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About me
I am 51 years old. 11 years ago I had a pretty good
collision in a hockey game, stretching my right leg in a way
it wasn't ready to stretch. Since then something has been
not right with my leg. It started as groin pain, then
progressed and after seeing 5 doctors in 5 years they told
me arthritis in my hip was the problem and some day I would
need a new hip. By year 5, that may have been true but I had
shown no signs of any hip issues prior to that day on the
ice. I still don't know for sure what happened, but in the
past few years, diagnosis for "sports hernia" have been
coming out and from all indications my initial injury was an
inguinal or sports hernia. I am not discounting the
possibility that the collision could have caused some damage
in the hip as well. At this point I have lost much
flexibility on the right side, have pain daily walking and
nightly while trying to sleep. Having decided enough is
enough, I have resigned myself to having things fixed
sequentially until I am comfortable that I am ready to be
reasonably active for the next 20 years.
1. Hip Resurfacing - There is a slight chance this will
alleviate the groin pain also, but I'm not planning on it
going in.
2. Get the groin pain fixed - Probably some sort of sports
hernia repair taking 6-10 weeks to recover. I will look into
this if needed 3 months post op for the hip.
3. Scope the right knee - After years of walking wrong, the
knee gets irritated easily. This may be fixed through
strengthening and walking better. I will look into this post
recovery from the groin issue if needed.
Here is my hip surgery journal
Surgery Day minus Two - Flight Surgery - Flight to
Columbia S.C. was to take off at 6:10 PM. I finally took off
around 10pm and got to the hotel around 2am local time. Best
thing was that Hertz waited for me and my car was 50 ft from
the door
Surgery Day minus One - Not much planned today. Go to
the Doctor in the afternoon, and pick up my wife in the
evening. Should have used the directions from the website to
more specifically find the Dr.'s office. I was within
200feet four times before I called. The directions available
on the main phone line got me in exactly on time. Dr. Gross,
Lee and the rest of the staff were very nice.
Found out I still needed to go to the hospital (I thought
they had everything!). It turns out the blood typing and
screening has to be done locally. I get more prescriptions
and head to the pharmacy, then to Wendy's for dinner. My
wife is a trooper. Her flight was to be at 6:10 PM today.
She is still waiting at the airport. 1am eastern they
finally cancel her flight. What a way to calm down before
surgery.
Wednesday Surgery Day - I talk to my wife this
morning. She will standby for the early flight which would
get her here before I get out of surgery, but it is not
looking good. The flight she is now booked on will get here
in about 6 ½ hours after surgery starts so I should be
coherent by then. It will be nice to see her after I wake
up. I get to the hospital at 9:30 for the 11:30 surgery as
requested. They take me to pre-op at 9:45. Change into the
gown. There will be no more modesty for the rest of this
trip.
I get a cocktail of pills to start me off, they get the IV
set up and take blood for a special healing slushy they use
when they sew you up. I'm on autopilot and my rational side
is all in tune. I've read it all, watched the video, I'm
ready. I call my wife, the early flight is delayed (damn) so
I will see her later rather than in recovery. Don't know for
sure what time she will get in. I have them put instructions
on the paperwork for the doctor to call her on the cell
phone if she is not in the recovery room.
Time to go and they wheel me away. Nobody is with me. It
suddenly hits me that they are going to be cutting me open
soon. A brief moment of anxiety is broken by the music in
the O.R. They introduce me to the O.R. Disc Jockey and ask
me what kind of music I like. I have no idea what I said. I
remember it being very bright and very clean and new
looking. They roll me on my side and numb the area for the
spinal. Something was said about cold or a little stick or
something and I'm out (they must has sent something into the
IV to put me out.)
I wake up and life is good. No pain and no memories and NO
BIG NEEDLES (as far as I know). Nobody has called my wife
though. When the doctor comes in I find out he wasn't given
the message so I give him the phone number and he calls and
leaves a message. My wife is in the air so she is thinking
that the surgery took a longer time. My mother is on
vacation on pins and needles and she hasn't gotten any calls
either. She must have been going nuts. My Dad had similar
surgery about 3 years ago. He's at home waiting for word
too.
All the communications get sorted out, everybody knows I'm
OK and my wife arrives - even though I am doing well, I feel
like I am doing much better when I see her. The last two
days have been very tough on her I know - but she doesn't
show it.
I get dinner that night, didn't eat much, and threw up
whatever I ate or drank. About 11pm I switched from ginger
ale to sips of water, no more nausea after that. I couldn't
sleep though so I watched the end of the Rose Bowl. It was
quite a finish.
Thursday Surgery Day plus One - A nice nurse has
taken care of me all night. She is married, half my age, and
now is here to teach me the finer points of catheter
removal. I'm so tired I am unfazed. Then she tells me about
the balloon tip inflated in my bladder, and show's me the
syringe used to deflate it. As she does that part she tells
me catheters are one thing her husband is truly afraid of (I
think this is a tactic to make me want to be tougher than
her husband is). Then she says take a deep breath and hold
it. OUCH! Lastly she tells me it is much worse putting them
in than taking them out. I give thanks to some thoughtful
person who sequenced that part after I was put out in the
O.R.
