JMacca's hip safari

[Josephine]

If it was muscular @Josephine what do you think is the best way to tackle that?

Mostly, I'd say gentle stretches. Or a chiropractor or massage therapist.

Could you please tell me how long it would have taken for the anaesthetic to wear off, when the cortisone would start working and how long I can expect to 'get' out of the shot?

Oh that would be one of those questions we call 'how long is a piece of string'! It's different for everybody and every time.

 

[Tweetybrd]

@JMACC Hey! Just got caught up on the latest on your thread. So glad you were able to get some relief with the cortisone injection. Are you going to be able to get one in the other hip?
I was told when I get mine, that the numbing agent they use will last for 2 to 3 hrs and that it takes a full 7 days for the cortisone to work fully. I have now had 4 injections in my hip (and he puts some in the front of my thigh up high as the muscle and tendon there get inflamed and the tendon "pops"). For me they last longer if I don't do much. The first one I had lasted only 4 weeks as we went to Disneyland for 3 days and I walked a ton! It did work to relief about 90% of my pain. But of course did nothing for my ROM issues.
The 2nd and 3rd lasted between 6 and 7 weeks and relieved about 70% of pain.
This last one is only relieving about 30% of the pain. So I know that surgery is now my next step.

I agree that since your pain was helped with the shot in the hip it says it is your hip and not muscular in nature.
Unfortunately, these are the hoops we have to jump through.:( Hang in there!

 

[JMACCA]

Hi everyone - I have AMAZING news! I had an email from my first surgeon saying that they were happy to reduce the fee to $800 in total for the surgery and have my fund cover the rest!!! I am SHOCKED and thrilled! They have asked me to call them in the morning!!

I am absolutely gobsmacked!!

My husband suffers from severe anxiety and panic attacks and he hasn't taken the news well - he had an attack when I told him as he was panicking about all the things that need to get done before then - he gets stuck in a whirlwind. LOL and he doesn't know the half of it! I am the one who is going to have to run around and get everything sorted prior to the surgery (such as bloodwork, extra x-rays, admissions paperwork and the like) - plus hitting some serious deadlines at work. It is tough when your hubby / partner isn't able to cope like you can.

The dates that I have are the 19th and 26th of August - they may change though because I had the hip injection (and from what I understand from reading here you have to wait 3 months).

Mostly, I'd say gentle stretches. Or a chiropractor or massage therapist.

@Josephine I know you won't read this for a while but I really wanted to wish you ALL THE BEST for your surgery today! Thinking of you!! Thank you for ALL the help that you give us!

I was told when I get mine, that the numbing agent they use will last for 2 to 3 hrs and that it takes a full 7 days for the cortisone to work fully.

That is good to know - I am now at day 5 and the pain is back - I will give it a couple more days...

But of course did nothing for my ROM issues.

Yup and this was my concern as well - it is great to get rid of the pain but it doesn't 'fix' the problem!

I agree that since your pain was helped with the shot in the hip it says it is your hip and not muscular in nature.

Even though it may put off my surgery, I am glad that I had it done as it did prove to me that it was my hip and not muscular. Prior to seeing the surgeon I had been seeing a Chiro for some time with the problem not getting better as well.

Unfortunately, these are the hoops we have to jump through

SO TRUE! There are SO many hoops!!

 

[BizzyLizzy]

@JMACCA - that is such great news! Even if you have to wait a bit longer it's a great feeling to get close to beng "on the list" and seeing an end in sight. If my hip wasn't a little bit sore today I would be doing a full-blown happy dance for you! In our house it's me who has the anxiety and panic and as it was me who had the bad hip as well, you can imagine how things were for my poor husband when we started on this journey...
Looking forward to your updates as you progress through the dreaded hoops!

 

[Tweetybrd]

@JMACCA OMGosh!!! Yay!!!! I am soooooo happy for you! That is such great news! I hope they can get you in as soon as possible after the injection time frame as expired. What did this surgeon say about the other hip?
I hope your husband can take a deep breath and wrap his mind around this great news.

