Hip-Hip-Hooray!

Been a while since updating this thing. Physical therapy has been going well the past couple months. Yesterday marked 16 weeks post-op.

I finally got to run in PT yesterday. First time since before January. It felt GREAT! I only ran for a total of 5 minutes: one minute intervals of walking (4 mph pace) and jogging (6 mph pace). Luckily, my cardio fitness is not as bad as I was expecting, and I'm feeling pretty good today.

We'll see how the next few days go. For right now, it's ice pack time!

From Hipster to Leapster

HAPPY LEAP DAY!

Before we start on the excitement that was today, yesterday was my final post-op visit with my surgeon. He was in the room for about 3 minutes. He asked how I was doing. I told him I felt pretty well and seemed like I wasn't having any complications. He rotated my hip and said everything looked okay on his end. He asked if I had any questions for him. Since I didn't, he cleared me from his care. So, at this point, I'm done with the surgeon unless I have any problems. Luckily my PT and surgeon are in the same building, so if I do have any problems during PT, he'll be right there.

"Leaping lizards!"

 

 

 

Today was my first day back at work! The half-mile trek from the parking garage to the heavy grey door behind which I work was not something I missed.

My first stop was Occupational Health to get cleared to return to work. I gave them a letter from my surgeon, and the nurse took my blood pressure and temperature. Painless, but annoying. At least it took up about an hour of my time, most of which consisted of me waiting out front to be called back.

I went downstairs to check in with the Boss Man and get the run down on what went on while I was out. Same stuff, different day.

Luckily, I make the work schedule, so I made sure that I would be working the "sit-down" job today and the next two days so I can ease back into work. Surprisingly, though, work day wasn't as annoying as I thought it was going to be. I guess the 8 weeks I had off really did help me mentally, as well as physically.

Even though I had the "sit-down" job, working in a pharmacy still requires a lot of moving and walking around. By the end of the day, the front part of my hip, where the hip flexor muscle stretches across the joint, was pretty sore and achy. I had physical therapy scheduled right after work, but before I could get there, I had to get back to my car. My PT center is only about a mile and a half from where I work. So, I walked the half mile to my car, then drove a mile to PT... I should have just walked the whole thing and counted that as my warm-up!

No changes in PT; still trying to get my hip acclimated to being used again. I'm taking advantage of the handicapped parking decal I have; although I feel guilty for using it since I'm capable of walking. I just make sure I limp around a little bit when I am close to my car.

The gym is still pretty low-key. I'm sticking with the stationary bike for cardio to reduce the amount of time I spend on my feet and to keep the stress and impact down to a minimum. Hopefully next week I'll be able to go for an actual bike ride if the weather is nice. My poor bike is so lonesome propped against the wall.

Since I live in a second floor apartment with no elevator, I try to avoid the stairs as much as possible, at least on the way up. I took the elevator up one flight of stairs at work today. I refused to take it back down. One small leap at a time...

Next up: A leap of faith, maybe?

7 Hipnotic Weeks

Tomorrow marks 7 weeks post-op, and I am finally free of my crutches!

We walked down to the
Stop sign and back.

Last Wednesday, at 6 weeks, I was able to walk around the house without the crutches, but I was still supposed to use them outside the house. Needless to say, I barely left the house for the rest of the week and all weekend because I didn't want to have to use them!

Today, I am sore from Monday's PT session. How I have missed this kind of pain! My quads and glutes are killing me! I did some single leg squats and leg presses. At the end of my session, I was given permission to leave the crutches at home! FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST!

Apparently, the dog is aware of the fact that I don't need the crutches anymore. He went crazy this morning begging me to walk him. So, this morning I took him out for a slow short walk. And by short, I mean, like 1/4 mile in about 10-15 minutes. Usually, he gets to walk at least a mile at a brisk pace. He wanted to keep going, but he humored me and let me take him in early.

Note the flippy-floppy on the left.

Today was my first day back in the gym after surgery. I forgot how much I missed the smell of sweat and workout equipment. I also forgot how much fun it was to people watch at the gym... (There was an older woman on the elliptical wearing sparkly flip-flops! As if older people don't have a hard enough time keeping their balance on those machines, or walking, or standing... let's add flippy floppies to the mix...)