Ate breakfast did exercises and took a walk with the walker
in the AM. PM was similar with crutches substituted for the
walker and did the stairs as well. Thigh is painful to the
touch and swollen, butt is sore and weak, and quads are very
sore. Boring day but exciting to be walking.
Friday Surgery Day plus TWO - Discharge Day - I get
the morning therapy. Quads not bad, thigh still sore but not
as bad, Walk with one crutch. Discharge late AM, have a
frosty, therapy on my own in the hotel, just waiting to fly
home tomorrow. I'm very happy with progress. We both don't
sleep well.
Saturday Surgery Day plus Three - Fly home - a good
uneventful day. I walk with a cart from the rental car
entrance to the elevator. My wife gets us checked in. I get
my first new experience with airport security. I'm going to
need to add time to my travel schedule from now on. We
arrive back in Chicago. I take a wheelchair to baggage claim
and pick up the luggage with a cart. My wife goes to get the
car and meets me right outside baggage claim. We load up
carefully and on we go.
It is so good to be home! The people were nice while I was
gone, but when you are not at 100%, there's no place like
home to relax. The plane ride definitely had an impact on
leg. Swelling was more tonight.
Sunday Surgery Day plus Four - exercise at home,
swelling still greater than before, but so is my activity. I
use the cryo-chamber several times during the day and that
helps some. We go out in the morning to buy me a cane. Much
better than one crutch and I walk a lot inside and about
1/10th mile outside. Dad stops by in the evening and we have
fun comparing notes and just talking. It's good to be home.
Monday Surgery Day plus Five - Swelling is less.
Continue exercise at home. Mom (a career nurse) is back from
vacation and comes in the PM to walk. I do about 4/10th mile
outside today. Mom also changes the dressing for me (OUCH!).
Way too much tape on that Band-Aid and I have a lot of
irritation from it from it that I never have had before.
It's really strong tape so we decide to trim it and leave
only about ¼ inch on the re-dress. This with a pair of
jockeys is much nicer.
Tuesday Surgery Day plus Six - Incredible Edibles and
another food basket arrive from people at work. Everyone has
been very supportive. Mom is by twice today. We walk about ¾
mile total. Lots of ice after each helps a bunch.
Wednesday Surgery Day plus 7 - Harry and David basket
arrives today. I decide to drop the celebrex and no vicadin
today. The only drug left from surgery is arixtra and that
goes away in a few days followed by low dose aspirin every
other day. The day went well. I used lots of ice again.
Feels like the muscles are getting tighter, but like the hip
is not settled completely yet. I send a note Lee and get a
response that nothing I've described is unusual and I should
have no concerns. My whole body is going through an
adjustment after going through the last 10 years with the
hip out of whack; joints and muscles in other areas are now
re-adjusting to my new correct posture. I expect that will
take a while to settle down. So far there has not been pain
associated with this.
Thursday Surgery Day plus 8 - Breakthrough Day - I
feel very good, no meds, and walk for over ½ mile in the
morning. Afternoon is another walk with Mom, this one
another ½ mile. Still looking for that perfect sleeping
position. Keeping the leg elevated and using the ice water
cuff frequently really helps.
Friday Surgery Day plus 9 - Another good morning.
Went ¾ mile in the rain. Went to the mall in the afternoon
with Mom, another ¾ mile maybe. Ice after. Feels real good
Saturday Surgery Day plus 10 - Walked a mile in the
morning, then rested as knee was sore. Walked another ¾ mile
in the afternoon and iced hip and knee both. Did 4 sets of
the isometrics for the leg during the day, the last just
before sleeping. Seems to help with the knee pain
Sunday Surgery Day plus 11 - Low wind chill this
morning. Walked a mile and it felt like I wouldn't have to
ice afterward since I was wearing thin sweats to walk in.
Originally decided I was going to do only one walk today but
knee felt great and sitting all day watching football made
me want to walk some tonight. Groin feels odd today like it
got stretched during the lengthy sitting (??). Iced that
after the walk tonight along with the hip. We'll see how it
feels tomorrow. I hope the knee stays this good.
Monday Surgery Day plus 12 - Walked ½ mile with Mom
this morning - CARRYING THE CANE. After the walk I am very
tired. Lots of ice, and lay in bed for an hour. After that
feels pretty normal except for a repeat of the groin issue
from yesterday. I'm going to have to keep an eye on that.
This afternoon I went for a 1mile walk. I think I walked
about another 4/10 mile carrying the cane, but that clearly
started to aggravate the groin so I stopped that. It is
interesting that with only a light couple of fingers on the
cane there is no groin stretch. I do another 45 minute ice
session after the walk and try to be sure I get the groin
good. 4 hours after the walk, all feels normal, but I am
tired.
Tuesday Surgery Day plus 13 - Walked a mile this
morning. Decided to use the cane to let the groin settle
down. I walked about 50 steps without it in the middle of
the walk but didn't want to push it. My mental key for today
is to relax below the waist and try to let the right side
move as normal as the left. Easier said than done, as those
gluteus muscles still aren't calmed down yet. Groin feels
great after the walk but I ice it anyway. Can't hurt. This
afternoon I do another ¾ mile - all with the cane as a
precaution.
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