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Author Topic: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!  (Read 8546 times)

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surratt

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BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« on: December 21, 2017, 01:52:12 PM »
So im a 35 year old male, pretty active before this with jiu jitsu but after a decade of pain ive slowed all activities, no longer able to run or do long walks.  After hesitating to do a bilateral for years i finally made the jump last week.  Wasnt looking forward to getting both  done at the same time but i also didnt want to go through recovery twice.


I live in Atlanta so I decided on Dr. Gross, bc he has a stellar reputation and he was fairly close. 


im almost 1 week out from my second hip surgery and man im going through an emotional roller coaster.  Depression already nipping at my heals, Im having issues with my appetite at the moment and its very difficult for me to walk on my walker very far without getting exhausted.


I dont have much to go off of but they say i should be able to walk a mile at 6 weeks, man it just doesnt seem possible at this time, i cant walk a single step without my walker at this point, hell its hard to stand for more than a minute on my own weight, the thought of walking is so far away.  I guess i need to have faith.


Anyone that had bilateral hips, can they reference me for how the progress went, week by week up until the 6 week mark?  My hips feel so weak and loose at this point its hard to see anything in my head.


Any words are appreciated as i would describe myself as feeling full of fear and anxiety at the moment, its a strange thing to wake up crippled and unable to take care of yourself all of a sudden but im looking forward to my recovery and feel blessed i live in a time where there are solutions to the things my body failed me at such a young age.
Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

Pat Walter

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2017, 06:24:09 PM »
Hi

1 week post op is very early in your recovery.  Everyone heals differently and many feel upset emotionally or even depressed.  This is very natural. 

You need to give yourself some slack - you just had bilateral surgery.  Your legs will feel like blocks of cement and things are going to take time to start feeling better.  Most people don't walk without a walking aid for sometimes 4 to 6 weeks.  Some even longer.  You can't wish your body to heal any faster than it wants to.  Sometimes athletes heal very slowly and sometimes fast.

We are all different.  It is not unusual to be on an emotional roller coaster.  I have a number of articles about healing, slow healing and the emotional effect major surgery can have on a person.

http://surfacehippy.info/pats-corner-everyone-recovers-at-a-different-rate/

Please understand that you are very young and you should not be in the situation of needing 2 hips - but you did.  Hang in there.  You will get better.  Healing is also not a straight line.  It is often 2 steps forward and 1 back. 

You will most likely feel much better in a few weeks.  You just have to sit back and give your body time.  Don't be discouraged!!!!  The amazing thing is that long after your heal - you hardly remember the crud you are experiencing now.

Your energy is the last thing to gain back.  Don't expect it to happen in 2 weeks.  You will be surprised that at some point things will change and you will feel much better.

Try to keep the faith, find something interesting to do while you heal.  It will come.  There are thousands of us who have been where you are.  We understand - but know things will be better with time.

Pat
Webmaster/Owner of Surface Hippy
3/15/06 LBHR De Smet

Quig

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2017, 09:28:05 PM »
Hey Surrat, I'm a fellow Dr. Gross Bilat. As Pat said, a week out from bilateral is really, really early. Hang in there and be patient. I know that's a hard thing to do, especially hearing about some people's quick recoveries here. You're VERY early in your recovery and have lots of time for improvement.


I was very fortunate and able to get up and around for short distances soon after surgery but was still very weak and unsteady on my feet. What sounds very familiar is the exhaustion... A trip down the hall for a bathroom trip was enough to require a nap! Expect the exhaustion to continue but improve...


Rest up and I'm confident you will see huge improvement in the coming weeks. Good luck!



Bilateral Hip Resurfacing by Dr. Thomas Gross
  -Right Hip; April 11, 2016
  -Left Hip; April 13, 2016

surratt

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2017, 12:27:38 AM »
Awesome guys!  Yeah im feeling much better about things the past couple of days, just settling into the long term mentality.  Trying to accept where i am and appreciate the small victories.  Ive noticed im able to stand longer already.  This morning i made grits, eggs, and bacon using a stool and standing, lol i was exhausted by the end of it though.


thanks for the words guys, i read about super quick recoveries here and it seems so far away so Im just going to embrace my path and let that be that, just a certain amount of uncertainty and faith involved in all of this
Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

Quig

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #4 on: December 23, 2017, 09:01:16 AM »
Glad you're feeling better!


It IS a roller coaster, you'll have good days and bad. Just try to be patient and relax about the whole thing and enjoy those small victories, of which there will be plenty. I know it sounds a little crazy at this point in your recovery, but in a few months you'll look back and be blown away by how the time flew by and by how great you're feeling.


