surgery done!

[ibreakhearts66]

had my hip fixed this morning at 6.30 am. the anesthesiologist was absolutely incredible. literally did not feel a thing when he put me under.

woke up miserable. i was shivering uncontrollably and in horrible pain. my mom says i got two shots in the butt, but i have no recollection of them lol! i'm thinking i got dilaudid, but i'm really not sure. the nurse also gave me a percocet, but i was so out of it, i thought it was another cracker and started chewing it!

they gave me a nerve block in my hip, but it hasnt helped at all. or at least i hope it hasnt. if i'm in this much pain with a nerve block, i dont wanna think about how bad the pain is gonna be in a few hours 8O. the nerve block has sure numbed the front of my leg tho. its pretty funny...if i want to move/bend my leg, i have to do it by hand.

i don't know exactly what he did, but i know he did a labral repair (like he actually reattached it to the bone) and took out pieces of bone to improve the shape of my socket.

the pictures of the joint were pretty gnarly. i guess i'd worn out a decent amount of cartilage, because it was like a snow storm inside there! besides the repairable tear, all of the cartilage just looked fringed and yucky.

i'll be on crutches for 4-6 weeks and back on the ice in 3 months. he said that there is chance that i can start working on non-impact stuff (moves anyone?) at 8 weeks if i have good range of motion, so keep your fingers crossed for me! physical therapy starts in a week 8O

anyways, i'll update every now and then. i don't know that anyone is really interested, but even if no one reads this, i'll be able to look back and track my progress

[Buzzz]

Nice to hear everything went well. Take care of yourself and hope you recover soon. Don't go to any all night parties ok?! ;)

[LilJen]

Let the recovery begin!! Don't overdo it. Enjoy the newly refurbished hip and the new year!

[Isk8NYC]

Hope you have an uneventful recovery and that the pain goes away quickly as you recover and heal.

[Patsy]

Hang in there and do *exactly* what your docs and physical therapist tell you to do . . . . no more, no less . . . .

Hope the pain gets more controlled . . . . after all the hacking and slaying the joint has just gotten, it's no wonder it HURTS! However, "drugs are our friends"

[herniated]

Hope you feel better soon!!! I had surgery Dec 4th. It was only a hernia repair not nearly as serious as your hip but it does feel awful when you wake up. Really awful. You will probably feel yucky for several days. Bleach!

Try to take it easy. Let us all know your progress!!

[jpeach]

Hang in there and do *exactly* what your docs and physical therapist tell you to do . . . . no more, no less . . . .

Hope the pain gets more controlled . . . . after all the hacking and slaying the joint has just gotten, it's no wonder it HURTS! However, "drugs are our friends"DITTO!!!! to all of this...

...and good recovery to you!

[Morgail]

Ibreakhearts66 was scheduled to have hip surgery on New Year's Eve, I believe. Hope the surgery went well, and best wishes for your recovery :D Get that hip better so you can skate again soon!

ETA: Thanks to whoever moved this! I completely missed this thread:)

[Sessy]

that's a nasty time to be scheduled for surgery. On the other hand, you can go into the new year with a new hip, hoping for the best.

Best wishes all of you!

[coskater64]

As someone who has had your surgery let me tell-- you to take it easy. It's very hard to do moves if you have no range of motion and you leg strength over the next 4-6 weeks will weaken so you'll have to build that back up. Of course you are much younger than I was so you should recover faster. Have they put you on a bike yet? Who is your surgeon?

I am sure you will be fine, just take it easy and don't overdo things.

Good luck, take care.

[myste12]

Good to hear that your surgery is over, hope you have a quick recovery!

[ibreakhearts66]

thanks so much to everyone!
and sorry to the mods if i posted in the wrong place. i was torn between posting it in NSD and on ice, so, thanks for moving it!

last night was rough. i think it was a combo of my pain meds and my other meds, but it made me so sick. i was pathetic, throwing up, but couldn't get up to get the bathroom. luckily i had put in towel in my room just in case. i was pretty proud, managed to get it all on the towel, and not the floor around me. went through 3 towel 8O but now i look like a total chipmunk. my eyes are suuper swollen and so are my cheeks. plus i think i burst some of the capillaries around my eyes bc i have red splotches on my eyelids and under my eyes.

i think i'm going to brace the outside world today...maybe go to target. i'll look like a total weirdo (you guys should see my face!), but hey, i need to get out of the freakin house :frus:

thanks again to all of you for your kind comments! you guys are the best

[ibreakhearts66]

As someone who has had your surgery let me tell-- you to take it easy. It's very hard to do moves if you have no range of motion and you leg strength over the next 4-6 weeks will weaken so you'll have to build that back up. Of course you are much younger than I was so you should recover faster. Have they put you on a bike yet? Who is your surgeon?

