Hi from South Warwickshire

oddbody66
oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:04 in Living with arthritis
Hi Everyone,

This looks like a really good site.

I'm 53 and had a full hip replacement just over 2 weeks ago. Just wanted to find people who have had this surgery and are doing well.

I know it's still early days but I'm a bit worried as I've been having some groin pain that's similar to the pain I had pre-op, and I will be so down if it turns out that it hasn't worked. I'm doing the physio exercises I was told in the hospital, and walking a little. Anyone out there have tips for what helped them post-op?

Many thanks.

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi oddbody66
    Welcome to the forum glad you found us,I too had a hip replacement but a year ago now I remember I had discomfort in my groin are as I had a few bruises,but if you are in very bad pain I would ring the contact number you were given when you left hospital they will advise you.We are all friendly and understanding and will try to make you feel part of the forum the most popular forums are Living with Arthritis and Chit Chat. Everyone also has various forms of Arthritis.
    All the best Christine
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Christine,
    Thank you for the reply, and for the advice - I'll contact the 'transfer team' and see what they say.
    How are you now with your hip replacement a year on? Are you completely pain-free, and are you able to do things like put socks and trainers on, etc? How long did you need crutches for when you were home from hospital?
    Best wishes,
    Oddbod
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello from me too :D

    It's great news that you have a new hip. I've had two (plus three new knees - long story - I have years of RA). All my implants have been really good. One of my THRs is now around 25(?) years old and the other around 12-13ish. They are a brilliant operation and usually very successful.

    I honestly can't remember what I did when or how it felt when after my ops. I just, basically, did as you are doing - the exercises, the resting with foot elevated, avoiding the over 90 degree angle and then walking a bit here and there.

    Some pain is only natural. We have been battered and bruised and bits re-arranged in there. If you are concerned about the amount of pain either check with your surgical team or even your GP as they are well-used to hip replacements by now.

    If you re-post on the Living With Arthritis forum some other 'hippies' might see it and reply but, frankly, it's such a successful op that those who only had arthritis there often disappear never to return :D I think that's a success story :D
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Stickywicket,

    Thanks for such a positive message - but I'm sorry to hear about the years of RA, that must be really tough.

    It's great to hear your implants have been a success - I guess I am over-worrying, and as you say, I should expect to feel some pain for a while yet, while everything heals.

    I'll just carry on with what I've been doing, and it sounds as though it will come good after a few weeks or months.

    I really appreciate your kind words.

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

    You might find this page on our website to be of some help, title “Hip Replacement Surgery”.


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

    Brynmor
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Do you have any follow-up physio appointments? Or with the surgeon? They're the best people to ask if in doubt. But two weeks is definitely not much when you thínk of all that's been done.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi stickywicket,

    I had 2 home visits from the nurse, which were really helpful, and then I have a 6 week group review at the hospital, coming up mid-September. I don't think the surgeon will be there, but definitely a physio.

    I stuck my head in the sand a bit, and didn't ask many (any) questions pre-op - regretting that now.

    But you're absolutely right that 2 weeks is no time at all considering all, and I've had a good day today, walked a little way without crutch.

    Thank you for your support.
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Brynmor,

    The link is really useful - thank you.

    I think I have been panicking a bit, I need to calm down and take it slowly, and just keep doing the exercises and rest.

    To be honest, it came as a shock that I needed a THR at all - I knew I had arthritis, but I just thought if I changed my diet, or took some supplements, or did different exercise, it would somehow magically go away (despite everything I read - massive case of denial!)

    Both my parents have had arthritis, but they were in their 70s and 80s when they had surgery; I think I felt too young, but looking through the posts on this forum, I can see how people of any age can have this, and I have got away lightly so far...

    Thanks for pointing me to the link, I'm so glad I found this site.

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

    Great to hear you’ve had a good day :D

    Total Hip Replacement sounds much more scary than it commonly turns out to be. My brother has had both done within a few short months last year and following a period of recovery, is now completely fine.

    Brilliant that you found the link helpful. Do keep coming back to tell us about your progress & how you are getting on.
    m0150

    Best wishes
    Brynmor
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello, I too am pleased you found the forum, it is unique and, to my way of thinking, a special place. I cannot help you in any practical way as I have not had any joint replacements (I was refused new knees when I was 52 and now won't bother as everything else is too far gone) but I do understand the frustrations of recovering from surgery due to the other operations I have had. It always takes longer than we think, want or are told, but when it's done properly the rewards can be astonishing. I know that because I have witnessed it in others.

    It can be easy to forget that it can take years for joints to reach such a pitch that replacement becomes a viable option and it is so tempting to think that once the surface has healed so has everything else. I have always thought that healing starts on the outside and travels inwards, not vice versa. Hip joints are fairly straightforward as they are ball and socket but any surgery is brutal, bloody and messy. Stuff that should never be interfered with gets cut, shoved aside, pulled and tugged, there is the medical equivalent of saws, drills and screwdrivers, it's not a pretty process. :lol: Do your exercises carefully and conscientiously, a little and often is better than big efforts twice a day: yes, it might hurt but that is part of the healing process.

