CONSECUTIVE THRs - TIMELINE

Hi Everyone

I am sceduled for THR No,1 on 24th Feb, My consultant has told me the second one will be 8 weeks later, Reading about the experiences of others and their recovery rates I am a bit sceptical. I would love to hear from anyone who has had two THRs and how long they waited between operations ( and why ).

  It would also bw interesting to hear the views of anyone who has had a THR about whether their physical or mental state would be good enough to go through the operation again after only 8 weeks

Many thanks Paul

Hi Paul, good idea to start a new discussion. I mentioned on your other thread that sleeping might be tricky, because you'll have no good side. Might end up on your back for months.... Anyway the double hippies out there will have good advice.

I asked the surgeon how I would manage on the other damaged hip...he said he'd do both at once!  Bilateral hip replacement last August.  I'm 65... so no pain but walk a bit mechanically.  Every day a new thing I can do.  NO PAIN!

Paul,

Not quite the same, but I had to have revision on my original THR just 10 weeks afterwards.  It meant that my recovery time was extended by 10 weeks, but I think it was harder because I was starting my recovery from a much lower 'place'.

By 8 weeks you may be OK to take another operation, depends on the patient I suppose.  I guess the surgeon thinks you will be OK.  

Mentally I found that I was in the right place - already recovering well, and knew just what to expect.

Good luck, keep us posted.

Graham - 🚀💃 🤸

I would go with the option of having 8 weeks apart with hindsite, having had both hips replaced 15 months apart. 

Hip joints as I suspect in your case at severe stage of worn out, you good one is going to be great after surgery, but your still bad hip is going to slow you down.

In my case Dr's told me about 2 years before I would need left hip replaced, or so they thought.

Out walking about 12 weeks after right hip replacement, when I got the most extreme pain and tearing sensation in left hip joint, ouchhh doens't do it justice. Cat scan a little ho hum, but Dr said he agreed what little cartledge that was left in that joint has been torn, already knew hip was showing moderate arthiritis, he also said if its a muscle will heal in 6 weeks, and if its cartledge 12 weeks, 13 weeks later woke up in no pain, only confirmed my and Dr's suspicion about what happened.

Refered me back to the surgeon who had done my right hip. X-ray at hospital confirmed the gap between bones was significantly changed since surgery 26 weeks previous, and booked for 2nd hip replacement. 15 months later finally replaced, run up to surgery diffucult, because of ongoing pain in left hip, not able to do the walking required to be really strong.

Resorted to heated swimming pool, 3 times a week for an hour each time to keep myself sane and resonably fit with non-weight bearing exercise.

Hi Paul,

Have been following your other post and will be very interested to hear how you get on with first hip and then second in only 8 weeks

I am just 3 weeks over first THR and I know I have to get the second one done but I was told by the consultant that it would be up to me when this happens!

For me I don't think I would be in a great mind set to get the second one done after only 8 weeks but that's just me

I am lucky so far that my recovery is going great but I have good days and have had a couple of bad days! I am impatient and and hate sitting still!!!

Hope it all goes well for you

😄😄😄😄

hi paul, 

I had right hip replacement surgery in March 2016 - at 6 weeks follow up appointment, x ray showed rapid decline of left hip joint from mild to bone on bone cartilage  in 6 months ...My surgeon wanted to wait 6 months to do 2nd THR .. no reason given and I did not asked ... I was just in shock ... the 6 months in between were miserable and took a toll on the new hip ...

I was so ready by that time to get it done and have 2 new hips so that healing could begin ...

Did your surgeon explain to you why he wants to get the 2nd one 8 weeks later? 

To be honest, my old new hip took a beating - I developed trochanteric bursitis, limped and still is  "behind" - 

PLease come back and let us know how you are getting on ... 

big warm hug

renee

 

To be honest I would be skeptical about being skeptical! If you take to reading about other people's experiences on their internet you are narrowing your experience pool. When I first signed up to this forum I wasn't worried, but reading the posts left me wondering what on earth I was facing! 

The thing is, people being people, there aren't many who sign up to forums saying "i had a fabulous surgery, it was all really easy, and nothing at all went wrong or was unexpected". As it happens, I'm one of them that did! But in the main, people take to the internet to find their "problem" because they want to check out if the doctor is telling them the truth, if other people have had the same thing, or some other similar reason. The fact is that for most people, they accept whatever the doctor says and it's not so bad that they feel any need to go off and find out any more. Given the number of hip  replacements done every day around the world, this site would fall over if everyone posted! 

My other hip has severe OA but for some reason has  not yet been a problem, but the left hip was replaced in November last year. All pain gone. No surgical pain even. And yes, I could have easily managed another surgery 8 weeks later on the other hip. As it happens, my problem is that I need non weight bearing surgery on the right ankle, and can't have that because it's the weight bearing issue that is a problem. But hips are immediately weight bearing, so ok. 

