FAI Hip Impingement UK

FAI (Hip Impingement) surgery success rates

2012-01-29T10:56:00.001Z

There is a lot of talk of FAI / hip impingement surgery success rates. Some studies (short and medium term) have been done by eminent surgeons around the world with success rates as high as 96%... however the forums are full of failure, in part that is the nature of forums, in that the failed surgeries often cluster together for support and advice.

However having been a member of such forums for a number of years now I have also seen many newly diagnosed FAI patients come to such a forum for advice on their hip impingement diagnosis and prognosis and stay throughout their surgery and rehab... but then not recover.

I was responding to one such newcomer's question this morning, who wanted to know if anybody did ever get better after surgery and I thought I would copy the reply I gave to her here also, as I was asked the same question on here only last week and it is the best advice I feel I could give to any newly diagnosed person with FAI:

I think success is MUCH dictated by surgeon selection, there are a LOT of learner FAI surgeons out there and they won't tell you that, pick VERY, VERY wisely.

Success is also dictated by the 'surgeon's patient selection'... in that a straight forward case of FAI appears to have fairly good success rates, what can really muddy the water is FAI surgery on patients who 'also' have dysplasia, or accelerated cartilage damage, or hyper-mobility issues or extreme versions such as global retroversion... these complications can drop the success rates significantly. And to complicate things further it is often the more experienced surgeons who know when 'not' to operate as they are 1. more experienced and 2. not so keen to get another FAI surgery under their belt for surgery numbers.

Another factor in FAI surgery success is that the longer you have had 'symptomatic' FAI, the more muscular and tendon adaptations you evolve and this adds significant time onto rehabbing, correcting worn in patterns of movement can take some undoing.

There is one other factor that I am aware of causing post op, frequent complications and that is scar tissue. We are told to rehab fairly intensely, yet some of the people that religiously do so still build scar tissue inside the hip capsule. Intense levels of physio (or activity) can cause inflammation, which in turn can cause scar/adhesions. So basically on rehab if it irritates your hip, simply take it more gently. Do persist with the physio rehab because you need to strengthen and stretch those incorrectly working muscles, but do also listen to when your body says slow down.

However I am not convinced so many scar tissue problems relate to our post op behaviour and suspect that it is possible that surgical technique (how the surgeons open the hip capsule during a scope) could be significant to the formation of adhesions and hip instability. Some of the US surgeons are just now finding that patients having wide capsulotomys during keyhole are more likely to develop adhesions than in techniques using smaller incisions through the hip capsule to access the joint. Theory been less disruption causes less scar. There were a couple of reports I read online from ISHA winter 2011 which I will locate and post up, one by Christopher Larson revealing this... and I do believe early style surgical technique to be a significant factor in the formation of scar tissue...

Anyhow my point is that this can be a wonderfully successful procedure, but that much depends upon 'your' surgeon selection and 'his' patient suitability selection and the best advice I can give is for you to be mindful of these factors, your 'exact' condition and choose your surgeon wisely and NEVER be afraid to seek a second or third opinion, or forth opinion, it is your body... settle for any surgeon in haste, repent at your leisure!

Scar Tissue and Hip Arthroscopy for Hip Impingement.

2011-11-26T17:35:00.002Z

There seems to be a trend building of scar tissue issues after hip arthroscopy to treat labral tears and hip impingement/FAI. Because hip arthroscopy surgery is in its early stages its hard to know if high rates of adhesions are down to current surgical techniques, or just that some people are more prone to scar tissue than others. Only time will tell, but there does look to be an increasingly high proportion of hip arthroscopy patients complaining of recurrent issues and having revision hip arthroscopy surgeries to combat scar tissue.

What can you do to help yourself? Well...inflammation that is out of control causes scar tissue to build, so post hip arthroscopy take the anti inflammatories prescribed by your surgeon. Do not push yourself too hard in your day to day activities and rehab in the weeks after your hip arthroscopy surgery, as recurrent micro trauma of the site may encourage scar tissue to build. It is said scar tissue can start building as early as 2 hours post surgery.

You need to insure you keep a good range of motion so that the scar tissue is not allowed to limit this. Do listen to your physio regarding types of stretches and exercises that can can help you with regaining your ROM, as well as your strength.

Icing the site is a cheap and easy option which can be done several times a day. Ice helps combat inflammation and has no systemic downside.

There are also some supplements that can help and can be taken in tablet form, if you feel unable to incorporate them into your diet.. you will find turmeric, omega 3's and bromelain (from pineapple) can help you fight inflammation. Do check first though with your healthcare provider that there are no problems with you taking such supplements.

I am posting a link to a site here which advises on anti inflammatory foods to help relieve the swelling. Never under estimate the power of the fuel we fill our bodies with, it is an unfortunate truth that sugars and alcohol are true irritants and pro inflammatory to our bodies. I'm not so unrealistic as to say you can't have a bit of the bad stuff, just try in rehab to tip your diet more towards the anti inflammatory foods, even if it means subtle changes like switching cola for a pineapple juice and regular potatoes for sweet potatoes. There is more you do to help yourself than you might think.
It also explains the inflammation to scar tissue process.
http://www.naturalantiinflammatory.org/inflammation-in-the-body.html

Hip Arthroscopy FAI - campaign for UK NHS funding & Campaign for Aetna funding in the US

2011-09-26T09:33:00.002+01:00

Hip arthroscopy is not yet funded by all PCT's nationwide in the UK. In the US there are also issues with Aetna refusing to fund Hip Arthroscopy. These two are huge issues for FAI patients in need of surgery.

There are two new campaign groups starting out on facebook, gathering patients together who are struggling with hip arthroscopy funding issues, whether in the UK or US.

These groups will allow people to meet and discuss their cases, compare notes and hopefully find a way ahead. For the UK campaign there is also a councillor who is looking to gather FAI sufferers together and launch an appeal with the NHS for funding for hip arthroscopys for FAI sufferers. Her details are on this site and she is hoping you will make contact with her and add weight to her argument. Also there is a surgeon becoming involved and keen to help with the lack of Nationwide NHS funding. There is also a petition available to sign.

The UK campaign is at facebook groups, type in: "Hip Arthroscopy FAI" - campaign for nationwide NHS funding in the UK.

The US campaign is at facebook groups, type in: "Hip Arthroscopy FAI" - campaign for Aetna funding.

Sorry I am unable to provide links, unfortunately facebook currently block links.

News in Dec 2011:
America:
Delighted one of the members of the facebook groups is doing brilliant work raising awareness over the Aetna row, please follow this link and joint the petition: Well done Ryan Herring Carroll! http://news.change.org/stories/why-im-asking-aetna-to-cover-my-surgery

UK: Bradford PCT will now fund hip Arthroscopy. However there are still many counties that don't... yet!

More brilliant news, I will quote Ryan here as a campaigner for FAI with Aetna:

Ryan Herring CarrollAetna members... aetna just changed their policy!!! They now consider FAI surgery "medically necessary" if certain criteria are met. The petition campaigned I started on Change.org has recieved over 1000 signatures. In addition, I sent all of the research I had done to most major news outlets, TV shows, the American Medical Association, American Association for Ortgopedic Sugeons, senator, the governor, the Va Insurance Commision, etc. I also reminded Aetna of a similar law suit they were involved in back a few years ago. They "settled" in that situation, but in the settlement they outlined what the term "medically necessary" means. Anyway, Im so glad that everyone can have this now :)

hip arthroscopy recovery exercises

2011-09-12T16:46:00.000+01:00

Hip arthroscopy recovery/rehabilitation is heavily dependent on the correct exercises to regain strength, after surgery for FAI and labral tears. The 2 rehab programmes below are FAI recovery life savers!

Aqua exercises now available on this site at physiocure. Highly recommend aqua exercises, brings your hip strength back without having to weight bear and helps corrects gait after 6 weeks on crutches. Phased 1-4 especially for your recovery.

http://www.physiocure.org.uk/hip.php

For regular hip arthroscopy rehab exercises I would also strongly recommend the Damian Griffin site, see link on this page here:

http://www.damiangriffin.org/rehab.html

Hip Injections for hip labral tears and hip impingement (MRI ARTHOGRAMS and STEROID INJECTIONS)

2011-07-22T17:22:00.000+01:00

Had bi lateral hip injections this morning, anesthetic (good bit) and steroids injected into both hips. I can honestly say I had a more painful blood test yesterday, hand on heart.
I'd just say that hip injections either for MRI- arthograms or steroids are more intimidating because of the setting, all the shiny steel objects. The overhead x-rays and TV screen with your live x-ray hip on and the fact that there were several staff in lead outfits, if you're already nervous, then this setting alone can increase your heart rate!

However, I had a jovial consultant radiologist, who explained every action, making the odd joke and lovely nurses to hold my hand. Its the idea of a needle going into your hip socket that is terrifying. There was a 'tiny' pinch feeling as the needle pierces the actual hip capsule, but seriously nothing like my blood test yesterday.
Keep in mind that there are 'very few' nerve endings in the hip socket... so the sensation is kind of woolly and distant, you are aware something is happening, but nothing sharp or sudden. Piecing your finger tip, with all its nerve endings would sooner have me run a mile on the pain stakes.

I think back on how I was almost not diagnosed with a hip labral tear and hip impingement altogether, just because of my fear of needles and the sound of an MRI arthogram. I am a true fainting, scardey-cat, so if I can do it and come out smiling, you can!

Below is a video of a hip steroid injection. Looks 'way' worse than it feels, but if you're just one of those people that feels the need to see for yourself first, then here it is. I asked if I could film my hip steroid injections today, but whilst the consultant would have been willing, hospital policy wouldn't allow, so this is the best I could do "a short clinical video tutorial on how to administer a hip steroid shot" Forward the video to 5 mins in, as the first example is a shoulder shot.
Note these ARE NOT my hairy legs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bdiBtzabxg

New consultant

2011-01-28T09:40:00.000Z

I met with my new consultant last week. In the same day, prior to meeting him, I had a double MRI, a CT, a series of x-rays and met with his physio for ROM and pain tests. The wait for this new consultant was long, but worth it. He appears to run late because he makes time to go through everything with each patient in turn. You can't however complain then when the same consideration is applied to your case. He took an hour and a half to discuss my hips and the way forward.

He surmised that my case was indeed complicated and that at first glance results, I have bi lateral FAI and (I didn't know this bit) possibly some pubic symphasis from my second child, 2 years ago. The course of action was to have a local anesthetic injection, mixed with steroid, into my hip sockets. This I had done yesterday.

The procedure was smooth and well ordered. You arrive to a lovely room and super helpful nurses. Later I was checked by a physio for ROM and pain inducement, Then some hours after I was sedated and injected with the dye, anesthetic and steroids into my hip socket. Once awake I was fed (hurray!) and re-tested soon after by the physio.

I had mixed results though, as only some symptoms were gone. The impingement seemed more obvious on left unoperated hip. I must say though, I felt anxious knowing so much would depend upon the outcome of these tests and could scarcely think clearly to answer my pain in numbers. I find it hard to quantify pain, esp the fleeting kind induced and find I almost question my own answers. Still it seems a better exploratory process than I have experienced before.

Here's the additional consideration, I desperately want a third child, which I've left and left because of the drawn out situation with my last consultant. Now the clock is ticking, or might have stopped ticking altogether, for all I know! How do I fit this in? A decision I have been agonizing over for months. Do I do one hip, hope it heals fast, then try squeeze in a baby, then fix my other hip? What to do?

Before you leave the hospital the consultant revisits you with a course of action.
He arrived, calm and considered well thought out as ever.
He said he would give me 2 options and said which-ever I choose, he is fine with.
Option one: go away and have that 3rd baby, then come back and he will do his best to fix my hips. Or 2: we take what most likely will be the best part of a year, to get both hips fixed and that's the best case scenario... if all goes well.
I knew my decision the minute he finished his sentence!

He also wants to monitor how the steroids work in both hips in the coming weeks and months. He said there is nothing shocking on my scan to make him think a disaster is imminent. So if I can manage the pain, then to take the time out, as its most likely my last opportunity to try have a baby.

He also said mine is not a straight forward case, as there is pain inside and outside the joint and he can't be sure which is the most troublesome. He thought my left hip had more evidence to suggest bone impinging issues on anesthetic test, but wanted to collate all the information before drawing any final conclusions.
He did seem to suggest my hips wouldn't be easy to fix, I think for anatomical reasons, as well as the pain symptoms pointing to multiple issues... Yet for some reason I am more encouraged by that attitude, than by the 'no problem lets get in there' approach. I think this is because I feel that with my hips they are complicated and I am reassured he can actually see the hurdles.

He refuses to discuss all my scans thus far, (believing I'm a tad fixated with angles and percentages, where would he get that idea from?!) and saying he treat's patient's pain, rather than simply corrects their scans. He told me I have a 3 page detailed letter coming, so I can have my "fix" very soon!

I haven't had any surgery yet with this new consultant, but everything he says is so considered, honest and appears well thought out. This new consultant seems thorough with military precision, which appeals to my well organized personality type... He appears kind and thinks about you as a whole. I wish I'd seen him long ago.
I will, without doubt, be going back to him!

FAI hip arthroscopy on the horizon, no.2

2011-01-19T13:07:00.000Z

With another hip arthroscopy on the horizon, I will be having a double MRI hip scan on the hip's soft tissue, a CT of the pelvis, a series of x-rays to view hip angles; and seeing a brand new hip consultant (OS) on Thursday. My new consultant will remain nameless in my blog and will be known only as my consultant.

Thank you for the many emails asking why I have not updated this blog in a long time, I have simply had little new to say.
I have ongoing bilateral hip issues, FAI impingement caused by pincer. My right hip, operated on over 18 months ago, has had some improvement to pre-op. However as I suspected from day 7 post op, surgery did not fully work... I have ongoing sitting pain, walking pain and over-doing it pain and can't swim as many as 20 lengths without pain and I still have night pain. All the same symptoms, just to a lesser degree... I can do everything for a bit longer, but ultimately the pain returns and I still have issues with muscle spasms.
As some of you know, I did follow all protocol with exercises and physio and then some, for over a year, to little avail.
My old consultant appeared to lose interest and I gave up asking him questions, as I felt it served only to irritate him, rather than engage his urge to consider what went wrong.

My left hip has deteriorated and I have almost identical symptoms on my left hip now, pain on flexing hip, sitting, walking and the resulting muscle spasms in the surrounding hip flexors, glutes and anterior thigh too. Wuhoo lucky me!

I am very much looking forward to seeing this new consultant and hoping this is a new dawn on my hip story. The journey has not been one I forecast. I genuinely thought I'd have both hips done and dusted by Christmas 2009, but hey-ho life doesn't always follow your ideals! Onwards and upwards. I will let you know the outcome from this Friday's consultation.

Bad news from new consultant about retroverted acetabulum

2010-09-07T08:32:00.000+01:00

Visited a new top hip consultant yesterday..
In short, after briefly looking at my x-rays and CT scan, he concluded that I do have retroversion and that it is significant.
That my hip sockets should be facing forward, anteverted, by 15 to 18 degrees, but instead are facing backwards, retroverted by 3 degrees. This is what causes the pincer impingement. A reverse acetabular periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is the answer, except he feels that the results from such ops are entirely unpredictable, with success rates around 60 - 70% and that perhaps had I been 20, not now 40 then it 'might' have up'd my chances of success, however I am not!

Advice was to retry pilates and exercises to help adjust pelvic tilt to help minimize the retroversion and take pain killers.

One thing of note though was that that advice would've been the same a year ago, before FAI surgery.. however I do feel that surgery, whilst not 100% successful, was indeed worthwhile.

So personally I do feel that its not quite the end of the road.. not that I want surgery, I just feel I can arrive at a better place than I'm currently at.

On the upside, surprisingly I think that my right hip is actually improving still, even 14 months post op, which I did not expect at all! Yesterday I managed a 5 hr return trip to London, combined with several hours walking around the city and that after the previous day cleaning the house top to bottom... I thought I'd be on the floor by today, but surprisingly I have some achiness this morning and had a bit of groin pain and lateral hip pain walking about yesterday and today, so that's positive.

I still need to wait a couple of weeks for this consultant to have time to work out a number of angle measurements of my hips to confirm the facts.. so whilst feeling a bit hopeless during the appointment with the lack of a solution, I don't feel this is the end of the line. I suspect there is no point until the CT is analysed and I have accurate readings and therefore full facts.

I also think I just I have not yet encountered the right surgeon for me yet, its such a specialist area, with micro pockets of speciality even under the hip FAI umbrella.

I have not mentioned this consultant's name and will no longer do so in this blog.. as things didn't go brilliantly with Ernest Schilders and I found myself in a position where I had already named Professor Schilders in thanks for a diagnosis and along the blog, before I knew what the outcome would be. I do not want to compromise my honesty and so this is the obvious solution.

Final consultation with the Professor over disappointing outcome.

2010-08-05T19:44:00.000+01:00

The meeting was very disappointing because I can't progress if my consultant will not accept that my continued pain maybe down to remaining impingement of some kind. I held my consultant in such high esteem prior to surgery.

I am reluctant to go elsewhere for geographical reasons, as I find it hard to sit to travel still, but despite this, this last meeting had me leave thinking I have to get another opinion.

I think my protracted case may need another eye cast upon it and I have asked to be referred on because I believe, based on my symptoms and scan, that I have continuing impingement, whether that be remaining bony impingement, or scar tissue, I do not know.
I am also concerned about the extent of the retroversion, that caused the pincer impingement, been a significant issue in itself.

Not the hip journey I expected to be documenting...

Onwards and upwards then!

Hippy 1st anniversary! .. hmmmmm

2010-07-11T00:16:00.000+01:00

Well provided I take it pretty easy, I am a little improved... But today I went crazy, yes totally mad and did far too much, went bungee jumping, canoeing, then horse riding and... no, wait, sorry what I mean is I pushed the boat out, one year exactly post op, by doing 2 hours weeding! Which meant by lunch time standing, walking and sitting all really ached badly, muscles totally spasming and by the evening I had to lay down! Yes I know, super sociable for a Saturday evening with guests!

Its fair to say I am disappointed with this recovery.. I have been from the very early stages when I feared it hadn't worked.. I have regained some walking and standing stamina, though I am nowhere near as ok as pre-problem! But sitting is still impossible, I can just about drive from a to b and on a good day have a quick lunch with friends, but sit for hours, not a chance, no way!

I have no idea why my recovery had been so crap, I have rehabbed like a demon and educated myself ferociously, but all to no/little avail!

Now my left hip is going down too, regularly, in fact daily; and now I haven't a leg to stand on!! However Schilders will not operate on the left until the right is more stable or remedied.

I have another MRA due in 2 days to hopefully give insight into the problem holding my right hip back from full recovery.

Will it show another labral tear? Inflammation? Scar Tissue? ..a laughing gremlin? Not a bloody clue!

I also need a CT scan as there is still a question over whether the acetabular retroversion is a pain causing factor in itself.. ie over coverage on the front is one part of the problem and apparently been treated, the other possible part of the problem is consequential under coverage at the back, dysplasia causing hip instability, and so pain.

Schilders so far has refused this aspect of investigation, his reasons for this decision evade me.. But this absolutely must be addressed and clarified.

I have decided that if Schilders will not do the bone scan, that bar Villars every other specialist I've read about does, then I will be forced to seek a second opinion.

Anyway.. Monday should throw a few more answers my way, so fingers crossed I should get the results I need to see, whatever they are!

All MRI's are not equal, getting the best

2010-05-30T22:05:00.000+01:00

In short I'm having a pretty crappy time with regards to hips - both hips are down now! Same symptoms too on both sides, groin pain on walking and some movements, groin and bum pain on sitting, lots of muscle strain feelings in TFL, IT band, ab/adductors, hamstrings, the works with cherrries on top! The tipping point was moving house 2 weeks ago! The irony!!

I am now waiting on an MRI arthogram appointment for my right (post op) hip to see what gives. I will then see what the radiologist and my consultant say. If it is obviously scar tissue, then the course of action is simple, well, simple if I forget the fear of surgery and nightmare of childcare! If its not scar tissue, then.... then I'll cross that bridge when I come to it - huh, get me all Yoda!!

I also want a second opinion, either way, to make absolutely sure retrovertion of the acetabulum is not an issue, as I still obviously have concerns and feel I need that answered clearly, absolutely and NOT finger in the windly!!!

I need some resolution and I need it soon. I have had this diagnosis a year now (though symptoms coming up for almost 7) and I was pretty sure when the diagnosis was handed out to me by Professor Schilders, that by last Christmas, 09, that it would all be behind me (both hips)... but not one hip is resolved as yet, SUPER disappointing!

So, lets see what this MRI/A brings.

Also a tip, there are different strengths of MRI scanner, they ARE NOT all the same at all. They are measured in tesla strengths and that determines the level of detail which can be seen.

0.3T - might as well take your clothes off and ask them to see through you!

0.5T

1T - average

1.5T

2T

3T - best

I was scheduled a scan with a 1T MRI at the Yorkshire Clinic and have cancelled and phoned around the country and found a 3T MRI scanner. Ironically its not in a private hospital, or far away, but at Chapel Allerton, an NHS hospital in Leeds.
I am doing all I can to get that an appointment here, but its not easy as I am a private patient, but Bupa won't cover this NHS hospital, despite its superior facilities.
I had to explain all this to my GP, who I lost within the first sentence discussing the pros and cons of 1 verses 3 tesla MRI field strengths, God only knows what she writes in my notes nowadays?!

Anyway there's a lot to be said for determination and I figure no more messing about and no ones sticking a needle injections into my hip socket again for anything less than a 3T scanner!

Good luck hippies, the saga DRAAAAGGGS on as so often these hip-mares do!

FAI hip bloggers please link your story to new facebook site.

2010-05-23T10:13:00.000+01:00

Hi All,
Fellow bloggers please would you visit hip blogs (FAI, PAO, THR) on facebook and add your blog.http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119530398085022

I've created a portal to link to hip blogs of all kinds on this page and if you go to: the "wall" where it says what's on you mind? ..and write in this box who you are and a v brief synopsis or you/your blog, then scroll directly below this box where it says attach, click 'link' just below where you are writing and write in your blog full address and click share all you will then have published your site on the facebook hip blogs link site to help others.

