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43 Scared Silly and LOTS of ????'s

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Maggie863

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Hi all - just found this forum tonight and have read many threads. Incredible how many YOUNG people are having THR's these days but it sure makes me feel like I'm not alone.
I have had hip pain since high school (I'm now 43) but never really thought too much of it. I watched a mother who had severe back and neck problems go through pain every day and I think it kind of desensitized (sp?) me. Anyway about a year ago I noticed that the pain was kicking up a notch so I started to investigate what exactly was going on in there. Turns out I have dysplasia in the right hip and all these years of limited coverage has damaged my cartilage and caused a large cyst to develop inside the ball joint.
I've been living on pain pills in order to work (and sleep!) but that is not a long term option for me. Now I can measure the increased pain by the WEEK instead of by the month - it's changing soooo fast and now I'm having pain in the groin area that was never present before.
I've seen 3 different OS's and I think I'm going with the 3rd one - he said he sees no point in putting me through arthroscopy since the cyst in the ball joint isn't going anywhere I really have no option but to have the THR in order to get relief from this constant pain. I'm scheduled for 6/21. BLAH....
I have so many questions that my OS didn't even discuss. Cement or screws? Staples or stitches? Will my leg be the same length after surgery???? I'm scared to death of that since I am also dealing with 2 blown discs in my spine I know that a leg length difference would only increase my discomfort in the back.
Well - I guess that's it. Thanks for letting me tell my story and if anyone has ANY words of wisdom for me BRING IT ON!

Maggie
 
Masgie863
I think the surgeon decides on cemented or uncemented depending on the sate of your bones don't think they do screws. Uncemented is reckoned to be the best as the bone grows around the new hip to hold it in place. I also think the surgeon decides on clips or stitches according to his preference
Regards
Doug
 
Maggie
It is normal to be scared. Me too had an operation for a slipped disk in 1985 that resolved really well and leg length discrepancy was one my problems. My problem too was undetected hip dysplasia, and the arthritis first presented in 2003 with a nagging pain whilst lying down and was relieved by walking. I used to do a lot of walking (10 kms was my favourite) and when I consulted my GP about the hip/groin pain he ordered X Ray and he saw them he told me that eventually I would need a hip replacement I thought that he was crazy and was pulling my leg. However here I am facing my second op.
Leg discrepancy was my big problem as my right leg was 1 1/2 cm shorter than the right, this was measured by a CT scan. After the first operation my left leg is 1 cm shorter than the right one. Surgeon thinks that he will be able to fix this now. He chose a metal on metal bigger head as there is less risk of dislocation. For "younger" people ( I'am 56) he uses uncemented prosthesis as it gives better results however the recovery time is longer and there is some thigh pain whilst the bone grows. After 4 months this is slowly subsiding. Otherwise I do not feel that I have an artificial hip. I have some discomfort but compared with before operation it is nothing. My surgeon do not use staples, or stitches He glued me together which resulted in a very neat scar which healed very well . I live in Australia and minimally invasive surgery is not done here yet, however I have read that is very common in the USA. Have a look at Jimmy Connor's video on the internet and you'll see that he was walking the next morning. So if you live in the USA it might be a good idea to investigate that option. With conventional surgery it took me about a week to get out of bed without help. With conventional surgery you get a wound about 20 cms long with minimally invasive is about 5cm and therefore you get a lot less pain, or so they say. My left leg has deteriorated at super speed you can see the difference in the X rays in 4 months so I am having it done next week (I never thought that I would voluntarily go so soon but that is the difference that the first operation had made on my right leg).
Although it is not the best experience the pain relief that you'll experience it makes it worthwhile.

Make sure that you are mentally and physically strong for your operation as fatigue for me is one problem that just now is resolving. Take iron tablets, calcium and multivitamins to help healing and recovery.

I let everybody know if all this preparation has made any difference for the second round.

All the best and think positive and all will be well

Aussiehippy
 
Aussiehippy - thanks so much for your reply. Looks as though you try to help alot of people that are facing this surgery and I just want you to know how helpful you have been. Lucky for me my OS feels that I will probably be lucky enough to only have to go through this once as it does not appear that I have dysplasia on the left side at all. Whew. I'll be so glad when this is over. Now I just need to get my "nest" in order so I'll be able to use a walker through the house without killing myself! So much to do and think about! Thanks again.
 
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