hi, broke left femur 2007 and after dhs made good recovery although advised both hips fairly arthritic an wouldn't need further surgery at some point> Felt well, had 2nd baby an virtually no pain until fell badly in December 2013 and fractured right femur> ano dhs!! This time, complete agony in both hips so much so I saw surgeon and he said only way forward is double replacement as arthritis worsened since fall> I am scheduled av first done in 2 wks and am absolutely petrified not even 40 yet but am struggling look after my kids aged 13 and 3> Any inspiring words, advice etc much appreciated> Thanks!!
that meant to say would need further surgery, not wouldn't, sorry typing error!
Get them done asap. Granted I am male and 50 but hopefully still with enough life ahead to enjoy.
I am in my third week post op and already so happy I had mine done. No grinding pain and gradually cutting down from two to one crutch. Off painkillers for three days now. Wish I had pressed to get this done earlier.
My advice is not to be scared and enjoy the sense of humour your body has when in recovery 
Good luck
K
Hi Cheryl
I had bi-lateral hips replacement done on 27th Feb & now just over 6 weeks post op. I am 49 & like you hips festroyed by arthritis. Was very scared beforehand but can only say best thing I did. Pain gone & improving mobility everyday. It is important to do your physio. Op has opened up whole new lease of life. Hope this helps.
Cheryl...just read the stories on this and other threads on the forum....you can't get better inspiration than that from the rest of us 'hippies'.....post and read regularly for fantastic support and reassurance from everyone!
Chris
Get them done. My mother suffered for 18 months with pain everytime she moved or stood up. Also the pain meds did a number on her stomach. She woke up in hospitol after her hip replacement with no pain. She was amazed and kept saying over and over again "I have no pain", 'I have no pain". She has been so happy and so much like her old self I think it has been a miracle. Life is short, make it as good as possible and don't worry about it. Your kids need you and life is awesome without pain. Good luck!!
It would probably be best to follow the advice of your doctor or surgeon. 39 is very young to have a THR, but I am 20 years old and getting a THR in a few weeks. I am glad now, because I am hardly walk at this point and I am in a lot of pain.
Age has nothing to do with whether or not you need a THR, it depends on whether or not you need the surgery done.
Hi Cheryl47408
I am 29 and have had an hip replacement last June. I broken my left hip at age of 9 the Doctor was able to do much for me me at that age the only way was to wait. after 12 yeas of pain and agony, age of 21 Doctor suggest me the operation. My though was some that you are having now I am too young to have an hip replacement at that age. However if the time go back I would do it all different I would do it then.
I ended up having my hip done at the age of 29 my hip was in such bad condition I needed to spend 3 weeks at hospital and the operation take 6.5 hour instead of 1.5 to 2 hour I had a lot of complication during and after the operations. I am fine now don't have any pain.
Therefore I would be more than happy to talk to you about it. let me know we talk more about it.
Hally
Think through your post-op arrangements carefully, prepare your younger child for the change in Mummy and that there will be things you can't do when you come home. If you read the experiences on the forum you will see that most of us do well post-op and pick up the pieces of our lives again. A girl about your age with a young baby had a hip replaced the day after me and was striding round the ward on her crutches in no time.
You may well need a revision in the future but in the meantime you will have been able to enjoy doing things with your children and living a full and reasonably active life. So good luck and I am sure things will go well for you.
Thanks for all comments upto now and support been so reassuring. I am terrified but been reading up and doesn't seem as bad as first thought! Still bottling it tho
Daughter-in-law of a family friend has just had her 20 year review after hip revision. She is in her 50s and had her first op done by a surgeon who would no longer be doing hip replacements. [Most centres now insist on a minimum number of ops per year to keep the expertise up] She had her revision done by a very good surgeon at Wrightington who has now retired but she has enjoyed a sensibly active life for 20 years. A second revision will probably be needed within the next 5 years and she is now on annual review. She's been advised to give up going to the gym and cut down on the swimming and cycling for now. She's in her 50s so that for me counts as a good result.
Hi Ros that's brilliant. tbh I just want to get it over with as am in pain at min and cant do a lot. I take kids out in car and feel guilty when see other mums walking everywere esp today in the sunshine its sooooo depressing. My family are great but I don't think they realise how bad its become over last 5 months as was pretty active until then. did your friend not need any surgery after initial op 20 yrs ago????
Yes, but completely unconnected, a brush with cancer which she's now clear of. Rehab took a while because they had to do a lot of work on her hip to undo damage from the first botched op so she had to take it slowly and work quite hard but well worth it. 20 years ago she thought she was facing life in a wheelchair.
My great aunt had one of the fairly early ones, also at Wrightington, and it lasted her until she died in her 90s. To be fair they would have replaced it a couple of years before she died had she been a youngster of 85 or so but she was getting very frail by then and the pain was controllable. I think that one lasted about 25 years at a time when they were saying 10 and 15 if you are lucky! She too used it, she lived in one of those tall thin houses with back door and utility space, kitchen on half landing, sitting room and dining room and front door, bathroom on half landing, bedrooms up stairs and attic bedrooms plus remainder of market garden with commercial size greenhouse (her son dug it but she did the rest!). So even the early ones could last in the hands of a good surgeon.