Blogs have helped us and I spent hours looking for blogs like yours, if someone can just come to this page and find loads of great hip blogs, it'll be so easy for them.
Thank you, much appreciated Louisa.

Ps this includes PAO and THR as they often overlap.

fai hip pain

2010-05-06T18:00:00.000+01:00

My hip pain has generally been better (could the op for FAI and labral detachment have actually worked??) Jury still out I'm afraid, as sitting for a relatively short period (1hr) flares the pain even now.. just like it did pre op...so I don't know..
I question further impingement, scar tissue and the acetabular retroversion, which I know I have, but the question I have to ask Schilders is:
' How can my retroversion be mild if my pincer is extreme?????' That make no sense to me..

Anyhow that rubbish aside, I am more gutted to discover that my daughter having been given the all clear last yr for hip dysplasia, after months of pavlik harness treatment.. actually still has dysplasia.. mild they're saying but dysplasia is dysplasia and I once remember reading someone's blog who said in her eyes there is no such thing as mild dysplasia, you either have a stable hip or not. WHY did I listen when they said she was ok, in my gut I thought a little longer in the harness and now can't forgive myself that I didn't stand by that!
The idea my gorgeously happy, 18 month girl may have to go thru all this crap is just awful.. I look at her and fear for her but have to paint a big smile on my face for her! SHIT!!

improvement steroids or reality

2010-04-25T10:32:00.000+01:00

Well, in general, I think I am doing better! Hurray!!

My hip held up REALLY well for me yesterday, during a 4 and half hour stint in a stately home and its play park on a hill (the things you do for your kiddies!) Frankly, I would've thought I'd have been a write off, after that amount of walking and standing! I was very aware of my hip etc, but no pain for a wonderful change and I had enough good sense to lay down for an hour when I got home!
I am really not sure if its the steroid (which typically takes 3 weeks to kick in for me always) or whether it could be ... that I am.. in fact.. SLOWLY... getting better???

The thing I am struggling with still is sitting and laying on my back esp, which brings on pain in the butt and sciatic pain! Possibly that is the hammies or some other annoying reactionary muscle group, though its still possibly ongoing intrarticular hip joint irritation.

My PT did loads of trigger point massage work on my tight adductors this week (OUCH!) and ouch for a good day after, but now fine. I think it could be that they, the TFL and Illiotal band, that are causing thigh and 'new' knee pain - peculiar pain patterns with hip problems.

Anyway in summary, whilst not out of the woods yet, I am also not saying 'ouch', 'shit', 'for god sakes', 'bloody hell' and 'leave me alone!' as much... So, on reflection, I would, say quite possibly, that I am improving now - only 9 months post op!! Grrrrr

Answers from FAI expert Professor Ernest Schilders

2010-04-17T10:30:00.000+01:00

Now I know Professor Schilder's secretary doesn't mind my trying to quote this info to save losing the conversation in translation, I have pretty much copied in my latest correspondence between Schilders and myself, via his secretary..
I can't say I am too clear about where I am at, other than I'll probably be having another MRI soon.

Hi Louisa,

I have had a response to your questions from Professor Schilders, as follows:

Q: What dose of anaesthetic and steroid was given and was this a “stronger” dose? - The two injections in the past have not affected the pain experienced when she sits down and this one did. Why? Also, why did the pain she gets when she sits down never go away after her hip arthroscopy?
A: 2ml Depo-medrol 80mg and 8ml of Marcaine. I wouldn’t call that a strong dose but a normal dose for a hip injection. I am not sure if Louisa is referring to the two previous hip injections that she has had in the past or to the hamstring injections. If she is referring to the hamstring injections then I would conclude that the hamstrings are not causing the problem. If I knew exactly why the original pain had never completely disappeared I would be able to treat it, but unfortunately her response is not a typical response that is seen in the majority of the hip arthroscopy patients with this type of pathology and therefore more difficult to pin down.

Q: Louisa’s range of motion is quite good. Would this be expected if she has developed scar tissue?

A: The number of patients that I have treated so far with adhesions post hip arthroscopy is very small. But in the group with this problem I didn’t feel that a reduction in ROM was the problem. Because we are talking about 1-2% of the hip arthroscopies as a group it is too small to see patterns and be able to identify possible causes for residual problems.

Q: The effect of the recent injection lasted no more than 4 hours. You said it would possibly last for 5-6 hours. Is this because Louisa’s pain is now so chronic and nothing will have a longer-lasting effect?
A: Each patient’s reaction to an anesthetic is individual. If I specify 5-6 hours then this means that this can be expected in the majority of patients, but it can last a shorter or longer amount of time as well and we have no way of knowing this with each patient. Chronic pain is unfortunately much more difficult to resolve because the permanent stimulus to the nerve roots telling the brain that there is pain might still continue even though the original problem has been solved.

Q: Louisa said that the injection took away the pain she feels when she sits down and was replaced by a sensation of deep-seated “itching” within her hip. Does this tell you anything?

A: It tells me that there could be an intra-articular cause which is at least partially responsible for her pain.

Q: Do you feel that Louisa has some residual impingement, or has she likely developed scar tissue?

A: That I can’t answer at this moment. As I discussed with her, if we felt that the injection gave her a positive response (i.e. blocked the pain), which I think she has had, at least partially, it would probably be a good idea to re-scan her hip.

I would say that the diary of symptoms over the past week is what could be expected from the effect of the local anesthetic firstly, and then subsequently, when the steroid kicks in, her symptoms start to improve again.

Q: Louisa has noticed that her gluteus on the right side seems to increase and decrease in size and she is able to induce “impingement” symptoms in the right hip herself in some positions. Can you explain this?

A: What Louisa is able to induce is pain, but there is no evidence at present that this is “impingement” and this should not automatically be assumed.

Q: Louisa seems quite convinced that there is some residual impingement remaining. Is this a possibility?

A: We have discussed in clinic how I treat a pincer abnormality and I have confirmed that she doesn’t have a coxa profunda, which is the more global-type of over-coverage.
I assessed the zone where Louisa had a wave sign and then decompressed the acetabulum in the area of unstable cartilage followed by a labral repair. Assessment of the impingement is done dynamically during the operation.

Can there still be residual impingement? - nothing is impossible; however her outcome scores and assessment do show that she is deviating from the pattern that the standard group of patients with this type of pathology follow (call it disproportionate symptoms) and we therefore have to start to look realistically at would could be achieved with further surgery if permanent stimulus to the nerve roots continues.

Louisa,

I hope the above information is of some help. If you are amenable to a re-scan I can ask the MRI department to arrange an appointment with you. I know you said that you were not keen on another arthrogram, but Professor Schilders would not consider a second arthroscopy without a scan, as the results of the scan will be important in deciding further appropriate treatment options if something does show up. I understand it is difficult and frustrating for you not to have a definitive answer, but I think he has been as informative as he can at this stage. If you have a think about things over the weekend and let us know if you would like an MRI scan arranging.

Kind regards

Rachel

Appointment with the consultant

2010-04-01T09:00:00.000+01:00

Saw Professor Schilders yesterday.
Whats its not:
He thinks its not arthritis as on X-ray there looks to still be good distance within the socket and in surgery whilst there was a wave sign, the arthritis was categorized as grade 2, mild.
He says its not coxa - profunda? (big sockets) as I still have a teardrop sign. I didn't think it was though.
He says that there is retroversion because of the crossover sign, but says that its not, in his experience, the problem and that in arthroscopy he had a good view of my posterior socket and it was problem free. So the retroversion is mild.
He said it was not posterior impingement and I insisted on a physical test for that, which he did and it was pain free. He also said that again, during surgery no visible damage was there at the posterior hip capsule.

What it could be:
He said, according to his stats, pain could be caused by scar tissue. My only real bug bear with Proff Schilders, is that I feel he prefers to use his history stats, rather than listen to the individual. I'm sure he does both.. but I do feel like saying 'there's no point referring to your stats, as I'm never the average!'

I also showed one way I can illicit the pain, by laying on my side with my right leg on top, causing it to fall into an internal rotation. This made him say it was possible that there could be some residual impingement.

My question though its if its caused by scar tissue, which builds with time, why did the pain never go away and then return? It simply stayed, which has my money on residual impingement.

Alternatively the problem could be tendons etc.

So the inevitable arrived, the best test to rule in or out my actual hip socket was an anesthetic injection into my hip joint, yay! Actually for the 1st time in four of these, it actually hurt!

Anyhow, afterwards my sit pain disappeared, which I wasn't expecting, as once before I had the same shot and the sit pain didn't disappear.... so I wonder.. It could still be my hip causing all this pain. I could also more clearly feel other factors at play like a really tight, sore hamstring and a bit of discomfort around the SI, but these weren't that all encompassing pain and with that gone, I think I was able to distinguish other niggles. Does that sound weird?
Also where and when I would feel pain (like sitting) instead I simply felt like a deep itch that couldn't be reached, but not pain. I wonder too, if that's normal?

So this morning I need to know 2 things, could any anesthetic go into the local muscles, as that could skew the consequence of no pain on sitting after a hip socket injection and did he give me a stronger shot of anesthetic, so that this time it could stop the pain?
I feel a phone call to his secretary coming on!

ps The anesthetic should've lasted 5 to 6 hours, but felt to last 3 to 4 before the pain broke back through.

PPS We exchanged on our house yesterday, yippee so its legal and on May 10th I can move out of this stair hell, though lovely house, and move to my easy stair house!!

PPPS Note to self, the marker pen they use to draw all over your hip, prior to injection, doesn't just wash off.. not even with a shower.. and exfoliater. Might delay swimming, as it looks like I've been drawn up for liposuction!

hip clicking again uh oh!

2010-03-28T09:53:00.000+01:00

I am concerned that since the jolt or shunt type injury in the shop 9 days ago my hip has been far worse. Pain more constant and pain on weight bearing and as of last night it has started clicking again.. If I flex my hip and abduct (away from body) at the same time sometimes it clicks around the groin region (not painful). It did this prior to my hip arhroscopy for FAI and labral detachment, for years and only stopped post surgery. My left side also began clicking with the same action a year ago when the pain on that side kicked in and it also became symptomatic.
I also have a constant dull ache and increased pain on weight bearing and also since my one to one pilates my pain has increased.
All this pain feels frightening familiar!
But it seems or should I say seemed unlikely that I could have done so much damage just from a jolt 8 months post op surely??!

The disappointment and consequential exhaustion continues then!

and then I fell! 8 months post op

2010-03-24T21:40:00.000Z

Well have been doing generally better (not out of the woods better, but reason for hope better,) hence my absence!
However, last Friday I fell/dropped down a stair, least I was in a shop walking and there was a stair dropping down into the changing room that bizarrely wasn't marked and instead it was actually carpeted over. So walking, I just happened to step into it and unexpectedly dropped 3 or 4 inches and ouch! It kinda shunted my hip upwards and immediately hurt the illiac crest area.. since then I have had much more trouble sleeping, feel dull ache in joint when I put weight on it and some spasm around the hip also. Really cross what a stupid thing to happen and I am sooo careful too! However that was 5 days ago and I'm hoping my 8 months post op joint can withstand that jolt and heel in the coming days or week.

On a positive note, as of today, I have started one to one pilates using a trapeze and reformer table to hold the weight of my leg and allow the pilates person to add resistance as I become able, so tailoring to my hippy needs.
Also I have an appointment with my consultant Professor Schilders. He knows I am disappointed with my recovery so far and I am curious what this next appointment will bring.

Happy healing out there!

Hip CLUNK and the pain is gone?

2010-03-14T11:55:00.000Z

Well the weirdest thing happened to my right hip last night. As I was standing, I shifted my weight slightly, my right foot slightly back of my left and there was an enormous CLUNK in the back of my right hip, that took my breath away. It was quite painful, but no sooner had the pain registered, than it was gone. Then nothing different until I lay down....
When I lay down the deep pain that is always in my right buttock had disappeared?????????? I was midnight, I was shattered, but lay there, suddenly wide awake and unable to sleep for an hour waiting for the pain to return.
Normally the pain is instant at worst and seconds to a minute away at best. After an hour I got a vague itchy, uncomfortable sensation, so I turned over onto my front, not wishing to push my luck!
I still woke in the morning with some hip pain (either arthritis or muscle fatigue pain is my conclusion with the achy side of night pain) But the urgent gotta tilt away from my right buttock, or change position because of a deep bum pain was gone.... after years, gone??????
This morning, still gone?! I've been laying on the bed, flat on my back/bum watching the clock testing it.. what the hell???????????
Still had some sitting pain at breakfast.. but no laying pain... how, whats happened?? One huge audible CLUNK and something has really shifted somehow.. but how? What? Where? WTF?????

why the nightpain in the bum? 8 months post op

2010-03-04T08:33:00.000Z

Does anyone know what causes night pain? I had an easy day yesterday and relatively pain free, but then night pain!? I only get this with the operated side and actually it started 6 yrs ago (pre-op) and was my first symptom that something was wrong. Six years ago I also lost the ability to sleep on my front.. but then unexpectedly post op, as from 7 months ago, I was once again able to sleep on my front and a little on both sides!?
I can't understand why anterior hip impingement would have stopped me sleeping on my front?? Any thoughts?

If I lay on my front now, I can get more hours pain free sleep. But after that my back muscles fatigue.
I struggle more now to lay on my back ironically, it was always also problematic and involved many cushions. Now though, the minute I'm on my back and I lean onto that side, so if I'm either flat or tilt towards that hip I get immediate pain in my bottom and it seems to also travel down my leg into my calf? If I tilt to other way using cushions, this is less painfuland how I had to sleep for 6+ years, but still painful.

I think it is the same pain that I get sitting also. So if I lay flat on my back or sit I get a radiating pain in my bottom and if I do it for any period it seems to antagonize the whole hip and flare up the pain.. My lefty side, the one that needs operating on, currently only gets irritated in the same way if I sit, which started last year, but not yet if I lay..
I thought I'd ask if anyone had any thoughts re this, as asking health professionals has them just shrug!?? Any opinions really appreciated :)

7 and a half months post a FAI op - anyones guess!

2010-03-01T08:13:00.000Z

much to same, good and bad days.. but more bad days since last week when I woke with my leg/hip internally rotated and turn it into external rotation, as I did this I heard a VERY loud grinding noise... Also its still very stiff, wonder sometimes if I should lay off the exercises and see what happens. Still not convinced I am properly better..I wonder if:

1) Its possible my left hip that still needs an op can be affecting my right post op hip detrimentally?? Is that possible?

2) Hoping my fab physio is right and that actually its ongoing inflammation caused by the relentless stairs in this 3 story house, that I am due to move out of in the coming months.

3) The remaining pain is muscular, but then why does it have the power to wake me up every night? ..And I exercise my glutes all the time and in a targeted way too. My right glute though is still flatter, no mater what I do!?

4) Fearing that my surgeon is wrong and that my acetabular retrovertion is in fact the main pain causing factor that needs addressing. Without CT, I'm unsure how he can have such confidence it isn't. Especially given the poor view of the posterior of the acetabulum, via front portal arthroscopy when doing FAI surgery.
Also it concerns me that he insisted no-one suffers posterior impingement, when there is a clear body of evidence suggesting otherwise.

I wish I could be sure of my right's recovery, as my left is screaming out for the op. The problem is, until the right one is fixed, I don't have the confidence to address the left one, for fear it is the wrong op! I know its my hip causing pain, but which is the correct hip surgery, depends on the accuracy of diagnosis and due to ongoing pain, I have lost some confidence in that!

I'm banking on it settling after the move, though think that IS optimism. Still, until then, my head is planted firmly in the sand, unless pain dictates otherwise.

PS set up a 'How to move, improve and extend without going mad' blog, hence the alteration of 'about me'!

7 months post hip op and getting better!!!

2010-02-19T17:03:00.000Z

I have been delaying writing this as I think I am FINALLY!!!!!! starting to improve, quite a bit - no idea why, not much different, unless the thought of not having to climb so many stairs, because of the immanent house move counts??!

I have continued to do the water exercises and included some of the Griffin video stretches from the last blog post, esp the illiac psoas stretch.. also doing a bit of the hip hiking exercise.
I saw a reiki healer twice and a chiropractor twice also, but doubt this can be the big change, as my left hip (good hip) is going down sadly.
I think I may just have needed more time post surgery, 7 months to be precise! 4 months over what I was told to expect! Initially I was told 3 months to recovery, when that didn't happen, I was told 6 months to recovery! ..and at 6 months I was told "well in some cases it can be a year or more"... The problem with that approach is when you're not better at 3 months you think "what the hell is wrong with me?" and then at 6 months when they start saying "maybe a year or so", you're thinking I don't believe you, I don't think I'll ever get better and you're moving the goal posts to try shut me up!

Expectation management for this op is a bit crap. I'm not an 18 year old professional footballer, so odds on I won't respond like one. I'm a middle-aged (ouch!), over tired, sugar loving Mum of two physically demanding very young children/baby.. so I can't spend hours and hours laying about, then training, then been psysio'd, massaged and drinking protein shakes! My hips aren't worth 25 gazillion pounds to a premiere league football manager!
My hips have to keep going or the family falls to pieces, I'd like to think I'm flattering myself, but I'm not.. My hubby runs a busy company, I have a four year old and a one year old, add crutches into the mix and its chaos!

I hope I am managing to express how myself and many other hip bloggers I read about are so hard on themselves and push themselves fiercely in rehab and physio and perhaps, partly because our recovery expectations are set unrealisically high.
Anyhow, that gripe over, or more to the point struggling recoverees hope that gives you hope!
So, yes I can sit for waaayyy longer, been driving about, eating meals in restaurants and just been to the cinema with my 4 year old and nothing horrific has yet happened! I notice also I can walk faster without groin pain, I caught myself overtaking someone on the path to school and suddenly though "woohoo get me!!"

The only bad thing that currently remains is my persistent pain in my bum when I lay flat on my back and its almost instant? But for now, with so much on, I have delayed the MRI neurography and consequential medical stress, for the burying my head in the sand approach! Its almost certainly nerve irritation caused by either piriformis or hip joint irritation.. as it stands I'm happy to delay further tests until after we have moved house in April-ish, and hoping that by then this improving malarky takes away the need!

FAI hip arthroscopy rehab exercises, video links

2010-02-09T10:43:00.000Z

I have discovered an AMAZING website dedicated to post FAI hip arthroscopy recoveries. It is by one of the leading experts in the UK Professor Griffin. The fab thing is there's a flash video showing you every exercise repeatedly, so you can do some of the exercises whilst watching your computer and there less margin for error.
Also it shows exercises in the 1 - 4 stages of recovery, so it can be your best friend post op! Anyhow I think its fab and here is the link:

http://www.damiangriffin.org/rehab.html

I am sure this will be a huge help for many of you, esp those in the UK with little post operative support centres of excellence. Luckily if you're anywhere near Leeds in the UK there is a physiotherapy centre called Physiocure with a strong hip rehabilitation programme for hip arthroscopy and FAI patients pre and post op. There are water exercise programmes and classes, available for all recovery and maintenance levels, as well as hip physiotherapy and specially designed hip recovery pilates sessions to re-activated the core. Find physiocure at:

www.physiocure.org.uk/hip.php

ps I am buoyant with the prospect of moving house and easy land exercises alongside my water exercises. Hope the rehab videos are of use to you, I'm very excited by them (in the tragic, obsessive way you become, trying to escape this hip pain! ;)

hip arthroscopy non recovery - stairway to hell

2010-01-27T11:21:00.000Z

Recovery from hip athroscopy for FAI leaves me exhausted like after flu or giving birth or something.. it must be the stress of all this non recovery and having to move out of this 3 story house too, to help my hips.
Well, if I do much then I have pain, if I do nothing, I have discomfort.
Still doing water exercises 3 x a week, plus some land stretches and exercises. Thanks those who have forwarded me some exercises, I am cherry picking those that don't flare up pain.
Right hip side glutes atrophy super quick if don't exercise for a couple of days, like popping a balloon. Obviously that's not normal.. I have an inflating, deflating arse!
Still seeing my PT still weekly. She is quite certain that the amount of stairs in my house are a factor, judging by her other hip patients.
I did a stair count one random day last week. I climbed up and down 442 stairs over the day/eve.. 260 of those were specifically because I live in a townhouse, so I would've climbed only 182 in a normal house. Maybe that really is too much???? Anyone have any thoughts on that one???
My PT thinks I need to start anti- inflams again and speak to Schilders about a steroid shot into my hip, I'm inclined to agree..
I have an MRI neurography to do also, though I feel too exhausted to deal with the travel and stress involved at the mo. Its not like me, but nevertheless its how I feel, utterly drained.
My PT thinks all my muscle spasms and entrapment's are down to inflammation within the hip capsule/joint, which in turn she thinks could well be down to all the stairs in my house.
I suspect she is correct, but feel so tired/bored/exhausted with it all, to think clearly at the moment.
Keep healing hipsters and any thoughts on stairs really appreciated.

6 months post hip arthroscopy she will recover she won't recover she will recover she......

2010-01-18T23:42:00.000Z

As an experiment I did nothing Frid, Sat and with the exception of sitting for lunch on Sunday, nothing Sunday either... result = feel immeasurably better! ..And that is great, though I'm not sure I want to become one of those enormous people that live literally in the sofa and live on takeout, then eventually have to be removed from their house by the fire brigade, whist a reality TV show film it for one of those sad documentaries! "MAD HIP WOMAN TRAPPED IN HOUSE AFTER GOING CRAZY LAZING AND EATING HERSELF TO DEATH'
Today I had a normal day of activity looking after 1 yr old Izzy, small amount of food shopping and collecting 4 yr old son from school. Still I am careful, as in someone has to come look after Izzy whilst I do the shopping and collect Oscar from school, as I can't be lifting her in and out of cars, prams, etc without consequence that's for sure! I am currently ok. Still did some light stretches of the hip, psoas, pirifomis etc. Keeping thinking take it easy, cos inside I'm like a greyhound at the start gate.
SO we'll see can I do 2 consecutive days looking after the kids???

