Fast forward 5 years later.  Hip is great, never even know I've had surgery.  Have seen lots of negatives regarding MOM hips but I have had no adverse affects and have to believe that the problems stem from parts from different manufacturers and/or less skilled surgeons.  As for me, the surgery could not have gone better and I could not be more pleased.  Am looking forward to another 20+ years on this thing.

Roger, Roger. over and out.

A very belated updating of my post surgery experience. But the experience has been totally positive to date so I hope that anyone else facing this surgery and reading this post will be encouraged.

About 2 weeks after surgery I began physical therapy (which lasted for about 3 weeks). That was a great help and was key in getting me past the worst of the stiffness and soreness in my leg. At 4 weeks I was walking without support. After 5 weeks I was back at work and going to the YMCA to work out.

I am now around 3 and 1/2 months post op. There is still a little soreness and tenderness in the thigh and hip area but gets better all the time. I am walking normally and able to walk distances now. I bend and kneel and crawl without problem. Had to install a new dishwasher at Thanksgiving and do some plumbing repairs. That was at 2 months postop and required me getting down on the floor and crawling under cabinets and pipes. Try that 2 months after a THR.

Finally getting around to the operation and post op blow by blow.

Day 0: Surgery day. Wake up in recovery room feeling pretty good and pretty hungry. Problem is I can't even wiggle my toes. I do take a look under the covers to make sure that the leg is still attached. Couple of hours later, with movement returning, I return to my room. After proving that I can hold down ice chips I get to order some food. Hospital eggs and toast never tasted so good. Later that evening, I do some exercises and then try to walk. About 5 steps into it, I break out into a cold sweat and have to lay down before fainting. There goes my goal of walking without assistance on the day of surgery. Oh well.

Day 1 and 2. Post op days in the hospital. Start my PT and OT and (at Swedish) my group PT. I feel great. Leg and butt are sore and tight but I am up and tooling around on crutches, no problem with my exercises and thinking in a week I will be walking without assistance. Only problem is the fever at night, but it's not that bad and all in all I am feeling good about the whole thing. The dressing is changed today and I am neither bleeding or draining. And Dr Pritchett uses suture strips (I have friends who had THR and ended up with staples).

Day 3: Going home. Did a half mile around the hospital floor before leaving and am still feeling good. A long (90 mile) ride home is uncomfortable but not unbearable. The fun begins that night. I am sitting in my chair on Thurs eve and get up to go to bed. As I look down at my leg I realize somehow it was replaced with someone elses. It's at least doubled in size. And so begins the real post op recovery. Because for the next week the swelling comes and goes. It is not painful, but it is uncomfortable and even gets in the way of my exercises. And for the first time I also experience some pain.

I am now 12 days post surgery. I was able to start showering 5 days out. I go on 2 half mile walks every day and do my series of exercises 3 times daily. I walk with one crutch and can limp around the house without any. I had my first post op exam and placement of the BHR parts are perfect. I begin physical therapy next week. While I did not know just what to expect, I guess I'd have to say that this has been less painful than I had feared. I do believe that by the end of week 3 I will be walking unassisted all the time and will probably be returning to work. Not to downplay the stiffness and soreness, just that all things considered, I am doing pretty good for not even being 2 weeks removed from surgery.

And I am so glad that I went to see Dr Pritchett and had the surgery at Swedish Orthepedic Center. It is definitely the place to go in the PNW.

Next Year

Well, I've yet to collect my thoughts. Perhaps in that morphine stupor clarity will arrive. I will say that the pain has been so great as to alter my life this year and, in some ways, make me wish I had done this a lot sooner. On the other hand, I think a major surgery that alters your body is something that you have to be able to wrap your head around and accept. In most cases, what is known provides a degree of comfort that the unknown cannot. What lies next must be taken on faith and hope, and faith and hope provide no comfort at all.

Hip resurfacing, the movie:

http://utube.smashits.com/video/uL3dNIuQp4E/Birmingham-Hip-Resurfacing-Surgery-Vijay-Bose-Part-1.html

No matter what you think, it hurts a lot less to just watch.

Prelude

So, 3 weeks from hip resurfacing surgery, I'll backtrack on just how it is I got here.

Crap, how the hecky hoo do I know. Good health, active lifestyle, no injuries, ever. Watch 70 year olds run marathons and I can hardly stand up. What's this, gods revenge on an athiest? Damn you, just wait til the afterlife.

So, I'm gonna post some thoughts and perhaps a gory video or 2. Why should I suffer alone.

So more to come after I collect my thoughts (a perhaps impossibly daunting task).