Did labral tear surgery reduce your PN/pelvic/perineal pain?

[Lernica]

Elmwood,

So excited your surgery has been scheduled, and so fast too! Who is your surgeon?
In answer to your question, my recovery from the right hip scope (8 months ago) was easy; recovery from the left (PN) side not so much (five months ago). Lots of ups and downs. I thought I was out of the woods at post-op week 12 and went a bit crazy doing a lot of walking/jogging including hills. So at 14 weeks post-op my recovery stalled and in fact started going backwards pain-wise. Turns out I still had a lot of post-op inflammation in the joint, which has since responded well to a cortisone shot and an expensive daily NSAID, namely, Celebrex. So I'm back on track recovery-wise.

But three flights of stairs, OMG! That is going to be a challenge during your recovery, that's for sure. Could you move your bed onto the main floor for the first week or so? I trust your doctor has told you that you will be on crutches for 4 - 6 weeks, with most likely no-weight bearing or very light-weight bearing instructions for your operated hip.
So please be prepared for a long recovery with lots of ups and downs. On the other hand, Beverley considers herself 99% better, and her surgery was one or two weeks before mine. Bottom line: the speed and duration of recovery will depend on what your surgeon finds in the hip joint and how extensive the work s/he performs on it.

Best of luck and please keep us posted!

[Lernica]

Pizzarios:

Yup, labral tear. When do you see your OS to discuss your surgical options?

If you doubt your GP's ability to manage your depression meds, why don't you ask for a referral to a psychiatrist? I have struggled with depression for the past decade due to my chronic pelvic pain. But my psychiatrist manages my meds for this, not my GP.

[pizzarios]

Lernica

I'd like to issue a public apology to you, for hijacking your post.

Thank you for sharing your experience. It's been immensely helpful.

[pizzarios]

I don't go and see the OS until the end of January, and frankly I'm not sure I'll even return to her practice.
Her office/PA won't call me back regarding my additional and worsening pain since the MRA. I'd at least appreciate a phone call...

It's been 7 days and the stiffness and pain is worse than 2-3 days post MRA. Nobody can give me some reason or direction it seems, not even my OS.

I will have my GP refer to psych. I'm a case, that's for sure. Lernica, I can't imagine dealing with this for 10+ years - my heart goes out to you. I glad you're able to manage it, and help other people like myself navigate this fuckery.

Seems I will most likely get a second opinion from Dr. Nho at Rush hospital in Chicago (my home before relocating to Oregon 1.5 yrs ago)
Husband tells me we're most likely to move back to Chicago this fall, so I'm tentatively planning on living in more pain for the time being.

[Elmwood]

Wow Pizzarios. First you wished us Merry Christmas and then you brought us a Happy Boxing Day! You're really on top of your game. I will be checkin this post on New Years to see if you've gone for the triple play.

Sorry to hear you're in such bad shape psychologically. That is of course not uncommon with this condition. I've gone through some real highs and lows over the past 13 years but once I found this site and other people who were in the same situation it made coping a lot easier. And I don't even have the typical PN symptoms that most people seem to have but I still get so much from this site. One fella who lives not 20 minutes from me has almost identical sypmtoms to me. He contacted me and we have talked on the phone and shared info on doctors, remedies etc. I believe you said you live in Oregon. It might be worth typing Oregon in the search engine on this site to see what pops up. If there are other people from Oregon (or the Northwest in general) on this site they may have posted doctors etc. they have seen in your area. Fortunately for me I don't have the severe sitting pain that others seem to have so I can travel on planes. My girlfriend has friends who just moved to Bend Oregon and depending on how my surgeries go we plan on traveling out there next year. And coincidentally enough, we plan on stopping in Chicago on the way back to visit my cousin. Maybe I'll bump into you in one of those places

As for increased hip pain after the MRA injection I did get some of that too but it only lasted a day. My Ortho did inform me that Glucosamine has been shown in studies to help with pain associated with labral tears etc. Its interesting to note that he did not tell me that outright for some reason but only told me when I asked if any over the counter supplements would work. I guess there is info out there that docs are not supposed to tell you unless you ask. Thats the way he put it anyway. I tried the glucosamine for about a weak but came off of it when I started to get urethreal pain. I don't think that had anything to do with the glucosamine (and tumeric) I was taking however. So basically I don't know if the glucosamine helped me but its worth a shot and should be well tolerated........despite my freak out.