PS One tip I wanted to share I have discovered in my "hellish stair torturing townhouse that won't sell" that if I climb the stairs on my tip toes (or balls of feet) I can climb more consecutively.. I think it could be because it closes the gap in the hip less, not sure why, just is..but if stairs are a pain, possibly worth a try for you!

Tuesday update.
Pain started at 5am this morning in buttock and has antagonized all day. Currently wearing a heat patch. Wanted to go out with Izzy, didn't. Can't work out if its muscle pain or hip joint, or both.. hopefully neurography test will assist in that department.
I wonder if anyone else has had this at disability level for 6 years pre op? It started Sept 03 keeping me awake at night and by Feb 04 it was impossible to sit to work. Just wonder if anyone ever comes back from that, or is it too late?

hip arthroscopy non recovery 6 months disappointing response

2010-01-15T09:04:00.000Z

My response to the letter sent in prior blog:

I'm para-phrasing as not sure I should reproduce the info verbatim, but in short (if it could be shorter!)

'Prof Schilders would like the referral address for the MRI neurography scan. Thanks.'

I am underwhelmed to say the least. On calling the secretary and questioning the brevity of his response, she said he would like me to make an appointment with him before or after after the MRI. I expected more from this letter and feel quite disappointed. Perhaps that is for him to physically assess me, but I don't feel heard and I don't see concern... and that concerns me.

hip arthroscopy non recovery 6 months - a letter for help

2010-01-13T13:09:00.000Z

No idea why but am in loads of pain from my waist to knees! Hip hurts and have spasm in QL in back, illiac-psoas, tfl, piriformis, back and front of thigh.

I think FOR SOME REASON?????????? (and that is the question) my hip is irritated (as am I!!!) and that is causing muscle spasm and that in turn is irritating my sciatic nerve. Obviously that is a theory... but what more can I do, I can't 'not' think about it as the pain is screaming at me and also my theory is in the absence of a better diagnosis...

SO I have sourced something called MRI neurography, v new in the UK... it MRI's the nerves especially and can see which nerves are been irritated and why that might help make things clearer. There's a centre in Coventry and 3 in London, so I called them and I just need a specialist referral. It costs £750 plus 125 for dye injection, but apparently Bupa will cover it, I'm astonished and relieved.

Below is a copy of the email I wrote to my consultant Prof Schilders today, it explains where I am at at the moment..

Dear Professor Schilders,

I would like you to refer me for an MRI Neurography. This is a specific test to examine the nerves, under a specialised MRI, affected by muscle spasm etc. I have found 1 of 5 countrywide facilities that do this in London and they will do the MRI Neurography if you request it and to my surprise bupa will also pay for it (I was just going to pay myself).

I would like them to look for any obvious cause of pain and for them to also look in the areas I list which I would greatly like you to request from them.. They are:

1. A generic picture of the pelvis to see if there is anything obvious causing sciatic pain.

2. The piriformis for sciatic irritation, right side (though experience discomfort on both right and left)

3. The ischial/hamstring join for sciatic irritation, right side (though experience discomfort on both sides)

4. The obturator internus for pudential irritation, right side only

5. The psoas for inflammation right side.

Please, please ask for all 5 of these sub areas to be examined as its my one chance on this specialist MRI to get a very close look.

I 'think' that might cover all the bases I am aware of, the sensations of partial numbness, tingling and pain I get both down my legs and on the right side of my genitalia.

I already know the pain is not from discs or facet joints dues to a multitude of tests I have had in the past, but from the internet have learnt that irritations and entrapments can be caused by soft tissue also. I have to find out where this pain comes from.

My hip wasn't doing great though manageable, but in the last 10 days or so it has taken a step back and I am getting all the resulting muscle spasm I used to get pre op.. I now have my front thigh, glutes and half pelvic floor in spasm to name but 3 muscle groups. I am unaware of what I have done to provoke this.

As my left side deteriorates also interestingly it is following the same pain pattern as my right operated side, just to a lesser degree in pain.

My theory, for what its worth, is that I 'think' my hip capsule of hip socket is irritated and causing muscles to spasm and therefore to also irritate nerves.
I also wonder if my psoas is irritating the capsule, or if there is a chance you may have missed a bit of bone, or even if some bone may have grown back? I say this because I can make my hip click/clunk in the groin area. I discovered this by accident.. If I lay down, flex my leg to 90 degrees as if to do a hamstring stretch, then with a theraband adduct my leg inwards toward my other leg, at about the crossover point there is a repeatable cluck, I can't hear it, but can feel it. What do you think this could be?

I have groin pain on walking again, bum pain on sitting and massive spasm pains in the local area... I am almost overwhelmed with this less than successful recovery and at a loss to know what course of action to take next, but the knowledge that I must persist otherwise be crippled slowly.

I still have no chance of holding down a job with this sitting disability and my journalism career is now lost and equally distressing, I find it almost impossible to function as a mother to my 4 and 1 year old due to struggling to lift, bend, twist squat, pivot etc.. Our house is also on the market as we live in a three story house and I can't carry my one year old, 23lbs daughter up the stairs and struggle at times to climb them alone.

Please advise, my pain is in the groin, from the groin, but I can't get rid of it despite following all given procedures. As an expert in this area I'm pinning all my hopes on your ability to, pardon the expression, get to the bottom of this.

Please may I have this referral and please will you help me find the root cause, which I agree is my hip, but do not understand why I have made such a poor recovery.

hip arthroscopy recovery 6 months

2010-01-08T19:17:00.000Z

This hip arthroscopy recovery is such a disappointment. A bad few days, after a good week!? Not sure what the problem is, I suppose I could be overdoing it! There's a surprise, seen as living like a normal person is considered overdoing it! Excuse my assumptions that LIVING might be ok to do SIX MONTHS post op.
Or it could be going back to the pool and doing the same intensity of exercise despite a 2 week break for a nasty cold? (pysio said I should've taipered down routine after 2 week break.
Or it could be that once again mercury is retrograde in Virgo? I'm now so bored of winging about my hip, I'm finding it quite hard to blog... 'how boring, she's still not recovered!'
I veer from its just I've been overdoing it, to my surgeon must have missed a bit or grade 2 arthritis maybe more of a threat to this recovering than predicted. I'd go on but I'm even boring myself.
I have currently pain in my groin, butt, side of hip and thigh - not sure which is direct socket pain or inflammation and also how much is resulting muscle spasm and or nerve pain.
Yours Annoyed.
ps Have worked out one defo pain trigger, pivoting when clothes shopping, I might as well play netball for the pain it can create.. what a bore!

hip arthroscoblah week blah?

2010-01-04T19:25:00.000Z

Blah blah, bla bla bla hip pain blah, not bad blah blah... just seeing if anyone notices! Is there a key for giggling to myself?!
PS NO wine has passed my lips!
pps pics of offending GAP clothes.

hip arthroscopy recovery week 26? Mind the gap

2009-12-29T17:37:00.000Z

hip arthroscopy pah! Me and my big mouth... massive flare today and I think I know why ..its because of Izzy's Gap fleece all in one and my desire to buy it in the sales, combined with Gap moving childrens' wear onto the 2nd floor, from the basement, where I obviously unwittingly went, if you combine that with my lift phobia (thank god I don't live in New York) you're pretty much in the picture! I walked?? up 3 flights of stairs to get my daughter a much desired fleece snowsuit! Not just normal stairs, this is a big old Georgian building with super high ceilings and endless stairs.

The only red flag, other than struggling for air and swearing under my breath was that once I got there and literally reached out to the snowsuit rail my 'good' leg collapsed and the shop assistant looked horrified. "Cramp?" I yelped before adding "have you got these in size 12 to 18 months??" but retrospectively once up off the floor, I might've pondered my leg collapsing to be a bad sign!!
After that I couldn't bend my leg, my left/good leg without cramp-like pain and weakness so ironically I had to hyperventilate my way down to the ground floor in a lift (elevator US folk)!
Managed to shop fine on one level for a further hour and felt fine last night, good even.

BUT this morning, oh dear, pain in my right hip, quite severe and also I think muscle pain and weakness in my left/good side. I'm hoping my left isn't replicating my right hips ability to give way, as it once did pre op. My right hip just really hurts inthe same pain patterns as pre op.. Bit of a shock almost 6 months out of hip arthroscopy surgery for FAI to be this affected by something I would've done in my sleep, pre hip problems. More acceptable on the side awaiting surgery. But severe pain after 6 months WTF?!

So Now 2 nights before a new decade my hubby has me under 'strict' instructions to DO NOTHING as I now have a miserable cold, some kind of 'hip stress induced anxiety disorder' and 'both' hips in meltdown. I can't sit and I'm crawling up my own stairs. Me and stairs simply do not get on! That's as black and white example as you can get!
I really wanted to ring up Gap today and complain and ask how many stairs there were from basement to second floor, but fear they'll think, no confirm, that I'm nuts if I do so, but let me say there were loads.

Err, its Christmas time I need to say something positive.... hmmm On the upside Izzy looks fab in her pink fleece snowsuit!

hip arthroscopy rehab week 26? coming to terms

2009-12-27T21:14:00.000Z

All quite unremarkable so far! Sat though Xmas dinner, granted on a cushion, but was fine and that's unusual, normally I'm itching to stand. Also got to play a board game with my son, I could sit long enough weeeeeee! fantastic!
Not been able to do much simply because I have a cold, virus thing and feel washed out.

I've not been in the pool for OMG '4' whole days, but by way of making up I've been saying lots of hail marys, no, I mean I've been doing exercises, 'land' exercises and stretches. All on piriformis, psoas and hamstrings, If I keep these muscles loose (or at least not as strung up as a violin) seems I don't go too far wrong.
Muscle aches still dog operated side though less and less so and unoperated side flares, but feels manageable.
In fairness the operated side has only been grumbling since March 08 v's the operated sides shouting at me since Sept 03, so hey, I'm hard, I'd be lost without some pain!!
Given my body's decision (catching a cold) to join my mind and self indulge in a bit of self pity for a couple of weeks I think delaying the op probably was a good decision in the long run and I'm really looking forward to quality time with my baby!

ps one tip 'wii boxing' - FANTASTIC - I just kept knocking them out in the first round - amazing stress relief and all I had to do was keep picturing my GP who for 6 years insisted it couldn't be a hip problem causing the pain!

Merry Christmas hippys

2009-12-23T18:00:00.000Z

Have a happy, hippy Christmas and less of the hoppy stuff for the New Year! ..And thanks to anybody bored enough to read the trials and tribulations of this unfortunate road of recovery, if its eased or educated your mind, then job done! Have a good one! PS our tree on the balcony out of Izzy's reach!
Best wishes to you all,
Louisa x

hip arthroscopy FAI recovery week 24? heels on the road to happiness

2009-12-19T12:25:00.000Z

Well my outlook has substantially improved in recent days and I am ashamed to admit is is thru something as utterly trivial as been able to wear heels for a couple of hours each day.. so as I now have little social life, due to limiting hips of recent years, my only way of showing off was to take Oscar to school whilst wearing Jeans and heeled boots, hurrah!! Obviously absolutely nobody noticed! I had to literally stop myself from approaching strangers and saying 'Wuhoo get me, don't I look hot!" They're only like 2 inch high wedge heels, not Ditta Vontease killer heels or anything!

Stressed, well yes I still am, its not going to go that fast, but I'm just getting on with it! Its been a hard hip year and there's more surgery ahead, but I've decided if I need a few more months till surgery, then I need a few more months. Its a natural cause /effect reaction so I'm sure it will pass in time.
Hey one upside of all the hip surgery induced stress is that I've lost 4lbs! Wuhoo - wearing heels 'and' getting skinny, does life get much better than this??!!
Well yes I suppose it could.. my Christmas wish for myself and for all of us hip suffering pioneers is less bloody pain and more accurate diagnosing and more successful, faster recoveries!! ..and a bit of peace and goodwill to all mankind for good measure!

hip arthroscopy wk 23 hip surgery causes nervous breakdown

2009-12-14T23:27:00.000Z

I think I might be ill, mentally, going all fruit loop, or something strange??!
I am suddenly soooo stressed! Its like my body kept hanging on in there thru this hellish year of my one year old baby been diagnosed and subsequently treated for hip dysplasia... followed by my SSSSIIIIXXX year, yes '6' year, crippling back pain turning out to be my hip too. That'll be the hip pain I kept complaining about then, the one ALL the specialists said was referred back pain, on the basis I was too young to have hip pain!! READ UP DOCTORS, READ UP!
Then my surgery, uuggh shudder ..and THEN "THE RECOVERY" and 5 months down the line, I should have a second surgery on my other crappy hip and yet I hesitate with this half cooked hip - not quite the recovery I was hoping for!
Now suddenly I am tearful, exhausted like never before, snappy and with a whole host of neurotic symptoms, breathless, panicky, tachycardia and overwhelmed.. and mainly I just want to sleep.
The only other time I can remember feeling even a little bit this way was like 12 years ago, working as a reporter for BBC Radio, as of all things, their religious correspondent! Trust me I was pants, because I know nothing about religion (I kind of believe in God, but noone goes to church I haven't a clue!) so I was utterly err clueless, but broke so took the work! ..I was also working evenings too as a driver in a Chinese takeaway for a stress head chief, because yes you got it, I was broke!
I lived on coffee and cokeacola. Anyway, I don't know if it was the stress, the coffee or the coke, but I ended up hospitalized with palpitations! Funny thing was I was relieved as it gave me a great excuse to get out of my BBC contract! The thing is this time I feel the same, but can't resign from my hips, so I'm not sure where that leaves me...
So does the stress just dissipate? Or will I go nuts like Micheal Douglas in Falling down and start shooting random people?? What does a nervous breakdown look like? Anyone else gone nuts recovering from hip surgery, or am I the weak link here??!

hip arthroscopy recovery 23 maintainance exercises

2009-12-13T23:31:00.000Z

Just adding some exercises for anyone who could do with some pointers for hip arthroscopy maintenance post op. These have just been given to me by a successful hip arthroscopy patient, she was told to keep doing them daily. I'm going to start adding these as from tomorrow as I currently only do water exercises.

"Hip abductions - that is lying on you side doing leg lifts,
Side steps with a somewhat tight band around the ankles, Step downs, that is where you are on the last step and step down with your good side (if you have one :) but don't let your foot touch the floor but let it get really close, repeat - this is a hard one for me. I found an old step ... See More from step aerobics that is a bit shorter and that works better. The band exercise can be done in the water, just rinse with clear water when done and lay out to dry.
All of these exercises should be done on both sides. Oh yes, a few more - Clamshells, laying on your side, knees bent, ankles together, keep ankles together and lift the upper knee -15-30x each. Leg presses - at the gym keep the weight low and do both legs at first then single leg presses, make sure you are not straining too much. Best wishes to you my friend. I better go and do mine now, I have been bad lately, always have an excuse..."

Thank you to the lovely Stephanie for these.

hip arthroscopy recovery wk 23 giving up

2009-12-11T18:16:00.000Z

Am canceling my hip arthroscopy to treat my second hip with FAI pincer, due Jan 29th... bizarre for me this, but I just can't find the physical and mental energy to go for it.. If I was certain of this recovery I think that would be my impetus, but thus far, recovery on the right hip is somewhat half hearted. I saw Prof Schilders on Wednesday, my "hoop" score had improved to 69 from 49 on the 'how much pain/how crap is your life' score, which is about average improvement. The problem is that I had such a low score to start with, as in 49, where most people start at 69 and go up to 89... so even statistically my hip's crap.
I explained I had somewhat lost my mojo and what was his take on postponing, would it further risk deterioration of the hip that needs the op?
His answer was if you leave it for a few yrs, that would likely be the case, but one year should be OK; and for me to consider that having the op in Jan as arranged, had its own risks, on my previously operated him. The pressure on the already operated hip to protect the newly operated hip could send that 1st recovery backwards, wonder if anyones ever gone into negative point scoring in the hoop score - 29!! Something I was aware of, but trying to ignore, as I wanted it all done and dusted!

I am annoyed with myself for chickening out, but just feel I have no reserves.. this recovery has been and is really disappointingly slow and the idea of 6 weeks no driving, whilst living in the middle of nowhere, isn't appealing, 6 -8 wks crutches and four months of not being able to pick up my one yr old Izzy - I just can't face it all again, not yet and I'm not gonna get Izzy's baby hood back, I feel robbed as it is!

This week by chance I'm getting more pain from the operated side, so I can't even rationalize with myself that I should push ahead, what for??

On the upside he re-measured my ROM with big improvements apparently, though oddly on both hips WTF?? And yay.. I finally got to see some new x-rays and comfortingly saw 'less bone', Wuhoo! ..If only my muscles and tendons, or whatever causes ongoing pain, would catch up! Still lucky me, my hips improved 20 points on the hoop score!

I'm going to shut up for fear of wingeing forever today!

hip arthroscopy week 22 nervous meltdown

2009-12-06T22:27:00.000Z

Well, went on a mad christmas lunch that turned into a 10 hr champagne drinking event, that took me to several bars... I genuinely thought I had little chance of making it thru lunch as there were 3 to 4 courses. Only been able to sit thru 2 courses max for yrs. Anyhow, I survived and for much longer (I think down to alcohol) but the craziness lured me in in the absence of hardly any social life in over a yr, due to limitations!
I am suffering now. Operated hip started grumbling and got louder a day later and pre op hip very very tight.
The bad news is literally since booking my last op I've had 3 panic attacks, 11 migraines and 2 days of palpitations - you'd think it'd get easier, it doesn't!

hip arthroscopy recover wk 21 - yes its actually starting to happen, a recovery wuhoo

2009-11-29T09:20:00.000Z

Yesterday was my first day of pain in a 7 day stretch of no pain, wuhoo, get that!!!!
There is definitely some improvement, dunno how or why, I think water exercises and time!
I absolutely have to recommend a great book I read 2 weeks ago on hip rehab, prehab and prevention called HEAL YOUR HIPS from Amazon by Robert Klapper (hip surgeon Sinai cedars) and Lynda Huey (physio to Paula Abdul, Cybil Shepard, Barbara Streisand and other hip patients, non of whom limp so that's a good sign!!)
It concentrates on water exercise to get your hip right. Bizarrely instinctively I was doing most of the exercises anyway, but for me it was a great book because it told me how to do the exercises properly, for maximum benefit. For anyone getting into the water alone, wanting to see big improvements this book is your best friend... I couldn't wait to read it each night! God, I really have become a hip bore haven't I?!

I have noticed my hip clunks more, like a normal (to me!) joint, I think it is because the inflammation has reduced allowing the joint some movement and basically the pain has, not gone, but significantly decrease, to uncomfortable... yippee, just a shame simultaneously my other hip's grumbling is getting louder!!! I am though still living a partially restricted life, with regards to activity and sitting, though my tolerance IS increasing.

hip arthroscopy recovery 20 and half weeks

2009-11-24T11:25:00.000Z

29th January 2010 - BOOKED SECOND HIP OPPPPPPP (biting nails, breathing heavily, upturned eyebrows,) Arrgghhghghghghghgh

hip arthroscopy FAI recovery week 20

2009-11-22T23:28:00.000Z

Have a sneaky feeling things MAYBE improving, but almost don't want to say it out loud in case I jinx the mear thought!
I am working out a little less, half hour every odd day, rather than an hour a day.. (something someone said - thanks Sam!) I think that's working better, I was doing water exercises fanatically, but frankly it was just an indication of my desperation to get fixed!
I've noticed another minuit thing, I no longer waddle when I first get up, another small sign right?? Right?
The improvements are tiny, but in the right direction, just tiny!
OOh also starting to walk up the stairs consecutively, rather than one at a time like my 4 yr old.

SO at week 20, no medication other than the odd heat patch. Constant awareness of hip discomfort, but tipping over into full on pain occurring a little less, though I am still restricting all sitting, lifting, standing activities to maintain that position.
I am walking upstairs bit better, not waddling, walking sideways is possible and walking in general is better! I almost feel a ticker tape parade coming!! ... is that a fanfare?

pavlik harness and CHD Congenital hip dysplasia - baby

2009-11-18T09:37:00.000Z

Baby hip dysplasia and the pavlik harness is something I've been meaning to cover. Should you have a hip problem, like myself, it is worth getting your babies double checked. They say first born girls and breech are most likely to develop this, my daughter was neither, she was second born and cephalic presenting. My personal experience with my daughter Isabella is below and also I have set up a facebook support group at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=153772107970026 which is a good place to meet other parents in the same boat.
My daughter, now one, slipped through the hospital first day check, health visitor's first week check and doctor's 6 week check. They spread the legs backward to see if the hips click and dislocate. The trouble is, that does not cover all the bases..My daughter, Izzy, her hips never actually dislocated out of the socket.

By 4 and a half months my hubby and myself grew increasingly concerned at Izzy's leg length discrepancy, we had passed it off as that new born twisted, scrunched up look, they often have as newborns and so had the professionals. I was reassured several times over. Until one day the LLD Leg length discrepancy struck me as dramatically obvious. I googled it (thank God for google!!) and she ticked a lot of the boxes and thought I'm almost sure this is her problem. Then took her back again to my GP.
He insisted 1cm LLD was normal ..I pointed out 1 cm on an adult maybe, but on a baby 56cms long, I wasn't so sure he was right that that was normal. At this time I had no idea I had a hip problem too, just ongoing pain from 'something' and said I wasn't prepared for them to also miss something on my daughter and wouldn't leave without a scan for her!

I got the scan for Izzy 2 weeks later and she did have hip dysplasia. Her acatabulum was 10 degrees away from normal and was too shallow. For some reason and they said congenital, her left hip hadn't fully developed. They asked who had a hip problem within my immediate family, I said no-one that I knew of, the irony! (within a month I found out my mystery pain of 6 years was my hip too)

She was immediately put into a pavlik harness.