I digress. My workout at the gym was nothing impressive. I did increase my cycling time to 30 minutes with low resistance. Then I stretched and did all my PT exercises. I also did some upper body work, but since I haven't been working out AT ALL over the last 2 months, I just did a quick easy workout to get the blood flowing again. I'm sure I'll be all kind of sore tomorrow and Thursday. CAN'T WAIT!





Ariel said it best...
Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far
Legs are required for jumping, dancing
Strolling along down a - what's that word again?
Street

Hippofatamus

...That's what I feel like these days.

Wednesday (2/8) was the 5-week mark for my surgery. Time is definitely starting to move faster now. It's hard to believe I go back to work in less than 3 weeks now!

At PT, I've been "treading water" so to speak. They have a treadmill in the pool that I've been walking on for the last 3 visits. I started off slow. I was chest deep in the water, so I was only putting about 30% of my body weight on my feet. I did the "museum walk" as I like to call it, one mph for 20 minutes. I walked a whole third of a mile! The second time I did 1.5 mph for 20 minutes; I got to a whole half mile! This last time, I was only waist deep in the water, so I was using about 50% of my weight, and I picked it up to 2 mph for 20 minutes, walking about 3/4 of a mile.

My Handi-Capable
Parking Permit

I was also finally cleared to start driving! It's been nice being a little more independent again. I can drive myself to PT and to meet up with a friend. Sitting in the car too long gets uncomfortable though, so I've been keeping the driving to a minimum.

Because of the extra weight I've been putting on my foot over the last week or so, plus driving, plus being up and about more, I've had some pain in the front part of my hip where my hip flexor stretches across my joint. I've also been having a little bit of pain around my adductor muscles (groin area of my hip). Apparently this is normal and will come and go with added movement and weight. Applying ice to areas after I do PT (in clinic or at home) seems to help and I also take some naproxen as needed.

As of my last PT appointment, I am now "weight bearing as tolerated". That means I still have to walk with my crutches but I can put as little or as much weight on my right leg as is comfortable. Hip, hip, hooray!

It finally feels like I'm starting to make progress!

I'm puttin' my foot down!

I am finally allowed to put some weight on my right leg!

Today at PT I did the same exercises as before but we added in calf-raises and mini-squats. After my normal routine of the 10-minute warm up on the bike and my usual stretches and bridges, I stood with both feet flat on the floor. My right foot felt all tingly from not using it for so long.

First thing I did was the calf-raises. I slowly raised my weight to my toes. It felt so good to finally have some movement in right leg and get the blood flowing again.

After that, I did the mini-squats. Both feet flat on the floor, I squatted down about 30 degrees. I felt so pathetic! My quads were shaking like I... well, like I hadn't done a squat in about a month! The first 30 degrees of a squat uses more of the quads; squatting past that activates the hip flexor, which we're still trying to minimize.

I was cleared to walk on both feet but still using both crutches. It's taking a little getting used to, relearning balance and whatnot. My right foot feels like it's asleep every time I touch to the floor. I'm allowed to put about "25%" of my weight on the right leg. Let me get out my abacus to figure this out... I'm pretty sure I'm not putting near that much weight on my leg, but the amount I do put on it varies with each step.

Riding the stationary
bike at home

I've been using a stationary bike at home as well. I was only doing 10 minutes, but I'll start tomorrow with 15 minutes. The next time I go to PT, I'll get to walk on the treadmill in the pool. That should be interesting... I haven't put on a swimsuit since I don't even remember when...

This is when it gets exciting guys! Stay tuned!



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Just call me Crutchelstiltskin...

Today was great day.

I had PT early this morning at 9am. Now, 9am probably doesn't sound early to most of you who have regular jobs. And for me, if I was actively working, 9am would be awesome. But, seeing as how I've been getting up around noon everyday, being at physical therapy, which is 45 minutes away, at 9am... phew...

Anyway, PT was pretty much the same as last time: stationary bike for 10 minutes, stretching, bridges, weight machines. I did get some good news: I can potentially start driving next week! Best news ever! Relying on rides, even just for PT and doctor's appointments, has been annoying. I hate putting people out, especially when I feel perfectly capable of doing certain things for myself.

