15 & 16 weeks post open SDD hip surgery. First real set back.

I guess I should be thankful that I have got this far without any set backs to speak of, but it doesn't make it any easier when it actually happens.

Week 14 I felt good, despite a migraine , achy but good, got rid of the crutch, walked dogs, lunged my horse twice, started a dog training class with my little dog.

By the Friday morning I was absolutely shattered, the foggy cold was making my 9 inch scar across my hip burn and I just knew going to walk the one dog I had booked that day was the wrong thing to do. So I called in sick. The dogs owner was so very kind and understanding, she works part time but has a bad knee herself and so can't walk Henry. She has been so understanding through all this and is a loyal client, " oh don't you worry, stay in the warm and look after yourself, Henry can survive without his walk"

Over that weekend I did do a few jobs like spring cleaning my boarding bunny hutches and rearranging the bunny runs, along with some house work. I could feel the pain in my hip coming on when I think about but I wasn't prepared for the horrendous pain I was in by the  Monday afternoon.

 

The pain was a pinching/burning pain in my groin that shot down the inside of my knee. It was a 10/10 if someone had offered me a shot for morphine right then, I would have ripped their hand off. It was worse on walking so I got back on one crutch. When resting on the sofa it faded to a dull but pulsating stabing pain. I had a terrible night, could not get comfy and the pain kept waking me up. It was the same on the Tuesday morning. I had been taking ibuprofen & paracetomol but it would only last about 2 hours before the pain returned and I had to wait until I could  have another dose.

 

I emailed my surgeon. He said it was unlikely to be my trochanter due to the location of the pain and that it could be scars/adhesion tissue between the joint capsule and femoral neck. He advised to take NSAID's and ease off and let him know how I am in a few days. I carried on with Ibuprofen 3 times and day and paracetmol  but nothing settled it. I went to see the pharmacist to get some diclofenac (a different NSAID) the over the counter stuff is 12.5mg and you can only buy 18 tablets, so by taking 2 three times a day, that's 3 days worth. She said if not better after that go to GP and they would probably give me naproxen.

 

The Diclofenac did seem better and it lasted better to the next dose than the ibuprofen so I felt like I had got the pain under control I arranged  the rest of the week off from dog walking. I had a better night on the Tuesday night and a good rest on the Wednesday. By the Wednesday I night I was feeling a lot better although still using my crutch outside to take some pressure off my groin. Thursday morning I woke in pretty bad pain again and had to wait for my diclofenac pills to kick in before I could do much.

Friday morning was the first morning I woke that week and my first thought wasn't "tablets" - I think life is pretty desperate when that is you first thought. I was extremely grateful for that, but aware that my diclofenac finished that day and so I kept up the tablet regime, switching back to ibuprofen & paracetmol. I felt ok, a little twinging groin pain but a lot easier than earlier in the week. Saturday and Sunday came and thank heavens, my groin pain had gone, and I was back to walking without a limp.

 

I was conscious of the fact that I should not jump up and do everything I want to do just because that pain felt better, that I needed to pace myself this week to prevent a re occurrence. So I arranged to only do the dog walking on Tuesday and Thursday this week. I am learning how to pace myself, something I never seemed able to do pre diagnosis - probably because I could see no way out.

 

So overall at 16 weeks, I am pretty happy with my progress, despite last weeks set back. I think that the actual pain I had the surgery  for has decreased, my back feels a lot more stable and I haven't had one of those lightening bolt pains on my spine since I straightened out my limp. My old groin pain does feel better. I feel that the groin pain I had last week was something different, something to do with the surgical site.

 

So to sum up the overall achievements at week 16:

• Off crutches
• pretty much no back pain
• old groin/hip pain gone
• only taking pain relief when needed
• can put my socks on (granted the op side isn't easy, but I  can do it)
• I can do standing on one leg, flex to about 110 degrees, internal & external rotation
• abduction does still pinch in the groin
• Can walk a (slow) mile

Banging My Head Against a Wall

That is how I feel, I really cannot believe how stressful every single thing to do with this journey is, it just couldn't be a made up story even if I tried.

