I am wondering if anyone has had a terrible painful experience AFTER having hip artho surgery? I fell 5 yrs ago, had surgery 4 yrs ago, but I am still in the same amount of pain, hip will still give out, walking is unbearable, and riding in a vehicle or anything that will cause the slightest vibration will send my hip nerves out of this world. I am at a loss as to find a better quality of life. Being on all these pain meds are surely doing long-term effects to the rest of my body-kidneys, liver, etc. Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. PLZ PLZ PLZ!!!
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Hi Denita,
I'm 52 years old and had a hip scope one year ago. I'm suffering too. I am on Gabapentin(I've lowered my dose due to the way it affects my mind) but it does help with nerve pain. My condition has worsened and I am bounced around from doctor to doctor. The hip surgeon blames the spine and the spine specialist says it's the hip.
I find the car the most difficult. I cannot sit or stand for any length of time.
How are you coping? When did you have your surgery? Nerves can regenerate and there are areas of my pain that have improved but unfortunately other areas have worsened. You are not alone.
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Well I must say your message did indeed help me mentally. It has been 6 yrs since my accident and 5 yrs since the surgery. I know exactly what you mean about being in a vehicle--extreme pain! Also any time I have to ride in a vehicle my hip nerves get so rattled up that I am in severe pain for the next 2-3 weeks-needless to say my 'outings' are now on a need to go basis. My husband and I are from Saskatchewan, Canada and we asked my pain specialist doctor if there would be any hope if we gathered enough money and ventured to The Mayo Clinic; he told us it would be a huge waste of time and money, not to mention how the travelling would put me down for so long. We had only been married for 1yr 2mos and 10 days when the fall happened, at the age of 36. I cannot drive, stairs are unreal, and my cane, scooter, and wheelchair are my best friends. My doctor has me on Oxy Codone, Oxy Neo, and Cymbalta. May I ask how you injured your hip? As for me, I was waitressing and slipped on macaroni salad the cook had spilt on the floor; while I was carrying a soda pop canister-went flying into a freezer and the rest is history. Did you do physio therapy, if you did, help you very much?
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Denita,
My heart goes out to you. You are too young for all this. What happened with me is pretty anticlimactic; I was at Whole Foods grocery store after work in the produce department, when my hip just gave out. Nothing happened. I didn't trip, twist or fall. The next day I mowed my lawn and did a lot of physical work and then it progressed rapidly and within a few weeks, I walked like Frankenstein. I had an Arthrogram MRI which revealed a tiny labral tear but I was born with hip dysplasia, so therein lies the problem. I went from surgeon to surgeon to help me because I couldn't do anything. I left work in July and after one surgeon told me not to have the surgery as people my age don't fare well, I continued on my search and found a surgeon willing to do it. Hindsight is 20/20. The surgeon shaved my bone and debrided the labrum. Most days I have to lie on my unaffected side, pillow between the knees-ice or heat and medication.
I went through many rounds of PT-one round helped me considerably and I thought I may get my life back but it was short-lived. Now I am going to Pelvic Floor PT along with regular physio and we'll see what comes of it. They said that Pelvic Floor PT will help with the SI joint and hip stability. I'd be willing to stand on my head for 10 hours if I thought it may help me so I will let you know if it helps. Today I am having my cortisone shot-though in the past they haven't helped. Again, desperate times call for desperate measures!
They want me to meditate. I pray constantly. I continually seek my own help. Recently I thought of going to New York to speak with a surgeon there, but I think it's much like your Mayo Clinic idea. It's just that we want help and we're willing to do whatever it takes.
Denita, hang in there and please keep me posted on how you're doing. I promise to let you know if I find ANYthing that helps. Pain is trying journey.
Trish
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Good luck today Trish, although cortisone did not help me neither, maybe today will be surprisingly different for you. I have waited so long to be able to talk with someone else who is going thru the same thing as I. I am not sure how or what brought you to this site but I am forever grateful you are here! I've already said a prayer for this shot to be the 'pain-break' you have been looking for and deserve. As a side-note, my husband is quite happy that I have found someone else that can relate to what I am going thru. I hope you have an amazing support system as well. As my family has been tremendous, tho it is hard for them to understand that I have to miss some occasions as I live 2+ hrs away and travelling at times, is out of the question. Thinking of you; Denita.
