Good morning, it is 2:40 AM and once again I am awake and in pain...luckily it is localized to only one joint today. My hip which was in severe pain has reduced to a dull ache since I had surgery on 1/24/12 and I am now only being awakened by the pain in my right shoulder.
I have to say my Hip Arthroscopy at Ohio State University East was a great experience! I had the BEST Anesthesia Team EVER. . . And since I have had several surgeries in the last 10 years I have a lot to compare to ... this group of doctors was the first to listen to me when I said that I CANNOT take Vicodin, Percoset or Tramadol for pain control. All three make me violently ill so I am left with Tylenol 3 and Dilulad both of which I can take and have few problems. I was greatly impressed that they also listened to me when I expressed concerns that the last 2 surgeries I ended up in the ED the next day with Atelectasis which by the time I made it to the ED sounded just like Bronchitis. Any way this is the first time that I had NO breathing issues following Anesthesia. Interestingly enough I not only had general anesthesia this time but also a spinal because of the hip procedure.
My surgeon Dr. Ellis was wonderful, surgery did not begin on time but that was due to his prior cases running late. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I came out with only 3 small punctures from the trochar's and that is it. I also was given a pain ball (which was a large ball with two small tubes inserted into the surgical site...the ball was filled with saline and a pain med). This ball created the only complication I had while at OSU East. . . namely my leg was so incredibly numb that when I got up to pee I immediately fell on the floor. Note this was after I had already been up 20 minutes earlier with the Physical Therapy staff who were making sure I could navigate on the crutches. After practicing with them I had no concerns about using the crutches but when I stood up my leg just gave out and I went down on to my knees. The poor pregnant nurse who was in the room was going attempt to lift me but I insisted she get someone else to help and I stayed where I was for about 3 minutes until help arrived. No lasting problems happened to me as a result of the fall.
I was discharged the day after surgery. . . I don't know how anyone can go home the same day after this procedure but apparently there are some that do! Staying over night was a no-brainer in my mind. The journey from Columbus to Dayton was not super comfortable but I made it ... and I was very happy to get into my bed with my CPM machine running again. I was told that I only needed it for 4-6 hours a day, but I have been using it all night and for many hours of the day. The CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machine is generally used for knee surgeries but I do believe that it has done wonders for my hip. I am now 11 days out from surgery and I am already down to one crutch and am barely using it for support.
I started PT on Monday last week and boy was that a rough time. . . my PT is a friend who spent the entire time stretching me out. Who knew that the Iliopsoas muscle group were even there...Not me but boy do they hurt when not stretched out enough. The Iliopsoas are the hip flexor muscles that we use when bending our legs, walking, standing etc. Lots of time is needed to stretch this group of muscles so part of my exercise regime is laying on my stomach and doing things that will stretch that specifically. It is apparently working because I can stand much straighter and my ability to walk on both legs has gotten much better.
All in All I am very pleased with the progress I am making on my hip repair... now to get my damn shoulder fixed. Oh yeah I remember the problem with that...they want me to be off work for 6 months. Who can afford to take off work for 6 months? Wow I need to do something but I am not sure how soon I can get it done.
I have to say my Hip Arthroscopy at Ohio State University East was a great experience! I had the BEST Anesthesia Team EVER. . . And since I have had several surgeries in the last 10 years I have a lot to compare to ... this group of doctors was the first to listen to me when I said that I CANNOT take Vicodin, Percoset or Tramadol for pain control. All three make me violently ill so I am left with Tylenol 3 and Dilulad both of which I can take and have few problems. I was greatly impressed that they also listened to me when I expressed concerns that the last 2 surgeries I ended up in the ED the next day with Atelectasis which by the time I made it to the ED sounded just like Bronchitis. Any way this is the first time that I had NO breathing issues following Anesthesia. Interestingly enough I not only had general anesthesia this time but also a spinal because of the hip procedure.
My surgeon Dr. Ellis was wonderful, surgery did not begin on time but that was due to his prior cases running late. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I came out with only 3 small punctures from the trochar's and that is it. I also was given a pain ball (which was a large ball with two small tubes inserted into the surgical site...the ball was filled with saline and a pain med). This ball created the only complication I had while at OSU East. . . namely my leg was so incredibly numb that when I got up to pee I immediately fell on the floor. Note this was after I had already been up 20 minutes earlier with the Physical Therapy staff who were making sure I could navigate on the crutches. After practicing with them I had no concerns about using the crutches but when I stood up my leg just gave out and I went down on to my knees. The poor pregnant nurse who was in the room was going attempt to lift me but I insisted she get someone else to help and I stayed where I was for about 3 minutes until help arrived. No lasting problems happened to me as a result of the fall.
I was discharged the day after surgery. . . I don't know how anyone can go home the same day after this procedure but apparently there are some that do! Staying over night was a no-brainer in my mind. The journey from Columbus to Dayton was not super comfortable but I made it ... and I was very happy to get into my bed with my CPM machine running again. I was told that I only needed it for 4-6 hours a day, but I have been using it all night and for many hours of the day. The CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machine is generally used for knee surgeries but I do believe that it has done wonders for my hip. I am now 11 days out from surgery and I am already down to one crutch and am barely using it for support.
I started PT on Monday last week and boy was that a rough time. . . my PT is a friend who spent the entire time stretching me out. Who knew that the Iliopsoas muscle group were even there...Not me but boy do they hurt when not stretched out enough. The Iliopsoas are the hip flexor muscles that we use when bending our legs, walking, standing etc. Lots of time is needed to stretch this group of muscles so part of my exercise regime is laying on my stomach and doing things that will stretch that specifically. It is apparently working because I can stand much straighter and my ability to walk on both legs has gotten much better.
All in All I am very pleased with the progress I am making on my hip repair... now to get my damn shoulder fixed. Oh yeah I remember the problem with that...they want me to be off work for 6 months. Who can afford to take off work for 6 months? Wow I need to do something but I am not sure how soon I can get it done.
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