14. Day 17 post op - 2 weeks

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So its been just over 2 weeks since my surgery.  I had my 2 week follow up a couple days ago and had my stitches taken out.  For the most part it didn't hurt but of course there were the 2 or 3 that decided to be stubborn and take the extra tug, which stung a wee bit.  Steri-strips were placed over the wounds.  I asked the Physician's Assistant (PA) why Dr. Birmingham wanted his patients on crutches for 4 weeks, as opposed to 2 weeks like some others.  He said that was a good question and the purpose was to avoid (or try to avoid) tendinitis, by keeping it only weight bearing 20% flat foot.  I was satisfied with the answer.

However, knowing that some only have crutches for 2 weeks, and I"m stuck at four, I found myself cheating a little bit at home, mostly when preparing meals for my daughter and I, as its hard to maneuver around the kitchen on crutches with food or constantly moving around with my hands full.  The walker helps moving food, but not preparing.  Because I did this, I made sure that all my other movements around the house were on crutches.  Is this good or bad, who knows, but sometimes you have to deviate a little.  Do I advise it, of course not.  I did notice my knee a little sore from full weight bearing, but it didn't last too long.

My new PT exercises are not as boring so I'm finding them easier to do.  They are starting to focus on muscle building, as opposed to flexibility.  I was the master of the stair climber before surgery (self appointed master of course) so I had a lot of thigh and calf muscle to begin with.  I started using the stair climber as my only cardio after my original injury because the hip motion is the most minimal.  If you think the stair stepper is a child's workout, try setting it at one of the highest levels, keep your body (and the stairs) up, as opposed to middle or lower in height, and do that for 40 minutes.... its a B####.  I've seen people use it on a low setting, reading a magazine.... not the same.  I am usually moving so much that I don't think I'd even be able to read.  But it served its purpose and kept my injury "as is" without damaging further, at least that's what I think, because it never hurt worse.  I just figured if extensive hip motion (spinning) damaged it, then I need to do the opposite, minimal movement.

I have been off pain meds for over a week now and drove yesterday for the first time to take my daughter (and my father, in case she decided to bolt on me) to her first ever Easter egg hunt.  She loved it, and I did too because it lasted all of 10 minutes.  I felt fine driving.  It actually felt pretty normal, other than the brace on my leg.  I had pretty much mastered getting in and out of the passenger side, but the steering wheel served as a new obstacle.  I had to use exterior range of movement in order to get in, which i'm not supposed to be doing yet, so I'll keep driving to a minimum, only when needed.

As you can probably tell, I'll start doing updates less frequent, because at this stage, every day isn't going to differ much, especially not like the first week.  The post op has been going good so far and I don't yet regret surgery.  Still to this day, being my first surgery, everything has gone better than I expected.  If I ever have other surgeries, I hope recovery is this good.  Of course its early on still, and the PA told me that I'm going to get a lot stiffer as time goes on, as the scar tissue starts to form, so I don't look forward to that, but one step at a time.  I can't wait to be off crutches officially, so I can get back to playing outside with my daughter and just being able to move around freely.  The crutches have got to be the worse part by far.  It wasn't so bad when I "needed" them, but knowing I am able to walk without them, makes it that much harder to use them.  But I need to keep up with the doctor's orders to make sure i'm a successful case, so I will continue to do as I'm told :)

13. Day 8 post op - 1st day out and about

So today was the first day I really spent time doing things other than a Dr appointment.   We all I really did was go to Breakfast with my wife,  a quick stop at the DMV, and went  grocery shopping with my wife.

The only gripes I really have is that my brace was killing my back.  I don't know if it makes me sit funny to avoid it digging into my back or what,  but by the time I was done eating I was more than ready to walk around. 

The DMV where I'm from is usually a 5 minute trip,  which it was again,  thankfully.   The trio to the supermarket,  even though I used the electric scooter cart, was terrible.  I was getting a rush of super sleepiness, and I just couldn't get my back comfortable.  I tried adjusting the pad but nothing worked until I got home and took the whole thing off. 

All day my back was killing me.  I couldn't sit in one spot for more than 15 minutes without having to get up and stretch.  I'm sure I'm using new muscles to compensate,  and me cutting off the prescription meds let the pain come out.  I'm finding it better to lay in bed with the CPM. 

