Following a hip revision (with bone graft, pins, etc) five months ago, I still have a good deal of pain in & immediately under the buttock. There has been no improvement at all for the last three months. The surgeon just keeps fobbing me off and other medics simply refer me to the surgeon - impasse! The other hip's due for replacement in 6 weeks, but clearly can't happen unless there's a dramatic improvement. Has something gone wrong with the surgery? If so what, and can I hope for improvement over time? Or is this it for the rest of my natural??
Revision THR Hip revision recovery time ...
- Thread starter beesmum
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I'm going to tag Josephine so she can comment for you.
You apparently had a rather involved revision, so I suspect you're just going to need to give it more time. You say you cannot have the second hip done because of how this hip is doing. Are you having difficulty walking? Is the pain associated with walking or is it also when you are at rest?
You apparently had a rather involved revision, so I suspect you're just going to need to give it more time. You say you cannot have the second hip done because of how this hip is doing. Are you having difficulty walking? Is the pain associated with walking or is it also when you are at rest?
beesmum, can you give me more information about your op? What date was it, have you any more detail about what was actually done? Which hospital and surgeon? And when you say 'other medics' who do you mean?
I'd also like to know
1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine)
2. what pain killers have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?
3. are you using ice on your hip to help with the pain?
4. are you elevating your leg - if so, how often and for how long?
5. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc.
6. are you doing any physio or exercise? If so, which exercises and how often?
I'll be back shortly ...
I'd also like to know
1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine)
2. what pain killers have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?
3. are you using ice on your hip to help with the pain?
4. are you elevating your leg - if so, how often and for how long?
5. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc.
6. are you doing any physio or exercise? If so, which exercises and how often?
I'll be back shortly ...
beesmum
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Thanks for replying.
The op was end April '13, at Bristol (UK). The original (13-year-old) hip replacement had failed, cup lining completely gone, the ball had worn holes in cup and into hip bone, so lots of bone graft and a couple of screws.
Pain level around 3 or 4, at the mo. I have days when it seems much better, I get my hopes up, then it gets bad again, for no apparent reason, and I'm in despair again. Seems to be worse during and after sitting. Pain mainly in and immediately under buttock.
No ice - hot bath seems to help a little tho'.
Not sure what you mean by 'elevating leg'.
Do own housework (sort of!), shopping (with a trolley) and any gardening I can manage (not much!). Am naturally active, so do as much as I can, tho' seriously restricted at the mo.
Avoid painkillers as far as possible (having had RA for 30 years, if I took painkillers every time something hurt I'd be a walking tablet by now!) No physio or exercises (not offered any).
Is it normal for a hip revision to take this long to recover???
The op was end April '13, at Bristol (UK). The original (13-year-old) hip replacement had failed, cup lining completely gone, the ball had worn holes in cup and into hip bone, so lots of bone graft and a couple of screws.
Pain level around 3 or 4, at the mo. I have days when it seems much better, I get my hopes up, then it gets bad again, for no apparent reason, and I'm in despair again. Seems to be worse during and after sitting. Pain mainly in and immediately under buttock.
No ice - hot bath seems to help a little tho'.
Not sure what you mean by 'elevating leg'.
Do own housework (sort of!), shopping (with a trolley) and any gardening I can manage (not much!). Am naturally active, so do as much as I can, tho' seriously restricted at the mo.
Avoid painkillers as far as possible (having had RA for 30 years, if I took painkillers every time something hurt I'd be a walking tablet by now!) No physio or exercises (not offered any).
Is it normal for a hip revision to take this long to recover???
beesmum
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Not very good with computers & having trouble finding my way around. Managed (more by luck than judgement!) to post a question, Jamie replied asking for more info, which I supplied - now can't find where I posted it or how to access replies!
Anyway, I wonder whether anyone else has had a hip revision as opposed to a replacement? 13 years ago I had a replacement, which worked wonders, but it failed in January this year. End of April (yes, really!) they replaced the replacement. I believe there was quite a lot of reconstruction, bone grafting, a couple of screws, etc, so a biggish job.
