Greetings from the other side!

Normally, I work as a surgeon. Well, I've just been admitted to hospital as a patient myself. I'm getting a hip joint resurfacing this afternoon (a variation on a hip replacement). This is proving to be an extraordinary experience, being on the receiving end for once. I'm not sure I like this; its just very strange not being in control, and handing over to others. I go to the operating theatre in about an hour to an hour and a half from now for a two and a half hour procedure.

Tom,
Bad news for you my friend. I hope it wasnt the ride quality of the A which caused the hip to go.
Sure hope you recover quickly and drive the A and B.

David

Alright!! That's like a mechanic taking his car to an alignment shop for a ball joint job. Surgeon, mechanic, same same. It just depends on what you want to get all over your hands.

Anybody can take 'em apart, your expertise separates the wheat from the chaff...luck to you, mate!:thumbup:

Hope you have a quick recovery. If you want the full experience, make sure to ask for a Foley catheter, it's a real treat!

Be sure you label yourself (on the correct side of your pelvis), "This hip, not the other one." You never know. Hope you at least get a pretty nurse! Sort of like being a passenger when my wife drives. I don't like it.

In response to the correct side, when I had some surgery done to my left knee
I had to "sign" the correct knee before going into the operating room. However, when
I had hernia surgery I didn't have to sign my body for that. Both were very easy and
I hope yours goes as well as mine did. That by the way were the only two times I've
been admitted to a hospital in my 79 years on this earth. I guess I've really been very lucky.
Hope everything goes well for you.

George Herschell

Hope all goes well and you have a speedy recovery. Should make getting into the "A" a little less painful, I hope. :)

Good luck Thomas, I imagine it is going to be strange being in your position, but it will give you
insight into what a patient experiences good and bad. Hope you have a swift and comfortable recovery!
Maybe you can explain the differences between replacement and planing to us when your up to it.

By now Thomas your procedure is completed. I hope all went well. I hope your surgeon has a light hand and believes in being tissue friendly.
Speedy, event free recovery!

Hey, doc!
I'm an RN. I did some time in CCU as a patient. It sucks. "Quit messing with that IV pump!"
Speedy Recovery!

Thanks everyone. It's all done! Had a pretty comfortable night but I'm rather sore just now. I've already developed a great appreciation for the difference a good nurse makes, exactly as my dear wife (also a nurse) predicted. I'm afraid I'm already up close and personal with a Foley catheter Mike.
Rich, "Resurfacing" still entails getting a new "socket" in the pelvis, like a "Total Hip Replacement". The big difference is that instead of sawing through the base of the femoral neck and "throwing away" and replacing the head and neck of the femur (the ball, and the bit that joins the ball to the thigh bone, the neck), you retain your own neck and a large part of your own femoral head. The head is partly ground down, to accept a new cap (the "resurfacing" bit.) You retain more of your original anatomy and geometry than with a total hip replacement. They're trickier to do than a total hip because you don't get the "working space" that removing the head and neck yields.
David, riding in your MGA was a huge thrill for me, and not contributory to my hip's sad demise. (It probably was secondary to an injury years ago; "boys will be boys")

Good to hear that all is 'well', Thomas.

Chris

Glad to hear it went well, and good wishes on a speedy return to ballroom dancing ;-). The only complain I had with my one surgical event was the constant noise and frequent interruption of sleep during the overnight recovery time.

Great professional care was much appreciated.

Jim D

Great to hear everything went OK Tom. I hope you have the speediest of recoveries! Thanks for the info
on resurfacing. I have a feeling that in the future I''ll be looking at one of those options, but not yet!
When will you be able to go home and what's the estimated recovery time?

Rich

Thanks Rich. 6 to 10 days in hospital, hopefully 6 for me as I'm relatively young for hip surgery.
Then it's 3 weeks on crutches and 3 weeks with a walking stick. I've taken 6 weeks off work, but I've warned people that I may be away for up to 8 weeks; I'll just have to wait and see how I go.
I'm just waiting for the physiotherapist to get up for my first walk and a shower!

Glad to hear that it went well...best of wishes for a speedy recovery!

Just in case anyone's interested, here's one part of the operation off U tube. I had a Birmingham/Mcminn hip resurfacing as shown in this series of videos.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZGUrQYqk9Q&feature=PlayList&p=166D99017B1ADECF&index=28

Interesting video. Kind of like working on a car when you think about it, except a car doesn't leak much bone marrow. That's a pretty neat little silver replacement ball they glue on. All that shaving, drilling, and pounding is likely to leave you a bit sore, I'd imagine. I wouldn't rush back to work. Better to recover and let everything settle in just right before you start running upstairs or playing goalkeeper.

Hey, I'm going GREAT! Up on crutches since yesterday. (Met my family in the hospital car park to surprise them yesterday: they were amazed to see me so mobile.) Going home tomorrow, though I think I'd be fine to go home today. Only needing an occasional Paracetomol. Now I can get on with the rest of my life.

Go get em Tom!:beer:

After I had my appendix taken out I told the surgeon the next time he can keep the cathater. I'll show up with duct tape, a rubber hose and a bucket. Like peeing fire for 3 days. Ya know ya want to but ya sure don't want to.

Paracetomol = Acetaminophen? Wonderful!
A DMD once told me that for severe pain try 800mg Ibuprofen + 1gm Acetaminophen. She said it works as well as a narcotic, but without the mental clouding. Works for me!