Another Sucess story from the other side

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TBONE

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Feb 5, 2009
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United States--Washington D. C. area
Well I made it. BTHR on Wednesday, April 1, discharged Friday, April 3. I am home, negotiating stairs and I even walked around my cul de sac this morning. For me, the hardest part was the anxiety before the operation. I slept very little during the 3-4 nights before the surgery. I was going to post, but decided I wouldn't be very good company then. Hop sent me a very sweet private message the night before and I responded privately at 2:00 a.m. That and my Bible helped relax me, but I did not get any sleep. Thank you Hop and all on these threads for educating me and for helping me through this process.
The morning of surgery we decided to go with just a spinal and sedative. However, the spinal didn't really take so they had to give me a general. That meant that I was in post-op recovery for about 2-1/2 hours, and also I had some nausea.
Other than that, the surgery went very well. During the hospital stay, my highest pain level was about a 2. Frankly, the worst part, as anticipated, was the Foley catheter, and even that was minor. Since I have been home, and off Lyrica and Celebrex, the pain was slightly higher, but nothing much. I am taking Tylenol every 6 hours, Ultram/Tramadol ( I think) every 6 hours as needed, Aspirin for blood thinning in lieu of Coumadin, and I have a scrip for Lortab, which I have not used.
I did take OXY IR for the 150 mile drive home, and that helped, but the trip was a breeze, even pleasurable. We even stopped for dinner.
I also have a BIG thank you for BigDogMom. Through a series of circumstances, I emailed BigDogMom privately to ask who her surgeon was and she told me it was Dr. Hozack in Philadelphia. He had been recommended to me elsewhere so I went to see him and ultimately chose him. He was terrific and I am so happy to have done both hips at the same time. I probably would have sought him out anyway, but thank you BigDogMom for the advice and thank you all on this forum for you help in this process.
I am now well on my way to recovery and thrilled to have gone through it. I now need only continue my recovery carefully and hope no complications crop up.
Tom
 
Woooohooo!
Good for you Tom! Welcome to the "thank you Lord for such an easy fix" side of the op.
With some work on your part, very quickly you will find a silly grin on your face all the time - just because you feel like YOU again.
My husband still tells people the difference in me is miraculous. Not a word he uses a lot.;)

Best wishes!!
Donna
 
WOW!!!! Great going!!! Its so much better on THIS side!!! Every day gets better & better! :)
 
Hurting--yes anterior approach at doctors suggestion, MOM at my request. The anterior approach appears to account, in part, for the fast recovery. I was able to walk a flight of stairs the on day 2 post-op. I am already substantially more flexible than before the surgery and I can already stand for longer periods than before surgery. On the way home we stopped for dinner and I stood in line to order simply because I was in no pain. Before surgery, I would have had my wife order, and I would have sought out a seat pronto. Don't get me wrong, I'm still using a walker, but I am simply astonished how doctors can do this.
Tom
 
Congratulation, TBone!!! So happy to hear how well you are doing. See......all that pre-surgery worrying for nothing! I'm thrilled you are recovering so quickly.
 
Congrats Tbone, You sound great--esp with the two done at once. Still am amazed about that as someone who just had one done. Anyway, I am still surprised at the sprint in my step at 7 months. Interesting that I was looking at some pictures of hubby and me taken a couple years ago on vacation. My daughter was saying what great pics they were of us on the beach in Santa Barbara. My smile was covering the pain I was in from walking along the boardwalk -- that is what I remember. Now fortunately can look forward to many summer walks w/o that awful pain.

Here is to you and all of us "on the other side"!
Laurie
 
Laurie! Now you have to go on the boardwalk
in Atlantic City; smile, and post some pictures!!!!
:)
 
Great idea Judles. Will at least get down to one of the shore boardwalks this summer. And still have to get help to do some posting of pictures on this site!

Laurie
 
TBONE!!!!
I have been checking posts every day to see when you would be back! YAY!!!!
I am so happy everything went well!
You have been through what we have been through, only DOUBLE! So you DA MAN! I bet you are thrilled it's over!
I'm glad the Bible helped get you through the worst part. With the good book, and your wonderful wife, I am sure you are in good hands, and recovery will go smoothly! Did your wife take my advice and try to make you laugh before surgery to take the edge off?

Just curious......with a double anterior approach, did they say how long you have to lay on your back only?

Hop
 
Oh my goodness! You are our superhero for sure!
[Bonesmart.org] Another Sucess story from the other side
I cannot believe how well you are doing. Praise the Lord and pass out the champagne!
 
Tom
I am so very happy for you. It still amazes me as to how great this surgery is. I am imagining yuo with 2 brand new hips standing in line ordering dinner!!! simply amazing.
Do remember it is major surgery and please rest a lot!!!!
judy
 
Thank you all. Hop, my wife, who was with me the entire time, certainly made me laugh as did my friends. Did you get my email to you? My surgeon has almost no sleep restrictions. I am only limited by my own pain and I can sleep on my side anytime. However, as much as I would like to now, the staples are a bit too tender. But I am tempted. My only restriction is to not put a lift or pillow under my knees (something I would like to do) because of fear of blood clotting. Sleeping on my back is not my favorite position, but now I can actually sleep on my back with my legs flat on the bed. Before surgery, I had to place two pillows under my knees to prevent back pain.
Today, I have been to my wife's work and up an down our stairs several times. My wife thinks I am overdoing it, but I am not in pain, though my legs are a bit swollen.
Honestly, at this rate, I'm planning to back into the office for a few hours next Tuesday, less than one week from my surgery date. But Sewell, I will remember that it is major surgery. And there is a fine line between overdoing it and pushing yourself just right, with appropriate meds.
Tom
 
T Bone!!! You are doing great! Just remember you are so very early out! Swelling usually equates with overdoing it! Keep up the great recup! :)
 
Tom,

I sent you a private message the night before your surgery, and it disappeared from my sent messages, so I thought it never got to you, and I never got your reply message. That was really strange. I was going to re-write it but then figured it was too late that night. There are old messages in my private messages, but that one just vanished.

What was your favorite passage in the Bible that got you through the pre-op stress?
Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful Spring day, so try to get some fresh air while you celebrate your new pain free life!

Hop
 
Congratulations, Tom! So happy things went really well for you! And also glad to have some company in the "anterior" sub-club--there aren't too many of us on this forum. I can't imagine having a THR done any other way!!
 
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