Life in Noodletown: Now if there were only hydraulics

So here it is, 10 months after the installation of my shiny metal @ss. Well, I just couldn't be happier about the whole outcome, really. I guess I am extra fortunate because not many women these days can look you dead in the eye and say. "Man, I just LOVE my butt!" Awesome!! Thank you Dr. Bose! (Note the image of the X-ray is courtesy of the activejoints website mentioned below...it is not me. However, when a fellow surfacehippy was handed his post op X-ray and began to comment, the surgeon responded, "Don't get too excited. It is the same picture we give everybody.' Touche' Dr.!)

Now, many people who go to the other side of the Earth to have a cobalt/chrome hip implanted, devote an entire blog to the ordeal...and that is certainly appropriate. I am going to attempt to highlight some of the points in one measly little post. It would feel an injustice to the whole life-changing hugeness of the matter, but the purpose of having the operation was to stop suffering and moping and to get on with my life so that I could do the things that are important to me. THAT is what this whole blog is about. Therefore, it is fitting that the first post talks about the "springboard" (and by that I mean my bouncy little butt) that gave me the ability to enjoy all that comes later. Did I say "Thank you, Dr. Bose?"

So before surgery I was a slowly deteriorating pile of emotional, physical, and psychological misery. I was told at age 26 that I could no longer do the activities that I love (running, karate, long hikes, etc) and that both of my hips would need to be replaced. They said they would be surprised if my right hip lasted 7 more years. Oh yeah, and when the thing goes, the only option is a total hip replacement which would probably only last 10 years in a young person and can only be revised once giving me probably another 10 years if I am VERY inactive (total hip replacements wear out proportional to activity). This take me to a depressingly young age of 53 when I would likely get to look forward to a wheelchair. They also "suggested" that I not have children as the trauma of pregnancy would expedite the need for surgery. Fantastic!!! Chronic debilitating pain does terrible, awful things to even strong people.

Eventually, I had enough of the gloom and doom I was being fed. Surely I was not the ONLY young person on this planet with this problem. So I hit the internet...HARD and found the website that changed my future,http://www.activejoints.com/ which told me about a new procedure of hip resurfacing. There was even a forum for people like me at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/surfacehippy/ (you must register for membership to this site).

Fast forward to age 35 (my right hip made it 9 years!) and I am on a gigantic airliner flying over Greenland on my way to India. At this time, I was limping, had NO internal rotation, had reduced knee to chest range of motion from 15-90 degrees (meaning I could not straighten that leg).

Now, there were several trailblazers before me who did this and were very pleased with the outcome. Somehow, that grows less reassuring when you land in the Chennai (formerly Madras) airport in southern India and realize that things are different here...very, VERY different. The driver, Sebastian, from Apollo hospital's platinum ward was waiting with a sign at the airport (although, we wouldn't find him until we exited the airport and passed the armed soldiers). We zipped along past the rubble, buildings, and wandering cows (foraging on the side of the highway) to the hospital in the middle of the night. Philip and I were wide-eyed with a lump in our throat. We arrived at a rundown looking medical facility (by US standards) and were escorted to our room in the relative dark with hardly anyone around. The door closed behind us and a blanket of concrete settled over us that night, "What had we DONE?" I am sure Philip was thinking he should have researched this whole endeavor independently at that point. There was no sleeping...just looking at the hospital ceiling and FREAKING OUT!!!"

By the time morning came, our fears were vanquished. The light of day showed a very well designed and posh hospital room (with flat screen TV, laptop, mini fridge) and in came the CONSTANT stream of friendly Apollo staff which was the very best part. From the sweet, gentle housekeeping staff catering, caring, and smiling all the way up to the compassionate, accessible, and amazing Dr. Bose. We were definitely in the platinum ward!!!

The operation was much more harsh than any other I've had (and I've had MANY). It took over 2 hours. They had to give me epinephrine to accelerate my heart rate which increases the risk of nausea (which I already gives me a difficult time). In recovery, I could not tolerate the pain. The staff compassionately held my hand (everyone came from the housekeeping staff, to the nutritionist, to the nurses (sisters)) to assure me that I was receiving the maximum amount of painkiller they could give me. I was unsympathetic to their point. Never in my life had I experienced pain like this! Some people report waking up with NO pain and others, like me, endure severe pain. My hip felt EXACTLY like what had been done to it.

I spent the next several days in the hospital battling the extreme pain (in spite of my handy-dandy morphine pump and skin patch) and in intolerable nausea. (They don't have Zolfran over there). They kept giving me these antacid injections which were making the nausea worse and there was no pleading with the gentle sisters to fore go the miserable injection. They lovingly patted my hand and stroked my hair and wiped my tears through my protestations while they slipped the syringe into my line. Such is the culture gap.

Physical therapy was aggressive albeit the best way to recover. They had me stand on a walker the very next day! I was slower on getting up and moving than most in the wing. Those first days, I could not envision a day when I would be able to stroll on that hip mindlessly. Philip was a big help in pushing me through. Having my husband, mother, father and brother there to encourage and support me made all the difference.

Dad flew back to the US alone the day I was discharged. The rest of us headed to a 5 star beach resort named Fisherman's Cove (FC) to recover further. (Hey...doctor's orders). The truth is that the streets of India is not a place for a lame westerner. The resort was lovely and HOT, but it was almost too posh for our taste and we preferred mingling with the resort employees and locals. My brother, Andy, kept disappearing (as he is known to do) and finding colorful local adventures. I had to wear thigh high anti-embolism stockings in the sweltering equatorial sun and gaze at a pool that I could not swim in. Harsh! The food was amazing though!

The return flight was a nightmare! We spent that day zipping around Chennai like crazy trying to hook up with Andy's friend's parents. They were so kind to us and rented a fabulous SUV to show us Chennai and take us to their country club for dinner all within a span of a couple of hours. Dad had warned us to get to the airport at least 3 hours ahead of departure time and we wanted to be sure to heed his advice. Mom was fighting tremendous back pain, I was fighting excruciating butt pain, and we were ALL concerned about getting to the airport on time. We were not convinced that our gracious hosts appreciated our level of apprehension which made us even more concerned. When they FINALLY dropped us off at the airport, dad's warning became clear. Never in my life had I seen such a mob of chaos slowly funneling in to this airport and through security. We had no way to communicate with the security officers nor any knowledge of what they wanted. The flight home was an excruciating 33 hour exercise in endurance and tolerance with non-stop Bollywood adding insult to injury.

Today, I don't often notice my hip except when I surprise myself by doing something that I previously could not do (which is frequently). I am completely pain free except for the slower returning hip flexion (which brings my knee to my chest). It is almost as good as my left hip now but I still must proceed with caution. In spite of the middle-of-the-night culture shock and the antiacid injections, I am deleriously happy with my surgical experience. I received OUTSTANDING care by a truly caring and compassionate staff and one of the top 5 surgeons in the world for this procedure. Dr. Bose and his staff understand there is more to healing than cutting and medicating.