Surgery scheduled

Just an update to say that I'm scheduled to have my abductor muscles sown back on at the end of June. Still waiting for the confirmation letter, but the 29th was mentioned. Not really thought about it much since being told I needed to have them surgically reattached. I suppose compared to the two previous hip surgeries this seems almost like a walk in the park! So that'll come back to bite me on the butt come the evening of the 29th June!!

I've been told that I should only need to take a week off work, can get back to driving after a few days (!! right leg), and I'll have to use one elbow crutch for 6 weeks minimum. We'll see regarding the driving! I do believe him on the rest after the resurfacing. I was told then that I could go back to work within two weeks - and I could have, but chose not to. Plus work told me not to, a month at least!

Anyhoo, got better things to do first, like a nice sunny holiday abroad with my other half!! :o)))

Ultrasound scan results

Last week I had an ultrasound scan on my right hip/thigh to check out my muscles for anything that could account for the excessive weakness I still have one year on from my resurfacing surgery.

During the scan it was obvious that my abductor muscle was not attached to the bone anymore. Sigh. Knowing full well what this would mean I decided not to speculate and wait on Mr. O's letter hopefully laying out 'what's next'. I got that letter today and it seems that we're just bypassing another consultation and going straight to surgery! As soon as I make the appointment. Big sigh.

In the letter: "The scans show that there is a small but significant detachment of parts of the gluteus medius and minimus [abductors] over the front and outer part of your right hip joint. The best treatment here would be for us to re-open the wound and re-attach these muscles using synthethic ligament material in order to get a really good attachment."

So, here we go again.... Round 4! Hopefully, as this surgery will not be as invasive as the resurfacing, it won't be so bad. Fingers crossed the detached muscles are still in good shape and haven't part-turned to fat (cos that won't help re-attachment!).

Nothing I can do, so, let's do it! Bring it on, I will shift this limp!!

Another Amendment!

Being disappointed the first time around they shifted my surgery date, then getting a letter stating it was 2 days later than what she told me on the phone, I decide this morning that with 2 weeks to go I'd call the hospital to confirm my date (again!). This time she said "oh that's odd you're the monday list not wednesday! I will call Mr. Orthopod's secretary right away to confirm".

Oh yes, the surgery date they told me on the phone orginially was correct and the letter was wrong! Which baffles me because you have to phone to confirm your bed, which I did and no one at that point told me that either the day or date was incorrect. I never had anything like this last time, I could have missed my surgery!

It will be on MONDAY 8th MARCH. I said "you'll forgive me if I call back next week to check!". Oh I will.....probably more than once....

Postponed with 1 week to go

I'm not a happy bunny today. The hospital rang to say that for whatever reason my orthopod will be out of town next week and has had to put my surgery back 2 weeks to the 8th March.

With 1 week to go, everything organised, I'm absolutely gutted. I didn't realise how much of a toll this takes on you emotionally until I got that phonecall. Three more weeks of this pain! Urgh. The cortisone has worn off and I'm painfully reminded of why I'm having this surgery. When it's only 1 week to go you tell yourself it doesn't matter it won't be long. But when the goal posts shift unexpectly at the last minute, your heart sinks at having to put up with the pain and subconscious anxiety for even a minute longer than you thought you'd have to.

I know I will feel better in the morning. I guess I'm just going to have to occupy myself the next couple of weekends with something that takes my mind off this. I'm also going to be phoning the hospital a week in advance of this new date to double check. Mr. O'Hara said that only he would do this surgery, that his registrars weren't competent to do the procedure on me - I'm sure they are competent surgeons, but BHR surgery has a very very steep learning curve, and that's on regular hips, not dysplasic ones like mine! I'll wait however long for Mr. O'Hara, but I don't have to like it..... :o(

AMENDMENT: I got the letter through from the hospital this morning (tuesday), the surgery is on the 10th March. Harumph, another 2 days!

Inspiration

I found a patient video online earlier that just makes me want my BHR tomorrow. I hope its even half as good for me:

http://www.surfacehippyinfo.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=350&Itemid=30

I did winch a little watching the part where he gets out of bed for the first time as that still evokes the strongest memory for me after my PAO. The physio's came round that morning, after 3 days of lying flat in bed being pumped full of morphine and goodness know's what else. They manhandled me into a sitting position (well, I couldn't do it myself) and lowered my legs over the side of the bed. I wasn't in any pain, the epidural was still in and morphine was still swimming about my system. I couldn't feel anything below my waist on the right hand side and I was completely freaked out by it - and the zimmer frame right in front of me (!!). At that point I promptly threw up and started crying. Apparently this is normal and in hindsight, thats the worst part, not the surgery, but the first time out of bed.

I am being honest when I say I'm not nervous about the surgery. But until now, I just haven't mentioned that I'm nervous about the first time out of bed. I survived once, I'll survive again!! And if this patient is anything to go by, it's not going to be 3-4months on crutches! :o)

Surgery date

Well, I wasn't expecting this for a while after they told me the earliest was the beginning of April. I got the letter through this morning saying that I'm booked in for my BHR surgery on the 22nd February in Birmingham. I'm happy that its sooner rather than later if I'm honest, even if it means re-gigging my work/job hunting activities forward a month or so.

Yey!

No rest for the pain patient

I've just this weekend returned from a glorious weeks holiday in Spain. It was bliss - the heat was great, the food was better, and I was off my feet for most of the week! Normally being off my feet would help any hip aches and pains, but not this time. And arriving back into the beginning of autumnal UK weather yesterday has left my hip joint screaming at me (because I can't think of anything else that could have set it off? I haven't been out anywhere except the supermarket).

I'm beginning to think that I might have a bigger problem that anticipated. I know I will just have to wait until I see my orthopod and there's no point in speculating until the point where I wind myself up mentally. There's not much to be done about it right now - except rest and light exercise (time to put the dancing shoes away til next time eh? ;o)). It's in these moments that I just want to ask him to resurface or replace the joint because I'm fed up to the back teeth of the constant ache (inbetween the severe pain of putting your full weight through the joint when walking). I'm stubborn and refuse to use an aid - it has crossed my mind, but I also know that its a slippery slope to becoming dependent.

I was given a 70% chance of my PAO (periacetabular osteotomy) working out for me long term - 4 yrs on and I'm thinking I may fall in the 30%. I was informed that the procedure of reshaping the femur head in addition to the PAO has only been done in a handful of people in the world and in the last 5 yrs (prior to my surgery in 2005). But the PAO couldn't have been done without reshaping the femur head as it had aquired a strange compressed ovaloid shape, presumably from the hip socket being so shallow and flattening it slowly over time. Also, if I didn't correct the postition on the socket within the pelvis, I might not be eligible for a resurfacing in the future as often a hip dysplasia requires the resurfacing ball and socket combined with a pin (see picture). As far as I know the pin to to aid stability and allow bone growth into that area, thus covering the prostheses better.


Fingers crossed something can be done when I visit my orthopod. The way it feels right now, I'd probably agree to anything!

Appointments booked

I am very impressed with the NHS right now. After I told my GP I wanted to see my old orthopod down at the ROHB, I got an appointment for the 17th Nov - just 2 months, and they were apologising to me for it being such a long wait (I've waited 6 months before, I'd forgotten how good the ROHB were). I'm also booked in for a CT scan and regular X-ray on the 12th Oct. I was a little taken aback by the request for the CT scan, but I guess they don't want to pussyfoot around something as serious as this. And, of course, the less time I have to wait the better!

I'm having the biggest deja vu right now.