Surgery

Just a few pictures of before, and after my surgery.

Pre-surgery. Very excited to get this done! (not really)

Drugged up morning after surgery. Foam block between legs keeps me from crossing legs and dislocating hip again. I also feel very green at this point.

Dressed and ready to go home. Still drugged up and feel like I want to puke. Notice shaved spot on leg.

Doing Nothing

3 1/2 weeks down since my surgery and only 3 to go, and although I'm now bored and feel the walls closing in, I'm happy that it's been done and know how lucky I am.

Jo, Adrienne's Mom, left on Saturday. It has now made my time at home lonely and very long. Now I'm not looking for sympathy or awe's and oh's, it's just that until you are put in this situation, you can't comprehend it. Being stuck at home for me is hard, I love my job, my co-workers, golf and most of all my family. Not having anyone here or being at work, just plain sucks!

Anyways, I am doing good. Adrienne has coffee and food ready for me now in the mornings when I get up with her. I am not supposed to do the stairs unless someone is here with me so I come down when she goes to work. I then sit on the couch all day watching nothing on T.V. or surf the net(thank god for wireless internet and laptops!). And that's my long day until they get home around 5 o,clock.

Aly has been awesome, she helps me out by getting me water or beer, retrieving my crutches of just making me laugh which she is good at when shes not driving me nuts. Adrienne has been awesome too. She has Aly and now me to care for. She gets breakfast for me, makes dinner, cleans the house, takes care of the dog, bathes Aly and I, gets us to bed, all while now being sick. I am very lucky she is my nurse and I don't thank her enough, Thank You Baby!

Well, now that my mom and Adrienne's mom are gone, it's just me and, well...me. 3 weeks to go and it's done. Then it's sort of back to normal and life as we three know it can go back to the way it used to be. Come on three weeks!!

2 Weeks

2 weeks down, 4 to go until I can start to put weight on my left leg. I had my two week Appointment today and the Doctor was very pleased to see that my incision had already healed. There is still some swelling around the incision but everything else so far looks to be okay.

It's been different being home. I wake up around 6am, turn on the T.V. and Adrienne's mom Jo brings me breakfast in bed. I then either watch more of the tube or play the original Mario Brothers or Mario Brother 3 on the Wii (can't swing the remote standing up). I then usually make the trip over the couch in the bedroom and watch a movie or just T.V. Jo will make me lunch and I either eat up there or make the limp downstairs. I wait for Aly to come home and then Adrienne to do the same. I then eat dinner and head back up the stairs to bed to watch the tube again till I fall asleep, around 11pm or so.

I miss being at work and the fun and joy of my job, but am glad I got this done and know the next 4 weeks -6 weeks will go by kinda fast (I Hope!)

Kerry (Step-Dad) stopped by last night. He is in town for some classes and brought dinner over. Other than that, it's been pretty lonely. I played my first game of scrabble the other day against Jo and I am a natural at it. Rack up the points by using words like Z-A-X, a tool used to trim slate roofing tiles. Bring it on!

Home!

Just wanted to pass on to you that I am home and doing OK. I have about a 8 inch incision on my left leg that looks cool but hurts like a ____! My Mom has come down from Montana to help out with me and entertain Aly and Adrienne's mom is due in Thursday to do the same. Adrienne's boss was very helpful too by letting her take time off to care for me with no penalty, Thanks Carolyn!

My road to recovery starts today with very light PT. It is amazing what little I can do right now. I can barly lift my leg up so getting in and out of bed is next to impossible. Going to the bathroom as been a challenge and that's only going pee. I have a 16 inch riser on the toilet to help me sit when the other calls. I can't bend my leg more than 70 degrees, cross my legs, turn in my toe or sit normally. I also have to sleep on my back, something I have never been able to do. It will get easier I hope, it's just about 6 weeks out before it's allowed.

A thank you to all who offered prayers and well wishes on my operation and recovery. I am blesses to have all of you and your thoughts.

The Day Has Come...

