Revision THR Recovery following RTHR 10/20/20

[Hip4life]

Oh, this is not the kind of news you were hoping for but like you said, it validates what you've been suspecting. It is good the OS is honest and informing you of the risks involved (which he is supposed to do anyway.) I tend to go along with the attitude "hope for the best, prepare for the worst." Let's hope that this will be the solution to get you back to rowing. It's so hard not to be able to do the thing you love. At the same time, it can also be a great source of motivation. Wishing the best for a successful surgery and recovery. Please keep us updated.

 

[rowergal]

Thanks for the support! I had my pre-op physical yesterday with EKG, blood tests, and nose swab for MRSA. I guess they don't require COVID tests anymore. (I'm one of the lucky few who has never gotten COVID, at least as far as I know. Sometimes I wonder if there is something genetic that helps me fend it off??)
I've also been buying some stuff I didn't get last time, like a thing to help put on socks, a grabber, a long brush for the shower, and a toilet seat riser (which I was able to borrow last time).
I have my pre-op meeting with the surgeon this Friday.
I'm a little worried that my blood work will say I have an infection, because I've had mild diarrhea for a couple days, probably from something I ate. But maybe that won't show up like that. I don't want surgery to be delayed.
I'll write an update after the surgery.

 

[hopnfox]

I am so sorry to hear this. Stay optimistic and know you have all of us praying for you!

 

[rowergal]

Update: My revision surgery was scheduled for April 10. On Sat, April 8, I was feeling like I had a bad head cold so I took a rapid Covid test. It came back positive within less than a minute!! First time I've gotten it. UGH.
I called the on-call number for my surgeon and he happened to be the doctor on call. First he said "oh no!" and then he said, "well, this means you have to wait at least 30 days because we need to make sure your lungs are clear before you get anesthesia."
So...another month of dealing with my loose parts.
I tried to get a new surgery date, but apparently my doc is confirming with the anesthesiologists if his 30 day thing is true. Anyone have any experience with getting rescheduled after Covid?
Will let you all know when I have a new date.
The first 24 hours of it were the worst. I had a headache that felt like a vise was squeezing my head! Could only sleep 1 - 2 hours at a time. Fever never got over 100.6, and is normal now. Throat was scratchy at first and then a little sore, but now fine. I still have a little stuffiness in my head, but not bad. Never really had much coughing - just a little. I had gotten 5 vaccinations, including the most recent Bivalent booster.
At least I won't have to worry about getting Covid in the hospital once I do have the surgery!!

 

[rowergal]

P.S. I'll probably have to get all the pre-op stuff redone: physical, EKG, bloodwork, etc

 

[djklaugh]

@rowergal Oh drat! I am so sorry to hear that you have gotten the dreaded COVID and that you have had to postpone your surgery!! I sincerely hope you get well quickly and that your surgery can be rescheduled without much delay! Sending you virtual hugs and healing vibes

 

[rowergal]

@rowergal Oh drat! I am so sorry to hear that you have gotten the dreaded COVID and that you have had to postpone your surgery!! I sincerely hope you get well quickly and that your surgery can be rescheduled without much delay! Sending you virtual hugs and healing vibes

Thanks!

 

[CricketHip]

Oh gosh.. that stinks! what were the odds on that happening? I am so sorry that you are now back to the waiting game.
You seem like an upbeat type so I'm sure you will make the best of things for the next month. Prayers lifted that the 30 day wait is all that it has to be.
take care of yourself, get plenty of rest.. let your body recover fully. ((hugs!))

 

[Gloucestergal65]

@rowergal - I caught Covid just before my operation, for the first time, even though I was seeing far fewer people. My surgery was postponed for 7 weeks (here in the uk) to make sure my lungs were clear. I became very neurotic about catching it again or the flu or anything else that would postpone the surgery again so I had a very, very quiet time. Strangely, because I wasn’t doing much, my hip stopped hurting as much. I thought it was a cold and only tested because I had an appointment. I did have to have the MRSA test again but only that I think. All done now though and four months post op.
Good luck. It’s hard when you’ve psyched yourself up to a date to have to start again.

 

[rowergal]

Got my new surgery date: May 15

 

[CricketHip]

That's not too terribly far away. So pleased to see your update with your new date. I hope your bout with Covid wasn't too bad and you will be rarin' to go by mid May!