I am sure you will be fine, just take it easy and don't overdo things.

Good luck, take care.

no they haven't put me on a bike yet. i start PT at 1-week post-op, so probably monday. my surgeon is Dr. Guanche. He is incredible. He is one of the best surgeons in the world when it comes to hip arthroscopies. From what I understand, my surgeon and your surgeon (your were treated by dr Philippon, right?) are two of the best in the world when it comes to this stuff.

[herniated]

ibreakhearts... you aren't driving yourself to Target? Are you? I hope not.8O I know I couldn't drive well for at least 3 days. And I wasn't on any meds.

[ibreakhearts66]

no not driving myself. being chauffeured around by my mom :)

[sk8pics]

Good luck with your recovery! Hang in there, it will get better. And yes, do exactly what your doc and PT tell you. I wonder if they will put you on the arm bike, too. That is a killer...

[doubletoe]

Ibreakhearts, you are incredible! :bow: Between your great doctor and our resident Hip Surgery Expert (CoSkater!), you seem to be in good hands, so I'm sure you will recover beautifully.

By the way, I am also marveling at the dedication of your surgical team, who were up bright and early for surgery so early in the morning the day after New Year's! :lol:

[herniated]

no not driving myself. being chauffeured around by my mom :)

Good. Didn't think you'd even be physically able to drive but just checking. The mommy in me I guess. Hope I didn't offend.:oops: Continue to feel better and hope you are not so sick to your stomach still. That stinks.

[Skate@Delaware]

I hope you have a speedy recovery! Take your meds on schedule-don't wait for the pain to get bad before you take them. Be sure you snack a bit throughout the day it might help prevent the nausea from building.

It sounds like you are in great hands! Although I'm sure you are going stir crazy! it will get better.

[ibreakhearts66]

Good. Didn't think you'd even be physically able to drive but just checking. The mommy in me I guess. Hope I didn't offend.:oops: Continue to feel better and hope you are not so sick to your stomach still. That stinks.

of course you didn't offend! i think it is so sweet of all of you to be so concerned.

[ibreakhearts66]

Ibreakhearts, you are incredible! :bow: Between your great doctor and our resident Hip Surgery Expert (CoSkater!), you seem to be in good hands, so I'm sure you will recover beautifully.

By the way, I am also marveling at the dedication of your surgical team, who were up bright and early for surgery so early in the morning the day after New Year's! :lol:

ahh no no no, it was the day BEFORE new years lol. oh man, 6.30 am surgery new years day would have been...interesting.

[kayskate]

My husband had a hip replacement July 06 (the day before I broke my ankle). I know this is a different procedure, but he recovered very quickly and was driving w/in a few wks. He used to walk w a cane and is now able-bodied.

The first surgery I had (15+ yrs ago), the anesthesia made me so sick. I thought I was going to die, not literally of course. I've had 3 other surgeries since and never had a problem. Percocet is good stuff for pain. BTW, none of my surgeries were skating related.

Congrats on your surgery . I wish you a quick recovery and the happiness of skating again.

Kay

[Moto Guzzi]

Best wishes to you for a quick and complete recovery!

Please keep us updated on your progress. One of my coworkers needs hip surgery but has been refusing to consider it because she's afraid of being incapacitated. Now she can barely walk. Personally, I would rather be on crutches for six weeks to 2 months than risking being in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. She is considerably older than you, but perhaps reading about your recovery will help to convince her to have her surgery.

Get lots of rest and don't try to do too much too soon. I hope your pain is better today.

[doubletoe]

ahh no no no, it was the day BEFORE new years lol. oh man, 6.30 am surgery new years day would have been...interesting.

Oh, GOOD! 6:30am Jan 1st or 2nd might have given you a drowsy surgeon. . . Wouldn't want that! 8O

[Mrs Redboots]

Glad to hear you're as okay as can be expected! Look after yourself and DON'T try to do too much this week - give yourself a chance to heal. Although you should, I suspect, be feeling a lot better today - it tends to take 3/4 days for the shock to wear off.

I believe you have to be very careful for about 6 weeks after hip surgery, to give the muscles a chance to heal.

[wasabi]

Did they send you home with that knee movement thing? Maybe coskater knows what it's called -- I'm sure she had to use it too. I don't like to take pain meds, and I found that basically sleeping with my leg being moved around by the thing really, really helped with the pain. And are you on crutches? Make sure you're using them correctly -- don't let your free leg/hip swing as you normally would, because it will hurt A LOT!