My late boss also had one which lasted about 20 years then a successful revision so if you are reasonably sensible - sky diving, bungee jumping, marathon running, rugby and competitive football are not good, neither is jumping from scaffolding (don't laugh, an australian broke 2 heavy duty stems before they tracked down that he worked in the building trade and scorned to use ladders when coming down from a single storey.) Cycling, walking, swimming crawl, low impact gym work are all good. Horse riding has to be treated carefully - falling off is BAD, and some hip designs don't allow astride sitting on most horses. So you have quite a range of activities and I'm sure you can think of others. Unfortunately most housework is OK after initial rehab so no excuses there (damn!). Travelling in some countries is a bit tricky because many people have some difficulty with squatting loos such as are found in many countries in Asia and turn up from time to time in countries like Greece. As you can guess I worked on the engineering side so knew almost as much as my surgeon about the ones which DIDN'T work. In fact I saw my first op before my current rheumatology consultant was born (he admitted it) and I'm not that ancient. Talk about signs of age being the ultra young policemen walking the street!
But, the vast majority get an acceptable result, most get significant improvement and many get near normal function which lasts for 15 years plus and in a growing number of cases 20 years plus (don't forget that you don't know until they have been in use for 25 years or so, only the failures show up earlier).
Most of the lab tests haven't been very good at predicting clinical lifetimes, the one my aunt had had a lab lifetime of 5-10 years but the metal-on-metal ones they've just stopped using had a lab lifetime of 25-30 years but failed by a mechanism they couldn't lab test. The one I have has a proven clinical history of 20+ as the median half life and it is still going up. That will do me.
Hope yours goes as well or better than mine.
comforting and encouraging thanks ros. I never really fancied bungee or sky diving lol!! too scared ov heights! Although I did manage the big one at blackpool last year surprised my hips managed it! Nice pain free walking, bit ov swimming will do me. Will swerve the house work as long as I can, may as well be bit cheeky> Your friend has had a rough ride but glad all ok
oh well, av pre op on monday and first thr 9th May. Am really scared now its a reality, esp worried bout first 6 wks with my 3 yr old being a big concern as am a single mum. Will be staying with my mum and kids initially. From those post op any idea roughly how long before i will be able move home after op without struggling to much with the little one , he is very lively typical 3 yr old. I know from the threads everyone is different but I am having all these thoughts driving me mad like I will av to stay with my mum for at least a year. I think my mind is running away with itself a bit but I am really worrying now.
I;m afraid the motto is one day at a time. One question to ask yourself is do you ever have to pick up your youngster and is he going to cooperate or not. That and coping with buggies or toddlers running free may be quite a challenge at first. Have you contacted Social Services about extra support e.g. nursery place. If not then ask - they can only say no.
Do prepare him for the idea that jumping on mummy's knee is a bad idea for a while and introduce him to safer ways of post-op cuddling e.g.sitting by you on a couch (check height!!). You can buy devices for raising chairs, beds etc on-line and you may need extra ones - don't forget to get your gadgets fitted at your mum's if that is where you will go after discharge.
You could also introduce the idea of his helping mummy - perhaps a special doll - see if you can find one with crutches - which you and your mum could use in play. The more idea he has that mummy will come home and need looking after while she gets better the easier he will find it.
Anyone who says they don't have a worry pre-op is a liar or a fool. It is a big step, you have decided it is the right one for you but they will have warned you about the risks and they will probably do it again before you sign the consent form so you are right to have concerns.
Because you are a single parent I am going to raise the fact of 'Have you made a will'. If not then please do so because you can then specify who you want to bring up your son should the worst happen. It is probably not a thought you want to have but could save a lot of hassle in the very unlikely event. I'm a firm believer in the 'Plan for the worst and hope for the best' and so far I'm well ahead on points.
Good luck, Be prepared to work at your rehab and remember that you will have the odd bad day when you need to listen to your body and step back a bit. I'm sure that once you are over the next months it will be the start of a freer and fuller life.
Hi Cheryl, Ros is right...one day at a time...this is my 10th week post op and I managed a little football in the kitchen with my 3 yr old grandchild on Sunday...something I couldn't have done before! Some days are fine but then for no real reason theres an achey day. Physio gets quite hard and does hurt if you do it properly but just have to stick at it!
Get all the gadgets you can before the op...you'll find other THP threads on here with lots of ideas, grabbers, hooky sticks, raised loo seats etc
Keep posting.....lots of friendly advice and support on here!!
hi ros, thanks for the advice. Zak goes to nursery 15 hrs a weel which is a great help. Unfortunately I know I wont be able to drive so relying on my mum for a while. Not sure how long I can't drive for?????? I am trying to remain positive and hope this procedure and other future thr will eventually give me a reasonable life back as beginning to feel depressed and tearful which I dont want kids to see. My eldest 13 sees me in tears a lot and I dont like her seeing me like this. How long since you had yours and do you have a better life now? Some experinces I have heard about being worse than before thr are petryfying but my consultant Mr gudena (st helens and knowsley - dont know if you heard about him?) assures me will give me a much better life than I have currently/ Anyway, thanks again an hope to stay in touch.
hi crissy-wissy, thanks to you as ros for advice. For me the tears and depression are really not too good at the minute and trying to stay positive is so difficult. I read experiences which say how much better life is and others that aren't too good. I have read a few comments you have made and find your experience seems to have been positive. Do you have no regrets?
I believe you're not insured to drive for first 6 weeks...I drove round Asda car park after hours after my 6 week review and have been fine since for up to half an hour distances....my mobility is better already and can only continue to improve.....stay positive!