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Hip Arthroscopy FAI Surgery Round Two—All Done!

Hi All,

Phew! What a LONG day! Luckily, work flew by, but I’m exhausted.

I had my MRI at 8:30 this morning and went in to work from 10-4. I’m happy to say that on my lunch break I checked online and my results were posted on the patient portal.

So, no evidence of a sports hernia was seen and there was no inguinal hernia or anything indicative of a strain. I have another recurrence of an ovarian cyst, but that could just be do to my cycle coming in a few days. I made an appointment for 6/10 to follow up on that. Overall though, the MRI mostly listed what wasn’t seen and didn’t really give too many answers as to what might be going on. Now I’m just waiting for my hip doctor to call and follow up, but I’m seeing him on the 30th regardless.

Even though the MRI was on 30 minutes, I was surprised with how uncomfortable it was to not move my hip. I tried to be a trooper, but the pain was a witch! I held out and squeezed the panic ball just as the MRI tech was coming to let me out :rotfl:.

I’m so beyond relieved that everything went well today. Of course I’m eager to find out “what’s next,” but I’m just trying to relax this evening. I’m taking a night off from PT exercises and am spoiling myself with a Frappuccino, Chipotle, and Netflix. I’ll post again as soon as I have another update.

Thanks again for all of the kind words :).
 
I'm glad the MRI didn't find anything serious, @Sammy-Am, but sorry that it didn't give you any answers. Please do keep us posted.

Enjoy your Netflix binging!
 
Hi All,

Posting with another quick update.

As I mentioned above, I read my MRI report on Monday and gathered some information myself. When I went to the sports chiropractor on Wednesday, he was able to view the images with me and give me a clearer picture of what the MRI shows.

Basically, I have swelling and a bruise on the right side of my pubic bone, which is looking like osteitis pubis. I’m wondering if anyone here has any experience with that? Also, the 5cm cyst is hemorrhagic (blood filled) and could be related to me ovaluating, but is conveniently right next to the hip flexor. The chiropractor is of the mind that the cyst can be pressing on the hip flexor causing the burning, snapping, and overall dysfunction.

I was able to speak with my hip surgeon last night. He’s not too sure about the cyst causing hip dysfunction, but isn’t ruling it out. We talked about what could have caused the osteitis pubis and are proceeding with seeing the gynecologist to see how that pans out. I see him on Friday to discuss more in depth.

I’m not experiencing anything crazy in terms of gyn symptoms. No cramping, no heavy bleeding, or spotting—just “pressure” in the abdomen and pain going up the psoas. I’m really hoping a cortisone shot is a possibility for the adductor pain, but we’ll see how things go. Hopefully diet changes and/or a more regular birth control will help regulate the cyst.

Anyhow, I’ll pop on after I see the hip doctor next week. Wishing everyone a wonderful long weekend. :roseshwr:
 
Thanks for stopping by, Sammy. I hope you gain some clarity at your appointment and a plan that leads to the resolution of your symptoms. Best of luck to you!
@Sammy-Am
 
Hi All,

Just continuing on my post from last week. Unfortunately, I’m quite uncomfortable this morning and needing to make a trip to the bank. It’s a beautiful almost summer day and I’m debating resting at home or running small, relaxing errands.

Anyhow, I saw my favorite doctor yesterday and had the follow up for my hip. Much of our conversation was a continuation of our phone call from last week. Viewing the notes from the chiropractor and reviewing my MRI images, hip flexor dysfunction and a tiny case of osteitis pubis are the biggest things on our radar. The ovarian cyst causing any sort of pain in inconclusive, but I see the gynecologist a week from Monday.

For now, I’ll follow up with the hip doctor in 2 months, on July 25th. He wants me to get everything sorted with the gynecologist, continue to see the chiropractor, and forego any PT. I’m being put on the simple rest and stretch regime, nothing “crazy” for the time being.

We talked about next steps after seeing the gynecologist as well. If I’m still in pain when I see the doc again, he wants me to see an interventional radiologist for an injection into the iliopsoas. We touched on doing the tendon release again (which truthfully seems like the best bet), but didn’t want to get too far ahead. We’re trying to avoid a second surgery, but at this point, I’m ready for my pain journey to be over.

I’m incredibly happy, albeit still processing. This Thursday will be my one year anniversary for this surgery and quite frankly, I want to be done with anything hip related LOL. I’m feeling optimistic and am truthfully hoping to just get the tendon release done and over with. This time next summer, I’m sure I’ll really be unstoppable!

Anyhow, I’m off to blow dry my hair and attempt to start my day. I’ll pop on again possibly after seeing the gynecologist.

Take care of yourselves :)
 
Hi All,

Time is flying this year—I can’t believe it’s August!