Improvement was slow but sure for first couple of months or so, then stalled. Still have pain in and immediately under buttock, especially during/after sitting but also when trying to walk.
Frustratingly, I have recently had the odd couple of days when it seems much better, making me think it's finally on the mend. Then, without apparent reason, it goes back to square one, and am in despair again.
The surgeon (whom I've seen twice since), keeps fobbing me off, saying X-rays look 'fine'. Other medics (my gp, rheumatologist, registrar, orthopaedics nurse, etc etc) just keep telling me to ask the surgeon. Only he won't tell me anything!!! AAAARGH!
If anyone else has had this op, perhaps you could reassure me that nearly 6 months later it is normal to still be having pain? Any idea how long it will be before I can start sorting out my poor neglected garden? (I'm in the UK, by the way). Many thanks. Beesmum
Anyway, I wonder whether anyone else has had a hip revision as opposed to a replacement? 13 years ago I had a replacement, which worked wonders, but it failed in January this year. End of April (yes, really!) they replaced the replacement. I believe there was quite a lot of reconstruction, bone grafting, a couple of screws, etc, so a biggish job.
Improvement was slow but sure for first couple of months or so, then stalled. Still have pain in and immediately under buttock, especially during/after sitting but also when trying to walk.
Frustratingly, I have recently had the odd couple of days when it seems much better, making me think it's finally on the mend. Then, without apparent reason, it goes back to square one, and am in despair again.
The surgeon (whom I've seen twice since), keeps fobbing me off, saying X-rays look 'fine'. Other medics (my gp, rheumatologist, registrar, orthopaedics nurse, etc etc) just keep telling me to ask the surgeon. Only he won't tell me anything!!! AAAARGH!
If anyone else has had this op, perhaps you could reassure me that nearly 6 months later it is normal to still be having pain? Any idea how long it will be before I can start sorting out my poor neglected garden? (I'm in the UK, by the way). Many thanks. Beesmum
That sounds very much like Piriformis syndrome. Does that seem similar?
Try getting a couple of large-ish ice packs and when frozen, sit on one! Best treatment in the world for piriformis!
Anyway, tell me if you think what's in the article rings a bell.
Aileen
junior member
Hi Beesmum, I think we are twins with hip history. I had my first hip replacement in 2000, had revision surgery August 2012. Two bone grafts and screws like you. The cup had come loose and that and the ball thing had worked their way up into my pelvis. making that leg appear shorter.
So, I am 14 months out from that surgery and can say that things are finally getting better. Hope this doesn't depress you but revision surgery can be a lot harder to recover from than a first hip replacement. At six months I still had a fair bit of pain, not as bad as pre surgery a nd could do a lot more than I could before. I also had days when I thought yes!! things feel better and would then seem to go backwards. But gradually the good days last longer and I realised I could do things that I couldn't manage a couple of weeks before. I am also almost leaving the stick behind but do still need it sometimes.
I also had the left hip replaced for the first time. If your other hip needs replacing then it is probably hindering your revised hip as it will be preventing you walking as well as you could be. Hope that makes sense.
Final coincidence, I am also in Bristol, wonder if we had our revisions at the same hospital!
So, I am 14 months out from that surgery and can say that things are finally getting better. Hope this doesn't depress you but revision surgery can be a lot harder to recover from than a first hip replacement. At six months I still had a fair bit of pain, not as bad as pre surgery a nd could do a lot more than I could before. I also had days when I thought yes!! things feel better and would then seem to go backwards. But gradually the good days last longer and I realised I could do things that I couldn't manage a couple of weeks before. I am also almost leaving the stick behind but do still need it sometimes.
I also had the left hip replaced for the first time. If your other hip needs replacing then it is probably hindering your revised hip as it will be preventing you walking as well as you could be. Hope that makes sense.
Final coincidence, I am also in Bristol, wonder if we had our revisions at the same hospital!
It CAN be but not inevitably. Most revision patients I've looked after did very well. You can't say that for sure - so many factors involved.
beesmum
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Not sure whether this is the right place to reply (still can't figure my way around all this technology nonsense!), but hopefully you will pick this up.
