Welp. I got my PT referral and called the PT yesterday to explain my situation and set something up.
They said they need instructions from my doc w.r.t. what exercises he wants them to do with me before we can schedule something. :eek:
So I’m back to phone tag with my doctor’s office. And I’m even more skeptical about the skill of the PTs I have access to. I suspect they’re just going to run me through the same “worksheet” of hip exercises as last time I was there anyway.
Sigh.
bizarre…
if you can get instructions from the doc on what exercises to do - what do you need the PT’s for???
[QUOTE=tollertwins;8422081]
bizarre…
if you can get instructions from the doc on what exercises to do - what do you need the PT’s for???[/QUOTE]
Right?!
Going for either my 8th or 9th injection in the torn leg on Monday…also had at least 2 in the other leg while it was cratering.
Going to talk to a replacement guru in Feb to ask if I am setting myself up for any long term cortisone side effects by trying to ‘wait as long as possible’…
I’m actually starting to think a new hip for my birthday next fall might be a good present.
[QUOTE=tollertwins;8422753]
I’m actually starting to think a new hip for my birthday next fall might be a good present.[/QUOTE]
:lol:
That seems like an awful lot of injections though! Are you still getting decent relief from them?
It’s hard to say right now.
Last injection was right before a total hysterectomy, and either during or sometime shortly after surgery the hip rotated in the socket some (as in my knee was pointing in instead of forward!).
That took awhile to get cleared up, and the not being able to use any core put a lot of strain on the joint, too. Fortunately, I have a voodoo body worker that got what I couldn’t get on my own…
Just about went nuts a couple weeks ago from a treadmill routine that is usually OK, and when I went back to the doc for the exam to get cleared for another injection, the hip rotated some AGAIN!!! (x-rays look pristine, but it’s hard to convince me that the joint isn’t deteriorating!!).
Just got that all worked out…hopefully this next one will still be help. Leading up to this last one I would start getting sore after 4 and a half months or so, and then just tough it out for another month or month and a half…
[QUOTE=x-halt-salute;8421887]
Welp. I got my PT referral and called the PT yesterday to explain my situation and set something up.
They said they need instructions from my doc w.r.t. what exercises he wants them to do with me before we can schedule something. :eek:
So I’m back to phone tag with my doctor’s office. And I’m even more skeptical about the skill of the PTs I have access to. I suspect they’re just going to run me through the same “worksheet” of hip exercises as last time I was there anyway.
Sigh.[/QUOTE]
That’s so odd. Did your script say anything about strength or range of motion? That’s all mine had and the PT just went based off of how many weeks out from sx I was.
This is pretty close to what I was doing in PT at that phase. All can be done in bed with a yoga strap. I was doing 10 reps of each phase 1 exercise and repeat 3 times.
http://www.southshoreorthopedics.com/downloads/Total_Hip_Replacement.pdf
Hopefully they get it sorted out quickly for you
Just thought I would share my good news of the day. I ran today in PT! My first pain free running steps since my fall in June! It was nice and easy (5 sets of 30sec walk/run intervals at 4.5 on the tread) but I’ve been on cloud 9 all day and have to keep slowing myself down, my heart wants to go put in an easy 3miler as soon as possible. I feel like I’m closer to returning to some normal. I’m still out from riding until spring with the blood thinners, and no skiing this season obviously, but if I can at least have running back I will be so happy.
Well, my saga is coming to an end for now.
I had my follow-up appointment with my orthopedist today. He basically gave me the same 30-second spiel about “activity modification” and OTC pain meds that he gave me after surgery. He spent another minute or two going over the photos from my scope, which basically show an area of inflamed, roughened cartilage on the surface of my acetabulum which is presumably the primary source of my pain. All of my questions basically got the vaguest of answers.
Q: Besides Tylenol and Advil, are there alternative medication options for pain management? Are cox-2 inhibitors a good option for treating human arthritis? A: Variation in response to different drugs is so individual that you’re best off doing further trial and error with OTC meds and having blood work done by your PCP every 6 months to make sure you’re not damaging your liver or kidneys. If something hurts so much that it can’t be controlled by OTC pain/anti-inflammatory drugs you should consider discontinuing it.
