Re: 44 year old woman having left THR

[Guest guest]

I can SIT on the floor..now..getting up OFF it..that's another

matter.... (Actually, after back surgery, i at least CAN do this..not

pretty, but I

no longer have to literally pull myself almost fully upright with upper

body strength before being able to get my legs under me, and stand.)

In a message dated 9/13/2009 12:21:39 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

nikki1dee2@... writes:

and can sit on the floor again, simple things

[Guest guest]

Hi

I am 40  and had my left THR in February. I have bilateral hip dysplasia and OA.

I was in agony 24/7 pre op, on morphine, walking stick etc... But now have no

pain in that hip, and only use my stick if my other hip plays up. I was

terrified of surgery, but it is not as bad as you build it up to be whilst

waiting, honestly x. I was walking in the Lakes last month, and can sit on the

floor again, simple things I know, but couldn`t do them this time last year.

HTH

 

________________________________

From: swanatty <swanatty@...>

Joint Replacement

Sent: Sunday, 13 September, 2009 13:59:26

Subject: 44 year old woman having left THR

I am a 44 year old woman who is in need of bilateral hip replacements. I have

been very physically active my entire life and am in good overall health and

shape. What I thought was a pulled muscle was loss of cartilidge in both hips. 

My arthritis pain has progressed rapidly  and my left hip will be replaced in 6

weeks.  I am limping very badly and cannot walk without the aid of a cane.  Is

this common?  I cry a lot and am scared the limp and the pain will not be

eliminated with surgery. Does anyone have any advice for me?

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure if your situation is common,

but my Arthritis Society PT told me of healthy active clients she had

who had deteriorated that quickly

(not mentioning names of course) ...

My progress was not quick, but I limped badly and had great pain before my

THR in May.

After surgery, the pain in that hip was gone,

and I just experienced the discomfort of the incision, swelling, etc.

I now limp much less, have lots more flexibility, and more energy,

but have been told that the only way to totally get rid of the limp and bent

posture

is to have the other hip replaced, as it is bone on bone too,

I can hardly wait for my next THR....

I am looking forward to being pain-free on both sides,

and walking with a normal gait and posture again.

My advice would be to do the exercises recommended for post-op from now

until surgery,

rest well, eat well, take your iron, get things ready for post-op,

arrange for help if needed,

and keep thinking positive thoughts....

All the best,

[Guest guest]

Hello 44yo. Since you are so young and active, it would be wise to become

informed about ALL your surgical options for hip repair, including hip

resurfacing, which could well let you stay as active as you have been for many

years to come. You will find excellent information about hip resurfacing at

www.surfacehippyinfo.com. There is also a discussion group about it,

called surfacehippy.

-September

>

> I am a 44 year old woman who is in need of bilateral hip replacements. I have

been very physically active my entire life and am in good overall health and

shape. What I thought was a pulled muscle was loss of cartilidge in both hips.

My arthritis pain has progressed rapidly and my left hip will be replaced in 6

weeks. I am limping very badly and cannot walk without the aid of a cane. Is

this common? I cry a lot and am scared the limp and the pain will not be

eliminated with surgery. Does anyone have any advice for me?

>

[Guest guest]

Take a look at the surfacehippy group, & check out hip resurfacing in the

web in general. Your are of an age where the benefits of resurfacing are many &

wonderful. I'm not going to say much more, because I'm late for work, & may be

climbing a ladder today as part of it, with no pain or discomfort. If your doc

doesn't know what resurfacing is, or doesn't like it, find one in your area who

does, it's been done in the UK since the very early 90's & has a great track

record.

Peace

Hozack, Bilateral BHR, 10/17-31/06

[Guest guest]

Don't worry. I just turned 45 last week. My left hip is 1 year old, and my

right 2 years old. Same story as you--loss of cartilage.

I'm an avid cyclist (bicycle) and was riding up until days before each

operation. I think that helped speed recovery and healing. After the second

surgery, I was back on my bike and riding within 4 weeks.

