Ta-Da Recovery

Since this was my first surgical experience, I tried to take good notes in hopes of passing along some cool information regarding expectations.  Well, as I mentioned in previous posts, I was pretty nervous about anesthesia (being put under) during surgery.  I still was heading into the surgery.  However, as it turns out, the doctors and nurses are sneaky with that stuff.

Prior to the surgery itself, the hospital called to get all of my health history and to make sure I was ready to go on surgery day.  The phone call lasted about 20 minutes and the woman on the phone was very nice.

On the day of the surgery, I got ready to arrive at the hospital about 2 hours early and then I received a phone call.  I was to arrive at 815a, but they called and said I could go earlier, so already, here we go - heading into the unknown a bit sooner!  Expect the unexpected!

Fine with me. The sooner the surgery, the sooner I get home.  So, we headed in to Duke Raleigh early.

When I arrived, I didn't have to wait long to be admitted since my doctor was ready to go!  Even better. Waiting rooms are not fun - let's be honest.

So I met with the admission person, sat down to be paged and 5 minutes later I was taken to the back to be prepped for surgery. Again, we are moving right along, which meant less time for me to be anxious and to be with my own thoughts of stress.

Kim came back with me to meet with the nurse. This is a good thing. If you can help it, have someone there with you who knows some things and who can listen well. There are a lot of thoughts swirling around and it's hard to listen to pre-op and post-op instructions, let alone remember them later.  For the most part I remember what was said, but the little things can be caught by your loved one or questions asked that maybe you didn't think of for one reason or another - in my case, I was just waiting for them to tell me how I was going to be put to sleep and how I was going to breath during the surgery.

At this time I also found out I was going to get a nerve block and a breathing tube. Alright, it's really happening.

The nurse got my main line started to administer saline and "happy medicine." The happy medicine was the sneaky part.  The anesthesiologist came in to mark my back for the nerve block.  As he was doing that, the nurse snuck that sleepy medicine in and after that, I don't remember anything until I woke up after the surgery and I heard "everything went well."

Apparently the nurse asked me if I had any removable teeth (this was I am sure so that they could get the tracheal breathing tube down my throat for me to breath during surgery).  I replied, "I have all of my teeth because I never played hockey."  Kim told me I was trying to make a joke. I don't remember saying that or having the question asked.  Sneaky, sneaky medicine! At least I didn't say anything off the wall.

Post-op, I waited in the back recovery area for about an hour - this is required. During that time, I slowly woke up and chatted.  I can't remember all of the conversation with the nurses, but they were all very nice.  I didn't speak with the doctor after the surgery. I have an appointment with him on May 6.  Kim and my parents were shown some photos of the surgery and told what he did. I don't think they caught all of what he said.  However, he did have to shave more from the hip bone than he thought, about 6 mm during surgery. He cleaned up the area and talked about some arthritis in there.  I will share more information from what happened when I meet with him.  I was told to schedule the follow-up 10-14 days post-op.

Then I was moved to the other post-op area where Kim and my parents could come and see me.  Here is what I learned... I get very very nauseous when being wheeled around after waking up from anesthesia.  No vomiting, but wow! I was so dizzy and ready to vomit. Never did... but WOW... not cool.  I had the nurses worried for sure.  This occurred after being wheeled from one area to another, then being moved from the bed to the wheelchair and from the wheelchair to the area where the car would pick me up.  Just wow. I don't care to relive that for awhile.

Anyway, the recovery has been going well.  Two days of bed rest.  I was given an ice cooler, stim machine, crutches and some pain meds.  All of them have been put to use.  No major pain, just abdominal discomfort. Partly from the 300 sit-ups I did on Tuesday before the surgery and partly from the pain meds which cause some intestinal back-up if you know what I mean. This issue has somewhat subsided, but is still not awesome.  It's pretty much a given that this will happen - so I was told.

The nerve block stuck for the first two days and is still a little present.  The first night I was awake every hour... no kidding every hour. I think I slept about 3-4 hours total the first two days after surgery. I could only sleep about 15-20 minutes a clip.

Although, the medication I am on, who knew you could feel like you really don't need sleep and that you have to force yourself to close your eyes.  No wonder addicts are addicted.

I forced my eyes closed on several occasions. Sleep is important for recovery.  Since then however, I still have to wake up every 4 hours to take meds. Not a big deal. I am now sleeping between those alarms.

I am very grateful to have Kim with me.  Kim has been awesome.  She has provided any help I have needed and reminded me to not sit forward to allow for less than 90 degrees in my hip. She has gone out to get any drinks, food, etc. I need to feel as best as I can.  There is a lot you can't do when you aren't supposed to lift your leg.  Sounds like a simple statement, but try it.  Additionally, the hip is weak and my hip flexor doesn't quite work as well as it did before. I know this will change as it heals and I do some work with it.  I have been doing leg raises and massage work to keep the blood flowing. No need for blood clots here!

Yesterday I decided it would be good for me to get out and go for a ride. It was, but I realized I still get motion sickness. Ride = good; post-ride = not good.

I will however be at the Tank on Saturday to meet all of the Raleigh CrossFitters heading out for my favorite race of the year - Run For Our Heroes 5k!

Looking forward to seeing everyone and getting back to coaching.

Pre-surgery - before the sleepy drugs.

Dutchess just knew.