Q: Given years of asymmetric strength before the pain symptoms developed, could there be some structural or functional asymmetry in my body that is contributing to the early arthritis/likely to make it worse? A: It’s not impossible, but a simpler explanation is that you’re genetically predisposed to cartilage degeneration (NB of 15 relatives who are at least 30 years older than me, only 4 have significant osteoarthritis and only in hands/feet, but I was interrupted when I tried to ask if genetic factors would be likely to show up in my family medical history)
Q: Are there any specific exercises or PT activities that I should be doing? A: Maybe go to PT for stretching to reduce post-op stiffness and to stay on top of core strength, but if earlier months of PT didn’t help it’s not likely to help now.
Q: Is there any strategy for comfortably returning to activities like riding, hiking, and running, considering that I’ve had poor pain control with OTC painkillers to date? A: “Horseback riding is low-impact so the only reason it could cause you pain is from the position it puts you in. You should be able to solve that somehow. You’re lucky you’re not a basketball player.” I got totally cut off when I tried to explain that some types of riding are not low impact. Ideally I should discontinue all high impact activities and replace them with elliptical machine exercise or swimming.
Q: How should I follow up with my new healthcare providers after I move? A: You don’t need to be in contact with a specialist. There’s nothing that can be done until you need a THR. That’s a long way off so this is a matter for primary care now.
I was clearly getting hurried out the door. He was having a bad day – he told me more than once that he didn’t get much sleep last night (Me too! There’s this hip pain that wakes me up most nights…). It’s taken so long to get the PT thing sorted out that I will maybe get one visit before I move. I get that the orthopedists can’t personally manage every case of osteoarthritis in our community, but I’m disappointed that there’s so little interest in finding a better approach than Advil for a young, active patient.
So I don’t ever expect to run again. I can pretty much choose between being active during the day or sleeping at night, and that’s with regular use of both Tylenol and Advil. Most bothersome is fact that I have worked my ass off and given up a lot of other things to have a talented horse progressing in my chosen discipline, but I can’t ride effectively or comfortably at the level we’re otherwise both capable of.
So it’s come full circle – I’m right back where I started. Fingers crossed for decent insurance and better care out west…
That sucks, X. I’m sorry 
I guess it’s now up to experimenting on your part to see what works?
What little I know of arthritis comes from horses, but people can take Lubrisyn (and you can use the horse version and buy in bulk which is much cheaper) and I have seen that work wonders on severely degenerated horses.
Also I went to a lecture this weekend on laser therapy by a local vet. It sounded intriguing, but she did say it was tough to find human docs who are willing to use it. But if you hear of a doc that does it where you are going, it might be worth looking into.
Damn x-halt! That totally sucks!!!
Hopefully you can find somebody more interested in quality of life than what your rads look like!
At least the guy I used to see in Houston was going to be happy to write a referral to a joint replacement guy when I couldn’t stand the pain from the tear anymore…
Have moved since, tho, and am having a hard time even getting in to TALK to somebody because the rads look clean.
x-halt, I’ll call it: that’s bullshit. I’m sorry you have a doc that will just write you off like that. You deserve to live the life you want, doing the things you want, without pain.
Get in touch with some of those guys in Colorado and if you need more referrals, let me know and I will dig.
The pain specialist is probably going to be your best friend…start there? He’ll have surgeons or whatever that have been effective for his patients.
X-halt,
Sorry, I don’t have time to read through everything right now to see if I’m on track with this suggestion, but I wanted to post before I forget to. Do you need a good PT in Colorado? If you do and you’ll be in the Denver area, I can give you the name of one. I have been going to PT for about a month for some complicated, long standing back issues that effect my hip too. So far I’m very happy with the guy im
seeing - he’s taking s different approach than others have in the past. Also, it seems that in Colorado, and many other states, you don’t need an Rx to go to PT. You can just go. I don’t know how your specific insurance plan feels about that - I don’t know if your insurance might require an Rx to cover the cost.
