1 week post op The good, bad, & the ugly

[Guest guest]

40y.o. C+ May 6,'02 JRI Dr.S.

First off I would like to thank all the regulars for the wealth of

information that helped me understand what I was getting myself into.

Especially Wolf and with insurance suggestions and Voeltz

because his perspective coming from a hard core cyclist was SO very

important to me.

My 2 cents;

Pre-op condition,

My arthritis stems from the childhood disease legg perthes . Never

able to run or participate in impact sports but did ski downhill as a

teen. Started racing & hard road bicycle training in 1984. Have

logged well over 100,000 miles and 300+ races over 18 years. Some

muscles in my bad leg were very strong, i.e. glutes, hams, calves,

but some were very, very weak, i.e. psoas, abducters. Straight leg

lifts were next to impossible since '98. (See msg.5186)

Bone on bone since '98 but able to ride till Oct. last year. The last

six months pre-op I lost all my range of motion, required a cane all

the time, and was in constant pain. It was time…

Day of op,

Everything went smooth. Dr. Schmalzried at JRI is a class act. You

can tell he loves doing his thing and is very straight forward with

his answers. If you want to talk technical, fine. If you want to let

go and be more spiritual, fine. I tried to find a happy medium and

not worry about things that could go wrong too much.

Cysting was a little worse than x-ray showed but not that bad. Was

under a light general and spinal for the op and woke up at the end of

surgery just before heading to recovery.

The first night was a bit uncomfortable mostly because of being on my

back all the time. Barely able to move the leg other than calf

exercises and butt squeezes. Got a little nausea twice, no big deal.

Was moved to ICU @ day 1 p.o.

Got out of bed once and did about 50 yards total w/ a walker. Getting

in and out of bed was a chore, but staying on your back for hours and

hours was even harder. Thought about how hard it must be for somebody

bed ridden for long periods and stopped feeling sorry for myself.

This experience will humble you no matter how strong you think you

are coming in…

Day 2 p.o.;

Two walks with crutches. 100 yards total and a couple of stairs. Leg

was quite swollen and hard to move forward. Pain in the joint is gone

though, yea hoo!! Moved out of ICU

Foley cathedor was finally removed, and IMHO they really suck. Took

about 5-7 seconds to get out. Not excruciating, but not fun either.

Don't know why people bash the TED's because I really think they help

with swelling and support of the leg. They remind me of cycling leg

warmers so I guess that's why I don't mind so much.

Day 3 p.o.;

Leg still very swollen, but getting a bit more strength. Arms and

hands are getting a little numb and tingly at night. Sounds like this

is common. Not going to stress over it because they are just a little

weak during the day. Got the hell out of bed first thing in the

morning and was released from hospital by 1 p.m.

Car ride for 2 hours to beach rental was no problem. I'll be here

till the staples come out @ 10 days p.o.. I decided to hang around

L.A. and get JRI to take them out. The weather is great and I wanted

my friend / nurse to have a little R and R for doing such a great

job. It really is important to have somebody by your side that first

week.

Day 4-7 p.o.;

Every day is better and better. Swelling coming down slowly. Strength

getting better slowly. Yesterday walked a total of 500 yards and did

25 stairs. Still feel like I need to be very conservative with

regards to 50% weight bearing. Don't see myself loosing the crutches

any time soon. Talked to Voeltz the other day. He was

comfortable going to canes by this time after his BHR. Goes to show

how everybody's different and you have to listen to your own body.

Can't wait to get the staples out so I can sit and lie more

comfortably. Concentrating on eating and juicing with super

nutritious foods high in anti-oxidants and tissue building

properties. Allowed myself a celebratory cigar on 's advice just

to show that it's all about moderation rather than being extremely

anal or passive. We surfers are very lucky to have the right timing

with all of this. I could have gone for THR back in '98. Here's to

all those who have had the guts to be cutting edge and do the job!!!

Couple of things I would have done differently;

1. I'm a hairy guy, except on top of my head. I did shave my legs and

butt pre-op (did this for 16 years while racing the bike. BTW, it's

so the road rash you're bound to get is easier to keep clean and for

ease of massage, NOT aerodynamics) But I didn't shave my wrists and

inside of the elbows. With all the pricks and tape on your hands and

arms, I wish I had.

2. I would have done many more sit-ups and upper-body exercises. It's

really important for getting in and out of bed, chairs, toilet, etc…

[Guest guest]

Hi, I am encouraged to find this group, and the wealth of info that

you are all sharing. Marbleman, may you continue to improve!!! I am

scheduled at JRI with Dr. Schmalzreid on June 17th, and just found

out on Fri. that the insurance has denied my pre-op request. I am

collecting info, support letters, etc. to send. My insurance compay

is Blue Shield CA, and according to Chuck, director of JRI, they have

approved about 10-12 resurfacings in the past year. Does anyone know

the specifics with Blue Shield? Does it help to have a lawyer? Or is

the first attempt better without? Please, I can use all the info

fast to see if I can save my op date.

> 40y.o. C+ May 6,'02 JRI Dr.S.

>

> First off I would like to thank all the regulars for the wealth of

> information that helped me understand what I was getting myself

into.

> Especially Wolf and with insurance suggestions and

Voeltz

[Guest guest]

Hello isarall,

I took my Blue Double-cross PPO claim as far as I could internally

without sucess. Even had a " nice " chat with the CEO personally. But

they still denied me. Reasearched taking it to the Dept. of Managed

Heath Care in Ca. for an IMR (independent medical review)but they

make the records public and out of 8 cases listed for surf jobs, none

were overturned. I have been in touch with a lawyer that feels I have

a very good case, so I may plan to sue in the future. Wish I could

offer you some better news but....

> > 40y.o. C+ May 6,'02 JRI Dr.S.

> >

> > First off I would like to thank all the regulars for the wealth

of

> > information that helped me understand what I was getting myself

> into.

> > Especially Wolf and with insurance suggestions and

> Voeltz