To clean up the stitches.

Thank you Rollergirls!

Two incisions for the arthroscopic probe on the left hip.

Thank you Raleigh CrossFit!

Popo stayed with me the entire time I was recovering in bed. Every time I went back to bed, she hopped up there too.

My dad and niece. She wanted to test out my knee brace.

The Time is Now

Well, here we go. Arthroscopic surgery awaits me Wednesday at 10:15a.  The healing will commence immediately after, which is what I am most looking forward to.

After speaking with the doctor/surgeon a few weeks ago, I learned that he will be shaving off approximately 3 mm of my hip bone.  There is a possibility that it could be more, but he won't know for certain until he can dislocate the femur.  Nice right?  Once he shaves the hip bone, he will also clean up the area and reattach the torn labrum.  After those repairs, he will move the leg around (please try not to vomit, because as I type that I am happy I won't be able to feel that dislocated leg moving around - at least until later) to see if the femur bone moves correctly in the joint.  If not, he may need to also trim down the femur.

The surgery is about 45-60 minutes in length depending on how much needs to be repaired.  I should be discharged shortly thereafter and will be home recovering.

I am told I am on bed rest for 2 days and on crutches with no weight bearing on that leg for two weeks. Additionally, I am not supposed to bend the joint beyond 90 degrees for awhile.  Physical therapy will be determined after my post-op appointment with the doctor.

Overall, recovery time is an average of 4-6 months and I should be back to 95%.  I am shooting for better than that of course.

Today, the coaches and I trained together one last time while I am fully (or nearly) mobile.

Here is what we did:

20 cal row
20 Turkish Get-Ups

10x1 Deadlifts until maxed

"Annie" and Backwards "Annie"
50-40-30-20-10, then 10-20-30-40-50
Double Unders
Sit-Ups


It was a good session.  There is a bit of sadness knowing I will miss out on some great sessions with them for awhile.  However, as soon as I am good enough to get around on the crutches I will be back to training and coaching.

I hope to be at the Tank on Saturday to wish you all good luck for the Run For Our Heroes 5k.  It's my favorite race in Raleigh.  I raced with the 94th academy of the Raleigh Police Department in cadence in 2009.  We were the first Raleigh Police Department academy class to run the race and it was an honor to do so in memory of those officers who have sacrificed their lives while serving the City of Raleigh.  I hope you all find as much pride as I do every time I run that route.


Check out this pic from 2009 with Coach Kim!  I know who is in the suit, which is what makes this photo even more enjoyable to see!

Here I am too.  Look to the upper right corner of the pic. You may recognize the guy to my right also :).


I will see you all as soon as possible and know that I will have the coaches and Kim giving me updates on the regular!  Keep training hard.  Seize the opportunity to always give your best.

Acupuncture and Cupping

Needles with electrical stimulation to release pain in my quad.

Yes, I was a skeptic.  I won't pretend that I wasn't.  However, I am always open to listening and trying what some would call "alternative" medicine.

I am happy that I did.  

According to Wikipedia, acupuncture is a collection of procedures, which involves the stimulation of points on the body using a variety of techniques, such as penetrating the skin with needles that are then manipulated manually or by electrical stimulation. 

It is one of the key components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and is among the oldest healing practices in the world. According to the traditional Chinese medicine approach, stimulating specific acupuncture points corrects imbalances in the flow of qi through channels known as meridians. Scientific investigation has not found any histological or physiological correlates for traditional Chinese concepts such as qi, meridians and acupuncture points and some contemporary practitioners needle the body foregoing the traditional Chinese approach.

In addition to the needles and electrical stimulation, I have received "cupping."  It is complimentary to acupuncture and is also part of Chinese medicine.  

Additional notes from Acupuncture Today, in a typical cupping session, glass cups are warmed using a cotton ball or other flammable substance, which is soaked in alcohol, let, then placed inside the cup. Burning a substance inside the cup removes all the oxygen, which creates a vacuum.

In my case, the cup was placed over an expired match so that the smoke could heat the glass.  

As the substance burns, the cup is turned upside-down so that the practitioner can place the cup over a specific area. The vacuum created by the lack of oxygen anchors the cup to the skin and pulls it upward on the inside of the glass as the air inside the jar cools. Drawing up the skin is believed to open up the skin’s pores, which helps to stimulate the flow of blood, balances and realigns the flow of qi, breaks up obstructions, and creates an avenue for toxins to be drawn out of the body.

This is actually my favorite part of the treatment with Ginna at The Remedy Clinic in North Raleigh.  I have had multiple cupping treatments, focusing on the upper and lower back, as well as with soreness and tightness related to my hip labral tear. It is awesome.  

If you feel that you have tried enough massage and active release, electric stimulation and just want to see what else is out there, go see a licensed Acupuncturist and ask about acupuncture and cupping.  I have no other recommendations except to see Ginna, as I have only been treated by her.  

To this date I have had five appointments and plan to have two more before my surgery.  It keeps the pain down and alleviates the extreme soreness.  I believe that if I can keep the swelling down, inflammation minimal, then I can best create a healing environment for post-surgery.  Plus, as selfish as it may sound, I can continue to train and help my body heal because of the training.  It's a "catch 22".  I need to be strong for recovery, but training creates mild pain.  Well, I will take minor pain and a faster recovery please.

Read more about Acupuncture.