FAI Impingement: Post-surgery Update

Greetings and happy Wednesday, everyone. It's been 2 days since my surgery so I thought I'd check in and let you know how it went.

I was the first surgery of the day on Monday which meant that we had to be at the hospital at 5 am so I'd be all ready to go for surgery at 6:30. I met with the surgeon, his physician's assistant, and two of the anesthetists before going into surgery, so that 1.5 hours in pre-op went pretty quickly.

Pre-surgery selfie

The pre-op nurse had warned me that I would wake up in a lot of pain and that the day of surgery would be the worst. She didn't want to scare me but wanted me to have proper expectations. And boy was she right! I woke up in quite a bit of pain but once I took some Vicodin it was a bit more manageable, and by 9:30 we were released and sent home. I was surprised how quickly I got out of post-op but I was happy to leave so I could rest in the comfort of our home.

Phil was an absolutely trooper. Going through something like a surgery brings you to a whole new level of vulnerability. I was in tough shape when we got home so getting me up the front stairs and into the house was very challenging, plus I thought I was on the verge of throwing up! Luckily once I got inside and sat down, I felt better and did not get sick. He waited on my hand and foot that day and even had to do things like help me go to the bathroom. He's definitely a keeper! I'm an extremely independent person, so it's tough to have to ask for help but I know that this is one of those times where I just have to get over that and take help when it's needed and/or offered.

My day was brightened by the receipt of some get well cards as well as this beautiful flower arrangement from my coworkers!

Phil had to return to work on Tuesday as he'd been off the last 2 days and they are very short staffed at his company, so my mom ended up coming up for the day to take me to my first PT appointment. But first, she helped me remove the dressing and put band-aids on my incisions. I hope this doesn't gross anyone out, but this is what the surgical site looked like. I'm amazed that they were able to do all they did (stitched up the tear in my labrum and reshaped the bone of my ball joint and hip socket) in 2 tiny little incisions.

They made me write 'yes' on the hip they'd be operating on during pre-op. As you can see, the surgical area is pretty bruised/swollen.

Before heading to PT, I got another flower delivery - this time from Nora and Nilsa! When Nora came to visit, we went to the Arboretum and I commented on how much I love azaleas -  she must have remembered that!

I was still in quite a bit of pain when I went to my PT appointment so I was very nervous about it, but it went better than I thought it would. She did some things to mobilize the joint and gave me a couple of other things to work on. Before leaving the appointment, she had me use the stationary bike. I pedaled with my good leg and let the other one rest between the pedals. Apparently the good leg communicates to the bad leg and it helps with healing or something like that. I don't really understand how that is possible but she's the expert so I'll take what she says for fact! I'll see her again on Thursday.

I laid low for the rest of the day and my mom headed back home around 2 that day. Besides having Phil and my mom as my nurses this week, Oscar has also been keeping a close eye on me. It's interesting to me how pets can just sense that something is not right. Oscar usually does not come too close to me since she's such a daddy's girl, but she's been staying close by and last night she sat on my lap and eventually fell asleep for a good chunk of time. It was very comforting to have a warm kitty on my lap!

So all in all, I'm hanging in there and getting better at using the crutches. Steps are still darn near impossible for me without the help of another person but hopefully I get better as time progresses. I'll be on crutches for 2 weeks and then the third week I will be able to walk but will use the crutches for support. I'm happy the surgery is behind me but am very much looking forward to being in less pain!