I have been avidly reading posts in this forum for the last few weeks as I am having a hip replacement two weeks today - I am so relieved that it has finally come as the pain is virtually at the unbearable stage especially first thing in the morning or if I have to get up in the night.
I am a carer for my husband who has Parkinsons so have been busy sorting everything out for him so not having much time to think about me!
We were due to go to Florida in September and originally I said we would go and I would have the op after but the pain has just got so bad the last few months I chased the doc up and we got in a bit early. So insurance claims in for the holiday, hopefully by next March I will be fit to travel and we can go then.
Thanks for all the encouraging posts I have read on here, the good and bad things as well I have learnt so much.
Jean I hope you have care in place for husband as you will be dependent for maybe weeks.
See my post just now to Carol. You will be fine for Fla and it will be an incentive to lk forward to.. gd luck
GOOD LUCK JEAN!
Enjoy your holiday later...good plan!
Good that you've sorting thing out for your hubby care.
Now you can start sorting thing out for yourself.
Good Luck Jean.
Hope all goes well for you, you will need all the help that is offered for the first few weeks, I am two weeks today and walked with one stick.. not far only a few steps, but getting there, but by afternoon I am wiped out. xx
Good luck to you Jean, although I'm still limping and on one stick at 11 weeks I'm so glad I haven't got that awful pain, you will b fine and rearing to go to America and b able to enjoy it.
Thanks for the good wishes, sorting out the care is a bit of a nightmare. We have carers in mornng and night at the moment and the plan was to increase it to four times a day, but hubby is not too good at the moment and has agreed to go into respite for a couple of weeks to give me chance to have the op and time on my own. I have told him I am totally unable to help him at all after my op as I am determined to do things right as long term I know it makes sense. We are waiting for social services. to get back to us re the respite. They are so slow.
Are you having the up replacement in. Fl? I can tell you wha Dr NOT to go to.
Jean heaps of good luck. I have just been given the go-ahead to return to normality (in a careful sort of way) six weeks and five days after RTHR. However you feel now you'll feel a whole lot better when you've been repaired I can assure you. Be aware the first three weeks at least you'll be very tired even if you can manage to do things and of course your recovery will depend on all sorts of factors. It would be really good if your husband's respite is as long as possible and you have a really good support package after that as you'll only be able to cope with yourself without being wiped out for a good while. Not easy for you but having your hip done and losing that agony is worth it without doubt and the operation is really nothing to get worked up about. Fingers, if not legs, crossed firmly for success and a pain free future.
Hi Linda, not sure what the abbreviations mean sorry, new to all this. It is the right hip and it is the Exeter operation according to my surgeon if that helps
Hi fellow jean,
Best of luck with the op, you will be so glad to get rid of the pain. But as others have said on here, you will need time to heal yourself and will feel very tired at first, so good for you for sorting out respite care for your husband; then you can just concentrate on getting better and stronger for your trip next year. Something to look forward to! And I think you will be glad you have waited as by then you should have got rid of that horrible spiky arthritic pain.
Jeanp
That's for sure ladies, much better afterward. Men started with bad groin pain. I was an avid sports person all of my life. Gym, jogging races, tennis, swimming and softball, bowling but couldn't do any of these things; always hunched over and barely able to walk my dog, walk period. This is when I'd had enough.
Stupidly I worked next door to a Therapy place, 2 of them...went in and asked both if they knew a good Hip Ortho. Both wrote down same name so I went to meet him. Dummy me!!! Why would I ask a Therapy place? They get all all of the Dr's messes, the ones that need braces to live in for 4 months after my operation for example. Plus the 2 Drs each had written down were on internet and considered good. Except the 1 I had chosen, had pretty much just thrown together a web page, looking back I can tell. Plus, I suggest your DR has "Rights" to more than 1 hospital! Also make sure Dr takes more than just Meicare, something I didn't think about Because he said "don't worry, the hospital pays me".
My hip fell out twice within 2 weeks, 2 ER rides to hospitals, more bills I must pay, not him! 2Nd time was the very day after the 1st time and right in the Dr's office. Told me he'd meet me at Boca Hospital in 20 minutes...it too him 2 hours.
I now have, as my Dr (Internist and different Ortho) bad, and I will quote "your back is loaded with arthritis, bone spurs and little space if any between a few discs. 1 more thing, none of my new drs have seen a hip replacement via xrays lije this one. The stem juts out way too far and he has what looks like a zip tie wrapped around the stem. My leg is now 1" 3/4 longer than my regular leg.
Please don't think I'm trying to scare you, just sharing my experience. I liked him, very charming, good handshake etc. Oh, he also lied and told me he had invented the Anterior Approach. The nurse looked down but shook her head in agreement. Such a lie!
I now if you d your homework on your choice and try to find out any info u can about the Dr, you will be FINE!
Wow Linda, that sounds bad. Luckily in the UK we are coverd by the health service so not worried about the cost. My surgeon comes highly recommended so hopefully I should be ok.
Ok, my abbreviations are typos...my phone is so sensitive, sorry. You are going for the original way, they go in at the back not the front such as mine, a rather new approach with a much less recovery time...supposedly. I'm glad they are doing it the Exterior Approach. They can keep the Anterior as far I am concerned, however, I still think it was my Dr's mistakes. He didn't are what size ball and stem he put in, hence the 2 fall outs.
Must run, I will look forward to hear about operation and recovery. I have all the faith that you will be just fine! When is the date?
That's great, you will be just gine!
Good luck with your op..you'll be fine and it isn't half as scary as you imagine!!!!
Hi jean wakes, I've had both my hips replaced here in uk both
were very sucessful I had my first in 2001 when I was forty nine
the secon d six months later mine are ceramic and titanium I have been
pain free a since the recovery took six months after second op to be fully fit
but was really worth it. I do have some arthritis in my lower back so get some pain
with that sometimes but hips are perfect.
Good luck with the op and your husbands care
ann
Jean, that is good of your husband to see that your help to him will be limited, and trust me it will be nill, as you will need someone to look after you....I actually looked into respite for myself, as I'm alone with a 19 year old son with special needs, so it was originally thought to put me in respite and have his workers come in so not to change up his routine too much....respite was out of my dollar budget, so I'm home and at times it is very fustrating for both my son and myself...I'm asking him to help out and he is rightly frustrated because he can't cope with too many tasks....so you are doing the right thing...I think Hope posted 20 rules for hip surgery and boy did they help and reading this post daily you will pick up all kinds of helpful information....good luck and keep us posted..the anticipated is the hardest believe me....when you are back home and in control (somewhat) you will feel better...Patricia from Toronto