Getting Nervous: Post-op Update

Hi hip brothers and sisters!  I had my two -week post-op today, everything looks good, but reading the surgical report and seeing the x-ray took my breath away.  It is still hard to believe I have those parts in my body.

Jonathon, Ken, Tom, OB, and MJR – your advice was right on the money and I can ‘t thank you enough.  The leg feeling longer than the other is bizarre!

Here’s how things went for me:

1. Surgery was smooth, used a walker to go to the bathroom and put full weight on my hip within a few minutes of the anesthesia wearing off.
2. The surgical clinic I used has a hotel program, so I went across the street and spent the night in the hotel.  They have nurses stay on the same floor to give meds, etc. and it was so comfortable, to the point where I of course overdid walking the first day/night.  OT and PT came the next morning to give me a few pointers and I headed home.
3. Days 3 through 5 were the worst days.  Lots of pain, night sweats, burning sensation deep in my thigh, swelling putting pressure on my knee cap and a very helpless feeling needing my wife to put my pants on for me and lift my leg into bed.  The mental part of this I wasn’t prepared for and I know I said more than once during those days that there’s no way I would ever go through this again with my other hip.
4. By the end of the first weekend, I felt like I turned a corner both mentally and physically.  The burning sensations deep in my thigh are starting to subside (feel almost like growing pains), and the cramping when I walk are starting to diminish.  Stopped using the pain meds on day 8.
5. This week, I’ve been back working from home and trying to take a lot of walk breaks because sitting can get pretty uncomfortable.  I’m transitioning off crutches to a cane and my body is telling me when I’m overdoing the walking.  The nurse today said do more numerous short walks instead of a couple of long walks.
6. I’ve been doing the exercises they gave me religiously and start with an outside physical therapist next week.  I told her flexibility is my top priority – the thought of touching my toes again after all this time is going to be driving me!!

One piece of advice I’d give anyone reading this is to ice like crazy from hip to knee.  I had both a ice water circulation cooler from previous back surgery and a neoprene hip wrap I bought online.  I’m still icing several times a day.

This site is incredibly helpful.  Tom, you have done a really good thing starting this.  My surgeon even told me he looks at the site regularly.  I found out during a meeting last night that a colleague had his hip done this week, so I’ve been able to share a bunch of things from my own experience as well as point him to visit here.  Group therapy really does work!!

Thank you all,

Brian