Today marks one week post-op from arthroscopic surgery on my right hip.

My right hip has been an ongoing problem for over a decade since I slipped and fell, dislocating it back when I was still a white belt. I had no health insurance at the time so of course I never got checked out, but it was months after that incident before I could raise my leg without pain or instability. I’ve had issues with it flaring up and causing me pain and problems since then. While I have always been able to rehab and strength train it back into working order – each time seemed to take a little bit longer and be a little bit worse.

This time I flared up badly over the holidays and my usual measures would not put a dent in getting me any relief, I had added instability that really worried me as well. It was progressively getting worse to the point where not only training, but just sitting or standing was constantly miserable and I wasn’t able to sleep because of it either. Pain I can handle, but misery is a no go.

I’m very fortunate to have access to a group of orthopedic surgeons who specialize in working with athletes. I’m going to breakdown the process I had from first appointment to today. I should state at this point I already knew that whatever I had going on was going to be surgical, if they told me anything else I would have been absolutely floored.

The Pre-Op Days

My first appointment was with the surgeon’s PA. First they took my x-rays then a nurse took my history (the fall, my pedestrian vs car incident, etc), then the PA came in and said he expected to see worse on my x-rays based on my history but they didn’t look bad at all. Of course he said he expects the physical exam to show a different story. I said my best-case scenario is just him telling me I’m being a little baby about some tendonitis and that I need to get over it, but that’s not very likely. I did tell him that I had an event coming up that I had until the following Monday to withdraw from, so I think he put me on the fast track for getting me all my tests and info because of that.

I had positive physical testing signs for labrum tear in my right hip, as well as in my left hip. He said that it’s very common especially in women to have functional labrum tears and since it’s not bothering me we will just ignore it. I had a very “hot” reaction to the test in my right hip so he wanted to get me in the MRI as soon as possible. Thankfully they just happened to have a cancellation that morning – so I went out in the waiting room for about 20 minutes and then got called back again for the MRI.

They called me later that afternoon to confirm the labrum tear and to schedule me a follow up with the surgeon for a couple days after to discuss the results and plans going forward. I was told over the phone that based on the scans the recommendation would be for either surgery or a steroid injection to get me through the jiu jitsu events I have planned for the year – the doctor could discuss the details with me at the appointment. I definitely appreciate the advance information so I could have time to collect my thoughts before going in.

Meeting with the surgeon I also learned I had a “very small impingement” on the neck of my femur. He said it probably formed in adolescence since it’s right on the growth plate, and he would take a few mins in surgery to smooth it down so it’s not rubbing on the fresh repair work when he’s done stitching my labrum back together. I also learned I have deeper hip sockets as well – just a fun little anatomical tidbit to file away (built for power yo!). One additional thing that I learned that I was not prepared for was that they would have to stretch out the joint capsule during the surgery and because of my hypermobility it may not tighten back up all the way afterwards, so I may have a slightly increased risk of dislocation in the future. I decided the pros outweigh the cons and ended up scheduling the surgery for 4 weeks out. Additionally, my surgeon also ordered a pre-op CT scan with 3D reconstruction of my hip, just to plan out a little bit better in advance how he was doing his surgical approach.

The next 4 weeks were a flurry of planning and prep work. I filled 14 pages of a word document with research, I watched so many videos of surgery, PT, OT, anesthesia, recovery vlogs, etc. I got bored of it all. I stocked my apartment with everything I thought I might possibly need, since I live alone I was really concerned about being able to take care of myself with limited mobility. I knew I would not be allowed to bend at the hip past 90 degrees or rotate, and would be on crutches for four weeks post-op; so I moved food and daily items onto my counter and even got myself a booster seat for the toilet (yes, it is definitely needed!)

Surgery Day Pre-Op:

My surgery was scheduled for 10:30 so I got to the hospital a little before 8:30 with a teammate who was also going home with me as my post-op babysitter. I had the same pre-op bay as I did for my knee surgery, the nurse said they usually keep the ortho patients in the same 4 slots and it was just luck of the draw for me. Different OR this time though, I had #1 last time and this time they said I was in #4.