[coskater64]

Your right my doc was Philippon, so you just had the cartlidge repaired right? In a few days they should give you a transcript that tells you what you had done. Philippon puts you on a bike about 1-2 hours after you wake up from surgery. I had to wear this ghastly brace that attached to my waist, thigh and knee that stopped me from break 90 degrees of flexion at the hip, I also had that fun little knee bendy/hip bendy machine for 8 weeks and these little fun things that poofed on my feet. Did you get any of that stuff? Are you using regular underarm crutches or forearm crutches? Forearm are easier for longer periods of time especially if you have good core strength. They also let you move a little easier and you can accessorize them. Do you have to wear TED's I hated those things, 8 weeks. It's good that you are getting out, driving will be a while all the doctors have different protocols. Just make sure to follow them...

Take care, heal well!!

[herniated]

To ibreakhearts- off topic. Thanks for letting all of us know on a previous post about Carrie Jones skating dresses. My next dress will be through her. I have already spoken to her regarding the fit and Carrie was VERY nice.

Hope today was better for you!:)

[ibreakhearts66]

Your right my doc was Philippon, so you just had the cartlidge repaired right? In a few days they should give you a transcript that tells you what you had done. Philippon puts you on a bike about 1-2 hours after you wake up from surgery. I had to wear this ghastly brace that attached to my waist, thigh and knee that stopped me from break 90 degrees of flexion at the hip, I also had that fun little knee bendy/hip bendy machine for 8 weeks and these little fun things that poofed on my feet. Did you get any of that stuff? Are you using regular underarm crutches or forearm crutches? Forearm are easier for longer periods of time especially if you have good core strength. They also let you move a little easier and you can accessorize them. Do you have to wear TED's I hated those things, 8 weeks. It's good that you are getting out, driving will be a while all the doctors have different protocols. Just make sure to follow them...

Take care, heal well!!

i had the cartilage repaired, but i also had some bone removed. i'm not sure what the details on that are, but he had to take out some bone to keep my hip moving properly. man, i can't imagine being put on a bike a few hours after surgery! luckily i'm not stuck in one of those braces. i asked him if he braced, and he said he hadn't found one he liked (or something like that). i don't have the machine either (i think it's called a CPM or continuous passive motion machine). i just have the thigh high TED hose. i'm using underarm crutches. i thought about asking for forearm crutches, but, oh well, these work fine.



i got out a little bit today. i went to the house of Lindy Z to pick up a jacket. I'm so excited. It's nice and warm :) Then i crutched around a couple stores for a bit. Didn't buy anything, but it was nice to get out. I was wiped afterwards, and fell asleep in the car on the way back. Then i got home and slept some more. that pretty much summed up my day lol.

the pain is still kinda bad, but i also haven't been taking much when it comes to pain meds. i'm still pretty nervous to take anything after my night of throwing up. i'm mostly trying to manage the pain by icing. i have a really high pain tolerance, so i can get away with not taking meds. i know it would be better for me to not be in pain, but i cannot take another night of throwing up. i don't think the throwing up was even caused by my pain meds, i think it was from a different medication, but i still can't help but be scared.

i'm hoping to stop by the rink tomorrow and say hi to everyone. being stuck in the house is so boring!

[SkatingOnClouds]

Oh man, that puts my 2 week wait to get back on ice (summer holiday) in perspective.

Hang in here girl, and remember that by giving your body the time it needs to heal, you are going to come back even stronger! Don't rush things, you're worth it!:D

[Mrs Redboots]

Gosh, you have real pirate crutches?! I'd love to see them... here, elbow crutches are the norm and have been for at least the past 45 years.

[Morgail]

Gosh, you have real pirate crutches?! I'd love to see them... here, elbow crutches are the norm and have been for at least the past 45 years.

That's really interesting. I used the crutches that go under your arms; I've never seen any other kind than those! I'm off to find pictures of elbow crutches so I can see what they look like:)

ETA: I just found pictures - I have seen elbow crutches before, but only used by people who need them for very long periods of time (like people with lifetime walking disabilities). I wonder why...maybe they're more expensive than underarm crutches...

[coskater64]

Elbow crutches are much easier than "pirate" crutches, I broke my outer metatarsel in college and had a cast and "pirate" crutches, in college, in the winter in Missouri. Not fun...I remembered them and went for the elbow.

It sounds like you had an impingment, a small bony growth that was causing an issue with the range of movement. From what I understand -- not that uncommon, the bike is not hard especially if the spinal block from the surgery is still working. My block stopped about 10 minutes into my 20 minute bike ride so it was only partially easy.

You will get tired easily for about a month, sleep a lot, drink lots of water and even if you aren't hungry try to nibble on healthy foods. I learned how to eat those little oranges during the first surgery.


Sounds like you are doing well, be careful and follow your doctors directions.
I have heard the MKwan is back to 100% after her surgery with Philippon even though it took a while to come back, she had the labral tear as well. She had her surgery the same day as a judge I know, late August of last year.