I am pain free in both hips. I just returned from visiting family in Arizona.

One day, my sister and I did a 6 mile hike, gaining nearly 3000 feet in

elevation. By the end of the hike, my hips were about the only thing on me not

hurting.

Where are you having your surgery done and what type of implant? During my

second operation, I shared a room with a guy about my age. He needed to have

both hips replaced. They did one the same day as mine, and planned on waiting 1

month to have him return for the second hip replacement.

Good luck. -Ed

>

> I am a 44 year old woman who is in need of bilateral hip replacements. I have

been very physically active my entire life and am in good overall health and

shape. What I thought was a pulled muscle was loss of cartilidge in both hips.

My arthritis pain has progressed rapidly and my left hip will be replaced in 6

weeks. I am limping very badly and cannot walk without the aid of a cane. Is

this common? I cry a lot and am scared the limp and the pain will not be

eliminated with surgery. Does anyone have any advice for me?

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Ed,

I am 9 days away from my lft total hip replacement surgery. I will be meeting

with my surgeon this week to finalize the type of implant. I am nervous that my

right hip may not hold out during recovery and the 6 month period before the

next surgery (my surgeon has reccomended 6 months between surgies). Any

suggestions?

How did you sleep after your first hip replacement (on your side or back)? I am

worried about sleeping because my right hip is in pain also - not as bad as the

left and I can bear weight on the right side when I walk on it. I cannot bear

weight on the left and limp badly when I do.

My surgeon advised swimming but no weight bearing exercise post surgery. Do you

worry about early revisions? I use to run half marathons, take cycling classes

at my gym 3 times a week and lift weights. I now see these activites as a part

of my past. I plan on swimming post implants and short walks. I want to get as

many years as I can without wearing the implants down prematurely.

What type of implants do you have and what type of incision was made?

Thanks for your advice.

> >

> > I am a 44 year old woman who is in need of bilateral hip replacements. I

have been very physically active my entire life and am in good overall health

and shape. What I thought was a pulled muscle was loss of cartilidge in both

hips. My arthritis pain has progressed rapidly and my left hip will be

replaced in 6 weeks. I am limping very badly and cannot walk without the aid of

a cane. Is this common? I cry a lot and am scared the limp and the pain will

not be eliminated with surgery. Does anyone have any advice for me?

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Even though you're writing to Ed, I wanted to throw in my 2 cents of

information. I had my left hip replaced June 09 and was told I had to wait six

months for the right one, which is now scheduled for 12/4. I older than you and

have not been very active for many years due to pain and mobility limitations.

The most devastating thing emotionally was when I got my diagnosis (both hips

bone on bone due to OA) and was advised to use a walker instead of the cane,

which was clearly not working well for me.

After the six weeks of home PT and exercising on my own, I went to outpatient PT

feeling spunky, even though my right hip still hurt like * & $)$. My PT advised

me to continue using the walker because it allows me to walk without messing up

my total body alignment any more than it already was, due to years of

compensating for the OA. She also gave me exercises to help me walk upright

with the walker, instead of hunching over it. I long since got over the

devastation of needing a walker because I know when my right hip is done, my

recovery is going to be smoother. I do gimp around on the cane to do stairs,

but my lower back hurts when I do.

As for sleep, for 8 weeks post surgery I slept in a rising recliner (lifts to

let you sit without violating any precautions), which meant sleeping on my back.

I had to prop my right leg up specially to minimize muscle spasms, but I slept

very well. Back in bed, I sleep on my back and sides, no problem. I was

allowed go back to the pool after the incision healed, about six weeks. Six

weeks seems to be a magic number for me because that's when my surgeon xrayed

the hip, sent me on my way to outpatient PT and the pool, and told me I can work

and drive as long as I wasn't taking narcotics and/or violating precautions.

Here's hoping your surgery goes very well, and your recovery even better!