I'm going to schedule another appointment with my surgical team docs to see about getting a handicap decal to use until I'm at least off the crutches completely. Right now, it's not too back because whoever is driving me can drop off and pick me up. But, I can't really drop myself off at the front... I'm not THAT good. Maybe they'll extend it until I go back to work since the parking garage is about 1/2 a mile from work.... That would be fantastic.

After PT, one of my amazing friends (who also provided me with this lovely nickname, Crutchelstiltskin) picked me up and we milled around for a couple hours. It was really nice to be out of the house. Mostly it's just been to and from PT. We went to Best Buy and snagged one of their awesome bright yellow wheelchairs. Riding in a wheelchair seems like it'd be fun, but I kept getting the feeling that people were judging me for using one. I don't have any kind of brace or anything on, so I don't actually look like I need a wheelchair. Oh well... At Best Buy, we sat in the acoustic room playing around on the guitars. I don't play guitar, so I had a ukulele. I don't play the ukulele either, but that's easier to fake. After Best Buy, we went to lunch at Chili's.  It was really nice having something to occupy my day besides TV.

Right now, I'm sitting in bed with ice on my knee... No typo... my knee. I don't know how or why, but my right knee is now hurting. I noticed it was hurting yesterday, but I forgot to mention to my PT today. I'll keep icing it over the weekend and let him know about it on Tuesday when I go back.

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend! I'm going to do the same, hopefully get out of the house for a while on Saturday or Sunday, or both!




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HIPmotizin'

Exciting news... I rode a bicycle today! Woot! Woot!

As part of physical therapy, I rode a stationary bike for 10 whole minutes! There was no resistance and the seat was high enough to avoid a lot of hip flexor motion.

The trickiest part was getting onto the bike without putting any weight on my right foot. Luckily, my arms are strong enough to hold me up so I could swing onto the bike. Although, I'm sure I didn't look as graceful as I was attempting to be. Oh, well!

After the bike, I went over to the weight machines to work out my quads and hamstrings. Basically, I can do these at whatever weight I would normally use at the gym so that I can keep my leg strong for when I do finally get to put weight on it.

On the way out, I had to stop at the restroom. This is the first time I've tried to use a public restroom on my crutches. Being that this is a rehab and orthopedic center, you'd think this would be fairly easy to accomplish. The sign at the bathroom door had the handicap symbol on it, but there was no switch to open the door! "Um... ok..."

So I somehow manage to swing the door open wide enough, throw the crutch in front of the closing door, trying desperately not to fall or look incompetent. Someone else was walking by and didn't even help me with the door. Thanks a lot.

Even though there was no switch on the way in, I thought, maybe on the way out, the door has a motion sensor or something. Nope! Same thing as on the way in: I shoved the door open, then threw the crutch in the way of it so it wouldn't close on me. I was able to finagle my way out the door without too much trouble.

The moral of the story is, if you see someone with crutches or a wheelchair, open the door for them. Even if they say "I got it." Really, they don't and they'll be so thankful that someone was nice enough not let the door hit them on the way out!



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Taking it all in stride

I got my big girl pants on today! 

I was finally able to put pants on by myself today! HIP HIP, hooray! I'm still not able to put socks or shoes on my right foot. But it's definitely "a step in the right direction" so to speak. 

I realized that changing out of my pajamas during the day, is a huge help in keeping me chipper. Also, having visitors has been awesome. 

A friend came over to visit yesterday and we just sat outside on the porch and watched the dog chase birds and run around. Just like a couple of old retired broads. It was really nice. 

I still get jealous anytime I see people walking, running, standing on both feet. Sigh...

Showering is getting easier, though. Luckily, we have a shower stool from my grandma, so I've been using that. I'm getting really good at condensing my shower time. I used to take about 10-15 minute showers. Now I'm down to about 5 minutes. I'm saving water for the fishies! 

Happy MLK day! 

And now, your moment of zen...

So true...

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Hip stitch::Hop scotch

SteriStrips

The stitches are out of my hip! But I still can't play hop scotch.

