Confessions of a Pilate’s Instructors Husband – Part 11

Stephen in hospital after his 2nd hip replacement

Hi everyone.

Four months have now passed since I last put finger to keyboard and obviously quite a lot has gone on since my last blog. I’ve continued with my rehab, returned to work and what else?

Oh yes – I’ve had my right hip replaced also!

I left you last time as I was due to see my Consultant, nine weeks after my op, hopefully, to get the all clear that my recovery was on track. I’m pleased to say that I was well ahead of the expected recovery schedule and my mobility was already much improved over my pre-op levels.

As my records showed that I had been advised to have both of my hips replaced my Consultant asked if I was ready to go for it again as he was happy that my new left hip would be strong enough to support the rehab needed following my second operation. Apparently, my ability to walk to the end of the office and back unaided and balancing on my left leg for about 5 seconds without wincing or falling over is proof enough that I was good to go.

I was always of the opinion that if I was going to put myself through this whole process then I needed to have both hips replaced within as short a time-scale as possible, otherwise, I would not be getting the full benefit. X-rays showed that both sides were as bad as each other and my un-operated hip was only going to get worse if left alone. So, I was put back onto the waiting list there and then for hip op number two.

I had obviously still not recovered fully from my first op and I remember that Mr. Shaw (my Consultant) said that it can take up to a full year before you get the full benefit from a hip replacement. Over the following weeks, I continued, religiously, with my rehab exercises and I was soon increasing the intensity of these exercises to start building strength back into my hip and the surrounding areas that had been affected by the surgeon’s knife.

Strength and mobility slowly improved and Jill even commented that she was starting to see a difference between my left and right butt cheeks. My left butt cheek has now developed to near Serena Williams proportions (slight exaggeration, but you get the idea) while my right is still flat as a pancake. Photos are available upon request!!

It’s amazing the results you can get from correctly targeted exercises such as step ups, hip extensions, and resistance band work. That, and the new ability to walk with the correct range of movement as opposed to limping around.

Unfortunately, as I waited for my next operation date, it seemed as though the better my left hip got, the worse my right became. It had now started to give way several times a day and my attempts at putting my socks on were a waste of time now. Maybe, because the pain was now isolated to one side I was noticing it more, who knows, but the decision to go ahead with the second op straight away was definitely the right one.

Back to today – I had my second operation on Nov 20th and I am pleased to say that once again, everything seems to have gone to plan. I had my operation at Bishop Auckland Hospital as opposed to Durham this time but, it was with the same surgeon.

I was offered an earlier date in August but this would have meant changing surgeons and this was something I wasn’t comfortable with. I would much rather wait a bit longer and, considering the success of the first operation, stay with the same surgeon. This would also give me the chance to build more strength into my new left hip as rehab on this side was going to take a back seat for the next few months.

Another benefit of staying with the same surgeon meant that at least I would probably have matching scars on my ass as each surgeon has their own techniques. I do like symmetry.

My time in hospital was shorter this time. I went in on Tuesday morning, was the first operation of the day and was discharged on Thursday. I was actually given the all clear by the hospital physios to leave on Wednesday as I was already able to walk with my sticks and get up and down stairs. However, the nurses felt that I needed to have more intravenous pain management before I was released and I wasn’t going to argue as it bloody hurt!

Stephen in hospital after his 2nd hip replacement
Stephen in hospital after his 2nd hip replacement

 

The major plus point about being the first operation was that I was up on my feet the very same day, albeit on a walking frame. I was determined that as soon as my anesthetic wore off fully that I was going to get on my feet. Fortunately, the anesthetic wore off before the physios went home for the day so my mission was achieved. This meant that I was able to shuffle to the bathroom by myself and so avoided the nightmare that was the catheter from my first operation experience. This was a huge relief as you can imagine.

Another positive about being released after only two days was that I didn’t have to put up with one guy that was in my ward any longer than I had to.

He was one of those people that knows everything, been everywhere and done everything. He was butting in with medical advice when the nurses were talking to other patients and always had some bollocks anecdote regardless of the conversation that was going on. His advice ranged from pain management to dietary requirements for recovery to physiotherapy, so essentially the ward staff could have all taken a few days off and we would all have been absolutely fine. His job? – he wasn’t allowed to say, other than he was a “nuclear professional” although, reading between the lines I got the idea that he was a maintenance guy that happened to work in a nuclear power station.

Basically, I was sharing a ward with Homer Simpson (doh!) Every time he opened his mouth you could almost see both patients and nurses rolling their eyes and thinking “here he goes again!” I should thank him really as I am sure he forced me to recover faster than I would have had he not been the pain in the arse that he was.

I am now slowly recovering again at home and have just stopped taking painkillers almost three weeks after the op. I am able to walk unaided but it is still much more comfortable with a single walking stick at the moment. Thankfully, my recovery seems to be following a similar pattern to the first op with my range of movement slowly improving day by day, although I do seem to have more bruising and swelling this time which has also affected my knee. This is not unusual considering what is done during the surgery – cutting, slicing, dislocating, sawing, reaming and hammering etc.

Bruised leg
Bruising after the 2nd op

Sounds gruesome – but worth it in the long run.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I will return again in the new year and you never know, I may be appearing at a Pilates class near you sometime in the not too distant future.

Stephen

 

PS

If you’d like to know what exercises Stephen has been doing to strengthen his hip post operation, then please do get in touch.

2 thoughts on “Confessions of a Pilate’s Instructors Husband – Part 11

  • December 10, 2018 at 6:07 pm
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    Very pleased to hear that it’s gone well – mind I’m not impressed with your bruises. I can more than match those if I walk past a table and knock into it! Good luck with the recovery .

    Reply
  • December 14, 2018 at 1:24 pm
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    Very pleased to hear all about your recovery! Well done!!

    Reply

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