There red are many good orthopedic docs here. I had my shoulder done by an excellent surgeon at Western Orthopedics, and I know many people who’ve had shoulder, knee, or hip surgery. Let me know if I can be of any help.
[QUOTE=ThreeHorseNight;8433314]
Do you need a good PT in Colorado? If you do and you’ll be in the Denver area, I can give you the name of one. I have been going to PT for about a month for some complicated, long standing back issues that effect my hip too. So far I’m very happy with the guy im
seeing - he’s taking s different approach than others have in the past. Also, it seems that in Colorado, and many other states, you don’t need an Rx to go to PT. You can just go. I don’t know how your specific insurance plan feels about that - I don’t know if your insurance might require an Rx to cover the cost. [/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info and the offer of a recommendation! I’m going to be in Fort Collins, so I’m lucky to have some good info from Simkie about folks who can help me in that local area. But if I run into insurance issues or other pitfalls that keep me from connecting with good people up in FoCo I may ask you for Denver-area recommendations.
I was talking with my sister about all this, and she supposes that with its active population and high concentration of serious athletes, Colorado probably has more orthopedists and PTs who are sympathetic to a 30-something not wanting to retire yet from active life. I’m glad to hear that you also think it’s a better medical climate for orthopedic problems.
[QUOTE=Simkie;8433266]
x-halt, I’ll call it: that’s bullshit. I’m sorry you have a doc that will just write you off like that. You deserve to live the life you want, doing the things you want, without pain.
Get in touch with some of those guys in Colorado and if you need more referrals, let me know and I will dig.
The pain specialist is probably going to be your best friend…start there? He’ll have surgeons or whatever that have been effective for his patients.[/QUOTE]
Thank you, Simkie! Your FoCo info and your support along the way has been a tremendous help so far. It’s a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel to know there are good healthcare providers on the other end of this stressful move who can maybe help make the day-to-day a little less painful.
I really don’t want to whine about my orthopedist, but I think he may be the sort of doc who gives orthopedic surgeons their reputation (i.e. the jock with a hammer who may be very skilled but isn’t so interested in anything outside the OR). There was a “my job is done here” vibe as soon as I woke up from surgery, so I suppose it’s not surprising that he wants to get my chart off his desk as soon as possible. Still, there’s got to be someone he could have referred me to instead of wishing me luck in the Walgreens pain relief aisle and telling me to come back in 25 years to talk THR.
I don’t expect there to be a magic bullet solution for me, but I do hope I can find someone who will take my questions more seriously and show at least some interest in my long-term outcome and quality of life. On that front, it may be rather fortuitous that I’m moving back to Colorado at this particular moment in my life.
[QUOTE=tollertwins;8432427]
Have moved since, tho, and am having a hard time even getting in to TALK to somebody because the rads look clean.[/QUOTE]
Not having one’s health concerns taken seriously is the worst.
Interesting! I’ll have to look into that.
The first hip doc I saw was also totally unsympathetic. I seemed too young for a THR and all he would offer were OTC meds. So, I asked…what do I do for now? He laughed and said - “get a cane”. What a jerk…
Keep looking. You’ll find the right doctor.
Best of luck…
X-halt…
I’m sure you will be taking you surgery pics to a new doc…perhaps if the labrum was folded under and isn’t anymore the cortisone injection may actually help now.
Yes, I think there are many good ortho surgeons here. We have a young, active population (and an active older population too). We have people who ski, golf, hike, bike, climb, raft, etc and don’t want to give up being active. We have lots of good healthcare here as we’re a focal point for health care for the Western states (people come here from other states for care). We have the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs and world class athletes in other parts of the state too. And I think ortho surgeons, who tend to be pretty active themselves, like living here. My shoulder surgeon, who not only is an amazing surgeon, is also a good guy - not an arrogant ass.
The he population of Colorado has also grown tremendously in the last twenty years and lots more active people have moved here, necessitating more ortho surgeons, PTs, etc. Definitely keep consulting with different surgeons until you find one who is a good surgeon but who also communicates with you about what is going on and is willing to try things.
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