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Denita,
I feel exactly the same. I'm glad we connected here. Thank you for your thoughts. I am hopeful today will help. I completely understand the traveling being difficult. I have an amazing support system too. I am divorced with three wonderful grown children (and a new little granddaughter-best pain management so far :O)
You don't want to talk about your pain and condition all the time but it's so hard to think beyond it. It's a work in progress. You are a sweetheart and I think we will be able to help each other.
Trish
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Hi Denita,
My injection was my least painful to date, though my pain is still pretty bad. Do you swell in the hip area? Does your buttock spasm all the time? Can you sit without pain? I'd like to know more about what your condition. Maybe one day we can be helped and at least live as close to pain free as possible.
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Hi, well I am glad the injection was a little less painful than the others-mine were not that painful but they just did not help. My spasms are in the inner front of the hip, almost the groin. They can come on just out of no where, or if I pivot my hip the wrong way at the wrong time, even if I turn as little as one degree - sitting or standing. If I am standing and I turn too quickly the pain will go thru the roof and my hip can just 'give out' and I fall to the ground. Thankfully since I've had the cane I can sometimes catch myself from falling all the way to the ground. Another situation that creates sooo much pain is any kind of vibration/shaking/bouncing of the hip nerves. This can be from a vehicle ride, standing in the livingroom while my husband hammers on our back porch, to sitting in our camper and my husband just walking around, the shaking can be impossible. Actually one time I was lying on our bed and our little Shorkie dog, Bella, jumped onto the foot of the bed & that was enough to reek major havic - and she is just a little thing! Sitting or standing comfortable is a thing of the past. I can honestly say there is not a minute of any day that I am completely painfree. Albeit the meds can level out the pain to about a 2-3 on a good hour, I have also been to a level 8.5 at least 2-3 times in a 24 hr period. My pain specialist puts the pain scale at 1 being hardly noticeable to a 10 being you need an ambulance to get to a hospital. Another thing, we live where it can get mighty cold & snowy; trying to wear winter boots that are a bit heavier than shoes, well that can be a pain all on its own-too much weight on the hip. Have you ever had dry needling? It was the most painful thing I have EVER endured!
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Denita,
Somehow I missed this post. I have thought about dry needling but maybe I'll skip it! This past weekend my pain was so bad. I was just crying. For me , the pain in the buttock is the worst. I saw a Neurologist who diagnosed me with Posterior Femoral Cutaneous Nerve damage. He is n't sure the surgeon severed it in surgery, if it will ever regenerate or any of that, just upped my medication. He said it is only one small piece of the puzzle. Denita, does your hip swell? Mine swells HUGE everyday. It feels like something in there is being strangulated. I've been to more doctors than I care to admit but I won't give up. I'll eventually have to accept it all, but not before exhausting all possible pain treatments. Do you know just hearing your story makes me feel so bad for you and it takes me out of myself for a moment. Pain tends to be an unwanted self-absorbed intruder. Do you have nerve damage? Did they ever mention RSD or CRPS? I'm glad we met.
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I was not sure what had happened to you. I thought that maybe your shot worked sooo good for you that you were out and about taking advantage while you could of being pain free. Then I also thought that you had perhaps been hit with the terrible blizzards that have happened ( I don't know why I am assuming you live in The United States ). No I do not swell up very much at all, not that I have ever noticed. Combined with the pain I have already described to yoy; I have an intense 'throbbing' and 'achy' feeling on the 'inside' at the area where they entered for the surgery. My doctors have not mentioned RSD or CRPS; I actually do not even know what they are. I would never go thru the dry needling again-they have to put the needles right into my nerves, leave them there 10 mins, come back and jiggle them, then leave another 10 mins. Although it seemed to help, it was very short lived. Have you ever had to go through a hip scope, boy that was no picnic neither. For the past few weeks I have started to get nerve jolts going from my hip nerves up my back. This has been causing some huge spasms that when I jolt from that I agitate my hip nerves. How is your sleep pattern affected, if at all? For the past couple of months I sleep in intervals of about 2 1/2 hrs, up for about 3 hrs, then TRY to get another hour or so. I average about 4-5 hrs of sleep/24 hr period. I see my pain specialist on the 12th of December; I am thinking of telling him about Gabapentin-what do you think about that medication?
