Post-op nightmare, wishing I never had surgery
36F, 30 days post-op, 8mm full-thickness labral repair and femoroplasty.
I wish my protocol had been to stay on crutches completely for at least two weeks post-op. I see now that my surgeon is liberal in the mindset of “you can’t mess up your surgery.” This is a renowned surgeon at a metropolitan university hospital in the U.S.
My protocol was to weight bear as soon as I wanted and start PT 3-5 days post op. The care team assured me that anything I do would just be a pain tolerance thing and couldn’t screw up the repair. No running up mountains, of course, but do whatever I want.
I was off crutches on Day 3 and PTing at home every day thereafter. Day 5 I walked four miles for fun. I was feeling good other than mild aching. Day 12 arrives and I have my first PT appointment. Mind you, the PT I had been rehabbing the injury with the last several months quit and so I had to begin from scratch with someone new at a different facility. The new therapist is fresh out of college and tells me in the evaluation to do a deep squat. I told him absolutely not. As the session wears on, he’s having me do all sorts of single leg weight bearing stuff on my operated hip. Red flag city. Next day I wake up in excruciating pain and things have been going downhill since then.
I had an emergency virtual consult with my surgeon as I live 3,000 miles from him. He ordered X-rays, and told me to go back to bed rest & full crutches for the next two weeks. He gets the xray back and calls me at 10pm from his personal cell: “I need you to go to the ER and get a CT scan right now. I believe you’ve broken your hip.” CT scan comes back negative for broken hip, thank god. But what a roller coaster. Now I’m awaiting the final step, an MRI in mid-July to complete the story.
I’m in the middle of bed rest and the pain is so much worse than it ever was prior to surgery. I’ve been reading the stories on Reddit about failed surgeries and never returning to once-beloved sports/activities. This seems more than a “flare up.” It throbs and twisting even a centimeter the wrong way sends me doubled over in pain.
I cannot afford for this surgery to have messed me up forever. My job is completely physical and my happiness depends on biking, running, hockey, and yoga.
Am I screwed up forever? I’m so scared - it wasn’t supposed to go this way.