Five years ago as I prepared for surgery on my left hip, my excellent surgeon, Josh Hickman, almost waved off my question of how long before I worried about the right hip. "We won't talk about that yet," he laughed. "But probably good for 10 years." In fact, I would say I noticed my old right hip not being as good as my new hip the first year of skiing. By year three or so there were some sharp pains while skiing on the inside of my upper leg at the joint that were hard to want to experience very many times. By this last ski season I wasn't having much fun.
My wife urged me to go ahead and get the right hip done. The left hip had gone so well, why not? I was getting out less and less and, well, didn't have a leg to stand on to argue against her. We went in for an x-ray, they showed me all bone on bone, told us that my hip earned their most severe rating that way, and we signed up for another Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedure for June 17, 2014.
I am grateful for the Affordable Care Act. Without it I would not have been able to buy individual insurance and group insurance rates for our little company only served to make self insuring make sense. Go Obamacare!
I am at the end of three weeks today and have experienced a "J-curve" recovery. The day of the surgery, at the fabulous LDS Hospital in Salt Lake again, I was able to walk easily with a walker, even going without it for a dozen steps. One night stay in the hospital and I was home, walking with one cane to the upper end of the block and back. On day 3 after surgery my leg became very sore, I wasn't able to tolerate much weight on it, my whole upper leg turned black and blue and the docs advised I spend the next several days in bed and off the leg. I would say that at about the 3 week mark I am about back to where I felt on day two. It is not tempting to walk without a crutch, but possible. Apparently my experience not that unusual.
Other notes: On June 29 we drove to Torrey. Docs wanted me to get out of the car every hour or so. Planning on wearing the TED hose until our follow up doc visit on July 11. Still using a little Lortab at night, Tylenol in the day. Used Tramadol for awhile to try to get away from nauseating hangover and itching. That helped and also used Benedryl at night. Prostate seems a bit put out. Need to pee about every 2 or 3 hours, incuding at night. Flow is down, but getting slowly better. Constipated for first 4 days, no problem since then. Most of pain is outside in "bursa" area of hip. Dull ache without pain meds plenty enough to keep me awake at night. Bruise now fast receding. K says incision about 9 inches. It had a little weeping for about a week and then able to get it wet in shower after that. No infection. Blood pressure was low again at hospital with nausea and near fainting again first night when sat down to pee. I little light headed that way even now. Blood pressure this morning was 102/76 so going back off the half lisinopril been taking. Had a PT come to the house three times the first week home. Exercises are small leg movements that do seem to help, but hard to say. Around house still on one crutch, two for form purposes when I go out for a walk. New blood thinner called Xarelto. No diet restrictions and didn't need to check blood. Took last Xarelto today then go to moderate dose of aspirin. Still no ibuprofen or other anti-inflamatories allowed for concern of interfering with blood thinning. Too bad, but getting there all the same.
