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Hip Arthroscopy Is there life after THR & Arthroscopy? You Betcha!!

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Meggzie just wanted to share something my OS told me at my 2 week post-op last week. He thought I looked great and was doing great but reminded me that my insides were NOWHERE near healed from this major surgery. He cautioned me because he didn't want me to be over confident and get carried away by doing too much. He said everyone heals at pretty much the same rate on the inside so even if one person seems to be moving along slower or faster than another, the truth is they are the same on the inside. He also said it's a good 4-6 months til the inside is healed well and 2 years until the blood totally replenishes itself after this type of surgery. That made me sit back for a minute and realize how much my body really has been through. So.....under the circumstances....I think your progress is amazing, don't you??? Everything will be normal again. We just have to respect our amazing bodies enough to all them to heal!
 
sandpiper you're completely right - it IS amazing where I'm at in such a short time - and although I've been really positive and happy most of the time, those nasty ole post-op blues snuck up on me...sneaky blighters!. That, and I'm not sure I've met many people who are more impatient than me :wink:

I had my first full day back at work today - and boy, am I ever tired!! I have an hour commute to work each day from a small country town into the 'big smoke" that I usually really enjoy. The drive was SUCH a chore today, it was a real struggle to stay focussed. Luckily there's a regional bus service that stops almost right outside my office, so I think I might just use that for the next few days, then I can happily (and safely) :zzz: on the way home! Wish I'd thought of that today!!:)
 
Meggzie. Oh my goodness! You are already back to work? Wow! You're only about 7 weeks post-op, right! That's amazing!! What type of job do you do? I hope you were able to rest a bit throughout the day . I worry about going back to work. I work 11-11 1/2 hr. days and I know from experience that once I'm there I am expected to jump in full swing! No one will say "hey.... take it easy" ! So when I go back I have to be fully prepared to jump right in and stay for the duration!
I think using the regional bus service is a GREAT idea!!! Like you said, you can catch a nap to and fro!!! Less expensive than gas! Less wear and tear on your car AND on you!!! Good thinking comrade!! :happydance:
 
Yep sandpiper, I started back 2 weeks ago on half days - 4 hrs - and back on full 8 hour days today - it's my 8 week anniversary today :) . I have a pretty laid back desk job, with a boss who is really concerned about my welfare. He would have been happy for me to have more time off...but I most certainly wouldn't have been, the walls at my house have marks from where I was climbing them!! :rotfl: Still, if I had to work 11 hour days, I might still be on sick leave too!! :)
 
Meggzie. I'm glad you have that type of environment at work! It sure helps!
 
Well I'm 9 weeks out now and feeling ok. I had a little scare last week when I tripped and had to suddenly take all of my weight as I stumbled on my operated leg. I felt a bit of a twinge in the soft tissue around the new joint, but the pt thinks no real damage done. Phew! My limp is improving, in fact, a workmate commented yesterday on how well I was getting around :) but its still fairly pronounced when I get tired.

I'm off to see the OS next Tues to get the verdict on my left hip...I'm sure something will need to be done, either arthroscopy or replacement, but neither will happen til at least the end of November...I have too much on at work to do it much sooner. Regardless of what's happening with the left, its only 32 more sleeps til I'm allowed to saddle up the horse and have a ride. Woohoo, bring it on! :D
 
Meggzie. Thank goodness you didn't get hurt! After 9 weeks you probably have some good healing going on already . That helps I'm sure. Plus with your being a rider you are in good shape I'm sure. All helps! Can't wait to here riding stories!!!
 
Meggzie, so pleased you weren't hurt.. I went back to work at 7 weeks, it is the energy drain that gets to us all, good that you phased back in and have a good work environment :)

Do let us know what your OS says regarding your other hip, I will be interested to read :)
 
Hi All!!

Firstly - at a day over 10 weeks out, my right THR recovery is going well. The limp is improving, and there's nothing major bugging me about it. Of course, I'd love to fast forward to totally healed, but as a certain wise master ( Poppet ) once said, "Patience, young grasshopper" :yes:

I saw the OS about my left hip today, and I think I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I knew that SOMETHING was going to have to be done, it was a matter of what. The OS made it abundantly clear that if there was the slightest evidence of OA in the joint, he would not be wasting his time or mine with an arthroscopy - it would only be a short term fix at best if OA had started to make its mark, and it would be more sensible to go straight to THR. While I know what to expect from that, and it's not the end of the world, I really would prefer not to be bilateral just yet...

The MRI showed.......NO OA!!!!:happydance: It also showed significant over coverage of the femoral head by the acetabulum, as do the plain xrays. The dreaded FAI rears its ugly head! To quote the OS, I have a "world class" pincer lesion. He also used the words "massive" and "huge" and declared that it would be very satisfying to remove it. He hastened to add that it would be good for me too!! :heehee: There's about 30-35 degrees worth of bone to get rid of and he is confident that once done, my ROM should be more normal. So, an arthroscopy it is!

Of course there are no guarantees that this will be the cure-all and that THR will never be necessary....BUT I figure my chances of not needing a THR for a few years yet have to be better if the joint isn't clanging around like that any more. It's a risk I'm willing to take.

I was expecting a significant wait for the surgery, but oh no....no mucking about here - I'm going in on Aug 22 - that's just 16 more sleeps.:thud: On the down-side, it means delaying my riding - but on the up side, once it's all done, its all done! :dancy: horsecrazy I think you'll be posting that first ride photo sooner than me!
 