 

[CricketHip]

Hi @rowergal how are things going for you?
Your surgery date is coming up soon and I’m sure you are ready to go.

 

[Layla]

Wishing you all the best on Monday!
I hope you'll share your healing journey with us. We'd love to support you along the way.
@rowergal

 

[hopnfox]

Want to wish you the very best on 5/15! I know you will be glad when it's over and you are on the healing side. I know it will all go well and look forward to hearing from you when you feel up to it. Best of luck!!

 

[Mojo333]

All the best mojo coming your way for Monday
We are rooting for you

 

[Sockeyewillie]

As we both approach our revision surgery just 3 years out of our original replacements I wish you well in surgery and recovery.

 

[Layla]

Hi rowergal, on this one month anniversary of your revision.
We’d love to hear about your progress and hope it’s been smooth and steady for you. Hope to hear from you soon.
Best Wishes!
@rowergal

 

[rowergal]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for checking in to see how things went. First of all, I'm doing well as of right now. Getting stronger every day and have more range of motion.
Here's what happened:

• Had my surgery Monday, May 15. Took 3 hours.
• When the surgeon wad dealing with the acetabular (cup) portion, the liner and the cup itself basically just fell out with a light touch! Looseness there was definitely the source of the problem/pain I've been dealing with. Why did none of my previous docs diagnose this looseness??
• The surgeon had difficulty getting the old stem out and I ended up with 2 fractures in my femur -- one on the Greater Trochanter and one on the Lesser Trochanter (the bumps that stick out on the top of the femur that remains)
• The good news is that I was allowed to bear weight on the leg because of the locations of the fractures...so I didn't have to go to Rehab. But there are certain movements I can't do because he doesn't want the muscles that attach to those points to pull on the broken bits. AND, I have to use a walker for a minimum of 8 weeks!
• The first week was pretty awful. I was in a lot of pain. Surprisingly, a lot of it came from cramps in my hamstring that made it very difficult to walk. My son was in town that first week and I had to call him in the middle of the night to help me get in and out of bed to pee! (My husband has hearing problems and wouldn't hear his phone.)
• Then, on the first Saturday after surgery, I noticed my leg more swollen and an egg-sized hematoma had formed near the top of my incision. At the bottom, I had a little blood coming out. By that evening, I had a lot of bleeding. It was scary! The end result is I had to have ANOTHER SURGERY exactly 1 week after the first. My surgeon drained the hematoma, took out all 40 staples and power washed and cleaned everything, and then stapled me back up (1 hour surgery). This was to head off infection.
• I felt much better after the 2nd surgery. Came home with a drain after that one, as well as a wound vac to help the incision heal faster.
• Got the 2nd set of 40 staples out yesterday! YAY! I wasn't allowed to shower for the first 3 weeks and so was doing sponge baths and washing my hair in the kitchen sink. Then I had to cover up everything with a waterproof bandage for a week. Now I can just take a shower.
• I'm feeling pretty hopeful about the outcome. I no longer have the pain when I just stand up from sitting like I did before. I still have muscle cramps and some deep achiness but otherwise hardly anything. Tylenol is all I need.
• I have to use the walker a minimum of 4 more weeks. My doctor says it depends on what the xrays show with bone healing. I keep saying I'm concerned because it looks like that outer piece (Greater Trochanter) is not quite in the right place, but he says don't worry all will be fine...!

So that's my story. Any thoughts, anyone? Comments about the image?
Thanks,
Danna

 

[Layla]

Thanks for the update, rowergal. It is good to hear from you! It sounds like you had some bumps in the road, but thankfully you’re doing better now. It’s great that you’re feeling hopeful about the outcome. With any luck you will only need the walker for four more weeks and the time flies. Keep in touch, we’d love to follow your journey.
Wishing you all the best!
@rowergal

 

[myglasshalffull]

That's tough to swallow, so sorry, but just keep using walker for now, I had to use longer than expected because a small fracture was discovered at my first post op X-Ray and had to do 4 more weeks of light weight bearing or face more surgery.
Glad you got to shower! Certainly feel human once again!
Take it easy and keep us posted.