Week 2


The Week of Monday 10th December

First thing Monday I’d arranged a visit to my surgery as my medication had run out and I still wasn’t sleeping at night. The Doc prescribed me with some more fast release and slow release morphine pills for another two weeks, and some big pink ibuprofen tablets. Now I’m not sure whether it’s just been a few years since I’ve had a prescription, or whether the costs have changed, but I was charged £7.65 per medicine! I couldn’t believe it was costing me almost £23. I’m in receipt of statutory sick pay whilst off work but I still don’t qualify for free prescriptions. I know it’s only £23 but when you’re barely bringing in money and still have the usual outgoings, I find it a cheek that I have to foot the bill when I didn’t ask to have a condition which resulted in compulsory surgery.  Call me tight, but I’m going to make the morphine medication last to cover my second recovery, and I will purchase and double-dose on the cheap ibuprofen for <20p. Rant over. The good news is I’ve slept every night since the replenishment and I can even sleep on my left side now. Sleeping on my front or on my operated side will have to wait until at least the six-week check-up mark to ensure the bone has healed nicely.

I began my first drawing on Monday and at Andrew’s request, I drew this…


Tuesday my Dad wanted to visit the National Archives in Kew to continue his family tree research. It was very interesting and I was glad to leave the flat, but I began to feel a little ill and light-headed so we left after a couple of hours. The security guard took my bottle of water off me in case I damaged the archives so I blame my episode on dehydration. We visited Andrew at work for a coffee break on the way home so that was nice and I perked up.

On Wednesday, My Dad and I visited Andrew’s Nan, Iris, in her new home in Burgess Hill near Brighton. We were joined by Andrew’s Uncle Trevor for a cup of tea and then we stopped by Andrew’s ‘home home’ for lunch with his Step Mum, Eli. Then we went to my accountants on the way home to get my tax return sorted before January. It’s getting easier to get in and out of a car, and I’m managing to travel longer distances (100m) on my crutches without relying on the wheelchair now.

I had been looking forward to Wednesday for a while because this was the day my friend Jenny was going to teach me how to knit! It’s only fitting if you’ve had a hip operation that you can knit. So Jenny came over for a ‘stitch and bitch’ session and after casting on, she demonstrated how to knit, and purl. Due to my eagerness, I picked it up fairly quickly, but I kept accidently dropping stitches off the end of the needle and Jenny had to rescue it. It was great to see Jenny and finally learn how to knit, and I went to bed very happy having produced this:


When I woke on Thursday, I couldn’t wait to commence knitting again (yeah I’m cool!) and within an hour, I became the World’s angriest knitter! It was a disaster then another disaster, and my Dad attempted to reassure me that I was a beginner and couldn’t expect to be amazing after a 2-hour lesson. Despite the mistakes, I couldn’t stop because I had a whole day to fill and I didn’t want to resort to television. Luckily for me (and my Dad), Jenny was working a half-day and stopped by to save the day before I went to hydro. I didn’t realise that if you made a mistake, you could unravel, and then go again. Now that I knew this, I became the World’s happiest, beginner knitter again! J Thank you Jenny!

Hydro was great again, and it was my last 1:1 session with Debs before I entered into a ‘group’ session next week. My first thought was I’d be in some kind of exercise class but no. There’s a maximum of four patients in the pool and everyone follows their own programme. It’s a cheaper way of using the pool, equipment and other facilities without paying the full (expensive) 1:1 price. I had decided prior to surgery that I was going to pay for private hydro because the surgeon told me that hydro patients always recovery better and quicker than non-hydro so it was a no-brainer. Knowing this, I saved up enough money to cover the costs (I just didn’t budget for prescriptions).

On Friday I visited the surgery again to have my dressing and steri-strips removed. I was literally in and out within 60 seconds and felt like I wasted the nurse’s time as I could’ve easily done it myself. She told me to give it a good clean next time I showered, and recommend Bio-Oil to reduce scarring.


My friend Forey (first name Sarah) came bearing gifts on Friday which was lovely, and Laura and Nathan came to visit on Saturday for an all-day sesh on Wii Mario Brothers haha. Virtually all my close friends and family had visited now so that has been really nice and means a lot to me! Forey and Laura were impressed with my knitting too and despite it being very short for a scarf, I’m very proud of it!


Andrew and I braved town again on Sunday to do some more Xmas shopping and of course it was very busy. I tend to look at the floor while Andrew wheels me around so I don’t see how many people stare, but I know there are quite a few. - Andy tells me so. I find it funny (and annoying) when we’re waiting for a lift in a department store and the doors open to reveal a lot of lazy people inside. It’s also crazy how many people unnecessarily apologise to you while you’re in a wheelchair. It’s even crazier how many people should apologise for doing something and not seeing you while you’re in a wheelchair - of which there are a few. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the World revolves around me while I’m in a wheelchair and recovering for 6 months. I’m just saying that it’s a real insight to temporarily look through others’ eyes who permanently have to cross these bridges.

