Day 27 (keep on truckin)

Did my push-up progression last night and foam roller for the first time since the surgery.  Wow!  My quad and groin were so tight and in need of work.  I will foam roll daily.

I pushed my boy around in his buggy to the park 1.34 miles in 25:14. I did 16 ng pull-ups, 5 wheel pull-ups, 5 super close grip pullups.  This park is pull-up paradise.  Idk who had more fun him or me lol.  I love that it is nice outside and we can do fun things despite me not being 100%.

I been making sure to stretch my quads and hamstrings at night because both are tight.  It will be a good day when I can touch my toes again.

Day 26 (an off day that wasn't)

I had my best sleep by far last night.  I slept about 10.5 hours that is nuts lol.

I did not go on a planned exercise walk today. However, I took my wife to see Aladdin in NYC and ended up walking more than I would have anyway.  We also enjoyed some delicious food from Steak n Shake to replenish our calories.  I love Steak n Shake but the ones in the south are way better than the one in Manhatten.  They are bigger and have a better menu.  I still enjoyed my cookies n cream shake and fresca melt.  I bought the tickets to Aladdin many months ago before I planned the surgery.  I did not realize how low the seats were but luckily after a few minutes of discomfort I heard that they had booster seats for kids so I got one lol.  What a difference!  The show was highly entertaining and it was great to get out and spend time with my wife.

Day 25

I spent the day with my little man.  I pushed him around in his buggy to the park and by the waterfront. I walked 1.53 miles in 30 minutes.  I was not in a rush on this beautiful day.  Did 12 fat grip pull-ups.  Did not feel overly strong today and was sore before my walk.  I guess doing more in PT yesterday had an effect.  Both knees have had some tenderness today as well as my left hip flexor (good leg).  I am hoping that is just because of overcompensating.

Day 24 ( met my 6 week goal)

I pushed my son around in his buggy for 1.53 miles in 28:56.  We went to the park so he could play.  I also did 12 fat grip pull-ups.  It is nice to spend the whole day with him.

Push-ups 12-8-8-10-14 (3:19 total time). A bit sore from yesterday.

Went to PT.  Got stretched good.  Ride the recumbent bike for 11 mins and did 1.5 miles.  It was challenging and felt right in my groin but not painful.  Then I walked another mile on the way home before my wife picked me up (I don't like to sit around and wait).

Day 23 (cane free and the return of the push-up)

Walked 1.3 miles in 22:30 with no cane present.  Did 12 wg pull-ups followed by 48 push-ups (10,12,8,8,10). I found a push-up app that is supposed to get you back to 100.  The push-ups were easy and I fast forwarded through the breaks as it was super easy) still cool to do push-ups again.

I'm a week ahead of the plan to ditch the cane.  I considered trying to drive to the gym and ride the bike to cross train instead of walking everyday but I think I'm a few days away from driving comfortably.  The moving to the brake is still not comfortable.

Day 22 (this hip is 3 weeks old)

It is hard to measure progress daily as it is minimal.  However, from one week to the next there are significant distances.  A week ago I just started using the cane now I hardly use it at all.  I am significantly stronger on every exercise and my walk is improving.

Today's walk was 1.3 miles in 22:55.  The pace was a little slower due to a different route with a lot of turns.  Also, my shins felt sore today.  The cane might have touched the ground 10x during the walk.

Started outpatient PT.  Did Tens unit, 1 leg squats, let ext, leg curl, calf, balance board.  Nothing ground breaking or hard.  I need to stretch my right oblique to get even.

I went for another little walk to push my son around in his buggy I put together today for him today.  He loved it so the 90 minutes it took to put together was worth it.

I have needed a nap the last 3 days which is odd because I hadn't napped in awhile. But, I look at it as extra recovery.  I will be able to drive myself to pt next week and will get myself back to the gym in some capacity.

Day 21 (why I needed this surgery and progress)