Sounds like it was meant to be. Hang in there!

 

[JMACCA]

If my hip wasn't a little bit sore today I would be doing a full-blown happy dance for you!

OMGosh!!! Yay!!!! I am soooooo happy for you!

Thank you so much lovely ladies!! It is great to have people to celebrate with!!

What did this surgeon say about the other hip?

I am getting both done. I have spoken with the coordinator at the surgeon's office this morning and due to me having the hip injection last week, I have to put the surgery off until November. They have put me down for the 18th (for my right hip) and the 30th (for the left hip) of November - absolutely perfect timing!

The dates mean that I can deliver some projects at work prior to this time and essentially take December off (our quite time) and work from home the whole of January (also our quite time). Absolutely perfect!

I can breathe now! And plan. 2017 is going to rock!

 

[BizzyLizzy]

@JMACCA - it's so good to know you have a date - you've got something to work towards now. Also knowing that it's at a good time for you will make all the difference. I felt I waited such a long time for my op, but the fact that it actually happened at the start of summer which is our quiet time at work has really meant that I have been able to concentrate on my recovery. I'm not worrying about work, at all, which is unusual for me, but I'm looking forward to being pain-free on my return in September and being a proper part of the team. Looks like you will be in the same position in November. Of course, your November will be similar to our June, so you will probably also have the joys of long summer days to aid your recovery! (and the lesser joys of struggling with TEDS on the warm summer nights...)
I can see that you live in Melbourne. All my cousins now live in the Melbourne area, after emigrating many years ago. I also have some family near Perth. My husband and I did a round trip of Australia about 20 years ago and loved it - apart from the snakes, crocodiles and spiders!

 

[dandy_candi]

I just caught up on some posts and saw in another post you had commented on that you had dates in your Signature! I just caught up on your thread! YAYAYAYAYA!! SO happy you have dates and they work for you, and with the surgeon you really wanted! You will be busy at work it will be here before you know it! I had 5 months and that flew. And crazy they will be able to bring the fee down! How do they do that when it was 10 grand before??? Don't ask how! haha oh so happy for you!

 

[Tweetybrd]

@JMACCA Wow! That is awesome! In a you will be so much better when its over and done kind of way Im glad the timing is working out for you as well.

 

[Zelda]

What a rollercoaster catching up on your thread! I am so pleased your first choice surgeon is all go again and that you don't have to wait months and months. Sounds like the timing works out well too. Fantastic!

 

[belweav]

That is great news. At least you have a te frame for knowing the pain will end.

 

[gullimac]

Just caught back up on your thread. So glad the pieces are finally starting to fall into place.

 

[Cynthia777]

I'm very happy for you! The time will pass by quicker than you realize!

 

[DizzyBlond]

Wonderful, fabulous news, Juanita!!! With dates now circled on the calendar, you can now begin to plan and prepare and make arrangements for everything, and as CC pointed out, November will be here before you know it, and you'll be on your way to recovery!!!!! We're celebrating with you - all the best for the next few months to go as smoothly as possible! xoxoxox

 

[JMACCA]

That is great news.

Thank you! I think so too!

The time will pass by quicker than you realize!

You will be busy at work it will be here before you know it!

Thanks you gorgeous ladies - I pray that it FLYS by super quick!

We're celebrating with you - all the best for the next few months to go as smoothly as possible!

Thank you! Only the peeps on this board can truly understand that chopping your legs off and replacing them means to someone!

So glad the pieces are finally starting to fall into place.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thread @gullimac - I have really enjoyed reading yours

I'm looking forward to being pain-free on my return in September and being a proper part of the team.

Oh I SO agree with you Liz!! It feels like everything is on hold at the moment which is a bit frustrating. I will be nice to 'have my life back' pain-free (not immediately of course) and feeling good!

I can see that you live in Melbourne. All my cousins now live in the Melbourne area, after emigrating many years ago. I also have some family near Perth.

