Op Day and Day 1 Post op

1^st  December 2013 We travelled down to Truro the night before and stayed in a B&B. We went out to a local pub and had a lovely steak & chips dinner, which went down OK. I had no idea when I would be eating next and hoped the anaesthetic wouldn’t make me sick, as I really like food! I didn’t sleep very well that night but I guess that was to be expected. It felt like I was the eve of a great leap into to unknown, which I guess I was

2^nd December. Checked in to hospital bedroom at 10:30. The anaesthetist came to tell me I would be having a full anaesthetic which I was glad about, along with spinal pain relief. Mr F came to see me and drew an arrow on my leg. He said he would try  to get away without doing the trochantic osteotomy by going beneath one of the muscles to reach the impingements. That got me a bit worried as I felt like even though no osteotomy would mean less time on crutches, the thought of the full open surgery made me feel like everything would be sorted as he would get full visualization of my joint. I didn't mention that worry to him, as I felt sure he would to the right thing and do the osteotomy if needed.

I got changed into my gown and into bed and got pushed down to the theatre pre-op room at about 12noon. I could see Mr F in the theatre through the round windows in the doors.  I can remember I had to sit on the edge of the trolley with my feet on a stool whilst the anaesthetist  put the cannula in my right hand. There was a younger man standing in front me with both hands holding onto my shoulders. I can remember talking to the Scottish anaesthetist about Gin, Bombay Sapphire on the rocks to be more precise . He said I best have some of his injectable  gin before I had the spinal injection as that would mean I wouldn’t know anything about it. I can remember saying to the young man “Holding” me up that I was glad he was there or else I would fall off the bed. And that was it. Next thing I knew it was 4pm and I was in recovery room and my nose was REALLY itchy!!

The recovery nurse said I had been very naughty trying to remove the oxygen prongs from my nostrils and rubbing my nose. But they were so annoying!!!!. He asked if I was in pain and I said no but my nose is really itchy! And that is about all I can remember really, apart from realising I didn't have that horrid sore throat or lip thing going on that I had with a previous and anaesthetic and  the  feeling of relief to think it was all over. Mr F had finally been in and sorted my hip out. I spent the next half an hour rubbing my nose and trying to pull the oxygen prongs away whilst the nurse kept telling me off for it!

I got back to the room about 5pm I think there was a lot of hustle and bustle whilst they set up blood pressure machine and organised my fluids stand and then the physios came in and put the CPM (continuous passive motion) machine on my leg , which didn’t really bother me, it felt good to get my hip moving as it was stiff.  Then they fetched my husband and we were left in peace. I had a peek under the covers to look at my leg. There was a pain booster tube going in, and  a wound drain tube coming out, with a small bruise around it.  There were 3 big plaster type dressings and my leg was a red colour. The nurse said that was due to the dye in the sterile wash they use.  

After the op
 

after the op, the blue thing is the CPM machine

 

Half an hour later my Mom & Dad arrived. I can't really remember much about that evening. I was really relieved to have a catheter in place, I didn't feel like I could move an inch never mind as far as the loo! I felt quite comfy pain wise, it was just a heavy/stiff feeling in my leg. The thing that really bothered me was how itchy I was all over and the fact I really wanted a cup of tea something to eat. The cup of tea arrived along with a ham & tomato sandwich. It was great! Mr F came to see me, but I cant remember what he said, apart from  the fact he HAD had to do the trochantic osteotomy in the end and "at least you know you are not bonkers now" What a great term! Yes, I now knew non of this was in my head, there was something wrong and that it had been fixed.

Best cup of tea and ham sandwich in the world!

 

That night was one of the longest nights of my life. I was right out side the nurses station so it was quite busy. I could not sleep I was so itchy!! I just wanted to scratch everywhere all the same time and I couldn’t. They said it was to do with the anaesthetic meds. I had piriton and some oral morphine in the hopes I would settle and go to sleep but it didn’t work. I just lay there, trying to fidget and scratching my arms and legs mostly!  About 2am I had fidgeted so much that I manage to undo a connection on my catheter and so now I had a bed full of wee. Great.  The nurse came and reconnected it then set about changing my bed sheets. I had thought this would involve me having to get out of bed, not something that filled me the sense of fun, but honestly its like magic how they can change a bottom sheet of the bed with someone still in it!! She had to take my CPM machine off to do this and didn't put in back on.

I didn’t sleep at all that night. Paul came about 8:30am and was a bit cross that my CPM machine had been taken off. The physio came at 9am and put it back on, and when she doing that,  I realised just how much my hip had stiffened up and it quite painful. I had to have some more morphine to take the edge off. I didn't do much that day. Just stayed in bed, watched TV and tried to dose, unsuccessfully. Usually just as I dosed off, a nurse would come crashing in to do my observations. I made it my challenge to eat all food and drink all tea put in front of me. The food was really nice. I was still quite miserable with the itchiness, which was still persisting. I really needed one of the back scratcher things with a hand on!

Mr F came and told me a bit more about what he had done. He said he had addressed the cam and pincer impingement and that my labrum was calcified, which was why he had ended up doing the osteotomy, so that he could remove the calcified labrum. He said I should do just fine without a labrum, better to have non than the calcified one that was damaging the head of my femur. He showed me two pictures that he had taken during the op. He had them on his iPhone! The brief glimpse of the inside of my hip was a bit shocking and made my head spin! He said the physios would get me up on walking frame the next day, and to make sure I kept up with the pain relief, that there are no medals for trying to be a hero coping with pain. He said the morphine is very good at taking the edge off but only lasts an hour so, so to try and keep on top of the pain by asking for it before I felt I needed it. Throughout that day I also taking paracetomol 1000mg and codeine 60mg, four times. In terms of pain, it was mainly just a very sharp, achy feeling in my groin.

That 2nd night was the next worst of my life. I cant really remember much of it as I was completely whacked out. The night nurse decided I should try some of my amitryptaline that I had bought with me as a repeat GP prescription. She thought it would help me sleep. I had it at the same time as some oral morphine. Big mistake. I was convinced I was freezing cold. I was dithering so the nurse bought an electric heater in and a duvet and left me to it, closing my door behind her. I think I probably spent 4 hours with a sky high temperature, which fuelled my amitryptaline and morphine induced  nightmares, as well as still being VERY itchy. I really wanted my husband - or my Mom. I know was talking to myself and I can remember thinking there was a man standing by the door. I woke at some point pouring with sweat and pressed the nurse buzzer. She came and turned the heater off and removed the duvet and left the door open. I spent the rest of the night drifting in out and of bizarre sleep & nightmares, I thought daylight was never going to come! But it did.