Hip Hip Hooray

Mid September of 2011, my mom and I had made it safely back to the United States from Germany where I had met my 2nd bone marrow transplant donor.  When we arrived at the Newark Airport the weather was awful and our flight to North Carolina was canceled. The airline reserved a hotel room for us along with transportation to the hotel. I wanted to take the unexpected extra time to visit New York, but we decided not to go out because of the heavy downpouring rain. I had only packed enough IV fluids for the exact number of days we would be gone, so I didn’t have enough for an extra night. The following day the airline picked mom and I up and shuttled us back to the airport. Flying out that day was up in the air….no pun intended. Thankfully, we boarded the plane for a flight home. Unfortunately, there were delays and we sat on the runway for hours. Even I was getting impatient. Finally, the plane took off and we were home that night.

After a few days of rest and recovery, it was time to get back to the doctor and start planning for another surgery. It had been six years since my first hip surgery, a fibular graft, and now my right hip was in too much pain to tolerate. I was walking with a cane, using a wheelchair for long distances, and staying off of it as much as possible. I really did not want to have a hip replacement, but I could not take the pain any longer. I have been in so much pain over the years from various things that I have an extremely high tolerance. With my hip pain, I finally gave in and told myself – you do not have to keep fighting this, you do not have to hurt, you are going to need the surgery eventually anyway.

In Nov 2011 I was admitted to Duke Regional Hospital to have a total hip replacement at 28 years old. The doctor I see for my hips worked with UNC sports teams and had actually performed Dean Smith’s hip replacement surgery. The surgery went well and recovery was much better than my previous hip surgery. Doctors perform hip replacements differently. The way my doctor does his surgery required a specific recovery process. That included eight weeks of lying flat on my back. I could sit up 30 minutes twice a day in a chair, and walk as much as I wanted. He did not want me laying back in a recliner because of the angle of pressure that would be placed on the hip. Flat in the bed or on the couch is where I was for eight weeks. During this time, I was also still doing my IV fluids, so I was juggling my IV bag with a long IV line hanging out of my chest while navigating on crutches. I was able to put weight on both feet, but for the first several weeks I had to use crutches until the doctor allowed me to advance to a cane. A physical therapist came into my home to teach me range-of-motion  exercises until the eight weeks were up. Then I was able to go to the Wellness Center for more physical therapy.

I was weak going into the surgery and this only knocked me down a few more notches. The Insurance company usually determines how long your PT lasts. I was getting stronger; however, I was not allowed as many visits as I thought I needed. I had zero pain in my hip the day after surgery. I think I took a couple of Tylenol that day and that was all.  I never had any pain, and I still do not today. Between physical therapy, my BMT doctor, my eye doctor, and kidney doctor, we were still traveling back to Chapel Hill and Durham frequently. My orthopedic doctor had me walking with a cane until my limp was gone. He said using a cane could prevent more damage and prevent me from having a permanent limp. I did what the doctor instructed, got stronger, and a few months later you would never know I had had my hip replaced.

I do remember going to my granddad’s and my daddy’s at Christmas and taking up the entire couch lying flat on my back. That is when everybody in the room takes their turn to ask if you are okay, and if they can get you anything. That was so nice and thoughtful, but it added up to a lot of “No thank you, I am okay”. It did get me out of sitting in Santa’s lap at my granddad’s.

I realized that my hip was so much better after the surgery. If anyone is in pain with their hip and putting off surgery, just do it. I figured out that there is no need to live in pain if you do not have to. I know the decision to have a major procedure like surgery is a tough decision, but most of the time it is worth it in the end. We do not have to suffer every day with all of the medical advancements there are today.