Melody Hip Resurfacing De Smet 2008
17 Days Post Op
I had a successful resurfacing with Dr De Smet 17 days ago and am feeling very strong.
While I was in Belgium my wound began to look red in a couple of places and I was put on anti-biotics for 8 days to prevent infection.
There was one stitch to be taken out at around 14 days and I asked a friend who is a British nurse to come and do that for me. She came on Thursday but was not happy with the way my wound looked and suggested I went to the local medical centre to have the stitch out and for a doctor to look at it.
I went there yesterday. They removed the stitch but said I had an ‘inflation’ I thought maybe they meant swelling, but then wondered if they meant inflammation. They gave me more antibiotics and I have to go back on Monday. (Will also take someone with me who speaks better Greek I think!)
The nurse prodded and scraped and squeezed my wound before dressing it. It has been quite tender ever since, and I can no longer sit comfortably. The dressing has blood on it so I am going to ask my friend to change it today.
I’ve emailed Dr De Smet to see if he has any advice, but has anyone on here had similar problems?
Cheers
Melody RBHR De Smet 09/01/08 EU
3 Week Anniversary
Today is my 3 week anniversary so here is an update. I am a 60 year old woman who had a right hip resurfacing with Dr De Smet in Gent. I had OA but good strong bones. My operation was straight forward and went well.
Prior to my op I woke with pain every night. During the day I had pain in my hip and a lot of pain in my knee. I was limping and my mobility was severely affected. I could not put on a sock or cut my toenails for instance.
From a couple of hours after the operation I have been pain free. I seriously thought I had a knee problem as well as a hip problem, despite being assured otherwise. They were right – my knee has not bothered me at all since getting my new hip.
I am now able to walk short distances around the house with no crutch, but still need support from a stick for longer distances and walking outside. I can do 1.5km with no problem and was advised not to go further than this for now.
I can go up and down short flights of stairs that are not too steep quite normally. I still need to do the ‘bad leg, good leg’ on steeper ones.
Today I no longer had to wear my surgical stockings. I was thinking of having a ceremonial ‘TED burning’ but have decided to hang on to them for a few weeks. I’m due to fly to the UK soon and may wear them for the flight.
It was also the last day for a heparin injection – hooray!!! I HATE THOSE.
The only negative thing that has happened, as you will see from my other posts, is that I have had some inflammation of my wound. Hopefully this is under control with anti-biotics now.
I still have restrictions for another 3 weeks – no crossing legs, rotations, and the 90 degree rule. I decided to restart PT as the physio in Belgium told me that would help my range of motion. I went to a very good guy before the operation and he has been coming each day this week for about 30 minutes.
He is helping me with stretches that I could not do alone, and mild exercises. To finish up I get a massage which is bliss. I’ve had no problems with stiff muscles and think the massage has helped with this.
I am sleeping on my back but have found that, with plenty of cushions to imitate the wonderful beds at the villa, this has not been a problem so far. If I rest during the day I tend to lie on my front for a change.
I would not attempt to drive yet, but I have been back at work for about 10 days. We have our own business and I can work from home, with plenty of rest and ice breaks. I have not found it any problem but I don’t think I could have gone back to a hard physical job so soon.
There was no-one in Greece who could do this operation so I had to pay to go to Belgium. I have absolutely no regrets and it is probably the best present I have ever given myself.
If you are hesitating I would urge you to find a good surgeon and go for it. If you are waiting for your operation you will soon also be ‘on the other side’ and it is great here!
All the best
Melody
RBHR De Smet 09/01/08
3-week update January 30, 2008
When I was waiting for my operation I found it very encouraging to read others’ post-op experience as it gave me an idea of what to expect / look forward to.
Today is my 3 week anniversary so here is an update. I am a 60 year old woman who had a right hip resurfacing with Dr De Smet in Gent. I had OA but good strong bones. My operation was straight forward and went well.
Prior to my op I woke with pain every night. During the day I had pain in my hip and a lot of pain in my knee. I was limping and my mobility was severely affected. I could not put on a sock or cut my toenails for instance.
From a couple of hours after the operation I have been pain free. I seriously thought I had a knee problem as well as a hip problem, despite being assured otherwise. They were right – my knee has not bothered me at all since getting my new hip.
I am now able to walk short distances around the house with no crutch, but still need support from a stick for longer distances and walking outside. I can do 1.5km with no problem and was advised not to go further than this for now.
I can go up and down short flights of stairs that are not too steep quite normally. I still need to do the ‘bad leg, good leg’ on steeper ones.
Today I no longer had to wear my surgical stockings. I was thinking of having a ceremonial ‘TED burning’ but have decided to hang on to them for a few weeks. I’m due to fly to the UK soon and may wear them for the flight.
It was also the last day for a heparin injection – hooray!!! I HATE THOSE.
