to have THR or not?

[Guest guest]

thank you for your reply and all the information you presented.i hav 

completed ten times of physio therapy (thermo waterand leg exercises))within

three weeks. the doctor recommended me another six within six weeks but to  go

to a sports club where i can use jakosi(hot water basin),swimming ,bycycle and

some other exercises in order to strengthen the thigh outside muscle.i started

just yesterday.after four months from date of operation i still feel some pain

during exercises and limp.

i wish you a happy and free pain life.

ENG.MUSTAFA

________________________________

From: Carmel Santos <pureenergy7@...>

Joint Replacement

Sent: Sat, July 17, 2010 5:20:55 PM

Subject: Re: Re: to have THR or not?

 

The same materials were used on me only uncemented.  I was also with walker for

at least two months, then crutches and finally cane. OS said no physio for the

first six weeks and non weight bearing.  After six weeks and my first checkup

with the OS, physio came to my home three times a week for about three months

and then I went to the hospital for two months I went to aquafit for two months

which really helped with the limp, totally got rid of the limp.  It took

roughly

six months to get to that point.  I am still in pain, six years later and I

took

up aquafit again.  I have some bone growing in my new hip side but my OS said

unless it bothers me he would leave it alone and check back with him next year,

otherwise I carry on with my daily activity's.  Aquafit really helped me with

the limp and getting rid of my cane.  I am now 52.

From: mustafa Attili <mustafaattili@...>

Subject: Re: Re: to have THR or not?

Joint Replacement

Received: Friday, July 16, 2010, 5:07 PM

after a  partial fracture(without separation or dislocation) in my left femur

neck ,a THJR(metal to polythelene) ,cemented operation was carried  out four

months ago.but i am still limping and using a cane. i do exercise infront of

the

physio therapist at the hospital every other day and the same  everyday at

home.i am 60years old. the ball diameter is 32mm. may anybody assure me that i

will walk without a cane.

________________________________

From: emiller_22207 <emiller_22207@...>

Joint Replacement

Sent: Fri, July 16, 2010 11:15:06 PM

Subject: Re: to have THR or not?

 

I think the time of recovery and related pain varies greatly depending on your

age, general health, and level of physical activity prior to surgery. I'm a

relatively young double hippie. I had the first one done 4 years ago and the

second one two years ago. I'm now 45.

I waited too long on my first hip-I was bone on bone. I did not wait so long to

replace the second hip. I won't lie to you, there is pain involved, but mine was

managed well with hydrocodone. I did not really need any after a couple of weeks

during the day, but I did continue to take it at night beyond a couple of weeks

to help me sleep.

As I said, I'm relatively young for this and was otherwise healthy. I was and am

an avid cyclist (bicycle). Cycling was about the only physical activity I could

do by the time I had my first hip done. I was back on my bike within 6 weeks

after my first surgery and within 4 weeks after my second surgery.

Knock on wood, but I've had no complications and live completely pain free. I

cycle, I hike, and I play tennis. The technology of hip replacement has advanced

in recent years. There are large-femoral head, metal-on-metal and

ceramic-on-ceramic implants now available. The larger head minimizes the risk of

dislocation as well as the need for the dreaded post-operative restrictions

you've probably heard about.

For both my surgeries, I had no weight bearing restrictions at all. I left the

hospital after two nights on crutches. I was walking with one crutch after a

couple days at home and a cane within about a week. All my restrictions about

bending etc. ended after my 1 month checkup—to which I drove to and arrived at

the Doc's office without a cane.

I don't think my experience is untypical.

>

> I joined this group to learn more about hip replacement because I'm

considering

>

>having one. For about two to three years I've seen an ortho surgeon (who is

head

>

>of that dept. at a local hospital) for left hip and related area pain due to

>arthritis in that joint. Have had several cortisone shots in the groin and

back,

>

>which relieve the pain for a couple months.I can only take anti-inflamitories

>rarely due to GI problems.

>

> The pain has spread to my back, thigh, buttox and knee on that side, regularly

>making sleeping and walking difficult. Last week the pain had flared up enough

>that I felt I finally needed to seriously consider a THR.

>

> The problem is that I'm hearing that several of you are having pain several

>months post-THR that sounds comparable to what I'm experiencing now. It makes

me

>

>question whether having the surgery is the right solution.

>

> I've got an appointment with the doc in August to discuss doing the surgery -

>he has said that I'll know when it's time. I thought now was it, but your

>experiences are making me second guess myself.