:) :)

[Sessy]

I had pirate ones too with my broken ankle this summer.

[ibreakhearts66]

It sounds like you had an impingment, a small bony growth that was causing an issue with the range of movement. From what I understand -- not that uncommon, the bike is not hard especially if the spinal block from the surgery is still working. My block stopped about 10 minutes into my 20 minute bike ride so it was only partially easy.


yeah, i had a mixture of CAM and pincer (ok this is a mouthful) femoroacetabular impingement. basically the ball of the joint wasn't shaped properly so it rubbed and the socket covered too much of the femoral head, leading to the labrum being pinched and torn. so i think he shaved down the socket and reshaped the femoral head. or at least that's what the plan was.

i can't believe your block wore off so quickly! i had a nerve block put into the front of my hip, in the groin area, and 4.5 days later, i still don't quite have full sensation. my thigh was totally numb about 2 days. the inside of my leg is still a little numb.

[wasabi]

i can't believe your block wore off so quickly! i had a nerve block put into the front of my hip, in the groin area, and 4.5 days later, i still don't quite have full sensation. my thigh was totally numb about 2 days. the inside of my leg is still a little numb.

Do you mean you don't have sensation when you touch the skin? That's common after surgery and not part of nerve block. I don't remember ever getting it with my hip, but I got it with my knee surgery, and honestly, it never went away. It doesn't bother me -- when I touch the skin over the incisions, it just kind of feels like it's asleep. Is this what you're feeling, or is it more like when you get numbed up at the dentist's? I can't imagine a nerve block given for a relatively short surgery would last that long!

CoSkater -- mine wore off before the bike! The nurse basically had to force feed me a vicodin.

[ibreakhearts66]

no i mean the whole leg. i couldn't fire my quads for about 36 hours. i was totally numb from the hip to about the ankle. even now, if i touch along the inside of my thigh down toward the knee, the sensation isn't completely back.

i don't think it's that abnormal tho. the surgical nurse told me that no matter what surgery they did (repair/debridement), i could not put any weight on my leg for at least 4 days because of the block. also, the post-surgical instructions said the same thing. i guess it was just the type of block and where they put it in? i know my block for my ankle lasted a while too. it lasted like 36 hours

[ibreakhearts66]

guess i'll do a daily update since i seem to have a few interested readers :halo:

so i stopped by the rink today. that was really nice. i was only there for about 45 minutes, but it was great seeing everyone. it was really sweet, my coach had planned on driving home and bringing a puppy to the rink for me to play with (she has a bunch of puppies that she's adopting out), and she lives like and hour each way from the rink. i wasn't able to stay, but she was even thinking about bringing the puppy to my house for a bit (and i live 30 minutes from the rink in the OPPOSITE direction). she didn't end up coming because it's pouring rain, but it made me feel good that she was even willing to think about doing that for me.

being at the rink also made me kind of sad tho. its just frustrating for me. i had a knee and ankle surgery previously (soccer injuries) and was off the ice for about 2.5 years. i fought really hard when i came back in august to get better, and i'm just so scared that it'll all be gone again when i come back. but, then again, it's also comforting to know that if i could get back to double axels in a few months after being off the ice for a few years, being off for a couple months shouldn't hold me back too much. also, my skating in the past few months has been hampered by my hip. so hopefully skating will be a lot less painless. i still have a bad left hip (same condition), but my right was the really painful one.

so i came home from the rink, napped for a couple hours (as usual) then got up. the pain flared up really badly around 7.00, so i took to the couch, covered my hip in ice packs, took a codeine, and watched my scrubs dvd :lol: love that show. now its like 11.45 and i'm bored out of my mind :frus: i could always go to sleep, but hey, what fun would that be

tomorrow i'm gonna go visit a couple friends in the hospital (eating disorder unit :cry:) and maybe go to the mall with my sister. we're both injured, so it's perfect, neither of us could last long anyways.


thanks again for all of the kind words

[coskater64]

It sounds like you are doing well, while I have done all this it has been mostly by myself, I didn't have any family nearby but I did have help.

That sounds painful, the pinching of the labral...

One of the things I have learned over the last few years is how different circumstances equal different outcomes. Some doctors use a larger block, my surgery was only supposed to last 2 hours, it lasted 7 so my block was probably appropriate for the smaller surgery. I was very lucky in having little nausea and little pain in both surgeries, until the end of July 07 then I started to have massive pain and when I stopped taking meds all together about 3 weeks prior to the second, wanted to see how bad it really was...bad.

It sounds like you are doing very well, around 3 weeks people usually get some depression, don't worry it's normal. You just have to look to the future and having a hip that works.