Alice in Boulder

>

>

> Hi Ed,

> I am 9 days away from my lft total hip replacement surgery. I will be meeting

with my surgeon this week to finalize the type of implant. I am nervous that my

right hip may not hold out during recovery and the 6 month period before the

next surgery (my surgeon has reccomended 6 months between surgies). Any

suggestions?

>

> How did you sleep after your first hip replacement (on your side or back)? I

am worried about sleeping because my right hip is in pain also - not as bad as

the left and I can bear weight on the right side when I walk on it. I cannot

bear weight on the left and limp badly when I do.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi:

Both my hips are DePuy large-head, metal-on-metal. Make sure you discuss the

large-head replacement (vs. the traditional, metal-on-polyethlyene replacement)

with your surgeon. Given my relatively young age and acitivity level, my surgeon

insisted on using the newer style hip replacements. The idea of the newer

replacements is longer life and lower risk of dislocation.

Regarding going 6 months between replacements, I don't have much to tell

you--other than take full advantage of pain meds. At the time of my first

replacement, my surgeon said a second was in my future, but my right hip did not

start hurting much until after I had recovered from the left. I will share one

story, however. When I had my second hip done, my hospital roomate (who was

also in his forties) had just had his hip replaced the same day and needed to

have the second done as well. They had him wait 1 month between replacements.

Heck, the day after surgery, the PTs had him walking with a cane. I was on

crutches. They wanted his replaced hip to recover as much as possible in 1

month. They set up a very aggressive PT schedule for him.

Sleep. I slept on my back for at least several weeks and that was the only way

I could sleep. I prefer to sleep on my side, but too much pain and swelling for

a number of weeks. Pain meds help with sleep in the initial few weeks. I'd

discuss pain managment with your surgeon if your non-replaced hip keeps you

awake. The last thing you want is to be sleep deprived during recovery. I slept

full nights and took naps in the day during recovery (I never take naps).

Is the reason your surgeon is recommending non weight bearing due to not wanting

to aggravate the the hip that will need to be replaced in 6 months? I had no

weight bearing restrictions at all--for either hip.

With respect to revision, sure I worry about it. But, after conducting research,

talking with a couple top surgeons, and a knee/hip engineer, I've decided to

trust modern technology and live for the now in terms of activity level.

The only activities I avoid or moderate are high impact activities. For example,

I asked my surgeon about downhill skiing--which I plan to do this winter. His

response was, " well, are you a good skier? " And, I am a good skier. He said I

should be cautious. He's not worried about dislocation or damage due to the act

of skiing, but would would be worried about it in the act of falling hard. So,

I'll be skiing with my girlfriend and her little boy on the little hills this

winter.

I play tennis with my girlfriend, although I do not try to start and stop hard.

I'm getting better at jogging, but it still feels awkward. I prefer to cycle, so

that's what I do for most of my cardio.

You have to make your own informed decision about what limits and risks you're

willing to accept in terms of activity. A couple of observations from my

research (and others should chime in as well). Two top surgeons and an engineer

who works for Stryker told me that based on lab data, the new-style large head

hips will last an entire lifetime. The Stryker engineer (a friend of my sister

from college) who's researched and designed hips and knees said that he firmly

believes the newer hips will not wear out.

I also note that the engineer told me in terms of surgeon, metal-on-metal,

ceramic-on-ceramic, brand (DePuy, Stryker, etc.), or surgical technique (front,

rear) that he would go hands down with the reputation and skill level of the

surgeon. In fact, he put me in touch with the guy who did both my surgeries.

Hit me off list if you want his name.

> > >

> > > I am a 44 year old woman who is in need of bilateral hip replacements. I

have been very physically active my entire life and am in good overall health

and shape. What I thought was a pulled muscle was loss of cartilidge in both

hips. My arthritis pain has progressed rapidly and my left hip will be

replaced in 6 weeks. I am limping very badly and cannot walk without the aid of

a cane. Is this common? I cry a lot and am scared the limp and the pain will

not be eliminated with surgery. Does anyone have any advice for me?

> > >

> >

>