Two Weeks Post Op

Today I had my first post-op appointment with my surgeon's PA. At this appointment, he removed my tape and checked out the incisions. He said they looked great, and he did a few short stretches to test my range of motion. He let me know things were looking good, but I needed to stay on both crutches with little weight bearing for another full week (week 3). He showed me pictures from the surgery and told me they used three anchors to reattach the labrum to the acetabulum. 

My two scars from surgery with a little bruising 

Waiting for my first post op appointment 

Before repair

After repair, with three anchors attaching the labrum 

I hope this will encourage you if you are facing this surgery. There will be days at first that you will likely be in a good amount of pain, but not even two weeks post op, I was feeling well enough to take a short trip to the mountains with my husband. Although I was still bound to my crutches, of course, my pain was minimal and did not interfere with taking a little getaway trip for a change of scenery. So hold on, you may have to walk through the "deep dark woods" for a few days, but you will soon be feeling so much better. 

Enjoying the views at the Pisgah Inn in NC 

With crutches, of course...

Two Weeks + Two Days

Guess what? Yesterday, in PT, I was able to get on the stationary bike for the first time. I biked for ten minutes, relatively pain free. This felt like a huge accomplishment and really did a lot for my morale. I did more advanced exercises, and I woke up today sore, especially in the glutes. I take this as a good sign that the exercises are waking up and working muscles that need to be strengthened. My therapist said we would start sessions off from this point on by warming up on the bike. I leave PT each session feeling like I've made more and more progress. My therapist does a great job of encouraging me and taking the time to get to know me and my journey. He let me know that I no longer have to worry about breaking the 90 degree rule. For now, my only restriction that remains is the weight bearing restriction on my right leg. That will remain the same for now. If you are debating surgery or are about to journey through this yourself, just know that it may seem rough for a little while, but in the grand scheme of things, you will be moving around better and better before you know it, truly feeling better with each passing day. Hang in there through the tough times. You will make it through. 

Must Haves

I thought it would be helpful to share the items that made my life easier during my recovery. I hope they will help you if you are going through hip labral tear surgery. 

Raised Toilet Seat with Handles

This may sound silly, but every inch counts when you're squatting post hip surgery. You can find the one I bought here. 

Crutch Pads & "Catch All" Pouch 

Oh my word- these pads for my crutches were a lifesaver! They made things much more comfortable under the arms and on the hands.When you're on crutches for an extended period of time, these are a must. The pouch is perfect for carrying around your phone, remote, medicine, and even can drinks & water bottles. 

Also, these Oofos recovery flip flops provide SO much cushion 

Special Elevated Pillow 

You will likely be advised to elevate the foot and be told to keep the foot from rolling out to the side, which it naturally does. This pillow made it a lot easier to keep my leg and foot in place. 

Grabber

You're going to drop things or need things that are out of reach, so I suggest a grabber like this one. 

Laxative

Just trust me- anesthesia + pain killers + being horizontal for long periods of time.... 
My pharmacist recommended magnesium citrate. 

Realities of life after surgery 

Ice, Ice Baby

The ice machine required constant refills of ice, and it was often more than the freezer ice maker could keep up with. My husband made lots of trips to the gas station to fill up a cooler with ice. 

Wipes 

Because it took a solid week (yes, I said it) before I had my first real shower, I relied on baby wipes for makeshift showers in the meantime, along with my husband washing my hair in the kitchen sink. Unfortunately, we don't have any walk in showers in my house, so for the first week, I just didn't have it in me to figure out getting and out of the shower and getting my leg over the ledge of the bathtub. Let me tell you, that first shower was glorious. 

Mederma 

I picked up a thing of this scar gel to massage into my incisions once the dressings & steri strips were removed.  a

Support 

As cliche as it may sound, surround yourself with people to support you and encourage you. This journey can be mentally challenging, especially if you are typically a very active and on-the-go type of person. Friends & family will be invaluable, and having people support you will be crucial to your healing and recovery process. Don't be afraid to ask for and accept help from others. 