Last night our dog escaped the backyard and we are not sure how.  Luckily, after 30 minutes of searching for her neighbors a few houses down found her.  And I has to explain why I am limping and that I had hip resurfacing surgery.  I got the usual question....lifting too much weights?  Every doctor I saw asked if I had a traumatic experience to my hip?  I didn't think I did?  I asked could lifting have caused this and the answer was not likely.  Basically I would have had to lift everyday of my life since I was 5 to cause this and I would have to squat way too much and too poorly.  That brings me to the theory of how I ended up with my hip injury.  I had a fall when I was 20 or 21 when I was in the Army NG.  I was the first man up at an obstacle course on a day that had rained.  I went up the weaver and on the way down my hand slipped on the wet wood and I fell about 15 feet to the ground.  I landed hard on my right side, my shoulder went up into my head, my back hurt and I had the wind knocked out of me.  Thinking I was invincible and not wanting to look like a wuss I walked it off..literally. Sleeping that night was near impossible and the next morning we did a road March with full gear.  Every step hurt.  I never got an X-ray or even saw a dr about it because I felt fine a few days later.
Fast forward about 7-8 years I can no longer squat to depth.  I actually got red lighted on my squats and bombed out of a pl meet.  I felt so strong and my lifts were awesome in training but my squats were questionably high.  Everyone told me my last attempt was good a on video it looked it but what can I do.  Then about 5 months after a strongman comp around 7/13 I got groin pain. Most likely what happened is the fall caused my hip to displace and I got all the bone spurs and extra growth that led to fai and torn labrum and arthritis.  This is why at 30 I needed this surgery.  Maybe lifting sped up the process but it was not the root cause as I never seriously hurt myself lifting.  Anyhow, the past is the past and I live in the present.

I walked 1.28 miles in 22:10.  I'm getting faster.  I barely used the cane and did not use it at all the last 10 minutes.  I hardly use at all at home.

Day 20 (I WILL!)

I will continue to push harder!
I will get stronger!
I will get more mobile!
I will get faster!
I will be able to chase my son around outside!
I will be able to run again!
I will be ae to squat again!
I will be able to deadlift again!
I will be able to do anything I want again!
I will reach my goals!

Today I broke the 18 minute mile pace.  I walked 1.28 miles in 22:34.  I did not use the cane for the last 7.5 minutes.  I used it sparingly during the rest of the walk. Everyday, I make progress.  Even heel slides which were hard are fairly easy now.

Got to do one of my favorite pastimes today...grill.  I spent a good amount of time outside this weekend so far.

Day 19 (going a little further)

Sleep was pretty good.  I walked 1.25 miles in 22:40.  I did 14 pull-ups at the park because I am superstitious and could not stop at 13.  I am getting better at static straight leg holds but still can't go a full straight leg raise.  Walking is looking and feeling slightly better.

Sitting in a vehicle still uncomfortable and made my quad and abductor got tight.

Day 18 (progress)

I walked 1.17 miles in 22:17 this morning.  Every so often during the walk I don't use the cane and make it a goal to reach certain landmarks without it.  I'd say I did 1/3 of the walk without the cane.  I know I could walk the whole distance without a cane but I want to fix my gait.  The PT exercises are getting easier.  I make sure hit most 3x a day.

Day 17 (no more walker)

I had my best sleep last night and woke up feeling pretty good.

I walked 1.08 miles in 21:30 with the cane today.  Did 12 pull-ups and some kid walking to school looked at me like that was amazing.  I guess he thought because I have a cane I must be old and weak and not aw to do pull-ups lol.  The looks I get from people are priceless.  If anyone asks why I have a cane I'll tell them it's a social experiment lol.

Had my last at home PT session.  Now I just keep up the exercises and start outpatient pt in 5 days.  I don't know how much will change with the exception of more equipment.

Day 16 (first post op appt)

Woke up 3x last night.  I thought this gettimg up to pee thing was almost done.  I make sure to drink less at night...makes no difference.

Did my PT exercises bright and early then walked 1.07 miles in 22:10 on a more hilly route.  I like to switch my routes to keep it interesting.

Dr. Appt went good.  X-rays are good.  I'm on the right track.  I have to attend outpatient pt 2x a week for next 6 weeks.  I still have to wear compression socks and night compression for 4 weeks.

Oh, and sitting in a vehicle still sucks.

Day 15 (this hip turned two weeks old)

I had my best sleep last night.  I still got up twice to tinkle but that is only one more than normal.  It takes too long to go back to sleep after.  I slept to 6:50am today which is amazing.

Banged out a 1.08 mile walk in 22:10.  I did 11 pull-ups on the monkey bars halfway during the walk.  Luckily 11 is easy and I should be able to still hit 20 before I get back to the gym.  I note that the front of my hip felt weird today it might be from the rainy weather or it is just tight and sore.

I must say I feel good at my lighter and leaner weight.  I might not be as powerlifting strong as I was at 210-215 as I am now at 195 but I feel more athletic and healthier. I know once my hip heals I'll be rolling.

PT got a bit harder with straight leg raise holds/negatives.  Straight leg raises are impossible at this point as my hip flexors are so weak after surgery.  I can't wait until my right hip is as strong as my left.