In one shop, the cashier serving me politely asked what had happened if I didn’t mind talking about it. I told him that I’d had a hip reconstruction and few heads turned to look at me. I knew exactly what they were thinking… “How old are you?” Of course, hip operations are typically associated with the older generation but I think it’s time that awareness of prevalence in the younger generation is increased.

Another bone to pick is the amount of people who compare hip replacements to hip reconstructions. They are very different and for some to assume that a replacement is worse and say things like “so-and-so was up and about walking the day after their replacement” is not what we (us PAO patients) want to hear. My pelvis has been smashed up with a chisel-like instrument and hammer and subsequently screwed together so I’m sorry if I can’t walk and require care for a couple of months. Replacements are common. Average Joe knows what a hip replacement is. PAO is still relatively new and rare, so if you don’t know the difference, keep it buttoned. Second rant over. Medication makes me angry…

Overall this week has been pretty great and very busy so minimal television I’m pleased to report. The sciatica hasn’t been as painful which is great, but I have a new problem. Well, it’s the same ‘bunged up’ problem as previously stated but its persistence is challenging. Let’s just say it’s painful, and until I’m off the morphine tablets, I’m just going to have to deal with it.
I haven't really had any 'bad' days since the two incidences in hospital, but since the dressing was removed on Friday, I've been a bit sad every time I see the wound.  I've got tonnes of scars on my knees, elbows and knuckles from hockey so it's not that. And I know it's small and will heal really nicely to the point where you can barely notice it. But it's the association when I see it currently. The reminder that I was born with a condition that wasn't detected until the age of 25. A condition that required surgery and would disrupt our life plans. Life plans that will be put on hold due to a lack of income and the need to eat into our savings to ensure we can survive until I return to work. Therefore prolonging life plans further. Not the way I envisaged my twenties that's for sure. However, it's just like being 'bunged up.' We will just have to deal with it because there's no choice.

Week three will involve some more hydro, knitting, and hands-on physio as I’m in desperate need with this leg, back and neck ache.
I bought more wool to make a new scarf this week. I’m attempting my own pattern and this is it so far.


 

Week 1 Post Surgery


First full week out of hospital was a learning curve for Andy, my Dad and I. On Tuesday my Dad drove us back to our flat in Kingston to see how we’d all cope under one small roof and after a few days we were pleasantly surprised that it was working nicely. My Dad has been an absolute star throughout the day, Monday to Friday, and Andrew has been nothing less of amazing on the weekend shift. Without these two, I really don’t know how I would cope because although I can wash and dress myself now, I can’t easily move around holding things whilst on crutches. Certain tasks such as getting a drink or preparing food I would struggle to get from the kitchen to the dining room table to consume. Not only that, but standing on my left leg for too long becomes difficult because I still have hip dysplasia in the left hip so pain begins to set in if I over-use it. I’m generally not in too much pain and the recovery is way better (and easier) than I imagined prior to surgery, so I actually feel that my Dad and Andy have a harder job right now. I can’t appreciate either of them any more than I do right now and will be forever grateful.

Despite not feeling too much pain, my body obviously is feeling it because my biggest problem since discharge is sleeping. I’ve slept through the night once since last Friday and it’s definitely starting to catch up with me. For anyone who is lying in bed wide awake and not able to fall asleep it’s a frustrating problem. I’ve always been a great sleeper so it has been a bit of a hurdle this week. Another issue that cropped up is something I’ve mildly suffered with previously... Sciatica. Sciatica is caused when the sciatic nerve in your back is pinched and can cause horrendous pains in your buttocks and legs. Due to the way I sit, ‘walk’, and move at the moment, my nerve is pinched more than ever and I’m experiencing a horrendous pain in the arse! Literally! It is definitely worse than the hip pain and what’s frustrating is when I ‘walk’ how the physios want me to (getting real hip extension through my right leg), it intensifies the pain. Bit of a catch 22 at times.

Back to Tuesday: We drove back to Kingston because I had my first hydrotherapy session booked. The physios at the hospital completed the referral form that I took in, and faxed it off to Wimbledon Parkside so I could commence water treatment. When arranging the appointment, the receptionist told me that the hydro-physio would assess my wound and dressing to ensure I was able to enter the pool (for obvious hygiene reasons). I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case the session didn’t happen, so when I arrived and got the all clear, I was ecstatic to ‘jump’ in. I used a zimmer to the side of the pool, and used the rails to descend into the water. There were two levels to the pool: the first - water just above waist height; the second – water around shoulder height. My physio is called Deborah, and she was/is as amazing as Caroline and Kate. She got me into the deeper end and proceeded to tell me that I was 20% weight bearing (80% lifted by the water), and therefore I could walk/stand on my right leg and my hip would be fine. So the first exercise was simply walking. Not ‘walking’ but actually walking! It felt amazing to put equal pressure through my right and left leg and to know it wasn’t damaging my hip joint.


