Hip surgery around the corner..

[artywiz]

Hi Kate

trying to get follow up has been a joke really, had the hand written exercises from the physio on discharge from hospital (you know those, the basic 'keep your joint moving' stuff) Went to see the registrar for my 6 week check and he said I should just do general strengthening stuff........I was quite sarcastic and told him my degree was in social work not physio and how was I supposed to know what these exercises were!!! Hence the referral from that clinic...they seem to do stuff differently in each hospital...mine seems to do the utmost minimum ...... ( have a few 'issues' from my actual time on the ward too!)

I'm now off crutches, had my first 'proper' walk yesterday and to be honest it still feels as though I've got something 'stuck' in the joint, it's probably too soon to tell but at the moment I can't tell any difference and the surgery has really battered the bursa which is flared up all the time .......

I've also seen my GP who has referred me to the local gym so hopefully when I get my physio appt I can transfer the exercises to their so don't have to travel miles every week, it's useless trying to get to see my community physio as there's a 16 week wait!!!

Anyway less about grumpy old me, how's you ?

Liz

[oscarsmum]

Liz

Your situation sounds very familiar (unfotrtunately). I am having similar physio problems. I was given a referral from UCLH for local physio, GP could only offer community with a 6 week wait so I marched off to my local hospital and demanded (politely) physio. I managed to get in, but there isn't anyone there who knows what a PAO is, or how to treat it. They are terrified of touching me, and the only exercises I have been given, in addition to the ones from the consultant, are to strengthen my knee!
I am on full wb with one crutch but in lots of pain, and can't get an answer from anyone whether this is normal or not. It is starting to interfere with the physio, and I don't see the OS again until September. His sec is useless and doesn't return calls, I got through to her once ((via his private sec) and she sent my details to the London physios to get in touch but they never did. My local hospital has also spent 2 weeks trying to get in touch with them for a protocol to follow but they aren't getting any replies either.
I am pretty close to contacting the PALS at UCLH to complain. I am going to give it until Monday and if this pain continues that might be my next move. It feels like I'm not there now so no one is interested.I am going to let consultant know when I do see him.
Hope you get sorted soon,
Kate x

[artywiz]

Kate,

what a nightmare! It's like they just don't get it isn't it! I need to get back to work otherwise I start losing money however I have no confidence with pain levels at the moment and once I'm at work it's like a 1.5 hr journey home so I'll be stuffed! All I want is a professional assessment and someone to tell me how to go about doing the appropriate exercises.....not rocket science really! The registrar said I was where I should be with recovery (gp hasn't a clue because none of her patients have ever had this surgery) and I kinda feel guilty that I'm still in pain.....I also daren't tell em that my other hip is clunking like a goodun as they have a tendency to make you feel like a hyperchondriac! As far as contacting the OS goes.....I've seen him twice in the past 18months, every other time I've seen a registrar and they rotate every 6 months so you get a variety! all I want is a nice pain free sleep/walk/day....ho hum!

Mind you saw the xrays at the appointment, quite cool really, they have given me a round head of femur as opposed to the flat one I had earlier!

sorry think I'm having a bad day, what's all that about???

Just call me Eeyore

[Rayray]

I feel so sorry for both of you. After the disasters of the last few years things have gone right for me since surgery. Mr Norton did tell me to get a physio referral last March which was two months before surgery and it worked. If I hadn’t asked for the referral earlier I would have waited at least six weeks. I start hydrotherapy tomorrow at my local hospital although I have heard on the grapevine that it is closing for a refurb shortly.

Liz – I had an open debridement 8 weeks ago and I have to say (as I keep mentioning) the best strengthening exercise is definitely walking on the treadmill at the steepest incline – this strengthens the glutes and eliminates the limp. The other exercises I have don’t seem to be making the world of difference although I am doing them three times a day, in fact I rang the physios at the Duchy yesterday because I was concerned that I hadn’t met their target of dressing without aids – I can’t put lace up shoes or socks on at all as I can’t reach my toes. They said to give it another month so were pretty relaxed about it.

I am pretty well pain free. Yes my hip feels sore and weak but it is not real pain so I am very lucky.

Kate – ring Pals today don’t wait. I am disgusted with UCLH. Waiting won’t help and you may well find that your call generates action straight away. You are the one suffering and by waiting you are only hurting yourself. I am also concerned that the longer you take to start full rehab the longer it will take to recover. Please, please listen to Auntie Rayray.

[artywiz]

Cheers Rayray

am popping into gym later to chase up my referral, hopefully the physio appt will come through soon. Sorry if I seemed to be whinging, I'm not that bad but am a person who possibly has a habit of pushing myself too far It's possibly because I had a far better experience of follow up care after I had my spine fused 8 years ago that I keep comparing it ........ it's just a reflection on how far the NHS is being squeezed to meet deadlines and unfortunatly it's quite obvious that the quality of care is being lessened. i.e the ward I was on was usually a day ward but to meet targets was made to open 24/7 during the week, employing agency staff which weren't qualified to use PCA pumps therefore the one I was written up for never materialised and also having to wait 2 hours for assistance to empty my bladder after the spinal block (felt like I was going to explode!) little things but for recovery and for the patient are really big things (used to be a paramedic so know these things are not difficult to arrange!)

Oops juat realised we've hi-jacked someone elses thread...sorry!

I am improving tho and realise that in the UK we are lucky to have the NHS so not taking it too far.

Liz

[debs10]

Surgery officially scheduled for August 4th! I can't believe I'm finally getting it done... I dont know what to feel right now - shock, nervousness, excitement, relief, fear?