 

So when I saw Mr F on the 17th Jan, he said he would like an x-ray at 12 weeks post op, but that it would be better for to get the GP to refer me to the local hospital rather than come all the way to Truro for it. He said just a screen shot of the xray would be fine, and I could email him the pic. Great

 

At 11 weeks I went to see my GP to request it. I have a copy of the notes and it reads "she wishes XR locally to check R THR position (Mr F had told her to get this done) yellow card sent WGH + req cc to him." Well apart from my GP thinking I have had a Total Hip Replacement- which I have not- all good.

 

Appointment came for 2 weeks later so x ray now is at 13 weeks post op. I asked radiographer about it being sent to Mr F and she didn't seem to understand what I was asking. She wouldn't let me take a pic of the xray and said a report would be with GP in a week to 10 days.

 

10 days go by. I hear nothing. Phone the GP receptionist. Again another person that doesn't understand what I am asking. She says the report is there, and she can email it to Mr F's secretary. I tell her the address. She says she cannot do that as it is a btinternet address and is not secure, Says she will fax it to the Duchy

14 days post xray and still nothing. I phone Mr F's secretary to ask for a different email address. She says best thing to do is get my GP reception to call the Duchy X ray department and ask for the IEP address to send the xray directly. Now I know how my GP surgery operate so I decide to do that bit for them. I speak to the Duchy X-ray department who seems surprised that Mr F's secretary isn't requesting the x ray herself on my behalf. Says it is very unusual for a patient to be doing this part their selves. Nothing surprises me anymore.  

 

Anyway, she is quite helpful and takes all my details and says she will contacts my local hospital where the x-ray was done and request it to be sent to Duchy. She say they may not have an IEP address, and in which case I will need to go the xray department and ask for a copy on disc and post it.

 

OMG what is all this crap about, it just seems like complete insanity. I would have been better off driving to Truro and paying for the x-ray myself. This last lady says she will call me back and let me know what is happening. I wont be surprised if she doesn't. So I am now 15 weeks post having my head of trochanter removed and screwed back on, and still haven't had my 12 week x ray checked.

Confused - I am  - I am now going to find a wall to bang my head against.

Update - the x-ray was finally received by the Duchy on the 22nd March, and Mr F has reviewed and all is well.

Nearly 15 weeks post open FAI surgery

What was supposed to be a 14 week post op update has turned into a nearly 15 week one as I have been so busy just getting on with things. We went away for a long weekend in our motor hone last week and I managed fine, I took my crutch and used it around the campsite and on our walks. Although I would often carry it instead of using it.

This week was to see me returning fully to my job of running my pet care business, so 5 day week 30 min walk for one dog, and extra half hour walk for three different dogs on 4 days if you see what I mean so 1hrs walking each day plus some cat feeds & pet transport , the usual paperwork and looking after my chickens, bunnies, own dog and pony.

Overall it has been a very good week despite the blip of a migraine. According to my pedometer ap I average 7000 steps a day, with a couple of 10,000 steps days. My limp is practically gone although my hip does feel pretty stiff, especially when I first stand up/first thing in a morning. I have been taking paracetamol and ibuprofen regular though less of the codiene. My back is feeling much now that I have straightened up in my walking.

I went to hydro on Monday and will continue with at as I can progress to harder exercises to strengthen my back. My land physio has set me 6 mins of interval training on my static bike along with some exercises on the Swiss ball.

This morning I woke and felt completely drained of energy and found getting up and getting going today pretty hard. I did a few jobs, but it is foggy here in the UK and it seems to make the scar and glute muscle very tender when I walk. So I am taking some sofa time with a hot water bottle under my bum!


So overall I am pleased with my progress despite this mini set back. I am still awaiting the results of my 12 week post op X-ray which was  actually done at 13 weeks. It was done at a local NHS hospital and still hasn't filtered down to my surgeon in Truro. The wonders of modern technology seem to be failing it!