First off, I got changed and then settled in the bed to go over my intake paperwork with the nurse. They hooked up my warm air blanket and checked vitals. At this point my friend was able to come back and hang out with me for the rest of the time until the wheeled me back. Eventually the anesthesiologist came by to ask about my last experience with general anesthesia. I told him as far as I’m concerned, I had a very nice nap although I was told I took a while to wake up and I was pretty trashed afterwards – although probably because the surgery lasted an hour longer than planned. He scrolled through his notes (I was at the same facility for my knee surgery and made a nod), confirmed a few more things, started up my iv in the back of my hand (with lidocaine thankfully), and then told me “I wish you a forgettable experience!” before bidding me farewell to go handle an induction in another room.

Next to visit was my surgeon, he came by to confirm that we were operating on my right hip, signed my leg, and assured me he had a fantastic plan in place. I should state that even with just saline in my iv I was very chill and relaxed – so when he signed my leg, I told him he should go ahead and write “later” on my right knee. I additionally told him I was quite ready to have my brain turned off so I could get stretched out and skewered. He also wanted to make sure that my medications and such had been sorted (there had been a mix up at the pharmacy), and that my friend was all set with the info she needed for proper care and feeding of me afterwards.

Finally another anesthesiologist and nurse came to fetch me for go time! They gave me a dose of propofol into my iv in the bay then started wheeling me out toward the OR – I remember saying “Oh that’s spicy!” when it hit the vein and getting a bit fuzzy by the time we reached the OR. Near as I could tell I had an all female prep staff in there with me which I registered and appreciated in the moment (due to the nature of the prep area for the hip surgery) as I helped scoot myself from the bed onto the much more narrow operating table. I had several people helping to secure me in place and a mask on my face and I remember trying to ask a question that they couldn’t understand with the mask in place, so they removed it to hear me.

That was the point I decided to just shut up and let them work. I might have said that out loud, there might have been a jedi hand wave while saying that out loud. But that was my last conscious memory “I’ll just shut up and let you work” before I work up in recovery. What happened between that memory and waking up in recovery will be forever sealed in the annals of time!

Surgery Day Post-Op:

I woke up a lot faster than I did for my knee surgery, and a lot more clear headed this time! I likely didn’t have to be put under as far as I did since it wasn’t nearly as intense of a procedure. I was asked if I was in any pain and there was some so I said yes, and also asked if I wanted my friend to come back so I said yes. So my friend was brought back and I was given some pain meds in my iv and apple juice. My friend said she got the text that I was out of surgery only 15 mins before she was called to the back, so I really did wake up quickly this time!

I chatted a bit and went through a bottle of apple juice and some saltines before I decided to use the bathroom – this was when I learned I was allowed to stand with my weight evenly distributed between my feet. My nurse was very surprised at how alert and articulate I was with the level of medications I had in me, she had ended up giving me about 3/4 a syringe if dilaudid and offered to top it off but I declined, instead opting for another bottle of apple juice to help me finish off the crackers and get the plastic tube taste out of my throat. Speaking of medications, my prescriptions had somewhat been sorted out and were getting picked up by a coworker who was then coming to pick us up from the hospital and drop us off at the front door of my apartment building. I was still missing my prescription anti-inflammatory but we could substitute aspirin while we waited for that to get sorted out and we had my prescription pain and nausea meds, so we were good to go.

When we got word that the meds had been picked up by my coworker, we got pulled together and headed downstairs to go meet her. When I got home I settled into my air mattress that I set up on the floor (my bed is really high) and really just tried to chill as much as I could and unpack the whole day and experience.

Since then the days really have blurred together. That first day (Friday) I took the strong pain meds as prescribed, 1 every four hours on a timer just to stay ahead of any post op pain. For my knee they gave me straight oxycodone and that knocked me out pretty hard – for this surgery they gave me oxy/acetaminophen which thankfully I found I could stay standing while taking which was super important for me since I live alone and need to be able to take care of myself while on crutches.

Saturday

The next morning as per the doctor’s instructions I took off the large bandage that was covering the surgical site and clean the incisions using Q-Tip’s dipped in a half and half mixture of peroxide and water. He told me he was okay with me showering after 24 hrs. – he just wanted me to let the stitches dry and then cover them with band aids to keep them from rubbing on clothing and getting irritated. I have three entry port areas, from what I was researching before surgery it looks like he used the standard anterior-lateral port as well as the anterior port, in addition to a modified anterior port to help with placement of anchors for suturing my labrum in a more anatomically secure angle (I read about it in a research paper). There was (and still is) significant bruising around the two upper port entries and very little around the additional access port. I started out Saturday spacing my pain meds out to every 6 hours to see how the pain felt. It was a little achy but nothing terrible so I decided to keep it that way. My friend went home this afternoon so it was just me and my puppy in the apartment