The pavlik harness was something I'd worried about a great deal when reading up on dysplasia, but its actually very straight forward to use. It's light, its easy to wash and its best for you if you make permanant ink marks where the straps are set so you can KNOW where to fasten it if you take it off and want to put it back on and you'll become aware when they're growing too as the markers need to move. It can cause babies to have a little more wind that usual, but certainly in our case nothing significant.
The biggest nightmare was her wardrobe. She couldn't wear trousers, babygrows (unless super large) or any dress that wasn't designed to flare out as they would simply ride up to tee shirt height! So she wore party dresses the whole time because they all kicked out at the chest like little princess dresses!!
The other difficulty was seating her. Our pram, the bugaboo was fine and I believe the quinny zap is wide and good with a harness also, probably the vest in my experience because of its wide seat shape. The stoke highchair also fine. Maxi cosi rear facing car seat was ok, with a little cushion under her bottom to boost her and allow her hips to spread out. I also understand there is a special britax seat designed for this should your child be older, or in a pot version. There are products, but it can get expensive and it seems unnecessary for hopefully such a temporary length of time.

So at a LATE four and a half months (best results, if applied before 6 weeks) she began wearing her pavlik harness. Initially 24 hours everyday for 6 weeks. At the end of six weeks she only moved 1 degree and they said surgery would be the next step should she not progress and to brace ourselves as she was now six months and very few babies made progress after 6 months. However we went along with it, for another 6 weeks of wearing the pavlik harness night and day. She was allowed an hour of per day, but we couldn't see the point, other than for bathing, as it upset her more to put it back on. Once on, she barely noticed the pavlik harness, although in the final weeks seemed to kick against it. In the last month she suddenly had a growth spurt and this I am 100% sure is what caused the harness to suddenly work as at our next assessment she progressed the full 10 degrees! We were stunned! Thank you thank you thank you is all we could think.

She worn the pavlik harness until seven and a half months old. It delayed her sitting at six months, but within literally 2 weeks of the pavlik harness coming off, she could sit unaided AND CRAWL!! The harness actually really strengthened her legs! Now she is walking and ahead of a lot of her peers, which is a real shock! Do not fear it will hold your child back. Having said that as you can see just after the harness was removed she did sit in THE MOST unladylike fashion!!
We do still however have a couple of concerns, in that she favours her good leg and there is still a twist to her, but we are assured all is well and that as she becomes more mobile, using all those muscles, that these problems will disappear.

All in all its not the most pleasant thing to put your baby through, but honestly it'll probably irritate you more than them, Your biggest problems will be highchairs and clothes (but girls, its a great excuse to buy all those frufru dresses and they go for a song, virtually unworn other than for the odd occasion, on ebay!)

She has just had her one year assessment and all is looking well ...so most importantly we might just have saved her from a lifetime of pain and operations.
Ironically it prompted those around me to consider my hip as the source of my 6 year unexplained pain, so 'she' probably also saved me from a lifetime of pain too!

Anyone readying this retrospectively contact me directly if you need any help/advice re how to cope with the pavlik harness etc, I'm at louisa.w@virgin.net

ps ask for 2 pavlik harness from the hospital, they won't automatically give you two and should you have a spill or nappy disaster it makes life easier!

I have just set up a facebook support group, in the groups section of facebook called 'hip dysplasia in babies' (clicky hips or CHD, DDH) I have put on LOTS of links to advice pages, to make it easier for others to search for advice, equipment, help.
Also as more people find this facebk support group, we can help each other.

Best of luck!

hip arthroscopy recovery week 19

2009-11-15T10:07:00.000Z

I wonder when the post hip arthroscopy dateline will be described in months as opposed to weeks?? Its like when you have a baby, you describe them as say 14 weeks old, but at some point you flick over to months - where is that line? (sorry only Mum's will understand that!) Yes, here's my 100092 week old daughter, I mean 18 year old!
Anyhow v happy as my daughter's Doc rang Sat morning after her one year, or 52 week! follow up x-ray for hip dysplasia and was happy to tell us he is pleased with her hip reduction and that all is well, although they will continue to monitor her. She started walking yesterday, she does though appear to have a limp, but it is v v early days and they're saying it could just be a hangover from the hip dysplasia.. I'm hoping so. Babies often walk funny when learning, right?

So, me, I'm up and down, managed to stay off the meds so far, so that's something. Discovered I could walk sideways yesterday, not something I do often, but I know I couldn't pre op as I remember standing in a canteen queue and really struggling to do just that (a month pre diagnosis) and feeling really freaked out, thinking what the hell is wrong with me??! SO, great I can do that. Now I too can walk with crabs or queue up for crappy canteen food, wuhoo I'm at one again!! Sorry do I sound ungrateful!

Pain coming and going, but in stereo! Yesterday I had a terrible day with my 'good' hip and my bad, operated hip was fine. Today that good hip is ok, but my bad hip grumbling a little, so far, only morning! I wonder if I'm always leaning from one to the other as they alternately flare up? Can inflammation really come and go like that?! I really need this second one fixing before it gets into the state my right hip has.
So its still limiting life a lot, just trying to manage my expectations and maintain a feeling of enjoying my life regardless and to be honest that can be a struggle some days.. wait and see really isn't it...and I am NOT blessed with patience!

Anyhow gonna crack on with doing the baby blog I've been promising myself since before getting sidetracked with hips... May as well put those journalist qualifications to some use!?! Thinking of getting a talk type application for my mac, then I can lay around like cleopatra on a chaise dictating to my blogs and not concern myself with the boring anxieties of how long I can sit/how fast can I type!
Heal well fellow hipsters XX

hip arthroscopy non recovery 18 wks

2009-11-11T13:32:00.000Z

Changing the name of this blog to 'MY FAI HIP WINGE' as of the previous blog entry. I know its probably madness but I came of my 2 x meloxicam 3 days ago. Had to know where I was at, as I have been masking pain ever since it re-emerged when I came of my crutches. Not too surprisingly I'm not in a good place.

Its not good and I may have to go back on the meds. I am gutted to see everyone else doing so well, I don't mean that in a mean way, I just can't see why not me too? What's wrong with me? I started out so positive and this blog was so positive and I just if I'm honest believed that the hip arthroscopy failures either had duff surgeons, or didn't follow there PT exercises, or had negative attitudes, or something. But I've done it all, good surgeon, religious about physio therapy and added daily hydro and had a positive outlook.

Even with the kids I was hands off until last week and couldn't manage then, so now they're in school and nursery so I don't get to look after them! ..and I still can't work as I can't sit. Apologies for temp blip of feeling sorry for myself, just I keep watching my body clock and increasing trying to accept that I may not have my third child because of my stupid hips, seen as I can't even pick up the ones I have. If I were a wild dog I think I would just knaw off my leg from the hip joint and have done with it!

In fact I'm going to stop writing I'm making myself miserable! Going to go sharpen my teeth to see whether knawing off my leg is actually an option!

hip arthroscopy recovery 17 wks

2009-11-08T19:47:00.000Z

Rubbish mood and feeling sorry for myself. Spent a lovely afternoon with friends, but gutted they had to arrange a standing dinner party because I am struggling to sit still, good ole Bangers and mash though... Yum!!! They are half hour away in car travel time, that is an hour traveling both ways, leaving me approx 30 mins remaining sitting time for random sitting and no chance for 2 hour sit down meal with wine ontop, so a standing meal... so grateful, but so embarrassed as my disability stands out and as an active person all my life, I find it hard to be singled out as partially disabled in any way.

This week Mon and Tuesday good and I had Izzy (one yr old 25lb baby) to look after. Wed morning was also ok, but then a lift up to the highchair too many and I was polaxed! So did some serious nursery help rejigging to survive. Struggled to survive Thurs and Frid, recovered Saturday just in time to ruin it by driving into Leeds city for a meal, half hour drive there and back, 2 hrs lunch = PAIN! Followed by Sunday lunch arrangements = MORE PAIN! The audacity to think that I should be able to enjoy my life!!!!!!!!

As from this week, 17 weeks post op, the ONLY way I can even look after my daughter is if she goes to nursery, then my hubby leaves work at lunchtime and collects her and puts her straight to bed for a nap. She wakes at about 3pm, so then most of the day I haven't had to pick her up! I have also arranged for Oscar, my 4 yr old, to be collected from school, as with Izzy in tow and in a town house and a drive away, I can't carry Izzy around to collect my son. SO within all these super organized hurdles I can look after my kids, kind of! To be honest I'm feeling quite sad. Still lifting (muscle stuff) and sitting (FAI stuff) is ruining my life.
Feeling quite down to be honest.

Feel SOOOOOOOOOOO inadequate as a mother!
Is anyone else like this or just me, I manage until I try participate in life!
17 weeks and I still can't carry around my 25lbs daughter, or really do stairs with or without her, EVEN WITH A NOW BEYONCE MUSCLEY ARSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Arrggh!
BETTER? I DON'T THINK SO!

hip arthroscopy recovery hard work beginning to be rewarded

2009-11-01T22:54:00.001Z

Been pretty good, though even at 16 weeks I am now rehabbing harder than ever, doing a hour in the pool 5 to 6 days a week. I simply walk forwards, backward and sideways. Then do some specific exercises to improve glutes, quads, ab and adductors strength and hammy stretches... and towards the end of the hour I swim, mainly flutter kick and a bit of breaststroke.
At the end of the hour I spend 10 minutes in the jacuzzi heating and loosening up my muscles and aiming the water jets to massage my hip arthroscopy incision sites. But I have to say I am loving it!.
I'm nervous about this week as I will start properly looking after Izzy, my imobile as yet 25lb one year old! I'm not confident of my ability as carrying her on stairs is REALLY hard and I live in a townhouse, but my help has had enough, in fairness its been four months..so I'm just hoping its not too much for my hip. I'd stick her in nursery full time but fear swine flu more! She'll be doing nursery just 3 afternoons a week. In truth I have no idea what the reality will be, I will not know what if anything I am able to do until the end of this week..
I do think this though, without kids and with a little lifting avoidance, I think I would be on the mend..I DO feel improvement. On down days I crash in mood, but I think I am now seeing more good days than bad.

hip arthroscopy recovery 15 wks 5 days.

2009-10-29T00:49:00.000Z

Well astrologically speaking the outlook for my hip is rather good. Saturn apparently leaves virgo (thats me), ..supposedly, about 2 yrs ago he arrived for a long stay bringing, stress, worse hips, increased pain and rubbish doctors into my life and he leaves my sign tomorrow WUHOO! I almost want to stay up tonight and watch him leave!!!

And Jupiter, the planet of bountiful good hips, femurs, labrums, pain relief and brilliant doctors, is popping into my sign, thats virgo in case you missed it the first time, for a brief period.
So don't say I don't look on the bright side, or find ways of staying positive..

Yours,
Mrs Clutching at straws!!

hip arthroscopy recovery 15wks, 2 days.. More answers, so more questions!!

2009-10-25T10:31:00.000Z

My hip arthroscopy certainly has its ups and downs, but in general I am not where I hoped I would be.
However this week some pennies have dropped and I am starting to see my problem more clearly.

I notice when in the pool, when I raise my right, operated leg to the rear, to do glute exercises, this makes my left (pre op) hip, click. Because of the nature of the pelvis been as one unit. I believe this tilts my pelvis backwards with the leg, into extreme lordosis, causing my acetabulum to hit my femur on my left, static hip. Though a different action, it recreates the contact made if I simply flex up that static leg to 90 degrees in front of me. The same bone collision is happening.

Also I have made an effort to sit properly, to avoid knackering my hamstrings at my sit bone junction. In doing so, I cause pelvis to tilt forward (increasing lordosis to normal extent), which again causes my acetabulum to crash into my femur on my left pre op side - OUCH. If I sit incorrectly, by flattening my back, it stops the bones crashing but then it really hurts my hammys and sit bones. I think, no I'm almost sure, avoiding correct posture sitting, to avoid the bone collision, has caused the damage to my hamstrings. I have unwittingly been doing it for years!

However as an experiment I have been sitting correctly for a week, which increased my sitting tolerance and reduced sit bone pain considerably, but as my theory expected now I have severe pain in my pre op hip from the bones colliding and probably catching and inflamming the labrum!!

My concern is the constant grumbling of my right hip, my post op hip and I wonder if there is enough clearance betweeen the bones now after my hip scope?
Which brought me back around to retroverted acetabulum, which causes pincer FAI. I know I have retroverted acetabulum, it was kind of loosely mentioned at a stage when I hadn't a clue what was what. I confirmed I had it on my AP X-ray and it showed inside the pelvis walls the 2 tale tale signs of the jutting in triangle protrusions into the should be empty space and the figure 8 sign over hip.
It all leaves me with a couple of questions which I need to ask my surgeon, but would also welcome any anecdotal experience..
Can a retroverted acetabulum be corrected by hip arthroscopy only? Can all cases be fixed that way? When is an open procedure necessary? How do I know if I need open surgery?

Its reassuring because it all makes sense and I can even create and remove pain by altering my posture temporarily. But I'm foxed by my rubbish recovery on my right hip and thats what is making me question retrovesion of hips causing FAI as i believe it is traditionally treated by repositioning the acetabulam through open surgery as opposed to rim trimming acetabulum through hip scope. So I question if enough has been done?

For anyone suffering persistant bum pain sitting, try sitting with your back more arched, which has your sit less on your tail bone and more on the flats of you femur, does that takeway bum pain and create groin pain? then switch back does that ease off the groin pain and bring on the bum pain? Experiment...its quite interesting!

hip arthroscopy recovery - wuhoo I can RUN!

2009-10-21T22:29:00.000+01:00

Today I discovered I can run! I know I can run in water, but it turns out I can run for real, on land! I ran because I was in a toy shop passing the day when I asked the time and then realized I had 10 minutes to collect my son, from school which was 20 minutes from the shop!!
I wouldn't have been quite so panicked, but he only started school last month and yesterday I locked myself in the house/lost door & car keys so at the last minute I had to desperately ring round and find someone to collect my poor son! I figured on 2 consecutive days, been quite that crap would be unimpressive and given I locked myself in again about two weeks ago and they had to hold him until I could escape and drive to school, I wasn't taking any chances and ran, YES RAN (with 4 shopping bags, light ones!) for a few minutes to my car and then did the obvious and rang the school on my mobile and told them I'd been in a car crash, like you do! Didn't realize how bad that sounded until I heard the head mistress gasp and I added a small crash? ..and that I'd be late. Actually recounting that is making me laugh, but at the time I was hysterical and genuinely concerned they'd report me to social services for neglect or something!

Anyhow so add running to the list of new abilities and even in the teary sprint I was present enough to notice I thought my stride was rather even!!! Doing 1 hr, 5 days a week in the pool walking/running and doing specific exercises. It never brings on the pain, mostly feels good after and I am feeling muscles grow, specifically my atrophied bum/glutes! So I'm aiming now for a hot Beyonce big ass!

hip arthroscopy recovery 14 wks 2 days

2009-10-18T21:42:00.000+01:00

Top tips post hip arthroscopy - its unwise the try race your 4 year old on a scooter! Top tip 2, don't try catch falling autumn leaves, you won't be as good as you were and it really can jar your hips darting sideways and back and forth..still, I caught 4 leaves and each one is good luck! I caught one and quickly made a really trivial wish, then thought how silly, when I 'should've' given it to my son.. so had to catch a second for Oscar, THEN I remembered something really important I wanted to wish for and had to catch a 3rd for a serious wish for myself, then thought God that's really selfish, so had to catch a forth to make a wish for my children!!!! ...by which time I was half crippled and my four year old boy, 20 minutes after the initial excitement of catching leaves was pleading 'Please Mummy can we go in now, I'm BOOORRRED!'

Anyway won't stay, else I'll moan and doubt everything, but its been a dodgy few days and when I tried to come off pain killers, for my stomach, I realized I was in pain and also still had groin pain, it had just been masked by anti inflammatories, so I was REALLY disappointed!

hip arthroscopy recovery 13 wks 4 days

2009-10-13T18:10:00.000+01:00

So on the 5th day I have pain, BUT I just had 4 consecutive pain free-ish days! Even though v active. Yesterday went a bit mad, cleaning for house viewing, shopping, laundry, swim stuff and then a big dash to find Oscar a halloween outfit for his first primary school pumpkin party CCCUUUTEE!! 4 shops and a sore bum (mine!) later we found the much desired skeleton suit! So today I felt tender and last night I couldn't sleep on my back without really bad bum pain...LUCKY I CAN NOW SLEEP ON MY FRONT THEN, TA DARR!
Had a day of forgetting meds and yesterday I decided the smartest solution might be to halve them to just 7.5mg meloxicam per day.

Its going to be a more intense ten days from tomorrow as my hubby goes to Hong Kong and China on business leaving me running after the kids with my mum, so like I said 'I'll' be running after the kids! Expect stressed, painful posts!
Good hip playing up a bit and sitting pain all around. But with hope I'm chipper again, least the pain is lightening, would LOVE to hear from other post hippy's to hear your experiences so far?

Hip Arthroscopy recovery 13wks, 1 day pain relief

2009-10-10T10:53:00.000+01:00

Wuhoo 2 days no significant pain, could this be a turn around, touch wood salute at magpies and all manner of superstitious reassurance behaviour!!!
Been working like a demon at the pool, an hour a day of walking in chest deep water, ham, glute, adductor, quad and hip flexor exercises and a bit of breast stroke and flutter kick leg swimming... it is working wonders.. or the steroid is.. wish I knew which it is, but oh the joy of not living with mind distracting dull ache day and night!
Maybe this hip arthroscopic malarky, maybe it can work???
Must not get too excited as I KNOW the pain will keep revisiting, but right now I'll be grateful for one day pain, two days no pain and so on and hopefully ever improving!

hip arthroscopy recovery swim swim swim

2009-10-08T17:37:00.000+01:00

I am still in pain post hip arthroscopy. The hip arthroscopy to repair a detached labrum and FAI pincer was 13 wks ago tomorrow.
I no longer limp or think too much about walking. BUT I am still in pain, feels like the same pain. I have lost the groin pinching part mostly. I still have pain in my buttocks that aches and will not allow me to sit and participate in life. I have been attributing that pain soley to hamstring tendonitis/bursitis at the joint of the sit bone, not sure which it is supposed to be?! BUT yesterday tieing my shoe laces on my good leg/hip I virtually bent double and boy did I feel a pinch in my groin, that pain built all day and wrapped around into my buttock area and where hamstrings meet sit bones, totally mimicking the pain on my bad side, so I'm really not sure now what I think. I'm pretty sure I either pinched the labrum or bone hit bone, I'm not sure but it made me yelp.
But then IF my pain therefore is capsular, that means either the hip arthroscopy performed by Proff Schilders failed or the arthritis is worse than assessed at grade 2, or when I jarred my leg at week 2 I did more damage than estimated... ???

One thing is the pain I caused yesterday has eased off and it also made me realize the steroid in that hip, prior to my hols has worked, so much I have all but forgotten that good hip causes pain!

Anyhow I'm still waiting for Hammy steroids to take effect, I estimate one to 2 more weeks.
I am going water walking 4 days a week now for almost an hour at a time. I walk in all directions, jogg (wuhoo the freedom, I love it!) do glute, quad, adductor, hammy and glute exercises and then swim a mix of breaststroke and flutter kick. I love it because I switch off and think of it as me time at get on with it and before I know it its jacuzzi time! To relax off the muscles of course!
My pain is significant and not controlled by my anti inflammatories, better controlled by a heat patch applied to just above my hip and wrapping around onto glute muscle. No idea why and why should I when the experts don't know either! The pain is every alternate day and I have no idea of a pattern...but for this its VERY VERY similar to pre - op, now how is that?

hip arthroscopy recovery ha ha! 12 wks 2 days miserable blog!

2009-10-04T19:48:00.000+01:00

I can walk better and further without pain or limp and I can sleep on my stomach. I've been unable to walk far without pain or limping for just over a yr of the 6 yrs pain. I've been unable to sleep on my front for 6 years. The groin pain has pretty much gone..think I had that part of the pain for at least 3+ yrs, probably longer, but that was the first time I can be sure, as I wrote that pain down in some consultant question notes in 2006.

I get night pain if I do too much of 'anything'! AND worst of all I can not shake of the sitting pain that has dogged me for 6 years. It is I'm sure from where my hammys meet my sit bone, I've gone on about that for years and the pain so pronounced I can pin point it quite literally.
Trouble is its been 6 yrs and THAT is bad news! I'm still awaiting the steroid effect but its only a week and a half since the injections. My physio has started ultrasound therapy and trigger point massage also. I stretch daily, the 2 stretches I do feel good.
I picked up my daughter again today and wacked myself out. I'm so upset because my Mother is the one helping with childcare and she is getting increasingly impatient with this stupid,slow recovery and my consequential need for childcare...
Even worse I am gutted I can't look after Isabella and also very sad I will not be able to have a third child, as twice over when my babies hit over 20+lbs (about 1 year) I lose the ability to pick them up!
Other than aqua exercises and hammy stretches I have all bit given up with the exercises as they're MAKING NO DIFFERENCE! I should know I've done them religiously for 10 of 12 weeks!

I don't exactly know how I hurt my hamstrings, but I'm advised most likely to do with bad hip mobility, though I think I got the hammy pain before, during and after my hip pain arriving.

I LONG to pick up my daughter and go out and have fun with her and I know with anything short of a miracle, it really isn't going to happen! It just isn't, I know this because time is ticking and the same happened with my little boy!
I long to socialize again, meals, cinema, pub ...life??? Work? This is just shit as whilst I THINK I know the hammys cause the sitting pain, theres little I can do, its so chronic!

Advise please??? Canada FAI experts?

2009-10-01T07:25:00.000+01:00

Someone has approached me for advice. They NEED a top FAI specialist, has anyone got a name for FAI/Labral tear hip specialist in Calgary or close, Canada. I'm pretty sure have heard of one there in the past but can't remember?

PS Been suffering all night with MUCH discomfort, I'm almost sure from my hamstring though and it feels swollen. Good to ID the pain though!

Be very grateful for any Canada recommendations or Canada people connections.

hip arthroscopy recovery 11wks 5 days reflections 2009 mum and daughter

2009-09-30T09:49:00.000+01:00

Almost sick with excitement today as for the 1st time in 2 months I am looking after Izzy 'by myself'.. Only for the morning, then nursery. I'm hoping to gradually phase in looking after her without pushing myself and so hindering my slow hip arthroscopy recovery. I have missed her desperately and am gutted every time she holds her hands in the air to be picked up by others, because she never holds her hands up to me!
Its good that babies have such a strong survival instinct, knowing who will look after them, but the amount of times I've been desperate to say I WANT to pick you up I just CAN'T! Shes 11 months almost to the day.

