Have Cape Will Travel!

I have just spent a week in the Lake District.

Travelling with a dodgy hip makes for an interesting time when going into an area of natural beauty with mountains and mud. In nature there are hills, stones, steps and not many bust stops which can make it tough to make it an enjoyable time. But we had a plan!

We had a car and a lot of tramadol. We had a small list of things we wanted to do and as it is late November in the UK the days are short. This meant we could keep our days at manageable length by trying to returning back to our holiday home before dark.

The other part of the plan was to take strong pain killers and hope I did not buy all the shiny things and also  not do too much and make sure what we did was accessible. Mr Gin said he would rather a slightly drugged me than me being in pain. I took this on board , I don’t like the feeling of being on tramadol and there was one point I felt like my brain had shrunk and I could feel a breeze  between my brain and skull, not very nice. It did mean I could walk further and we did something every day. And most of it involved some walking, generally I rested in the evening and in the mornings not too much pain to deal with! Mr Gin was a trooper and had to explain to some shop keepers as I lost track of my thought’s and found money a little tricky at time. Oddly I found dealing with my camera generally fine. I used my cane outside all the time and found most people aware off it and got out of my way which helped too.

A couple of places that deserve mention for their amazing accessibility and views as, for me, most of the views were out of my reach with the walking.  The first was  Force , an amazing water fall in the Pennines. The walk was a wide gravelled path, a little steep at the beginning that would be a challenge for wheel chairs coming back. For me it was very comfortable, and it was only at the falls I skipped the short flight if steps to the river side. The views all the way were stunning and not going down the stair did not mean I felt I was missing out!  Brilliant.

The old railway line walk in Keswick was also lovely, it was a little muddy and stout boots would be advisable. The bridges were well constructed and had anti slip bits. It is part of a bike trail to the coast there were no steps. The general feel was tranquil and well used with lots tourists and visitors using it, from bike riders, joggers, older walkers and lots of dogs using the trail. We were assured there was good coffee at the end.

We visited Beatrix Potter’s Cottage, the house is generally not open and I suspect would be very much an old building with the standard issue winding stairs and narrow doorways and tight interiors. The original cobbled path was a challenge but we did find an asphalt path which was much easier to navigate.  There were some steps into the main building but I think there was a way around this. The cottage is run by the National trust and the staff were super helpful.

Castlerigg stone circle was amazing to visit, located in a field there was a little bit of a sort ground issue and if you were on your own the self-closing gated could be a challenge. We parked right outside and just crossed the road to get in. At the entrance there was a bronze plate with the relief casting of the circle for those with vision loss. The hill was a little steep and the grass deep but I got up the hill to be greeted with the most magnificent view. Just breath taking. The circle was lovely and the view stunning. Had it been any wetter I figure the grass would be mud but certainly accessible.

A lot of the Lake District towns are old and therefore have the standard issues of steps and generally getting into places. In general we did not find many places with toilets down stairs or upstairs like you do in London. Most of the pavements were well cared for but of course there were places there was no pavement and you had to go onto the road. Most of the curbs were low and dropped in many places.

Finally the most wonderful thing was it was possible to get to parts of the lakes and drink in the views and even driving around in the car the views were stunning.

With the all the planning and work arounds we had a great time, but so will be back when I can climb some mountains. 

An entertaining nights viewing, possibly.

As part of my pack of information I received a DVD of patient information.
This is produced by the Elective Orthopaedic Centre (OCE) out in the wilds of Epsom. It is a practical video, moving through all the stages of the hospital stay and beyond.

There were lots of talking heads, generally the head of the division that they represented. They do 5000 procedures a year. And are world leaders. The wards look clean and modern and they have some strict suggestions for pre-operation, including a visit to the dentist and a flu jab. Both of these I'm going to try to chase down. They have low rates of infections for good reasons. They also want people to cut back on the booze, this could be harder than finding a NHS dentist appointment in December!

There were no real surprises, I have read all the pamphlets they sent. I suspect we are going to need a sexy toilet seat for the first little while and carry a firm cushion for the tube and other sitting experiences. I am currently looking at options to decorate the compression stockings.
It was validating to see my stick my leg out behind me yoga pose for picking up items is a "hip safe" effort. I would like to see what they make of my broken crane yoga wobbling pose I use for putting on my socks.

The patients show were generally old except for the young man in suit trousers and shirt, I think they found him by advertising for a job and filmed the interview. Mind the surgeon speaking to him was in his scrubs and frankly had such an odd head covering we thought he may have been a Dr Who extra.
I learnt there was a colour code with the nursing staff but sadly it was not traffic light colours.

