It's been two weeks today since surgery. I'm feeling really good and sometimes I forget how recent it was that my hip was dislocated and I had surgical tools inside of me. I have to remember that I'm still in the very early stages of recovery and need to slow down just a bit so i don't mess something up.
Met with the surgeon yesterday...This is how busy this guy is, my 4 o'clock started at 5:15 and I saw him at 5:30. From talking with all the friends I made in the waiting room (all waiting to see him), I guess that is typical of his appointments. SO, I learned something yesterday (thank goodness because I'm feeling a bit slow lately)that you have to make your appointments in the early morning unless you want to wait 1.5 hours to see him. He told me next time I come to see him I should call first to find out how far behind he is, so I don't have to wait so long. I told him that I had a 9AM appointment and he said "i should only be about 30 minutes behind by then". Anyways, he is worth it and so I will wait...what else do I have to do??
I got my stitches out and I'm crutch free for the most part. I've walked around my house without them and it feels pretty good, although I have quite the limp going on. I'm now using a cane, but for longer walks I think I will still have to use the crutch. I have no pain, but it feels like my leg is really heavy and asleep which I can deal with. He went over the pictures and that was my appointment. One of my scars opened up after the stitches were removed (which I guess is normal for the location of the incision) so now i'm on antibiotics 3x/day for 10 days to prevent any infection that may try and develop. Next time I meet with him will be end of July (6 week mark) and i'm sure he will do more to my hip to check out the effectiveness of the surgery. That will be the date that I will talk to him about my left side and hopefully schedule out surgery for it.
What else? I've gotten a new set of exercises to work on. They all have to do with core strength. I guess if your core is not strong and stable the pain can come right back-no thanks!! I do the exercises 2x/day and then ride my indoor bike. Turns out that Decoy (the dog) absolutely hates the bike and has actually jumped on me once while I was riding it. Eric and I thought maybe she thinks i'm going for a real bike ride and she wants to come with. So, what did we do? We put her leash on her and I held on to it while biking, but she didn't like that either, just thought she was going to get to go on a "real" walk/bikeride. Not yet!! I did get her to the park yesterday and she LOVED it!!!
Going to a twins game on Thursday which I'm very excited about. I've never been and I'm so excited to be going with my friend who is coming in from Denver!!! Let's go twins!!!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Warning...Graphic pictures below
Here are the pictures I received folloiwing my surgery. I've stared at them for about 1 week and still cannot figure all of them out. I will be bringing them to my dr. appointment and having him tell me about them. I've also included a picture of my incisions. It's amazing that someone can do what he does through two tiny incisions. Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Week 1 post-op
I have to say a thank you to April, Burt, Josie and Eric for taking care of me this past week! You have all done a wonderful job keeping me comfortable and getting me what I need. From getting me my pills, ice, food or helping me get my leg up on the bed, I thank you!
With that said, I am feeling great and am becoming more and more independent every day. I have very little pain, and hardly any bruising or swelling. I went off pain meds on Saturday and now am only taking Neproxin because I have to for the next two weeks. Maybe it's TMI, but I mastered showering by myself today (Eric was a bit mad at me because he didn't feel it was safe for me to shower by myself yet, but I think he had other reasons for me to not do it by myself). It only took me 1 hour from start to finish and I was ready to take another shower by the time I was done, BUT I did it by myself! I'm doing really well on my PT and even got her to cancel my next PT session this week because there really isn't much more she can do with me until I can weight-bear. My strength is coming back as well as my range of motion (up and down). Next week I can start using the crutches only for support and start putting weight on my right side. I go in to see the Physician's Assistant on Monday to get my stitches out and probably for an initial assessment. I don't go back and see the surgeon for 6 week so I have been thinking of some questions I want to ask him.
What else? Sleeping is hard, I can't get comfortable so I usually toss and turn until about 6:30AM and then move to the recliner. I'm still getting tired if I'm out for a couple of hours and still need to ice often. Again, maybe TMI but the raised toilet seat with handles on the side is an amazing thing! I'm going to keep it for when I get my left side done, but if anyone needs it from about 1 week from now until whenever it's yours (I'll even sanatize it). I'm still not driving yet, I don't trust myself. I'll have to have Eric take me to a vacant parking lot and do some driver's training before I get back out on the road (don't worry, I will let you know when this happens).