This whole year has flown, in a haze of hips..1st in February Izzy's hips, when I recognized she had hip dysplasia (God knows how, but thank God either way!)
I had no idea hip problems ran in the family, I myself wasn't diagnosed with a hip problem until 2 months after Izzy, later in April, after 6 years of misdiagnosed pain.

The doctor wouldn't believe she had a hip problem and just refer her for scan. Finally I said to him that I had had almost 6 yrs of undiagnosed pain and never want her to go through anything like that! That I needed to know 100% that her hips were fine and I could only get that with a scan, that I'd pay, anything, just authorize it!! Thank God he did because he was wrong and she did have hip dysplasia on her left hip. Discovered any later and she would've needed a series of operations. I was so mad! At 4 and a half months she was put into a pavlik harness for 6 wks.
Success of a pavlik harness much depends upon catching hip dysplasia early. She fell through all the baby screening for hip dysplasia and had I not caught it she would've been picked up for it when she crawled and dragged one leg, or later walking with a limp they said. I noticed it initially because she had a leg length discrepancy and would only put weight on the longer leg and she looked a bit twisted.

After 6 weeks she had only made a one degree change and her hip angle needed to deepen by 10 degrees. They said things weren't looking good. That she may well need surgery, that the pavlik harness mainly works if put on before the baby is 6 weeks old! She had been 4 and half months old. We were horrified with surgery on the horizon for our baby!

At around this time my new physio at Physio Cure Cookridge, Leeds started saying she thought my problem pain could be coming from my hip and that it needed further investigation. After MRA and Xray I was diagnosed with hip labral tear and severe FAI pincer abnormality. But I couldn't proceed with my op, until I found out whether Izzy needed her op. Your babies come first every time!

By some miracle in the next 5 weeks of her wearing the pavlik harness Izzy's hip actually improved by the whole 9 degrees! I put it down to the fortunate timing of another growth spurt and the chance that someone somewhere was looking after us! I cried in the scan when they said she was better. I had prepared myself to have to go through the horror of hip surgery with her. I'm not a religious person particularly but I found myself doing alsorts of deals throughout her treatment, culminating with I'll have to have a hip operation instead of Izzy, weird stuff... anyhow that's exactly what happened, no sooner had she recovered, as I was been prepped for theatre!

This year had been dominated by Izzy's, then my recovery from our hip deformities. Seemed to be always trust up in harnesses, or have the clatter of crutches in the background.
So it seems somewhat ponient?? today that this'll be kind of one of the first days when I look after her, with us both (Izzy more than me) healed!

I know I am not yet fixed, its a long road ahead and I am still taking anti inflammatories, but this is a positive step forward, after what has been an 'Annis Horriblis' or whatever it was in Latin that the Queen described as a horrible year!

One thing I think is important for others is that I was told they know of no connection between hip dysplasia and Hip impingement. 'But' when Izzy was diagnosed I was also told it was congenital and had come from someone.
I find it a huge coincidence that the two conditions are opposite sides of the same coin. Hip dysplasia is under development of the hip socket. FAI, or femoral acetabular impingement is over development of the hip socket, I find it hard to believe the 2 aren't connected, esp as the haven't worked out if FAI is congenital or developmental. All I'm saying is if you have babies, get them checked by ultrasound scan. Especially, though not exclusively, if they are female.

6 HRS LATER:
Was ok looking after Izzy, though she's very heavy. I can hold her just standing and I can hold her and walk a little. But holding her and doing the bloody stairs just twice gave me 3 hours of pain, mainly deep ache in butt, bit thigh pain, limp flirted with returning and then pain around the hamstrings insertion into sit bones. Unsure whether it hurt my hip or hammys, but am pretty sure (cockney accent) "it was the stairs wot did it Gov!" Has calmed down now, though be interesting to see if night pain returns?! And I know if I looked after Izzy regularly, like I'm supposed to be able to, I'd be totally buggered! There goes leaving my husband then!
I'm not sure these male Docs/consultants quite get how physical it is looking after a wiggling 24-26 pounder! Dumb bells don't thrash around, I reckon they're way easier to lift than a fighting, heffer 11 month old!

GOTTA MOVE!!! GOTTA MOVE GOTTA MOVE OUT OF THIS 3 STORY TOWNHOUSE!

Hip Arthroscopy recovery 11 wks, 3 days

2009-09-27T14:32:00.000+01:00

Hip Arthroscopy for FAI pincer and labral detachment is still going so slowly. The improvements are almost inperceivable. They are however improvements. I think that thanks to aqua exercises I am losing my limp. I spend half and hour every odd day, as of last week, literally walking forwards, backwards and sideways in a pool. Adding in some 90o leg raises and internal external rotations. I actually feel looser when I get out of the pool. No idea why it works but it works. I would have done it sooner, but was anxious to be pool side on slippy tiles fresh out of an op. Thou a tip, wear your crocs, they're great for stopping slips on wet tiles.

After only a week of this I am able to walk faster, further and much more even strided. In fact yesterday I went shopping for 4+ hours which is a first in a long time! I was delighted though paying for it today, with both my credit card and pain levels!
I also had/suffered those delightful hamstring bursa injections, immediately after with the local anesthetic my hubby said I was walking much faster.. So that could be a factor, although it hasn't yet stopped the sitting pain much. I think in the initial days it made my sitting tolerance a little better and I noticed that I had less pain the the bum sitting and more traveling down my legs that I could feel...but I'm waiting for the steroid to have chance to kick in before drawing too many conclusions.

I've done a bit of research since and a forum contributor said he got better post hip arthroscopy in all but sitting and was given from his doctor a supplement called Acetyl L Carnitine for sciatic pain and that after 1 week his sitting pain just stopped and that IF the pain is sciatic that this will work.
I looked up various research papers and found that like he says 'Acetyle L Carnitine', not just L carnitine, has huge success in relieving neuropathic pain and more so if combined with Alpha lipoic acid. The dosage for eliminating neuropathic pain is said to be 500mg ALC & 200 ALA x 3 x times a day. There don't appear to be many side effects, but that if you are to take any supplement, at any dose, do your research, better still ask a health professional.
I want to try this, but only after I've had a month to give the steroid a chance to do it's thing. I still think my piriformis might be trapping/pressing my sciatic nerve when I sit mainly.
The other route is that hamstring trigger points can masquerade as sciatic pain and as from this week will ask my physio Louise, if she could work on those triggers, she's very good at myofacial work, though its very uncomfortable at the times, there's often immediate relief.

So in short, I am feeling a much better range of movement in my hip and my related movements. I suspect over the 6 yrs clinical and ?? years sub-clinical my body has compensated and consequently caused muscle imbalance and strains on tendons and SOME of the pain is taking longer to subside.

hip arthroscopy recovery 11 million weeks. Injection into my arrrrrrrse.

2009-09-23T20:34:00.000+01:00

I'll keep it brief! Mainly as I am still traumatized by today and have now had 2 glasses of wine and could be forgiven for saying anything after today, except no, a blog is like a puppy, not for Xmas, but for life! Here for everyone to see, FOREVER!

Went for Ultrasound, showed something, nothing horrific, just some crappy changes, though doubt that was the technical term he used!

Professor Schilders again cut to the chase and recommended the litmus?? test of anesthetic and steroid injection into Hamstrings where they meet the sit bone, hmmm nice! Wide eyed I agreed.

So half an hour later, knickers around my knees, in a doughnut of a CT scanner I find myself holing onto one of the lovely nurse's hands (a bit too tight) screaming FUUUCCKK! as I have a needle drilled into each butt cheek to reach each hamstring.. Those of you who follow know I am no wuss at these painful things and I have NEVER screamed or said more than shit! OMG! That was the most painful treatment!
I feared the needle first going in, all I could think was I wish I'd dieted because a) I am covered in towels, with nothing but my newly fat ass sticking out and 2, no B) (alcohol!!) That the needle had further to travel thru the layers of chocolate blubber!
First placement of needles fine, followed by further CT to ascertain correct position and I'm not allowed to move a millimetre! Once position confirmed THEN they go in further, to where the tendon meets the bone and I went from thinking, nah this is fine, I can handle this, to FUUUUCKK!!! (childbirth flashbacks!)
Anyway, its a positive thing and all done and dusted.
I think I then had a meeting with Schilders (but it was a post adrenaline blur) and could neither speak, nor comprehend his words at all. I suppose its one way of shutting me up!

But I walked away thinking that in summary he'd said: He's seen FAI and hamstring injuries together before. If not hamstrings then he'll keep looking. I am walking better. Suck it and see, we'll know in 4 wks if its helped. It could be like phantom limb things where your nerves are so screwed you just THINK you feel pain..... err I THINK not! Just wait and see, which is fair enough.
I do though trust this specialist,he seems different to other consultants I've seen, conscientious and genuinely after making you better. Thank the lord!
Anyways.. in summary, it hurt and we'll see..

hip arthroscopy recovery 10wks, 3 days

2009-09-21T09:34:00.000+01:00

Generally my recovery from this hip arthroscopy is much the same. VERY slow and small improvements, almost undetectable. I have started been able to sleep on my front a little again. My limp has lessened provided that I don't walk far, that I take small steps (feel like a geisha!) and walk at a slow pace. I must consider each step as one leg has a fair distance heel strike and the other can't reach half as far, hence the limp.
I realize I was limping before the hip arthroscopy op also, just not so easily provoked.

I'm still taking the 2 x meloxicam, but this week, only one night has needed night time extra meds.
I had a lot of pain though yesterday and purely as we had guests for lunch and I sat eating for a while, easily under one and a half to 2 hours, but its clear to see how a sit down job would be impossible! Grrr God I miss journalism!

As I am sitting now, both sers of my toes are tingling and I have pain in my operated hip's bum cheek. Having read a little on hamstrings, it appears they can trap the sciatic nerve and mimic true sciatica which could explain a lot; as well as the bottom pain.

Wuhoo gotta go, 2 great phone calls, appointment for Ultrasound re hamstrings, then see Schilders.. Please let this be the final missing piece of my pain jigsaw discovered on Wednesday by Shilders??? ..and house viewing in 1 hour and I hope someone buys this gorgeous stair hell I live in!

Hip Arthroscopy recovery 9wks, 6days some results in every way!

2009-09-16T14:28:00.000+01:00

The last few days I have had some kind of definite improvement. I have not required top up paracetamol or any heat patches over my hip at night. I am though still taking 2 x 7.5mg meloxicam/mobic everyday, as I believe my problem is inflammation though I'm unclear why at this stage.

I received the results of my MRI scan today. My sacroiliac joint is fine, prob the 6 years of therapies have fixed it, boom boom! OR there was never anything wrong with it as I suspected!! Hmmmm, however Professor Schilders is correct again and there is a problem with my hamstrings. The MRI was not clear enough to say why, other than that there appears to be oedema (I knew my growing ass after this hip arthroscopy wasn't all down to chocolate!!) and inflammation, which indicates something, though unsure what yet. Professor Schilders is, I understand, going to arrange an ultra sound for a clearer picture of the situation. I look forward to getting the hamstrings resolved.

There must be improvement on my operated side as I would normally feel considerable pain despite the medication and I am still feeling pain in my "good" hip, which as you know isn't really good, so this kind of pain easily breaks through medications and isn't causing much pain on my operated side.
Also I have been able to sleep on my front twice, only for half an hour at a time, but that's a first in 6 yrs and also I can open my legs to equal distance now after the hip flexor exercises retrained my muscles.
I DO NOT think I am out of the woods yet at all, I scarcely dare post this in case I jinx myself! But I think these are positive signs, that may become a trend, that may become a recovery!!
My good side is very symptomatic still, I think it may have eased a little with the steroid, but right now its pinching the hell out of my groin and giving me a pain in the bum cheek!
I am religiously doing my bridge exercise, all my hip exercises and one with a theraband. I am stretching my psoas hanging one leg off the bed and lightly stretching my hamstrings. I do this particular set of exercises as they really feel to help. And I aim to start aqua stuff within days, as I really felt such benefit on holiday from doing these.
The house officially goes on the market this afternoon so bye bye stairs (bit premature in this market!) but I will miss the house as its JUST how I want it, but I will not miss 30 stairs from top to bottom!

Hip arthroscopy recovery 9 wks, MRI scan

2009-09-11T14:14:00.000+01:00

Well I am with the fairies tripping... serious MRI phobia. Took 5mg diaz as left home... nothing! took ano half so 2.5 more, then at the point it he told me it would go in up to my head and take an hour and a half and need a dye contrast injection I took another 2.5mg = 10MGS!!!!!! Off my trolley. And it took ages, half way thru to work.
They're looking to see if they've missed anything obvious causing the sitting pain, aside from my hip, but related to my hip. Apparently with hip problems you can get a triad effect (no, nothing to do with machete wielding Chinese men!) but it can knock onto the hamstrings and sacroiliac joint and I asked for the glute bit. So when all was done the whole thing took 2 hours.
I was trying to explain the horror of MRI scanners to my mother, who isn't the most compassionate person and has no medical experience to draw from.. I said its like been locked in a lift so small your nose touches the door and then having a bunch of lunatives whacking the metal lift with dustbin lids to make it really noisy and scary.

She just rolled her eyes and said, "Lou do you have to be so graphic!?" I said just trying to get you to picture why its so scary and perhaps get a smidgen of sympathy."Alright, she said "I'd hate it too!" Hmm thanks, that's my Mum been all warm and fuzzy!!!

Anyway I am alive, off my face and awaiting results with little anticipation, if nothing then just a bloody slllooowww recovering hip, it something its more grief is it even fixable? Poor Bupa! They have, so far been fantastic.

Well, going house hunting tomorrow, because there are 30 stairs in my house to get from the entrance to the bedrooms! Exciting to view potential new home ..but you know whilst most people can't wait to get into the kitchens and bathrooms, I'm going to be heading for the staircase, doing a stair count and checking step depth, its tragic...
why don't I just send myself an 80th birthday card, move into a bungalow and have done with it!!!

Hip Arthroscopy recovery 8wks 5days

2009-09-09T23:11:00.000+01:00

Pain up and down. Today fairly ok, yesterday had me crying and still in both hips

I'm fast coming to the conclusion that I am overdoing it. Not by excess, but simply by standing so long. I still can't sit for very long comfortably, I won't sit for more than 10 mins, unless driving...which means I am on my feet most of the day and I'm GUESSING thats too much, most people sit for 8hrs just at work and watching TV.
My only rest is to lay down and that is preeeettty antisocial! and when I'm out impossible, so I think the standing, thats how I'm overdoing it. Still why can't I sit?

I am going for an MRI scan on Friday, boooooo scary. Professor Schilders ordered it. He wants to see if I've hurt my hamstrings where they join the bone and check out my sacrolliac joint and I've asked if they can check my glutes... there was a time when I used to quite like it when men checked out my ass, but not for this reason!!!
I know my glutes and hips keep spasming, just now the problem is gone, I no longer know why?!

Have put my house on the market this week. I love this house, I have it just how I like it, but the stairs are well, too many! Its 3 stories, so up and down and up and down all day, its killing me!! That and we're in the countryside and I need to be in the suburbs because everything is too far to drive to. This is me resigning to the pain and that it may be ongoing. The op hasn't/isn't going to just whisk the pain away and it need the other side doing yet! Ah well, least we can afford to trade up a little too.

Anyone else recovering quite this err crapily?

hip arthroscopy recovery wk8, day 2, water baby!

2009-09-06T06:34:00.000+01:00

Hip has noticeably improved in the last week.
I took a weeks holiday, inspired by the ever helpful PA of Professor Shilders. I went to Majorca, Spain, a very quiet beach, warm waters, gentle shelving into the calm sea. Hot weather, no stairs and everything close by.

I noticed the difference and realized my own lifestyle must antagonize my hip, making recovery more challenging. I still had a couple of really down days when I got pain flares and it seemed prompted by one day climbing 2 flights of stairs (at home I do that just to get in and out of my house!) and one night sitting in a bucket style chair. I have to say now when it flares I seem to go into despair quite quickly.. I think I'm afraid I'll never escape it all! But, I've had a few good days and am feeling quite positive and I now also know there's a direct link with activity and setting back rehab. SO, yes exercise, but if you're quite an active person also, then watch out for over doing it!

I felt REAL benefit from doing aqua exercises, I think in water you can stretch and move so much more. The exercises I was doing in water felt very remedial, but I swear have helped more than I could've imagined, so now I need to join a local pool and do this more. I simply walked forwards, backwards, sideways. raised my hip/knee to 90 degrees, also did the same but reaching to touch my foot behind me. Also raising my leg 90 degrees then crossing my foot over the opposite knee.
Also tentatively swam breaststroke and it all felt good to do... though actually I must've looked v strange!!

The sand was also amazing. I lost my limp in the sand, walking felt great, real heal toe walking.
The other thing I did was my core exercises on the sunbed, esp the bridge and hip flexor exercises. And one last thing that I feel helped was standing with my legs a couple of feet apart and GENTLY rocking from one hip to the other. Normally this action should be a smooth one, but for me its smooth one way then like going over a painful hump the other way...again this got easier and easier in the sand and now much smoother. As I'm sure you can imagine I wanted to stay a month and get myself right!!

I cried in the airport as from day 2 on holiday I didn't need my crutches at all for the whole of the holiday, it was like a miracle, but on my return Majorca has a big airport and I needed my crutches again. However I have been home 2 days and not needed them so lets see how this week pans out.

I have started taking mobic or meloxicam 7.5mg per day to help with inflammation, but trust me, if I get bad the pain easily gets through, so I think I might be doing okay!

One other thing I have started doing is massaging my glutes and hips with a tennis ball against a wall, to try reduce the muscle spasms and trigger points that I am still suffering with. I don't know why still the muscle spasms on the operated side, what does it think it's protecting?? Its a bad pain muscle spasm and mine seems to irritate my sciatic nerve too, so this aspect has to go. I want to calm the whole area, joint, muscles, nerves in the hip down.

Still very much day by day small improvements, but I think and hope I'm getting passed that 'wall' that people talk of and that I'm on the up again.

Hip Arthroscopy recovery 7 wks, 1day

2009-08-29T07:53:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was ok pain-wise, things calmed down, though with packing and having to run some last minute errands, for our last minute holiday in the sun, I pushed a bit hard.

Surprisingly despite this level of activity I was ok in both my operated hip and steroid injected hip, more muscular aches, although developed a weird stabbing pain in my groin of the operated side which I had never experienced before?! Scary as a very sharp pain that takes your breath away? I rested with ice and I hope if I take it easy today, the day before I travel, that it will completely disappear?

Dreading the travel as its a total of three and a half hours on planes or in cars. BUT when I get there, the hotel is almost on the beach, everything is close by. The sea is shallow, warm and calm as a rule and if not the pool is available, so HOPEFULLY the aqua therapy side of it should do me the world of good.
Away a week, keep well fellow hippys xx

hip arthroscopy rehab 6wks, 6 days Professor Schilders.

2009-08-27T11:17:00.000+01:00

Saw Professor Schilders yesterday for my second appointment post hip arthroscopy for FAI (pincer type) and labral detachment. I'd say it went well. He went out of his way to ease my fears and to help me understand the things I didn't understand.
Professor Schilders also went out of his way to fit me in, the same day for a steroid injection into my other failing hip, to help support the operated hip.

I'll explain the questions I asked and the answers I heard, by that I mean I am not quoting by any stretch, its my understanding of his replies..which aren't always super clear!

Q: I have the same pain as before the hip arthroscopy, but worse, why?
A: You had chronic, misdiagnosed, pain for 6 yrs, My, Prof Schilder's, personal research on patients over the years show that if the patient had a very bad pain and lifestyle score before surgery, it takes longer to get better. Someone in less pain, or for a shorter period, usually improves immediately from operation, be doing well at 2 months, to max improvement at 6 months. However someone like me will struggle to attain good results by 2 months and in fact may get worse by 2 months, but USUALLY the 2 groups of people meet at 6 months, at the same level of improvement.

Q: How often do they 'not' get better if they haven't got arthritis or another deformity.
A: Never happened.

Q: What grade of arthritis do I have now.
A: None, you just had the wave sign, the beginning of arthritis and that's fixed now.

Q: Where there any complications during surgery?
A: Absolutely non, your surgery went just as I hoped, I was very happy with the result.

Q: What complications could cause residual pain for me?
A: Possibly inflammation within the hip capsule

Professor Schilders then asked my when my pain level started to increase and I said when I came off crutches and apparently this isn't too unusual, I think I am to pace myself. He did say though, to use ice and anti inflamatries and to stay active, whilst pacing myself. Inactivity is bad.

Schilders also asked about my fall. I demonstrated (Aly McBeal moment), I think we concluded it may not be that significant, but that a further MRA at this stage post op would not be clear enough to identify any problems. I agreed not wanting to further aggravate my hip at this stage.

Q: I asked about my psoas possibly causing further impingement?
A: He concluded that as it had discontinued snapping over 50 times a day and was now only snapping once or twice it was unlikely to still be a problem.. He went on further to explain psoas impingement on a pincer impingement, but I broke the golden rule of journalism and starting thinking about the next question (not that this is an interview, just old habits die hard!), I was anxious to get through all the questions and having concluded it was no longer an issue, I wanted to line up my next Q.

Q: What is the possibility I could have retroversion, or some such thing to require further open surgery?
A: I HEARD: not a problem for you, everyone that has pincer has some level of retroversion, then he waved his arms in the air demonstration imaginary hip sockets at different angles and I think I heard blah blah retroversion blah..pincer; he was explaining but my thoughts had stalled at everyone with pincer has some level of retroversion? ...and I was thinking but it does cause some people to have bigger ops, does he just mean just I won't need a further op? ..And blah blah blah?

Q: I asked about the pointy bits in my pelvis that stick out on x-ray.
A: I HEARD Blah blah, everyone like you has them, a 'blah angle'..I was just still amazed he understood my really bad diagram I drew to demonstrate my question!

Q: Does it take a while for your muscles and tendons to catch up?
A: Yes.