Good luck!
Bilateral Hip Resurfacing by Dr. Thomas Gross
  -Right Hip; April 11, 2016
  -Left Hip; April 13, 2016

jmorriss

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #5 on: December 23, 2017, 09:34:25 PM »
Jeremy, Quig is right.  A few months from now, you will feel a lot different.  Patience my friend, patience.

surratt

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #6 on: December 25, 2017, 11:18:44 AM »
quig....I see you are a bilateral with Dr. Gross as well.  How much were you trying to walk at th1 1.5-2 week mark?  Wednesday will be 2 weeks since my first hip surgery.  Mainly Ive just been doing the recommended exercises and walking using my walker only when I need to do stuff like eat or go to the bathroom etc.  Im not actually trying to force more walking.  I just wonder at what point I need to start trying to walk more.  I keep testing it to see if i can walk unassisted but it isnt possible yet I still need the bracing of the walker.  [/size]The general sense Ive gotten from reading is at this point I should be resting.... Im just wondering at what point do I start to try to walk more?[/color]
Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

surratt

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #7 on: December 25, 2017, 11:43:31 AM »
" 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."[/size]


See I read stuff like this.....this was taken from Joe CA on his post about his bilateral.  I cannot relate to his recovery at all.  Im at 11 days now and i cant come close to moving around without crutches.  My hips still feel incredibly weak and not stable at all when not bracing myself.   I know everyone is different but when i read stories like this it confuses and discourages me.
[/color]
Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

Quig

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #8 on: December 25, 2017, 01:43:42 PM »
Hey Surratt,


I don't recall how much I was walking at that point. I do remember doing trips around the block a couple times a day early on. I was off the crutches very early.


Well before my surgery I talked with a friend who was a year out from Bilateral with Dr. Su. He is a top level athlete and encouraged me use the 4 months I had before surgery to "get into the best shape of my life". As painful as it was, I did. I KILLED MYSELF in the gym for those 4 months and rode my mountain bike a lot. I was doing weighted lunges a week before surgery (incredibly painful). I think my friend's suggestion was invaluable and paid off an incredible amount.


At this point I think you need to focus on the small victories and little pieces of progress you're no doubt having. It's VERY early and everyone recovers at a different rate and we all went into surgery in different states of physical fitness. It's very hard to suggest how much activity you should be undertaking as too much is probably a bigger problem than not enough this early on. You're 11 days out from getting TWO new hips! That's a very big deal! Keep your chin up and relax... the progress WILL come.
Bilateral Hip Resurfacing by Dr. Thomas Gross
  -Right Hip; April 11, 2016
  -Left Hip; April 13, 2016

surratt

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #9 on: December 25, 2017, 07:58:25 PM »
was able to take my first steps today without the use of a walker!  only a few lol but it wasnt possible up until this point.  Walking with the walker is much smoother as well.  I can feel my hip clunking or shifting as im standing but i was told that was normal.  Im getting excited about recovery and time is passing quickly.  The 6 week mark will be fun when i can start swimming and hitting the exercise bike etc.  Im almost at 2 weeks so time is flying.
Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

Quig

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #10 on: December 25, 2017, 09:00:02 PM »
Yeah! That's the spirit! Time does fly....


I REALLY enjoyed the pool early on, I was in the water as soon as I was allowed. It's a weird feeling, as it really shows which muscles are weak but I feel like it was really helpful.


Keep up the good work. The progress will come.
Bilateral Hip Resurfacing by Dr. Thomas Gross
  -Right Hip; April 11, 2016
  -Left Hip; April 13, 2016

John C

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #11 on: December 26, 2017, 08:41:40 PM »
Hi surratt
I thought that I would share my story to balance out your discouragement in reading some of the miracle healers.
I am a full time athlete; skiing, windsurfing, surfing, tennis at least 4 to 6 hours a day. I thought that I was going to breeze right through the initial recovery in record time; nope. I took me five weeks of attempts and failures to finally get off crutches and move to a cane for another week.Those first few weeks were challenging physically and mentally. Getting in the pool and on the exercise bike after about five weeks was awesome. After my slow start, fast forward to skiing aggressively in challenging conditions at six months, and still going at full speed in all my sports 10 years later. I would say that it took me about 2 years to feel that I was fully recovered. So, a slow start does not have any relationship to where you will end up, so sit back and enjoy the ride at whatever pace it takes. The long term results are worth it.
Don't worry about the clunking. I had plenty of that at first, it gradually went away. I still notice a very subtle slip/clunk when stretching occasionally, but it is tiny and irrelavant.
John/ Left uncemented Biomet/ Dr Gross/ 6-16-08
Right uncemented Biomet/Dr Gross/ 4/25/18

surratt

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #12 on: December 27, 2017, 07:41:41 PM »
Awesome...thanks for your words man.  I was also in great shape beforehand and very active so i had high expectations.  Im doing better by the day and settling into the recovery.  I think in the beginning there is so much uncertainty involved it sort of freaks you out.  Like you i think the 6 week mark will be where things pick up for me and im able to swim and hit the bike at the gym as well as more stretching.


im a pretty busy guy so i was dreading sitting around the house but to my surprise im actually enjoying just chilling for a bit and watching tv and writing.
Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

Joe_CA

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #13 on: December 28, 2017, 01:41:04 PM »
Hi Surratt,

Another poster here (named catfriend) warned me that it's unfair to yourself to compare your recovery to others; each person's surgery and musculature are unique. Some will improve quicker than others and there doesn't seem to be any clear and objective reasons behind this . Some of us who healed and got off the assistive devices earlier speculated that it could have been due to trying to keep all of our muscles tone, even days prior to our surgeries. It sounds like you, John C and others have also followed this practice and it didn't appear to make a difference. Perhaps there are simply too many variables involved. John C. also (IMHO) correctly advised that your earlier struggles aren't a precursor to a continued slow progression. You might start healing at a quickened pace in the months to come.