    Be a patient patient and I am sure things will, eventually, be better than they were. That will be a good thing. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Dreamdaisy,

    Those are wise words indeed - 'patient patient', yes, I should take that on board definitely, easier said than done though I think where I'm concerned :?

    Sorry to hear you were refused new knees because you were too young at 52 - that in itself sounds brutal... I am really having my eyes opened on this site.

    I'll follow the 'little and often' advice, and let you know how things go, thank you for taking the time to message.

    Best wishes,

    Oddbod
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    oddbody66 wrote:
    To be honest, it came as a shock that I needed a THR at all - I knew I had arthritis, but I just thought if I changed my diet, or took some supplements, or did different exercise, it would somehow magically go away (despite everything I read - massive case of denial!)

    :lol: Forgive me for laughing but you sound much like my husband. To be fair, he did treat his hip pain with glucosamine and chondroitin and cod liver oil plus the occasional visit to a physio for years. When he finally went to the doc all his cartilage had gone. The doc was amazed he could still play golf and garden but that's gone now and he's waiting for a new hip.

    OA never 'goes away' (except surgically) but I'm sure his active lifestyle stood him in good stead. maybe yours too?

    Just keep going steadily. Exercises can be painful but the pain shouldn't last too long once you've finished them.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Stickywicket,

    Glad to have raised a laugh :D - yes I'm pretty bad at facing up to reality, like your hubby? I much prefer dreamland - when the consultant told me a THR was in order, I kept asking him if he was sure, and tried to make him give me alternative solutions; I think he was a bit baffled by me ... he actually went to consult my notes and x-rays again - to make sure he had the right person I think.. or maybe he just left the room to escape me for a minute!

    For various reasons, in the last few years, there wasn't time or space in my life to have a hip replacement - maybe that's why I tried to find other ways to avoid it. Not that I'm a particularly busy person, just that I need a lot of time and space for everything :?

    Here are some of the supplements / alternative pain relievers I tried in recent years: cod liver oil, green tea, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera, CBD oil, Paingone pen, turmeric, mindfulness, Vitamin D, Mahanarayan massage oil - there were more, just can't remember them now.

    I would still use turmeric - it seemed to offer a little relief to pain, for me anyway, and the cod liver oil, as everyone seems to swear by it.

    Yes, maybe being quite active up to the week before surgery has helped me, I hope so, but only time will tell I guess. In the meantime, I am going to do my best to take the advice given by everyone who has kindly replied to me - thank you! - and take it gently, one small step at a time.

    I hope your husband's surgery is not too far away, and that it all goes well for him.

    Bye for now.

    Oddbod
  • Jackie47
    Jackie47 Member Posts: 108
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Welcome to the hip department. What you are experiencing isn’t unusual. It’s very early days and recovery differs from person to person and can take quite a long time for all to be well. Keep up the excersises,be careful and try and relax.
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Jackie47,

    Thank you for your welcome!
    It's now been over 3 weeks since the op. I am feeling a little better each day.
    I am very happy to have found this site, and appreciate the kind words from everyone.

    Oddbod
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Slugbug,

    I heard CBD oil can work well - glad to hear you have found it useful. I didn't like the taste much when putting drops under the tongue, so put it in my tea!! And then didn't use it for very long.

    Happy to say not needing much in the way of pain relief at the moment, but if I do I'll give it another go...

    I hadn't heard of celery extract - I'll look into it - that's another one to add to my list of potential therapies.

    Hope you keep the flare-ups at bay.

    Oddbod
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I spent many months eating a great deal of celery and beetroot on the advice of a homeopathist and we both monitored my left knee continuing to expand with inflammation from 19" to 21". She did not know why and of course she wouldn't as she was a quack exploiting my desperation. By the time the proper medicos accepted my fat left knee was not going to sort itself out it was 27" in circumference.

    One of the most expensive bottles of CBD oil on sale in the UK was found to contain 0% of the supposedly 'effective' ingredient. Others contained only 2-6%, some had the illegal THC, some had enough ethanol to be classed as an alcoholic beverage. No wonder some people swear by it, they're taking the kinds that render them semi-drunk, away with the fairies or both. :lol: The medical grade stuff used in the treatment of epilepsy contains between 95-100% effective oil, is a licensed product and properly produced.

    Of my two arthritises I far prefer the OA, yes it's painful but at least it's predictable and that makes it much easier to deal with. The psoriatic is sly, cunning, devious and affects my whole body, not just the joints. The OA inflammation is localised so easily dealt with and goes away in a matter of hours until the next time I do too much out of stupidity. I am now in month six of my psoriatic junk misbehaving becuase the hospital changed my meds without consulting me. I rried the new stuff, it's made me worse. I'm now back on what I was but if that does not work I am stuffed. Give me OA every day of the week, at least you know where you are with it and the quality of life can be greatly enhanced if one does all the right things before and after surgery: I know people for whom this is the case and I hope you join their ranks! DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • oddbody66
    oddbody66 Member Posts: 15
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello DD,

    Thank you for the heads up about CBD oil - maybe I'll just stick to wine when I am feeling desperate 8) - sounds like it has a similar effect...

    I'm sorry the last 6 months have been particularly horrible ones - really hope the old meds you are back on work for you again, and that today is a good day for you. m0150

    Oddbod