I am waiting to see the consultant for a THR just not sure what to expect in the coming weeks / months
not sure if i am anxious or excited
what should I expect on the day of the surgery, I have Sleep Apena so I will be awake which does not bother me
What is better a local anaesthetic or epidural not sure because only had one op for tonsils about 45 years ago , Also is the post op pain severe ?
Just looking for some pointers as I have had this hip problem for over 12 years
Thanks in Advance
Good luck with your appointment. Are you in UK on the NHS? It can be quite a lengthy wait in some parts of the country. By the time I got to the day of the op I was in such pain I was worried silly it would be cancelled! The choice of anaesthetic is a spinal or a general. I had a spinal, you have an injection in your spine and then you can choose if you want sedation or not. I opted for no sedation as I wanted to know what was going on. Some people who have a spinal like to listen to music during the op, some just want to have enough sedation so they sleep. If you have sleep apnea you should tell your surgeon in advance and this could have an effect. I was very lucky and did not seem to have much pain. You will be given lots of pain killers although I found I did not need them. You will be given some to take home too. You should be on your feet pretty soon after surgery, in UK they like you to be able to walk up an down stairs before going home. I had my surgery on a Saturday so there was no one around on Sunday to check stair walking, so I tried Monday morning along with some other exercises and was told I could go home that evening. I did have to stay in longer as I have an autoimmune disease and my blood markers shot up, so the surgeon wanted them to come down again before I went home. You will need some gadgets to help you around the house when you get home such as a grabber. I was told about all this at the pre op which you will have.
Many Thanks for the information
I am in the uk on the NHS since i was told it was severe degeneration I was hoping it will be sooner rather than later as it is constant pain .
Hi Billy 25372.
I had my op 24 days ago and found it virtually painless. I had a epidural with sedative - went to sleep - woke up - done. Looking back I wonder why I was so worried before hand. I think the worst part was having to endure daytime television for a couple of days afterwards.
hello
i am having mine on the 22nd JAN and on the nhs . the waiting list here is 8 weeks so not too bad
you will be fine and life will begin again
Thanks for that not sure if I can go to sleep with the sleep apena but dont fancy the day time tv 
good luck with your op
Most of your questions should be answered by my website which I started just over 3 years ago after my THR operation, the address is in my personal info here …
Patient Communities - Our community of patients, carers, and health-conscious individuals is here to help.
and at the bottom of the moderator’s “useful resources” page at
THR - Useful Resources - Bones, joints and muscles - Patient Communities
Best wishes
Graham - ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Hello and welcome!
I am having my second THP on the 24th. Do you have some support lined up at home afterwards?
Looking at Rocket’s list will be helpful, along with coming on here for advice and support.
The epidural will be fine, you can’t feel a thing.
Once you get past the wait, the rest is just about taking care of your new hip and getting back to your old - or should I say new life!
I hope they come back with a date for you soon!
Hi Billy,
I had about an eight month wait to see the consultant but only about 6/7 weeks after that to having the hip op. I had a fall in 2009 which started my hip problem, I walked like a penguin for so long, eventually had it done last April.
Do not assume you will have pain after the op I had none. The best thing you can do while waiting is exercise, exercise, exercise, if you strengthen the muscle you will not have pain afterwards. An exercise bike or elliptical walker will be invaluable to use now and after op (not immediately) also, as much walking as possible, the fitter the better for your recovery
A GA is not normally given only if problems with the spinal injection arise or you have conditions which mean you cannot have a spinal injection. From have the spinal to waking up from the sedation was one hour fifty minutes for me. Hope you do not have a long wait.
Many Thanks , Just going to look at Rockets page
I think the timing varies from area to area. In my case I had a CT scan in February which showed hip problems, I had had one the previous May which showed problems too but ignored by my GP. My GP then applied for funding which I got in April. I then saw the orthopaedic surgeon in June who said he would put me on the waiting list. I had my pre-op in August and the hip op in October. I think the surgeon can get the funding too, probably faster than my GP.
We did not have a TV!
many thanks for the advice I currently walk 10- 15 km for 5 days of the week
Hope thats enough
Hi Billy, I went through exactly as to are though I was more anxious for my wife who would be sitting waiting whilst I was in theater. 11 days post op I had nothing to be anxious about, I had some pain but it was managed and I could feel the benefits the same afternoon when I took my first steps on my new hip. I only had the problem for two years but I can already see this will change my life. I am 65 and couldnt see life in the pain and walking problems I had for the next possible 20 years of my life. I was recommended general anaesthetic and epidural which I had. Pain since the op has been fairly low other than I have had problems sleeping on my back and the pain at night has caused me problems. This has been more noticable as for several days now I have needed little to no paracetamol during the day but it is early days for such an operation.
Thanks for the info
I am still waiting for the consultant to see me but that could take long enough
every day is getting harder so the waiting is a nightmare
I had my operation at lunch time and my sister says she was walking along doing the shopping and she felt the most excruciating pain in her hip like someone was putting a knife into it!! There is more thing in heaven and earth Horatio! We do read each others minds occassionally.
Thanks for the info
I am still waiting for the consultant to see me but that could take long enough
every day is getting harder so the waiting is a nightmare
I was fortunate enough to have medical insurance which allowed me to see a consultant and chose the date of my op all within 6 weeks, could have been sooner had I wished but wanted to enjoy Christmas first. its rather sad that someone suffering for 20 years still has to wait even longer.
yes the waiting is frustrating and has made me lazy probably because my doctor said it was bad so i thought i would hear really fast but the waiting list is so long it could be up to 20 weeks before i even see the consultant