Sitting inside is getting me a little stir crazy but luckily (if you want to call it lucky) is still nut nice enough to be outside.  I get to people watch a little out my window and luckily I have amusing neighbors to keep me entertained! 

Even though I sometimes find it hard to find the motivation to do my PT, I do it.  Although I do it on the floor to help my back stay flat.  While this helps me in a way,  my over clingy dog likes to cuddle. .. This pic is completely candid and is the way he lays on me,  I did not arrange his placement.... Try doing pelvic raises like this haha.... 

I may have mentioned it already,  but if you're currently recovering from FAI or are already healed,  leave a comment as to where you were at one week.  If I'm sitting in a chair with my legs out in front of me I can't bend all the way forward and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be able to or not.   The only reason it has me worried is because when I was in for my one week post op he took off my shoe and on the way out he said put your shoe on and come out.... I put the shoe on but it was very difficult and I got winded lol.....  so leave a comment and let me know! !

12. 1 week post op - 1st day solo

So i'll admit i've been spoiled since i've been home.  Today marks the 1 week post op date and as I'm writing this its exactly 7 days since I was sitting in the hospital.  The first thing the doctor said when he walked up to me pre-op was, "How ya doin?"  My reply was, "If i said scared shitless, would you be surprised?"  He wasn't surprised.  

I mentioned before that on the way to my surgery we stopped at Aldi's supermarket and picked up a roller walker (under $60 compared to walmart's almost $90).  I wanted this because it seemed easier than crutches, it had a table I could carry things with, and a chair if I ever got tired on my 30 second journeys.  I've had help the first 6 days, but today was the first day I didn't have someone here with me during the day to help with the menial tasks.  I didn't realize how much effort it now took to make myself breakfast, or a snack, or put all my pads on for the air/water machine.  I got winded pretty often.  However, without the walker, eating without standing in front of the fridge would have almost been impossible.

By tomorrow I'll be off the script meds, and I'll take a few OTC ones just to make sure I didn't jump the gun... remember its better to keep the pain under control, then wait til its painful and try to get it to go away.  I really just noticed yesterday that my vision has been kinda blurry, and its hard to read small print.  My eyes have always been 20/15 (for those of you not interested in math, thats better than 20/20).  I did a little google'ing and it seems its either because of the pain meds still in my system or my body's reaction to pain, so basically i'm going to assume its a little of both at this point.  

But in regards to my daily activities, i get winded doing a lot of these things.  I'm trying not to use my op-leg because all movement is still supposed to be passive, and it still worries me to bend over to tie a shoe or put on a compression pad; 1, because its kinda tight, and 2, i'm not sure how much I'm supposed to utilize it.  That being said, my PT stretches are pretty involving, so I guess I shouldn't worry about it too much.  

I have about 8 or 9 PT exercises to do, which feels like an entire workout, and that's only after my first two PT visits.  I can't imagine how many home workouts i'll have once i'm into month 2.  I hate working out, especially at home (because there are so many distractions... well, mostly just the couch) so I'm finding this difficult to get the motivation for, but I know that in order for me to get back on the bike I have to do it, so I'm doing good so far.  

11. Day 6 post op - 1 week doctor visit

So it's been almost a full week since my surgery and I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm doing better than I would have expected after having hip surgery.  Per doctors orders I'll still have the crutches for 3 more weeks, and I'll have to continue wearing the brace when i go out until the 6 week mark, more of  a reminder to take it easy.

I get these waves of nausea in the mornings, when in a car, and just before bed.  I'm not sure if its the medication, but its really very annoying.  I don't mind having to throw up if i need to.  But that lingering feeling of nausea, but not enough to throw up, is worse than vomiting in my book.  I'll have to try and take a benedryl later to calm the effects.  I'm not itchy all over anymore, and I'm guessing in 3 more days I should be off the narcotics and able to start with tylenol/advil/aleve, etc... (not sure if one is better than the other for inflammation or surgeries or whatever, I'll have to do some research on that).

Other than some tightness when i do my 8 PT exercises (had 2 visits so far), I don't really have much pain at all.  A little tenderness by my incisions and deep in my joint when I do deep stretches, but other than that I'm pretty satisfied with the whole situation.  I've read other people's blogs that say they are pain free but then months later pain starts coming back.  I hope that doesn't happen here.