I had another follow-up visit on Friday. My appointment was at 9:30am. What time did the stitches come out? 9:29am! You believe that? Neither did I! Lucky Friday the 13th, I guess!

Each incision had 1 stitch, so they came out pretty easily. They put these SteriStrips over each wound that will fall off on their own. No wound care, no changing band-aids, no covering them in the shower. Just let them fall when they may.

The PA that put the stitches in came in to check on how I was doing and to answer any questions I may have had. He asked me, "How much weight are you putting on your foot when you're walking around?" "None!" "Good," he said, "that was a trick question. I'm keeping my eye on you!" Then he did the "Robert DeNiro in Meet the Parents" thing... what a mushroom! (Fungi/Fun guy? No?)

Following that appointment, I went downstairs... er, down-elevator, actually... for PT. I was about 30 minutes early because the first appointment didn't take as long as expected. Thank goodness PT is a little more flexible!


I started with my warm-up exercises: turning my foot inward, butt clenches, and bridges. After my warm-up, I got to use the weight machines! HOLLA!

I did the quad machine first. Right leg only, 35 pounds, standard 1 set of 30. It was pretty light, but since I haven't really worked out in a while, it was more than enough! Hamstring machine was next. Same as the other: right leg only, 35 pounds, one set of 30. I definitely felt the burn in my right leg after both of those machines. It was nice, though, to have my right leg work for a while and let my left leg rest.

Internal Hip Rotation
source: www.bryankellymd.com

When I was done, I headed back over to the therapy bed and lay my stomach to do the cobra stretch and knee lifts. As I finished that, my PT came over to stretch my hip and work a little more on my internal rotation. Still lying on my stomach with my knee bent at 90 degrees, he basically pulled my right foot down slightly past the point to which it naturally falls. He held it there for about 10-15 seconds, then let it go. He did that probably about 10 times or so.

It was a pretty exciting day, let me tell you. The hardest part of the day was getting out of bed on time for my appointment. I only had to be up by 8am. I've gotten really lazy really quickly. It's actually kind of sad. Going back to work is going to be tough! Maybe I'll just quit my job after all my rehab is completed...



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Trying to stay cHIPper

The whole "damsel in distress" thing is much more fun when I'm perfectly capable of doing things for myself but choose not to.

Picnic anyone?

Well, it's official... boredom, for me, takes 5 days in a row of not leaving the house, whether or not people are around. I probably wouldn't mind being in the house for 5 days in a row if I could walk around and get stuff done.  I think I have about 8 games of "Words with Friends" going on at a time.

Everyone that's helping is being so great. And I know my mom is enjoying feeling like a mom again. So I'm trying to let her help me as much as possible. On days when she and my dad both go to work, she sets up a little picnic for me so I don't have to worry about getting food all day. It's really convenient, but lying around all day and eating is NOT my thing!

However, this is definitely a humbling experience. Since I can't put any weight on my right leg, I have to use a shower stool and I need help getting into and out of the shower. My mom has to help me get dressed everyday because I can't bend too far forward to change my pants or put on socks.

Today, though, I finally got to leave the house to go to physical therapy. My aunt took me, and she is always entertaining. So if nothing else it was fun to spend time with her. She took care of my grandma when she got really sick, and she's been in my position before after having knee surgery. So she's been at both ends, which for some reason, makes it feel like I'm being less of a burden to her.

Bridge (Hip Raises)
Source: www.mindbodygreen.com

Physical therapy went well today. I got to add in a few more stretches/exercises to start activating the muscles around my hip. My "warm-up" when I got there was the internal rotation exercise (1 set of 30) and my favorite, butt clenches (1 set of 30).

The first exercise after my warm up was bridges (hip raises). I used to do these AS my warm-up when I was doing PT prior to surgery. Lying on my back with my knees bent at about 90 degrees and my feel flat, I push through my heels to raise my hips up. This activates my glutes and hamstrings. Not having worked out in about 3+ weeks made this a little harder than it used to be. I definitely felt the burn.

Moving right along, I sat with my feet hanging off the side of the bed. More quad flexes, but this time I actually picked up my foot. So, pick my foot up for a couple seconds, then lower it. Pick it up, lower it. Another set of 30.