Thank you both for replying. I'm particularly grateful to fellow Bristolian Aileen, who has really cheered me up, partly because you have given me a clue as to how long it may take, and reassurance that pain at 6 months doesn't necessarily mean something has gone radically wrong. Perhaps even more comforting is the fact that you too had bad days and better days. At the request of my GP, I am due to see the surgeon again on Friday. Don't know whether I'll get any straight answers out of him - if I do it will be a first! - but I certainly intend to at least try to pin him down. Trouble is, most consultants seem to treat their patients as tho' they are half-witted five year olds. Still, I'll give it a go.
Many thanks for your info/encouragement.
PS Now. Can anyone tell me how I access this mysterious 'Jo'? Josephine
Thank you both for replying. I'm particularly grateful to fellow Bristolian Aileen, who has really cheered me up, partly because you have given me a clue as to how long it may take, and reassurance that pain at 6 months doesn't necessarily mean something has gone radically wrong. Perhaps even more comforting is the fact that you too had bad days and better days. At the request of my GP, I am due to see the surgeon again on Friday. Don't know whether I'll get any straight answers out of him - if I do it will be a first! - but I certainly intend to at least try to pin him down. Trouble is, most consultants seem to treat their patients as tho' they are half-witted five year olds. Still, I'll give it a go.
Many thanks for your info/encouragement.
PS Now. Can anyone tell me how I access this mysterious 'Jo'? Josephine
I tagged our Mother Hen (Jo) for you in your post. To tag a member just use the @ sign followed by their user name. Be sure the user name matches exactly. Once you hit the "Post Reply" button the tag turns the blue colour you see in your post.
beesmum
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Thanks Jaycee. Only problem is, I have no-o-o-o idea what a 'tag' is! And what does it mean when you put said tag in my 'post'? I don't even have a clue where to 'use the @ sign' (tried putting it into the search box, with no success). Oh, dear - I really am a complete technophobe, I'm afraid!! Meanwhile, I hope 'Jo' isn't offended that I have not acknowledged her replies - tho' I imagine she has far better things to do.
PS while we're about it, I'm sure I've come across a 'log out' button on previous visits, but do you think I can find it again?!?
PS while we're about it, I'm sure I've come across a 'log out' button on previous visits, but do you think I can find it again?!?
The @ key should be three rows up on the right hand side of your keyboard. It's the same key you use for an apostrophe. Just use the shift key (key you would use to make a letter upper case) and that key.
Do you see the blue "Josephine" in your earlier post? That's a tag. What it does is send an alert to Jo that you would like her to respond. Don't worry, Jo reads almost nearly every thread on here. She doesn't always have time to respond so if you have a question or need advice it's best to tag her or Jamie.
Log out is all the way at the top of the page on the far right. There is a tab with your user name - it's at the end of that row.
Here's a link to an entire area devoted to How to use this forum. Don't worry - just keep posting.
Do you see the blue "Josephine" in your earlier post? That's a tag. What it does is send an alert to Jo that you would like her to respond. Don't worry, Jo reads almost nearly every thread on here. She doesn't always have time to respond so if you have a question or need advice it's best to tag her or Jamie.
Log out is all the way at the top of the page on the far right. There is a tab with your user name - it's at the end of that row.
Here's a link to an entire area devoted to How to use this forum. Don't worry - just keep posting.