One Week Post Op

There's definitely something to be said about a shower. It makes you feel human again. A solid week after surgery, I finally had my first shower. It was a game changer. My husband purchased a simple, basic stool like this one for me to sit on while getting in and out of the shower. It made it a lot easier for me to swing my leg in and out of the shower. 

Feeling like a new person 

Although the shower and getting ready took a lot of energy and wore me out, I was starting to feel a lot better. One week out, I was just finishing up my prescription pain killers, and transitioning to Tylenol only. I was also moving around pretty well and getting used to my crutches. Every now and then I would experience a "catching" sensation in the hip, and it would be very sore for a little while. 

Life After Surgery

The First Few Days

My initial plan was to keep a daily journal of my healing process, but the truth is, for the next several days following surgery my pain killers kept me asleep for most of the time. If I wasn't asleep, I was running the ice machine, and overall, I felt pretty "out of it." I barely remember the visitors that I had the first several days home, and everything just seems to be a bit of a blur. The day following surgery, I had my first post op physical therapy appointment at 4:00 in the afternoon. Again, due to COVID-19, I had to make my way up to the PT offices alone. I was a bit nervous about it because I was still unsure of walking around on my crutches. If I'm being completely honest with you, I don't remember all of my PT session. My physical therapist took the big bandage off and changed my individual dressings. I was still unable to really see what it looked like, because of all of the steri strips on top of the incisions. I was surprised there wasn't much bruising. I had seen some pretty gnarly pictures of bruising post op online, but my bruising was minimal. 

The day after surgery, at PT. I had two incisions. 

Other than getting up to use the restroom, I stayed pretty horizontal for the first several days after surgery. To be honest, I was so afraid to do something wrong, that I didn't want to risk it; however, I was a little nervous about my lack of movement. I have a blood clotting disorder that causes my blood to clot more than it should, so for the first 10 days after surgery, I had to take Lovenox injections. Unfortunately, until those injections were finished, I couldn't begin my 30 days of anti inflammatory prescription pills. 

I was ecstatic the day these shots were finished

The Big Day

The Big Day 

Surgery day. The big day. I was so anxious, yet so ready at the same time. I woke up and showered, cleaning with antibacterial Dial soap. I arrived at the hospital at 8:30 AM, with a scheduled surgery time of 10:30. We went through the COVID-19 screening and were allowed in the building. Due to COVID-19, my husband was allowed in the hospital, but was taken directly to the waiting area. I checked in, waited for a bit, and then was taken to registration to pay a portion of the surgery. From there, they took me back to getting all prepped and ready for surgery. I was really nervous, going into this alone. It's definitely a different experience not being able to take anyone back with you. Right away, they got my blood pressure, placed heart rate stickers on my chest, and got my IV going. Of course, the nurse was asking me a lot of questions, as well- the normal, what medications I was on, when was the last time I ate or drank, etc. Soon after that, she gave me two Tylenol, a muscle relaxer, and Valium. I immediately relaxed after taking the Valium. My doctor came in to mark the right leg he was operating on, and the anesthesiologist came in to explain to me what the procedure would be for numbing me and putting me to sleep. 

Waiting for Surgery to Go!

My Doctor's Signature- It's Official! No Turning Back! 

For my surgery, my surgeon decided on a spinal anesthesia combined with another medication ( I don't remember what it was). I've heard from others who just had general anesthesia for this surgery, without the spinal. I was extremely nervous about the spinal portion, but let me tell you, I was so drowsy and out of it, that I didn't feel a thing. After being rolled into the operating room, they sat me up to give the spinal anesthesia, but before that, they administered something in my IV that made me extremely drowsy. I was aware the anesthesiologist was giving me the spinal, but that's about it. The last time I remember is him saying that I would feel something cold because they were cleaning the area off, and I remember hearing "between two of your vertebrae"- that's it. Before I knew it, they were laying me down on the table and strapping my feet down. I didn't have a care in the world. The drugs were good, which I'm really thankful for, because I was really anxious about this part. If you are about to have this surgery and have nerves about this portion, DON'T. It's a piece of cake in the grand scheme of things. 