The Cobra
Source: www.menscosmo.com

After that, I got off the bed and stood facing it with my thighs against the side. "Kick yourself in the butt," he instructed me. Okay, easy enough. After doing 30 of those, my poor left leg was so tired from just standing on it! I was ready to sit back down.

I lay back down on the bed on my stomach. I can't actually use my hip flexor muscles, but I need to stretch them. So while lying on my stomach, I pushed my upper body up into a yoga-type pose, The Cobra. One set of 15, holding each one for about 5-10 seconds.

When I was done stretching the front of my hip, I had one more exercise to do. Still lying on my back, I bent my right leg up at the knee, and then lifted my knee off the table, held for a couple seconds, then put it back down. I was shaking after the first 3-4 that I did! Slowly but surely, I made it to 30.

I got ice for about 15-20 minutes, and then I was done. So now my home PT regimen consists of the same stretches from previously and also the bridges, cobra, and knee lifts. Yay! Actual physical activity!

After PT, my aunt decided that she HAD to go to the store and clean them out of all the discounted Christmas stuff they had. Pretty sure she spent about 30 minutes or more filling up about 2-3 shopping carts worth of junk. And if that wasn't enough, after she dropped me off, she was headed to another store to wipe them out as well. Somebody call hoarders!



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Hip-Hoperation Photos

The long awaited arthroscope images from my hip-hoperation are finally posted!

The hipstergery was a success! I had a bone spur on the socket part (acetabulum) of the joint. They filed that down (debridement), which is why some of the surrounding area in the pictures look a little like shag carpeting. The spur was causing some minor impingement every time I moved my leg.

Incisions all stitched up!

The cartilage tear was pretty large. It required 2 "anchors" to patch it down. I have 3 incision sites, one was for the camera and the 2 closest to each other were for the tools they used to complete the repair. I should get the stitches out on Friday... yes, Friday... the 13th...

I'll be on crutches for 6 weeks following the surgery. (Almost 1 week down!) For those first 6 weeks, I'm only allowed toe-touch weight on my right leg, meaning when I'm standing, I can place my toe on the ground. During weeks 7 and 8 post-op, we'll slowly start to increase the amount of weight that I'm allowed to put on my right leg.

Using only my left leg to sit and stand has got the muscles working overtime, and today I noticed that the outer part of my left hip (abductor muscles, or "saddle-bags" if you will) are sore. Eventually, my left leg will get used to compensating for both, and my strength will increase and I'll be fine.

My goal right now is just to avoid as much "fatrophy" in my legs (and even my upper body) as possible. While I'm lying in bed and doing my PT, I'm also using small hand weights to continue some weight resistance exercise of my upper body.

These are images taken on the way to the affected area.
The contact lens in the bottom right image is just a bubble. 

Image on bottom right shows the tear.
It's so large, the probe fits all the way through it.

Here you can see the fuzzy areas of bone that they shaved down 
to get rid of the bone spur.

This shows them starting to tie down the flap of cartilage.
It's funny how the rope looks like standard rope you can buy at the store.

The flap is tied down with 2 anchors and the spur is filed away.

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Let the reHIPilitation begin!

Today, yes today, the day after surgery, I started Physical Therapy.

Let me just preface this blog entry with a little history of my past Physical Therapy experience. I had the same Therapist as I saw today. I was seeing him for the same hip issue, but before it was a confirmed labral tear, requiring surgery. The orthopedic doctor and I were hoping physical therapy would strengthen any weaknesses I may have had and decrease my pain. So, I started doing physical therapy. I was one of the strongest people in there, mostly because my "sport" was weight lifting. Jokingly, one day, I gave myself the nickname "Iron Maiden" (a name a friend of mine jokingly called me when I started lifting weights). Somehow, the name stuck in PT. And everyone in the entire clinic referred to me as "Iron Maiden." Pretty awesome, if you ask me. 

So today, I return the same PT clinic, one day post-op, and let me tell you, it was pretty intense. 

It started with getting onto the therapy bed and lying down... whew!

That. Was. Tough.