You should look for an FAI or Labral tear forum, that might help you get a better idea of what to expect from a variety of different view points. I read a forum called surface hippy and it lets me see what can be a warning sign of something major or just a pattern of behavior I want to avoid.

I also got the e-mail of my doctor's nurse and I e-mail her about 2 x a months and she gives me advice on what to keep doing and what isn't a good idea. I did the same with Dr Philippon's staff.

Take care, nap heavily!!

[ibreakhearts66]

It sounds like you are doing well, while I have done all this it has been mostly by myself, I didn't have any family nearby but I did have help.

That sounds painful, the pinching of the labral...

One of the things I have learned over the last few years is how different circumstances equal different outcomes. Some doctors use a larger block, my surgery was only supposed to last 2 hours, it lasted 7 so my block was probably appropriate for the smaller surgery. I was very lucky in having little nausea and little pain in both surgeries, until the end of July 07 then I started to have massive pain and when I stopped taking meds all together about 3 weeks prior to the second, wanted to see how bad it really was...bad.

It sounds like you are doing very well, around 3 weeks people usually get some depression, don't worry it's normal. You just have to look to the future and having a hip that works.

You should look for an FAI or Labral tear forum, that might help you get a better idea of what to expect from a variety of different view points. I read a forum called surface hippy and it lets me see what can be a warning sign of something major or just a pattern of behavior I want to avoid.

I also got the e-mail of my doctor's nurse and I e-mail her about 2 x a months and she gives me advice on what to keep doing and what isn't a good idea. I did the same with Dr Philippon's staff.

Take care, nap heavily!!

i'm sorry you had no family around, that's really rough. if i were around, i would have helped, just so ya know :)

i've been looking around a little bit for some forums. when i was having knee issues i was part of kneeguru.co.uk, which is brilliant. the email is a good idea too.

-----------------------

so today started out well but ended not so great. i visited two of my friends in the hospital, and it was nice seeing them. it makes me sad to see them struggling (both are patients on the eating disorder unit), but i love them to death and am happy to give them any support i can. one of the girls has had a really rough few years and doesn't have any family support, so i know how important it is to visit her. getting to the hospital was a little difficult...i had to crutch up-hill slightly. but it was nice to get a little exercise!

so i came home, watched some figure skating :) :) :) and napped :) :) :)

when i woke up i went to a friends house, but ended up leaving pretty quickly. my leg and hip were really bothering me. since then i've been home and i've been in pretty bad pain. i'm a little nervous, because i think it might be nerve pain. i still don't have full sensation along the inside of my leg. there are even a few patches of total numbness down closer to my knee. now i'm having pretty bad burning, stabbing pain down my outer-thigh and into my knee. i'm trying not to think about it too much, but it's definitely nagging in the back of my mind. my mom and i decided that if i still have numbness on monday we'll call the doctor.


well, my dad is coming tomorrow! i'm really excited. he's lived in new york the past 4 or 5 years and i only see him a few times a year for about a week. i haven't seen him since september or so. he's moving out for about 6 months! also, a friend is coming over and we're just gonna hang out and watch movies. i think i've been on my feet...well, foot...a little too much the past couple days, so maybe that's why my hip is bugging me. i'm just gonna rest tomorrow.

school starts monday...not quite sure how that is going to go. sitting in the car still gets me pretty sore, and classes are 1.5 hours. hopefully codeine will get me through it, because i'm not quite sure how attentive i'd be if i had to take percocets LOL

[herniated]

Hope today you are feeling better! And hope you do not have long days at school. That can be grueling. I didn't have what you are going through but when I was in college (1000 yrs ago) I herniated a disc in my lower back. (Hence my online name :D ) Anyway, I couldn't move my right leg at all, had to call an ambulance - from the dorm- . I couldn't go to class for about two days and then I was on crutches. And in agony. Don't know how I did it but my teachers were great giving me time to make up work ect. I even had a dance class!! The teacher was great though, I still got a good grade even though I couldn't dance for about 4 weeks.

[ibreakhearts66]

Hope today you are feeling better! And hope you do not have long days at school. That can be grueling. I didn't have what you are going through but when I was in college (1000 yrs ago) I herniated a disc in my lower back. (Hence my online name :D ) Anyway, I couldn't move my right leg at all, had to call an ambulance - from the dorm- . I couldn't go to class for about two days and then I was on crutches. And in agony. Don't know how I did it but my teachers were great giving me time to make up work ect. I even had a dance class!! The teacher was great though, I still got a good grade even though I couldn't dance for about 4 weeks.

that does not sound good. is your back doing better now?

teachers at my school are great. we're a very--sports orientated school. la times once called us a sports camp with a school attached. so the teachers are very used to dealing with injured students. also, a few years back i was in the hospital for a number of months and they were all incredibly sweet. but yeah, i'm also in a dance class (well musical theater, but half the class is singing and half dancing) and the teacher has been great. she'll just have me do some written work to make up points.