Q: Can I have an x-ray to show all the impingement has gone?
A: No its not necessary, the way I work is that I test and retest your impingement in surgery until its perfect, with the angles on x-ray you might not even see the improvement. (Still really wanted an x-ray, but I wanted a steroid more and that was my next question and I didn't fancy my chances of getting both!)

Q: My left hip, my good hip is really going downhill, can I have a steroid, because I need it to support my other hip? That's why couldn't go onto one crutch as one crutch is held in the opposite arm and has you lean a little on the opposite leg, causing further pain in that hip for me.
A: Yes no problem, now?

He then tested my mechanics and was quite happy I could get my leg close up to my chest. I described the sitting pain I get that travels down my leg, a lot into my calf and occasionally toes (I blame piriformis and then it pressing on sciatic nerve, though feels like pain on sit bone)
Prof Schilders pressed a few spots around my sit bone and queried hamstring tendinitis where the tendon meets the bone. Additional pain source, compensatory of my hip I think. He said we could follow up that query after my holiday with an MRI (Oh NO!!!) of some sort.

I went off for lunch in a trendy bar in Shipley (ringing bupa to quickly sort out the finance and authorization) and then came back for my steroid injection.
The worst part,back in hospital, was getting locked in the loo, prior to steroid injection!
I fiddled with the door a while, was a bit stiff and in the end thought wasn't locked, so thought I better pee fast! Then, when I went to open the door it was LOCKED and would not unlock (I can't begin to tell you how claustrophobic I am, hence MRI phobia!) I hammered on the door yelling 'Help I'm locked in the loo!!' Some weird calm descended and I thought 'Yes I knew this would happen one day! Confirming my paranoia! 'I've been rehearsing for it ALL my life, stay calm'
The voices on the other side of the door said "where's the lock pointing?" I thought, breath...calm.. "nine O'clock." I said urgently, thinking wow I sound like I know what I'm talking about, like Keiffer Sutherland in a crisis, in 24!
"Okay, the voice came back, turn it the other way" I thought I've gotta get this right "which way?" I shouted back.. "Err anti clockwise or clockwise?" then voice came back again "anti clockwise." I turned it, as hard as I could, it jammed for a few moments then released and flew of of the door, straight into my nurse saviors!
"That's never happened before!" they said. I retorted suspiciously, with narrowing eyes "And yet you knew what to tell me to do!?" The girl said 'I was just guessing and hoping!' ..I nearly threw up, but opted for laughing!

By comparison the steroid injection was a breeze! No, truly I was still a big scaredy cat,because I just am, but it only was as bad as a blood test, just more intimidating. Don't ever fear a hip injection, the nerves are too dull, its not like drilling teeth, there are no sudden shocks, at worst a dull ache that you can't quite pinpoint. I've had three now, all the same.

The only thing that has freaked me out was it gave me no pain relief I think! I still had the pain down my leg part, which shocked me and made me also think more seriously about what he was saying about hamstring tendinitis ontop of FAI and labral detachment. I think I may have a pain of 2 parts, hip/groin/sacro type pain, but the bit that travels down my leg maybe part muscular, perhaps in its way trying to protect the hip? Sounds a nice, neat theory, time will tell..

A long road still to travel I think, still chasing the end of that rainbow!

hip arthroscopy rehab 6 and1/2wks.. The culprit is living!

2009-08-25T09:36:00.000+01:00

Well on Sunday night I took all the big guns that I took post hip arthroscopy to sleep. Diclofenac and co-codamol and after days and days I had pretty much a pain free sleep.

But again, a day later it is starting to flare up... and here's what I did yesterday after 4 days of stopping exercise and pretty much stopping all activity/living.

I sat upright for all 3 meals (all quick meals) I drove a half hour round trip for some minor errands (buying stamps, posting letters and then culminating with the most exciting part of the day getting petrol!!

4 hours later I got to go out again, 10 min round trip to doctors for more medication. I had to wait in the doctors for a long time, 1st 10 mins sitting, next 20 mins I found a bench to lay on.

I held Isabella for 30 seconds whilst standing (she was passed to me and taken off me, so no bending, twisting, lifting).

I also got back on the stationary bike for the 1st time in 4 days and did a half hour cycle, back down to NO resistance.(I don't suspect the bike is antagonizing the pain, as I have been able to cycle from day 2 post hip arthroscopy for FAI.)

Compared to last 4 days, yesterday was super active. I continued to make a point of not standing around the house and in the main I laid down a lot!

I iced once in the morning and once later, though the ice pack hadn't totally frozen again by the evening. I also started taking bromelain, an extract of pineapple said to be great for reducing inflammation post surgery and is widely recognized and used in Germany since 1993 for that purpose, after successful small study results. Worth a try.

Went to bed took the big guns again, diclofenac and co codamol and guess what... Yes you got it, MORE pain and LESS sleep and possibly more hip irritation.

The only variable is LOW, LOW, LOW levels of activity... I need to find a way to function as a mother of two soon. I am currently working at 5% capacity and everyone around me is cracking under the pressure of my inactivity. More to the point though, this isn't the estimated level of activity and ability expected at this stage of recovery by far. I'm supposed to be speed walking!

SO tomorrow I want to know why, specifics, not woolly "we'll have to wait and see" stuff. I NEED to know what's going wrong? How to get out of it? Can I get out of it? What grade was the arthritis found? How sure is he there is no retroversion? Or any other deformity? X-rays to show that the impingement has gone and from different angles? I NEED to KNOW the impingement has gone. Steroid injections a possibility? If anyone else can think of anything I should ask, please feel free to suggest.. Not looking forward to going, as its probably an hours round trip and I hope I get some answers for the 'physical' cost of traveling!

I'm also still limping, still on crutches on stairs and out of the house, but I can imagine that slowly sorting itself out and it doesn't seem unusual.

hip arthroscopy rehab 6wks, 2 days Anything is too much?

2009-08-23T15:07:00.000+01:00

I honestly feel like smashing things! Its only 3pm on Sunday afternoon and already I'm in pain on both sides. To hold my body weight I need to lean onto my good hip, only my good hip has gone so bad since the op, it was going downhill before the op, that I can't, so I put more weight on the operated side and guess what, I CAN"T! So actually I can't walk or go up 100's of stairs in this stupid 3 story house that I can't sell because of the credit crunch! I do not know what to do with myself to avoid any weight bearing on either side. I now need to use crutches even pottering in the house! Esle all pain flares.

I've come upstairs to explode onto this stupid blog to avoid screaming and crying 'someone PLEASE help me!!!????' ...and disolving into a fit of pointless tears on the floor by the cooker, in front of the children ...not that anyone could help me..

I am trapped in this crap body and can't even be a mother, let alone sit down long enough to hold down a bloody job as a journalist. I've lost hobbies and activities, followed by a career and now I'm feeling robbed of my precious time with my babies and motherhood. I have look through to find a nanny to do my job, not that we can afford that given I can no longer work blah blah blah blah ......and yes I know I'm not dying and yes it certainly could be worse and normally I can control my feelings with these platitudes, but today after several long, enduring painful days I am losing hope, and possibly perspective...then again in my shoes, from my perspective there doesn't seem to be much hope!

Right affected, faltering smiley face back on to have lunch, LAYING DOWN, with the family!

hip arthroscopy rehab 6wks, 2 days how much is too much?

2009-08-23T10:34:00.000+01:00

Slightly better nights sleep. Feels to be calming very, very 'slightly'. But only because I spent all yesterday again laying about, as God forbid I should stand and weight bear, or sit! I even ate laying down yesterday, which is challenging when you have guests for dinner! I still can only sit for 10 - 15 minutes at a push, but I can feel that action really flaring everything up, it actually hurts instantly I sit.

Seeing Professor Schilders for 2nd review appointment on Wednesday. I'm rather concerned how I am going to travel an hour round trip to get there, plus the inevitable time sitting and waiting for my appointment. Very concerned how I will travel abroad sitting on 3 hour journey a week today??! I will end up crippled for the holiday! Very worried, wish I'd not booked the holiday now. The whole situation rapidly becoming a nightmare.

I need to write a list of questions for Schilders, but almost can't be bothered as I suspect most answers will be summarized with 'wait and see!'
I do remember Schilders saying some people actually get worse before they get better (I dismissed that thinking 'not me!') But I wonder if that's urban myth or real and if real, just how many people has this really actually happened to that HAVE got better? One, two?

This recovery is so disheartening and adding to the trouble my childcare person has had enough and all but abandoned us, as my recovery clearly threatens to stretch past the 6 week mark and be indefinite! So I need urgently to fix up some childcare solutions for Isabella, my 24lb, 10 month old little tank girl and my son, who starts school in 2 weeks. I have no idea how I can get him to and from school, esp with baby in tow!
Its very, very frustrating as one of the key questions I asked was 'how long before I can pick up my 'heavy' baby again?' 'Six weeks' was the answer, but that's completely laughable, not a chance, I can't actually carry my own weight!

If getting up, showering, eating meals, popping out for a loaf of bread, then settling down, laying on the sofa is too much for my hip, what chance have I of looking after 2 young children and all their demands, absolutely none, only a woman with children would appreciate this.

Pre op, I could do that badly, a total struggle, but currently that's a total impossibility... So I am beginning to question my decisions and actions and the wisdom of those around me... I suppose that's inevitable.

hip arthroscopy rehab wk 6

2009-08-22T08:55:00.000+01:00

Can't lay ofr more than few hours, can't sit more than 5 minutes, can't stand for long without consequence, can't walk without crutches or pain. Daren't do the most basic exercises. I can't calm down the pain with medication or ice. Don't know what to do with myself. Completely at a loss.

I am supposed to be traveling abroad to go on holiday next week, don't know how I can sit for 3 hours to get there, but I can't cancel, as travel insurance won't cover my hip. That didn't seem a problem when I booked it 2 weeks ago?!
Pain deep and all encompassing, want to pull my leg off and have done with it, as pain wraps around the whole area. I feel just awful, warn out with this persistant pain.

Looking back I think its started flaring up since coming off crutches, but trust me I couldn't do much less, unless I didn't sit for 'quick' meals, or stand to brush my teeth or lay down to sleep!!

hip arthroscopy rehab wk 6

2009-08-21T20:22:00.000+01:00

I don't understand, night and day blighted by acute, chronic hip pain, worse than the days post op, as bad as worst flare ups in past. Hips are taking turns in who is the bad guy.. operated side by far the worst.
Beside myself... doing VERY little, even dropped exercises all exercises; and back on both crutches. What the hell is happening and why now...I thought I was going to be a success story, I don't understand!

hip arthroscopy rehab wk 5 - 6 concerns

2009-08-19T07:15:00.000+01:00

Something definitely doesn't feel right. Another sleepless night. Last night had to take diclofenac and paracetamol and wear a heat patch. Normally one of these would be enough to knock out the pain...all 3 combined only dulled the pain enough to allow a light, broken sleep. I haven't needed that many drugs since week one recovery, post hip arthroscopy.

Could I be over doing it? ..but I'm only doing light tasks. Yesterday I did some work sitting at my computer for an hour, drove for 45 minutes and went to a shop to buy my son a pair of shoes, made myself lunch/dinner etc - used one crutch outside. Just did light stuff, its been this way for a a week now.
Didn't cycle yesterday because of the pain sitting towards the end of the day. Did my exercises, they don't feel hard. Noticed in 3 days I am supposed to start a walk/jog programme - absolutely no chance! I am still limping and nowhere near up to that.

I can't lay on my back comfortably, or tilt onto my operated side...though oddly I'm more comfortable fully on my operated hip short term, than on the buttock of the same side. I feel pain. I wonder if my piriformis is irritated as sometimes pain travels into my calf, or is it just my hip, its deep buttock pain either way. The pain also feels wrapped around my leg and as high as iliac crest too. Also standing in the shower I noticed putting some weight through my leg/hip on the operated side causes such a deep throb, its no wonder I can't wait to lean over onto the other side, but this can't be good for my gait and its how it felt before the scope. My leg on the operated side is apparently 1cm longer, I wonder if the means that that hip takes more pressure when I stand with an even gait?
I know this much, I don't know enough and I can't cure myself, but I can ask questions. I know also that I am becoming very concerned that this hip arthroscopy may have failed.

hip arthroscopy rehab day 1 million supposed bloody recovery!

2009-08-18T08:17:00.000+01:00

Woke AGAIN with pain in bum/hip. This happens every night now! I still have pain when I sit and no idea if walking distance aggravates it, as I can't yet do that! WHY, WHY WHY hasn't it gone?

I had the hip arthroscopy to treat the pincer FAI with Professor Schilders. Its supposed to have been a success, but pardon my confusion when I feel very much the same as before?!

I have been told to wait for for results from the op, like some kind of 'will it or won't it work?' surprise.. but it feels the same and I fear thats not right.

I'd welcome different pain, I just don't understand why it feels the same? I am getting to my wits end with this ridiculous roller coaster, it would test the patience of a saint! And NO-ONE seems able to tell me why it feels the same?!?!?!?!

In the same way labral tears come with FAI, FAI often comes with retroversion or coxa funda or something, of the acetabulum, I have little comprehension what these are yet, but wonder if 'that's' the problem? Or has Schilders missed a bit? Or should I have had a CT scan to be precise, Or should I have had the rear of the acetabulum scoped? Have I over done or underdone physio?

What are my options? I just don't bloody know????? But I am bored of this, fed up of this, want to escape this, I feel trapped inside my stupid body, forever hoping someone can fix the problem and then the disappointment if they can't!

Hip Arthropscopy FAI rehab 5 wks post op

2009-08-16T20:37:00.000+01:00

Recovery from hip arthroscopy for FAI is going steadily, with some glitches, but ultimately I think I'm SLOWLY climbing the hill of recovery. I am able to do tons more this weekend. I have cooked Sunday lunch, cleaned, done laundry, been out to shops, been out for a meal, played with the kids. All of this I do with mindful movement and rest when too tired and if I want to walk outside of the house, then I take one crutch, as soon as I do more than potter about, I do still limp.

I am still suffering night pain which I find distressing, so I have gone back to one night time diclofenac and ice before bed. I suspect its the increase in activity and I suspect my muscles are playing catch up with my bones and still are using old patterns of movement. I think my piriformis has been over active for years and is having trouble backing off and taking a back seat in supporting my hip.

I also have to remind myself its still early days if you look at the big picture... I'm not saying I'm without fear, I do have my "my God what if this hasn't worked??" moments, but I'm really trying to put doubts to the back of my mind.
I can say my shiny, new hip really feels like it glides now when I bring my knee to my chest, as opposed to a deep pain and feeling like a tight bands pulling the opposite direction. I can only think its been like this as long as I can remember, as that smooth action feels entirely alien to me.
As my Gran used to say, just keep on plodding, its the plodders that get there!

Hip Athroscopy rehab day 33 helpful tips

2009-08-12T15:06:00.000+01:00

Post hip arthroscopy
for FAI there are some things that will make your days a little easier and I have put some pictures up of how I arranged the bedroom to help survive first 4 weeks post op. Things that you need for FAI surgery, basics really.

1. Large, as can fit, non slip shower mat.
2. Shower stool, I hated everything about it, but frankly showering wouldn't have been possible, certainly the first 3 weeks without it! I got mine for £40 at Argos and really whist I thought it a bit pricey it was worth it. You could possibly get a basic chair in, but closing the cubicle could be challenging and also these stools have non slip sucker feet.
3. Also bought some suction grip handles to help with both manoeuvring around in the shower, but also one by the loo. £15 Argos for 2. In the early weeks this was super handy too.
4. The other thing I did was leave the exercise bike at the foot of the bed, just so it wasn't a hassle to go and cycle and I also put a foot stool there to make climbing on and off the bike easier.

The only other things I can think was with the crutches I put my DVT stockings around the crutch handles and taped them there, not pretty but super soft on your hands. Not one blister. I tried cycle handle bar tape, but by the time there was enough on to make the crutch handles soft, the handles we too big for my hands to fit around!

Also, in the last week coming off crutches, when on the stairs instead of doing the correct good foot to heaven, bad foot to hell, I swapped them over whilst still on crutches. This way, on the way down the stairs my bad foot/leg/hip got used to bending in a controlled way and on the way up stairs my bad foot/leg/hip got used to flexing at the knee with pressure to lift you upstairs. I did that to practice but would only recommend doing that for the few days preceding coming off crutches. I'm sure it helped as I haven't found our 3 story house as hard to get around as I thought I would early off crutches.

Todays progress?
Physiotherapy was painful today, as Louise did trigger point massage, agony but you know it'll pay off.. Still a lots of muscle spasm around the glutes and hips. One great thing is that my glutes are finally building up muscle in the side that has already had surgery. The other side that needs surgery despite doing the same exercises just isn't building, which is interesting because before my op no matter what I did I couldn't build those muscles and only ever succeeded in irritating them.

My physio also watched my gait when walking and advised that as I'm still limping it would be wise to use one crutch until the limp goes, so I'm doing that too.

Today I had a shower WITHOUT the stool, hurrah! Even after the shower just standing in a pair of jeans drying my hair, felt so good to be upright, unaided and without pain.

I'm a long way from better yet, but the changes are literally measurable.

Hip Arthroscopy rehab day 32 walking progress

2009-08-11T18:54:00.000+01:00

Walking ability coming along slowly but surely. 3 days ago tried to walk, without crutches around the green where we live, its just under 1/4 mile long, managed a third of it. Today, 3 days later walked almost all before I felt some pain,then switched back to crutches when I felt pain. I see no point in pushing my body before its ready. A week ago today I would've laughed at you had you said I could walk that far, or at all, without crutches!

Cycling (stationary), I can now cycle for ages unless my 'good' bad hip plays up, but its nearly always that 'good' hip that hurts first when cycling and sitting too.

The downside at the mo, is am getting a fair bit of night pain again, but I think its because I'm pushing my boundaries after relative inactivity of the last 4 weeks and also I think with my bad, operative hip, there's a lot of muscle and tendon malfunction or imbalance from years of compensation. I hope thats the cause!

Thinking I want my 'good' hip fixed now, as the pain is becoming both acute and chronic and I don't want to allow the same damage to be done as in my 'bad' hip. It takes longer to fix the more damage done, entirely logical. I genuinely think if I fixed my good hip, 3 months later than my bad hip, that I will still see positive results faster in the good hip!

Looking forward to tomorrow, going to hurl the shower stool out of my shower cubicle (though only so far as the attic, for next time, utterly invaluable!!)

Hip Arthroscopy rehab day 29 on the up

2009-08-08T09:22:00.000+01:00

Post hip arthroscopy I am feeling stronger day by day.
Had a lovely conversation with Professor Schilder's secretary that really hit home. You need to give your body time to heal, at least 6 weeks to 2 months before you see results and all sorts about focus and perspective and with lots of anecdotal evidence. If you're surgeon's secretary is as helpful as Schilder's secretary you're lucky because they have a wealth of experience from been at the front line, fielding all the calls to the surgeons and see everything first hand. Whilst she won't go stray into Schilder's territory re specific physical post hip arthroscopy complaints, she will reiterate his advice in laymen terms and gives support.

Somehow her words of wisdom hit home and made me go out shopping and to enjoy the sunny day a bit more, instead of impatiently waiting to improve and googling to see why my recovery from hip arthroscopy isn't faster!

Walking is improving. All round strength is improving, all day by day. I now potter around the house, using one crutch when I tire and two crutches for the stairs and outside.. I intend to slowly ween off over the week.

ps re shopping, don't try hang your shopping off crutch handles when out and about. I brought home a bag of not apples, but apple mush because of the bags swinging and battering the crutches as you stride and a bunch of battered, broken flowers!!

Hip Arthroscopy rehab day 27

2009-08-06T13:16:00.000+01:00

4 weeks post hip arthroscopy tomorrow and I am allowed off crutches. I can now walk forwards, but with a limp, slowly and not very far at all. I can shuffle around within a room. I think I will be weening off crutches for a week or two sadly.
Frustratingly my good hip is hurting really badly again, partly over use, but mostly its on its way out. I can't bring myself to commit to another op though until I see some results from this one.. but battling with that argument in my head is the increasing pain from my good hip and not wanting it to become as badly damaged as my bad hip and so increase the recovery time.
I can cycle more smoothly with my operated hip now although having to prematurely stop the length of my cycling sessions because of the impingement on my good hip! The irony!
Exercises continuing and fairly uneventful, I'm looking forward to getting into the water but want to be steadier on my feet poolside before I risk water exercises.

Saw my original physio Louise yesterday, she tested my hip ROM. Some of my (ROM) movements were more flexible on the hip arthroscopy hip than my good hip which I thought interesting. She also tweaked the exercises I was given to make them more effective. No matter how well exercises are written down, it pays to check you're doing them correctly. I also realized how grateful I was that I had been doing similar and same isometric exercises before hand as they're familiar to my body, making them easier to do.
One other thing I wish I'd known earlier was that I NEED to massage the surgery incision points to stop them pulling the skin and muscle inwards and causing pain, a few days ago they looked like they were sinking (bit like cellulite, but worse) and my physio explained I need to firmly massage the area for 10 minutes a couple of times a day to reduce scarring. I hope its not too late to do that, the last thing I need is any source of more pain right now.

Hip Arthroscopy rehab day 25

2009-08-04T17:35:00.000+01:00

Hip arthroscopy is definitely the long road in terms of recovery, but I'm going to have to stick to my life motto, 'always walk on the sunny side of the street', or long road in the case of hip arthroscopy!

Well, mentally feeling better, mostly bolstered by the support of you fellow surfers and bloggers and also by the advice of Professor Schilders. I does help that he allows patients his mobile number, so that when hope fails you, you can call and seek his opinion. He says in short 'its early days'. There's that long road rearing its ugly head again.

Well somethings happening because my body wants to go down to one crutch, I'm not allowing it yet, until Friday (4 weeks), but my body definitely has the urge to drop one crutch. It is unconscious as I certainly do not want to tempt fate, or risk pushing myself. I have also discovered I can walk backwards better than forwards, whats that about?? Might try moon walking next!!
My hubby shouted across the room 'WOW YOU CAN WALK!!!' And I went into evangelical "praise the Lord, I can walk!' and back into sarcastic "I could walk before the op you idiot!!" Bad tempers not left yet either, oh how I'd hate to live with me right now!