Captain's Log Day 14

I set a sleeping personal record ( I went almost 5 hours without getting up..amazing). But, I been up since 5:15 am.  It still sucks to sleep on my back.  I can't wait to sleep on my side/stomach again.  I look forward to normal sleep more than driving again.

I am reading American Sniper and Chris Kyle mentions a SEAL that graduated after breaking his hip and getting a replacement.  That is inspiring.  If a man can graduate some of the hardest military training possible

I walked 1.01 miles today in 22:01.  I am getting stronger everyday.

I started my truck today which means I got to touch it. I've only had my RAM for 3 months and haven't driven it in the last two weeks.  It will be another 2-4 before I get to drive it again.  But at least I get to look at that sexy beast in my driveway lol.

Day 13 (another pr)

Did my PT exercises like a champ this morning. Heel slides have gotten much easier and I have added a few new exercises.  I went for a walk to the park with my wife and son.  The park is about .54 miles away.  I did 10 pull-ups on this wheel obstacle.  It is a pretty badass way to do pull-ups cause the wheel spins.  #ninjawarrorstyle. Then we walked back after my son got to swing I. The baby swing.  Total walk was 1.07 miles (which is more than I could do presurgery) in 28:41 (pace was slow because I had to slow it down).  I killed two birds with one Stone by walking to the park which was a good enjoyable family experience and getting my walk in.

Weight is down to 196.  I am getting skinnier by the day.  Better to get skinnier and add muscle back when I lift again than to get fat and have to lose the weight.

Day 12 (motivation level off the charts)

I woke up sore in my quad and ankle...oh well!  I walked .7 miles in 17:11 in the rain because I am a warrior and warriors do notake excuses.  Then I proceeded to go alpha male on my PT.  I killed every exercise and pushed hard through heel slides which I can finally do without help!  I did 20 and yelled through the final 20 because I refuse to quit!  The ankle slides are harder than any set of deadlifts or squats I have ever done even the ones that have made me see stars and puke.  I attack my PT and waking just as serious as any real workout because I want results and I want to ditch the walker.

I got a cane today and I plan on using it around the house.  For my walks I will continue with walker.

Day 11 ( I can get out of bed unassisted)

I can now move my operated leg enough to get in and out of bed without help or cheating!  (High five)

I walked .53 miles in 13:26.  Same Distance as yesterday in a faster time. I'm feeling good about that.  Even though, it's only .53 miles with a walker I feel it is harder than running that same distance at a 3:30-4min pace when healthy.  I sure have the sweat to prove it.  I made sure to do my walk at 8am so I have time to rest for PT at 3.  Everyday I get a little stronger.  If poweelifting progressed at this rate I would be able to lift superhero weights lol.

Did PT.  Getting stronger.  Need to focus on quad and hip flexor strength.  Both have been weakened from arthritis. Left quad is more muscular than right.


I have been peeing entirely too much.  I hope this is normal and not a UTI.  I go every waking hour and every 2-3 hours at night.

Day 10 ( a post op pr)

sleeping went backwards last night.  I was up every 2 hours even though my swelling has gone down a lot.  I plan on weening of the pain killers.  I am down to 2x a day on oxycodene.  I take it 8:30am and before bed at 9pm.

I planned on walking a block this morning.  Instead I did 2 blocks in 14:30. It is slow but at 10 days post op on a walker it's not bad.  For some reason my tracker couldn't get a gps location and give me an accurate distance.  I know it was over 1/2 a mile.  My focus was on perfecting my gait and landing on the heel and pushing off on the toes.  It will take time because I walked so bad for so long. My original plan was to be able to walk 1.5 miles a day at 6 weeks.  I think I will crush that.

My stupid walker scratched my hardwood floors in my living room.  I took old socks and rubber banded them to the edges and hopefully no more scratches.  I would have used tennis balls but my son loves playing with them and I only have two.  So now I have a project to fix when I can get on the floor to do it.

Day 9

I actually made it 3 hours in a row 2x last night without getting up.  But then it went to 2 hours after that.  Swelling is getting better and my quad was 25 inches today.  It was 25.5 yesterday so I only lost .5 inches in swelling but now there is only a 1 inch difference.  At this rate by fri-sat I should be even.  I weighed 206 on Monday, 203 yesterday and 202 today.  As the swelling goes down my weight normalizes.  I expect by the 6 week mark I will be 195 or under.  I am cool with being as low as 185 because my endurance will be even better when I get back to real activity.  Most of my life I focused on getting bigger/stronger but at this stage I want to be an athletic machine that can do any activity I want.  The goal is not a normal hip but a better than ever hip.  If I really had this hip problem for many years and didn't notice than there is no reason why I can't be better than ever.