I had the biggest smile on my face throughout the session due to not only being allowed in the pool, but because I could do all of my land-based exercises in the water with ease. Exercises included glute squeezes, hip extensions, hip flexion, hamstring curls, and one that I couldn’t do on land; side-stepping (abduction and adduction). Towards the end of my half an hour session, Debroah tied a float around my head, I lied back (with a ‘noodle’ under my hips, facing the ceiling) and had to do scissor kicks, a cycling exercise with my legs, and then more abduction and adduction movements. It was definitely the best 30 minutes of my life (since the penguin enclosure at the London Zoo).

To top Tuesday off, Andy and I went straight from hydrotherapy to see my hip twin at Westfield!! Natalia and her Husband Tom met us for some drinks and nibbles. They had been there the day before and discovered you could rent (for free) a mobility scooter during your visit. So there we were, 8 days after first meeting each other, having scooter races around the shopping mall and waiting for the boys to catch up.


It was great to see her before she flew back to Gibraltar on Saturday, and to exchange stories on how we were coping away from hospital. It was a lovely evening and I even came home with a penguin J - Natalia had bought me the soft-toy because she saw it in a shop and it reminded her of me. Thank you again!
 

Andrew returned to work Wednesday which was sad, but it was still a lovely day as Andrew’s Step-Mum, Eli, came to visit and brought me some Lunaria annua, also known as an ‘honesty’ plant. I love to peel the outer leaves off as it’s very therapeutic and makes a beautiful decoration. I also visited my surgery to have the dressing changed and I took this lovely pic…


Thursday was also a great day as my Brother, Sister-in-Law, Sophie, and my little Nephew Jacob came to visit! It was great to see them again after Jakey’s christening and I had my second hydro session late afternoon.


I should mention that my Dad now regards himself as a culinary connoisseur, and is cooking a different meal every evening from the ‘Hairy Dieters’ cook book. So every evening, the three of us have something to look forward to and we haven’t had a bad meal yet. It keeps my Dad busy too with an average preparation and cook time of 2-3 hours. Haha, good work Papa Smurf!

No visitors Friday, which coincided with the first day of a little boredom. Hint hint people ;) So it was just me, the sofa, and a special man… good old Jermey Kyle! I knew it would happen at some point and I gave in after just one week post discharge. I’m glad to report it was a one-off though and I’ve made sure that I’m busy so a relapse doesn't occur!

Saturday morning, I managed a proper shower all by myself! We had a little fold-up stool which Andy put in our shower cubicle and I managed the rest. (I’d had sponge baths up until this point, except for after hydro where they had disabled facilities for me to shower). The pair of us ventured into town to do some Christmas shopping for the afternoon, and Andrew surprised me with a “I’m proud of you” present. He really is adorable and treated me to a lovely new watch that I’d asked Santa for. *Happiest girl in the World*



Sunday was a chilled out day and Andrew’s Mum, Sue, took us out for lunch. Week one complete and minor the Jeremy Kyle hiccup, it was a success and I didn’t go insane. My goal for week two is to refrain from using the TV remote and start my arts and crafts activities. Learning to knit, drawing and painting is on my to do list.
I can report that sticking this into my tummy every morning is still a challenge! You'll be able to draw a 'dot to dot' soon with all the little bruises.


 

Santa Came Early - 30.11.12


Friday Saturday Sunday




Friday was discharge day for Natalia and I if we could manage three things; successfully ascend and descend stairs, inject ourselves with our anti-DVT medication, and finally go to the toilet (did you know that morphine and other strong medication makes you very constipated?). We looked at each other and laughed because on Tuesday we were in agreement that there was very little chance we would be going home Friday. The progression we made from Tuesday to Wednesday, and then Wednesday to Thursday was unbelievable so there was every chance we would be discharged. Natalia and I conquered the stairs with ease so it was onto the next challenge. If we couldn’t manage it ourselves, we were told that our partners could give it a go. Natalia couldn’t inject herself but knew her husband would be capable. Andy hates needles too so I knew he couldn’t help me and that I needed to overcome one of my fears. The nurse talked me through what to do and after a 5 minute self –pep talk I actually did it. It hurt more than when the nurses did it, and I gave myself a bruise but at least I managed it. I’m sure by the 24th time I’ll be a pro. Then we still had the number two issue… We’d been on two different laxatives since Tuesday which resulted in no end product so you can imagine we were pretty bunged up by Friday. We had to wait for the doctors to prescribe a suppository which would help us go, so until that time came, we needed to wash, eat, have our dressing changed and wait to be discharged. Friday was the first day I managed a real shower, got to finally wash my hair, and dressed (including socks – once I learnt the knack) myself unaided. I was glad to be semi-independent because one of my concerns was relying on someone else to do everything for me. My dressing was changed and it was great to see my wound looking so good! The nurses thought I was crazy taking pictures of it, but I wanted to share it with you guys...