My only concern right now is that my right foot (on operated leg) is always freezing cold, almost to the point its painful.  I've been putting a heating bag on it for the time being.  Today at my 1 week post op visit I didn't see the doctor, only his PA.  He basically just made sure I was keeping up with the brace and the crutches, which I am, and he checked the steri-strips and operation site which all appeared good.  I asked him about my foot and he squeezed my toes and said the blood flow is fine so he wouldn't worry too much about it.  It's getting pretty bad so I'll hook up the heating pad later today and use that for a while.

He did suggest (or order) that I keep the compression sock on for another week, which is getting pretty grungy, but he didn't have any replacements so I guess i'll keep the grungy one on for another week.  I also have to have my wife lift my leg to 90 degrees and slowly rotate the hip joint for 10 minutes, 3 times a day.  She has been a big help so far, but I think i'm starting to push my limit!!

After my appointment I stopped at the store with my mom and daughter and decided that it was finally my turn to take a crack at the electric shopping scooter!  My daughter rode along and we had a great time.  Well it wasn't that spectacular, but it was a new experience that I can cross off my bucket list...

I'm still pretty tired most of the day, and like laying in bed in my CPM machine watching HULU with my ice machine on.  Not sure if I even need the ice machine anymore, but I think its more of a comfort thing already, and it helps me feel relaxed.  I can stop the ice at anytime, but I'm still supposed to wear the air compression cuffs (and probably the hip compression pad) if I'm sleeping or laying around for long periods of time.... so I guess I should have it on all day :)

10. Day 4 post op

I find myself waking up about 3 times a night.  Not in pain,  just waking up.  I set my alarm in the early AM to take a pain pill and my wife changes the ice packs in my cold therapy machine.   Hoping the constipation ends today.  If nothing happens by 1pm I will try a laxative.

On a separate note,  my daughter loves laying in bed watching episode after episode of Caillou on Hulu.  I think we watched 7 in a row last night and we're back at it again this morning.  If I'll miss anything when this is all over it will be moments like this.

I catch myself trying to move my operated leg but usually remember in time that it should be all passive so I switch to my leg grabber/mover (that's the technical term of course).

My wife is back to work today so my mother is over to help me and the munchkin.  I say back to work, but I know she sees it as a break.  The child is an adorable genius with a heart of gold,  but she is her own special kind of tornado.

9:45am: Finally had a small bowel movement,  given the circumstances it was probably the closest thing I've had to a workout in the last week haha.   I sat on the couch for a little while and a rush of nausea came over me,  just as it did last night before going to bed.   I took a zofran then and again now and I'm going to try and nap the nausea away.  Not sure which I dislike more,  pain or the feeling of maybe having to vomit. .. That's a tough one.

Before my surgery, I spoke to co-workers about surgeries they've had, mostly shoulder surgeries, which stemmed from impingement, so I guess kind of the same thing, just in a different part of the body.  I was told about sweating profusely, especially at night, and waking up soaked.  I was not looking forward to that.  However, so far, I havn't had to experience sweating, or burning up or anything like that.  The worst so far is still the nausea. 

5:45pm:  Took my first shower since the surgery.  Holy hell was that refreshing,,,, and a ton of work!  I had help but still, I feel like I was using muscles I didn't know I had.  I could stand on my surgery leg, which my doctor directed me to do when showering and using the bathroom, but I still tried to not rely on it in case it gave out for some reason.  I took my bandages off, leaving the steri-strips (per doctors orders) and it just feels good to let everything air out.  I'll put my compression sock back on, but for now, time to let things air out.

9. Day 3 post op

Woke up normal this morning and still feel pretty much the same, no sudden pains or aches.  My itching was a little crazy when I awoke, so I took a benedryl. Not sure if it took care of the itching, but i've napped for 4 hours so far today (in comparison to zero naps the first 2 days).  Since I can't tell if I'm itching while i'm sleeping, I guess it worked haha.

I'm being stubborn to the extent I'm trying to lift my leg in and out of bed by myself (using the leg lift rope I got from therapy, not using my muscles).  My daughter is great for the most part, but is tough to put to sleep, so last night I hobbled into her room after she was screaming for me.  Luckily she went down for a nap today pretty easily, and I fell asleep as well, so my wife was able to get a nice little break from all of us (even the hyper dog).