I walked 1/10 of a mile this morning on the street.  The street is not smooth but it didn't hurt.  The walker was bumpy but that's ok.  It used to hurt like hell to walk/run on the street.  Now it is amazing that the surgery cured my arthritis pain.  I didn't want to walk to far because I have pt later.  It was still enough to make me feel good physically and mentally.  Tomorrow, I will walk a block which is .3 miles.


Facebook-  a lot of people bash Facebook because it gets stupid people in trouble.  However, if it was not for Facebook I may have never found out about this surgery.  All the surgeons and doctors I saw never mentioned hip resurfacing.  Someone mentioned hip resurfacing on a group on Facebook and I looked into it after trying all the conservative treatments.  There are very little surgeons that do hip resurfacing and I found Dr. Feldman by a positive review from a hip resurfacing patient.  So in a way I believe I was meant to have this surgey to change my life.  I learned from watching my mom suffer for years to never feel sorry for myself.  Unfortunately, there was no cure for her disease but she was supposed to die in 5 years and she made it 15 and was able to see me get married, buy a home and make her an amazing grandson.  A grandson that motivated her to hold on and make it from 10 days in the hospital to a rehab facility for 2 months to home.  She went from not being able to move in bed to a walker to walking normally without support. So I know my rehab is cake to what I saw her go through.  So once I get back to where I want to be I will have the confidence to accomplish anything I want to do.

PT- did some new exercises that I suck at.  Heel slides which the initial part is hard but then once I get past sticking point it is better.  Straight leg raises so easy on the left so hard on the right.  I need to practice these every day.  Walking is getting better everyday.

Day 8

my right leg is now only 1.5 inches thicker than my left now.  Yesterday it was 3 inches.  That is 50% reduction in one day!  Winning! I think the PT helped a lot.  Sleeping was slightly better as I could go 2.5 hours in a row without waking up to pee.  But from 4am - 7am our whiny dog was whining and annoying every fabric of my being and of course ruined my sleep.  By 7:30-8pm I am exhausted everyday.  I try to nap but it lasts just minutes if I do.  My favorite PT exercise is marching because everyday I notice I am getting higher on my right leg.  My daytime energy is improving and I feel like I want to do something so I make sure to move often.

Was watching a show on my tablet and fell asleep and moved to bed for my first real nap.  I did my main PT exercises 3x today and got to go outside for a few minutes to watch my son play.  I wish I was the one playing with him and I will soon.  I have spaced out my short term pain meds longer and will only take 3x a day. I finish my long term pain meds tomorrow.  I still have a lot of short term left but will try switching to Tylenol soon.  I dislike tylenol and prefer ibuprofen but I dont think I will be allowed to yet.  I can't wait to be off all pain meds cause I think they are shady.

Day 7

Sleeping still sucks I have to pee every 2 hours.  It must be the swelling. I weighed myself today and I'm actually heavier I was 201 before surgery now I am 206.  It must be all in my leg.  My left quad is 24 inches and my right is 27+ but it looks even bigger.  My wife's family let me borrow a recliner chair which is now in my living room and a huge quality of life upgrade.  Next time we get new couches they will have recliners lol.  I can move about the house walker free now and just use it to improve gait and when I am tired.  I no longer need it to move from living room to bathroom.

First PT Session- lasted about 30 mins no real rest.  Some stuff was new some I had been doing.  Pt stretched my calf and ham at the end which felt great.  I feel looser now and hopefully it holds the rest of the day.

Day 6

Before I had the surgery I had two important goals for Mother's Day.  1) to be able to get to the cemetery to visit my mother's grave and 2) and to not ruin this day for my wife.  Both goals have been reached.  Sleeping sucked again and I can't sleep more than 2-2.5 hours in a row.  I got up 5x last night and needed help the first two because of the compression cuffs.  The next three I got up because I use my light (purple) elitefts band to lasso my foot/ankle to pull it to the edge of the bed.  I am now able to walk across a room unassisted.  However, I do limp but that is nothing new.  Tomorrow starts physical therapy which will happen 3x a week for 3-4 weeks.  I look forward to it. It's day 6 and I can say so far I'm happy I had this surgery because it has given me confidence that I can do anything I want to do.  Adapt & Overcome

Day 5 (first full day home)

Sleeping sucked.  I needed help to get in and out of bed 3 out of 4 times.  I was a hero at about 6am though and it took me 10 minutes to inch my way out of bed.  I was even able to get back into bed by myself to sleep for another hour and a half. I didn't want to wake my wife up again because if it wasn't for her help I'd be in rehab.  My leg was dead after that.  I have had the worst swelling today and I had cramping in bed.  I have been icing nonstop but the swelling is still bad.  I see what people mean when they say the first full day home is the worst.  I am happy to be home but the hospital was easier.
First shower since surgery-  this was amazing I could have stayed in there all day.

