I got FAI arthroscopic surgery on October 18th, 2023. My goal for this article is to document my symptoms for my forgetful future self, health professionals and anyone who is debating getting the surgery. I will add a daily entry for the first few days and a weekly entry for the following weeks. I intend to add to this article at the 3-month, 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, 5-year, and 10-year mark, and every decade after that.
Day 0 (Surgery Day)
- Pain is 4/10. My leg is numb and stiff. I’m more mobile with less pain than I expected.
- Got there at 8:45 AM. Left the hospital at 3:45 PM. It was approximately a 7-hour process from the time you were in and the time you were out.
- All the staff were friendly.
- Dr. G. told me that he wasn’t sure how much he would be able to do because the CT scan was pretty bad for arthritis. Said the same thing to my partner after. I’ll find out more during the post-opp on November 2nd.
- You need someone to take care of you and drive you. The community helps too. It feels good when people reach out to you. You feel supported.
- Took 650 mg of Tylenol doses every 6 hours to maintain a baseline level of pain. Took anti-inflammatory Celebrex twice per day. I plan to take the least amount of opioids possible.
- I had a hard time sleeping that night because of the news that I have severe osteoarthritis from reading the report. I read about 30 articles on the subject to empower myself.
Day 1
- Pain is 4/10. My leg is numb and stiff. Ice helps.
- Getting around the house is not as bad as I thought. Even going up a flight of 20 stairs is manageable a few times per day.
- I did a yoga Nidra exercise to make up for the lost sleep the night before.
- My current supplement mix is:
- 2 Omega-3 capsules from Costco.
- 1000 IU of vitamin D3.
- 1 Athletic Greens drink
- 2 Metamucil Drinks
- I booked two free consults with naturopathic doctors to help with arthritis. The second consult was a clear winner. Looking forward to my first appointment next week.
- My goals for the naturopathic doctor are:
- Comprehensive blood tests for general health.
- Food sensitivity testing if judged worthwhile.
- Dietary intervention for osteoarthritis and supplements.
- My goals for the naturopathic doctor are:
- I scheduled an appointment with my family doctor 3 weeks post-surgery and 1 week after post-opp.
- My family doctor may want to send me for some testing and refer me to other specialists.
- I called the Movati gym to inquire about their pricing. For around 55$ two weeks, I would get access to:
- Fitness classes including: hot yoga, yin yoga, Yoga Tune Up, Tai chi, core strength, meditation, and more.
- Sauna and pool
- Towel service
- The ability to put my membership on hold 3 months per year.
- 1 complimentary session with a personal trainer
- Access to a complete weightlifting and cardio facility
- I looked into catering options and precooked meals to aid my partner while guaranteeing healthy meals.
Day 2
- Pain 4/10. I moved around quite a bit, so it makes sense that there’s a bit more pain.
- Our furniture was delivered. I was able to assist with building parts of it.
- I did tons of writing and calling friends and family.
Day 3
- I only took 650 mg of Tylenol at 2 PM. I plan to only take Tylenol as needed from now on.
- I built some more furniture. We have a sectional couch now which is a game changer.
- Ice helps with the pain and perhaps with the inflammation.
- I showered for the first time today while covering my wound with a towel. It felt good to be clean.
- My bowel movements are regular thanks to Costco’s Metamucil and a high-fiber diet.
- Shits are good with meta mucil and such.
- My sleep hasn’t been the best and my mood is a bit irritable.
Day 4
- I’ve been consistently waking up at 3 AM for some reason.
- Took 650 mg of Tylenol at 10 AM to prevent pain and stiffness.
Day 5
- I don’t feel the need for pain medication anymore.
- My movement is already much better.
- I was able to do an escape room (and successfully escape) while on crutches.
Week 2
- I’m able to walk and put 100% of my weight on the operated leg without pain.
- I’m waiting for the post-opp appointment on November 2nd to start doing physio. However, I feel as though I feel good enough to start doing physiotherapy.
- I’m able to dress myself and shower.
- I’ve been keeping busy with work and friends to maintain some kind of routine.
Week 5
- I’m able to walk 5k. The pain starts to kick in after that.
- Physio exercises help by about 20%.
- Pushing myself too hard results in pain which prevents me from further activity.
- I’m able to function in every day tasks.
- It doesn’t take very long for resting heart rate to increase due to a lack of cardio.
Week 6 – Post-opp follow up
- Hip osteoarthritis was very advanced.
- Decide at the 6-month follow-up if I want to do the other hip. Right now it’s probably not but maybe. The mechanics are a bit better.
- Follow the pain. Not the best idea to do activities that cause joint pain. I need to stay as active as possible, however.
- My goal should be to maintain range of motion but not to increase it.
- No need for orthotics.
- Supplements and dietary interventions have little evidence for OA.
- Injections later if the pain is bad, but it doesn’t help the joint structure itself.
5 months later
- I bike to school for a total of 16 km every day.
- I play badminton twice per week.
- I’m able to live relatively pain-free unless I do intense exercise.
- I’ve skated a few times. My hip still doesn’t like it, but the pain is manageable the next day.
- As of now, I’m leaning toward not going through with the other hip. The pain is similar and the range of motion is slightly better on the operated side.
8 months later (2024-06-24)
- I bike to work every day.
- I’m able to take long walks without too much pain. We’re going to Iceland in a few weeks so it’ll be interesting to see how the hips feel with all those hikes.
- Genacol and Turmeric/curcumin supplements did not have a drastic effect. They’re probably not worth the cost.
- I had a follow-up with my surgeon and a resident student today. The student said there was no point in doing the arthroscopy for my right hip. He said there wasn’t enough joint space for the tools to manoeuvre properly and it might even make things worse. The main surgeon said operating on the right hip was an option if I wanted to but to not expect miracles.
- They said that stem cells are not promising since I’m past that point. The arthritis progressed and they could see it in the x-ray they took.
- The next step is hip resurfacing, which typically lasts 10 to 20 years. After that, a total hip replacement would be needed. Those tend to last a little longer. I might try to injections before the surgeries to manage the pain.
- I’m scheduled to see the surgeons for follow-ups every two years.
- There were no restrictions in terms of daily living. He told me to stay active.
2 years later
5 years later
10 years later
20 years later
Range of Motion (Google Sheets)
HOOS Questionnaire (Google Sheets)