Today is going to be the first full day without the Oxy's, which had me worried up to this point, but so far the Hydro's are taking care of the pain.  From what I've heard from others regarding orthopedic surgery in general, as well as the post-op instructions, is don't try and ween yourself off the pain killers too soon, because once you let it get to the point where the pain hurts, its hard to bring it back down.  On the flip side, I want to get off these pill as soon as possible as to avoid any sort of dependency, so I have to be careful when I start to ween myself.   Instead of one every four hours, I'll do every 5 today,  then every 6 tomorrow.  I can always go backwards if needed.


The way I've been doing my PT at home starts with an hour or so on my CPM machine to "loosen me up."  Then I do a 1 minute walk on crutches around my small living room.  I'm careful to try and keep only 20lbs flat foot, but its hard for me gauge.  Then I do my PT which is 3 times a day and only takes about 3 or 4 minutes to do.  Then I put the ice machine on and relax.  The incision sight is still a little bruised, which it wasn't the first day, but the swelling is gone.  My hip area still feels funny to the touch but nothing horrendous.

Here's a pic of the bruising,  hopefully it starts to go away. ...

Just to update my bowel situation,  no movement yet as of 2pm.  2 more glasses of prune juice,  so between yesterday and today I think I'm up to 6 or 7 glasses... yuck!

In one of my first posts I mentioned that its a bad idea to watch youtube videos of the surgery pre-op, but I decided to pull a couple up with my wife last night.  I'm sure there is some finesse, but man, it looks rough lol.  Not only that, but I think I only understood about 2 words out of the 20 minute video, which is obviously my lack of a medical degree.

8. Day 2 post op

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I'll update this as the day goes on,  something tells me i'll have some time :)

AM:  just woke up.  A little stiff this morning.  About an hour before I actually woke up my hip was super stiff so I rolled onto my good hip and slept on my side for an hour and it seemed to help a bit.   I notice my leg weighs less and isn't so full of water;  even to the touch it doesn't feel like a water balloon anymore.   I jumped right into the CPM after using the bathroom and then I'll do my PT once the CPM loosens me up.   The doc said 3 to 4 hours a day or up to 6 hours.  I'm trying to use it quite a bit, it feels so good!!!!

Please leave a comment below and let me know if you were given a Continuous Passive Motion machine for home and/or cold water therapy machine.  I'm curious as to how doctors methods differ around the world!

PM:  everything is still the same.  It still feels good to get up and walk around,  even though the crutches are killing my arm pits.  I just like stretching my legs and my bad leg too.    I have noticed that I'm starting to itch all over.  No change in meds,  but my upper arms and calves are itching the worst,  my groin a little and thighs.  The incision sights are fine,  they don't itch a bit.

I said I would keep things real, so I may as well mention that I've been urinating on my own and pretty frequently, however, I still havn't had a bowel movement for over 48 hours.  I've had a few glasses of prune juice (gross) but hopefully tonight I will be able to use the restroom.  I don't feel constipated or anything along those lines, I just don't have to go.

Well I've spent the last 3 hours in bed with my daughter watching cartoons on our laptop so it's been a pretty good day overall!  Off to bed soon, as soon as I give myself a makeshift bath (wipe down).

Tonight is my last of 5 oxys after the surgery so we shall see if the pain changes tomorrow.

7. Day 1 Post Op

Again, overall, its a lot better than I thought it would be.  My hip feels stiff, and my leg is starting to wear off the nerve blocker.  I still have the air/water pads on which I had to change the ice about every 6 or 8 hours, as long as the water was cold in the machine it was fine.  The compression on my calves felt good, and believe it or not, the compression on my hip feels good too.

My leg has about 2 liters of water in it from the surgery, so it looks and feels huge.  It actually feels like a water balloon.  I should absorb or urinate out the extra water in 2 days or so.

I just got back from my first Physical Therapy appointment, less than 24 hours after my surgery.  Getting in and out of the car is somewhat difficult, but ok with help.  We didn't do much which is what I expected. They gave me 3 exercises to do 3 times a day at home.  Foot tilts and pelvic raises basically.  Nothing extreme.  It hurts to sit in a chair straight up (my top and bottom half at 90 degree angle) and I was noticing some more tenderness/pain in my groin area when I first got there.  If I slouch even a little bit, then its ok.  I really was scared to death about sitting on a toilet, even to the point I bought one of those 4 inch raised toilet seats the day before my surgery.  I haven't had a bowl movement yet and i probably wouldn't NEED it, but I'm still glad I got it because it will help.  We didn't do enough movement at therapy to cause any pain and for the first month I'll only be in therapy for one time a week.