Hi Lernica. Sorry to hear you've had some set backs. Like most runners I know who've had injuries, it sounds like you were very eager to get back to jogging. My surgeon is Scott Martin at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. Sounds like he has a lot of experience and is well regarded. They did explain the whole 6 weeks crutches and 4 to 6 month recovery. Thats actually what has me most depressed. I plan on faking my way back to work as soon as possible but as a fire fighter I'm sure the therapists, ortho etc will be on the look out for that. As for moving my bed to the first floor; I live in a three family house and my apartment is on the top floor. Same with my girlfriends place. And in fact its the same with just about everybody I know around here. The part of Boston I live in is very densly populated so 3 family houses are kind of the norm. My moms house is on the first floor but is an hour and a half from the hospital. Plus I don't plan on telling her about the surgery. So I hope I take to crutches easily. I'm basically resigned to the fact that i'll be up here for 6 weeks. So I plan on buying a video game system, lots of wine and calling radio talk shows all day long. And ladies, before you lecture me on the danger of drinking wine while on crutches, be reminded that I have a girlfriend to do that for me.

I don't know if you ladies are sports fans at all and as a Red Sox fan it pains me to mention the Yankees, but Alex Rodriguez has a labral tear and is getting/has got surgery. And even though he has access to the best doctors and therapists in the world, he is supposed to be 4 - 6 months before a full recovery as well. Kind of interesting. May be worth following his recovery.

[Lernica]

Elmwood,

You will be in good hands with Dr. Scott Martin. Good for you for finding one of the best.

You will never get a lecture from me about drinking a glass or two of wine on your crutches! My evening half-glass of white wine has helped me immensely with end-of-the-day pain -- just don't take it while you're on your post-op painkillers!

Too bad about the stairs but I guess it can't be helped. Hope you're not climbing the walls by the end of your convalescence!

As the mother of three young adults (18, 22 and 23), I can't help but ask: WHY AREN'T YOU TELLING YOUR MOTHER ABOUT YOUR SURGERY? She will kill you when she finds it out from a third party (which she will, BTW).

Fondly,

Your (other) mother

[janetm2]

Pizzarios
sorry to hear you are struggling. Psychiatrist or you gp may both be able to give you antidepressants. My GP offered as soon as she heard what I had. I told her I thought I was okay but if the PNE decompression surgery did not work or at least help there may not be enough meds in the world to fix that depression. I had a pr,evios failed bunion surgery which I had a hard time overcoming back 25+ years sgo and started my chronic pain and life limitations. Of course who knew that would pale in comparison to the PNE journey. Anyway the up side is that when they started the gabapentin I actually did get some anto depressant help ss I felt a cloud lift off me. Also better yet the PNE surgery has helped so I am not down the worst road. I am glad you are getting some concrete diagnosis and then can work on treatment and look forwatd to a relief of pain someday. I just got some info from my psychologist that might help you although I have to say I have not gone to the website yet. He said they have mindful meditation at each chapter on this website mindfulwavethroughdepression. Best yo you and the others on this thread.
Janet

[pizzarios]

Well,

Went back to OS for review of hip MRA and also for subsequent complications relating to the MRA. She said she could not definitively determine whether or not it was a tear, but that there is absolutely an "abnormal" area in the joint, where the contrast fluid appeared to "leak."

It's been nearly 3 weeks since the MRA, and what was once occasionally sharp joint pain and sometimes aching, has now turned into constant pinching pain, some popping/catching and severely limited ROM. I also can't help walking with a limp. I look ridiculous. OS said I'm only 1 of 3 patients in her entire professional career to have a long lasting reaction like this...She had labs done to test for joint infection. Still don't know if that's why.

