I found Dr. Attarian at Duke. I met with him on Thursday last week. He was very nice. He didn’t give me this crap about suffer now or suffer later, or if I have it done I will be in a wheelchair before I am 50, or deal with it for a couple more years and come back when you are 30. He overlooked my age and looked at my hip x-rays and my mri’s and took me serious. I have a serious problem. I have severe degenerative joint disease with spots that are bone on bone. I have tried everything including Physical therapy, pain management, hip injections, and NSAIDS. I have done all of the conservative stuff so he said why wait when you are already miserable. He said that he thought a MOM would be best for me because of the wear rate and he thought it would last approx 10-15 yrs.

March 26, 2009

I am back home. Well actually I got home on Saturday but just now ventured down the 2 steps to my den where my computer is. Its not been easy.

Well the day of the surgery:

Surgery went well. OS told my husband that the hip was alot worse than what the x-rays showed but the replacement went great. He thinks that is will last me for many years. He went with an anterior lateral approach with a Depuy mom hip. He also used general anthesia and an epidural cath for pain control.

PACU (recovery room) not so well. The anthesilogist came by to turn on my epidural after surgery. 1 minute after he turned it on the nurse was checking for sensation and checked my breast bone (T4 area on you spinal column) totally numb. The epidural that was supposed to just numb my legs was now into my chest, bowels, kidneys, and heading for my lungs. The nurse reached up the minute she checked and plugged off the epidural. She had anthesia come and check it well when they tried to withdrawl fluid they did spinal fluid (not supposed to be in spinal fluid at all). The did the blood sugar to confirm this and it was spinal fluid. They had no choice but to pull the epidural. I layed in post op for 7 hrs until I had most of my feeling back in my body. They ended up putting me on a PCA pump (Dilaudid 0.4mg every 8 mins). No help at all.

Surgery afternoon: Not well either. They didn’t get me up that afternoon at all to do PT because of the numbness. Didn’t sleep all night long. Pain totally out of control.

Day after: Not good either. Pain so far out of control in tears. Pain at 9-10 scale. I never rate pain that high because I usually can tolerate it. PT did move me from the bed to the chair and showed me a few exercises to do sitting or laying. I couldn’t do but 3 of them because I was unable to raise my leg at all or have any control over it.

Day 2: New person. Pain management team switched over all of my meds in the middle of night day before. Doing well. PT walked me 100 ft with my walker down the hall. Then I took a shower and then PT walked me 100 ft again on crutches about 1 hr after shower. Great day. A little tired in the afternoon but a wonderful day.

Day 3: So So. Pain management ended up having to change my OxyIR to Percocet because of shortage so the decreased the frequency to 1-2 every 4hrs instead of 3 hrs. Pain was tolerable at every 3. Sleep good almost all night the night before. I got up and went down to PT worked on walking up and down stairs and transfers in and out of a car. I took a shower. Then we were discharged from the hospital. The ride 5 hrs home was absolutely horrible. We took my car because it is new, nice, big, and smooth (Eddie Bower Expedition). I tolerated the first 1hr up front and then my incision started draining. So I crawled into the back seat where I could lay down. I made it about 1.5 more down the road and in absolute tears from pain. We got out and moved around a little bit. I tolerated the rest of the way and made it home. It was definately not a ride I would do over again.

Day 4: great to be home. Feeling good. Learning how to do thing on my own and teaching my son what I can and cant do with him. He knows about mommy boo boo. He don’t come near it.

Day 5: Braveness. Feeling great. Went out into the world on my crutches. I went to my office to turn in my issurance papers and my leave papers. Went and got a shower chair and took my ring to get it sized. About 2 hrs out. All of those were on the same road. PT home health made it out to see me for the first time. For the first time I was able to do most of all of my leg exercises by myself. Gained enough strengh. She also told me that my muscles were really tight and they were confused because they didn’t have to work before and now they are the ones in charge of walking.

Day 6: Discouraging Not feeling so well. All I have wanted to do is stay in the bed today. My muscles hurt so bad last night (in knots) that I couldn’t sleep. They hurt everytime I but my leg down and don’t even have to step down on to them. Swelling is finally coming down.

Day7: Better . Still some pain but tolerable. Ventrued out again. Done alot better with that task.

Day 8: Better PT cam today. Of course more pain after they leave but its more of the muscle pain. Backing my stuff to go live with my mom for the next couple of weeks. So she can help me out with my 2 yr old son.

There is my story. Hard road but hoping it will get better. Thanks for all of your support.
Cindy

April 10, 2009

I was unable to have my hip resurfaced and had to have a total hip replacement. I had this done 3 weeks ago at Duke University with Dr Attarian. He did a Metal on Metal Depuy anterior laterial approach with a 6-8 inch incision. He ended up having to put a screw in the acetubulum cup to prevent loosing (which I am very high risk for).

At my 3 week post op visit, everything looks great. I have great range of motion and am able to work with pt starting next week to get down to one crutch and 2 weeks after that a cane. I am able to lift me like to a march position and for the first time my toes are able to point inward instead of stuck outward. I still have a lot of pain in the morning and in the late afternoon. If my day was from 10-7 it would be great, it takes me that long to get moving. If I could sleep at night that would be great too. Last night was the first night I slept decent. I have been staying with my mother when my husband is out of town, not so much because I can’t take care of myself its just I can’t my 2 yrs old. Last night I was able to sleep at home and I think that’s because I was in my own bed. All in all I would say I am doing well.