Now as I write this I'm at home back in my CPM machine and wrapped up in my ice/compression wraps.  My doctors assistant called earlier to check up on me and let me know that it is normal for the swelling to increase tomorrow or the next day.

Walking with crutches seems pretty easy, though its awkward because of the hip brace sticking out so far.  I have noticed the brace really is for aesthetics as it doesn't prevent much movement, if any.  The doctor even said it's more of a reminder for me and others that I've had surgery and don't do anything crazy.

About to finish of the night.  I haven't been all that tired,  not bored yet,  and my 2 yr old has been awesome and super careful around me so I'm glad for that,  and I can't forget about my wife who is catering to my every need (even more than before the surgery).  My mom is also our sitter so when my wife returns to work I will still have plenty of help.  I'm blessed to have my family around to help,  I really couldn't imagine having to do this alone... It would be impossible.  

Before I actually go to sleep I'll do my PT exercises one more time,  another 30 minutes on the CPM,  then off to bed!

6. The Surgery

Keep in mind this was my first surgery ever, though I've been put under before, I've never been cut open.

Surgery was scheduled in the afternoon.  Its about a 2 hour drive so the drive home was what worried me, but I figured i'd be knocked out for most of it.  On the way there we stopped and purchased a walker, the kind with wheels, just to help me around the house after the first couple days.  I mostly wanted this because it had a little chair on it and a basket.... its not easy to carry things when on crutches.

We got to the surgery center about 30 minutes early but they got us started right way.  This was a surgery center in an office building so needless to say I wasn't used to that.  The nurses reassured me it was more efficient than a hospital, and I guess I had no issues to complain of.  They took me back to the pre-op/post-op room (Emergency Room setting) and I got into my gown and the doctor came out to mark my leg.  Gave me a quick synopsis and off he went.  The anesthesiologist was next, put her mark on my leg, and she stayed around a bit.  She asked if I wanted the nerve blocker for my leg... Of course i wanted it!!  It took about 30 minutes to set in, but when it did, my leg felt like it weighed 100 pounds when I tried to lift it.

Another nurse came over to check the paperwork or do whatever, she lifted my gown and saw the markings.  She then read the procedures to me to make sure they were doing the right things.  I had to have a little fun..... When she read off "Right Hip...", I said no no no, its my left hip.  The look on her face was priceless.  I quickly told her I was only joking.  The other nurses chuckled so it was all in good fun.

There was a 12 year old girl next to me who just had the same surgery and she wasn't crying or anything so that was a little sign of hope that it wasn't too bad.  She was talking and everything and went home before I went in for surgery.

My family came back to see me briefly and off I went into the operating room.  I was nervous but I didn't have the nervous breakdown I expected.  I honestly think it had a lot to do with Dr. Birmingham making it seem like not such a big deal.  This is where choosing your doctor is important, if you have a bad gut feeling about a doctor, GET A DIFFERENT ONE, and don't worry about making one doctor feel bad.  They have a million more patients where you came from, so do it for yourself!!  The anesthesiologist told me goodnight and I was out.  Next thing I knew my family was standing over me and said, "About time you woke up, you've been sleeping forever."

One of my biggest fears was waking up in excruciating pain, which honestly wasn't really the case at all.  It felt weird, but I didn't even really say "ow."  It was stiff of course and couldn't move it because of the nerve blocker.  The nurse brought me some graham crackers and I remember saying "before you told me you had cookies, what are these?"  She laughed and got me some cookies.  Just before leaving she asked if I wanted anything, water, apple juice, grape juice, etc... I asked for apple juice, she handed me a water.... I wasn't really thirsty so it matter either way.  That would have been the only problem I had, which isn't a problem at all, but I said this would be an unbiased blog, so there it is.

I went home and i immediately wanted to get started on my CPM machine to get my leg moving.  The 2 hour ride wasn't bad, but we had to stop at Walgreens to fill my scripts, so that was an extra 30 minutes and my leg was starting to get really really stiff.  I put my cold therapy machine on and jumped into the CPM machine (figuratively speaking of course) and it felt good.  I was to use the CPM for 3 - 6 hours a day, about an hour at a time.  The water therapy was as needed and air compression was anytime I was sitting for a long time, especially at night.

