Bilateral AVN age 49

[Bondmgr]

I got ahold of my OS and scheduled surgery for August 22. I am starting with my right hip. I am scared and still flip flopping. I still have days when I think I can live with the pain. I am also ready to move on. I am looking to get as strong as I can to help me heal more quickly. I was asked today when I wanted to schedule the left hip. I honestly did not have an answer for that. I am just trying to accept the right one first. I am going to breathe through this.

I want to thank all who have posted here. The love, support and understanding have really helped me to reach this decision.

I swallow hard and begin the next phase.....

 

[Elle11]

Dear Bondmgr,

Oh, congrats big time for makign your decision for THR!! That is a huge step and believe me, so many of us went through this whole crazy mental torture of "trying to fix it". Although I have OA not AVN, I, too, would grab on to the good days and say "maybe I will get through this and my cartiledge will re-generate". I think same with your bone, it needs to be replaced and then indeed, you can step forward.

Everyone here will support you for this, as we all know how difficult it is. It is a life-changing procedure: for the better.

That is FANTASTIC you have a date! Maybe Jo or others could suggest a good interval for #2. Yes you have more than a month to prepare and get strong! Do the pre-operation exercises (same as post-op), eat well, take vitamins and read as much as you can about this. You mentioned earlier about yoga. Breathing exercises very helpful to keep centered.

Good for you for doing this!!!

Warmest regards,
Elle

 

[alissarenae]

Hi,
Just wanted to say, with AVN don't wait! I did wait, at the urging of my PREVIOUS surgeon. Well, needless to say, my femoral head collapsed, and it has not been fun! I have been on crutches for 7 weeks, endured excruciating pain, and had to depend on my kids and husband to do everything around the house and for me! AVN will not get better, and it can progress very quickly. If your surgeon has you scheduled for surgery, get it done. Stay in front of the problem. Don't wait for collapse and then be at the mercy of your surgeons schedule.
I am still 2 weeks away from my THR, but on my surgeons cancellation list hoping for an earlier date.
Just wanted to give you my point of view, a fellow AVN who waited too long!
Good Luck!

 

[Bondmgr]

Allisarenae,

Thanks very much for the reply and the encouragement. I was at pt today and was pain free. Well after I got home I felt completely exhausted and now my right leg feels like I ran a marathon. So far I am on track for August 22. I am ready to read about your successful surgery. You have really helped me to decide to go ahead and schedule the second soon after the first.

 

[sharonslp]

Hi Bondmgr. I am just catching up with your thread. I have to wonder why you are not considering a bilateral replacement. If you are in good health overall other than the hip issues; if you can take a bit of extra time at one time to recover instead of spreading it out over two surgeries, and if you have a good support system at home, it would seem like you are a prime candidate for getting this all over at one time. There are pros and cons no matter what configuration you use. But I have just had my second hip done a bit over a year after the first. I would have loved getting them both out of the way at the same time.

It takes enormous energy for the body to cope with pain in the first place. Then it take even more drain to go to PT and make yourself as strong as you can. Surgery itself is yet another assault, and recovery takes plenty of time....one or two at time.

Whatever you decide, feel free to turn your family loose on this forum also....we are a very persuasive force.

Sharon

 

[Bondmgr]

I have asked about doing both hips at once and the hospital scheduler said that they don't do that. She wanted to schedule me for a 4 week interval. I hope to meet with the OS this week or next and have a more in depth discussion. The pain is greater now, actually more of an ache that keeps me up at night. I am ready to get this done.

 

[Dobeck]

Hi Bondmgr,

I'm a 48 year old male with bilateral AVN, with only symptoms in the rt hip. I had a CD back in December 2011 and now need a THR. I finally got my OS to say it's about time to start preparing for it. My xrays look worse everytime I get them done about once every other month. My last MRI in early June showed deterioration and flattening of the femoral head. I wish I had not done the CD as I did it thinking it was my only option. I go for a second opinion on Wednesday with a doctor who does Anterior THR procedure. I will likely set up the surgery for November as my end of year is not so busy at work and it will be easier for me to be off the month of December to heal and get back to my normal self.

I think you're doing the right thing by staying away from the CD unless you were in the very early stages of AVN and I'm not sure the doctors know for sure when that is. I was told I had about a 50% shot. I guess I got the bad end of the 50%. Looking forward to getting life back to normal. The folks on this site are awesome and have made me feel great. Keep updating us on your condition.

 

[Bondmgr]

I met with the OS today and discussed the surgery. He plans to use a ceramic head with a minimally invasive procedure. He said I should plan on spending 2 nights in the hospital, but he would be surprised if he did not discharge me after 1 night. He also told me that he had no restrictions on my activities. I am relieved to hear that and afraid of the whole thing. The anesthesia will be an epidural and a sedative. I am hopeful that I can recover more easily from that rather than from general. Surgery is still set for Aug 22.