The first exercise I did was to improve my internal rotation. This is the motion of your foot and knee turning toward the opposite leg while lying on your back. Mine was previously pretty limited. Now, even more so, and with more pain. I had to turn my foot in 30 times. I laughed at the exercise when the Physical Therapist first instructed me on it. I started doing the exercise, got to 19, and had to rest. I had so much pain in my hip just from that! So after a minute or two of rest, I finished the set of 30. Yay!

On to exercise Number 2: Quads. I heard the PT tell one of the aids to show me next exercise. He warned him, "She's going to laugh at you for how easy it is. Just ignore her." So this poor kid comes over to show me what to do, and what do I do? I laughed. He put a pool noodle under my right foot and told me to tighten my quad and hold it for 3 seconds, then relax. I did it. He said, "Okay, do that 30 times." Easy enough, I thought. And that was pretty easy. 

The PT comes back over to me for the 3rd exercise: Glutes. Great, what is this one going to be? I had to lie on the bed with both legs straight out, squeeze my butt cheeks together, hold for 3 seconds, and relax. Thirty times. Another easy one! I got this! So, I'm lying there, squeezing my butt together, and the PT sits on the bed next to me because there's no one else there. (It's lunch time.) I turn to him, while I'm squeezing my butt, and say, "You know, you may not think this is awkward, because you do this all day, but me sitting here squeezing my butt cheeks together while you're sitting there just watching me... that's kind of weird for me." Did he move? Nope! He sat right there the whole time I was flexin' them glutes! One set of 30, and I'm done.

The fourth exercise was for the hammies. It consisted of pulling my heel down and back to work the hamstrings, without actually moving my foot. Just tensing the muscles and relaxing. Thirty of those. Check.

After that, I got an ice pack for my hip for about 20 minutes for all that strenuous physical therapy I had to endure. All joking aside, working my hip/leg like that definitely increased my pain. I had taken a pain pill before going knowing I'd probably need it. I took one shortly after coming home as well. The two images posted are the exercises I did today and that I'm supposed to do twice a day until I go back on Wednesday. 

I challenge you all to do these as well, both legs. See if you can complete the one set of 30 twice a day. Let me know how it goes. See if you feel stronger. What have you got to lose besides some weakness? Do it while you're watching TV or checking Facebook and Twitter. If you need to rest between, rest. If you feel sore, ice. Trust me, I'm a doctor!

Hippily Ever After

Wow! What a day! At least the parts of it that I can remember...

My IV bandage
and wristband

I checked in for surgery at 6:30am. Of course they had even more paperwork for me to fill out and sign. Someone from billing called me back and I gave her the same information again.

A few minutes later the pre-op nurse came to get me prepped for surgery. I went to pre-op and into my little curtain cubicle. The nurse took my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Then I changed into a hospital gown and had on some fancy socks and a blue bouffant (or shower cap, as I like to call them). It was so cold in there, but luckily they keep blankets in the warmer. They covered me up and I was all cozy!

A few anesthesia doctors/residents came through and introduced themselves and asked me all the same questions I had already answered several times. The nurse put in my I.V. and started me on some fluids. I took 3 medications by mouth before the surgery to help me get a jump start on pain management after surgery. The gave me Tylenol for general pain, Celebrex to reduce pain from inflammation, and Neurontin for possible nerve pain. Apparently the dose they gave me of Neurontin was a little higher than normal. (And by a little I mean I got 600mg instead of 300mg...) That made me somewhat more groggy after surgery.

The surgeon came in and marked my hip. "Ok, Jessica, we're working on the right hip. Do you agree that we're doing surgery on your right hip? And do you agree that this is your right hip? Ok, I'm marking you on your right hip." Naturally, me being the provider of comic relief in tense situations, even my own, I replied with "Yes, that is the right hip AND the correct hip." They laughed. Not my best material, but I was drugged and nervous, so I did the best I could under the influence.

The anesthesiologist came over asking if I was nervous at all, and I told him I was. He gave me some Versed (Midazolam) through my I.V., which is an anti-anxiety med similar to Xanax and Valium. He started with half the syringe, but I didn't feel anything so he gave me the rest of it.