Well your cousins live in the best place in the world!! I lived in Perth and up-north for a lot of my childhood. Australia is an amazing place

you will be so much better when its over and done

Can't wait!

What a rollercoaster catching up on your thread!

I know right! That is why I wanted to do one thread, almost like a mapping of the journey. I have felt every one of those bumps along the way!

99 days to go.

I have been sore, real sore. I am unable to lie in bed, walk or sit for extended periods of time. My left side has been worse since I had the injection on the right side - I am not sure why. Right side is back to its old tricks. My hips are painful to lie on my side, yet I can't lay on my back otherwise when I stand I get a searing pain in my hip.

I am trying to bury myself in work to make the time go faster.

In a couple of weeks I have to travel for work - it will be interesting to see how I go. Walking the length of the airport will be interesting with the weight of bags - I may actually be one of those people who request a 'lift' on the cart to take me to the baggage carousel. HAHAHAA how humiliating!

This week I am going to order some pillows for my bed for after surgery - I am wondering if they will help before surgery as well.

I am not sure what to do to alleviate pain now. Panadine forte tends to give me bad headaches and doesn't really do much for the pain. So I am not sure what I can do at this point.

 

[Zelda]

Walking the length of the airport will be interesting with the weight of bags - I may actually be one of those people who request a 'lift' on the cart to take me to the baggage carousel. H

Do it. You can request airport assistance either just through the airport or the lift right up onto the plane. I did it when I went on holiday with one post- and one pre-op hip and it made a world of difference. It is a bit weird getting wheeled about and people do look at you but I don't think I could have travelled without it. It kept the pre-op hip rested so that when it came to standing up after the flight, I could move reasonably easily. I would really, really recommend it, especially on a work trip where you won't have time for resting.

I am not sure what to do to alleviate pain now

Rest, elevation, ice and crutches in my experience.

 

[Chihuahuan]

@JMACCA If you have a long way to walk at the airport I highly suggest arranging for assistance with the airlines --it's for folks like us with temporary hitches in our get-up-and-go. . We have found that the electric carts are not always available. Longest "it's not very far" walk I have ever had was at Sydney airport.
Make sure you have a cane with you --it triggers help from some folks.

 

[JMACCA]

So I am back from interstate. The only time I have had trouble was in the days after I flew back.

During my stay I was pretty much door to door with cabs and got to airports early so I could take my time getting around.

When I got back I was in agony for the days following at it hasn't let up. How could the difference be so huge??? Once I got out of the plane seat on my return it all stared to fall apart - it was all so good while I was away. Mind you I was stupid busy!

It makes me wonder if it is muscular, I feel like I am going crazy. I know that it's not but some days are great and others I can barely walk.

I am finding the stairs now a problem in the house and I have noticed a grinding noise - like a cheese grater - in my left hip yet I don't have arthritis. Bonkers! I am seriously going bonkers!


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[bluejeans]

Hi, I just read your whole thread. It resonates so much. Lurching from doctor to doctor, and not really knowing what the short term holds.

I had a cortisone injection five weeks ago, but it did nothing. My doc said that meant the pain is coming from the impingement not the labral tear. I didn't know about the no surgery for 3 months after an injection though.

Did you end up seeing doc #3?

 

[DizzyBlond]

Hi Juanita! Though I so glad your hip held out throughout your busy trip, I'm so sorry to hear that it feels as though it's disintegrating now!! When my hip issues (locking, grinding, giving out and increasingly intense pain) seemed to kick into high gear, a few people on the forum mentioned that the degeneration can really begin to speed up towards the end. That's exactly what happened to me - I went from being able to manage life fairly well to "Oh no! I can't even walk through a grocery store!!!" in a matter of months. My OS said that the pre-op x-rays showed the joint had collapsed at the end - a fast decline from the very first set of films in January that showed a "mildly degenerative" joint. I'll be interested to hear what others have to say.
So sorry you're in so much pain!!! xoxoxox