To the left is the beautifully drawn masterpiece of my hip by Dr. M. The scrambled mess on the drawing is the artistic version of all my cartilage that is bad/gone/ and or destroyed. I also have no labrum left either (so glad the first two surgeries to repair my labrum worked!...and yes that was me being totally sarcastic)
So The Brief Version:
* Removed Bandages...incision looks ..um lets say..gross..yup that's a good adjective! It will get better w/ time...he cut into a good 4 to 5 inches of my SDD incision. Good News no infections and it is healing well!
*Stopped Pain Meds (DR M was actually shocked...he said "good job, because I know you must be in pain") Pain meds are like poison to my body..they make me so sick, but on the same note they are a little piece of heaven when you are in severe pain....it is my body's catch-22! Ice, ibuprofen, and rest can take care of me now.
**Now that the screws are out we will be doing a double MRI of both my left and right hip..yes my left hip also has FAI and is hurting currently..but we are so not going there at the moment. It is a 2 hour MRI..I am actually freaked out by this more than surgery #4 (OK maybe I won't go that far nonetheless not happy about it)...I really don't know how I can stay still in a MRI machine for 2 hours!
So I now have two appointments set up with two different hip surgeons in two different hospitals who do hip replacements..I am not going to rush into this..I want to make sure this is the only way to go..and one opinion at this point won't cut it for me!
Good news I can start to go back to PT next week..just no aqua therapy for a month (boo!), because of the incision.
(Picture to the right...2 weeks post op...I put on some make-up and made myself feel more human than patient..it actually picked up my mood ..which is nice after a looooooong 2 weeks ;)
Later Hipsters! xo
Hi, Just stumbled onto your blog. Had hip arthroscopy in early January. I am 4 weeks post op. Had the surgery done at HSS in NYC. Not happy at all so far. Same pain but worse. I also dont have much labrum left? Still havent talked to my surgeon yet about the importance of that. Feeling like a revision is in my future already. Ugggh. :( Ken
ReplyDeleteHi Ken!
ReplyDeleteWell I guess the good thing is that you had it done at a good hospital...one of my friends had her surgery done there..I think she had 5 surgeries total between both hips but she is now doing much better! It is suppose to be one of the #1 hospitals for hip surgeries. It is very normal to be in pain 4 weeks post op..it took 3months after both my arthroscopic surgeries to ween off crutches (I had microfracturing done too..they really don't do that anymore because they realize it doesn't work in hips) but recovering from surgery whether arthroscopic or open..healing takes awhile, because they didn't get rid of the painful stuff like a THR (these are bandaid surgeries to stop progression of degeneration) I haven't met anyone yet who has had total pain relief from these surgeries. Some people seem to recover better than others..but like people all our bodies are different..depending on damage , age, hip structure, level of activity..and sometime luck. Most "hipsters" I have met have undergone many surgeries to fix their hips. I had a discussion w/ one of my "hip sisters" lately about how we PERSONALLY feel(can't speak for everyone) that these arthroscopic surgeries just don't seem to work.In my own personal experience they have made my hip worse..and now 4 surgeries deep to save my hip I am looking at a THR in my very near future..I have no labrum left (it's a protective layer that is needed to protect hip and cartilage)
"Acetabular labrum: A ring of fibrocartilage (fibrous cartilage) that runs around the acetabulum (cup) of the hip joint and increases its depth. The head of the femur (the bone in the thigh) fits in the acetabulum. The labrum deepens this cavity and effectively increases the surface (and strength) of the hip joint."
I don't want to be saying that these surgeries don't work but in my experience they have not worked for me:
Lessons Learned:
**Ask as many questions as you want..don't let a DR leave the room until he/she answers all your ?'s
**Don't do a lot of cortisone injections (I have unfortunately due to bad advice from my 2nd surgeon) and I come to find out and can make degeneration speed up
**Get a few opinions if you do surgery again to make sure you are getting the right surgery...there are quite a few different surgeries out there to fix these problems..if I knew that I wouldn't have to had open surgery for #3 and I wouldn't be in the situation I am in now
One ? for you..do you FAI? How did your labrum tear? Did you have an accident? Sports? You want to make sure they fix the structural part of your hip that caused the tear if there wasn't a traumatic accident that caused it..another thing I wish I knew before surgery#1
I know I just typed a boat load of info..but you are not alone..there a lot of people suffering with this. There are some great blogs out there and yahoo groups for hips that have been a big help to me.
But it does take a while to recover..it take 6 weeks just for your body to get over the initial impact of surgery so don't get frustrated yet..it's not just your hip that has been messed w/ it's your muscles and tendons and that takes awhile to come back too. Good Luck and I hope you get pain relief soon!
SJ -
ReplyDeleteAre you going back to Dr. Murphy at New England Baptist to discuss a hip replacement? A colleague of mine went through 3 different surgeries with Dr. Millis - not for FAI, but a PAO - and unfortunately all three were unsuccessful. Dr. Murphy did her hip replacement and she has been pain free for 3+ years. She has a child since then - delivered naturally - had no hip issues during her pregnancy. It's always amazing to me how hard so many of us on the forums try everything to delay a hip replacement, but it really seems like a hip replacement is the answer for so many.
Hi Kate: Actually I have an apt w/ Dr Ward at Baptist my 2nd Doctor I saw there who diagnosed my FAI...but I should give DR Murphy a call..I have only heard really really really positive things about his work! Thanks for reminding me on that..and for the very positive..and hopeful story too..it made me feel a lot better!! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Twinsy! I really enjoyed our chat the other night and we must do it again soon! It really helps to be able to just vent and "lean" on each other's shoulders. As much as I hate that you've had to come to this option with your hip, I do feel that it will give you relief. But I agree that it's sooo important to have more than one consult/opinion and to find that perfect surgeon:) Hang in there Twinsy!!! One of these days something will go right and we'll be living pain free. Love you!
ReplyDeleteHi twinsy!!! I so enjoyed our chat as well!!! Look forward to talking soon!! :) You rock hip sis...thank you so much for always cheering me up! Yes Pain Free living WILL be in our future!!! xoxo
ReplyDelete