Shortly thereafter I was being wheeled into the OR. There were several people in the room. My operating table was in the middle of the room surrounded by a bunch of big machines, including the awesome traction contraption (ha, like that?) they used to pull on my leg.  I scooted myself onto the operating table and my warm blankets stayed in my nice warm bed. Immediately I was cold and shivering and had chattery jaw.

They put a mask on my face and said that it was Oxygen, but I bet it was really NO2 (nitrous oxide) rather than O2 (oxygen). Either way, after a few deep breaths I woke up in recovery.

Recovering from anesthesia is rough. Immediately I can tell that something happened while I was asleep. My hip hurts, but it's different than before and my right foot/ankle are sore. I tell the nurse watching over me about my foot and he checks it out. "Nothing there" he said. Thanks guy. I knew nothing was there, but why does it feel like I just rolled my ankle and sprained it? Duh! The traction contraption! My foot hurt for several hours after, but it's finally almost back to normal.

Then I realize my throat is freaking killing me! I remember that they were going to intubate me during the surgery, so it's probably irritation from the tube being there and then being removed. "WATER... I need water..." I called to the nurse in a very raspy voice. He brings me some water and it's the best water I have ever tasted! I felt so dehydrated and had a sore throat on top of it. Water hit the spot!

Next thing I know, some larger nurse comes into my curtain cubicle, pulls the curtains closed and starts emptying out my clothes bag. She never introduced herself or told me why she was in there. Then she starts peeling down my gown to take off all the heart monitors they had stuck on me while I was in surgery. Then she proceeds to help me get dressed, again never saying a word. Very awkward. Probably more awkward than the thought of me being spread eagle in that contraption... well, maybe not...

Finally, they moved me to a reclining chair so I can continue to "recover" from the anesthesia. I ask for my mom and they go get her from the waiting room. As soon as I see her I start crying. I don't know why, but it was like this flood of emotion hit me as soon as I saw her. I felt helpless, like a little kid, and so I just started crying. The nurse said it was probably the anesthesia, but I think I'm just a wimp.

Amigo! Perfectly content to
lie next to the bed :)

Anyway, I sat in the chair for about 15-20 minutes and talked to my mom, drank some water, got another dose of the good pain meds.  When I was feeling up to it, they took out my I.V. and got me ready to go. My mom pulled the car around and they wheeled me out.

I got back to my mom's house and lay down to rest some more. I fell in and out of sleep for the next several hours. I tried to eat but I kept getting nauseous. Then I remembered I had some anti-nausea meds the doctor gave me. I took that and I was able to eat finally without feeling like I was going to lose it all 5 minutes later.

We had to put my dog out so he didn't attack me while I was trying to walk with the crutches. When we finally let him in, he sneaked into the room trying not to be seen by my mom and lay down on the floor next to me. She let him stay, but he had to leave when my dad got home. "No, your dog can't stay in here. He's spoiled enough as it is." My reply, "But Dad! Look, he's so cute! He just wants to be next to me and comfort me! He knows I'm in pain..." That didn't work either.

The heart monitor they forgot to remove.

I was lying down again and suddenly felt something odd on my left side. I pulled up my shirt and there was a heart monitor left stuck to me! Free souvenirs!

Right now, I'm doing pretty well. My pain medications are adequate and I'm able to lie on my back and sit up without too much difficulty. As of right now, I'm non-weight bearing, which means I have to use crutches for anything I do, including hobbling to the toilet.

I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow morning so I'll get more information on how the surgery went and what to expect as far as rehab/recovery. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the surgeon today before I left because he was in another surgery already by the time I had woken up.

YES, this is the right/correct hip!

So, as far as I can tell, the surgery went well. I'm glad it's over. I have, I believe, 2 incision sites (unless one piece of gauze is covering 2 holes) that are stitched up and covered with gauze and a waterproof tape. You can still see where they marked my hip, and I have iodine stains all over the place. Unfortunately, I can't shower until Saturday at the earliest, possibly a week. Only sponge baths. Gross.

Other than that I'm going to try to sit back, relax, and enjoy the time off from work!

Hungry Hungry HIPpo!

