I can't believe it has been 9 weeks since my surgery. Some days I am shocked at the lack of progress, others I can't believe how far I have come. At 9 weeks I occasionally go a day or 2 without narcotics, other days I need 1 or 2 Dilaudids to get me through the day. I am still in 2 crutches 95% of the time. Occasionally I can walk to the bathroom from my bed with one crutch. Some days even to and from the kitchen. Unfortunately I end up with a lot of groin pain when I do too much single crutch walking.
My pain these days is mostly groin. Or at least it starts there. If it progresses the greater trochanter starts to hurt, then the entire incision, I have a "hole" from my last surgery at a scope site- that starts to get tender followed by all the muscles surrounding it. If things get really bad the nerve pain comes back.
I play games and end up losing to pain- I wait and see if I "really" need narcotics and usually I do, and it gets to be too late to actually effectively control it with meds so I end up nauseous and in tears. There is no way a scope was anywhere near this tough bc there is no way I would have agreed to a second....or fourth.
As far as functioning- I am still mostly home. I drive only if I absolutely have to, and only very, very short distances I have driven a total of 4 times since my surgery. Ice is my best friend, still.
So, in summary, at 9 weeks post op, life is pretty crappy. I am going away this week to part of out trip will be Disney. Should be interesting. My kids and husband think it will be so fabulous since I will need a wheelchair so they will be able to skip lines. I'd rather stay home!
6 comments:
I'm so sorry to hear the recovery is slower than you'd anticipated. Understand why you'd rather stay home than go on a trip but it will probably be good for you to get a change of scenery. Go with the attitude that you won't do more than you feel like doing and the stress of worrying about pain won't be so much. I wish you more pain-free days.
I was reading through your blog. I've had three surgeries on my hip. All three were within a 6 month period in 2009. Now in 2013, I still feel like I did before my first surgery (when I was in excruciating pain and getting ready to have surgery). I saw Dr. Kelly and Dr. Phillippon for consults. Dr. P recommended an experimental femoral nerve surgery that I would have been the guinea pig on. I consulted with a neurosurgeon who confirmed my suspicions - I had a hip problem not a nerve problem. So I went to see Dr. K. He saw me and decided that his partner Dr. Sink was a better bet for me after they did an MRI and CT. Well the tests showed that I still had an FAI and a torn labrum three years post-op, and that another impingement on the outer hip had been totally missed. They at first recommended an open surgery to fix the leg, but when I got home, Dr. Sink called and told me that after further review, they thought that they would "fix some things and make other things worse". So surgery #4 was a no go. I think that the rectus femoris and iliopsoas tendon releases that were done during my last surgery scared them off. But as I've read through your experience, I'm thinking that I should just continue to live with the pain. Did Dr. K do this last surgery on you was well? I hope this last surgery worked for you and that you have a very good outcome!
Leslie
jtmyob21@gmail.com (if you are willing to share the name of the surgeon who did this last one or if you know of another decent OS who might work out, I would appreciate the info)
I'm sorry also that you are struggling but I am struggling also at 6 weeks post op labral tear with the shaving of the head of the femur. I think I made a mistake because of the butt and groin pain. Worse now then before. At least 6 weeks ago I could walk and bend down to hug my kids and kiss my wife. I pray we both get better. This is hard for a football coach from Mississippi to deal with.
I wasn't finished commenting I hit the wrong button. I am very tired both physically and mentally. I never knew this surgery with the extent that mine was( 3 tears in cartilage plus the microfracture process or shaving of the femur) was so debilitating. I guess being a football coach with a very athletic background I thought I would be walking in 6. But no way no how am I even close. The pain is what gets me worse now than before.. I've had my meniscus on left knee cut out and a l4 l5 disc surgery , but this is bigger monster. I Will pray for all of you
It's a tough surgery and micro fracture makes it harder. A lot of times patients are led to believe it will be simple and fast bc it's arthroscopic and that is not the case. The hip is so difficult. Hang in there!
Thank you. You can imagine living in rural Mississippi I am having to drive 2 hours to get pt for this type of surgery. It has been a long 6 weeks. Thank you for your post it has been a reviving post to read and know others who are going thru this
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