-----------------------------------------------
so i had school today. :roll: :roll: woke up bright and early (for me) and got ready. well, in the chaos of returning to school, i forgot my pain meds! by about 20 minutes into first period my hip was not feeling good. i got through the day, but it was not fun.

still having weird pain. but i'm going to physical therapy tomorrow so hopefully we can figure something out. i'm also going to try to get an appointment with the surgeon because i still have so much numbness

[herniated]

Yes. My back is muuccchhh better. I don't have a herniated disc anymore now they are degenerating!!! Fun. The discs can reabsorb over time and with age. Also with age most people have denerating discs. My back has gotten better with A.R.T technique. I talked about it in previous thread. Thanks for asking. And, am glad school is sports oriented!! Feel better today and good luck in PT.

[coskater64]

It sounds like you are doing well, do you have a large bruise from the surgery. Mine was HUGE, on the front of my leg, jet black from side to side on the front about 6" down the leg, it took months to heal. I didn't have much numbness, I found Indomethacin to be a good medicine, and if I wanted to veg out I would take Vicodin. Percocet did nothing for me, don't forget your medicine again, it sounds like you have a good situation with your school.

Keep up the good work!!

[ibreakhearts66]

It sounds like you are doing well, do you have a large bruise from the surgery. Mine was HUGE, on the front of my leg, jet black from side to side on the front about 6" down the leg, it took months to heal. I didn't have much numbness, I found Indomethacin to be a good medicine, and if I wanted to veg out I would take Vicodin. Percocet did nothing for me, don't forget your medicine again, it sounds like you have a good situation with your school.

Keep up the good work!!

i actually have virtually no bruising. i have a little brusing next to the incisions, but that's it. i expected a lot, especially since they did work with the bone. neither percocet nor vicodin do much for me in terms of pain, but vicodin has made me sick to the stomach the last two times i've taken it. that may actually be coincidence (the first time was a larger dose than i had been used to, and the second time i may have actually gotten sick from my rls meds), but i'm not too anxious to find out. percocet just makes me dopey.
--------------------------------------------------------

well i havent updated in a few days, mostly because i kept hoping things would improve. i've been having a lot of pain down my leg, but it seems to be nerve pain. my physical therapist said that sometimes the nerve reacts to the nerve block negatively and becomes hyper-sensitive. it sure has! even just wearing pants can be excruciating. the slightest touch is super painful. also, extending and straightening my leg sends horrible burning pain down the inside of my leg into my knee. also, not sure if this is a nerve reaction or soft tissue damage from the traction in surgery, but the inside of my leg is also super sensitive to pressure. there doesnt seem to be much i can do about this though--narcotic pain relievers don't generally help with nerve pain. i do think i'm going to call the dr tomorrow to see what he can do.

so i also had my first physical therapy appointment. i've been seeing the same therapist for over a year now for various injuries, so i know how the place works. my ROM is slightly depressing, but i know it'll get better. i am happy to learn that i don't have any ROM restrictions, just weight bearing ones. i haven't been put on the bike bc i am on absolutely no weight bearing, and even the bike puts a little pressure on the hip as you push the pedals. instead, i'm going to be doing pool therapy, which is nice. i did pool therapy with my knees, and it's great. they have a pool at the rehab center, and it is nice and warm :) also, i'm hoping that i'll be able to do these exercises in the pool at home.

they used a very cool machine on me at PT. it's called InterX (http://www.nrg-unlimited.com/index.php). it feels like stim, but this machine is actually able to read where the pain is worse. the therapist "paints" the general area (strokes it in a linear-type motion) a couple of times, and then it'll get "stuck." this means it has reached a hot spot. then it applies stim and actually gives a number representing the pain. i'm not entirely sure how it works, but it is AMAZING.

unfortunately, i will not be doing pool therapy tomorrow because i am a big fat idiot. so i had a nasty looking mole on the left side of my upper back, basically where the shoulder blade meets the ribcage. well, it was probably just irritated from the crutches rubbing it, but we have a family history of melanoma, so we got it checked out. the doctor removed it and 2 other moles. now, look back at the sentence "it was probably just irritated from the crutches rubbing it." that thought registered, but its significant didnt. now, instead of a mole, i have a gaping wound. OW! so i think i'm going to have to buy a pair of forearm crutches. the armpit part rubs too much. but yeah, the spots where the moles were removed are still going to be open wounds tomorrow. just getting water from the shower (not shampoo, just water) hurt, so i don't think i will be able to handle the chlorine. i'll still go to regular PT i assume.

do have one happy story to tell tho. ok, so there is this guy i like in my math class. he happens to be an amputee (bone cancer). well, i get into the elevator at school (only for injured/handicapped people) and there he is. hopefully we will continue to overlap. all i could think of was the line from grey's anatomy "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, it's just...um, where I come from...elevators tend to be this kind of aphrodisiac. You know?" Well, the quote actually goes on a little more, but i'm not sure i should post the rest lol. anyways, i probably sound like an idiot right now, but there is something fun about sharing an elevator with someone you really like and who seems to like you back.