Hello Paul. I had my first THR on 11/2/16 and I ended up with a revision on 11/18/16 due to the stem settling. However it was just a minor setback and now I'm 3 months out and doing wonderful on the operated side. I am scheduled for my next THR on the opposite side on the 15th of this month. It would have been scheduled earlier if it wasn't for the dislocation ofy other hip. My doctor has left things completely up to me, he said I know my body best. I told him let's do it ASAP because I'm in serious pain, my hips were bone on bone due to severe hip dysphasia and osteoarthritis and I'm only 38! I've always been healthy and in shape but this totally set me back at least a year!

But I have a personal trainer that is going to work with me after surgery and I have a vacation planned already for June, white water rafting the Grand Canyon!

My advice is positive thinking, this is a good thing... you will be back to normal soon and better than ever! If you can try not to wait too long on the second hip!

Sending positive vibes your way!

Jennifer

Paul

I agree with Beth a forum is not a reprentative group. I had a very successful left hip 8 years ago (until it became infected that is) and know several others who also had successful ops. When I found I had the infection I wanted to find out what the treatment would be like so I joined this forum. Not many of us get an infected hip (I think it's 2% or so) so I am definitely not representative of hip patients now when I'm on the forum though I probably was 8 years ago when I wasn't .

Mike

Absolutely right Michael, you find that forums are skewed with more 'problem' repacements, just because if you have a problem, you need more post-op help and advice.  Thankfully not many of us do get a problem, which doesn't help those of us who do have a problem very much.  That said, I would NOT want to go back to my pre-op state.

Paul - I would never have come to this forum unless i had problems, and Dr's fobbing me off with excuses.

My first hip, my Right, totally worn out, bone on bone, eaten away with cystic action and even drilling a hole in my pelvis, although not serious enough for a bone graft, although was warned that I might wake up with a bone graft, and explained very carfully where it would come from, and that patch may be more sore than the hip. 

Perfect - first time I was stood up 12 hours after my surgery, found I could weight bear on new hip, physio's encourged me to do so, and walking the ward later that same afternoon.

Only problem I had with that right hip was they gave me morphine, I am horribly sick on morphine and was really not very well, sick bag constantly at hand, even after I warned them not to give me morphine.

2nd hip left, recognised problem as soon as I stood up, had a lot more leg on left side post surgery, dismissed by physios and Dr's as swelling and my imagination, also could not balance on leg, just gave way, soooo different to right side, really scary.

End result with my own research and investigations, with Gp's help, sometimes begging for that help, 22mm or 3/4 inch difference.

Surgeons still considered not their problem and I would adjust, no I didn't ruptered discs in my back, just to complicate the issue, never having had a back problem previously, thought the pain in leg was coming from hip, just didn't make sense to me, pain from hip replacemnt just never went away, soooo different to other side. 

After 12 months, the Dr's were right I did adjust, sort of, with a shoe lift, I have worked it out, and even back has come right, but I really feel the surgeons let me down badly, did not explain carefully enough for me to understand, ''it will come right is not good enough''.

.Hi Lyn

thank you for replying - really interesting.

Can I ask how long it was before you were allowed to go swimming and how you managed getting in and out of the pool please, Swimming has become my big thing lately with a pullbouy between the legs to immobilise my hips

Thanks (whats your real name by the way ?)

I will keep you posted - my hope is that having them so close together will overlap some of the slow healing. Having had a big old chunk ( 25 stitches) taken from my thigh to remove a melanoma in november last year I know that healing is quite a complicated process.

Hi Renee - good morning

My hips are both severely mis-shapen following Perthes so I guess they both fit the criteria for immediate replacement. Perthes happens when very young so how I managed pain free till 52 is quite a mystery but a blessing. The treatment 40 yrs ago was brutal and would have spent a couple of years bedbounfd in traction and lots of ops to try and reshape the bones so I will just be very grateful how things have turned out for me.

Hi Beth - I agree completely. There probably isnt a lot of point in me trying to second guess outcomes - positivity is my best friend. So pleased you are doing so well.

I am a bit of a worrier though. I was encouraged to go to a cancer sufferers meeting in November following a wider excision for melanoma and it literally scared me silly - lots of people at stage 4 telling stories of how it all started with a simple mole removal. Not helpful for me as I hadnt even realized my kind of melanoma can return anywhere in the body. I think your own journey will be unique to you. I have learned lots of good things on here though and it is lovely to speak to lots of nice people

Paul

good morning Paul, 

that makes sense ... 

I think you can handle this and are ready to take it on ... 

healing will almost be simultaneously which is an advantage sometimes .. in my case, the hip getting worse was really hampering my recovery from 1st THR ... 

angel blessing and please keep in touch 

Hi Paul,

My real name is Mary😊

And wow having a melanoma removed and now 2 hip replacements coming up, that's a lot but you sound like such a positive person that you will sail through the surgery

Best of luck and hopefully I can be like you and get second hip done sooner rather than later!

Best of luck

Mary

You are brilliant Maureen - my surgeon wont do my two together I did ask. Closer the better thoufgh I guess

Thanks Graham - the mental side is probably something I havent thought about - glad to hear you were feeling so positive.