 

[Dobeck]

Sounds good. I have never had an epidural before for surgery. Curious about it. I've only had twilight sleep and full anesthesia. The shorter the better for the stay in the hospital as long as you are truly ready to go home. I don't think they would send you home before they thought it was safe anyway. Good luck and keep us up to date on the surgery. I will likely have mine in November or December.

 

[Jamie]

Bondmgr....you have made the right choice. While you are waiting for surgery, be kind to yourself and don't push to do activities if it causes you pain. You won't gain anything by doing that and it's possible to make things worse by keeping your hip irritated and flared up. It's time to start practicing the BoneSmart mantra as much as you can....rest, ice, elevation and taking pain meds on a schedule (even over the counter pain meds will help).

 

[Bondmgr]

I spent the last 7 days at the beach working out in the water and relaxing with my family. I am noticing that my OTC pain meds are not helping much now and it is harder to get a good nights sleep. I don't want to go to narcotics, and am looking for some alternatives to sleep better. My pattern has been that about every third day I just pass out from exhaustion. Then I sleep.

I am continuing to work on stretching and physical therapy until my surgery. I am hopeful that the work done now will help with recovery.

 

[Bondmgr]

Well wouldn't you know it, I got jury duty. I decided to get it over with tomorrow. I go in at 11 am. I will be done and on with surgery after tomorrow. I decided this was a better idea than doing it after surgery. I am praying for a one day event for jury duty and then I can resume my march to 8/22 and my RTHR.

 

[Jaycey]

Be sure and tell them you scheduled for major surgery Bondmgr! You don't want to miss your date. So glad you are moving ahead with all this. I know it's a nervous time. But just keep busy. You won't regret having this op!

 

[Bondmgr]

I got in and out of jury duty in a quick 4 hours. I am very thankful for that. I don't have to worry about that for a while. I am two weeks out now. The pain seems ever present especially at night. It is a general ache, almost like a burn. I have been working on hamstring stretches lately. My right leg seems very tight. I am working on positive thoughts to go into this. I have read some of the miracle recovery posts to boost my perceptions. Thanks for all who post here.

 

[Jaycey]

Well done Bondmgr! Now you can focus on moving ahead with your THR. Great you are doing the hamstring stretches. I experienced the same tightness and had to play catchup post op. I am sure getting this stretched pre op will really help in your recovery. Not long now!

 

[Bondmgr]

I am off my NSAIDs now in preparation for surgery. Sleeping is coming in short periods during the night. Tomorrow I have my pre op testing along with a class on the surgery. We get to ask questions and learn, I am guessing. I will update more after the class. I am checking in with some low level fear and anticipation. I am looking forward to moving well again. I am putting positive thoughts in about the whole process as I try to sleep tonight.

 

[Jaycey]

This is actually the hardest part of the process. The waiting and more importantly waiting in pain. Hope it goes quickly for you! Please do update on your class. Not everyone has this option but it becoming more and more available.

 

[sharonslp]

Creston, you're getting so close! It's both a good and bad feeling, I know.

I was allowed to continue tylenol and my celebrex right up till surgery. However, I didn't. My pain meds kept me fairly comfortable, enough so that I would sometimes question why I was having surgery. I wanted to be clear in my mind that there was a very good reason to go through with it....and I wanted to fully appreciate the absence of that pain after surgery.

While there is certainly pain associated with surgery, there is an amazing feeling when the block of cement feeling wears off, and you walk a distance, and you realize that the grinding and stabbing pains are no longer present. You'll get that relief soon.

Sharon

 

[Bondmgr]

I just got finished with my class. I did pre op blood draws, urinalysis, chest X-ray, and EKG. I met with a nurse who measured me for TED hose and walked through my medications and history.

The class started with a PT talking about what to expect in the hospital. She covered using a walker, getting into and out of a chair, bed and car. She spent some time showing us how to walk with a walker. Then, most exciting for me, she said most patients move off the walker quickly. She also said to take it easy, and to stop if it hurts. In our book that the doctor sent, there is a nice picture description of using ice and walking around on a regular basis.

Next an RN came in to describe the hospital stay and what to expect when we signed in all the way to discharge. She was very clear to state that she was available to answer questions both in the hospital and after we got home. We discussed the possible emergent problems that can arise and how they felt. Their average hospital stay for this surgery is 1.8 days. I thought that was pretty good. To finish I was given a bottle of antibacterial wash to use the night before and the morning of surgery.

I am feeling better about my decision. I agree with you Sharon about the pain meds. I want to feel the pain and feel it go away.