Anyways, tomorrow I will try and post the pictures I received from the good Dr. during my surgery. I can't really tell what they are of, other than the tear that he sewed up, but I'll let you see them.
That's about it from here!
With that said, I am feeling great and am becoming more and more independent every day. I have very little pain, and hardly any bruising or swelling. I went off pain meds on Saturday and now am only taking Neproxin because I have to for the next two weeks. Maybe it's TMI, but I mastered showering by myself today (Eric was a bit mad at me because he didn't feel it was safe for me to shower by myself yet, but I think he had other reasons for me to not do it by myself). It only took me 1 hour from start to finish and I was ready to take another shower by the time I was done, BUT I did it by myself! I'm doing really well on my PT and even got her to cancel my next PT session this week because there really isn't much more she can do with me until I can weight-bear. My strength is coming back as well as my range of motion (up and down). Next week I can start using the crutches only for support and start putting weight on my right side. I go in to see the Physician's Assistant on Monday to get my stitches out and probably for an initial assessment. I don't go back and see the surgeon for 6 week so I have been thinking of some questions I want to ask him.
What else? Sleeping is hard, I can't get comfortable so I usually toss and turn until about 6:30AM and then move to the recliner. I'm still getting tired if I'm out for a couple of hours and still need to ice often. Again, maybe TMI but the raised toilet seat with handles on the side is an amazing thing! I'm going to keep it for when I get my left side done, but if anyone needs it from about 1 week from now until whenever it's yours (I'll even sanatize it). I'm still not driving yet, I don't trust myself. I'll have to have Eric take me to a vacant parking lot and do some driver's training before I get back out on the road (don't worry, I will let you know when this happens).
Anyways, tomorrow I will try and post the pictures I received from the good Dr. during my surgery. I can't really tell what they are of, other than the tear that he sewed up, but I'll let you see them.
That's about it from here!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Post-Op day 2 & Surgery update
Hey, I made it! Today marks day 2 post-op and I'm feeling pretty good. Still on pain medication-perkiset, viserol and neproxin. April said that the perkiset and viserol combination is great and the one the drug addicts come to the hospital to get. She said that I got so many of them I could make a fortune. I think I'll keep them for myself!
Surgery went well. I was scheduled for 2:10 and went in about 2:40. I got my IV and woke up in the recovery room a couple hours later. I woke up just feeling a lot of pressure. The nurse was really great about pumping me full of pain meds to keep me comfortable. I remember waking up in post-op at 5:30PM and was in the car on my way home at 6:30. While I was getting wheeled out to the car, there was a guy getting arrested right by my car-Awesome! I guess he had a lot of warrents out for his arrest when they found him at the hospital. The Dr. said that my hip was in better shape than he expected it to be, so that's good news. He then said that my left one is in worse shape (by looking at the x-rays and CT) and he is surprised that my right one went before my left. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter, if they both are bad, they are bad!
Recovery has been a lot easier that I had thought. I take my pain meds every 6 hours on the nuts and I can tell when it is getting closer to the time. I'm icing and using compression on my hip which I think is keeping the swelling down. When I take the wrap off, my foot starts to swell a bit but not a big deal. I'm not using the really expensive "game ready" system anymore. i decided that was too much money and so I went with kind of an ace wrap with pockets for ice. It has worked out well and Eric and I are experimenting with how to get the ice on the right areas.
PT started on day 1 post-op. It was nice to get out of the house (once we figured out how) and to move around a bit. She took off my bandaids for me and revieled the 2 incision marks. Both are about 1 inch long if that and have 2 stitches. I'll get those out in 2 weeks. I was able to move my leg around during therapy and did the bike for 5 minutes. I have lots of exercises to keep me busy-tummy time, back time, bike time, stretching time, and sliding my foot up and down time. I have a protocoll to follow and specific degrees I have to get to by certain dates. right now on one of the exercises I have to get to 115 degrees by day 15 and i'm at 92 right now! I'll keep working towards the goals and total recovery.
