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HipHipReplacement
HipHipReplacement Member Posts: 14
edited 28. Dec 2016, 04:01 in Say Hello Archive
Hi there, long time listener, first time caller.

My name is Mike, and I'm 30 years old and live in Lincoln, UK. I have bilateral osteoarthritis in my hips, which started in my late teens. Hereditary from my darling father.

It started with Avascular Necrosis and has progressed to where my surgeon says most people would have had them replaced by now. Obviously my age is a factor in neither of us particularly wanting to do them, and I've been gritting my teeth through the agony for a long time now. I try to keep as active as I can, I live for sport but I am very limited now. I can just about get through 40 minutes of football (soccer) providing I throw a load of painkillers down my neck beforehand, and play goalkeeper as there is no chance I can run anymore.

So yes, that is where I am at currently. I signed up to try and manage with the blow that my surgeon has given my hips a year until they'll need replacing, and whilst I knew that was coming from the sheer pain I have daily, it doesn't really soften the impact. Also maybe get some advice about before and after.

Thanks for reading, look forward to speaking to you all.

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi HipHipReplacement,

    Welcome to the forum, I'm glad you chose to join us - but sorry about your hip problems. I've found a leaflet on hip replacement

    https://arthritiscare.org.uk/assets/000/001/057/Download_Hip_Surgery_Factsheet_original.pdf?1441115616

    A number of our members have had hip replacements, if you post on the Living with arthritis section I'm sure they will help with any queries or concerns.

    Take care
    Yvonne x
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello, I cannot help but I wanted to acknowledge your post. You are indeed a little young to be struggling with this but you are, sadly, far from alone: it's more usual for younger ones to be affected by an auto-immune form of arthritis but it seems that OA is affecting more and more younger ones thanks to active lifestyles.

    I too have OA in both hips (and other places) but I am nearly twice your age so that's not surprising. There are between 8 - 10 million arthritics in the UK and the majority have OA - you are far from alone. How is your general mobility? Are you able to walk for twenty minutes or more without pain? Do you use any aids (apart from pain relief) to help your mobility? I wish you well. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • HipHipReplacement
    HipHipReplacement Member Posts: 14
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    dreamdaisy wrote:
    Hello, I cannot help but I wanted to acknowledge your post. You are indeed a little young to be struggling with this but you are, sadly, far from alone: it's more usual for younger ones to be affected by an auto-immune form of arthritis but it seems that OA is affecting more and more younger ones thanks to active lifestyles.

    I too have OA in both hips (and other places) but I am nearly twice your age so that's not surprising. There are between 8 - 10 million arthritics in the UK and the majority have OA - you are far from alone. How is your general mobility? Are you able to walk for twenty minutes or more without pain? Do you use any aids (apart from pain relief) to help your mobility? I wish you well. DD

    Hi Dreamdaisy, I appreciate the reply!

    My mobility is pretty poor really. I cannot walk without pain, and haven't for many years now, but I still push myself as much as possible. I find the worst pain always comes when sitting down after walking, the intense burning and stabbing/shooting pain in the hips when I stop. Some days if my pain is increased and my limp more pronounced, I'll use a walking stick that I purchased, but other than that I just try and do the things I need to do quickly so I can get home and rest.

    Unfortunately my osteoarthritis is inherited from my father, and my sister suffered from Perthes disease at around age 7 onwards. Most of his siblings have hip issues too. My aunt has had replacements, uncle has shallow sockets, and another can barely walk but won't get it looked at. So I was always going to end up with it!

    My main issue is that with my depression/bipolar (which the hips don't help towards, I'm sure), I find my competitive sports a huge de-stress, they help settle my mind. Without that I feel like I will be lost.
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello again, as I said I cannot practically help but I do understand living (and coping) with inherited genetic dross. My Ma gave me my eczema and asthma, Pa gifted me psoriasis: the resulting OA and fibro is all my own work. Well done me.

    I take a daily dose of Citalopram to help me but that does not mean I truly understand depression. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • Kerrsa
    Kerrsa Member Posts: 233
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Mike.

    I can understand the need for competitive sport. Ive played tennis competitively for 39 years until Feb this year when my fingers became too painful. OH suggested I started swimming again, at first I thought he was crazy but have found it fills the void. And doesn't hurt the fingers as much. Also get the competitive fix at school where I'm a PE teacher although I manage more than teach.

    My mum has arthritis and dad has gout, so genes not on my side either.

    Hope you find a solution to enable you to do as much as possible.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  • HipHipReplacement
    HipHipReplacement Member Posts: 14
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Kerrsa wrote:
    Hi Mike.

    I can understand the need for competitive sport. Ive played tennis competitively for 39 years until Feb this year when my fingers became too painful. OH suggested I started swimming again, at first I thought he was crazy but have found it fills the void. And doesn't hurt the fingers as much. Also get the competitive fix at school where I'm a PE teacher although I manage more than teach.

    My mum has arthritis and dad has gout, so genes not on my side either.

    Hope you find a solution to enable you to do as much as possible.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Hi Kerrsa,

    I definitely need to do some swimming, but I'll need to learn first! Always hated it so didn't ever try, but it's a pretty important life skill as well as being low impact for the crumbling hips. As for being a PE teacher, I have always contemplated coaching kids with football, as it's a passion of mine and I'd like to consider myself good with children. Definitely something I intend to look into.

    I currently run a football team myself, so I can still keep doing that, just miss the playing aspect once the new hips get put in. I'm sure it'll be a tough journey but I am more confident about it than I was a few days ago, and the replies on this thread have helped massively, so I appreciate it greatly.
  • Kerrsa
    Kerrsa Member Posts: 233
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Mike

    I grew up in South Africa (and am there for Christmas) so have been swimming since I could walk. I stopped competing when I was about 13 and am 43 now so it's been a bit of a shock to the system.

    Good on you for running a football team. Have a good coach at school although he needs reigning in at times as gets a bit over excited. I call it passionate! Hope the new hips enable you to play again.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,336
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi there, long time listener, first time caller.

    My name is Mike, and I'm 30 years old and live in Lincoln, UK. I have bilateral osteoarthritis in my hips, which started in my late teens. Hereditary from my darling father.

    It started with Avascular Necrosis and has progressed to where my surgeon says most people would have had them replaced by now. Obviously my age is a factor in neither of us particularly wanting to do them, and I've been gritting my teeth through the agony for a long time now. I try to keep as active as I can, .............Thanks for reading, look forward to speaking to you all.

    Mike my daughter has Avascular necrosis due to treatment for leukaemia. She has had percutaneous core decompression in left hip (in September) and the other is due MRI to check whether it's there too.

    We are waiting for a date for a total shoulder replacement hopefully very soon in 2017 as it has collapsed.

    She was 19 in December and was diagnosed at 18.

    I would far rather she had been able to wait, but she cannot move the arm at all really now so the surgeon wants to go ahead.

    Not many on here with AVN so apologise for butting in x:oops:

    Toni xx