After an hour in the CPM, it was placed on the floor. I started my pill regiment and kept the cold water/air on all night.  Overall it was going a lot better than i thought up to this point.

5. Pre-Surgery

My surgery was scheduled on a Thursday.  The Tuesday prior is when i scheduled the medical equipment people to come out to my home and give me the items my doctor ordered.

He ordered:  Crutches, CPM machine (continuous passive motion), a "game ready" cold water therapy machine, and a hip brace.  The doctor told me that generally insurance won't cover the cold water therapy machine.  When the equipment company called the first time, I asked them the same question and they said sometimes insurance won't cover it but they would let me know.  So the day before my appointment to have the equipment dropped off I called my insurance company.  They said everything was approved except the Water Therapy machine.  They also warned me that some companies may get "shady" when dropping off the items...

So they arrived and as the woman was setting up the cold water machine I asked her if Insurance had agreed to cover everything.  She said that they should because they said that they would.  I then said, "Good, I just wanted to make sure that I would not be paying anything."  She said, "Well they said they should, but worse case we would give you at the patient cost of $325."  I thought this was very shady indeed.  That being said, I anticipate paying the $325 because i'd rather have the machine than not, but I will give it a slight fight when the bill comes (since my paperwork said patient responsibility was $0.)  But that will be when the time comes, for now, i'm glad I have it.  This water therapy machine (Cothera V Pulse) is also a Compression machine to prevent blood clots from sitting around so long, so I'm very glad I have it..... (and while writing this the day after surgery, I'M SUPER GLAD I HAVE IT!!!!)

She set up the CPM machine which was pretty simple.  The water machine has 3 wraps.  One for my hip which has water and air, and one for each calf with only air.  (Air = compression).  While i have help at home, when she was putting all this stuff on me, all i could think was, "There is no way in hell I will be able to do all this after surgery."  It wasn't that it was difficult, just that I would have to bending down and I thought I wouldn't be able to bend at all... (now, after the surgery, if I had to do it myself I could, but until I HAVE TO do it alone, i'll use my helpers!)

4. Choosing a Surgeon

I saw 3 different orthopedic surgeons.  The first was Joseph Schwabb in Milwaukee, referred by my doctor.  My first impression was he was a real nice guy, and didn't seem like he was in a hurry.  He said he did the "mini-open" version of the FAI surgery, but not full arthroscopic.  With the way science has progressed, I wanted to have it done arthroscopically.  And this would help keep the scars to a minimum and would be less invasive.  So this doctor wasn't really an option for my needs. 

Doing some research online and reading other blogs, my next stop was Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph in Chicago, a partner of Dr. Shane Nho.  He was listed as one of the Chicago Bulls' doctors, and had a very extensive history.  My first impression was that he was too busy to meet with his patients.  He had 4 or 5 other people with him (his assistant, an intern, a high school kid and a college kid which they were doing for experience or school credits or whatever) which was fine I guess.  I just felt rushed.  All my questions were answered with quick answers and i felt that he was getting frustrated with every new question I had.  I'm a thinker, so I have lots of questions.  After I left, I had some more questions so I emailed his assistant, which he answered, but finished it up with "if you have more questions, please schedule an appointment."  This didn't sit well with me.... on to the next.  (I'm in no way saying he is not a good or great surgeon, I just didn't have the best experience)

My third doctor was Dr. Patrick Birmingham, also out of Chicago.  He was listed as one of the Chicago Bears' doctors and also appeared to have extensive experience.  My first impression.... awesome guy!  I had to have asked at least 30 questions, and NOT ONCE did I feel like I was ruining his day.  All his answers were thorough and he was just a great all around guy. Not sure if he was the only one that noticed it, but he was the only one that mentioned I had pincer impingement as well (on the pelvis), the others just mentioned the CAM impingement.  And, he was the only one that mentioned he would be popping my leg out of the hip in order to get anything on the inside.  Admittedly, this scared the hell out of me; I mean, I can hang upside down by my feet, so thinking about the pressure it takes to pull it out of the socket worried me a little...  Not sure if the others were going to do the things they didn't mention, but this is why it helps to shop around, they may not even have noticed.

After I left, as one would expect, I had even more questions.  I emailed the assistant, over and over and over, and I always got an immediate response usually within the day.  Based on my overall experience, it was time to schedule my surgery. 