Anyway, trying to make the most of small improvements. I can kind of walk, err albeit backwards, but its a start.

Hip arthroscopy rehab day 23 despair

2009-08-03T09:49:00.000+01:00

I'm starting to get quite upset again..its now over 3 weeks post op. Whist I can feel big improvements in the sense that after the op I could not longer walk and I am now building the strength to walk again. I am not seeing any real improvements on my condition as it was 'before' the hip arthroscopy. Pre-op I had no tolerance for sitting, walking and a little tolerance for standing with no chance of anything sporty. I can't yet walk or stand without crutches, so the only parallel I can compare is sitting tolerance and I think its slightly worse.

I know Prof Schilders is one of the best surgeons and I know he has reassured me not to ponder too long on the small ups and down during rehab for a conclusion can't be drawn before 6 months, but 6 months of not knowing if your better????
Surely there must be signs?? and surely my signs aren't great?
When its your body it is impossible not to doubt yourself, doubt your recovery, doubt if you'll ever get better. Have a problem with your appendix or suchlike, you have an operation and feel better, job done! With a hip arthropscopy you have an op and you're asked to suspend believe '6 MONTHS' before it can be decided if its worked? That's too long! I'm not blessed with patience particularly, but when things don't feel good, who can say to themselves 'never mind I'll worry about whether its worked in another 5 months!? Its not as if you can get on with your life to distract yourself! This is a life changing op from the point of view of quality of life, I was desperate to get better, that doesn't change after the hip arthroscopy, it increases as you're given some hope and with that comes a certain level of expectation. I expect to improve, but I'm not even where I was at pre-op.. how can this process not cause upset?

And all the time I am watching my baby get bigger and more distant and my son doesn't even ask to play now, because he knows I can't really do anything with him. I could cope with this loss if I knew in a few more weeks I'd be ok, but I fear this could drag on for months and months. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just rough and tumble I can't do, but I can't even sit and draw or read with him, because I still can't sit!

And theres the rub! I've had a MASSIVE flare, I think because I have sat to long - I had the audacity 3 weeks post hip arthroscopy to think I might be able to go out and sit through lunch for an hour and a half, then adding a 20 minutes each way journey there and back to Harrogate. I dared to sit for almost 3 hours!! That's not even a full day in the office, yet at this stage I would be expected to go back to work, so WHY CAN"T I DO THIS????
Half way through lunch I just got more and more deep pain in my hip and sacroilliac area and bottom and its so upsetting because I had the hip arthroscopy to treat this impingement?!
That pain wiped me out for the day. I was in lots of pain last night, back onto co-codamol, heat patch on piriformis, after ice on hip for half an hour and had a rubbish nights sleep. Also getting a lot of pinching in the groin, didn't get much of that pre op, what is that?

I worry that the op hasn't worked/won't work. Erin, same age as me, who comments a lot on this blog had the same op, as near as can be, except her labrum removed (which I thought was more risky). She had pain for 15 years, she is almost fully recovered!! I am not even where I was pre-op?

I am trying to find answers into what could be wrong ...could my acetabulum have been retroverted that has these ops fail? Could my psoas be rubbing on my femur, that could hinder recovery? Could my impingement be posterior, though I do remember Schilders saying my labrum was fine in that section, so that sounds unlikely.

I went to bed in a lot of pain and have woken similar and with this added pinching as well as the deep pains its just too much and dashing my expectations, all I did was sit through lunch! I don't understand. I really don't understand why I can't sit if the bones gone that impinged?
Did I do damage with the stumble early last week? Or have I done something wrong? I'm certainly not pushing myself and when I read some of the US style PT I feel positively lazy! But If I try do more PT, esp glute then = more pain.

I am sorry to be negative as I really want this site to be a source of hope, but I want to be honest also. Perhaps its a blip, but WHY CAN"T I SIT?
The hardest thing is I can't pick up my baby and I feel like her babyhood is slipping by, you don't get that back!

If I'm supposed to be able to go back to office work now, then why can't I sit for even an hour or so, without much deep pain that causes inflammation and more pain over successive hours/days.
If the sitting pain was from impingement and the impingement was taken away then why can't I sit? I absolutely don't understand, problem supposedly removed and yet problem not gone??

Hip Arthroscopy rehab day 22 positive signs

2009-08-01T16:56:00.000+01:00

Really tested my hip today as I had to go OUT, YES OUTSIDE, wuhoo, for a few hours to show tenants around one of my rental houses. And my post FAI operative hip feels fine, slightest grumble, in fact its my other hip that is REALLY irritated.. I spent the best part of 3 hours standing too.
My 'good', loose term, hip hurts when I lay, sit and walk in all the same places as the other hip (my bad hip) Its not really my good hip, its just better than the one thats just had the hip arthroscopy! I am aware my 'good' hip on its way out and that it apparently also has impingement; and no doubt labral detachment, or some such horror! If I need to have it treated I think I'll not bother with the MRI this time unless Prof Shilders thinks its necessary. Schilders can already see the impingement on X-ray and I can already feel the symptoms and why go through another MRI, as they're quite an intimidating procedure on there own. Injecting the dye into the hip is surprisingly painless. More a deep uncomfortable ache I found. My issue is I am seriously claustrophobic and that is my problem with MRI scanners.

I was thinking of a steroid shot to keep the pain at bay, but really if my operated hip improves, I think I should get this other impinged hip fixed with hip arthroscopy, before any arthritis sets in. I was lucky with my right hip as Prof Shilders has most likely stopped arthritis forming there and it was forming, as there was a large wave sign, so why push my luck with the other hip?!

Also today I took a few 'shuffly', unaided steps, which I think is amazing, as last week, when I tried my leg wouldn't hold and I swooped when I walked at few steps!! So that feels promising too. There are definite visible signs of improvement. Never the less am religiously staying on my crutches. I can't imagine in a week been off crutches, I suspect a weaning process ahead!

Hip arthroscopy rehab day 21

2009-07-31T12:58:00.000+01:00

Day 21 in the hip recovery house! Amazing to think it was 3 weeks today was the scary op, seems ages ago.
Well the recovery feel slow, although I have bursts every few days of progress. I can now put my own shoes on and walk with a lot more weight through my legs/hips and less weight through the crutches.

I have abandoned my new PT, basically hip arthroscopy rehab appears to be core exercises, nothing so specialist and cycling. I can do the cycling myself and I'm going back to my original physio Louise, who spotted I might have a hip, rather than back problem, because I know she'll follow Professor Shilders book and she knows my body pre op too. Also she won't push me unnecessarily (I'm not an elite athlete, just a super active person.)
Another big plus is that she is brilliant at trigger point massage which gives amazing relief to the muscle spasm. I get a lot of muscle spasm around pain sites. I'm hoping it'll go, as the problem is resolved.

Yesterday I walked all the way around the quarter mile green, see pics,where we live. First time I have been able to do that, still with crutches obviously. After week one I walked a quarter of it and had to go to bed with exhaustion, kid you not! At week two, I managed a quarter and felt great after and then at almost 3 weeks I clattered my way around the whole green.. so baby steps in the right direction.

One thing nobody warned me was how much I would HATE my crutches, the clattering noise as I rattle around the house, the way they won't stay put and slide over leaving you stranded, the way they really hurt your hands, the way they get stuck on the fat bits of your upper arms, the way the stoppers get stuck under doors you're trying to open them. A couple of plus, is that if you swing on your crutches it really engages your core and I'm getting great muscles in my upper arms. The real killer with crutches is the way people see you when you're on crutches, or don't see 'YOU'!

When I was on the green the other day, a workman drove past staring at me and I thought "Great! Still haven't lost it then!' I know that's vain, but its true.. and then he gave me a pitying smile and I realized he was looking at my crutches, not me and I was gutted!! I wanted to hop after his van shouting not "no, no its only temporary!"
Its because there's no visible injury that you get these pitying looks, when you're out and about. I was thinking of getting a fake pot for my leg, because then people come up and say "ooh what did you do??" and I can say 'Oh I fell of my surf board/para glider/quad bike!" and still have sympathy and look cool, as opposed to the kind of sympathy that inspires pitying looks and avoidance!

Pain wise not taking any meds, unless I feel the pain at night. I feel very uncomfortable if I raise my leg a lot higher the 90 degrees, or if I sit too long still and at night sometimes, I usually get about 6 hrs pain free but after that it can start to feel like a hamster is gnawing away at my bones in my hip, deep pain.
Is this normal 3 weeks post op?
To me the most worrying thing about this is that was how I was pre op, should the pain go immediately the offending bone protrusion is cut away, or should the same triggers still hurt? Am I really unable to tell if I'm improving until about 6 months, or is that something consultants say to buy time? You can't help but ask yourself these questions as you are always monitoring your hip whether you like it or not, partly its protective and instinctive.
I suppose I'm going to have to google some hip arthroscopy forums for FAI and see if anyone else has similar progress after hip arthroscopy for FAI pincer and labral detachment. The trouble is, hip arthroscopy is used to address many different types of problems within the hips, with varying degrees of wear and tear and degeneration, so rarely are there two cases exactly the same.

Also I'm leaning A lot onto my good hip, think of the tower of pisa and you're there! Thats because it hurts to put my weight through my operative hip, is that normal? I was actually leaning a bit like that pre-op, unknowingly taking pressure off my damaged hip.

Time for a session on the exercise bike, I have started to lean forward a bit to keep increasing my hip range of movement (ROM) and cycle slower when I do that.

Hip arthroscopy rehab day 18 hip improving

2009-07-28T13:20:00.000+01:00

Hip is improving again. Think I got away with the fall. I still have some groin pain, but all is easing again. The hip arthroscopy scars are totally minimal, as you can see.

One thing I hadn't considered was that simultaneous to the fall I'd also started a new physio therapy regime. This is much more intense than my book of exercises from Proff Schilders and I hadn't considered this. Schilders exercises differ somewhat in intensity and difficulty and perhaps in part due to one of the physio's on that team actually undergoing a hip arthroscopy herself. This helped tailor them with inside knowledge. I would've had PT with the Capio Clinic, or Yorkshire Clinic as its now known, but as I can't drive and its too far away for my hubby to drive me as takes too
much time out of running his business.

When I compared the exercises I realized that I went from 40 leg slides a day to 150. Also 150 bridge exercises, which in my book from Schilders isn't to be done until week 5 and I'm in week 3, plus with the bridge I have to tie something around my knees and pull against it whilst doing the bridge.
A new exercise I was given also, that was to lie on my front, flex my knees to 45 degrees and press my heels together. That and the bridge exercise are glute exercises I discovered when I googled and I just can't do glutes.
My problem is sometimes that people don't understand I'm not like a lot of Hip Arthroscopy patients who are super fit athletes, I've had this problem for 6 yrs and whilst fit before the problem I'm less so now and my glutes are totally out of whack. I wonder if my new PT took this into consideration.
Also the last exercise he gave me was to raise my knee as close to me chest as possible before it hurts and hold, only 5 reps of those. That worries me least, he thought that would worry me most, but I could squat before surgery no real problem. So now I'm wondering if I'm seeing someone a bit too proactive for my personal needs. When I resume physio in a day or so I think I'll do considerably less than 150 reps of anything and listen to my body! I'm keeping cycling, that seems to be a key to hip arthroscopy rehab.

Mentally ok. Pretty bored now almost 3 weeks into hip arthroscopy recovery. Most certainly the hardest part is the not really knowing if I'm recovered, or will be ..its very much a 'wait and see' process, where no conclusion is really drawn until 6 months post hip arthroscopy... I imagine there must be clear pointers though from 3 months. I know each time I push my hip I will pay and that is how it was pre op and because of that, it will be hard for even me to draw conclusions and I imagine hard not to lose heart at times. But got to stay positive.
I have support from a now stressed out hubby, who is working full time and looking after 4 yr old Oscar and 9 month old Isabella, when they're are not been looked after by my super helpful Mum, or nursery.

I am very keen to be there, without crutches or a limp, for his first day at school on 10th September this year. He's already stopped calling for me if he wants anything, he knows I can't facilitate his needs and so looks to others and Isabella cries and now looks past me, for a person she knows will pick her up, its REALLY HARD as a Mum to be out of action.
One thing that does make me laugh now though is that when she hears me coming, clattering along on my crutches like a granny, she perks up and waits for me with a big beaming smile!

Hip arthroscopy rehab day 16 accident

2009-07-26T22:42:00.000+01:00

Does anybody know how bad it would be to stumble down some stairs. I am devastated. I have no idea how it happened I think I stumbled down the second but last stair and then kind of propelled forward and stopped myself with my bad foot/leg/hip and my opposite crutch, but my operated hip got such a jolt because I was wearing crocs and they don't slip, so my stop was sudden.

I felt vague pain, not agony and have been in pain since. I'm so annoyed with myself as I have been super careful and last night stopped needing drugs at all and today even took a couple of steps without crutches.

Is it possible to undo my surgeons work? Is it possible to do real damage, undo, break anchors? Really distraught. I'm not in agony, but deep constant pain? Have I just caused inflammation, or could I have done damage????????
Any knowledge welcome and appreciated!

Hip arthroscopy rehab day 14 consultation

2009-07-24T15:24:00.000+01:00

Had my 2 week post op appointment with Prof Schilders and I think it went well. I was told not to be so afraid of movement and pushing my boundaries. The operation apparently went well.
The surprising news was that the labrum wasn't torn, it was detached from the acetabulum (hip socket), which I think is good news, as it won't be prone to re-tear. The labrum has been re-anchored to my hip socket.
I gather the arthritis (wave sign) was taken away and that the progress of arthritis will have been halted, though only time, approx 10 yrs can truly confirm this likelihood.
The impingement on the hip bone socket was taken away and a little extra shaved off my femur to give full clearance on flexion. I should be ok now to slowly improve day by day.

My initial pain score pre-op was quite bad, which means improvement may be slow and I think possible a bit bumpy ..but frankly as long as I keep improving I'm happy. My current pain 2 weeks post-op is at a similar level to where it was pre-op, so if it keeps getting better from now, frankly it'll be wonderful and I 'might just' get my life back, you never know!

Range of movement (ROM) seems to be increasing day by day, as does what I can do. I can reach to shave 'all' my leg from knee to ankle - hurrah! Otherwise it might've looked like I had one furry ankle leg warmer!

Scars are next to nothing, though I wouldn't care too much if they were otherwise, as long as I can enjoy basic activities again like dining out, movies, sitting on the floor with the kiddies, sitting on a plane without diazapam ..no wait, that's quite a nice experience, but you get the picture ..just the day to day stuff which is surprisingly important when taken away!

I have been able to stop taking medication throughout the day, but still take either co-codamol or diclofenac (stomach burner) at night because that's when I get the deep bone ache feeling.

There are so many negative cases out on the net, which by nature of the net makes sense. Those who get well, disappear and get on with their lives. Those who don't, thrive on google, forums and blogs. Pre-op patients also thrive on google, forums and blogs and I wonder therefore, if we pre-ops and recovering patients get a skewed gloomy version of reality and likelihood of recovery.
Its too early to draw conclusions, I might end up an unresolved case myself, I hope not. I hope I get well and continue to post a good recovery, showing that even after 6 painful misdiagnosed years, it is possible to recover from femoral acetabular impingement (FAI).

Anyway all in all my recovery appears uneventful and average - which is exactly what I'm aiming for! Right going to see if I can still do cartwheels!! .....only teasing ;)

Hip Arthroscopy rehab- day 12 Exercise rehab

2009-07-22T18:19:00.000+01:00

It is an absolute must with hip arthroscopy rehabilitation for FAI and labral tear surgery that you do the basic exercises given. They are essential for keeping/increasing your ROM (range of movement) and some strength. Basically if you don't do exercise, or be active, your hip joint can seize up to varying extents post surgery.
Feeling really good today, suddenly I can flex my quads and put a little weight on my leg/hip.
Doing all the exercises for my hip arthroscopy rehabilitation and have been from day two.
There is a hip abduction exercise - easy peasy.
Quad tensing exercises - fine but for the incision points.
Transverse abdominus - yep in tune! After 3 years of trying to get better through physio etc without knowing the problem, I can do isometric and core exercises in my sleep!
Glutes now that's my weakness, do that and I have a pain flare within hours.
Piriformis stretch isn't enough for me and it pinches my groin, so I do very little of those, my piriformis has been troublesome since all my pain began, but I need stronger exercises to stretch this and they are off limits for the time being.
Quad stretch is suddenly easier today, no idea why. Adductor stretch just unsure how far to go..
Quadrupled rocking is I think a pain flare trigger, but that makes sense as if you rock diagonally onto operated hip that's a lot of pressure, so I might reintroduce this one in some days and see if possible.
Standing hip internal rotation - not sure this one, so I'm waiting until I see Prof Schilders before trying.
Heel slides I could do on day 3 for relief so don't need a cord, they're easy to me.
Cycling on stationary bike I only do 15 - 20 x 2 per day, should be longer but really hurts to sit on saddle still after a while! That was possible from day 2.
'Hip arthroscopy rehabilitation' is time consuming but you do feel day by day progression, which helps mentally also and lets face it I'm going nowhere for the time being! I keep my stationary bile at the foot of the bed, no excuses for forgetting then!

Hip Arthroscopy rehab- day 11

2009-07-21T23:26:00.000+01:00

Surgery notes arrived!

Diagnosis: pincer abnormality with labral tear of right hip and wave sign of acetabular cartilage.
Procedure: Arthroscopy of right hip.

Installation of traction and use of image intensifier to assess adequate traction of the hip.
Normal distraction.(able to dislocate hip)

CENTRAL COMPARTMENT:
Installation of anterolateral and anterior portal.(cut me open x2 front thigh)
ACETABULUM - A large wave sign of the acetabular cartilage was noted between 12 and 3 o clock. (think sign arthritis) Acetabular rim trimming performed.Black and decker away some hip socket)
LIGAMENTUM TERES - Found to be normal.
FREMORAL HEAD - A kissing lesion noted due to pincer abnormality.(hip hits leg when flexed - ouch!)
LABRUM - A labral tear was noted, which was repaired with 2 bioraptor suture anchors.(spot of sewing)

PERIPHERAL COMPARTMENT:
Release of traction and installation of anterior and anterolateral portals. Systematic inspection of the peripheral compartment. A cam deformity was noted, which was decompressed.(surprise boney lump on thigh bone, power tools back out again!)

POST OPERATIVE:
Crutches for 4 weeks partial weight bearing.(bloody inconvenient)
Removal sutures one week
Anti-inflammatories.(Burn the crap out of your stomach)

So thats what they did... pass me a bucket!!!!!!

Ps Pain up and down. Surviving. Appointment with Proff Schilders in 3 days. Phone consultation with him today assures me feeling pain is normal after suffering for six years and advises I resume medications (went off anti inflammatories again as even with PPI's still setting my stomach on fire!)

Hip arthroscopy rehab - day 9

2009-07-19T14:05:00.000+01:00

Had a shower ALONE, ALONE, ALONE, wuhoo.. I can see there will be small victories ahead!
Teeny weeny walk yesterday absolutely knackered me! Took about 20 mins to go 50 yards and back, then had to go to bed! Won't be entering the Olympics yet then.
Feel rubbish today, really sore throat and temp 100 degrees, probably swine flu knowing my luck at the moment ..be really annoying to go through hip arthroscopy for FAI and then pop my crocs over swine flu!!
Its not swine flu by the way...hmm wait, I wonder if I should google swi..........

Hip Arthroscopy rehab - day 8

2009-07-18T16:56:00.000+01:00

Doing it again searching.. 'FAI' FAI pincer' 'hip Arthroscopy' 'hip pain' hip pain sitting' and my latest anxiety 'FAI impingment posteria'... I'm worrying whether Prof Schilders trimmed all the acetebular rim. I just assumed he would, but as its tumbleweed silence for weeks until follow up, I frankly have no idea what he's done. He could've removed my brain and filled my head with clangers and wombles for all I know!

It's just so much of my pain was on sitting and on/around my bottom (piriformis?) and I'm wondering, given my two beautiful teeny tiny scars at the front of my thigh, if he could even reach the posteria?!..Not saying I'm a bit porker by the way!

Seems to be most of this process is about terror and boredom! The anxiety waiting to see if someone can diagnose your agony = 6 yrs, the terror leading up to the op = 6 weeks and now the post op fears as I wait to be allowed to put pressure on my hip = least 1 month and get of crutches and no doubt the terror when you do and it hurts = ?!

Sorry I'm being negative and slightly schitzophrenic...but I have been staring at the same four walls for the most part of 8 days... think I'm going to venture out for a mini walk on my now very annoying crutches, see if I can blow away some cobwebs...and clangers and wombles?!

Hip Arthroscopy rehab - day 7

2009-07-17T21:53:00.000+01:00

No idea why, perhaps because I took it easier yesterday and hurray my hip pain has calmed back down! It still hurts but mostly when I lay flat or sit (although that was the case pre-op so I hope that is not a sign op hasn't worked!?) I guess I have to experience some hip pain and when I lay, sit or stand as that is when there is some pressure through the hips. I still haven't tried to put weight through my leg, to my right hip and not use my crutches, I'm too nervous to break the rules set by Prof Schilders.

I woke this morning leaning onto my bad side, it hurt a bit, but the fact I could sleep that way was something and I was also able to stretch and yawn without feeling like someone shoved a knife in my hip, so I woke up thinking progress..be positive!

Today I had to go for my stitches out, I have my blue badge thank god as I discovered I can't crutch v far at all. At the Docs an old (70yrs?) man, WITH A WALKING STICK, actually opened the door for me, I was like 'No you first' and he was "No, no YOU!" Hilarious! Then a second elderly man struck up a conversation with me, starting with "what are you doing with them??" nodding at my blinged up crutches! SO on my outing I discovered in the same way that women are attracted to babies and just come up and talk to you, old men are attracted to crutches and come up and talk to you!

Stitches - a doddle! First stitches felt nothing, second stitches a fraction stingy, but really can't complain..my 8 month old daughter pulling my hair and scratching my face hurts more! Also I can hardly believe how smaller mark there is considering he was fishing around for 3+ hours, incredible. I'll post them once I'm allowed to expose them to air, in a couple of days.