The only negative thing that has happened, as you will see from my other posts, is that I have had some inflammation of my wound. Hopefully this is under control with anti-biotics now.
I still have restrictions for another 3 weeks – no crossing legs, rotations, and the 90 degree rule. I decided to restart PT as the physio in Belgium told me that would help my range of motion. I went to a very good guy before the operation and he has been coming each day this week for about 30 minutes.
He is helping me with stretches that I could not do alone, and mild exercises. To finish up I get a massage which is bliss. I’ve had no problems with stiff muscles and think the massage has helped with this.
I am sleeping on my back but have found that, with plenty of cushions to imitate the wonderful beds at the villa, this has not been a problem so far. If I rest during the day I tend to lie on my front for a change.
I would not attempt to drive yet, but I have been back at work for about 10 days. We have our own business and I can work from home, with plenty of rest and ice breaks. I have not found it any problem but I don’t think I could have gone back to a hard physical job so soon.
There was no-one in Greece who could do this operation so I had to pay to go to Belgium. I have absolutely no regrets and it is probably the best present I have ever given myself.
If you are hesitating I would urge you to find a good surgeon and go for it. If you are waiting for your operation you will soon also be ‘on the other side’ and it is great here!
All the best
Melody
RBHR De Smet 09/01/08
Going Back to Work February 13, 2008
I am a 60 year old woman who had a resurfacing 5 weeks ago. We run our own business. During the winter I am desk-bound as I deal with enquiries, bookings, and other administrative stuff.
From a couple of days after the operation I answered enquiries using my laptop in Belgium. I found I could only sit comfortably for about 20 minutes at a time and I don’t think it would be advisable to do so for longer.
We returned home after 10 days and I went back to work at about 12 days. Our office is in our home so I could take lots of ice breaks, rest when I needed etc. and didn’t have to travel.
I am pretty much back to normal now as far as work is concerned although I take an hour off each morning for physiotherapy. I get more tired at night than I used to.
I still find I need to stand up and move around regularly as I get stiff if I sit for too long (but no pain as I used to get pre-op). Most of us who work at desks should probably move around more anyway.
I don’t think I could do a demanding job yet – if I was a teacher for instance I’d still be on leave if I could get it!
I was really surprised at how much energy I had very quickly after my operation. I’d been warned it could take months but everyone is different. If your surgery is straightforward and you go to a good surgeon I doubt if you will have any difficulty in returning to work as soon as you like.
Good luck.
MelodyRHR De Smet 09/01/08
6.5 Weeks The Good, The Bad and the Ugly February 23, 2008
The Good – I am delighted with my new hip and thrilled with my progress. I didn’t think I would be this mobile so soon and I’ve been painfree the whole time. I put it down to the skill of Koen De Smet plus my preparation helped. Now past the six week restrictions I am enjoying getting back to normal. I have daily PT and my leg feels stronger all the time.
The Bad – my left (unoperated) leg has been really playing up this past week with knee pain when I walk any distance. I do have OA on that side but it isn’t bad. My physio thinks it will pass in a week or two. I seem to remember someone else posting about this. Has anyone else experienced problems with their other leg post-op? What happened? I was so looking forward to a pain-free summer so I hope it goes away.
The Ugly (sort of) – I had what I thought was an infection but Koen reckons it was a reaction to one of the sutures. I had to go to the local medical centre every other day to get my dressing changed. About 10 days ago the nurse suddenly pulled out a stitch. I should have only had one to remove which was done at 14 days. I took a photo and Koen thinks it was a stitch that should not have come out; the nurse is adamant that it should! Anyway things have been much better but my incision is still not 100% closed. Is this a record?
BTW there has been a lot of debate about incision length. Here’s my pennyworth – even though I have had some problems with my incision it hasn’t caused me any pain and I’d far rather deal with a flesh wound difficulty than with pain in the joint or muscles that some people with smaller incisions suffer.
So mostly I am doing fine, or better than fine. Will post again in a few weeks when hopefully all will be well with other leg and incision.
Melody
RHR DE Smet 09/01/08
7 Months Post Op
I am 7 months post-op so the initial euphoria of being pain free has more or less worn off. However, today and many other days I was reminded several times of how lucky I am. It’s the small things I can do again that thrill me.
It is so wonderful to be able to walk in a graceful way, enjoying just placing one foot evenly after the other (and maybe even swinging those hips) instead of waddling like a duck or limping.
It is fantastic to be able to paint my toenails myself again.
I am still amazed that I can nimbly climb stairs now.
I can sit in a chair and pull my knees up in front to rest a book on them.
And I have rediscovered breast stroke as I can now use my legs properly once more. The sheer pleasure of being able to move my limbs anyway I want in the water without pain is absolutely great.
Maybe the positive side of having had a hip problem is that, once it is repaired, you get so much pleasure from doing things you simply took for granted at one time?
Melody
De Smet RHR 09 Jan 08