4th Hip/Pelvic Surgery

I had a 4th hip/pelvic surgery on April 11th, 2018 to replace the lower pelvic screws, as they were causing me a lot of pain in my pelvic area. The x-ray on the right was pre-surgery, and the photo on the left was the day of surgery. The screws are significantly shorter now, and I can't feel them anymore (thank goodness). The surgery was successful, and I had a minimal recovery time. They did another c-section-like cut (just like in the surgery in October 2017), this cut was only about 2 inches long. I have very minimal pain, and I was back to my normal activities almost immediately. I had my 6-week post-op appointment back on May 24th, and all was looking well. Dr. JS also noticed more signs of healing where they did my left hip bone graft back in October, so great news!

I am still walking with somewhat of a limp, and still have some discomfort on my left side. Dr. JS said that he'd be surprised if I didn't have pain due to everything that has been done to my hips/pelvic. It'll just be something that I'll need to live with, but at least it's less pain now than when I started this whole process 6 years ago!

Pelvic/Hip Post-op

(X-RAY TAKEN 12/06/2017)

I had my Pelvic/Hip Surgery on October 27th, 2017 - conducted by two surgeons (Dr. JS & Dr. CB).  If I remember right - the surgery took about 4-5 hours to complete. This surgery was to correct a few non-unions due to my right and left hip PAO surgeries & stress/fall. They did a bone graft to fill two larger non-unions, then put plates going across on the right and the left. Then, a screw into the non-unions on my lower pelvic bone. I am not a doctor, obviously, so I am unsure of bone names.

I woke up feeling great! And, had almost zero pain - however; I was on an epidural which was administering pain medication right into my IV. My blood pressure was super low while I was on the epidural, and the nurses were worried. Once removed from the epidural, my blood pressure returned to normal.

My surgery was on Friday the 27th, and I was able to go home on Monday the 30th. I was instructed to use a walker. And, was able to get around quite easily, especially since I was full-weight bearing! What a difference from the other surgeries!

I met with Dr. JS again yesterday. The x-ray indicated that that the bone graft on my left side isn't healing as expected. On a positive note, the right one is! I am also still feeling screws in my pelvic bone, and they are causing me quite a bit of discomfort! Dr. JS conducted a Pelvic Exam, with a nurse present, so he could better understand what I was feeling & where. Dr. JS is going to consult with the pelvic doctor (Dr. CB). He stated that they are going to discuss the next steps, and contact me by the end of the week.

Here is a FB post that I made after my 6 week post-op appointment:

Sarah Viglione

December 6, 2017 · 

Everything is healing great! Thankful for such an easy recovery this time around! ❤
May still need one more minor surgery to remove a couple of the screws. — at Froedtert Hospital.