initial consultation appt coming up

[embcrna05]

Hi there,
I've been following the website for a few months now.  This is my second posting.  My husband made the decision to have a hip resurfacing done soon.  We have a consultation appt with Dr. Su in NY on Oct 29.  Initially, my husband made the decision to go ahead, based on wanting a better quality of life.  Now he is having hip pain all the time.  Our initial goal was to get the procedure done prior to the end of the year, but that may not be possible, with the dr's schedule.  We started communicating with the office, sending records, etc in early September.  Anyway, I am a little nervous in meeting the dr, asking questions, etc.  I administer anesthesia for a living, but being on this end of it puts me in the position of so many others.  When it is your family member, all logic and common sense goes out the window.  I know of the dr's credentials and reputation, but I still wanted us to meet with him and discuss things prior to actually having surgery.  Now I am thinking, "what if we don't like him, or if he seems not at all what we expect?"  Then we have to start the process all over again.  Plus, I am anxious for my husband to get pain releif. 
I appreciate all you out there who are part of this site.  It has been a wonderful source of support and information.  I do have one major question here---have you gotten pretty immediate pain relief with this procedure?  At first we wanted my husband to have a better quality of life.  Now we want pain relief---yesterday.  Thanks everyone.

[stevel]

Yes, I did get immediate pain relief from the procedure.  I had mild to moderate pain in my left hip, but x-rays showed severe osteoarthritis with numerous bone spurs.  I am nearly 3 weeks post-op (9/29/08) LBHR with Dr. Su at HSS.  During the first 10 days, I experienced pain from the surgery which I controlled with meds.  I am now walking with a cane with no pain and some swelling near the incision.
You are in excellent hands with Dr. Su and the HSS (Hospital for Special Surgery).  This is a small hospital specializing in joint reconstruction.  HSS is rated no. 1 in orthopedics by US World & News Report (2007 & 2008).  The level of service in unreal for food service (the food was great), nursing aides, nursing, patient education, anaesthesiology, physical therapy and most importantly surgery(a skilled, experienced hip resurfacing surgeon with 700 + hip resurfacing installations).

[Pat Walter]

Hi

Dr. Su is one of the best hip resurfacing surgeons in the US.  I know he will be happy to answer your questions.  Do feel shy, it is a major surgery and your questions should be answered.  You need to feel at east about the surgery and know you have all the questions answered.

The pain relief is immediate after surgery.  The old arthritis pain is gone, but there is the tenderness left from the surgery.  I never took anything but Advil after I left the hospital in 2 1/2 days.  Each person has their own recovery.  Some people require more meds than others.  THere is no way to predict your recovery. The only thing for sure is that - eventually - we all end up in the same place after surgery: free of pain and active once again.  The time table for the end goal varies, but it is where we all end up eventually.

Please feel free to ask any questions on this board. We are all patients, but will give you answers from the patients perspective. 

Good Luck.

Pat

[Tarhoo2]

I would like to reaffirm what Steve and Pat said about pain relief.  I've had both my hips resurfaced in the last 10 months and both times I noted the immediate relief as soon as I came to in recovery.  In the case of the second BHR, I actually looked forward to my surgery, knowing the process and knowing that the pain would be gone.  Yes, there is instability in the joint for awhile, as well as swelling (which was the biggest source of my discomfort and lasted for 7-10 days).  I strongly recommend regular ice and elevation to address the swelling.

Good luck to you all.  We''ll all still be here with plenty of advice on the "other side."

Jim

[embcrna05]

Hello again,
Thank you, Steve, Pat, and Jim,  for your encouragement and reassurance.  Your comments have allayed some of my anxiety.  I welcome any advice you have and will keep you posted on our journey.  This website is such a valuable tool.  I thank you.
Eileen

[John C]

Just to balance expectations; even though I had dealt with severe arthritis for over ten years, I must say that after the wonder drugs wore off after surgery, the next 4-6 weeks definitely had more pain than prior to surgery. After six weeks, I caught up to where I had been before, and rapidly improved to the point of no pain most of the time, and now at four months, things are very much better than in many years. I think that it is best to be prepared for those first few weeks to be very different for each person.

John

[B.I.L.L.]

I'll be 4 weeks out tomorrow and am on 2-4 norcos a day depending on how much I do. But its all muscle pain, mostly on the top and outside of my thigh, and some groin pain as well, but it gets a little better everyday and pales in comparison to the 24/7 stabbing pain it replaced. I can sleep all night with no meds, it's when I'm up and about and doing the exercises that it throbs or stings a little.  It was also weird to wake up after surgery and be able to lie flat on my back, I hadn't been able to do that for the last 6-7 years.   So for me it still smarts a little at 4 weeks, but I'll trade the pain now for the pain then all day long.  Sounds like your in pretty good hands, my Dr. had only done about 50, but he was old and has been doing thr's forever so I felt confident. 700 + in a place that specializes in joint replacement ?  Sounds like a weiner   Good luck !!!  , Bill

[embcrna05]

Thank you all for sharing!!  With each one of your posts, I am more relieved for my husband.  He is in constant pain and sleeps with a pillow between his legs.  Having surgical pain that will eventually go away seems much preferred to what he is experiencing now.  So, we feel encouraged and more sure that we are doing the right thing.  Thanks.
Eileen