[ibreakhearts66]

bah still waiting for things to improve.
don't get me wrong, they're not terrible, but i am definitely not feeling so hot.

the pain has still been really bad. whatever is going on with my nerves is not fun. certain movements, like anything that stretches the front part of the hip flexor sends horrible nerve pain down my leg into the top part of my calf. the pain isnt just a quick shooting pain, it stays until i move my leg. it isn't so much of a problem now with the crutches, but if i'm still having that same pain when i start to walk, i'm gonna have some issues.

also just not feeling too well in general. right now i feel super nauseous (and its not meds this time). i did stop by the rink today which made me feel a lot better. i got a call from my coach at like lunch time so i called her back after class and she actually picked up the phone! so we talked for a couple of minutes and she said that i should stop soon. my coach is not really the type to tell me she misses me and all of that, so it made me feel good to know that i am important to her/the other skaters. i actually got my mom to take me to the rink right after school, so i got to hang out for a while. it was great seeing everyone. one of the girls (an 8 year old) was so happy to see me! it was really cute because i was watching her as she came in, waiting for her to notice me. her face literally lit up and she came running. i know all of this may sound silly, but it is really important for me to know that people care about me. so yeah, that was nice.

i'm hoping to get an appt with my surgeon soon. all of this pain is just not ok with me. i know there isnt that much that can be done for nerve pain, but hopefully he can recommend something or at least treat the pain from where he took out bone.

still crossing my fingers that things will get better quickly, but i'm feeling a little discouraged. the fact that i am suuuper stressed about finals and everything doesn't help, i'm sure. i just want to feel normal again. not happy, just normal

[herniated]

It's not silly to want to know that others care about you. It's being human. And by the way when you were describing how nauseous you are feeling ...I started to feel really nauseous myself8O . Is that called empathy? I am usually a very nauseous feeling individual normally. Bleccchhh!!

Hope tomorrow is a better day.:D

[coskater64]

Talk to your doctor he can tell you what your body might be reacting to, it's hard to know how the body will react to arthroscopic surgery, so if at all possible...stay calm. I had really bad hip flexor pain that radiated down to the outside of my knee. My experience wasn't pleasant but it wasn't bad of course I took very strong anti-inflammatory medicine for a long time.

I get ocassional odd tingles and just strange sensations, I am told it is my body healing, I certainly hope so. You are probably still recovering and in general sharp pointy things inside us just don't make the body happy.

If you can, seriously look into elbow crutches, really so much better and won't irritate those moles.

Take care and just remember you will get better eventually.:D

[herniated]

ibreakhearts - you OK? You haven't given an update in a few days.:D

[Isk8NYC]

She signed on to the Board today. Maybe she doesn't feel like posting.

Hope you're doing okay!

[ibreakhearts66]

hey everyone.

yeah, i'm still here, just been lurking a bit. i'll give an update :)

well, the nerve pain is getting better. it still hurts in a bunch of positions, but not quite as many. I'm still super sensitive to the touch, but my physical therapist said that should pass. it is a pretty strange feeling though--it's like kind of numb when i lightly touch it, and then it feels like i just scratched my leg raw. i'm not sure if that has improved at all yet, but i know it will.

i had my first pool therapy appointment. for the most part it is pretty painless, but there are some exercises that sure are tiring.

i see my surgeon on tuesday.

lets see...what else. well, i've been able to maintain contact with people from the rink pretty well so far. my coach called last week and said that i should come visit soon, so i dropped by. it was so cute. the two girls that were there were so happy to see me. and it was really nice to see them too. they're like my little sisters :)

i also went to my coach's house. i had called her one night upset about stuff going on at home, so she took me to her house the next day to play with her puppies. she has a ton of dogs, 40 or so. it was just really sweet of her because she lives really far away (obviously, she needs room for kennels/dog yards). the dogs were sooooooo cute i can't even tell you. she has 11 puppies (originially 14, but she has adopted out 3 of them). i was going to adopt one, but they are going to be pretty big dogs, and if we move to an apartment, that won't work. it was too cute/sad though. the one that i was originally going to take home seemed to know. it spent the most time out of any with me.

that's pretty much all that has been going on for me. i have finals this week :roll: i'm busy NOT studying lol.

