about getting it done.  Had  about and hour drive home which was no problem, although any longer would have been uncomfortable. Home  to the 3 kids 3, 5 and 7  who are keener to play with my crutches and grabber than they are to see me! Its all going to be pretty tough on my wife , Mel, who now has all of us to look after 

Pretty much stayed on the sofa all afternoon , still suffering from headaches and a i'd say a slightly high temperature and drifting in and out of of a very light sleep.  After dinner and a couple of paracetamol i felt a bit better. Went to bed at 9pm, felt pretty bad though, with the same temperature and headaches waking me up  every  hour or so and some crazy dreams in between! Having said all that the pain from the hip and muscles has been no more than a
2/10 and  i can get about pretty well on the crutches, main difficulty is getting my operated leg up on the sofa or bed, but it just takes a bit of effort.   I'd feel so much better and ready to do stuff if my headache would just go!

[China Lady]

you need to drink more! at least 2,5l a day. you body need liquids and if he don't get it, you have headaches.

[hernanu]

Hey nigel, I was given a tip on getting the leg up and down.

I would

• sit on the side of the couch/bed
• tuck the unoperated leg behind the operated, at the ankle
• use the unoperated leg to support the operated as you lift it up
• rotate on while doing the above.
• to reverse, use the ankle again while lying flat

 

It's one of the initial challenges of being a hippy, thankfully it doesn't last long.

[Pat Walter]

Good Luck Nigel.  Things will slowly get better.  You are over the hump now.

Be patient and pretty soon you will be enjoying the summer.

Pat

[nigel]

Thanks for the tips hernanu  and China Lady! 

Its now  Day 9 and the headaches have subsided, could well be  to do with my increased  water intake, downside is i'm up a couple of times at night to go to the bathroom!
Getting in and out of bed has eased, still need help to get socks and pants on though.

On Monday T+6   i saw the hospital outpatient physio, she moved me to two canes, mainly because i should  have hired crutches and not taken the hospital ones  ( No one told me!), the physio said in 10 days  i should be  be on just one cane which they give you  anyway and so tarther than bother hiring  crutches i should just give the other cane back. I was a bit unsure at first of the  canes have been fine and around the house i use only the one.

The physio was good and they gave me more exercises to do, my ROM was up to 70 degree, i believe pre-surgery it was 60. I went back yesterday on Day 8  after  doing heel raises with the assistance of a towel my ROM was up to 80 degrees,  again it went quite well and i could feel the hip loosening up. I had  walked up to about 25 min  and was told i shouldn't walk more than this on a day during this week so as not to over do it.


In terms of medication i've taken 1 Tramadol at night and have just taken a couple of paracetamol during the day when i've started to get uncomfy. On  the downside my back pain has returned. Prior to surgery i was getting  mid back  pain on my left side , especially after doing any sort of squats or bending over a lot, any physio i saw could never quite work out what why squats would cause middle back pain. Its back now though, i'm hoping that  once my right hip is functioning better this pain will be taken care of..I guess time will tell on this!


I'll post another update in a few days. Cheers everyone!


Nigel
Age 41 Sydney Australia
Dr Bill Walter Right Adept  HR 30/4/14

[Jason0411]

Sounds like you are doing pretty well. good advice about not walking too far and over doing it, I did and mucked mine up. So do as you are told by the experts and enjoy your new lease of life.
Playing with the children will become fun again so when the innevitable (I am not doing as well as I should) Blues come along don't think of how bad you were before and look to the future.
Emotionally and physically there will be ups and downs but the downs will disapear.

Good luck on your recovery Jas

[nigel]

Thanks Jason, ill defiantly try not to do too much, i read a few of your posts and hope your recovery is tip top!

Today is Day 12,  Day 10 i went to watch my 6 year old play soccer which involved standing with a single cane for 40+ mins, without to many issues, although i must say i was very nervous being surrounded by over a dozen 6 year old boys running around crazily!

Yesterday i went for 3 short walks and i did think last night i have overdone it a bit, my knee is pretty  painful (indeed more painful than the hip). I have cut down to only 1 cane which  i'm now not sure i should have, simply because of the increase in  pain. I have a few "shooting" pains in the hip and some general aches and  as a result think my gait has  gone down hill a bit. I intend to take it very easy today and see what the physio says tomorrow.

I do have a  couple of questions;

My ROM pre-surgery was approx 60 degrees, last week the physio measured it and said it was up to 80 degrees, i'm pleased by this, but i really cant see it improving that much more, there is a lot of pain if i try to get greater movement. So i'm wondering what others ROM was pre and post surgery and what they ended up getting in up to?

The other question i have is about tiredness, i'm sleeping pretty well at night for about  8-9 hours but can then fall asleep for a couple of hours during the day at the drop of a hat and am generally feeling  very tired in the evenings, is this pretty normal?

Thanks everyone!

Nigel
Age 41 Sydney Australia
Dr Bill Walter Right Adept  HR 30/4/14

[chuckm]

Nigel, you are still right in the middle of the worst part of recovery. Take it easy.
At 2 to 3 weeks you will be feeling better.
The range of motion is something you gradually lost over years before surgery. It will slowly return post op. It will return faster if you work at it. I worked really hard and returned to 80% or so ROM after three months. Now a year and a half later I would say I am 90% normal ROM. The groin is still not where I want it to be but I'll keep working.
Your leg will recover to a normal leg. Not one that you tolerate or deal with...just normal.
Expect that you can fall asleep at any time for several months and that you can have unexplained pains during that same period. It's all normal.

Chuckm

[oldsoccerplayer]

The groin is still not where I want it to be

Chuckm - that sounds disturbing ... where exactly is your groin these days?
(Sorry, couldn't resist  )

[Miguelito]

Nigel,
I found myself needing much more sleep as well, at least a couple hours more. I think your body just needs more rest to heal from the surgery.
I am at just over two months and I still need more sleep than before surgery, while at the same time doing much less. Best of luck in your recovery.
Mike

[chuckm]

Ha ha. Too funny oldsoccerplayer. I read that line over again and if it were posted on any other site it might get me in trouble.

[Jerry C.]

 Hi Nigel  My name is Jerry and I think we had surgery on the same day!  Hope you are doing well.  Jerry

[Dave Like Festus]

Thank you all. I will be getting resurfaced in a few weeks and I'm really looking forward to it. Your posts have helped to get me ready for what is ahead. So many good bits on this site to help me feel comfortable with my decision. Dr. Brooks will be doing the surgery and he, as well as the staff, and hospital impressed us greatly!

Looking to be a 'hippy' soon. Thanks again.

[nigel]

Hi Dave,

I'm sure it will go really well for you! I'm 12 weeks now and things are going pretty well, still working on my ROM which is tough and frustrating, but think i'm slowly getting there. The muscles on the inside of my thigh feel week , but i feel as though i could go for  a  short jog (Not that i would!) 

Recovery seems to go better than most people expect  i think and i hope its no different for you


Best of Luck, look forward to hearing how it went

Cheers

Nigel