Having Gluteus Medius Repair Surgery & Possible Hip Revision tomorrow!

Ah Annie I'm glad you finally have answers and are on the road to repair. Hope all goes well and the surgery repairs you to a new person. Good luck and I'll be thinking of you!

I have been following you for a while and all your trials and tribulations - Now it is (almost) here - 

There is not much I can add to what have been said - you have 2 excellent surgeons there with you  - 

Have faith and surrender -

Sending ight and healing to you, your loved ones and surgical team -

big warm hug

ren

Hi Annie.

You are so right, this is a terrific forum I have learnt so much on here,it helps that when you are alone in your recovery you can find answers and support from others in a similar position.

I had my RTHR in July and am happy to say I feel almost fully recovered.

Good luck with the surgery, it will have been worth it in the end when you're back on your feet.

All the best

Graham.

Hi Annie

I expect by now you will have had your surgery so I'm sending my best wishy.Its been a long haul for you Annie and I hope you are finally

I made it through! Only had to have the muscle repair, no prosthesis replacement. Was walking a few steps 5 hrs later. No pain meds yet, but anti-nausea med required. Feeling good! Can't believe it! Thanks to My husband and sister for trading shifts to be with me. Such great helpers! All the staff is wonderful.

I've had some clear liquids, all that I am allowed this first day.

Thanks again for all of your support. Must rest now.

Will keep posting...

So pleased that you're doing well.

Hi Annie

I don't know what happened to the rest of my message I am having problems

with my iPad.I am so pleased to hear tha all went well and you are finally on the

road to recovery and getting your life back. Please don't rush though and be patient.

In my case it has taken much longer than I anticipated but I'm almost back to normal.

Hopefully we will both be dancing at Christmas !!!!

Good luck to you.Keep us updated x

I had the gluteal tendon repair surgery 16 days ago, and I am doing great! I had two surgeons working on me, one to do the repair, which also included some repair for the gluteus minimus. They did a bursectomy, too, and smoothed out my greater trochanter because I had some ischiofemoral impingement limiting rotation. The second surgeon was also there to to a look-see of my THR prostheses that had been put in over a year ago. They were fine, and did not need replacing.

I have been in very little pain, have only used acetaminophen, except for whatever they used directly after the surgery. I stopped the acetaminophen two days ago and have just a few little aches and pains, mostly from the incision site. I wear a brace that fits tightly around my waist, then goes down the side of my thigh protecting the trochanter area and then velcros around my thigh to hold it in place. I have to wear this brace for 6 weeks (4 weeks more to go). I am limited to 20 pound weight bearing on my surgical leg to prevent tearing again before healing takes place, using a walker at all times, and I have gotten very good at that and can go quite a distance. I went to a rehab facility after 5 nights at the hospital, and will go home in 5 days. It's been great to be in this wonderful facility, as they bring me my meals and I get some PT for my "good" leg and my arms to get them stronger so I can move my body around without using the surgical leg. Not being home is good, because I'd be tempted to do too much and possibly delay my recovery.

I won't know for sure about the outcome of the surgery until after I stop wearing the brace and go to full weight bearing on both legs. I will have physical therapy to make the transition and to work gradually to get my poor gluteals, which haven't been able to do any work for the past 16 months, back firing and getting stronger. Not having that pain anymore is such a good sign, though.

I am now almost 16 weeks out from the surgery. I've been told that it takes 6 months for healing, so I am not in a rush for recovery. I survived the 6 weeks of 20-pound flat-foot weight-bearing and brace wearing, and have been continuing to use walking aids. The good news is that I am using them only a little bit while in my house, and my unaided walking is getting better all of the time. I still have some hip/thigh pain, and a slight limp, unless I work hard to walk without it. My lower back is stiff, and I think that, more than anything else, is what is preventing me from walking normally all of the time. I still use one crutch outside the house, since my non-surgical leg is not 100% reliable, and my surgical leg isn't strong enough with the uneven ground and greater distances to walk outside, and I don't feel comfortable without the crutch.

I've had 11 sessions of physical therapy, and it has been helpful, especially the massage that has loosened up some very tight, overused muscles that were compensating for the non-use of my gluteus medius and minimus. The flexibility and strength and balance exercises have been good for me as well. I am very careful not to overdo things. My non-surgical leg has problems when I overdo, such as ankle pain, and I suspect I have shin splints going on there, too. 

I can balance on my surgical leg alone for 20 seconds, which shows me that my problem has been fixed, since pre-op I could not balance on that leg at all.

It will be 6 months on April 27, so I am aiming for that date to be when I can walk well unaided and without pain. I had years previously of walking with hip pain, then a year and a half after my THR in July 2015 until I was on full-weight bearing after the gluteal tendon repair surgery, so I know I've been impaired for a long time. If I'm not all the way well by April 27, then I will just soldier on, working on the weak spots, and re-evaluating.

Overall, I am quite pleased. I have been sleeping very well for the last month or so, finally, after a year and a half of awful sleep. I have been to movies, concerts, plays and out to restaurants. I had my 13th week appointment with the surgeon, and he says all looks excellent, and I don't have to go back for a year, unless I have a problem.

I have another 10 PT sessions scheduled, and after that, I plan to join a fitness center to do some exercise and get into a therapeutic pool. I am hoping to go on a vacation this summer, and am really looking forward to that, since I haven't been anywhere for almost 3 years, except for two sleep studies, two surgeries and one rehab facility after a surgery. Those were not fun trips!