The next thing I knew, I was "coming to" in recovery. I had no nausea upon waking up due to the type of anesthesia I received. I was extremely thirsty, and I asked for water the moment I woke up. My nurse asked if I had any pain. I'm not sure I would call it "pain", but there was definitely an awareness that something had happened. Discomfort would probably explain it best. While I was in recovery (roughly about two hours), I was waiting to get feeling back in my legs from my spinal. I drank two cups of water and ate two club crackers. I received pain medication through my IV twice. As soon as I got feeling back in both legs, they were ready to discharge me! They rolled me out front in a wheelchair with my right leg extended and helped me into the car. 

I don't remember the ride home, but I remember Josh helping me into the house. Luckily, we live in a one level house, so the only steps I had to worry about were the four steps leading up into the house. My physical therapist had taught me how to get up and down steps with my crutches when I had my first PT appointment and picked up my crutches. Do NOT attempt this on your own after coming off of anesthesia. Josh was right behind me the whole time. 

Josh helped me get situated on the couch, which would become my new bed and posting station for the next 10 days, and he got the ice machine going right away. That thing was a life saver for several days to reduce pain. I honestly wasn't feeling much pain upon arriving home, just mainly discomfort (along with a foggy head). I was still riding on the "good stuff" from the hospital. I had an appetite, and I felt like coffee and a wrap with peanut butter and banana in it. I wasn't able to see what my leg/hip looked like because they sent me home with a big covering over the incisions.

Posted Up on the Couch Smiling Post Op with my Ice Man Machine

Moving Forward

Moving Forward

I would love to tell you that I went to the doctor right away after the Hot Chocolate 15K incident, but I didn't. I kept pushing the issue to the back burner. Upon returning home, the holidays were basically here. My parents came into town for several weeks for Christmas, and I was busy at work planning a schoolwide event. I focused on family time and togetherness. I decided I would deal with it in January. 

Well, January came, and I was diagnosed with a nasty case of the Flu Type B, which later developed into pneumonia. Let's just say, I spent most of January focusing on recovery and getting healthy and back to work. I'm not too sure what my excuse for February is, but when March came along, COVID-19 became a real thing. Before I knew it, I was working remotely from home. To stay active and keep my mind off things, I spent a lot of time outside walking. I wasn't able to run without extreme pain, but I was thankful to be able to walk for long distances without any issues. I logged over 300 miles walked in March and April, and then, suddenly, it hit in May. My lower back went crazy. I was experiencing extreme pain and muscle spasms up and down my back. After five days of oral steroids, it had barely settled down. I knew it was directly connected to my hip issue and all the miles I had been putting in. 

In early June, I made an appointment with my orthopedic. We discussed, again, treating the labral tear conservatively (aka steroid injection) first to see how I responded. He also ordered a MRI to compare imaging from 2014 to 2020. When the radiologist's report showed up in My Chart online, it mentioned the way that my tear had advanced and grown since my initial MRI in 2014. The steroid injection didn't do much of anything this go around, which I knew was not a good sign. A few weeks l later, I met with my doctor, who laid out the options. Basically- surgery, or keep living like I was. I immediately jumped on surgery, desperate for a chance to live a normal, active life again. He gave me a brief overview of what the surgery would entail, as well as what to expect after surgery. His assistant came in, and I jumped on the first possible date to ensure maximum time to heal and recover before having to go back to work. It was definitely a huge benefit that I was out of work for several weeks due to my job. So, the waiting game began. I had ten days between that appointment and the surgery date. And let me tell you, it was a long ten days of waiting. I read a blog where a girl described the days leading up to her surgery as purgatory, and I was definitely feeling that way. The moment I realized  my hip was going to be dislocated for this surgery, my anxiety went out the roof. Let me go ahead and calm your fears at this point, they will drug you so well you have no idea what happened while you took that nice, deep sleep. 

Suiting Up for the MRI- Ready for Answers 

Waiting for the Doctor to Come In