They educated about correct use of crutches and canes, no martial arts involved with that, frankly, again disappointed. I am seriously thinking about inventing a walking stick martial art. They showed a walking frame too, ye olde zimmer frame, still not as cool as the walking frame I had when I was six. It I have to use one of those in the real world I will be adding flames and go faster stripes.

There was a brief moment I thought they we going to talk about post op sex, something I interested in and I am lead to believe is Mr Gin. But no, I have to ask for a separate pamphlet for that excitement. To quote a friend it is like, "GO and read the erotic fiction in the tie in book" That's so lame! When I get the pamphlet I will share it with you, I expect it to be very clinical and unimaginative.

There was no operations show, there was even a trigger notice on the cover saying this. I was disappointed, now considering if they ask to film the op, to ask for a copy. A bit gross and morbid but play to your strengths.

So, in short the DVD was entertaining but lacked any gore or adults scenes.

We have a date.

This came in the mail today. It is not a surprise to me, I had been rung to confirm it but I wanted to have it in writing.

So 2016 is the year of the Hip. The year of the S-RON! 21 of January. A Thursday.

I have a lot of pamphlets to read and a DVD, no operations show.  Boo.

If you can read the procedure line on the letter, there is a word in brackets. (Complex) I think I may have to get that tattooed somewhere.

Divorce? Cake walk.

So, the waiting game has continues and managing crunchy hip continues.
This week has been good, I got a massage and it was my first Wednesday working from home. My boss had to be told to chill about it last week, he tends to over complicate matters. The day went well, I got a lot done and felt fairly rested at the end of the day.
The massage seems to help, my whole body is being affected by crunchy, with all the muscles in both legs, back, shoulders tightening. Freeing them gives quite a bit of relief.
The managing and waiting is stressful though. I get frustrated when there is another thing I can not do. Or becomes a struggle. Or requires Tramadol to complete. And everything takes so long! Staying close to home makes life easier but for me makes it more stressful because I miss out on things I like to do.
You see those lists of the most stressful things you can do in life, moving house and divorce being so of the most.
I've done both and divorce is worse than moving house, moving house there are lots of things you can do to make it less stressful. Divorce is horrid, mine was relatively civil with my ex husband wanting to get over with more than being a cock (although that did not stop him being a cock). Due the lack of children the divorce was relatively quick about eight months.
This saga started two years ago but ramped up in the last 12 months. The last six have been tough, a strain on me and my partner. We have moved house in all this too. For me a new job triggered how bad it had got and Mr Gin also got a new job. We really don't do things by halves.

I am trying my best to handle it all and you may think I am a little insane but am finally getting divorced from my second husband. Why in this stressful time? Because a new hip will be a game changer and I would life that a clean slate and also it remove the knotty next of kin issue, Mr Gin is that person, no one else.

Onward and upwards, limping, armed with a cane and damn the stress!

Chasing my tail

The two week deadline has passed for contact from the Elective Orthopedic Centre , no word, not a peep. I'm not surprised but slightly peeved that I'm not surprised.

So, today it will be chasing, chasing the health check date and hopefully a surgery date. Making sure it is Jonathan Hutt doing the cutting. Then chasing my doctor's surgery for a prescription of Naproxen, the drug that seems to be making life much more easier to deal with.

I will also be chasing work, re working from home, as the start date is looming for that. I'm glad that work have finally realised how bad it all is. It took a while, I'm not sure if they thought I should be in tears or something. I've formed the opinion my perception of pain is quite different to the rest of the world. I blame film for this, not all of us go around screaming and wailing. I go ofph, that is it, a small sound as the pain sharpens up. The same pain that reduced me to tears six months ago. The body is amazing. I do get relief, there are times it doesn't hurt but they are getting rarer. The drugs reduce it to a dull ache and the big drug, tramadol, can make the pain go completely.

 I have been helping my women's institute branch organise an early Halloween party.  To get through the evening I took some tramadol, I wore cool boots and divided my time between sitting and standing. It was a good time and I felt great besides the bottom of the barrel feeling of dislocation. My Halloween team and Mr Gin were aware of this and were great in making sure the barrel was not too deep. The evening was a success and I felt as close to the old me as I can get. I am hoping the new hip does this without the bottom of the barrel feeling.
 
My hat goes off to those who have much more pain and manage life.

I hope today I catch my tail.

Our hero battles a panther, Hutt and official old lady status.

Panther.

