Finally pulled the trigger...date is set.

[Magnus]

Well...I finally scheduled my BHR w Dr. Hozack out of the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia.  The big day is Nov 25th.  To say I am a bit nervous would be an under statement....I am wondering if I am doing the right thing.  I can currently continue w a standard life with a bit of pain and discomfort...I am eating Advil and Meloxicam to help w the discomfort.  The reason I am getting it done is because I can't do the things I used to love to do....play sports w my kids, compete in Ironmans,  go for a jog w my wife, etc.  Well actually, truth be told I have done several Ironman triathlons over the past few years with these hips...but there has been significant walking during the marathon.

I have read many of the posts and they have been very helpful....Surface Hippy has also been very educational.   Some of the questions I have are:   Is there anything I need to be nervous about?  How long is the avg recovery....crutches, cane, when can I start swimming, biking, etc?  When can I drive?  How do I sleep the first few nights?  I am in good shape now, but I guess the better shape I go in...the quicker the recovery.  I need to recover quick...I have an Ironman that I am already signed up for in Lake Placed (July 2009)...I am not looking to set a personal best, but am looking forward to doing one without any pain.  Dr. Hozack stated that I should do no running for 6 months...which I can live with.

Any advice or guidance you could provide would be great.

Thanks in advance.


Magnus

[obxpelican]

You are doing the right thing if you are giving up things that you love.  I gave up a lot of fishing, hunting and beach time with my family the last year or so. 

Being nervous is very normal, things I would ask your doctor:

1) What is the pain protocol that he/she uses?
2) How long on average how long will it be until you lose the crutches?
3) How long before you can put full weight on?
4) Does the doctor have a 90 degree rule?

Ask as many questions as you can.


Some doctors allow full weight bearing first day post-op, that can help get those muscles working.  Some doctors use general anesthesia, some do a spinal.  Some doctors do not have a 90 degree rule.

So what I am saying is, all doctors can be different in the way that they approach everything.  6 months of no high impact activities is pretty normal as your hip capsule, muscles and tendons need a lot of time to heal.  Some doctors allow you to ride a bike @ 6 weeks, mine does not (arghhhhhhh!).

One thing my doctor assured me of, he said that he does not let his patients suffer from pain post-op and he was right.... I never had more pain than what I had on my worst day with my bad hip.  You really should quiz him on the pain management--- tell him that you're an avid hunter and you do not like pain and you tend to go postal when you suffer from a lot of pain (just joking).

Personally I would not worry about having my left hip done, EVER.  When I awoke from my surgery it was like waking up from a nice nap and I had no pain whatsoever, although of course I could not feel anything below my hip either ;-)  Don't worry the feeling does come back to you.

This is a good site, everyone is very nice and we do not have the "patient advocates" that try to point you to the doctors that only they prefer.  You've come to the right place and you will meet a lot of really super people with some really neat stories to tell you.  We even have a "shark girl" in our midst.

One thing that you do have in your favor, you sound like you are in good shape, that does seem to help some of the people when it comes to rehab.

All you have to do is ask and you will get support here.


Chuck

Well...I finally scheduled my BHR w Dr. Hozack out of the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia.  The big day is Nov 25th.  To say I am a bit nervous would be an under statement....I am wondering if I am doing the right thing.  I can currently continue w a standard life with a bit of pain and discomfort...I am eating Advil and Meloxicam to help w the discomfort.  The reason I am getting it done is because I can't do the things I used to love to do....play sports w my kids, compete in Ironmans,  go for a jog w my wife, etc.  Well actually, truth be told I have done several Ironman triathlons over the past few years with these hips...but there has been significant walking during the marathon.

I have read many of the posts and they have been very helpful....Surface Hippy has also been very educational.   Some of the questions I have are:   Is there anything I need to be nervous about?  How long is the avg recovery....crutches, cane, when can I start swimming, biking, etc?  When can I drive?  How do I sleep the first few nights?  I am in good shape now, but I guess the better shape I go in...the quicker the recovery.  I need to recover quick...I have an Ironman that I am already signed up for in Lake Placed (July 2009)...I am not looking to set a personal best, but am looking forward to doing one without any pain.  Dr. Hozack stated that I should do no running for 6 months...which I can live with.

Any advice or guidance you could provide would be great.

Thanks in advance.


Magnus

[Pat Walter]

Hi Magnus

Everyones recovery is different and unfortunately there is no way to predict what yours will be.  Some people have actually done Ironman at 5 months post op
http://www.surfacehippy.info/hipstories08/larryschmidt08.php

Others have taken many months to a year.

Normally if you are in good shape and are using an experienced surgeon, you should have a good recovery.

You really need to ask your surgeon what he/she recommends.

I was on one crutch at 4 days and none at 4 weeks. Sighseeing in Belgium at 5 days post op.  Flew home on 8 1/2 hour flight 10 days post op.  Walking about 1 mile a day by 12 days post op with one crutch.  No meds except Advil after leaving the hospital. No swelling and no bruising.  It was the same with all 8 of us there in Belgium at the time.

Some doctors in the US will actually keep on on a walker for 6 weeks.  The US doctors are very conservative.  So you need to ask your surgeon all of your questions.  Here is a list to get you started  http://www.surfacehippy.info/questionsfordoctor.php

I hope that helps.

Pat

[wendyk320]

Hi, Magnus!

I'm scheduled for my resurfacing with Dr. Mont in Baltimore on November 10th.  I did a lot of back and forth worrying before deciding to go ahead with the surgery, but I finally decided that, no matter what I did, my hip wasn't going to get any better.  I developed a constant limp several months ago which has begun affecting all my other joints, so that also factored into my decision.  The more I limp, the worse my knees, other hip, and even foot are becoming.  Another deciding issue for me was the amount of Ibuprofen I've been taking - not a huge quantity, just 5 a day which does help take the edge off, but certainly doesn't eliminate the pain.  Long term usage of any of that class of NSAIDS can cause heart and kidney damage.  So, all in all, surgery made the most sense to me.  Just didn't see any advantage in putting it off any more.

Best of luck to you and all of us that are counting down the days.

Wendy 

[fenceman]

Hello Magnus,

I am 8 weeks post op and realizing I did the right thing.  Walked 2 miles on Sunday and my BHR hip felt more solid than my other hip and it is in pretty good shape.  I am using a cane on long walks to keep myself from limping.  I was instructed by the Dr. to use crutches for 6 weeks, use a cane only if needed to keep from limping, and no running or jumping for a year.  I was able to do light stationary bike after 2 weeks and swim (haven't gone yet) after 4-6 weeks.  I think that was more of an incision healing issue.

I had a spinal and the operation took 1-1/2 hours.  They kept me out of it with the IV but I do remember portions of being in the operating room.  There was no pain or discomfort. 

The first 1-1/2 weeks I ask myself why I did this. Sleeping was rough because I had to lay on my back, and I did not do well on the pain meds.  But each day I felt better and stronger.

Going to start low impact martial arts next week and get back on the bicycle before the snow flies.  (I am 44).