BUT. After almost a solid month of almost NO PN SYMPTOMS, the nerve pain came back 2 days ago. Interestingly, the first day that I actually felt some substantial relief from the constant hip pain (which has since returned..) the nerve pain was back. Like the pain had passed some sort of proverbial baton or torture. Did/do any of you experience this??

Also, for Beverly and Lernica:

1) you both experience PN symptoms of vulvodynia and/or urethral/bladder problems in conjunction with hip pain or was it more of a trade off?
2) Do they usually occur at the same time?
3) Were you able to do the pre-surgery strengthening and PT to the best of your abilities despite pain in your hip joint?
4) Was your hip/joint pain constant, or intermittent or did it change (prior to surgery)?
5) Did either of you have anything similar to PGAD? I am currently experiencing a new and horrible sensatin of vestibular/clitoral spasm (without any feeling of pleasure) and it's VERY unsettling.


I am not able to do any of my PT strengthening homework for the past 3 weeks due to accute hip pain and limited ROM so I feel so stuck and helpless with it right now. My OS agreed that labral tear surgery would be really my only option at this point, since PT hasn't really helped it very much. It looks as thought I will have to wait until Summer when my husband and I are able to relocate back to Chicago, where we have support/family/friends to help with the time I'll need of for surgery and recovery. I have 2 small children who depend of me greatly and we have no help where we live currently to facilitate any medical intervention for me. The thought of waiting (and then for the surgery not even to help with the nerve pain) is really getting me down. This last year has been a nightmare. My personal life/relationship have suffered.

5) This is for everybody:

I know for fact now, that meds (cymbalta specifically) really had nothing to do with the last 4+ weeks of almost total PN symptoms relief. It was ALL down to PT, and the different techniques/areas my PT had started to work on - OTHER than the pudendal nerve. She focused all her attention on the tight psoas, ilioinguinal and genitofemoral nerves. This manual work was excrutiating, and she was able to recreate my pain almost exactly, and was the only thing to really put a dent in the nerve pain.

I have a rx for prozac. I feel like an ass taking it, because I'm finally r/x drug free after a few years of thinking I "needed" "brain pills". After I'd JUST started to overcome bad PPD, this PN thing came into my life. I feel like I just can't catch a break. Am I weak for taking the prozac just to deal with everyday life? I'm having such a hard time lately just going thru an entire day with out crying at least once. I have to be strong for my family but since my treatment plan has to take a backseat to all the other shit in life right now, I just don't know what to do for my mind. Should I just try and stay off medication??

Thank you in advance, folks. It's been a very rough few weeks.

[Griff522]

I have a rx for prozac. I feel like an ass taking it, because I'm finally r/x drug free after a few years of thinking I "needed" "brain pills". After I'd JUST started to overcome bad PPD, this PN thing came into my life. I feel like I just can't catch a break. Am I weak for taking the prozac just to deal with everyday life? I'm having such a hard time lately just going thru an entire day with out crying at least once. I have to be strong for my family but since my treatment plan has to take a backseat to all the other shit in life right now, I just don't know what to do for my mind. Should I just try and stay off medication??

Taking anti-depressants does not make you weak! You are dealing with excruciating pain and trying to take care of two small children and your husband. There is NOTHING weak about that. I wish the general public did not see depression as a sign of weakness. I've dealt with it most of my adult life, and was probably depressed as a child but no one bothered to care or help me with it. It wasn't until I was in my mid forties that I finally got a handle on it, even though I had been taking anti-depressants since my early thirties. Ok I will get off my soapbox now

It sounds like to me that your OS really doesn't know what the hell is going on. Is there any way to get a second opinion? Have you been checked for hernias?

[pizzarios]

Thank you Griff552

My OS isn't the greatest, no. I have to wait until feb. to see her about possible joint infection. She hasn't a clue it seems.
I just popped a Prozac . I am at a loss with all this today.

My PT suspects hernias, either an inguinal of genitofemoral. When I mentioned this possibility to my gp, she examined me ( lying down) and flatly said no.,PT thinks otherwise.

How do I get diagnosed properly for those, as a woman? I understand its more effective to havev ct or ultrasound standing up, right?