Hamstring Avulsion (complete tear from pelvis)

[syl]

Katie ,you have had a double challenge with your injury and your Mom"s stroke. Thats great you were able to take the brace off and spend time with your mom. it is a rainy day here in NC but today i can hardly remember the pain of surgery and aggravation of the brace.
Lynn, i hadnt thought about you having to stop for the bathroom on the way home. it is possible to go that far without stopping but better be prepared anyway. A good reminder from Ned.
Take care everyone

[brewski]

Hi everyone-

I am so glad I am having the surgery in a few days! My leg has already atrophied and walking is a challenge. Tomorrow I get my temp handicap permit and I am going to shop for the elevated toilets/seats. Katie, thanks for making me stop and think about relieving myself on the 3.5 hour drive home. . .I am going to look at "female urinals" tomorrow-- I saw some online and REI has some contraption that mountain climbers, use which I heard good things about. So for the ladies. . .we have options and will be happy to share a private message for those who want to know what I did (sorry if this is TMI). I'll be in touch in a few days, hopefully a few days post op. Keep on doing what you all do and thanks so much for the prayers and support. Lynn

[sunluver12]

Lynn,
You're going to do well, it is not fun and no one on here will ever say that but things could be much worse. You also end up with a very amazing scar that you won't get any sympathy for since no one really sees it! I still catch a glimpse of my back side and think, damn that's a loooong red scar. You will have a brace which most have had so I can't relate to that, seems that is the cause of most of the discomfort from posters on here. Just log onto this site when you need to rant or complain, there will be days like that! We've alll had our boo hoo moments and pity parties, it's natural I'll be thinking of you, Thursday?

[Khush D]

Lynn -

Hey good luck with the surgery.

You are getting lots of good advice on this forum...I can certainly vouch for that.

A few additional thoughts for post surgery that may be helpful.

1. Toilet -- a raised toilet is great but there are different options. I used a "commode" that fits over the toilet -- essentially its a chair with a hole in it that rolls over the toilet. the biggest thing was it had handles that were great both for getting on and off and for propping up the "bad" side while sitting. See what works.

2. Brace - source of great debate. For someone like you who is young and athletic a 6 week brace may be overkill. Dont want to contradict your doctor but folks like myself, Squashpain and a few others (who are sort of in the same boat -- relative age, fitness, etc) have done significantly better on mobility by not having the brace. I had a cast for a week and then wore brace about 5-6 times after that. A good compromise may be to take brace off only when resting and then gradually more so after weeks 3 or so. Obviously you have to be very careful not to put hip in flexion and knee in extension when you do so. My personal view is that doctors tend to be very conservative here as there is no upside for them to do otherwise. This is my opinion only so please do what you feel comfortable with.

3. Pain/ other meds -- if you are one of the lucky ones then great. If not, then a few suggestions. If you have nerve pain (you will know what that is - burning, radiating pain not necessarily at site) then ask for Gabapentin as opposed to narcotics. If you do get narcotics, ask for the "Slow release" formula for night. For day you can take the fast release and then divide the tablets into quarters -- you can then easily modify both the amount and timing of your doze. Ask for anti-inflammatories post week 3 (diclofenac, ibuprofen, many others). Muscle relaxants such as baclofen can help if you are getting spasms or tight muscles elsewhere

4. Supplements -- Squashpain had some good ideas. Calcium, Zinc, anti-ox (Vit E, C). Also a natural product called Zyflamend that helps with inflammation. I have been taking extra protein and also creatine . Collace and prune juice for regular bowel movements are a must -- specially if you use narcotics.

5. Walker/crutches -- Some of us found a walker useful in the first 2 weeks -- specially as an aid for getting out of bed or short trips. Mine is still parked near my bed. I was using crutches from day 3 and progressively increased my weight bearing as long as there was no pain or discomfort. My house is on 3 levels and I was up and down stairs post day 7.

6. Scar/surgery site -- started massage about 8 days post surgery (after stitches are out/scar is closed). Massage gently, across the scar (i.e. perpendicular to it) using vit E or other natural oil to gently loosen scar tissue. key is being gentle and progressive. Helps healing and improves scar. I have had other surgeries and this is really uncomfortable but very useful.

7. For your long journey -- a thought could be to ask them to catheter you so you don't have to go pee. this can be very easily removed once you get home. I would strongly consider that rather than worry about using contraptions or public toilets and getting in and out of cars. Also consider renting a cube van and a portable stretcher -- rather than being plonked in the back seat or in the rear.

These are just some thoughts. Use what you feel comfortable with -- its your body.

Let us know if we can help in any way or if we can answer any questions.

Khush

PS. Big milestone -- started driving again -- 3 weeks and 2 days post op. FREEDOM!!!

[sunluver12]

Great advice Khush. Congrats on driving! It just keeps getting better from here on out.

[tricializ]

I tackled BLEACHERS today. haha Kids had swimming and husband is in Germany. So I took them and walked in. One swim coach looked at me (I haven't been there since surgery) and said, "She walks!" haha I sat down (on one cheek) on the metal bleachers and make it about 1/2 hour before I had to just stand. But I thought I would never be able to sit on a bleacher again. Painful? yes But one more thing tackled.
haha
Khush; congrats on the driving. It feels good, huh? Just don't do too much (like I did)
Tricia

[Khush D]

I tackled BLEACHERS today. haha Kids had swimming and husband is in Germany. So I took them and walked in. One swim coach looked at me (I haven't been there since surgery) and said, "She walks!" haha I sat down (on one cheek) on the metal bleachers and make it about 1/2 hour before I had to just stand. But I thought I would never be able to sit on a bleacher again. Painful? yes But one more thing tackled.
haha
Khush; congrats on the driving. It feels good, huh? Just don't do too much (like I did)
Tricia

"Metal Bleachers"....!!

Tricia -- All I can say is hope you had something other than shorts on. Just the thought of cold metal on my incision gives me the heebee jeebies :-)

[tricializ]

The incision is healed fine. No worries with that. Pain is internal. Actually the scar is hardly noticeable. But I had pants on.
Tricia

[syl]

Khush i think you covered all the bases for Lynn and others who are just out of surgery. i think taking the supplements are one of the most important things we can do for ourselves, everyday not just during healing.
Congratulations on driving. i remember that being a big milestone. i remember thinking "yes i can drive because it was my left leg that was injured". But then i thought "okay i can drive but what will i do when i get there!!!"

[syl]

Tricia , sounds like you are moving along well. Good job sitting on those bleachers!!