I can't believe this is only after 5 days! It looks like the scar will be tiny.
Fast forward to discharge time which took 3 hours for the pharmacists to finish preparing our goodie bag of meds. When the nurse eventually walked in, it was like Santa had come early with our stockings. She emptied the contents on the bed and I couldn’t believe how much medication there was – some lasting until Christmas Eve!
 
Meds: two types of morphine pills, anti-DVT syringes,
paracetamol, ibuprofen, two types of laxatives,& anti-sickness
Natalia and I had an emotional embrace as it was unfortunately time to say goodbye. I’d actually had an enjoyable stay in hospital – mainly because of Natalia, and I'd miss our night time and morning chats. I knew it wouldn’t be the last time we spoke, but it wouldn’t be the same as seeing her across the room from me and having a good old girly chin wag, or doing our exercises together. Hopefully we’ll see each other again when we’ve both fully recovered. Natalia lives in Gibraltar with her husband and two children so it won’t be the easiest to meet, but I’m sure one day we will! ;)

Getting discharged from Guy’s Hospital in London at 4.15pm on a Friday was not the most convenient, so it took almost three hours to make it home to my Dad’s in Reading, Berkshire. The ordeal of this long car journey and not having any meds for six hours caused me to feel very sick and tired Friday evening so unfortunately I couldn’t manage much dinner. I felt very weak and struggled to cope using the toilets at home as they didn’t have the disabled rails that I’d become accustomed to at the hospital. I struggled up the stairs to bed and was glad to get some shut eye.
Due to the lapse in medication and lack of fuel the night before, when I woke early on Saturday for the toilet, I was violently sick after ‘walking’ to the bathroom. Every time I attempted to move using my crutches, I got the hot and cold sweats again and needed a bucket fast. Once sitting or lying for 5 minutes I would begin to feel ok. But every time I stood, I would feel this weakness in my arms and upper body (which is usually pretty strong), quickly followed by the urge to throw up. I knew there was no point in having the meds until I was comfortable on the sofa downstairs and had finished being sick, so I had to make it down the stairs as quick as I could and get a bucket ready. That’s exactly what happened. Literally as soon as I reached the sofa, Andy passed me the bucket and rubbed my back for the next 5 minutes. Then I had breakfast and a cup of tea and decided not to move until lunch time to give my body the chance to re-fuel. Sure enough, I was fine from then on. Natalia and I were exchanging stories from the last 15 hours via WhatsApp which was great. - Except that she’d been having a good morning and I’d been struggling.
After the initial events of Saturday, the day was generally ok and I was really looking forward to my nephew’s Christening on Sunday. It was really important that I ate at regular intervals to counterbalance the side effects of all the medication. In hospital it’s all regulated and I didn’t realise until Saturday that this needed to continue because if you’re organised with your food intake and timings of medication, then you can manage your pain and sickness levels.
Sunday was a huge success and thankfully my Dad had organised a wheelchair for me (we still hadn’t managed to repair the flat from the previous wheelchair). My nephew Jacob is a very well behaved little cutie and he had an amazing special day. It was pretty cold outside but I wrapped up warm and the pain was bearable throughout the day. It was good to get out of the house and great to see family members. Getting in and out of the car is ok, as long as I sit behind the driver’s seat because I need to get my bad leg out first when exiting the car. The day was topped off nicely with a visit from my Uni friend Kelly and my longest neighbour Michele. Another Sunday Funday I would say J
My gorgeous nephew Jacob and boyfriend Andy

 

