Two weeks home from the hospital today! It seems like years since I was vomiting uncontrollably, in horrific pain and really thinking that I might die. I feel pretty solid, considering. I am holding down food, getting around the house on the crutches pretty stealthily, and back to generally positive spirits. I've even started crafting a little!
I had my 2 weeks follow up with Dr. Santore last Friday. Two weeks since the surgery, and he is pleased with my current condition. He says I look "Wonderful!"
(A note about Dr. Santore: he is a VERY busy man. He is not only one of the most highly respected surgeons in his field, he is also a sought after teacher of this updated PAO procedure and cutting edge hip replacements. In addition, he is the Chief of Staff at Sharp Hospital (where I had my surgery), as well as the Chief of Staff of All Chief's of Staff in San Diego County. He is like God of all medicine, and he is giving me new hips. The point is, he can sometimes be very blunt, direct, and swift in meetings, but also somehow always finds a way to make you feel important and safe. It gives me great confidence to know I am being cared for by the best, and I highly recommend him to anyone in need of joint surgery.)
I wanted to try to spend a night at my Dad's house in San Diego after my appointment with Dr. Santore. My only concern was that my toilet chair would not fit in his little bathroom. (A regular toilet is too low for someone who just had hip surgery. There is an adjustable chair contracption that sits over a regular toilet, that has handles, and it necessary for any recovering PAO patient) If the stupid chair didn't fit, I would have to turn around and go back to Temecula! So Mom and I load up the car with my wheelchair, the toilet chair, crutches, bag, body pillow and grabber, and we drive the hour from Temecula to San Diego. I decide to crutch into his office, to show him just how well I'm doing, even though I had not crutched that far yet. I made it! Then we had to go downstairs to get x-rays. I was not going to make it! So we borrowed a wheelchair to go down to the x-ray place which is PACKED. So a 30-40 min goes by to get these x-rays, and as we are leaving, Dr. Santore is racing through the halls with his suit jacket flying behind him ( he always wears nice suits. He says "You don't want your surgeon coming into the operating room looking like he just got off of a motorcycle!") looking for us. He has a Chief of Staff meeting in 15 minutes!
Great. We won't have time for all those questions I wanted to ask. Most of them I remember answers from last time, but I wanted to be reminded. So we are racing through the halls, Mom pushing me in the chair, behind Dr. Santore who is holding my x-rays up to the light and exclaiming "These look wonderful! Really great!" I'm freaked out because this time you can actually SEE where the pelvis was broken, and how the screws are holding the whole thing together. We get into the elevator, miss our floor (Dr. Santore is so anxious to get to his meeting!) and pick up people on every floor down, as he pulls out one particularly disturbing side view of my hips. "Looks like you fell on a nail gun!" he shouts. I want to tell him that is how I feel too, but I just want to get out of this elevator and try to fit in as much information into the next 10 minutes as possible.
We finally get to the office, and he examines me. I'm doing really great, have a lot of flexibility and very little nerve damage. This time is much different than the last. I still have surgery pain, and some of it is similar to how it was before, but I can feel that the muscles around the hips are not inflamed and throbbing anymore. I can move my knee up and down, which I could not do for a long time after my first PAO. I am free to do rolling in and out movement of the leg and building quad movements, but he still wants a lot of rest to allow the bone to heal. Now that I can SEE what he is talking about, I want to give it as much time as it needs to not look so freaky. Another 5 weeks until I can start light pool therapy. 5-6 weeks on crutches, and then I can start putting a little weight on it and move to one crutch.
I also want to make a note about time. It is very important not to give yourself a specific time frame for each little thing. Everyone heals differently, and one part of it may take a little longer than you want it to. Its OK! During my first PAO, I thought I would be 100% healed and walking freely after 12 weeks. When at 12 weeks I was still very heavily reliant on a cane, I thought there was something WRONG with me. I healed slowly for a typical Santore patient, but it was just how it was. Now, after 10 months, my left hip feels strong, pain free, and like a REAL hip. It is important to allow your body whatever time it needs, to set this procedure right, so you can be free to have many, many solid, pain free years ahead.
So it turns out the toilet chair FIT! and I got to spend the night at Dad's house. He wheeled me down the block to a yummy Thai restaurant, where we sat outside (just wheel me up, instead of having to navigate wheelchair inside) and then went across the street for handmade ice cream. It was great to get outside and do something that resembles real life for a change.
So I am still healing, but have very little damage to other parts around the hip area. They changed my medication from Percocet (which is oxycodone with Tylenol) to just oxycodone (no Tylenol). Studies show Tylenol eats your liver, which is good to know after taking this medication daily for a year. Sheesh. I need to go on a dynamo liver cleanse when this is all over. For now, I jam pack the vitamins and meds like candy.
2 weeks and going strong!
One of the most crucial tools for hip surgery recovery, is a raised toilet. After surgery, it is very hard to bend at the waist, and to squat or sit. Also, it is a good idea to have handles and something sturdy to rely on when using the bathroom. This model is adjustable, fits over any standard sized toilet, and can also double as a bedside commode, which may be necessary in the first week.
This amazing contraption is a simple basket with rope. It is so useful to move things around in. It is especially handy for moving food items from the kitchen to where you will eat them. Since you will be on crutches for 8 weeks, both hands will be occupied. With this little helper, you can slip the rope around your wrist and drag your stuff behind you from room to room.
This is a standard bed tray, with openings for books and magazines. This is super useful for a variety of things, especially using the computer. Your lap will be sensitive, so you probably won't be resting things directly on you. You will also be spending a lot of time in bed, so it is just a nice helpful tool for bed activities.
These are standard crutches, that will be your 5th and 6th limbs for the next few months. You will go no where without them! You may use a walker for the first week or two, and a wheelchair for longer excursions, but the crutches are the main walking accessory. I put on sheepskin covers for the hands and under the arms, as these areas can become calloused and chafed due to overuse. Some people use padded gloves with their crutches, which is another comfort option.
This is an apron that I decorated after my first surgery. It is extremely helpful for carrying my personal items with me around the house. I carry my cell phone, chapstick, and meds in the pouches regularly, and then still have space for any other item that I may have to bring along.