Birmingham Hip Resurfacing - Patient Journal

In addition to Burt's thoughts following surgery, make sure to read his 11-month-followup at the bottom of the page.

January 21, 2007

Hello fellow surface hippies. My surgery was on Friday, January 19, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. Very stress free getting checked in and prepped for procedure. I was nervous about all this but it went quite well. The last thing I remember was talking about myself to one of the nurses in the operating room and how I was waking up in the ICU and being asked how I felt. It is a most disorienting feeling waking up and feeling groggy and trying to remember when I went out. (I think the guy administering the local slipped it in to shut me up – just kidding.)

To be expected I was feeling very shaky and in pain on the move up to the nurses’ ward. I spent two days up in the nurses’ ward as all the rest of us hippies have and will. Dr. Felks, nurses and all assistants were great and helpful folks. I hated the morphine drip, it kills the pain ok but the associated malaise and nausea (if you try to eat too much too slow, like I did) is killer.

After less than one day of recovery, I asked to switch to pills and then I did ok after getting my appetite back in place (for good solids eating very slowly and well chewed). I drank a lot of ice water as well as being on the IV caused me to urinate more frequently into the plastic container. Trying to get a full night’s rest seems to be kind of hard in that place between all the background noise of nurses doing there thing, the loudspeaker and being woken up periodically for meds, blood draws and vitals.

My PT session on Saturday was tough but absolutely necessary. Meetings with Renee (once) and John (once) were very positive and beneficial to hear news (good or bad) of how the whole thing went for them and opinions of my physical make-up (and its effective outcome). Overall the surgery and recovery at Meriter was ok for me. My major recommendations are to drink water frequently and try to sleep as much as possible.

The move to Meriter HipHab has been wonderful to say the least. Here I have solitude and the chance to really leave my other life and concentrate on the routine of light PT, drinking water (tons), eating good square meals and reestablishing a normal GI constitution. The two pool sessions were very effective for me and allowed me a chance to meet and discuss the experience with one other BHR recipient. More than two pool sessions would have made the journey tougher though I think, as it tended to tire me out extra afterwards.

Tonight is my last night. It is Wednesday night, January 24. I’m resting and icing my surgical area and massaging it as well. I’m watching the Badger basketball game on cable with my father. I’m feeling pretty good, I think. I feel tired and ready for bed. The Badgers have won in a strong commanding steady lead through most of the game.

Tomorrow I get staples out and a final look by Renee and then head home to continue re-coup there.

Thank you all,
Burt Lindquist

Thoughts in November 2007

I am very happy with my progress since Jan 19, 2007 hip resurface surgery. There was a request for patients to send photos of us doing (back doing) the things we love. In my case they are many outdoor activities that I could not imagine myself not engaged in on a daily basis. Biking, hiking, rock and ice climbing (yes- ice climbing in the midwest), and backpacking.

Attached are a couple of pictures of me ice climbing at 8 weeks in recovery (I took it real slow and easy BUT I WAS OUT ICE CLIMBING at 8 weeks - WOW!) I have attached a couple of picutres of me rock climbing at Devil's Lake in April at the rough 4 month mark in recovery.

In May I rock climbed and hiked extensively at Joshua Tree Nat Monument in Southern California area while on short vacation and visit with daughter and son-in-law. This past week I was on a full week backpacking/alpine rock climbing/and fly fishing adventure in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. I believe I hiked a total of about 60 miles on this trip (32 miles of it carrying a quite heavy 50 pound backpack). Also managed to get to the summit of a couple of difficult 12,000 plus summits in the area via hard technical rock climbs.

On top of all this I have managed to put over a thousand miles each on both my road bike and mountain bike since about last March. (I ride my bike to work and home daily.) Needless to say I am very happy with my progress of recovery since the Hip Resurface. Great!

Burt Lindquist 

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12/6/2007

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