My morning began with a dropped Naproxen pill and trying to convince our forever hungry black cat that the white pill was not a treat and not fall over picking the damn thing up!

Hutt.

The main job today was to get to St George hospital in Tooting, an hour and half journey of bus, tube, tube and a bit of a walk.
Finding the department was a challenge because I had no letter due to the short notice. I knew who it was to be with and after directions from a helpful volunteer I found my way to the orthopaedic and trauma department. Filled with young people with busted limbs, older people with sticks and a lot of sets of crutches, it was a busy place and I registered my presence via the electronic do hickey instead of queuing and settled in for a long wait.  Ten minutes and my name was called!  Win!
The lovely nurse informed me I had to take myself off to x-ray. I had already sent one in but they wanted more. I walked past the same volunteer and presented my slip to the lady. At that point I was told there would be a two hour wait!  I may not of worn my yoga pants that are helpful for x-rays but I did bring a book. I checked in with Mr Gin, having to leave as there was no signal and then came back in and settled down to read the book.  This was a much better plan that shopping like my first though as I got into four pages in and my name was called. I was about to introduce crunchy the hip to a trainee radiographer and have to wear a hospital gown! Joy!
The x-ray was quite uncomfortable, really odd pose in one of the shots. The radiographer did have a fun time finding bits of pelvis, as they feel peculiar due to bone graft donor sites.
Back to the delightfully named Orthopaedics and Trauma clinic. Again ready for a wait. Again, not much of one.
The person who called me was not Phillip Mitchell, he introduced himself as Mr Hutt. No a good start. It turns out Mr Hutt has a special interest in younger hip issue patients with a focus on people like myself with complications of childhood surgery.  He seemed very interested and was surprised that I had early x-rays with me.We did a history. Then moved to why I made sure I wore sensible underwear. He called for a hospital gown, I know from experience that this is a fiddly way to do these exams. Clear view of the legs and pelvis helps the doctor and I have done it so much of this, I am not fussed about gowns. So, I walked the hobbly walk. Scored my hyper-mobility, 8/9. Then the pulling, twisting and bending and making me go ouch. He also checked the scar on the side of my thigh, he said they could excise the scar and extend it.
Trousers on and a long talk about the complications that could occur. One of the more worrying ones is a possibility of doing damage to my sciatic nerve.  Apparently with the amount of surgery I have had there is a possibility the nerve is not in the normal location and could be close to the surgery site, and permanent damage done. A surprising thing is my right leg could end up longer than my left!
The short outcome is the hip is full of arthritis and there is no joint space left in the hip, it is worn out. I could either leave it and carry on or get a hip replacement.

And this is the metal:  https://www.depuysynthes.com/hcp/hip/products/qs/S-ROM-Modular-Hip-System

I have said yes to this, it is needful, I am not going to be able to live like this much longer, I want my life back.  It will take 6 to 12 months to recover. Younger hip replacement recipients struggle with recovery because of the lack of feedback through the joint. I am not sure I have had much feedback besides pain!  So, 2016 is the year of the new hip. No marathons but still good.

And it will be done by Jonathan Hutt, because as a younger surgeon, he will be around to do the left and right revision.  Also, he was not offended when I was very hesitant about him and said I could swap surgeons if I wanted. I also had a good vibe from him, he is my age and understands why I'm all about wanting my life back. And with some luck, I won't call him Jabba.

Old Lady Status.

I now own slip on Sketcher shoes, Old lady shoes but ones I can put on myself!

Thank you Mr Gin for helping me through today.

Slow, slow, lightening fast.

Friday afternoon was a touch stressful, I got a phone call from Central Booking at St Georges, offering me an appointment to see a consultant on Monday morning.

It seems that the email to PALS worked, but I had no idea it would be that short notice.

Sadly it is not with the surgeon I originally asked for but it is with Phillip Mitchell, he has written lots of papers on the 'nitty gritty' aspects of replacements, he also seems to have a reputation for taking on complicated cases and ones that other surgeons won't touch.  I am pleased with this, because although my hip is very odd and looks like it was built by a blind plaster, it is not a complete mess, nor shattered and not a result of other trauma. The other thing is that he does almost double the national average hip replacements. As long as he or Mr Bridle are doing the surgery, I will be happy.  (He is also younger and does a lot revision work and maybe still working when the left finally goes.)

I have a long list of questions, I am EXTREMELY nervous. I am doing this initial consultation solo. I am making sure I wear sensible underwear, because no doubt, sans trousers hobbling and scar looking will be needed.

*gulp*