Hello All,
I'm about 3 weeks out from bilateral surgery, and everything is going even better than I would have expected. My last post dealt with the only moderate hurdle I had to overcome. This post will detail what to expect for the first two weeks during and after the surgeries. I'm writing about my experience with bilateral surgery as performed by Dr. Gross and his staff, but anyone considering bilateral hip resurfacing surgeries could find this info useful.
Day One:
I was admitted into the hospital at around 6:00 AM (Providence Hospital in Columbia, SC. Very nice looking place). You'll sit around for a bit filling our forms, but soon you will be entered into the pre-op area where they will start an IV on you, and get you dressed. Nothing too special there, but be prepared to sit there for a while. You will talk with the anesthesiologist and Lee Webb who assists Dr. Gross. You will then be wheeled into the surgical room. If you look around you can see some of the devices used, and the other thing I remember was it was very cold in the OR. It's now time to go to "sleep". The anesthesiologist will have you sit up, and he will put the sedation meds in your IV. It only takes about 2,3 seconds and it's "lights out". Dr. Gross uses a spinal and sedation (not a general). For me, as I believe for most patients, you're completely out.
So the next thing you remember is waking up in the recovery room. One of the benefits of not having a general anesthetic is you won't feel that groggy. For me, it felt like waking up from a long nap. What you won't feel however, is the use of your legs. You won't be able to move them for about 30-45 more minutes. Expect to lay there on the recovery room for another hour or so. I didn't experience any pain during that time.
I was wheeled into my hospital room that afternoon, and everything was unremarkable for the first day. There wasn't much pain (you will be on pain meds), and I slept much of the night. Note that you will have to sleep on your back. I normally don't, but I didn't have any problems.
Day Two:
This day was very similar to the previous day. Eventually, the physical therapist will arrive and the goal is to get you walking a little bit. The first thing that is noticeable is when you attempt to slide you operated leg to the side of the bed, it won't move. You'll have to wriggle it a bit, and eventually it will slowly move to where you want it to go. The therapist will help you stand and this was a little difficult at first, but once you do it a couple of times it's not too bad. You'll use a walker first (then crutches) and the first couple of steps on the operated leg feel strange. But every step you make gets easier. Getting back down in your bed is similar to getting out. Just be patient.
Later in the afternoon they will help you walk down to a hip class where you will see other patients. You should notice that it's even easier to walk than the first time. Getting in and out of the bed/chair is still a little tricky. The exercises they have you do are all straightforward and easy.
Day Three:
This is the day of my second hip surgery (left). In terms of the pre-OP it was almost identical. Except there was a little delay after I was wheeled into the OR, and I got to listen to some nice classic rock-n-roll music the staff was playing in the OR. I believe I have seen a movie or two where this happened. The post-OP period was very similar to the first surgery for the first hour or so. Then things got a little more difficult in the afternoon and evening. As far as pain goes after both hips have been operated, it's really not too bad. I'd give it a 3 or so (out of 10) on the old pain meter. What was different than the first surgery was it was definitely harder to sleep. I only got some intermittent sleep that night. Again, I used the pain meds as frequently as allowable, and this helped to reduce pain and to help you sleep a little.
Day Four:
Days 3 and 4 are definitely the toughest (if you don't experience the "headache" issues I had on the trip home). The occupational and physical therapists will again get you to get up and start walking. This time it's far more difficult without the use of a good leg. Just be patient. They will be there to make sure you don't fall (they will stand behind you, and have a belt around you for the first couple of trips). The first time you try and move your legs off the bed, try to stand up, and sit down will be hard. Even though they said I had bad form some times, I felt that using my arms helped a lot while standing up. And remember that each time things get easier. Another piece of advice which may have contributed to the pain in my head/neck on day 6. Try and get out of your hospital bed on days 4 and beyond and sit upright in the chair that's in your room. The staff encourages you to do so. I think this might assist in reducing some of the effects of the anesthesia in the days to come.
Days Five, Six
As said above, every time you get up and walk it gets easier. They will probably get you moving around on crutches by now (to me they seemed more useful than the walker). They should also get you to take a shower. Don't feel like you've regressed if the shower is more difficult than you would have expected. The warm water makes you a little more dizzy.
I stayed at the hotel 200 yards from the hospital (For Dr. Gross patients, I recommend this). When I was discharged, it wasn't very hard to get into the car. Just put the seat back as far as it goes, and slant the chair back all the way too. Get your butt as far back as far as it can in the seat, and swing your legs around. It was a lot easier than I thought.
Days Six through Fourteen - Quick Observations.
These days will show great improvement, and you should really been over any tough portions of the procedures.
- I never had much swelling, and unlike many here, I didn't find the Polar Ice machine all that useful. I used it for the first days after each surgery, but never used it afterwards. I know that icing helps overall though.
- As far as the flying went, besides the headache issue (that I'm speculating is not completely common), the trip home would have been a piece of cake. I flew coach, and didn't have any pain or movement issues while flying for the 5 hours home. I did take the pain meds right before boarding to be safe.
- I went off the crutches probably on probably day 10 or so. Everyone's different. I don't know if my continued sporting activities and weight training right up until the days before the surgeries helped in this regard. For me, all the weakness/instability went away on both hips right around day 10.
- Others have mentioned this, but as you start walking you will notice some days are easier than others. Don't feel like you're regressing. It's probably a sign of soreness from the day prior.
- And by the second week, I felt that in terms of simply walking, sleeping and some of the normal activities of daily life, I'm already better than I was before my surgeries. I'm back at work too (desk job). There is some minor residual pain around the surgical sites, but all the other pain of movement I had experienced is completely gone. So I am very content at this point for sure!
(End Part Two).
Thanks everyone,
Joe
Topic: Joe_CA's Bilateral Hip Resurfacing with Dr. Gross, December 2016 (Read 9187 times)
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