This past week was quite eventful for me. I started working with a new gynecologist on Monday. She was very thorough in reviewing all of my previous MRI and ultrasound reports and we had a long discussion about fibroids, ovarian cysts, and hormonal management.

My most recent ultrasound from late July shows that the ovarian cyst on my right ovary has disappeared. I still have a large fibroid in the front of my uterus (right around the belly button) that has stayed consistent in size (5cm), but my gynecologist doesn’t feel is related to my hip pain. We discussed possible treatment options like a removal or a intrauterine embolization to shrink the fibroid. For now though, I think I’m just going to keep my little “friend” around. According to the gyn, treatment is really at my discretion, so we’ll monitor and see.

Thursday I was supposed to have quite the morning! I was scheduled for my psoas injection in the morning and my follow up with the ortho immediately after. Note the “supposed to” LOL.

About 10 minutes before my procedure, the radiological facility called and told me they had made a huge error on their end. They had switched the radiologists’ schedules and whoever made the change forgot to check to make sure no one was on his calendar. Luckily after making several phone calls and pulling a lot of strings, one of the techs was able to squeeze me in for my short Friday morning. I’m still dealing with a tad bit of the flare and my joint still feels “squeezed,” but the pain doesn’t feel as intense. Just a lot of burning and this nasty pain along my right ribs that I can’t shake. I’m hoping in general this is a sign that the right spot was hit and better things will come.

I follow up with the ortho again in 6 weeks. He gave me the Tramadol again to take as needed and from my understanding, we’ll talk about the psoas release more at my next visit. While I don’t necessarily want another surgery, as I told the doc on Thursday, I just want to be DONE. If the psoas release allows me to be “done”, I’ll gladly go for it.

In the meantime, I’ll continue on with my rather boring summer. I’m thinking about seeing a gastro and a rheumatologist and perhaps even a naturopath to take an all-inclusive approach. I’m learning how to cook and how to heal body outside to in. Things don’t feel promising yet, but hopefully they will again soon.

I’m off for yet another lazy Sunday. Back to work tomorrow. Heal and be well .
 
@Sammy-Am It takes a couple-three days for the injection to start to work. Hopefully, in another day you'll be feeling much better. It's a good sign that you've had some relief already. Now, the kicker: to see how long the relief lasts. As far as the tendon release goes, I jumped at the chance because of the same reason; I just wanted to be done. After a few weeks recovering, I was! So, here's keeping some fingers crossed that this does the trick for you. If not, you still know you have an option. Healing blessings.
 
Hip4life said:
@Sammy-Am It takes a couple-three days for the injection to start to work. Hopefully, in another day you'll be feeling much better. It's a good sign that you've had some relief already. Now, the kicker: to see how long the relief lasts. As far as the tendon release goes, I jumped at the chance because of the same reason; I just wanted to be done. After a few weeks recovering, I was! So, here's keeping some fingers crossed that this does the trick for you. If not, you still know you have an option. Healing blessings.
Click to expand...

Hi @Hip4life,

Nice to hear from you!

It’s funny how the pain progresses with the cortisone. On Friday (injection day), I was very stiff but felt almost immediately relief. Today I’m having an easier time walking but am noticing a lot of burning around the hip. Resting and ice have been quite helpful, so I’m curious how tomorrow will be back at work. I haven’t attempted any stretching or anything yet.

Can I ask how your experience with the psoas release was? My doc hasn’t given me too many details yet, but claims it’s super easy and only 15 minutes of true surgery time. He also mentioned possibly needing to clean up the labrum. I’m hoping for a less complicated recovery if we decide to go this route.

I’m hoping to milk the cortisone for the time being, but I’m tired of the havoc my psoas has wreaked. Digestive issues, radiating pain, and even stressing my opposite hip. Hopefully in the next year or so, I can finally take a break from being a hippie. Better days are definitely ahead!
 
@Sammy-Am Cortisone injections can be so varied in their success, short and long term. That has always fascinated me. My tendon injection lasted exactly 2 weeks. I got complete relief. I was getting so hopeful and then the pain came roaring back. I was referred to another OS as mine did not do arthroscopic procedures. As I have found out in the years since my release, there are a few terms that are used but they can be used differently by different doctors, so make sure you understand exactly what your doc is referring to. I'll try to explain as best as I can with what I understand.

Two basic releases: partial and complete.
Partial: some of the tendon fibers are cut to lengthen the tendon and take the pressure off from where it is rubbing or being irritated. Might have some post op restrictions and PT requirements depending on the OS and of course, if he does work on the labrum.

Complete: the tendon is cut from it's attachment at the trochanter to release the tendon (and thus, the muscle.)
This is what I had done. My OS said he preferred to do this for THR patients to prevent scar tissue possibly shortening it again and the problem returns. My psoas was rubbing on the acetabular cup prosthesis. The other concern that I had that he addressed, was that other muscles took over the psoas's role so there shouldn't be any ongoing weakness. That proved true. No restrictions-I was allowed to return to activity as soon as I tolerated them.

