My BHR experience

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

2 1/2 weeks post right BHR (Mr. Treacy, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital,

Birmingham), I'm back in Canada and quite pleased with how things have gone

to date. My operated leg is still very sore and untrustworthy (I don't dare

move without the two canes), but it had deteriorated a lot pre-op (muscle

and bone-wasting both due to five years heavy reliance on cane)...however

I'm extremely pleased to have complete relief of the bone pain, and now

I've got something to work with there (just sore, out-of-shape muscles). I

plan to spend a fair amount of time this fall working with my PT once I can

drive again.

Highlights of my trip:

- Travel to Birmingham - my friend and I flew to London and took the train

to Birmingham - this I would NOT attempt again, 'twas a lot harder than

anticipated (connections too confusing, too much walking, too tired from no

sleep and jet lag...also I had just caught a cold...travelling there was a

fairly miserable ordeal)

- My surgeon, Mr. Treacy - I thought he was excellent, liked him

immediately, he was very positive and confidence-inspiring and willing to

discuss anything...as the apprehensive nurse/patient I had a lengthy list

of nitty-gritty stuff to discuss with him, and also the anesthetist, and

they both passed their tests with flying colors.

- My surgery took a bit longer than most, about 1 1/2 hours, they said it

was not one of the simpler ones to do due to the lousy condition of my hip

(primarily due to congenital dysplasia). I've now got the " dysplasia cup "

and a 12 inch scar.

- Anesthetic - I doubt if anyone is more apprehensive about the general

anesthetic than I was (I've too many memories of seeing first hand what can

go wrong with others)...but still I had decided in advance not to argue for

a spinal since I knew the reasons Mr. Treacy prefers the general (better

muscle relaxation and no chance of patient moving during the operation).

Friends and acquaintances who'd had surgeries in recent years assured me

there was 'nothing to it' so I reckoned I'd not knock the general till I'd

tried it. (As you know, spinal and epidural anesthetics carry risks too)

Here's what I remember...I had just launched into a lecture for the OR

staff regarding the future prospects for the North Sea

groundfisheries...when I was abruptly cut off mid-sentence. Nothing

unpleasant, absolutely no sensation at all, before going to sleep. And

waking up felt exactly the same as waking from normal sleep...I just woke

up, looked around, felt comfortable and sleepy, and decided to take another

nap. No nausea, no chills, no headache or other brain fuzz, no sore throat

or awareness of there ever having been a breathing tube in there. I was

amazed at how pleasant it actually was...so there you have it, my

impression of the dreaded general anesthetic. 'They' claim that general

anesthetics have been improved significantly in recent years, and it seems

to me that must be true. (Regarding the dire, but rare, risks involved in

general anesthetics, it probably also bears pointing out that the patients

most at risk for experiencing those things are generally older and already

have serious medical problems such as cardiovascular or respiratory

disease. Otherwise healthy, younger adults afflicted only with worn

cartilage and bone are a relatively low risk population for anesthetics,

IMO. For me the key was just to find reasons to trust the team that I was

working with.)

- I'm still tired...I had no blood transfusion since I couldn't import my

own blood into the UK....therefore I'm going to sign off now. I've got a

few more comments though that I'll post later

Richie, all the best to you, I'm sure you'll do fine. The most amazing

thing is, as others have said, to wake up completely relieved of that

miserable nagging bone pain!

cheers,

Debbie