>

> Can you help me with this decision?

>

>

>

     

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing your experience. (And to all of you who have been so

generous.)

But it leaves me doubtful about whether I'm ready, because I'm nowhere

near experiencing the level of disability of which you speak.

When the pain is intensely throbbing throughout the hip, back, thigh,

knee, and my walking and sleeping are limited, I know I'm ready for the surgery.

When it calms down for a couple days, I have doubts. Yet I don't want lose

even more mobility, or get further imbalanced.

In a message dated 7/30/2010 10:02:11 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

leann40@... writes:

>>>>>>> The problem is that I'm hearing that several of you are having

pain several months post-THR that sounds comparable to what I'm experiencing

now. It makes me question whether having the surgery is the right

solution.>>>>>

Hi I am about 2 mos post op a Right THR. Regular posterior cut method

(no anterior surgical involvement at all)

Starting with the last two months before scheduling my THR I would have

had to continue to count on my husband to drive me everywhere and on my

having to use my mobility cart not just for special knee (I also need a TKR)

intolerant occassions when my wrist crutches were not enough anymore during my

last 2-3 mos. I had so suddenly regressed to where I was needing that

mobility cart truely for hip reasons and needing it every single day along with

help from another strong person to be on call and to enable me to go out

and about. I also had to play chiropractor on my right hip which was the

big culprit because it would go in and out of it's socket and cause

excruciating pain while OUT of it's ball socket (or so it felt out of it's

socket

and keeping me in a locked painful knee bent position).

And I am a far cry from being a chiropractor so it with it happening

multiple times per day at first there was no magic way to resolve other than

trial and error and with luck that might work. But in public that could be

very embarrassing so I would have to call home for my mobility cart when I

was unable to undo the hip lock up or lock out of socket situation. After

awhile I gave up risking going out alone.

Anyway, I never once had that predicament again after my Rt Hip surgery.

I am dealing with an long not able to use Rt front thigh and Rt groin

muscle and balance challenged arthritic totalled knee issues some of which are

20 and some 6 year old issues. Some of which are finally now being

addressed for the very first time in P.T. So basically I am back to those

issues

and glad to be rid of that final Rt Hip Finally Issue.

My pain now is brought on for good reasons such as therapy designed to

strengthen not only my new Rt hip but the thigh and groin and knee which have

basically " gone to seed " due to years of inablity to

fully utilize them.

I hope this helps you decide. It was not even a decision for me in the

end. I actually had NO OPTION and now must deal with old and new

consequences as best I can. At least I am no longer dependent on anyone for

going out

and about anymore as long as I go where my " totally needy Rt knee and Rt

front thigh muscle " will let me go to.

So it's nice and not so nice when it comes down to where you have no

option. Prior to this end crisis I never even knew I needed a new hip (all my

former doctors told me was that I needed one new knee).

And can you imagine if this would have happened to me during my rehab for

a new knee. Something kept telling me to put off the knee surgery and I

kept asking myself why I cannot walk like others who need just one new knee.

I hope this helps you understand how some of us might be enduring other

causes of pain. Causes that preceeded our total hip replacement surgery

LEANN

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

Be your own advocate! The best patient is an informed patient!

Groups Links

[Guest guest]

You do not want to wait until you are in horrible pain to do the knee

replacement. IF you need it, you need it. MY doctor waited and waited and

waited. I believe that helped make mine a rough recovery as the leg had all

twisted.

The surgery was totally worth getting. As bad as my recovery was for many

reasons, not all related to the knee itself, I would do it over. Yes, I am

having to go back into therapy, but I had other issues. I just need to get my

flexing to a better degree. My life is much better since surgery. I can walk

and stand and drive and I am not in that horrible constant pain in my knee or

anywhere else either in my body. Seems the arthritis in my knee was shooting

pain all over. So don't be afraid of some after problems. Most people breeze

through this surgery. I for one, was not one of them, but I was full of

infection for years in my sinuses and they failed to find it. That was a huge

contributing factor in my knee recovery.

Life is good and better now that I have had the surgery. I can again take walks

and I am happy. dash

Re: Re: to have THR or not?

Thanks for sharing your experience. (And to all of you who have been so

generous.)

But it leaves me doubtful about whether I'm ready, because I'm nowhere

near experiencing the level of disability of which you speak.