Dr. Patrick Birmingham

NOTE:  From the research I've done online, it is always recommended that you ask your doctor how many FAI surgeries they do each year.  I didn't ask the first two, but Dr. Birmingham said he did about 3 to 5 week (if i remember correctly) so that comes out to hundreds a year.  He said this is the most common surgery he does.

3. Diagnosis

I finally decided to go see a doctor.  I skipped my hometown doctor and went straight to a Sports Medicine doctor at one of Wisconsin's Medical College's.  She tried some hip movements and eventually decided to start me on therapy to see if that would help.  I did 4 or 6 weeks of therapy (1x week at facility, along with home exercises) and it didn't help.  Some of the stretches felt good, but didn't help the overall problem.  She asked if I could sit cross legged (Indian style) and I told her that I haven't been able to do that my whole life, and here I thought I was just not flexible.

The doc then gave me a temporary numbing injection into the labrum after checking with an ultrasound.  It helped.  

The next step was an MRI.  The MRI showed CAM and PINCER impingement and labrel tearing.  So there it was, I had FAI.  My next step was finding a surgeon.

Sorry for being so brief, I'm not great with technical terms, but I'm sure most people aren't, so maybe this blog will be a breath of fresh air!

2. The Injury

I started to put on some pounds and was up to about 220.  I've lost weight before, then I gain it, then lose it, then gain it.  Its hard on my body I'm sure, but I love food!!  So back in November 2012 I bought a spin bike (indoor bike) and along with 45 minute youtube video workouts, I hit it hard.  I lost about 20 pounds in 2 months and IT WAS FUN!!  Finally, and exercise routine that I actually enjoyed.  

By the way, I hate the gym.  About 3 months into it I started to feel sore in my right groin after a workout.  I took a day or two off, then tried it again.  During the workout it was fine, but afterwards it was sore.  I did this off an on for a week or two, then I took a month off and tried it again.  Same result. 

I had a constant pain but it wasn't terrible, but enough to the point that it was very annoying.  It almost felt as if I took 2 fingers and pushed them into my groin and held them there.  I could do normal activities generally fine, but long periods of sitting or standing would aggravate it.  Sitting in a car or on an office chair was probably giving me the most discomfort.  I never did get a cortisone shot just because I didn't want to.  

Sypmtom I've had my whole life, but thought it was me just not being flexible:  If i sat on a chair with my legs out in front of me, and I would bend forward, I could only go about half way until feeling a "block" if you will, and a pinching pain.  If i swung my right leg out to the side but left my left leg in front, I could go all the way forward. 

The internet is a beast when learning about surgery and people's experiences.  My injury, i feel, was quite simple.  I caught it right away and stopped doing what caused it.  Most people online have different injuries to different extents.  My FAI is not the same as your FAI, so always keep that in mind.  Also, everyone doesn't follow rehab properly or take the necessary steps, but they will never tell you that in their blog.  I agree some people may just have a bad surgery or bad luck, but again, trying to decipher which it was is impossible for someone reading a post online to do.

1. About Me and my blog - Please read first!!!!

This is my first blog ever, so please bear with me!! While doing research about FAI I saw a lot of posts about how terrible the surgery experience was and how terrible things were altogether.  I also realize that most people don't post online unless they're complaining.  I thought I'd start this from day 1 of surgery, so it would be unbiased.  I'll try and keep it updated, but forgive me if I lag behind.  The main purpose for this blog is to help others so that they can know more of what to expect during and after the surgery and to keep the anxious feelings to a minimum.  I know it's easy to have a nervous breakdown,  especially for things as serious as surgery,  so I hope that I can help put your mind at ease (depending on how everything goes).

If this blog helps you in any way,  please leave a comment as I'd love to hear about it and I'd love to know if this blog helps even one person or their mind at ease.

Now to get to know me.  I'm a 28 year old guy, and I love being outside.  I enjoy my job, and the people I work with.  Because of my job I'm not sure yet how long I will be off.   I have a toddler at home so being able to spend time with her once i'm walking about will be a good change of pace, but I know eventually I will be itching to get back to work.

My biggest fear was that this surgery would leave me worse off then I was with the original injury and not be able to return to my job.  I watched a video on youtube of the actual surgery, and realized that was a bad idea... whatever you do (if you are squeamish or not) do not watch it...  You really don't want to see what they do, it appears that there is no finesse at all.