Tomorrow at 11:30am I enter the operating room with a bad hip, 3+ hours later I hope to come out fixed.(and in a lot of pain I'm sure!)

If you don't know I have whats called a Impingement in my left hip. (have it in the right too, a possible fix later on). They are going to repair it via a pretty intense surgery. The procedure consists of a cut near my hip to enter to get to my hip socket. They will then cut the ball off my femur to allow them to dislocate my hip. After this is done the doctors will file down the bumps on both my ball and socket (saddle part of socket is best way to describe it). Then they will repair and reattach the torn cartilage to properly cushion my joint again. Then they will relocate my hip joint and screw the femur back onto the ball with three screws. That will be the easy part for me. When I wake up I will have to spend 3 or so nights in the hospital before they release me. Then spend about 4-6 weeks on crutches putting no weight on my hip. Then another 3-6 weeks of coming off the crutches with a total recovery of up to 6 months before I am back at it.

Thanks to all that have wished me well, Adrienne or I will update you as we go.

More Surgery

After meeting with my Orthopedic Doctor on Tuesday we have decided to go ahead and repair the hip impingement (see last paragraph) and torn cartilage in my left hip. We are unsure when this will take place for sure but it should be sometime in late February or early March.

The procedure consists of a cut near my hip to enter to get to my hip socket. They will then cut the ball off my femur to allow them to dislocate my hip. After this is done the doctors will file down the bumps on both my ball and socket (saddle part of socket is best way to describe it). Then they will pull up and reattach the torn cartilage to properly cushion my joint again. Then they will relocate my hip joint and screw the femur back onto the ball. That will be the easy part for me. When I wake up I will have to spend 3 or so nights in the hospital before they release me. Then spend about 4-6 weeks on crutches putting no weight on my hip. Then another 3-6 weeks of coming off the crutches and a total recovery of up to 6 months before I am back at it, and playing golf again...UGH!

What this surgery will do for me is fix the bone on bone contact I have so as I age my hip won't have to be replaced. Doctors believe that what I have ultimately leads to bad arthritis and eventually total hip replacement. This is a fairly new study, about 12 years old but so far others having it done have had great results.

Hip Impingement description:

The syndrome is produced when excess bone forms around the neck of the femur, and which, on flexing the leg, impinges on the acetabulum edge (ladrum), thus putting pressure on the cartilage. There are also cases where there is no excess bone protuberance at this point but the acetebulum is longer than normal and so, on flexing the joint, the femur neck impacts against the excess bone on the wall of the pelvis and pushes the femoral head outwards, causing pain and obstructing flexion. In most case, both phenomena occur together. According to the specialist, the symptoms of those suffering from this syndrome are pain in the groin, in the gluteal region, in the thigh or around one side of the hip, on making flexing or rotational movements.

Well????

Well, Friday I went in for surgery at 8:30, at 9:30 the doctor stitched me back up finding no sign of either hernia, he even brought in a second doctor to confirm. What they did find was a lump of hard fat in the area that a ultrasound and two examination's showed hernias in. After a few days in bed, I am doing much better and am now feeling a little claustrophobic in the house. Adrienne has been awesome in taking care of me and being my nurse (although I wish she wore a candy stripe nurses outfit or something). A Thank You to Her, she is loved and I appreciate it tremendously.

So now it is back to the orthopedic department next Tuesday to figure out what to do with my hips since it seems THEY are the problem to my pains I am having.

Oh-Ya, if ever around me when I am waking from anesthesia, back off, I guess I'm kinda grouchy when I come too.

Kevin Is Having Surgery

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 I am having surgery to repair a double hernia. I am having the two hernia's, one on each side, fixed then they are going to put a mesh netting across my abdomen to hopefully prevent future hernias from happening. It is a 2 hour procedure with a 2-3 hour recovery then it's home mid afternoon. Adrienne has taken the day off and Aly is spending the night at her Grandpa and Grandmas house with a sleep over at Abi's house sandwiched in between. (why does she always get to have all the fun?)