Prospect of hip surgery

Stanleycat
Stanleycat Member Posts: 2
in Living with arthritis

Any advice welcome

Comments

  • Ellen
    Ellen Moderator Posts: 1,841

    Good afternoon @Stanleycat

    Welcome to the Versus Arthritis Online Community.

    I see from your post that you are facing the prospect of Hip surgery and are looking for any advice.

    You have certainly come to the right place. On the online community we have quite a few regulars who have had Hip surgery I am attaching a link started by @RogerBill but contributed to by many more:


    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/55224/hip-replacement-tips

    In addition this is information by Versus Arthritis on the subject:

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/hip-replacement-surgery/

    I'm sure you will find everyone very supportive.

    Best wishes

    Ellen.

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,026

    Hello @Stanleycat I have a cat too (assuming yours is called Stanley - adorable name!) welcome from me to the forum😊

    I am very lucky my hips have not yet needed to be replaced i'm only saying hello really.there are loads of people here who have had their hips done quite a few this and last year in fact.

    @Lilymary @Cazbaz @RogerBill @Coddfish @pmas to name but a few 'hippies' not forgetting some of our original hipsters like @stickywicket and I think?? @lindalegs.

    Ask them questions and they will all help if they can.

    Take care

    Toni xx

  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,398

    Hi @Stanleycat and welcome from me too.

    On this occasion I'm unable to help as I'm not a hipster .....yet! (@frogmorton). Hands, shoulders, knees (not toes) and I'm at your service but I'm sure there are others who'll willingly advise you. 😊

    Love, Legs xx

    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,750
    edited 15. Sep 2022, 17:51

    Hi @Stanleycat , sorry to hear you're facing the prospect of a new hip. It can be a bit of a shocker, it knocked me sideways, but eventually I was in so much pain that having the worn out hip replaced with an engineered joint became a much-desired option.

    It is a bit operation, no doubt about it, but it is ROUTINE and surprisingly short - only takes about an hour. There is a huge body of knowledge and experience in this type of surgery, the surgeons do it day in day out, and the main thing is, even if it doesn't get you back to exactly where you were before, you will be free from that awful pain. Mine's still work in progress 18 months later due to some unusual soft-tissue complications, but that grinding pain is gone, I can walk without a stick at a fairly normal pace, even on rough ground, and I don't regret the surgery for a moment. Yes, the recovery from the op is a bit tough at times, but I was surprisingly self-sufficient around the house almost as soon as I got home. Help with cooking and shopping made life a lot easier short term, and my housekeeping standards slid somewhat for a while (!) but you'll be amazed at how well you, and your body, will cope.

    Come on here with questions, we're here to help, or to just listen if you're worried.

  • MaureenB
    MaureenB Member Posts: 29

    Hi @Stanleycat , I had one hip replaced 5 years ago when the surgeon said the joint was as bad as it could get. I put off surgery for 2 years as I was under 60 when diagnosed with severe osteo arthritis. I did keep as fit as I could with a desk job, with weight training at the gym, pilates etc. Its a good idea to explore different sorts of exercise, for example I never found stationary cycling painful. I had a bit of a text book recovery and went hill walking 5 months after surgery. I did have excellent physio.

    I am waiting for my other hip to be replaced in November, its now at the severe stage and the structure of the hip means the pain etc will only get worse. I am fitter in some ways than the last time, as I have not got as much muscle wastage. I found it helpful to practice in advance things like how to get out of bed and a chair to avoid dislocation, and stopping crossing my legs, also putting on shoes and socks with a hooked stick. We also checked chair heights in the car and at home. Your local GP surgery will help with equipment.

    My partner had an emergency hip replacement in January after a fall so I am vividly aware of the tedium and restrictions of the post op period. More so than the last time. And as other people have said the wound will hurt, but this passes unlike the arthritis pain which just becomes more disabling.

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