I think both procedures are fairly quick, like you said, 15-20 minutes. It takes twice as long to get you in the OR and set up for surgery. Lol.

Some OSs refer to a complete as basically the same as a partial but just more fibers cut. I found this out by talking to my sports medicine OS (younger doc) who re-attached some tendons in my opposite hip this year when I told him I had a complete release in my right THR hip. He seemed to be referring to what I understood as a partial by saying mine was the same thing. I know mine wasn't but left it at that. Anyway, it can be confusing so just get clarification if you're not sure. I hope that helps some. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Just keep doing what you're doing and taking it one day at a time. Joint issues are not for the faint of heart. I hope you find comfort in the fact there are still some options out there for you. Keep us posted.
 
Thanks for explaining @Hip4life! I’m glad to have more information for the next time I see my surgeon.

I took the day off of work today to rest, as I probably should have taken yesterday off instead. The sensations in my hip have been rather “weird.”

As mentioned, I had relief immediately after the shot and wondering if the lidocaine was the source of relief. I’m having a lot of burning in the crease of my hip and groin.

I can move my hip into flexion more easily, stretching doesn’t feel as bad, walking doesn’t hurt as much, and while sitting and resting still hurt, I can feel a slight difference from before the shot.

I’m going to ice and rest today. I’m hoping I’m still in “flare mode” and more relief is to come.
 
@Sammy-Am Yes, the lidocaine would have been that immediate relief. I went back through my journal to remember how I was feeling the first few days afterward. I was very much in the same mode you are, a little better but still not feeing the best. I was careful not to "test the waters" too much, like doing the things that always were difficult e.g. straight leg raises, etc. to make sure I gave the steroid a chance to work. Then, it appears sometime in the following days, I began to notice that movement was much easier but I did note that I was remaining cautiously optimistic. I'm going to remain that way for you until I know differently. Keep doing what you're doing and let us know how it's going.
 
Hi Friends,

Just posting with a quick update. I saw my surgeon on the 12th and we’re proceeding with surgery—a tendon release and a clean up of the right hip. I have my surgery on October 1st, so VERY SOON. Part of me is incredibly relieved, but also anxious given that my last surgery didn’t go as planned. Still, I have faith in my surgeon and am praying that this will be the much needed relief I’ve been hoping for.

I hope all of you are well and I’ll be back on the forum post-surgery.

:loveshwr:
 
@Sammy-Am Adding my prayers that this surgery will resolve all problems for you :prayer:
 
Hopefully this is just the solution you’ve been waiting for, and I bet it is!
At least you don’t have too long to wait and sorry. Wishing you the best on October 1st.
 
All my best Sammy-Ann, sure hope this is the answer to your issue & recovery is easy.
Keep us posted please.
 
Hi Friends,

As of today, my surgery is only 10 days away. I just scheduled my surgery on Wednesday and I’ve never booked a surgery so quickly. I’m happy that I’m getting everything done so soon, but my anxiety is hitting me hard. What if we surgery doesn’t work? What if I’m still in pain? What if the psoas isn’t the issue. All the “what ifs” after having this psoas release on my mind for the past year.

I have a high deductible this year and my surgery cost is close to $4000. I bit the bullet on Wednesday and paid just about half. I’m down a car at the moment, but know that I can’t put off this surgery any longer.

I tried going to a sound bath at the yoga studio tonight and while it was nice, I was in so much pain just laying down. Pain has made my body so tense and I’m tired of it controlling the simple things.

I’m tired of being on the Tramadol, even if it feels nice in the moment, and I’m tired of having my hip be the main focus of my life. I’m ready for bigger and better things.

Unfortunately, as all of us on this forum knows, the only way out is through. As terrifying as surgery is and can be, we have to take the risk to reap any reward.

I got my surgery paperwork in the mail and as real as everything feels—that I’m actually doing this—it also feels incredibly foreign. I’m just happy that I’m lucky enough to have the same surgeon and that a second surgery is even an option. My gut tells me I’m doing the “right” thing and I know I’ll be incredibly relieved when I’m on the other side.

Thanks for listening :roseshwr:
 
Oh Sammy Ann, the unknown is a territory we hate to travel into & I can't blame you for being nervous.
Being in pain on a daily basis is so debilitating so I'm hoping & praying this is your answer.
Please keep us posted & I wish you a successful outcome.
 
Sammy-Am said:
My gut tells me I’m doing the “right” thing and I know I’ll be incredibly relieved when I’m on the other side.
Click to expand...
Wish I could "blink" you to the other side. I hope time flies until the 1st.
Hugs and best wishes!
 
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