Definitely one of the best decisions I made to get my THR January 8, 2018. First diagnosis of arthritis was about 6 years earlier when I thought I would just manage. (Not correct, but what did I know at the time?)
After experiencing constant pain and seeing my x-rays of “bone on bone” it wasn’t hard to make the choice of drugs vs. surgery. With drugs, I could wait and have it done at our NY home area where we have lots of stairs or at our Florida home area where we had NO stairs. Not difficult to make that decision. I also didn’t want to wait. I know some people will wait but I really wanted relief from the discomfort.
I have done well, but not everything is perfect. During my recovery I was doing well but not all of the surgical wound healed as it should. I needed to do constant wet/dry dressings with weekly doctor visits. Later I went into the hospital again for a planned procedure to reclose the wound but a wound pump was used instead. With the aid of a visiting nurse who changed the special dressing, the wound healed more quickly and I was declared healed.
I experienced numbness in my thigh (no pain) and it continues but only hurts when I either bump into something or one of my dogs jumps on that area. No idea if it will go away but I can manage. (I once had numbness in other thigh after a fall and it took a couple of years to feel better so I can hope for that.)
This forum helped so much from the beginning, after I made my decision. Helpful tips and comments from many helpful people who had already had THR. Great sounding board when I would get a little concerned with progress even though I knew that everyone recovers at a different pace.
I have tried my best to help others and will continue to do that. It’s a “play it forward” kind of thing. Feels good if I can help someone as much as others helped me.
For anyone who is just starting out with plan for THR, ask your questions and share your concerns. Many people will answer and be of help.
Hi DIANNE
i have read many of your comments and appreciate them all as i had TRHR last March and was terrified but knew i could not deal with the cane to get up and walk a few metres , and ice and strong pain killers any longer. Mine was an injury from a race in SEPT 2016 that turned to arthritis, was told in JAN 2017 he suspected hip replacement in about 10 years as i was to young
sept 2017 MRI showed advanced arthritis bone on bone and deteriating rapidly
He said i had advanced in 8 months like someone would normally in 10-20 years
fast forward surgery in MARCH 2018
i was back to work quickly
i was on holidays hiking swimming and biking by JULY
I was so very scared to get this done
thought my hip would reject, or i would lose leg or it wouldnt work so many crazy fears in my head
this forum and you, ken, rocketman and a few others helped me so much letting me know by your posts i was not alone and the future can be good with a new hip
i have BURSITIS now in hip but working through that too
Hi Diannesk
I’m an old member of this forum and 2 years ago when i had my first THR this forum was brillant. I had all my questions answered and it helped me so much.
I had a great recovery and never looked back.
So here i go again, just had my second THR yesterday so heres hoping i get through this one too.
Lot of pain during the night but thats to be expected.
Stay ahead of the pain (which you know) in the beginning. Keep posting about your progress. That helps others who are either getting ready for their THR or recently had it done.
Definitely a success for me even with some glitches that are not a big deal. Hope your recovery from the first hip has gone well. Wishing you the best for the surgery this month. Keep posting on the forum so I (and others) can read about your progress. We’re all in the NEW HIP CLUB together.