A Hypochondriac with a High Pain Threshold? - 29.11.12


Thursday got off to a great start. I had a reasonable sleep; calling the nurse only twice. Once, because I lost the circulation and feeling in both arms and hands – very odd and unexplained as I had been moving them, but the feeling came back after some simple arm movements and self-massage. Secondly, because my right heel was getting very sore - my entire leg was like a dead weight so the nurse propped it up with a pillow and the problem was quickly resolved. I wasn’t in too much pain after the local anaesthetic machine was stopped so I was pretty happy yet surprised. Breakfast went down a treat and I even managed to almost fully dress myself in my own clothes after wash time. – Another big milestone in my eyes! The physios arrived at the same time as the porter man to take me for my CT scan so physio was postponed until I returned. It doesn’t sound exciting, but I was eager to leave the ward for a short while and visit another part of the hospital. At 10.10am we reached the CT department. The porter left me in a room next door and was told I would be collected shortly for my scan. After what seemed to be about 40 minutes, I had my scan which lasted about 2 minutes and then I was deposited back in the same room and told to wait for the porter. Long story short; I was forgotten about and it took over 3 hours and a lot of tears later until I was returned to Sarah ward. I was understandably quite emotional because in those 3 hours I missed out on my morning physio, I missed out on lunch, and I missed a lot of medication that I was due. Now Thursday, like Tuesday, had turned into a bad day and it was totally out of my control. Everyone warned me about good days and bad days, but I didn’t account for other people whose actions could negatively impact on my days. I had a good rant and cry to Andy on the phone – who was ready to go all Mike Tyson on the Hospital staff. Then the lovely ward Sister (Pennie) was horrified and bought me lunch from the café (which was a lot nicer anyway), and ensured the physios came and had a longer session with me. When Caroline and Kate arrived, I was even more determined to make progress, and as they hadn’t really seen me ‘walk’, I decided to show off using my zimmer frame. I was feeling pretty happy until they told me that I was cheating and swinging my bad leg through, rather than contracting my weakened hip flexor and initiating the movement. I understood what they were explaining and tried desperately hard to move my right leg but I just couldn’t! It was so demoralising and I felt like this day was never going to get better. A few more attempts but to no avail. Caroline asked me to head back to my chair and we would try it later. So I turned around and cheated my way back, when Steph walked in. After seeing the state I was in on Tuesday, she couldn’t believe I had made it out of bed and was ‘walking’. With Steph watching, I attempted again to move my right leg first and even though it was only like 1cm, I managed it! Once again, another milestone and I was ecstatic! It was like my brain had finally remembered how to talk to the muscle and it just switched on all of a sudden. Using the zimmer, I continued to ‘walk’ around properly and the physios were so impressed, they progressed me to crutches.


Having the freedom to now use my crutches and get to the toilet by myself was great. My mum, Andy and friend Sarah came to visit me so I managed to turn Thursday around and it finished on a high. Despite the couple of bad experiences I endured, I was still as determined as ever to remain positive and get through this tough time.

Since coming off the hardcore meds on Weds, the Docs, nurses and physios kept saying to Natalia and I that we were doing so well. We hadn’t complained about pain, or demanded more medication. They honestly couldn’t believe how well we were doing and exclaimed that we must have high pain thresholds because there was no other reason. Apparently PAO is the most painful surgical procedure that there is – more so than hip replacements, knee replacements etc because of the sheer trauma that the body is put through. To hear how well we were doing from the professionals was great, and I was staying true to my earlier wishes. I told Andy that people have to deal with much worse in their lives and I didn’t want to complain once or cry (unnecessarily J) and feel sorry for myself. I can’t explain how I’m doing so well, whether it’s all the prehab I did prior to surgery, or having my hip twin to share the journey with, or writing this blog, or whether it’s the sheer number of people that have messaged me and who are sending positive vibes. Most likely it’s a combination of all of the above. But what I can say for sure is the recovery thus far has been much easier than anticipated and the pain is no worse than what I had coped with prior to surgery. So for anyone reading this and facing PAO, just try and remain positive. It really does help! – That’s coming from a pessimistic hypochondriac.

Truffle Shuffle - 28.11.12


I had a really good sleep but woke up feeling a little nauseous. The nurses gave me some more anti-sickness medication through the cannula so I had a good chance of finishing my breakfast. – Which I did. As usual, I had my morning chat with my hip twin and it was so good to hear her thoughts were similar to mine. Without Natalia, I hate to think how different it could have been. I know that most PAO patients will not have a hip twin to share the ups and downs with, but if you are lucky enough then you’ll understand when I say that you’ll benefit immensely for it. We fully intend to remain in touch so we can continue to be pillars of strength for each other, and because unfortunately, nobody around us can truly empathise. I’m just so grateful that Natalia was with me for my first hip procedure and even if I don’t have a hip buddy second time around, I will imagine she is right there with me again.

After breakfast, I couldn’t wait to see the physios because I was so determined to get out of bed today. Caroline and Kate were happy to see more colour in my cheeks and happy to hear that I had been sat up all morning in preparation for standing. Sure enough I managed to stand on my left leg for the first time in two days and I was shaking like leaf. With the help of my sturdy zimmer frame, I managed to “truffle shuffle” (as Andy named it) to my bedside chair. I didn’t have the strength to move my right leg by itself, but with the help of my sexy red non-slip socks I could claw my toes into the floor and pull my foot across the floor. Getting out of bed and sitting upright in the chair was a massive achievement and when you accomplish something like that, you really do appreciate the use of your legs. That was one small step in my recovery, but it gave me the boost I needed after the terrible Tuesday I had. When the physios pulled the curtain back to unveil the rest of the ward, I saw Natalia sat in her chair as she had managed the massive milestone with her physio too.
 