It's barely 6am. I'm headed to the surgical center.

I am so hungry right now and all i hear on the radio are commercials for McD's breakfast. And I want some coffee!

It's also 20 degrees F outside. So that's pretty awesome. I had to go scrape ice off the windshield before we left this am. Fun times all around here in sunny FL.

A Hipnoxious Day

So tomorrow is the big day. Today was my pre-op appointment, which was scheduled at 1:30pm. I finally saw the PA-C around 2:30 and then the surgeon for about 5 minutes after that.

Anyway, enough about my frustrations with scheduling. Pre-op was pretty standard. I asked a few questions, they asked a few questions, I got my crutches and met with physical therapy.

Cidastat Soap. 
FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY

They gave me a special soap that I am to wash with from the neck down tonight and tomorrow. It's a special anti-bacterial hospital grade soap. One chemical compound away from being bleach, apparently. It smells horrible and they gave it to me in a cup they use for urine samples. Thanks guys.

I picked up 3 prescriptions from the pharmacy that I'll start taking after surgery. For pain they prescribed Vicodin (everyone knows what that is) and Naprosyn (anti-inflammatory, similar to Aleve). I also got Phenergan for nausea. The only antibiotics I'll be getting will be in my I.V. during surgery. Penicillin is usually what they use, but I'm allergic to that so I'm getting Clindamycin. 

I cannot eat or drink anything after midnight tonight. This is because of anesthesia, not anything to do with going to the bathroom during surgery. Although, hopefully I don't lose control of my sphincters during surgery... I'll tell them if I do, just don't bother waking me up...

Here's what tomorrow looks like...

I'll be spread-eagle in this bad-boy for the duration
of the surgery. (source: www.conquestchronicles.com)

I have to be at the surgical center at 6:30 am... Naturally, I would be scheduled first only because tonight we are having record low temperatures around 20 F (-7 C). So that should be fun. (Luckily my parents live nearby so my mom will be driving me to and from the surgery and taking me to my follow-up the next day.) So, I'll get up around 5am, shower with that special soap again I'll check in with my ID and insurance card and wait. And wait some more. At some point they'll bring me back and prep me for surgery, whatever that entails. I assume at this same time they'll be prepping my OR. Then when the room and I are both ready they'll bring me in and put me under. Once I'm out they'll position me in some kind of contraption that looks like a torture device that they'll use to pull on my leg attempting to dislocate my hip. The hip joint is also held together by suction, so they'll have to alleviate that in order to fully dislocate the hip. (I can hear the popping the sound in my head as I think about it... *SHUDDER*)  Once they get the room in my joint they need, they'll insert the camera and scoping tools to repair/remove any damaged tissue. Also, if there are any bone spurs they'll take care of those, probably by filing down my bone. Once they're done, my hip will be reset and I'll get a couple stitches to close up the 2-3 pen-sized holes in my hip from the scoping tools.  They'll wake me up, take me to recovery, and eventually I'll get to go home once I'm recovered from anesthesia. The whole process from the time I walk in the door at 6:30 to the time I'm wheeled out the door should take about 5 hours or so. The surgery itself should only last about an hour.

Post-Hipocalypse incisions.
(source: www.jessmcb.com)

Once I get home, I'll probably sleep for the rest of the day, which will be good. I don't get enough of that any other time. Luckily there's no wound care for my incisions. Whenever I shower, I just have to put a Band-Aid over it and then take it off once I'm done. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to shower until Saturday. Fortunately, I won't have to see anyone before then, except my surgical team for a follow-up and the PT group.

I have a follow-up the day after surgery and start Physical Therapy right after. I was surprised to be starting that soon after surgery. I'm sure it will be minimal stuff. Mostly range-of-motion exercises and stretching, I imagine.

So that's my life for the next 24-48 hours. Hopefully I'm up to posting something tomorrow afternoon/evening.

Hippy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe & happy New Year's Eve celebration!

I'm spending the day at Universal Studios getting in all the walking I can before Wednesday's hipstergery.

It's a beautiful day in the Sunshine State. Great way to start 2012.

Enjoy your day, whatever you do.

Today is Won/Won. Have a Wonderful Won!