[herniated]

Good luck with your finals!! And glad you are in good spirits. Those doggies can be very therapeutic.(sp?)

[ibreakhearts66]

well i saw my surgeon today. it was good appointment (even if they were running an hour and 20 minutes late!).

so they took xrays of my hip and he was able to show me what he did. it was pretty cool. i could see the difference in the shape my socket. in the pre-op images you could see like a hook where the socket was overhanging, and could also see how linear the joint was. in the new one you can see that the 'hook" is gone and the joint looks muuuch rounder. he said that the surgery went perfectly from a technical standpoint, and that hopefully it would translate into a perfect hip afterwards.

he gave me celebrex for the pain. he explained that the nerves can become bruised because even tho the closed incisions are only about an inch, they stick instruments about twice as large in the joint. through the poking and prodding the nerves can be nicked. he thinks that celebrex should help with that and with the achy-ness in general.

he also explained why i look like a freakin dart board! i was a little surprised when i first looked at my hip to see 10+ needle marks. he said that before they make the incision they stick you with a needle under live xray guidance. that way, he knows exactly where he is in the joint. sometimes the first needle is just right, but not for me lol!

so i am allowed to start bearing weight in a week. he did warn me not to ditch the crutches immediately. he said if i did that i would be verrrry unhappy. AND he said that I can start skating at 2 months. apparently i was totally pathetic when i asked. he said he wanted to see me in 6 more weeks (which would mean 9 weeks post-op) so i reminded him that he had said that i might be able to start skating at 8 weeks, but no jumps or anything. after he said yes, threatened to "spin me around" if i did any spins, and whacked me in the head with my file (all in good fun, dont worry lol), his nurse looked at me and complimented me on the puppy dog face. i asked my mom if i really did put on a face, and she said i looked sooo pathetic. i didnt even know i was doing it! :oops: :oops: well apparently it worked :D so 5 more weeks til i can get on the ice.

the pain still sucks and all, but i'm hoping the celebrex will help.

[Isk8NYC]

Celebrex is wonderful stuff, but I do't think it's recommended for long-term use. I used it for a couple of months when my knee was injured.

[ibreakhearts66]

Celebrex is wonderful stuff, but I do't think it's recommended for long-term use. I used it for a couple of months when my knee was injured.

yeah..i don't think my dr is planning on having me on it for too long.
------------------------------
not so much an update as a mini-rant...

i am NOT liking the rain. it is really scary using the crutches. i've slipped a bunch of times. and then today i full on fell. i was at costco and my foot/crutch slipped on the concrete. i was being careful and everything, but it took me totally by surprise. i fell directly on my hip, of course. i know it's fine, but it was really scary! painful too.

[ibreakhearts66]

ok thought i'd do another update since i started walking today!

so that's the big news, i get to walk. i didnt use the crutches at all today, but i wasn't on my feet much. i will definitely be using them at school tomorrow. i'm still debating between using one or using both while still bearing weight. i think i'll probably use one.

walking is definitely a little weird. i feel like my knee has forgotten how to work. it does give out on me every now and then, but it did that before (years of soccer wrecked my knees--dislocations, ligament tears, meniscus tears, you name it, i've been treated for it. but luckily skating is easier on the acl-challenged knee than soccer). stairs are definitely still painful. my hip lets out little cracks every now and then that kind of scare me, but my surgeon explained that it will be pretty unstable for a bit because he took away so much bone. i just get nervous that i'm going to ruin my labral repair. but i figure that if the scary incident in gym (shifting position while sitting, my hip caught and let out a sickening pop accompanied by lots of pain) didn't ruin my repair, nothing will, and if it did ruin it, well, nothing i can do about it now.

my hip is pretty sore right now, but i know that is definitely to be expected. i took two codeine and i'm hoping that i'll get through the night ok (well what's left of it. its 2.40am and i wake up at 6.30). still having pretty bad nerve problems, but i know it takes time for nerves to regenerate.

stopped by the rink today too. decided i'd show off my limp :D everyone wants to know when i'm coming back. not soon enough! one of the girls was funny. i told her 1-2 months, and her response was "WOW so maybe not until JULY?!" i think she was confused as to what month we're actually in :lol:

that's about it. i think i'm still going to wear sweatpants to school in lieu of uniform pants. I CAN wear regular pants, but I like sweats :D

[herniated]

Glad to hear you are walking!! It must feel good!

[dbny]

Congratulations on your comeback to walking - skating is next!

[Morgail]

Yay for walking! I was SO happy the first day I could walk after my ankle surgery. It's great that you'll be able to skate so soon:D