 

We were elated not to be lying in bed with our bums going numb and our foot pumps on. After about 30 minutes though, we both started to feel the consequences of our actions and our bodies were not happy with us. Vision went blurry again, hot and cold sweats started and I began heaving into a sick bucket. This was the day we met our ‘guardian angel’ - head nurse Mark. He was of Caribbean origin and Romford-born who was an absolute saviour for the next couple of days. He quickly whacked our nasal oxygen cannulas on and within 5 minutes we were ok again. He explained that today we would be weaned off the local anaesthetic machine and morphine pump, and have our catheter removed. Natalia and I were very worried as Banksey, his accomplices and all of the nurses had forewarned us about this day. Apparently the pain becomes unbearable and previous patients declared the surgery was a mistake and they wish they’d never had it done. Knowing how much pain I had gone through previously when the battery failed, I was dreading not having the anaesthetic. I didn’t mind the morphine pump because I hadn’t used it for hours due to the side effects. After lunch, Mark lowered the dose of the anaesthetic by 2ml every hour from 10ml to 2ml and then it was time to remove the catheter from the wound. He reassured me that I could trust him and he would make it as less painful as possible. Mark removed the dressing and wiped the wound and dried blood with salt water, and after counting to three, pulled the tube out. He was correct; it didn’t hurt too much.
I took arnica pills (twice daily with food) and have minimal bruising so far.

Once Mark removed the urinary catheter, I had to have an injection in the thigh to help prevent UTI. This really hurts unless you can fully relax your quadriceps. Once again, the pain was manageable. I should have mentioned that I hate needles and thought that after surgery it would all be over, but this was not the case.  On Tuesday I had some blood tests and an injection in the stomach to help prevent DVT. It wasn’t until waking up Wednesday that I was told I was having another stomach injection for the same reason, and this would continue for four weeks… which meant I would have to inject myself post discharge!! Not good news but I saw it as another challenge to overcome. The morphine pump was removed Wednesday evening before bed, after which, I was required to take two alternative types of morphine pills orally. Wednesday evening, Andy, his brother and father (David and Kevin) came to visit which was really nice. Then my dad made a surprise visit too which was amazing.

Due to all the tubes being taken out, I missed out on my second physio session and really wanted to see if I could manage more than a truffle shuffle before bed. Mark encouraged me to give it ago under his supervision and instructed Andy to take a few steps away from me. After being sat down for about 9 hours, I was really stiff and shaky upon standing. After a few minutes I attempted my first baby step and it was feeling quite easy. So I zimmered over to Andy, who was welling up, and he gave me a big hug and kiss when I reached him and everyone in the ward clapped. I will remember and cherish that moment forever.

Overall Wednesday was a great day and I hoped Thursday would be the same…

Hip Twin - 27.11.12



Tuesday turned out to be a very long and slow, bad day. I woke up feeling tired but generally ok and introduced myself to fellow patients. There were six of us in total but had a special connection with a lovely lady opposite me called Natalia. – She’d also had a PAO performed by Banksey and immediately after me on Monday. We exchanged stories and it was amazing to have a ‘hip twin’ who’d gone through almost identical previous experiences and that we were embarking on this new experience together. The main differences being the hip we’d had operated on (my right, her left), and that Natalia wasn’t having her other hip reconstructed.

I felt ravenous (hadn’t eaten properly since Sunday night) and ordered lots of breakfast, but could only manage a few mouthfuls and felt full and unwell again. Natalia started her first physio session so I was eagerly awaiting mine, but was worried that I wasn’t feeling up to it. Head physio Caroline and her student Kate entered my cubicle and I felt well enough to do the bed exercises. They were impressed with my strength and that I had done some prehab exercises (mainly glutes, quads, abs, hamstrings and hip flexors). The exercises they gave me were tough and painful but I managed them all with their assistance. I felt very confident after this and was looking forward to the next session after lunch. Once again though, lunch arrived and couldn’t manage even a quarter of it. I was feeling very sick, dizzy and drowsy and was beginning to regret having surgery. From this point on it went downhill very quickly!