beesmum
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Firstly, thank you, Jaycee, for your helpful instructions. I do know where the @ symbol is, it's just that I don't know where to put it, what happens when I do put it somewhere and - more to the point - what this mysterious 'tag' is that I'm supposed (I think!) to be looking for! So apologies to Jo if I appear to be ignoring her - it's simply that I don't know how to access her. Saw the surgeon on Fri. He was his usual charming butter-wouldn't-melt self but, as on all previous occasions, simply fudged/avoided/ignored my questions. And there were only three: 1) is pain at this stage normal? 2) if so, how long might it last? and 3) should I be resting more or exercising more (to which he replied vaguely: 'a bit of both, really' - very helpful!) He also totally contradicts himself every couple of minutes, which is not only very confusing, but also infuriatingly frustrating. He then said he was 'slightly concerned' (not what he'd said a few minutes before) and sent me off for another x-ray. Phone was ringing as I got home, surgeon said: 'The x-ray's fine. So I'll see you at your pre-op, ok?' and he was gone. It was very much as tho, breathing a huge sigh of relief that I couldn't sue him for a botched job, he completely dismissed everything I had said that morning - ie that I still have a lot of discomfort and that I can't see how they can replace the other hip while the revised hip still can't take my full weight. Still, am taking great comfort from Aileen's experience and just hoping that this is not an unusual situation which will resolve itself in its own good time.
The @ symbol goes in front of the user name. I'll tag you beesmum and you will see what happens. Basically it send that person an alert that they have been mentioned in a posting.
You must be very frustrated with your surgeon. I can't stand that attitude frankly. You have a right to answers to your questions and just waving you off is not appropriate. Can you be a bit more "firm" with him? I had this issue with my spinal surgeon and I finally took my list of questions and would not complete my pre-op or sign any consent form until they were answered.
When is your surgery date? We'll be here for you!
You must be very frustrated with your surgeon. I can't stand that attitude frankly. You have a right to answers to your questions and just waving you off is not appropriate. Can you be a bit more "firm" with him? I had this issue with my spinal surgeon and I finally took my list of questions and would not complete my pre-op or sign any consent form until they were answered.
When is your surgery date? We'll be here for you!
Aileen
junior member
Hello beesmum, how frustrating was that visit with your surgeon!! When I visited mine at the six month mark I was also convinced something was wrong but left feeling totally happy and much relieved. He took time to explain the reasons for the pain, spent ages showing me the xray and pointing out the important bits. He answered all my questions in detail and that is exactly what your surgeon should have been like with you. To put your mind at rest perhaps as Jo suggests a second opinion should be looked for.
One question I didn't ask him (because I already knew the answer) but my husband asked, was how many exercises should I be doing? His answer was a loud and clear "NONE, just keep walking, that's all the exercise hips need".
About having your other hip done when you still can't put weight on your revised hip. I had my left hip replaced before I had the right revision. At that point I couldn't put weight on either hip but it didn't stop the left hip recovering just fine. So for me it wasn't a problem, fingers crossed you would find it the same.
Just as a point of reference with bearing weight. At the 5 week mark with my Left hip replacement I could stand on that leg for a good 30 seconds or more. With the right Revision at the 6 month mark I could barely stand on that leg for a second. I've just tried the revised hip now, managed 28 seconds before the cat rubbed round my leg. little tyke. It's been a long time coming but I got there, haven't tried that for ages
My surgeon is Mr Evert Smith, he has done all three of my hip replacements. I went to Southmead hospital.
One question I didn't ask him (because I already knew the answer) but my husband asked, was how many exercises should I be doing? His answer was a loud and clear "NONE, just keep walking, that's all the exercise hips need".
About having your other hip done when you still can't put weight on your revised hip. I had my left hip replaced before I had the right revision. At that point I couldn't put weight on either hip but it didn't stop the left hip recovering just fine. So for me it wasn't a problem, fingers crossed you would find it the same.
Just as a point of reference with bearing weight. At the 5 week mark with my Left hip replacement I could stand on that leg for a good 30 seconds or more. With the right Revision at the 6 month mark I could barely stand on that leg for a second. I've just tried the revised hip now, managed 28 seconds before the cat rubbed round my leg. little tyke. It's been a long time coming but I got there, haven't tried that for ages
My surgeon is Mr Evert Smith, he has done all three of my hip replacements. I went to Southmead hospital.
Aileen
junior member
Edited the post above so have removed this one.
Man after my own heart!Aileen did you not know you can edit your posts? Just hit the 'edit' button at the bottom.
However, we are having site problems at the moment, so you might find that when the edit box pops up, the text suddenly disappears! But just then hit 'more options' and you will get it back again.
