Andrea: Athletic Pubalgia Surgery #2

She's back - this is Andrea's first post on Wasatch and Beyond in 2014! 

Dr. William C. Meyers

Last week I went to see Dr. William C. Meyers of Vincera Institute, the expert in the field of core muscle injuries (aka sports hernia, athletic pubalgia, etc). This has been a long time coming as it has been 16 months since I had an unsuccessful surgery with Dr. Brown in May of 2013. I tried many, many types of rehabilitation over the past year to recover from the chronic pain that intensified after the first procedure, but finally came to the realization that there was nothing more that I could do.



What I really liked about the Vincera Institute is that it comes as a whole package - the imaging, doctor's office, surgery center, and rehabilitation are all in the same place and are focused on the same patient. Unfortunately, the monetary cost is quite hefty due to the "experimental" distinction of this surgery by most insurance companies. One thing I have learned in the past two years is that my health and well-being are worth a LOT!

After MRI imaging, Dr. Meyers discussed my injury with me and did a thorough evaluation. He then brought in the radiologist to discuss my pain and ensure that all pain areas were examined on the MRI. He confirmed the critical areas that need repair by having 5 diagnostic/steroid injections done in my hip and groin. Based on all of these findings, Dr. Meyers recommended that surgery was my best option and scheduled it for the following day.

This is a very complicated area!!

Here is a summary of the surgery:

1) Left adductor compartment release
2) Left surgical reattachment of the rectus abdominis muscle to the pubis
2) Both sides psoas tendon release
3) Right adductor longus reattachment
4) Right re-repair and release of abdominal tissue

I have three incisions from the procedure. As he re-repaired the right side, there was a lot of excess blood/fluid so Dr. Meyers put me on a drain to wear for 4 days (gross). Because of the extensive nature of my surgery, he also recommended that I stay in Philadelphia for a week so that I could see him a few more times and also start rehabilitation immediately.

I honestly can't believe how different the recovery has been already from this surgery. I took pain medication as instructed but have really not felt much worse than before surgery. Definitely nothing compared to the pain from the first surgery (which makes me believe that something went very wrong there). I was able to walk a mile without difficulty the day after surgery and able to sit/stand/lay down mostly on my own. I  had a bit of nausea/sickness but food and drink helped - apparently you burn a lot of calories after surgery!

I will be posting updates on my recovery and rehabilitation. I am optimistic that this is the beginning of the end of this injury. There is still a small part of me that is afraid that this surgery won't work just like the last one, but I know that a positive attitude is critical to recovery. I will do everything I can to be pain-free again.

In good spirits :)