The nurse that was assigned to me for the day was very inexperienced (her first week) and didn’t seem to understand what surgery I’d had. She didn’t grasp that I couldn’t wash myself unaided and when I asked for a bed pan, not only did she expect me to roll on to side by myself, but she attempted to roll me onto my right side. Now I knew from my earlier PAO research that you can’t lay on your operated side until at least week 6, and the physios and docs had also warned me. I had to say “woah what are you doing? I have screws in that hip so I shouldn’t be moved onto it!”
If you think that’s bad, it got worse still…
At about 1.45pm I started to feel some sharp pains in my wound but didn’t think anything of it. I knew the spinal and general anaesthetics would be wearing off so thought it was part of the process. My Dad visited as soon as he was allowed (2pm) and I explained to him that I wasn’t feeling great; the morphine was making me ill and I could feel the wound for the first time. My local anaesthetic machine (that went into my wound) started bleeping intermittently but neither of us thought anything of it as all the machines have a tendency to bleep at times. The inexperienced nurse walked in to take my blood pressure, temperature and heart rate and I stated that I didn’t feel well. The next thing I know, my vision went blurry, my hearing was distorted, my body was feeling very hot and cold but I was sweating profusely, I was retching into sick bowl, and asking my Dad and the nurse to make it stop. I was very worried, my Dad was very worried, and the nurse just walked out. My Dad told me this lasted for 15 minutes and I recall saying “kill me now!” – I’ve never felt so much pain and just wanted it to stop. It was incredibly scary and I know this sounds dramatic but we both thought my time had come. I’m so glad my Dad was there and he was holding onto me telling me it would be alright. I now know that this was my body going into shock as the local anaesthetic machine was battery powered and the bleeping was indicating the battery had died. It took the staff 40 minutes to find a lead and get the local anaesthetic working again so you can imagine how annoyed, ill and upset I was.
The physios showed up and their goal was to get me out of bed and stand on my left leg with the help of my zimmer frame. My first instruction was to sit up which was extremely painful in my hip. Then, using my upper body strength, I needed to shift my bum to the side of the bed. – Once again, extremely painful. Then as the physio lifted my right leg off the bed and carefully bent my knee to lower my feet to the ground, I swivelled my hips around 90⁰ and moved my left leg to join my right. With both feet touching the ground, I felt very dizzy and started getting the hot and cold sweats again. I knew I was about to faint so both physios helped me back to a lying position with both legs back on the bed. After feeling nauseous for 5 minutes and wondering what had happened, the physios explained that it was a common response, especially as I hadn’t eaten for two days. After an unsuccessful second attempt, I admitted defeat and took the physios advice; endeavour to sit upright in bed to decrease the chances of dizziness, and eat something for dinner and breakfast to regain my strength for Wednesday.
My friends Steph, Jo and Jenny visited me on Tuesday and they arrived bearing cards, gifts and food which cheered me up considering the day I’d had. Andy also came straight from work and I was very grateful to all of them for their company, but they definitely saw me at my worst. I was praying the day would end with a better night’s sleep.

Big Girls Don’t Cry - 26.11.12 OP DAY!

Sunday Funday

It was definitely up there as one of the best days of my life. When I woke up, Andy had prepared a treasure hunt for me in the flat. He gave me the first clue which lead to the second and a chocolate penguin, which lead to the third clue and another chocolate penguin, and so on until eventually I found an envelope with two tickets to London Zoo and two tickets for a ‘Meet the Penguins’ experience.


I’m a little bit obsessed with penguins and own every penguin thing you could imagine! Stroking and meeting penguins has always been a dream of mine and I’m so grateful to Andy for making it happen. Taking the wheelchair on the train and tube was as much of a palaver as I had imagined but we took my crutches too so I could use them on the occasions that I needed to stand. When the time came to enter the penguin enclosure, the Bird Keeper explained that it wouldn’t be a problem for me in a wheelchair, but I wanted to make the most of my opportunity so I practically jumped out and ran in there to introduce myself to the penguins. I can only imagine what the she thought of me but I really didn’t care. I was stroking them, taking pictures and generally having the time of my life during the forty minutes we had. My favourite was Ricky the Rockhopper penguin who had bright red eyes and yellow spaghetti style eyebrows. - Just like Lovelace from the Happy Feet films :)


Andy was having the time of his life too. He told me he was just so happy to see my happy. Isn’t he adorable!? After the penguin experience, it was time to see the rest of what London Zoo had to offer and it was soon after getting back into the wheelchair when Andy began puffing and panting… the wheelchair had a flat. He just about managed to push me around the zoo but as the tyre was progressively getting worse, we decided it would be best for me to ‘crutch it’ and Andy had to push the empty seat. We finished the day off with some yummy food at Yo Sushi in Waterloo St. and when we made it home, I packed my hospital bag and we hit the sack after some TV.