When the pain is intensely throbbing throughout the hip, back, thigh,

knee, and my walking and sleeping are limited, I know I'm ready for the surgery.

When it calms down for a couple days, I have doubts. Yet I don't want lose

even more mobility, or get further imbalanced.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I¹m ³a knee² not ³a hip² just so you know. But I think the decision-making

process is similar.

I waited a bit too long to have surgery ‹ and some of that delay was a

conscious decision -- but things have worked out well for me.

I did not experience crushing pain before my first surgery. My realization

was that the quality of my life was diminishing. There were things I wanted

to do that were difficult; things I wanted to do that I didn¹t do because of

the pain or simple inability to do them; my energy was low; I heard myself

saying I couldn¹t do things or that I was afraid to do them; I was not my

more normal happy self ‹ who would be with that chronic pain! My friends

had to tell me that I was in constant pain because I had just adapted to

higher and higher levels of pain.

It wasn¹t until I was recovering from the first surgery on my right knee

that my left knee simply stopped being able to bear weight. That was scary

but manageable with steroid shot until just before my second surgery

Fortunately I was still strong enough to do a good regimen of pre-surgery

exercises before the surgeries that helped me in my recovery.

I can really understand your reluctance to rush in and wanting to do this at

the right time. But it worries me when I see your description of the pain

that you experience. I wonder if you also have a lower level of chronic

pain that is there most of the time. You don¹t have to be disabled to

correct the problem. And this is not going to get better.

But there is not right or wrong about your decision. It¹s more trading off

gains and losses.

I would ask myself not only how bad the pain is but also what my

expectations are for the period between now and the time that I would have

the surgery. What will I gain, and what will I give up by delaying the

surgery?

In my case, I put the surgery off for about 6 months because I very much

wanted to go on a drumming tour in Cuba. I knew I couldn¹t do it while

recovering from surgery, and I knew I would have 2 surgeries. So I

scheduled surgery for after the trip and got some steroid shots to get me

through. They worked well enough that I was able to have a wonderful trip.

For me the gain of having the trip was worth the delay. But it would have

been better in other ways to have done it earlier ‹ my left knee would not

have quit on me before I could replace it for example.

So, my question is about that ‹ what is the gain for you if you delay the

surgery, and what is the loss?

Wishing you all the best.

Peace,

Jackie

--

Jackie on

Jackiett@...

R-TKR 3-19-09

L-TKR 9-1-09

Dr. Patch

On 7/30/10 7:13 PM, " lindahys@... " <lindahys@...> wrote

>

>

> Thanks for sharing your experience. (And to all of you who have been so

> generous.)

>

> But it leaves me doubtful about whether I'm ready, because I'm nowhere

> near experiencing the level of disability of which you speak.

>

> When the pain is intensely throbbing throughout the hip, back, thigh,

> knee, and my walking and sleeping are limited, I know I'm ready for the

> surgery.

> When it calms down for a couple days, I have doubts. Yet I don't want lose

> even more mobility, or get further imbalanced.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

You are managing with your hip (likely osteoarthritis/bursitis issues) the way I

was managing with my hip which I simply thought was prone to bursitis now and

then and NOT on the verge of needing any THR. Had one really major major hip

bursitis flare and one moderate flare and one mild ever present one

which only was a mere awareness of a tender hip when I layed on that side but I

could still lay on it. Had had one cortizone shot into posterior hip joint

which worked fine. Avoided a guided anterior cortizone shot when I had multiple

nerve and muscle flareup one time.

That finally resolved on it's own over time.

The straw that ultimately did my hip in was some extreme up hill wt bearing

because I feared after first pass trial on the stairway option (first of three

days of needing to go up that hill) that I might fall backwards while I had no

railing or grab bar was required to be on only one leg each time long enough to

climb each step of the stairway option for that hill. That painless but

effortfull hip strain likely was the " straw " that caused that hip a few days

later to suddenly seem to go " to pieces " even before my totaled knee and front

thigh muscle and foot and gait problems which I thought were the my only

disabling and replacement needy issues that existed. .

But at least you still seem to have good knees and front thigh muscles so if you

feel you are able to wait for some crumbling off crisis to happen you might just

end up not having to decide anything at all in the end. The decision will be

made FOR YOU somehow someway somewhere.

And look on the bright side as I must do now. Hips are done before knees anyway

so even if your knees give out while waiting for a the hip to give out first it

is some consolation to know it has to be done (or had to be done as in my case)

first anyway.

LEANN