[oscarsmum]

Surgery officially scheduled for August 4th! I can't believe I'm finally getting it done... I dont know what to feel right now - shock, nervousness, excitement, relief, fear?

All of those things I should imagine! Don't worry its quite normal- I daren't tell friends how excited I was at the thought of having major surgery in case they thought I was crazy!
It is exciting though to think that after this you will be able to get on with your life, but its nervewracking and scary too!

Now you have a date you can start the pre surgery shopping and other preparations!

Don't worry, you will be fine!

Take care
Kate x

[NikkiNZ]

Hi debs10,

I am so happy for you that you have a surgery date! I understand what you have been through with the waiting and frustration. I am quite interested in your surgery as I had open dislocation surgery for FAI/Labral tears & bursitis last year - however I had the full surgery option with screws. I am booked to get my screws out on 27th August as we think it is causing a lot of my continued problems.

If I could have had the option without the cutting of the bone etc I would have gone for it - has your surgeon done many of these surgeries?

I know everyone's recovery is different - for me I am still not at work and it's just over a year since surgery, I had basic exercises after surgery and my first physio at 6 weeks post op - to minimise the chance of dislocation.

The one thing I can say it take it slowly - don't be in a rush and don't push over the edge, you want to make sure you have the best recovery possible

Make sure you have some satin pj's for when you have your operation - helps greatly when you moving on and off beds! Good luck and I hope you get relief

[debs10]

Thanks for your replies.. I've actually been following your progress on your blogs! Good luck with your screw removal... Hopefully that will indeed be the ticket to relieving your post-surgery problems.

I am excited for my surgery, but definitely stressed out!

Speaking of satin pj's and shopping before surgery... Anybody have an idea of where any threads or links are as to what I should be shopping for/bringing to the hospital? Trying to get as prepared as possible. I know there's a thread out there but can't seem to find it.

Thanks guys!

[NikkiNZ]

Thanks for your replies.. I've actually been following your progress on your blogs! Good luck with your screw removal... Hopefully that will indeed be the ticket to relieving your post-surgery problems.
I am excited for my surgery, but definitely stressed out!
Speaking of satin pj's and shopping before surgery... Anybody have an idea of where any threads or links are as to what I should be shopping for/bringing to the hospital? Trying to get as prepared as possible. I know there's a thread out there but can't seem to find it.
Thanks guys!

I know it sounds weird but I am excited about my next surgery too

1/ Make sure you get a haircut before hand ? makes it so much easier to manage in hospital and when you get home.

2/ Shave you legs, give yourself a good body scrub and keep moisturizer up in the week before ? make you feel better during recovery and the iodine they slop everywhere can make your skin dry and flaky in the weeks afterwards. I used Bio Oil on my skin & this really helped my scar to fade.

3/ Take Arnica Plus Spray by Naturo Pharm in the weeks leading up to your operation and in the weeks after ? 2/3 Sprays 3 times a day. This helped me hugely and I did not come out with any bruising ? only a little yellow where the stitches were. It helps your body heal naturally. I was amazed as expected to be hugely black & blue!

4/ Organise any home help for after surgery.

5/ If you can get a lazy boy/recliner do that or if you have one or know someone who has one see if you can borrow it as I slept in it for the first 3 weeks after surgery. It is so much better than the bed as I am able to get up myself and lie flat if I need to or shift the angle of the chair myself. Otherwise I don?t think I would have been able to get up or out of bed if I was on my own. Plus your not having to lift your leg in and out of bed and reduces the chance of slipping or straining the hip.

6/ Make sure you drink lots of water to help your muscles heal, stock up on magazines to read!

7/ BABY WIPES ? these have been wonderful, keep a pack in the toilet where you can reach as sometimes after the surgery when your trying to balance on the loo things don?t quite go right and this just helps clean and makes you feel much fresher lol till you can have a shower. Also keep a pack wherever you are during the day as they are handy to wipe hands etc. You can get some really nice smelling ones too!

8/ Once you have got the hang of your crutches and want to carry things I use a plastic bag and put things in and take them to the lounge with the bag on my crutches otherwise you don?t have any free hands and if your on your own it can be pretty frustrating not being able to carry things.

19/ Stock up on muffins and ready to eat foods ? things that you can pop in a bag and get on your own & easy to eat foods for during the night when you need to take pain killers.

10/ SHOWERING ? A detatchable shower head is a must ? as this helps a lot for the first few showers. I got away with not needing to have a hair wash till I got home and found it easiest with a $10 shower ext from The Warehouse & used it over the sink as it is much easier to lean forward than backwards after the op. Or if you have a shower with slider shower rose it would do the same job.

11/ Massage - if you can get someone to massage E Balme/antiflamme into your calf, foot and thigh (away from the cut) this will help circulation and the muscles to repair after surgery. Plus it feels great and helps you relax.

12/ Satin PJ's & Satin blankets. Satin PJ's help with moving on and off things & I manged to pickup a satin quilted blanket for around $20 and used this in the bed when I migrated from the lazy boy as it lets you slide in & out without straining your muscles & is sooo much easier. This is also useful when getting in & out of the car if you can lay the blanket on the seat before you get in it helps you slide in out with ease.

13/ Organise any aids like toilet seat raiser, couch raisers, long tongs for picking things up when you can't bend.

14/ Take to hospital - Babywipes & Face Wipes/Ear Plugs/Soft Tissues/Magazines/Moisturiser/PJ's - Favourite pillow if you have one

That's some of the main ones I have thought of and what has helped me after my surgeries. It may be an overkill but I like to be as prepaired as I can!! I am sure others have tips to add which will help you