Sunday

I took the prescription pain pill at 5 am and decided that if the pain wasn’t bad at 11 that I would try switching to Tylenol, with the escape that if it got bad, I’d go back on the prescription medication 4 hours after that if needed. I ended up not needing it and just stayed on Tylenol (still have been since). I still had a little oozing from the stitches so I cleaned the incisions again with the peroxide/water mixture, let them dry, then covered again. I had a hypotensive episode that really frightened me this afternoon, I nearly passed out and was very close to calling 911 for myself. I checked all my pulse points and verified that it did not hurt my lungs to breathe so I made my way to my bed and created a pillow nest to call the weekend on call line for my surgeon’s office, I additionally called a team mate of mine who is a nurse who deals with similar issues. Overall consensus being my mild orthostatic hypotension must have gotten mad triggered by the anesthesia and I just had to take it really easy for the next couple of days and use up all the electrolyte powders I had bought. I had planned on showering that day but decided with that excitement that I didn’t want to risk trying to stand up for that long again and would try again in the morning before my PT appointment.

Monday

Joy of joys I made it through the shower! Being able to stand with my weight evenly distributed, and having a walk in shower without a tub made it a pretty simple affair – it was just exhausting. Then it was time to get ready for my first physical therapy session! It was at the same PT clinic I went to for my knee and my newly assigned therapist recognized me from all those visits – I told her I just missed everyone so much I just had to do something to come back and see them again! PT is going to be all table work for a while since I’m 100% crutches for the first 4 weeks. She did a lot of passive range of motion movement and was very happy that my hip could already flex to 85 degrees before she felt a slight bit of resistance. My max of course is 90 degrees and I’m allowed internal rotation but strictly zero external rotation. Also, no active hip flexor activation or crossing of the midline with my surgical leg. Basically, none of the movements that I really want to do right now. I have PT homework too that consists mainly static muscle squeezes to just try to keep the muscles firing while the joint isn’t allowed to move dynamically quite yet.

Tuesday

Not a whole lot going on for Tuesday really. I’ve been working remotely since Monday and am planning to do so for the first two weeks post-op. This is mostly because of the movement restrictions and my need to periodically hook myself up to my ice machine during the course of the day. I highly recommend getting one of these continual ice machines if you’re having any orthopedic procedure, it really makes a huge difference for pain and inflammation in these first few weeks! I keep frozen water bottles in the freezer and just rotate them through the little ice box and it will keep the wrap on my hip chilly for several hours at time without me having to worry about it getting too cold. I sleep in it every night – they have the new version that does compression as well as cold therapy but I’m good with just the cold.

Wednesday

Second PT session was today! Had a repeat of the first session except she bent me to 90 degrees during passive range of motion and I didn’t even feel a stretch, so I’m gonna tentatively say maybe I won’t have too much trouble getting range of motion back from this surgery. She also added two new exercises – one where she assisted me with rolling to my belly for a good stretch there, and then the other was a core crunch using one of the large exercise balls to keep me from actually breaking my 90 degree flexion rule.

Thursday

Thursday was basically a repeat of Tuesday although I noticed that I’m starting to get more yellowing bruising spreading out around my hip and the swelling is really starting to go down. I slept in a more flat position as opposed to having my leg and head elevated and it seemed to really have helped the fluids to distribute a bit more evenly at this stage of everything (I was headed into BBL territory for a bit there).

Friday/Today

And that brings us to today, one week post-op. Other than the movement restrictions I currently have in place I already feel so much better than I did before surgery. I’m a bit more sore in the mornings right now because I’m sleeping through the night: which I wasn’t able to do before the operation. Once I do my limited PT exercises I’m feeling good. My plan has been to work from home for the first two weeks which has been working out okay so far and my dog Dmitri has been doing a stellar job at guarding my hip for me.

To my knowledge I have 3 more weeks at 50% weight bearing, meaning I can stand unassisted at the counter to make food, then gotta reach for the crutches to walk myself to the next location. My post-op appointment Tuesday morning, so I’ll get to hear the details of what exactly went down while my brain was turned off in the OR, see pictures, hopefully get the video (I have the one from my knee!), and see if any adjustments were made to my recovery plan as the result of what was done in surgery.