D Day
You’ll be surprised to know that I didn’t sleep very well, but this was not a day for hitting the snooze button. I was adamant that I didn’t want to cry and work myself up, so I just concentrated on the positives. I’m quite a big cry baby so I’m actually amazed that I did so well. Andy kept telling me how proud he was, which was obviously making it much harder to hold it together. Every time I could feel my eyes well up, I told myself that I would be fine, I was in the best hands possible, and things could be a lot worse.

Arriving at the hospital, we joined a queue of people waiting for surgery and when I discovered that I was first on the list, panic mode kicked in. I had hoped that I would be near the start but it was still a shock. I was given my paper pants, TED stockings, warm antiseptic wipes to clean my body (especially hip) with, gown, dressing gown and some sexy non-slip red socks. Whilst getting changed I was looking at my hips in the mirror and taking deep breaths – still trying not to cry.

The anaesthetist came to talk through risks, complications and statistics of the general and spinal anaesthetic. Then I saw my main man – Dr Marcus Bankes AKA Banksey, and his two accomplices. He also went through the risks and complications. One of which was an intra articular pelvic fracture; where the pelvis doesn’t break in the desired position and the procedure has to be stopped and re-attempted again in a few months. I told Banksey not to worry as I have very strong bones (numerous hockey related incidences that should have but didn't result in fractures), and it was the other risks that concerned me most. These aren’t what you want to hear prior to surgery but I understand that they need to go through them. I completed the consent forms (which almost feels like you’re signing your life away), and then it was time. Andy and I had a long hug and then walked away in opposite directions. I was lead into a room with an operating bed and I asked if this was the room. The anaesthetist explained that the adjacent room was the actual O.R. and opened the double doors for me to have a sneak peak. The reality of surgery was quickly sinking in. The anaesthetist asked me to sit on the bed for the spinal and I remember demanding a sedative due to my very well hidden anxiety. He said I didn’t need one and tried to distract me with some trivial questions. I demanded again and started to cry. My last memory was a second anaesthetist saying “She’s clearly upset; sedate her, sedate her!”
 
Peri Acetabular Osteotomy - The Procedure (don't read if you're squeamish)




PAO is a joint-preserving operation to minimise the inevitable onset of arthritis and the need for hip replacement. The surgeon will use a bone-cutting tool called an osteotome (resembles a chisel for wood work) to make a series of cuts around the acetabulum (hip socket). The acetabulum, now freed from the rest of the pelvis, is rotated over the head of femur thigh bone) and 3-4 long screws are inserted to hold the acetabulum in place while it heals. The two muscles that were cut through are reattached to the pelvis with fibre wire, the bleeding is stopped and the wound closed.
 

When I came round in the recovery room, the nurse was explaining how to use my morphine pump. I was still very out of it so I didn’t pay much attention. I noticed the clock and it was 11.30 so the surgery was only 2.5 hours. Banksey came in to say “Hello” and to explain that the procedure couldn’t have gone better and that my bones were VERY strong, and he only needed two 13cm screws. He asked if I could move my ankle (to check if he’d gone through any major nerves), which I could. He asked if I could push the back of my knee into the pillow supporting my leg (to check that my quadriceps could contract), which I could. So far so good and I was extremely happy that no complications were apparent. After about 30 minutes of consciousness I was taken to my ward and you’ll never believe it was called ‘Sarah Ward’ – How cool right? I couldn’t wait to see Andy and my Dad and when they walked in, tears of joy ran down my face.


They were equally happy to see me and were really surprised that I was wide awake and 100% compos mentis. I wasn’t in any pain at all due to: the spinal anaesthetic; a local anaesthetic getting pumped into my wound at 10ml per hour; a morphine pump hooked up to a cannula; and paracetamol and ibuprofen. A catheter had been fitted as I wouldn’t be visiting the toilet for a few days. Foot pumps were attached to both feet to encourage blood circulation, and I noticed that there was a big plaster over the wound which was filling with blood.


After a few hugs and kisses, Andy passed my phone for me to read the Facebook posts and text messages and I burst into tears. I was so overwhelmed with everyone’s kind, supportive and encouraging comments that I couldn’t help but be a cry baby again. I did the hard part and held it together beforehand, so there’s nothing wrong with happy tears right?

Andy and my Dad were with me from 1.30pm-8pm to keep me company and they definitely witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly. I was chatting and laughing away at times, having brief naps and making phone calls until my body decided it wasn’t a fan of morphine and was violently sick four times. Andy attempted to feed me dinner but I could only manage five tiny mouthfuls. Anti-sickness medicine was pumped in through my cannula which worked temporarily but I still had the worst night’s sleep. The bright lights in Sarah Ward stayed on way too long for my liking and fellow patients were talking on their phones way too loudly and for too long. Not to mention I was woken up every few hours to take more pills.
At least day one was over and the surgery was a success. What would day two bring?