Hip Cruiser DX

In the hospital they had a basic aluminum walker for me to use. I use to have one at the dojo just like it; four legs, place it in front of you and step forward, pick it up and more it forward again.

Fred and John loaned me a really cool rolling walker, a Nova Cruiser DX model 4202 blue.

The shuffle style is OK when you are putting a lot of weight on the device and moving slowly but by day 3 it was to cumbersome for me. The Cruiser rolls along with fingertip control so it doesn't slow you down when you start booking.

The front wheels piviot 360° while the in-line rear wheels have individual hand brakes.

The brakes work like bicycle brakes, squeeze gently to apply, squeeze hard to lock. In addtion you can push down on the handle and set the parking brake so she wont roll away.

When I first started walking this week I felt like an old lady shuffling around the hospital. Now with the rolling walker I feel like I am an athlete recovering from a good sports injury.

Settling in after surgery

Settling in after surgery went well. Sharon was great as usual. She anticipated my needs and is always looking for ways to make me comfortable.

Here are a some specifics that we did, hope others will find it helpful.

• Joined Facebook to keep friends and family informed. Unexpected benefit of support and love from everyone.
• Used the iPhone to listen to podcasts, Origin of Species, played Bejeweled, research the drugs they were giving me.
• iPhone alarm set to tell us when the medications are to be administered. (Sharon's cell phone bell was way harsh in the middle of the night, switched to iPhone.)
• Clipboard to record/log medical events.
• Record blood pressure every morning
• Record pain level at each medical event.
• Weight each morning.
• New bed with grip-able headboard facilitates moving in bed. I can push and put and lift my body quite easily. The bed is farely high so I don't have far to go from sitting on the edge of the bed to standing, not an issue lowering myself onto the bed. In the hospital it was work to stand up.
• Moved the furniture in the dining room and music room into the middle so that I can walk a figure eight track without having to stop or turn corners.
• Sleeping flat on my back is comfortable! What a pleasure to be able to lay in bed for hours on end without the incursion of pain and discomfort.
• Dean has been sleeping between my leg so I will not need a big foam triangle.
• Removed all the rugs because they want you to minimize tripping hazards. I like them up because now I can walk from room to room with my kick-ass walker without having to navigate speed bumps.

Blogging the hip surgery

I expect that the first couple of weeks after the surgery it will not be practical to sit at my computer for extended periods. However, I think I will be able to sit in the command chair just fine.

In order to keep my friends and family updated on my progress I will be blogging the experience here under the keyword/label "hip".

And this required me to buy a keyboard for the PlayStation 3. I am using the new keyboard to write this entry. So much more user friendly (doable) then using the game controller to select letters.

Need to find out the capabilities of the PS3 browser. I stumbled onto the copy text feature but haven't figured out the past text feature :(

THR videos

This total hip replacement (THR) video (Rated PG-13) talks about the procedure I am having done; Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement, Anterior Approach.

If you want to watch an actual surgery I think this video by Dr. Stefan Kreuzer, MD might be for you (I don't want to watch this kind of thing myself ). Or this a live Internet web cast on November 20, 2008, Daniel Gannon, M.D., performed a direct Anterior Approach total hip arthroplasty (THA) with the Tri-Lock® Bone Preservation Hip Stem.

Muscle-Sparing Surgical Table

OSI Pro-FX Surgical Table Makes Minimally Invasive Hip Surgery Possible

Muscle-sparing hip replacement surgery designed to diminish post-operative pain and shorten recuperation time. The OSI Pro FX surgical table - an addition to the health system's surgical suite that makes possible the minimally invasive, muscle-sparing hip replacement surgery.

The Pro Fx Hip and Knee Arthoplasty Table table is the only surgical table designed exclusively for hip and knee arthoplasty. This table was designed not only for anterior hip replacement surgery but also for spine and other orthopedic surgeries as well as cardiovascular surgeries.

With a unique capability to position the leg, the table allows the surgeon to replace the hip through a single incision that is placed at the anterior – or front – of the hip. There are numerous benefits to the anterior hip surgery.

Anterior hip replacement surgery spares both nerve and muscle tissue. Patients who have the anterior hip replacement surgery suffer less pain, stay in the hospital less time and can return to normal activity much sooner.

None of the restrictions typically imposed following traditional surgery apply when the anterior approach is used. With this procedure, patients are able to begin walking immediately after surgery. They overwhelmingly experience less pain and are able to forgo narcotics following surgery.

---

Today's surgeons are improving hip and knee replacement recovery times with a new device called the Hana table. Looking more like a piece of exercise machinery, the Hana table allows doctors to manipulate the patent's legs to avoid extensive muscle tissue damage while better exposing the joint.

The majority of the recovery from the traditional hip replacement is not the bone, but the muscle rejoining the bone”. Ciotola said. Most operating tables, when a patient comes in for a hip replacement surgery, they're lying on their back or more commonly on their side.

That is not the best position for the patient or the doctor, he said. The Hana table, manufactured by OSI Products, features adjustable arms that grip the feet and can be positioned where doctors need them.

Many patients are walking about in just 48 hours after this surgery, he said, and within 10 days are completely free to do whatever they want. In traditional hip replacements, patients can not bend over or cross their legs in a chair for up to two to three months following surgery.

---

Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital (my hospital) upgraded their table last spring.

"The Hana Table will improve our treatment of hip and knee surgery patients primarily and the Jackson Spinal Table will enhance our capability for spinal surgery," said Dr. Bergeson (my surgeon).

The Hana Table will allow orthopedic surgeons to perform the newer anterior hip replacement procedure which is less invasive than the traditional method. Anterior hip replacement surgery is performed through an incision at the front of the hip, avoiding muscles and tendons to cut through.

Co-Cr-Mo

Some replacement hips are made of a Co-Cr-Mo (Cobalt-Chromium-Molybdenum) alloy. It is porous in all the right places which allows the bone to attach to it. [I don't think this is exactly what will be put into my body. I'll blog my specifics later.]

A gravity sintering fabrication technique has been developed for producing Co-Cr-Mo alloy dental implants having a porous coating on the root portion. This process allows for control of pore structure enabling ingrowth of either bone or fibrous tissue.

Co--Cr--Mo-based alloy which is superior in compatibility with a living body, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance, and a low magnetic susceptibility which does not exert harmful effects on magnetic resonance image (MRI) for medical examination diagnosis. Their biocompatibility is closely linked to the high resistance towards corrosion thanks to the spontaneous formation of a passive oxide film with elevated chemical and mechanical stability.

Histologic and microradiographic sections revealed extensive mineralized bone growth deep into the pores of all implant types and often extending to the core of the one-, two- and three-layered porous-coated implants. Both mature haversian bone and less mature woven bone were found within the porous structure. Extensive but incomplete bone infiltration was found in the totally porous implants, with the remainder of the porosity filled with macrophage-laden connective tissue.

Remembering That Person's Name

Last week's SciAm Psych Podcast was on Remembering That Person's Name.

anomia—the inability to remember names.

...So they tested the memories of 117 healthy 60 to 91 year-olds. And they found that the ability to put a name to a photo of a famous person declines with age. But semantic memory, which includes biographical info, like knowing that George Bush was a U.S. President, remains unaffected by age....

I recommend listening to the podcast because the introductory clip from Saturday Night Live, "Mom Translator", is more interesting/fun.