I can tell I feel better than the day before as I haven't been "googling all day"..all the variants 'fai pain' 'hip arthroscopy' hip labral tear' 'my hip surgery failed', 'my hip surgery worked' 'post op pain?' 'no pain?' 'some pain?' 'how much pain?' arrrrgggghhhh and its really annoying when you do that and then find....YOURSELF!
So the contrast in 24 hrs is clear as yesterday I hungrily and fearfully fed off everyone else's blogs and today I was able to venture out and it was lovely even though it was pouring rain, it never felt so good! ..Actually that's just not true, I hate the rain, it always rains and I was cursing, as it made my perfect GHD hair twang back into curls, but I was still grateful to be out!!

Hip arthroscopy rehab - day 6

2009-07-16T23:32:00.000+01:00

Ouch hip pain, bugger!
Dunno what I did, but have a big pain flare today in my operative hip???? Why why why?? Too much biking? Did full 20 mins today. Did all isometric exercises, that? Included the glute exercises which do fire up my piriformis muscles a lot, that? I did drop my meds to bare minimum ....and frankly saturn might be in Virgo, THAT!!?!
But that loss of control, of reason is VVV scary and reminiscent of the last 6 years of pain!
I've been super positive until today, frankly enjoying the rests and sleep-ins, but this pain coming from nowhere has me having a 'nervous meltdown' as the meerkat ad says (sorry non UK residents you wont get that!)
Well, bit more crap telly, choc mini roll (comfort food is new to me, but q liking it, v Bridget Jones I know!), some med and here's to hoping for a better day and swifter recovery!
Stitches out tomorrow - ekk!

Hip arthroscopy rehab - day 5

2009-07-15T18:06:00.000+01:00

Well the hip pain is very manageable, in fact my good hip seems to be giving me more grief. My operative hip is hurting really only when I lay down flat and a bit on sitting. Otherwise it just feels different. I'm not on many meds at all now, today just had 2 paracetamol and 2 brufen, I save the big guns now for the night time. I'm sleeping for 10 - 12 hours at night, haven't slept like this since my teens, its fantastic!

Thought I'd add pics of me on crutches at hosp on day 2, still looks weird when I catch sight of myself on crutches! I have blinged them up (boredom!) No wonder sick people are depressed everything's grey or black! Here is my wound today, day 5. Two more days and stitches are out - scaredy cat again!

Right gotta go hit the exercise bike - dullsville!

Hip arthroscopy rehab - day 3

2009-07-13T17:50:00.000+01:00

Little pain, last night aside when I slipped behind with medicines and was avoiding the diclofenac. At 2am took codine and diclofenac as in deep bone pain kinda pain. Somehow I thought I was quite tough after years of pain and probably didn't need the meds and their side effects! WRONG! Too soon to drop meds. That aside, still no real pain.

Lounging in bed a lot, mainly due to the intense nausea and slight dizziness that has me lose confidence been on crutches.

Getting some nice bruises, but think all the icing is really reduced swelling, as thigh seems to be not as huge as day one!
Doing the exercises, they seem quite token at the moment.. but the one exercise I'm keen to do is the stationary cycling and that is hard to do, not on the hips as I'd expected, but sitting on the saddle!! I think my bum maybe sore from traction, I don't feel it until I sit on the bike, then I really feel it!
Anyway day by day...blah blah and again my main problem seems to be recovering from the stress of the ordeal, plus the anesthetic and meds.

Hip Arthroscopy rehab - day 2

2009-07-12T16:32:00.001+01:00

A quickie as still feeling really sickly and my mac makes me want to hurl! Basically putting aside how weird the anesthetic has me feel, sickly, emotional, dizzy, that aside, I'm feeling positive! Lounging in bed shattered but as you can see I have company!
Hip feels sore, but am able to do no resistance cycling and get about on crutches. Showering was a task though! Can't lift leg well. Cut down meds to codine and dropped diclofenac for neurofen as diclofenac also making me feel sick.
I am surprisingly comfortable...mostly just freaked by feeling knocked sideways by anesthetic and loss of independence!
Bruising minimal, am icing a lot. I have two incision points (only 2!) and I can't imagine how he fixed my labrum and took away my excess acetabulum bone and in the end also shaved the femur!? I keep looking at my hip and saying to my hubby that Prof Shilders must be an artist! But I still hold my breath as I wait to see how his surgery unfolds, if my pain goes.

I feel optimistic through the vomit inducing sensations of anesthesia!

Pics to follow - proof of at the v least tidy work! Funny really never even thought about the scarring side as long as I get my life back!

FAI hip surgery.

2009-07-11T14:38:00.001+01:00

FAI hip surgery, Hip Arthroscopy to end 6 years of FAI hip pain! So I had my hip surgery. Having a hip arthroscopy for FAI hip impingement and a labral tear felt very scary, but then this was my first experience of surgery, 'Yikes' as Scooby doo would say!!!! I'm still trembling 24 hrs after the hip arthroscopy, despite all surgery going well.
I arrived at 7am for my hip arthroscopy at the Capio Clinic Bingly, expecting to be in theatre by 8am, with 7am pre-med chill pill safely on board, for a one and a half hour op... err no! ...not allowed a pre-med and in retrospect I am amazed I held it together... had to wait until 8.45am before getting to theatre (45 mins extra is a long time without diazapam when you're terrified of surgery!!)
The anethetist informed me my op would be considerably longer than 1 hour 40 mins. Professor Shilders also visits pre-op to explain the hip arthroscopy procedure once again and to answer any questions. The shocker for me was to learn that my hip FAI pincer is in the top 5% of crapness, ie it doesn't get much worse. The norm is a 37 degree angle and mine is 58 degrees. I'd originally thought 50 degrees, but looks like 58 degree on closer scrutiny. Professor Shilders explains that this may mean he may not be able to distract (dislocate) my hip enough to access the joint the normal way and blah blah blah I've disappeared inside my own head with an attack of the OMG's!

I ask the surgeon and my anethetist all the obviously irritating questions, 'Will I die? Will I wake up mid op? Will I feel sick? Will I feel confused? Will I know who I am?" ..And to Professor Shilders 'please Can you keep the labrum? what if you can't keep the labrum? What if you get in there and there's no pincer impingement?' Hmm he raises an eyebrow.. (I suppose it is kind of conclusive if its one of the worst 5% of cases!) and most stupidly I ask 'is he sure my x-ray was the right way around, could he have my hips the wrong way around?' So kindly he patiently explains that 'that scenario' is very unlikely and the right hip is marked rather obviously with an 'R' and the left with an 'L'! I apologize..its nerves!

In theatre with the anethetist, I of course assert he uses my one and only available vain in my arm, he looks at my hand, pats it, takes the needle and gets a bullseye, with a 'what do you know!' look in his eyes. Still he'll never knock me out, never can with sedation.. why is anesthetic going to be any different?
"You going yet? He asks..."Nope, I'm fine.. ooh thats a funny taste in my mouth?"
"Now?" he asks... no, I just feel dizzz.." ZZZZZZZZZZZ BANG OUT!

The next thing is someone saying Louisa? Louisa? and I'm thinking go away this is a great sleep... I wake feeling a little sickly and thats dealt with immediately, a little cold and shivery and a warm cellular blanket appears. A little discomfort and its dealt with. Great I'm not confused and I'm not vomiting and perhaps sadly I still know just who I am!!
I see Professor Schilders and call out. He tells me all went very well. He was able to repair the tear, which is wonderful news. I was convinced it would be shreded after 6 years misdiagnosis, but no he was able to re-anchour it and the 2nd piece of great news is that there was hardly any arthritis, which can be like the glass ceiling to recovery. So I smile full of greatfulness and drift back with the fairies relieved and content.

The next time I wake up I am an NUTS... I wake up tearful, stressed and angry, all three emotions are on rotation, my 3 new alter egos taking turns to play centre stage. I go from asking one nurse if I can hold her hand for comfort, to begging another nurse to allow me to go home, to saying 'Oh for God's sake and just leave me alone' when some poor nurse comes to check that I'm ok.
My heart rate will not return below 100 beats per minute and I am wee-ing literally every half hour into a bedpan....these are the things that 'never' worried my because I didn't know they exsisted! And all the things I did worry happening in surgery, didn't happen!

The anesthetic makes me crazy and shakey. The morphine makes me itchy and feel like I forget to breath when I'm falling asleep. And I had 2 litres of water pumped through my system during the op, another litre in recovery and another litre in my room, plus on been told I might be 'dehydrated' due to surgery I drank another litre of water, 3 cups of tea and 3 mugs of hot milk!!! I think I almost drown, no seriously aren't there safe amounts to drink? The duty doctors solution to my pounding heart was yet more water when he couldn't find an obvious reason for my raised beat!! I said no way! Anyway the upshot is 35 - 40 wee's in 12 hours. I am mostly traumatized by the whole water/wee thing. Couldn't sleep for weeing and anesthetic and morphine shakes and my heart was pounding like a wild man!

Pain wize I am been given regular pain pills to keep any pain at bay. But during the whole process I have felt, if anything, mild to moderate discomfort and have not been in any any pain as yet!

The next morning the physio arrived with crutches, partial weight bearing for 1 month bacause of the bone work - I will go insane! It feels surprisingly heard to use crutches but in fairness its early days! It also makes you feel really really OLD!

So this is where I am at, just been home a few hours. Must dash, gotta crutch my way to the loo for yet another wee!!!

hip arthroscopy - 1 day to go

2009-07-09T17:00:00.000+01:00

Well hip arthroscopy tomorrow and I feel suspiciously calm!

I shed a little tear today having to move Isabella's cot out of the bedroom and have her in her own room, so I can get around the room with crutches.. felt overly sentimental like its the end of her babyhood!

I have kept myself stupidly busy for weeks, even today, so I don't dwell. I took out some 'me time' last week and ended up having 'pity me time', so came home to avoid thinking too much!

Anyway, I'm all set and wish I could walk in right now, before I change my mind!

There is a little flash of excitement I scarcely dare acknowledge, that this might just change my life and have me pain free, or as good as! ....please, please, please, God, Santa, fairies, good spooks, whoever's listening!!

ps Kate thanks for your good wishes it means a lot xxx

hip arthroscopy - 2 days to go

2009-07-08T17:43:00.001+01:00

Bought some new bedding ..if I'm going to have to recover in my bedroom I am going to do it in style!
NERVOUS BEYOND WORDS!
Still winning the war with the cold, but only just!

Hip Arthroscopy - 3 days to go!

2009-07-07T19:50:00.000+01:00

I feel physically sick with nerves! Luckily I have really aggravated my bad hip after a few good days had me almost forget the deep, deep almost toothache like endless pain of this injury, its a bone ache I'm sure..just awful and a good reminder I'm doing (please God) the right thing!

Fate has me so busy that each day is slipping by in an activity frenzy and also I feel I'm playing roulette as to whether I'll make it to surgery! My son had a really nasty cold, then today my daughter and my hubby (who is working in Frankfurt till tomorrow) also got wiped out by Oscar's cold and if I get so much as a whiff of this cold, thats it, hip surgery delayed and frankly I think I'll crack up if I get so close then have to cancel!!
Adding insult to injury I drafted my mum in, to help minimize cold catching (I mean she was looking after the snotties!)... and then today she started with a vomiting bug - Hurrah COMPLETE CHAOS!!!

I'm so strung out that I can't imagine how I'll get to 7am Frid Morning in one piece! To anyone who's already done this, you are heroes!

Hip Arthroscopy - 5 days to go..

2009-07-05T21:23:00.001+01:00

I'm not sure I need this surgery... don't know if the steroid kicked in delayed, or since discovered its my hips that are the problem and stopped guarding my back and instead guarded my hips; or in fact the pre-op level of adrenaline in my body is over- riding pain, but I swear I feel less pain!?!! I wonder if it was a 6 year phantom pain? Psychosomatic? My other hips worse... I'm wondering why I'm doing this, doing this in pain is easy, but when easing off... not so easy.

Another new anxiety I have a really sore throat, does that matter? can they still operate?? Without me dying/having heart attack/been really ill. My son alias Bug Boy has really bad cough and cold, I think I'm fighting it ...worried about surgery under par and in fact, in general, WORRIIIIEEEDDD!

Hip Arthroscopy - 6 days to go!

2009-07-04T11:57:00.000+01:00

God I've turned into a thorough hip bore! I think and talk of little else!

I've been so busy trying to get things done and cleared out of the way for the hip surgery. I have two four bed houses, that I let out to professionals and this week alone I've had to: have a gas pipe fixed, a washer fixed, drains unblocked, all carpets cleaned and employ a cleaner..oh and the small matter of replacing 4, possibly more tenants! Arrgh...
Then I have my four yr old Oscar, have had to book him into full time nursery, take him to school introduction meetings (starting in Sept), buy his uniform. Then my 8 month old daughter, had to take her to tester nursery days. My Mum has retired to look after her for me during this, which is an absolute God send! However I want nursery on standby in case it becomes too much for her.
So been dealing with all that and a sea of paying bills and doing everything I can anticipate that I might need to do within 6 weeks of having my hip surgery. All that whilst lumping round a 23lb heffer baby!

I swing between amusement and self pity at the moment, with the underlying current of fear!

I have just got some mobility aids, as standing in the shower the other day I found myself thinking, how do I do this on one leg?!! Duh! So I bought a stool designed for an 80 yr old, so I can sit in the shower, sexy stuff eh!
I'm starting to look at my obstacle course, sorry house and wonder quite how I will get around it with crutches. I have been told to expect one month on crutches cos of the FAI bone work.
I'm thinking at home the doors aren't wide for me to get through on crutches (I'm not big by the way!) The coffee tables got to go and kids toys all over the floor???? In fact my house looks like one of those old joke 'spot the hazards at work' pictures!! And sorry to be such a girl but I've had the hair dryer hung on the wall so I don't have to reach to the floor and I'm wondering where I can put my GHD's so I can sit, still see in the mirror and use them without setting the house on fire.
I do think crutches should be given in advance I really need to practice NOW!

I have a list of Q's for my consultant pre surgery..top of the list been "Can I have a pre med right NOW please?"

My next question is: it says remove all cosmetics and nail polish but can I keep on 'toe' nail polish? (I've just had them done and soo pretty) and its not like I'll be able to reach them for sometime is it! ...Ah how the trivia is a blessing sent to distract!!!

I just want it over with now,though then theres' the mobility saga for a month or so and then theres' the 'has it worked?' Its very much a 3 stage procedure, no 4 stage.

1 Hip arthroscopy terror whilst waiting.
2 Hip arthroscopy to address labral tear and FAI bone work
3 Extensive rehab with mobility issues.
4 "Has it worked?" as you come out the other side

Statistics look quite good, there was a new 'medium term success rates' justifying in favour of hip arthroscopy, released this April 2009 in Europe, much input form Mr Byrd, showing very good statistics.
Though if you read the net it reflects quite a negative story, but then I have to remind myself that the people who get well just get on with their lives and its the only really the people who don't do so well who are left behind posting on forums.
Sports forums are generally more upbeat like 'cool runner' etc because they come back to help fellow sports people.

Anyway must dash, postmans' been want to check if my damn blue badge has arrived yet? THAT will be a godsend! I'm hoping to at least get out for the odd meal..
Oh just picture my poor hubby's tired face as he unloads from the car a jumping jack 4 yr old, a baby with pram and all the related paraphernalia and a wife on crutches!! Not sure if I want to laugh or cry!

Hip arthroscopy - what is it?

2009-06-27T14:04:00.000+01:00

What is a hip arthroscopy? ...Well hopefully I'll be nicely under so as not to recall, but my understanding is: they lay you on your back and put a padded post between your legs, pull the offending side leg down by 1 cm or so, to dislocate the joint, then they make 4 x 2cm incisions within which they insert a camera to view the miserable, grumpy hip thats been ruining your life for however long and give it a good talking to! ..no sorry, they view the damage and do their best to cut away the ruined parts of the labrum and re-anchor it back to the acetabulum. If though the labrum is so shredded through injury, be it traumatic or repetitive, there is no alternative but to remove it. They call that debrideing.
If you also have FAI pincer type they then get out the black and decker and 'TRIM' (what a illusionary nice word,) away acetabular rim until it recedes enough, that on re-test bone no longer hits bone and the impingement is gone. Or if you have the cam version or bony abnormalities they shave those down, so as to no longer impinge. Stitch you back up and bob's yer uncle! IF ONLY!

Here's how I imagine mine will go, with the scary bits they don't tell you! What is it like to have a hip arthroscopy??? So few people know..
From my point of view, as I steer towards 10th July 2009, I veer all over the place trying to google answers...hence why I am writing this, as no doubt there will be someone a few steps behind me.. you poor thing you!

I know this much, its the stuff that will happen whilst I am still awake that will get me! I will turn up shakily to hospital on the 10th July and beg for a pre-med (else risk bolting out!)

I believe I will then be led to theatre, terrified and intimidated by all the shiny technology and sterile green surgical uniforms. I will feel vulnerable wearing bugger all below my ridiculous bum flashing gown. I will be positioned on the bed, possibly with a hideous post between my legs, which they will later use to dislocate my hip (ok I shouldn't be thinking in this much detail I'm starting to breath too fast again, pass me a paper bag someone!) Then they will hack away for a good 5 mins as they try to get a needle into my hand or arm. I only have one available vein for that, which they never believe and insist of trying more convenient veins. They will persist and roll their eyes at each other before then relenting and using the advised vein in my right arm.

Then I know I will panic and say to Professor Shilders "Seriously please try keep the labrum, don't remove it, cos I've read the recovery isn't nearly as successful if debrided." Followed by a few more pleas to make me better after 6 years of suffering! Then I'll plead with the anesthetist to pay attention to keeping me alive and reel off that I might have a heart attack, or forget to breath and finally I'll say please make sure I'm ok, cos I really love been a mummy or some ridiculous statement, hopefully followed swiftly by 10, 9 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
And I prey when I wake (or that I do wake!) that I am not in too much pain, or too freaked out.

I came round from a sedation a few months ago, after a steroid procedure, well I didn't come round exactly, because they couldn't knock me out, as I was so wired! But as I 'came round' I could hear people groaning and really distressed in the recovery room, coming round from anesthetics... scary stuff..
I asked the nurse tending me for any tips re anesthetics and he said 'REALLY TRY to fall asleep with nice thoughts and feelings as you tend to wake in the same way you go to sleep'. I thought great! I'll probably wake screaming, sit bolt upright and try make a dash for it ending up flat on my face forgetting I can't walk after surgery!

hmmm normally I feel better after writing this, like I've off-loaded, but this time I feel all wound up!

BUT the other thing is in the states, you know where its 'really' 2009 as opposed to the UK where technology filters so slow its more 1989, the have ALL SORTS for rehab. They have pressure inflating leg wraps to avoid DVT, here its "can you just wiggle your toes regularly please".
They have you on CPM machine 6 hrs a day or so for passive motion, to keep the joint moving and boots to wear in bed to force your legs straight....here, NOTHING ...and that worries me!
I asked what was my aftercare and was told I'd be given a folder of exercises to keep me REALLY busy and see a physio intensively, twice a week? I call that casual!
SO, the aftercare looks a bit patchy here in jolly old bloody blighty!

Let me tell you this, I don't yet know how bad or good the surgery is, nor the long, long, long rehab, but I can tell you the actual waiting for the op is utter torture. If you're 'slightly' scared of hospitals and all they mean, like me its got to be the worst part, hasn't it??!

Hip arthroscopy - bring it on!

2009-06-25T09:55:00.000+01:00

Well after several days of normal activity I have managed to really bring on my hip pain symptoms in technicolour! So much so it reminded me I have no chance of resuming a normal life/activity level above that of a couch pototoe with any kind of conservative treatment.
...And so much so I actually called Professor Schilders secretary to see if she had any surgery cancellations, not so I'm afraid. Apparently due to the enormity of the recovery people rarely cancel, having had to make all sorts of arrangements to function in the weeks post op.

Yesterday I actually cried when carrying my 8 month old chubster daughter (21lbs) I was faced with the stairs to the first floor and it look my a lifetime to climb them carrying Izzy. I live in a 3 story house, the ground floor I see as a useless obstacle now and only houses the laundry room and shower room and the garden room, so I have to climb a flight of stairs just to get into the main part of the house, the the lounge, kitchen, diner, then another flight for the bedrooms and bathrooms. I'm trying to work out which floor to stay on post hip arthroscopy, with crutches, as despite having 3 bathrooms, none are on the middle, living floor! My husband keeps joking about putting a portaloo out on the lounge balcony, but its starting to become appealing! Sometimes I can 'DO" stairs, but on bad hip pain days of which there are increasingly many, I have to drag myself up, last night I tried crawling and that worked quite well, but not whilst carrying a baby I suspect!

I HAVE to give this hip arthroscopy a shot, I've tried every treatment going, but to no avail and owe it to myself, my long suffering hubby and to my toddler and baby. I see 60yr olds more agile than myself! ..and before this, I was super active, its like been a prisoner inside a mutinous body!

Don't get me wrong, I am terrified. I've already listed my anxieties, though 2 new ones are what if the house sets on fire and I can't get the kiddies and myself out on crutches; and (more minor) what if a huge spider runs across the floor and I can't get it and I'm trapped in a room with a monster spider!!

But I see no choice as I stoically plod towards 10th July 2009 with fear buried in the pit of my stomach (sounds bit melodramatic) but its pretty accurate!

No more pain, I can take no more, but I know its a bloody long road ahead as IF my right hip fixes well, then I still need my left hip fixed. Both hips have hip impingement, the right hip more severe impingement than the left hip. I believe the hip degree range should be between 20 and 37 degrees and my right hip is at 50 degrees and my left hip 40 something...I think I blanked out at the second hip measurement explanation.. a bit like in the TV show "SCRUBS" ..I could here my own voice saying "my God BOTH hips, I knew it! ... but OMG, that means TWO operations, SHIT!"
It makes a change though, as usually in these medical appointments with consultant types (prior to hip diagnosis) My 'SCRUBS voice' was saying in my head " You really have noooo idea, do you ...how old are you? ..24? I get it, you've just qualified, oh my God yes, you're only a house officer, Jesus why have they given me a house officer, can't they see I've been in agony for years.... arrhhhhh!"