Day 1

4:30 am came early this morning with waves of nerves and anxiety but also relief that the day of my surgery has finally arrived.  I have been waiting almost a year for this day to come so that I didn’t have to take time off from Nursing School. This past year has been filled with various doctors appointments, x rays, CT scans, and MRIs as well as many months of physical therapy and a cortical steroid injection in my left hip, all in hopes of relieving the pain caused by a torn labrum in my hip.  

            To make a long story short, today I am having a surgery performed by Dr. Petre at the Anne Arundel County Medical Center to do several things including repair the tear in the labrum, shave off extra bone in attempt to prevent another tear from occurring, and to release the pslas tendon that causes the “snapping” in my left hip.  After all is said and done, and having completed my three months of rehab specifically prescribed and outlined by Dr. Petre, the goal is to be free of pain and no limitation or restrictions on physical activity. 

            When I first woke up from surgery I had pain of 9 out of 10 and I was really groggy and shivering which is one of the side affects of the anesthesia but by the time I came to my pain was down to a 5 out of 10.  I was receiving oxygen through the nose and the nurse gave me a few peanut butter crackers and some ginger-ale to make sure I had something on my stomach with the pain medication.  I stayed in the first stage recovery room for about an hour and a half so the nurse could get my pain under control as best as she could before I went to the second stage recovery area. 

            In this area two nurses were there to help transfer me from the stretcher to a recliner.  Now for those of you preparing for this surgery, brace yourself for this step.  It was the worst pain I have experienced so far in this process and I thought I was never going to make it through this recovery.  However, I am here to reassure you IT DOES GET BETTER!  After the pain medication fully took affect and I stopped shivering the pain went down to a 3 out of 10.  By the time I stood up out of the recliner to transfer into the wheel chair to go home, I was so relieved that I could do it will half the pain I was in the first time I tried to transfer. 

            Once I was home it was a pretty non-eventful day.  I settled in a recliner powered by a motor so I didn’t have to hold my leg up a lot by myself which is pretty difficult.  My first piece of advice for future patients is to get a raised toilet.  Trust me it makes a world of difference and you will thank me later!  As annoying as getting up and down to go to the bathroom is all the time, I really believe it helps to get up and move instead of sitting for hours on end and becoming stiff and uncomfortable.  My second piece of advice would be to place a small pillow that’s not too poofy under your calf and ankle but below the knee so you aren’t cutting off your circulation.  This seemed to really help me with the swelling because I didn’t have any below the knee.