Meggzie WOW, over all that sounds like good news! You sound like a "getter done" sort of girl and after a few more months you will be set for life :dancy: I would follow the same path/logic you are and I wish you nothing but the best. I'll try not to make you too jealous when I post my first riding pic :blush: Dawns on me they need a smile that includes a horse. best, bev
 
Absolutely horsecrazy,there needs to be a horsey smilie :yes: and I will try not to be too jealous when you post that pic :)

A question for anyone about arthroscopy recovery...I totally forgot to ask the OS...is there usually/ever a need for the same sort of precautions as for a THR?
 
Meggzie Wow! You are going for the gusto here! You really will be 100% good as new soon! I'm not sure what exactly is involved with arthroscopy. What do they do? I assume it's much less invasive than THR! I don't remember if you mentioned if you were married or not but do you have a hubby or someone to help you out withrecovery since you are still sort of in recovery from the THR??? I'm so glad you will have all of this behind you in a few weeks. It's so much better that way. Get it over with and get on with life!!! And just think...even tho you'll have a little longer wait for that first ride, you won't have to give it up again in a few years! You'll be all go to go!!! Yeah!!!!:yay:
 
sandpiper, the arthroscopy will be keyhole surgery. I don't have all the technical terms down pat, but I'll explain as best as I can. The hip isn't completely dislocated; rather, they use traction to displace the joint to allow space for the teeny camera to be inserted, then ( in my case anyway ) the OS will use a little grinder to grind away all of the extra bone around the edge of the socket. That should stop the neck/head of the femur bumping up against the rim of the socket, and hopefully avoid, or at least delay the onset of OA. Fingers crossed. It's still a fairly big deal, but not quite in the same league as the THR. The OS says to expect only overnight in hospital, then home straight away - and back to work in around 2 weeks. I've seen a few other arthroscopy stories where recovery wasn't so smooth, so I'll just play it by ear.

I am blissfully single, so no hubby to fetch and carry, but I think I should be ok. I'll have the freezer stocked, groceries can be delivered and I have a great network of friends to help out if I get stuck. :) And I still have everything I need for my recliner-side mission control station :yes!: As for housework....meh, who cares if the house looks like Beirut on a bad day...certainly not me :wink:

So all in all, even though there are no guarantees in this world, I think it's better to act now, before the OA gets a foothold. And you are spot on, even though my return to riding is delayed...there will be no short term stopping and starting. Once it's all done, it's all done...for now :yes:
 
Oh wow! I've been so slack, and really havent kept in touch. Time is just flying by!! I'm not sure how it happened, but suddenly, I am just three sleeps out from my left hip arthroscopy. In Dr speak, I will be undergoing a 'left hip arthroscopy, labral repair, femoral and acetabular osteoplasty'. Sounds a bit scary when you say it like that!! And then when you compare it with THR, suddenly it's not so scary :SUNsmile:

Still, my GP has warned me not to be too cocky. He says that just because I've had a great right THR recovery (and today is 12 weeks!!! Woohoo!!) I shouldn't expect the recovery from the arthroscopy to be a complete walk in the park.

I found an AWESOME reference online for which details the recovery process and the PT that goes along with it. I love that the physiotherapist frequently says, "if it hurts, DONT do it" and I also love that she says if you need to spend longer in each stage, that's completely ok too. I have printed all of this out and will be showing it to my PT tomorrow when I see her and hopefully, together we can tailor what's here to my needs. I like the way she provides a way to chart progress and a daily exercise diary to keep track of where you are at too.

https://www.slideshare.net/hip-physiocure/hip-arthroscopy-rehabilitation-part-one
https://www.slideshare.net/hip-physiocure/hip-arthroscopy-rehabilitation-part-two

I think the info here really puts the recovery into perspective - this wont be too different from the THR recovery process - maybe just a bit less exhausting (I hope!)

I hope all of my hippy friends, horsey or otherwise are going great!

Now for a technical forum question... Poppet, bottomshollow Jaycey Jamie and any other mods I've left out!!
I'm about to have a second procedure, different from the first. Should I start a new recovery thread?? If not, can I tag my current thread with both <THR> AND <Arthroscopy>? I havent been able to figure it out??
 
Hi Meggzie, it is appropriate and correct to stay with the same recovery thread and post about your arthroscopy in this thread.. Then we have all content here in context :)

Good luck, I am sending you the bunch of freesia's to you in my avatar.. Xxx
 
Meggzie, we don't have double thread prefixes, but we could change your title to reflect this second procedure. Let us know what you'd like it to say.
 
Meggzie My thoughts are with you! You are right, after a THR pretty much all else sounds like a cake walk. But I know when I was headed for labrum repair (which ended up in THR) they told me the recovery was actually longer for the repair - so you hang in there and just "go with the recovery flow" and don't be an nut like me and over do the PT :thumb:

Please keep us posted and I'll be sending out my best mental good vibes :flwrysmile:
 
Poppet - thankyou, the freesias are lovely!! And I'm glad to see you are feeling better!! I will do as you say, and keep on posting here. My garden seems to be gearing up for spring too! The osmanthus is covered in flowers already, and the daphne is covered in buds...bring on the lovely fragrance of spring!

bottomshollow thanks for the info - could you please change my prefix to Arthroscopy, and the title of my thread to "And now, for something completely different...." (can all of you Monty Python fans hear the theme music in your heads?? I can!!)

horsecrazy thanks for dropping in! I'm sorry I haven't been a bit more present lately. I think I've just been really pre-occupied with thoughts of the new procedure. I've had a peek over on your thread, and I'm sorry you're still having trouble with pain. Did you manage to see your OS/PA? What did they have to say? Good healing vibes to you too!! :flwrysmile:
 
[Bonesmart.org] Is there life after THR & Arthroscopy? You Betcha!!
per your request, Meggzie, your prefix and your thread title.
 
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