Today, I’m headed to Duke for my two-week follow-up with the surgeon for my hip replacement infection. It’s been 13 days since my second hip surgery on 8/30, where they cleaned out an infection from the original hip replacement on 7/24.
The past two weeks have been slow and steady. I went into surgery with a lot of pain from the ongoing infection and inability to make any progress at physical therapy. After surgery, I was recovering from that pain, as well as the new surgical pain. Overall, my pain is gradually decreasing, but because this is my second surgery on the same hip, I’m more cautious—everything is a bit less stable after being operated on twice. So, I am paying extra attention to my body. I feel more prepared for recovery this time around, thanks to everything I learned during the first surgery. I could probably write a book on it—but that’s for later!
One of the key things I’ve been managing more effectively this time is pain control. From my perspective, pain management and activity awareness are the two most important aspects of recovery. I’ve also taken the time to educate myself about how pain medications work and the risks of addiction. Knowledge is truly power when it comes to using these medications wisely.
Opiate Awareness
During the second and third weeks of my first surgery, I spent about 10-15 hours studying opiates and their effects. I learned that opiates not only relieve physical pain but also emotional pain. They can create a sense of euphoria, calm, and peace, which is often what leads people to misuse them. Over time, opiates disrupt the brain’s chemical balance, leading to a cycle of addiction where people need more of the drug to feel “normal” again.
Here’s an interesting point from ChatGPT:
Long-term opiate use can lead to serotonin dysregulation. With prolonged or heavy use, the brain adapts to the constant flood of dopamine, resulting in tolerance. Over time, the brain’s natural ability to produce and regulate dopamine is impaired, which can lead to depression, lack of motivation, and an inability to experience pleasure (known as anhedonia).
Many people don’t fully understand what’s happening in their brains when they use these drugs, and that’s what makes recovery so difficult. While studying opiates, I created the following playlist ‘Opiate Awareness’ to share with others.
Current Status
Overall, my pain is decreasing, but I still can’t bear weight thru my hip. I’m on a daily IV antibiotic for the infection and using crutches/walker to move around the house. I’m unable to work and have been out for about 8 weeks now.
New Development
Two days ago, I started feeling a sharp, intermittent pain in my hip that arose quickly out of nowhere. Small subtle movements would send it reaching a 9 out of 10 pain level. This got my full attention right away. When I went inside my house to sit that night, it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to sit down at my kitchen table. Over the past 36 hours, I’ve been trying to manage it. I have found that pain medicine Oxycodone in particular, doesn’t even touch the pain. The pain is also affecting my stability, making it hard to use my crutches since I can’t put any weight on my right foot without severe, stabbing pain.
Interestingly enough, if I am sitting still, the pain drops to about a level 1 out of 10. My guess is that fluid might be building up in the hip and putting pressure on a nerve. The incision was draining from Thursday through Sunday but has stopped, which makes me wonder if the fluid is now collecting internally. I had a similar issue with fluid build-up and nerve pressure back in 2017-2018 with my femur infection.
I’ll keep you guys updated after today’s appointment!
PS: It took me 20 minutes just to get into my mom’s car today. It was so challenging. The smallest movement sends intense, level 9 stabbing pains. We are now about 70 minutes into our drive to Durham, and I’m comfortable while sitting still. It’s the getting in and out that’s the real challenge!
Note: This is my first official blog post. I wanted to start my blog with this status update from last week. I will update you guys asap with this weeks changes and improvements! Thank you for taking the time to read this! If you made it to the end, please leave a comment 
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
You are such a beautiful soul. Love you Joshua. I am praying for you
Praying for you Joshua, hope you recover soon .
I love reading your post and just see how you are coming along. Praying that everything goes good and your on your way to fully recovering. God Bless you Josh. Love you.
Praying for you Josh! This is a great way to keep everyone informed.
Beautiful Blessings to you!
I’m happy to come over soon and help out with chores or anything else needed or just go to nature, If you feel up to it, lmk!