Almost perfect speedy recovery after TRH surgery!

Licklelilly

Sorry to let off some steam here, but whinge I must! 23 days ago I had a Superpath keyhole (minimally invasive) Total Hip Replacement. I almost didn't have the op, as the pre-op team deemed my blood pressure too high, thankfully my surgeon overruled and said most sufferers of OA do have high BP due to pain and anxiety facing a big operation. He was right, after the op my BP instantly went back to normal, and has been till my local surgery wouldn't replenish my Hormone replacement tablets on the 10th day after my op! I had been taking HRT for 15 years. Their reason for withdrawing my HRT was because my BP was high before the op! I had a horrible week with hot flushes, sky-high blood pressure, menstrual bleeding (first bleeding in 20 years), mood swings, and fragility. Exercises for my recovering hip had to stop due to utter weakness. After constantly trying to phone my GP surgery for a week, I finally got through to a receptionist, pleaded my case in tears, and still, she wouldn't put me through to a doctor. However, she did ask me to hold the line, five mins later she instructed me to get back on HRT immediately and keep recording my BP, a prescription for HRT was sent to the pharmacist within 2 hours!

I was too grateful to question why my HRT was stopped for a week, I didn't want to rock the boat. Now I'm pissed,, what should have been a smooth fantastic hip recovery, was ruined. I can only conclude that information wasn't shared between the private hospital where I had my op and the NHS GP surgery, as the GPs had only received an email declaring my op wasn't going ahead due to high BP, and since the receptionist didn't consider me an emergency, I couldn't speak to a doctor to confirm I had the op! This state of affairs is because of high volumes of patients jamming the phone lines, so you are lucky to speak to a receptionist let alone a doctor, they are blaming this on lockdown/ pandemic. This probably has happened to many others, some worse than my case.

Make sure you have all your meds in place for after your surgery, don't be chasing meds as I did!

Lilymary

I’m sorry you’ve had this experience, it sounds awful. This constant blaming the pandemic for poor access to GPs is really wearing thin. We’ve lost sight of the fact that it was almost this bad before 2020 anyway, and was getting worse at an appalling rate. Yes, throw money at the NHS to get the hospitals to a level where they are fit for purpose for an increasing and aging population, but GP practices are in an even worse state. As has been said elsewhere in this forum, it’s not just beds that are the problem, very soon there simply won’t be enough doctors and nursing staff.

Other than this set back, do you feel the minimally invasive surgery has lived up to its superpath promises?

Licklelilly

Thanks @Lilymary

I'm starting to feel human again after 6 days of estrogen tablets! Overall though, I'm beginning to wonder how on earth I tolerated 2 years of arthritic hip pain before my hip op! Waking up every day is a joy again, my partner says I look 8 years younger, and now at 26 days after the op, I can walk straight (opposed to the crooked limp) without crutches, I haven't tested myself with long walking distances yet. My physiotherapist said I could attempt hills in 2 more weeks, surrounded by Herefordshire hills I'm very keen to go hillwalking again! So yes, superpath minimally invasive surgery did deliver its promises, as for my keyhole scar, there are 2, one 10 cms and the other is 2 cms, just this minute measured with a ruler!😁 I'm still a tad cautious, only simple exercises and walking, for now, I suppose housework counts!

Lilymary

I’m really pleased to hear you’re recovering so well, and particularly that it’s given you a new lease of life. I wonder if this type of surgery will become more mainstream soon? I might ask for this when I have then next one done when it finally packs up. And now you're back on the HRT, you’ll be back up those hills in no time!