I've got a date!

No, not that kind, although my flame crutches are quite popular... I made a date for a hip resurfacing surgery with Dr. Mont in Baltimore for November 15. I posted about resurfacing here, and the Surface Hippy website has a lot more information, if you're interested. Basically they remove the diseased part of the top of the femur bone and cap it off with metal, and insert a metal cup into the socket where the cartilage was. It accomplishes the same thing as a THR but leaves more bone. The surgery is more difficult than a THR, which is why I decided to go to Dr. Mont, who has plenty of experience with resurfacing, and with osteonecrosis patients. The date is not set in stone; Dr. Mont has to review my x-rays and make sure I can wait that long. Oscar at work says you shouldn't be a "beta tester", and I agree. But resurfacing has been FDA approved in the US for eight years and has been common practice in Europe for longer, and Dr. Mont has done over a thousand of them.

After my surgery I decided to become a teetotaller for a while. I've been pretty good about it until last night. Yesterday was my birthday and some friends had a little get-together for me. I decided that just one night couldn't hurt too much--as one witty guest said, "that hip ain't gettin' any less necrotic"!! It was fun to have a margarita and some rose, my favorite summer wine. And, the red Power Ranger showed up to wish me a happy birthday!! For a split second I thought he was Strong Bad, but no such luck...

So Far, So Good

We got to the hospital at eight this morning, did paperwork and waited. They started prepping me for surgery around 10 or so. Dr. Mont came by and visited with me. He seemed busy but he made time to sit and chat with me and answer some questions I had. The nurses, anesthesiologists, and everyone else I came in contact with were very nice. Dr. Mont said the actual drilling portion of the surgery only took a few minutes. We won't know for sure if the surgery is a success for 10 months to a year. Chances are good that if I don't have pain in a year, that hip won't give me any more trouble.

We got back to the hotel this afternoon and have just been relaxing. I feel okay but just sore and stiff. The hotel had a wheelchair for us to borrow, so we went on a short tour of some shops next door. I even felt well enough to go to dinner on crutches, but I was ready to leave by the time the check came! I can definitely tell when the drugs are wearing off, ouch. I'm a little nervous about going around on crutches using the left leg (the original bad side) while I let the right side heel.

Tomorrow AM we are heading south. I'm supposed to get up and move around every hour, so we'll have to make a lot of stops. I guess by the time we get back I'll be a rest-stop connoisseur.

The most expensive CD I'll ever buy...

I'm talking about my upcoming surgery, called a core decompression. Early stages of osteonecrosis (ON) are often treated with core decompression (CD) to try and stop progression of the disease. CD is an outpatient procedure in which holes are drilled into the femoral head. This relieves some pressure and improves the blood supply to the bone. Reported success rates vary from 50%-80%; Dr. Mont, who is doing mine, says he has an 80% success rate. Once the degenerative process has begun, the sooner CD is performed the better the chances are of saving the hip. This is why Dr. Mont was so insistent that I have a CD as soon as possible. Younger and healthier patients also have better success rates.

I've heard varying reports on the recovery process from a CD. I just keep thinking--even if it's an outpatient procedure, they're drilling holes in my bone!! Dr. Mont says it's no big deal, 4-6 weeks of limited weight bearing (crutches and then later, a cane). The papers he sent me don't give a lot of specific information, so I think recovery varies from person to person depending on the healing process. They do say I won't be able to drive for 2-5 weeks. Also, I live on the third floor and there's no elevator, so I'll have to make it up and down the stairs on my crutches.

I'm lucky to have a fairly large support network so even if I'm essentially housebound I should have visitors to help me out with the essentials. I can stay with family and friends, but everyone I can stay with is either allergic to cats or has dogs, so I can't bring my kitties. I can have people check on them but they are so social I don't want to leave them at home alone for too long. Besides, don't you just want to be at home sometimes?