Met with my home nurse and pt today.  I will probably only get 1-2 more nurse visits because my dressing does not need changing and will be removed in 11 days.  Pt will be 3x a week and I was told that I am probably being too aggressive with my walking but I think otherwise.  If it wasn't for the swelling of be ready for a cane already.

Day has gotten better as this seems to be the case.  Morning I feel the weakest and most irritated.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be nice out so I can walk around outside.

Back Home

I was discharged after 5:15pm and it felt like the longest ride home ever.  Stop and go on the glorious NJ Turnpike.  The hardest things about today was getting out of the bed this morning and finally taking a poop.  I had a lot of swelling on the hip today. Mobility is slowly but surely getting better and my hip does not feel like a tree anymore.  It is getting lighter and more normal.  All the pain meds and iron led to me taking the longest period of time in my adult life in between bowel movements.  I am happy to be home but the hospital staff was great and treated me well.  I received many compliments from the nurses telling me I was the ideal patient and I made their jobs easier.  I was not there to feel sorry for myself I was there to get better.  It was also nice to have wide open space in the hallways to walk.  At home it is certainly tighter.  I plan on going outside plenty to get walking.  Getting home to be with my son and wife is the best reward.  Luckily, I am very self sufficient and really only will need help with getting out of bed so I don't need to bother my wife who needs to watch our son.

The first three days

Got to the hospital at 6:15 am.  I was taken to the surgical room by 8am and I was knocked out quickly.  I woke up in recovery and was told everything went well.  I waa transported to my room and could finally drink something and eat.  However, I was nauseous on and off and needed zofran.  The pain was not bad but the area was sore.  I did not sleep good do to needed compression leg sleeves that would activate every couple of minutes.

Day 2
 The PT and OT got me seating up at 11:30 am on day 2. It was the most lightheaded and dizzy I have ever felt.  My blood pressure was very low.  After relaxing and drinking some fluids I was able to stand up with their help and with the walker.  I was able to take a few steps.  Throughout the day I would do laps around my room.  During the day I went for a CT scan because I needed radiation the next day to ensure the bone does not have excess growth.  Sleep was better on day 2.  Getting in and out of bed is the hardest thing to do at this point.  I need someone to move my right leg.

Day 3
I did more PT went up and down stairs which was easier than I thought it would be.  Practiced getting into a mock car seat which was very hard and uncomfortable.  Luckily I will be leaving in a SUV and when I go back to driving I have a truck.  I did laps and hip exercises 4-5 times throught the day and took a nap.  When it was time for bed I kept waking up to pee and needed help to get out of bed.  Pain/soreness was better this day.  I was able to get in and out of stretcher unassisted for radiation.  Bed still a problem though. The best tip I could give someone headed into this surgery is to have a strong upper body.  Be good at dips and pull-ups because you need to pull and push yourself up with your arms.  Your operated leg is like dead wood.

History

A little background to start.  I am a 30 year old athletic man who has knowingly death with a bad right hip for about two years.  I was diagnosed with FAI and arthritis about a year ago.  I first noticed my hip pain in the summer of 2013 and went to physical therapy which was diagnosed as hip tendinitis.  I never got an X-ray and my hip felt a little better.  I started running in spring 2014 and noticed a ton of groin pain on my right side.  Mobility quickly deteriorated and I got X-rays and a MRI.  I went to multiple orthos and sports medicine docs.  I tried PT again for two months and continued at home a few times a week.  I tried prolotherapy and other joint injections. After being frustrated with not being able to live a normal life and be able to chase after my now 15 month old son I needed to do something about.  I found a highly recommended ortho who did hip resurfacing. My biggest worry when I had my appointment is he would tell me I should just wait to get a total hip replacement like other doctors told me.  But luckily after reviewing my MRI and X-rays and giving me assessments he told me I was a good candidate for the Birmingham
Hip resurfacing.  I talked to my wife and decided within a day the time is now and I don't need to limp around anymore and have a low quality of life.