Surgery went well. I was scheduled for 2:10 and went in about 2:40. I got my IV and woke up in the recovery room a couple hours later. I woke up just feeling a lot of pressure. The nurse was really great about pumping me full of pain meds to keep me comfortable. I remember waking up in post-op at 5:30PM and was in the car on my way home at 6:30. While I was getting wheeled out to the car, there was a guy getting arrested right by my car-Awesome! I guess he had a lot of warrents out for his arrest when they found him at the hospital. The Dr. said that my hip was in better shape than he expected it to be, so that's good news. He then said that my left one is in worse shape (by looking at the x-rays and CT) and he is surprised that my right one went before my left. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter, if they both are bad, they are bad!
Recovery has been a lot easier that I had thought. I take my pain meds every 6 hours on the nuts and I can tell when it is getting closer to the time. I'm icing and using compression on my hip which I think is keeping the swelling down. When I take the wrap off, my foot starts to swell a bit but not a big deal. I'm not using the really expensive "game ready" system anymore. i decided that was too much money and so I went with kind of an ace wrap with pockets for ice. It has worked out well and Eric and I are experimenting with how to get the ice on the right areas.
PT started on day 1 post-op. It was nice to get out of the house (once we figured out how) and to move around a bit. She took off my bandaids for me and revieled the 2 incision marks. Both are about 1 inch long if that and have 2 stitches. I'll get those out in 2 weeks. I was able to move my leg around during therapy and did the bike for 5 minutes. I have lots of exercises to keep me busy-tummy time, back time, bike time, stretching time, and sliding my foot up and down time. I have a protocoll to follow and specific degrees I have to get to by certain dates. right now on one of the exercises I have to get to 115 degrees by day 15 and i'm at 92 right now! I'll keep working towards the goals and total recovery.
This is a long one, i'll stop now!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Returning the favor
April here-Tiffany's twin sister-
I figured since Tiffany updated my blog when I had Josie I would return the favor and upade hers for her while she's having surgery.
So far so good by the sounds. I got a call from our Mom at 3:00 stating that Tiffany had been wheeled back into surgery at 2:40pm, only 30 minutes late, which in the medical field isn't too bad for a "late in the day" surgery. But other than that, I know nothing more...sorry!
We did drop off Tiff a balloon, and some dt. coke for when she arrives home. She had the family room all set up for recovery-recliner from my mom and dad, reacher in case she drops something and her stationary bike for rehab!
Well, I was granted the special opportunity to send out the "pre-drafted" post surgery upade as soon as I hear something-I think she's going to do great!
I figured since Tiffany updated my blog when I had Josie I would return the favor and upade hers for her while she's having surgery.
So far so good by the sounds. I got a call from our Mom at 3:00 stating that Tiffany had been wheeled back into surgery at 2:40pm, only 30 minutes late, which in the medical field isn't too bad for a "late in the day" surgery. But other than that, I know nothing more...sorry!
We did drop off Tiff a balloon, and some dt. coke for when she arrives home. She had the family room all set up for recovery-recliner from my mom and dad, reacher in case she drops something and her stationary bike for rehab!
Well, I was granted the special opportunity to send out the "pre-drafted" post surgery upade as soon as I hear something-I think she's going to do great!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Time Change
My surgery time has been changed from 7:30AM to 2:10PM for reasons I don't get to know I guess. Apparently the Dr. feels that the person scheduled for the PM time needs to go first. I don't think they should be able to do that seeing how I have had my surgery scheduled for 3 1/2 months! At least my surgery hasn't been cancelled!
When the woman called to let me know that the time has changed, she reminded me that I was not to have anything to eat after midnight tonight. She did say though that I can clear liquids (apple juice, water, cranberry juice AND black coffee) up to 4 hours prior to surgery. She made it seem like being able to have black coffee was an amazing treat. Are you kidding me lady??? I'm already going to be nervous enough and then have not eaten in 12 hours, do you think I need coffee in my system???
So with the time change, I'm not expecting to be home before 8PM now. I'll put someone in charge of sending out an email and/or posting on the blog to let you know how everything goes.