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Denita,
I had a hip scope because I had a bony abnormality causing a labral tear. He shaved my bone. I have been in so much pain since. It feels like my leg is on wrong and yes I know the achy/throbbing pain very well. I have burning/stinging pain too. Yes, I live in the US in MA and I go to Boston hospitals. No one can figure me out. I swell so badly every day and the pain makes me cry. Only another person going through it could understand. The injection has no done anything. I feel worse! But they say it can take 2 weeks to kick in. It has never worked in the past but I am always hoping for that one good one! Gabapentin does help. I was on a higher dose and noticed quite a bit of improvement but it has side effects and at first you will not want to continue (slurred speech, trouble with recall etc and some weight gain :O( So I weaned down to where my brain was good but my pain wasn't. The choice is hard. My brain is my favorite body part! It is a well-tolerated drug and it does work on many people, mostly for nerve pain. RSD and CRPS are pain syndromes where an injury sets off a message to your brain and the pain never ends. It doesn't sound like you have it but I am not sure about me. I have spasms in my buttock and I have pain at the site of the surgery, a very sensitive area! My sleep is affected and that impacts the pain. When I sleep well, my pain lessens. Dr Needling sounds dreadful! The hard part with us, is that the treatments can be so painful! How are you doing emotionally?
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Emotionally? So so. I am on Cymbalta 2x60mg/day. This indeed helps me to a degree. I guess it helps in the manner that I don't lie in bed all day; however it does not help the frustration part. I do cry less and have never felt sorry for myself, but when I am having a painful day I do cry from the pain and the helplessness. No pill can help with that. I have created a mantra of sorts, saying aloud as well as in my head, 'It could always be worse". It truly does help my frame of mind. I have to ask, do your have guilt for not being able to help out as much? And the feeling of not contributing to society? At times I will see my husband doing something that I can no longer do and the guilt comes rushing in. Do you use a cane? Can you do stairs? Can you drive? I am thankful for my cane, and my scooter is what gets me out of the house. I use it to go downtown and get the mail or groceries myself and the independence feels wonderful. I live in a small enough town that I can shop and pay for my groceries and then for $2.00 they will deliver it at 5:00pm! A God send! I cant drive because of the lack of motion/power extension of my hip, as well as the angle degree and the twitches and jerks my hip does involuntarily. And finally as for the stairs; nope! But thankfully my laundry room has been moved upstairs so I can now do my own laundry again. It seems funny to some people I suppose that I am so happy to be able to wash my clothes, but independence is so much emotionally and mentally gratifying. Wow, I think I have rambled enough ;).
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Denita,
I am so so happy to have found you! You sound so much like me, I can't believe it. Your mantra is my mantra too. As a matter of fact when I first found out about you, I felt like my situation was so much easier and it made me feel more compassion for you. I too, only cry from the pain, not from the woe- is- me. I am divorced and have a grandchild in NC. It's hard to not be who I used to be and I do mourn that at times. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. The not contributing to society question? YES, I feel horrible. I am trying to work part time but it's so so hard. I was working 7 hours a week, now it's down to 5 and sometimes not at all. I just want to keep my mind active but my body won't cooperate.I have the best bosses who allow me that freedom.
I totally get the laundry thing too!! Pain helps you know true joy. I will say that.
I just bought my own home 3 years ago and I love it and life was going so well and it looks like I will have to sell it. I am on SSDI(I don't even like saying that!) But we do what we have to. I use a cane or my crutches which are the Canadian kind because i was also born without a pectoralis muscle so I can't put a crutch under my arm. (That condition is a story for another time)
Stairs are very hard for me but I can do it. Driving is the worst and it flares me up so bad and yet I have appointments far away that I have to go to. I have good friends but not a significant other ,so it can be tricky. Denita, each day I wake up thankful for the day. Truly, I mean that. I am hopeful each day too, even if the day doesn't go in the best direction.
Should we private e-mail each other? It's so nice talking to you.
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Okay, so I tried to send a private message, but I am not sure if I did it correctly. We shall soon see < ^@^>
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