Re: minimally invasive hip resurfacing/preparing for operation

[Guest guest]

Hi all

I had only a 4.5 inch incision on my buttock, but I don't know

how McMinn did it (what tools he used), as I was totally

anaesthetized at the time... I'm pretty sure I didn't have a

transfusion, though. The downside of the small incision is that they

have to twist your leg around a lot more, and that caused lots of

muscle cramping and numb spots, plus my knee was out of alignment for

the first couple of weeks. On the plus side, I had almost no swelling

(although I may just have been lucky), and I was walking with only one

crutch by day 5; in fact, I could limp around a bit with no crutch at

all if necessary. I was in the hospital for six days, but that's

because I was a patient from abroad; British patients usually go home

in 5 days. On Day 7 I even climbed up a small hill, went up and down

lots of stairs, and walked for a couple of hours. OK, I admit that I

was pretty tired after doing that , but the point is that I COULD

do it.

I didn't ask for a minimal scar, but it did heal up very nicely,

and I'm happy with the results so far (almost 9 months post-op).

For those who haven't had their surgery yet, one of the biggest

surprises for me was how strong one's arms have to be afterwards. It's

impossible to move your leg very much for the first couple of days at

least, if not longer, unless you pull yourself up on the bar or

trapeze above your bed. This is difficult if your arms are weak, and I

found that I couldn't do it with the trapeze, but it was possible if I

reached for the bar above the trapeze (I do have very long arms). So

it wouldn't hurt to practise chin-ups (or attempts at them ) before

you go into hospital.

n

rBHR Oct.2003 McMinn