When the woman called to let me know that the time has changed, she reminded me that I was not to have anything to eat after midnight tonight. She did say though that I can clear liquids (apple juice, water, cranberry juice AND black coffee) up to 4 hours prior to surgery. She made it seem like being able to have black coffee was an amazing treat. Are you kidding me lady??? I'm already going to be nervous enough and then have not eaten in 12 hours, do you think I need coffee in my system???
So with the time change, I'm not expecting to be home before 8PM now. I'll put someone in charge of sending out an email and/or posting on the blog to let you know how everything goes.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
1 week to go
I can't believe there is only 1 week left until i'm turned into gumby on an operating table and my hip gets the payback it deserves! I have had this nausiating feeling in my stomach for the last two days now and i'm guessing it won't go away anytime soon. I pre-registered today and I think it makes it all the more real that the time has come. I'll be the first to admit I'm nervious and anxious and all the other words in between, but I know that I have the best surgeon and things will turn out just fine. I think once I'm there and have the IV (which I'm not looking forward too) I will settle down.
Things I've gotten at my house to help with the recovery: crutches, exercise bike, comfy pants, prepared meals and a raised toilet! That's right, I have a raised toilet and from what I've read it will be a life saver. I have also read that I should get underwear that are a couple sizes too big, so that they will fit over the swollen hip and not cut into me...I'll put that on my list of things to do. Eric has taken the week of my surgery off to take care of me and I believe April and Burt will be taking care of me over the weekend while Eric goes Salmon fishing. I am making Eric go salmon fishing, so don't think he is ditching me. He had it scheduled before my surgery and will have to pay either way, so April say's she "owes me" and I will just go hang out there for a few days.
As far as surgery goes, this is what they are going to do... I will be put in a tractcion table, kind of a torture device if you ask me and my hip/leg will be dislocated so that the good doctor can get his tools in there and move them around. I will have three incisions-one for the camera, one for irrigation and one for the kinfe/drill tools. He will sew up the labrum where it is torn and then shave down my hip socket and femur head so that they can't touch and rub together anymore. Depending on what he finds, he may have to drill holes in my femur head and add cartilage or do some other stuff. As long as I'm asleep and he can fix what's wrong, I'm kind of impartial as to what he does. From what I've been told, the surgery should take about 2 hours. I'm scheduled for 7:30AM and I'm hoping I will be home before dinner time.
As for me, I've been feeling pretty good the last week or so. Sometimes I try to tell myself that I don't need surgery and then I take a small step in the wrong direction and am reminded that surgery is the only way to go. I will have someone send an email out after my surgery to let you all know that I've made it! By the next post I will be on the road to recovery!!
Things I've gotten at my house to help with the recovery: crutches, exercise bike, comfy pants, prepared meals and a raised toilet! That's right, I have a raised toilet and from what I've read it will be a life saver. I have also read that I should get underwear that are a couple sizes too big, so that they will fit over the swollen hip and not cut into me...I'll put that on my list of things to do. Eric has taken the week of my surgery off to take care of me and I believe April and Burt will be taking care of me over the weekend while Eric goes Salmon fishing. I am making Eric go salmon fishing, so don't think he is ditching me. He had it scheduled before my surgery and will have to pay either way, so April say's she "owes me" and I will just go hang out there for a few days.
As far as surgery goes, this is what they are going to do... I will be put in a tractcion table, kind of a torture device if you ask me and my hip/leg will be dislocated so that the good doctor can get his tools in there and move them around. I will have three incisions-one for the camera, one for irrigation and one for the kinfe/drill tools. He will sew up the labrum where it is torn and then shave down my hip socket and femur head so that they can't touch and rub together anymore. Depending on what he finds, he may have to drill holes in my femur head and add cartilage or do some other stuff. As long as I'm asleep and he can fix what's wrong, I'm kind of impartial as to what he does. From what I've been told, the surgery should take about 2 hours. I'm scheduled for 7:30AM and I'm hoping I will be home before dinner time.
As for me, I've been feeling pretty good the last week or so. Sometimes I try to tell myself that I don't need surgery and then I take a small step in the wrong direction and am reminded that surgery is the only way to go. I will have someone send an email out after my surgery to let you all know that I've made it! By the next post I will be on the road to recovery!!
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