Grenouille: I have a date.

[grenouille]

Well I finally have a date,seems like forever, but it didnt take all that long. Sorry I haven't introduced myself sooner, but with little to add til there was confirmation that the hip needed replacing, and a date, it seemed a little premature to add to the conversation.

I did take advantage of the experienced relayed on the various threads to try and educate myself for the coming adventure, and though nothing really prepares you for the reality of it all, the articles and personal experiences do help, and for that thank you everyone.

Anyway the date I received is January 13th, 2010,at Toronto Western, my surgeon being Nazir Mahomed. I will be having a complete left hip replacement.I will be having an epidural, <shudder> , much rather the oblivion of complete anaethsia, but thats not to be. I am told this will facilitate recovery time... still sceptical but I am more or less along for the ride and will rely on the surgeon for these details.

The incision will be approximately 4 inches long.. 10 cm... and on the side of the hip. My expected stay in the hospital will be 3-4 days. I am hoping for 3, as I will be 300 miles from home and not really fond of hospitals.

I will continue to update my adventure, though it may be sporadic, as I have never been one for letter writing. Thanks all those who went ahead, it made this journey a little easier.
GRENOUILLE

 

[teejay]

G, yours will be the anterior approach, and that is good news. Speedy recovery and all. I underwent one last Monday and I'm already walking around without any support. Hardly any pain.

I wanted to have the total anesthesia also, because I'm scared of anything going near my spinal cord. The doc explained that there is no real advantage between the two, except - like your doc said - better initial pain management.

They kicked me out of the hospital in two days.


And, welcome to BoneSmart. You will be okay.

 

[SheriALS]

Grenouille, I am glad you have a date. There is a relief in knowing that soon you will be relieved of your pain. Like the rest of us you will start to freak out about a week or two pre-op.

I had the spinal anesthetic and it was fine. The needle hurts a bit and it feels a bit awkward once your legs are no longer under your control but they do give you a knock out drug so you don't hear or see anything. (some people do stay awake but I don't think that is the norm) It didn't really feel much different than my previous experiences with general except...I felt much more alert upon waking. Not groggy at all. I remember them getting me onto the special op table...then someone telling me "you have a new hip!" Only 1 hour in the recovery room and then very alert and awake to talk to my family once I got to my room.
I DID get a spinal headache that night although no one would acknowledge it as such. If you get a bad headache afterwards and none of the pain meds help it...tell them you need the injection (or better yet discuss it with the anesthesiologist pre-op)

My understanding is that there is less risk of complications from the spinal as well (maybe Josephine can clarify that)...maybe with the lungs, heart etc.

When I first went in to be prepped for surgery the nurse said, "Today you're going to get your life back!" She was right.
So Grenouille, "On January 13th, 2010, you're going to get your life back!"

Bless you,
Sheri

 

[shugaplum]

Congratulations on the date!! I had the epidural and was sedated before they even inserted it. I don't remember a thing. I had general for another hip surgery 2 years ago and the recovery was terrible. With the epidural I felt like I had woken up from a good nap. Best of luck to you!!

 

[JudyS]

I also had an epidural with other sedation. I was not aware of anything. YOu will be fine with it.
The waiting is sometimes the hardest part. Congrats on getting your date and soon new hip
judy

 

[Texas]

Hey G welcome glad you joined ....I dont like hosp either but im glad you are getting this done you will be happy i hope you do post and let us know how you are doing...............) best wishes...........i had a nerve block with sedation i wish i had a choice i would have taken the epidural my nerve block came out ....ouch....)

 

[Josephine]

Who does like hospitals? Not even those of us who have to work in them! :evil:

As for the spinal, don't fret about it. Just be sure to tell the anaesthetist that you want to be knocked out throughout and he'll readily comply. Most of them do that anyway, without being asked. And it won't matter a bit if you don't mention it until you get into the anaesthetic room. For the anaesthetist, it's really no big deal.

btw welcome to the BoneSmart family - better late than never!

 

[tweedy57]

Grenouille,
Good Luck! I'm with you on the oblivian part...Just knock me out...epidural ,o.k. but something else so I don't know a thing til its all over!!!!
"Tweety"

 

[Jamie]

Grenouille, welcome to BoneSmart!!! I love your user name......FROG!! When I worked I had a coffee mug with stylized frogs on it and the word, "Grenouille." It really confused folks who didn't know what the word meant and I had a lot of fun with it.

I'm thrilled you have your surgery scheduled. Now you have some time to get ready at home and prepare your recovery "nest" for your return from the hospital. Keep reading some of the old threads and you'll have an excellent idea of what to expect and what things you might need to prepare.

 

[teejay]

Bonjour Grenouille, comment allez-vous? Quoi de neuf? I was just wondering how you’re doing. It’s a pain in the hip to have to wait for the D-day, at least it was for me and I’d to linger a whopping four weeks. By now, you’d easily get a Masters Degree in Hip – am I right? – having perused most of the posts and the Internet. I find myself still reading old posts, and they do enlighten me more now that I’m more experienced in the Hip.

I hope the condition of your hip does not prevent you from enjoying the Christmas holidays fully. Then it’s almost January 13th! How long are you planning to stay at home after you enter the Other Side? Well, enjoy the weekend and keep us posted.

 

[grenouille]

Allo teejay, et il va bien, merci.Well, my hip actually only has been bad for a couple of years, but lately it has started to limit my mobility, and doing day to day stuff, like putting my sock on, washing my leg and foot from the knee down, simple things but like a dripping tap, extremely annoying after a while.Pain has been my companion for a long time, i have degenerative bone disease, neck, lower vertebrae, shoulders, all the normal places.None of these have slowed me down much,wellexcept my shoulder, but mystically a cortisone shot relieved the pain ten years ago, and all is still well with it.I am a carpenter, and the shoulder was a very scary time in my life,mostly because the prognosis wasnt very optimisitic. The hip , though painful, and limiting isnt so scary, cause at least replacement does give you a chance at relatively normal mobility . Its going to be a LTHR, and i am looking forward to christmas with the family. then i will start the worrying aboutthe operation after that. heheh.As for staying home after, lord knows, i am pretty stubborn and hopeful it wont be toooooooooo long, but do understand from what i have read here, it will take as long as it takes.By the way, this site has been a real blessing, thanks to all who have gone before me and posted, and thanks to those who continue to post.Information is power, and shines a light on the fear caused by the unknown.

 

[teejay]

Tres bien, G, good to hear from you.

Hopefully this THR will be a smooth sailing, one less worry, you sure have gone through a lot. I can only refer to my limited experiences, but this surgery has so far been the total opposite of what I thought it’d be. Thank God for that. Really nothing to worry about, you’ll be back to building stuff in no time. Carpenter … I love the feel and scent of wood.

I learned today that people worry too much about their (other people’s in fact) recovery time. It really takes what it takes, no way around it. Actually, it could be counterproductive to expect faster recuperation than is possible. We should concentrate in doing the exercises and taking it easy. As Josephine so eloquently puts it: we need rest, plenty of rest.

Not a day goes by that I don’t thank for the BoneSmart. I don’t know where I’d be without. Bonne chance, Grenouille.