It sounds like you are doing much better, which is great. I also hope your spirits have improved, because you are going to be so satisfied with the results. That's the beauty of this surgery. Regardless of the differences in the pace of each recovery, most of us end up fully recovered and content in the long run.

If you're not off the crutches or walker yet, my advice is to try and push walking without these a little bit (as long as there is no pain involved). Take the walker/crutches with you, and attempt to walk a few extra steps. For me, it was like a switch was eventually turned on. My body and mind knew I was okay without the crutches.

Good luck and keep us informed of your progress.

Joe
Bilateral patient
Dr. Gross
December 12, 14 2016
Biomet (uncemented)

surratt

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #14 on: December 28, 2017, 05:31:34 PM »
Yes Im doing much better Joe....a slight setback bc i also had a bad bone spur on my left toe that i wanted to get surgery on early in my hip recovery so i cant walk much for a couple of days so it will heal,  But Im feeling better by the day.  My hip muscles arent as exhausted as they once were trying to walk.


Tomorrow marks the 2 week mark for both hips, i can walk without any assist but its an unnatural walk and my muscles cant quite properly support it yet so i feel walking with crutches longer distances is appropriate at this point.  This time next week ill start trying to walk without total assistance more and pushing it. 


Yeah im past comparing recoveries...Im settling into my own recovery and ill push it as much as i feel is appropriate.  Its kind of hard to know how much to push and rest considering it sounds like Dr. Gross wants lots of rest.  Once this toe heals im going to start going outside more on my crutches and walk around.



Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

surratt

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #15 on: December 28, 2017, 05:35:42 PM »
lol also I can say that this morning It finally hit me that my actual arthritic hip pain is gone.  The surgery pain is to a minimum at this point.  The first week the surgery pain and muscle tightness and soreness was so apparent that even though the arthritic pain was gone it was hard to notice or tell....it hit me this morning all of a sudden and i was ecstatic.


Lol the 90 degree rule wasnt a big deal to me bc before surgery i couldnt bend it 90 degrees it was so bad
Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

surratt

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #16 on: December 28, 2017, 05:38:11 PM »
at what point were you bilateral guys able to sleep on your side or stomachs?  Ive actually gotten use to sleeping on my back which i always hated but it will be nice to sleep on my side again.  I can get close now but obviously i have to have a pillow in btwn my knees or i cross the centerline and it hurts.... incision pain still a bit too raw to sleep on yet
Bilateral Hip resurface Dr. Gross
12/13/17
12/15/17

Quig

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #17 on: December 28, 2017, 06:15:52 PM »
Great to hear you're feeling better and already making good progress!

Took me quite a while to be able to sleep on my side or stomach (which is how I prefer to sleep). I would guess a good 6 weeks or so? Maybe more. And I remember having to be very careful when turning over. It seems like getting in and out of bed was one of the hassles that lingered a bit too. 
« Last Edit: December 28, 2017, 06:19:27 PM by Quig »
Bilateral Hip Resurfacing by Dr. Thomas Gross
  -Right Hip; April 11, 2016
  -Left Hip; April 13, 2016

blinky

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #18 on: December 29, 2017, 01:22:00 PM »
I am bilat, about two years out now. Sorry not to post earlier, I was out enjoying my hips, traveling in Eastern Europe, lots of walking and stair climbing every day.


Okay, at two weeks out I was starting to have periods of feeling pretty good. I was experimenting with moving around the house without assistive devices, but was afraid of falling, so sticking near the walls and furniture. I was walking outside with crutches pretty vigorously. That third week we took a long car trip. It was totally manageable, but I did have to be careful about getting too cocky. I think  sometime that week I tried going up and down stairs normally and then had a pain in the left hip and so went back to the old style and made myself be more patient. (I was feeling good and just wanted to test my ability.) I still had swelling and most of my discomfort came from that. I remember feeling weak, too, not completely stable and not completely trusting of my hips at first.


I remember those first six weeks just being very very careful. Heck, I was being careful the first six months, investing in solid healing. I think I've mentioned the contrast between me and a friend who had both hips done. I was big on doing whatever I was allowed to do: those post op exercises, walking up to the limit every day. My friend was much more relaxed; she didn't even go out for six weeks. Guess what? She was walking without a limp at six weeks, like a champ, while I still had a little weakness.


Side sleeping? I don't remember. Maybe six weeks? I slept well on my back, much to my husband's dismay because I snore.

blinky

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Re: BILATERAL HIPS 12/13/17 COMPLETE! ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
« Reply #19 on: December 29, 2017, 01:30:35 PM »
I'll add: it sounds like you are doing well. Focus on those daily changes. They will really add up.

 

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