Am I ready for a THR at 58?

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From a different perspective, it (THR) will just be hanging over my head until I do have the surgery...like an ominous cloud, and rather than thinking about art and music and the state of play in the cricket , I spend my time thinking about femurs, and acetabulums (plural?....acetabula maybe) etc and whether I should have ceramic on ceramic, or metal on metal and the whys and wherefores of all of it. Stupid hip syndrome affects more than my hip joint, it akes up my brain time too. This drives me nuttier than anything else...my family say I already am nutty !!!
Rachel
 
, I spend my time thinking about femurs, and acetabulums (plural?....acetabula maybe) etc and whether I should have ceramic on ceramic, or metal on metal and the whys and wherefores of all of it.
Rachel

I would definitely be ringing your OS and organising a surgery date! It's been a few weeks since you saw him, hasn't it? My OS booked me in then and there the minute I said yes - I was going ahead with it! Then I only had to wait just over 4 weeks before having the surgery.
And as for what type of prosthesis you should have - I would be guided by what your OS recommends. He's the expert! I totally trust my doctor and was quite happy to go with whatever he wanted to use. (Titanium stem with metal cup and ceramic liner. Your doctor should explain in full why he uses what he uses, and answer whatever questions you might have. I actually booked in to see my OS about 2 weeks prior to my admitting date just so I could get my endless list of questions answered! :) And he was more than happy to do so.
Just make the phone call - it will get the ball rolling! Good luck!

Peta
 
Oh gosh, Rachel! With such a big family,
You better STOP thinking about hip parts!
How are you feeling today? :)
 
I would definitely be ringing your OS and organising a surgery date! It's been a few weeks since you saw him, hasn't it? My OS booked me in then and there the minute I said yes - I was going ahead with it! Then I only had to wait just over 4 weeks before having the surgery.
And as for what type of prosthesis you should have - I would be guided by what your OS recommends. He's the expert! I totally trust my doctor and was quite happy to go with whatever he wanted to use. (Titanium stem with metal cup and ceramic liner. Your doctor should explain in full why he uses what he uses, and answer whatever questions you might have. I actually booked in to see my OS about 2 weeks prior to my admitting date just so I could get my endless list of questions answered! :) And he was more than happy to do so.
Just make the phone call - it will get the ball rolling! Good luck!

Peta

Right on, Peta!!!

Kangaroo, if you haven't called by now, do it. Sometimes things get mixed up in doctor's offices (they are human too) and you'll probably be able to get a date today by contacting the nurse. Good luck!!!!
 
Rats!!! But you could schedule the surgery anyway and just assume that things will be okay with your dental appointment, couldn't you? At least you'd be on the schedule. Sometimes it takes a while to actually get scheduled in. Even if you had a dental problem that needed to be taken care of, if you scheduled your surgery for....say.....a couple of weeks after May 4th, that would give you time if you needed it to make dental repairs. What do you think, Kangaroo? I'm not trying to push you.....just trying to help.
 
I think we have a timid Kangaroo! See
Rachel? We want you to get the ball rolling!!
Relief is just around the corner! :)
 
Well, it IS a daunting task to actually schedule yourself for any major surgery. And it is also quite frustrating when you have to deal with multiple doctors and all the checks and tests that must be done before surgery is permitted. It is important that a person is READY to commit to the surgery and recovery process. Kangaroo, are you still feeling aprehensive about the surgery itself or just frustrated getting all the pieces to fit together properly leading up to the Big Day?
 
I promise, I'm not timid!! Actually the only time Ive been timid was when I was a kid with calipers on. Once I got them off, my mother reckoned that I started really talking! My other predicament is that I need to be well back on deck for the end of June (first communionfor my 8 year old) surgery would have to be early May or else early July. I either do it now or do it in July. July is probably the best bet as I can get the dental stuff fixed up by then...but on the other hand I'm sick of this....
Ok...Ill ring the OS office today...just to get you lot off my back!LOL
Rachel
 
Allllll riiiight! Go Girl!!!

How 'bout trying a different dentist or explaining that you need to get in sooner because of surgery. Sometimes whining is good when it gets your appointment moved up...just sayin'.....
 
One of the (many) advantages of being
A woman! Whine,whatever! The dental
Work probably is going to be toughter that the THR!
Boy,,,,,are we pains or what! :)
 
Ok, so I made THE phone call and I get the answering machine...The orthopaedic rooms are unattended at the moment.....please ring back on Thursday, or leave a message....

So there you go...I did it, and Ill have to do it again! and I'm not even talking about THR
R
 
Haha!!! Judy,,,,,,that was great!
Rachel,,,,,it'll be Thursday in Australia before
It is in America,,,,,so we'll be waiting! :)
 
Kangaroo....now THAT'S frustrating!!!! Grrrrr.....just means you have to be even MORE determined to get a real body on the end of that phone. Hang in there and keep pluggin' away at it.
 
I am also 58 an scared, will do my left hip in June-here in Houston. But I am much less scared after joining this forum. I have had a lot of positive feedback. Keep us posted!
 
creblue, I was also very glad to find this forum. I did my research on many other internet sites and got lots of questions answered by my OS, but I found real people here with real successes, problems, solutions, emotions. It has been a great complement to the technical information. I have my pre-op appointment on Thursday. My main concern is that they assure me that my echocardiogram results showing a somewhat leaky valve is not a showstopper for the surgery. I have no symptoms and I have a strong heart so I think it is just a possible issue several years down the road. I don't get easily winded and actually feel better when I exercise. I have been walking 1-2 miles a day and doing some stretching to prepare for the big day which is April 2. I am getting a ceramic ball on metal cup which is not extremely common at this point, at least in the U.S. It has the advantage of being a long wearing "hard on hard" bearing surface, allows for a larger ball size, and apparently the unlike materials result in less friction. In testing at Leeds, this combination was shown to release 1/10th the metal ions compared to a metal on metal bearing. My OS uses a posterior approach so I will have the hip precautions to live with for several weeks. Surgery will take about an hour. I will be in the hospital 3-5 post surgery days. My home environment is ready and so am I. I look forward to taking long walks comfortably again! I'll post again after my pre-op appointment.
Gail
 
Had my pre-op appointment yesterday. All is go for April 2! I have stopped taking aspirin, ibuprofin, and fish oil capsules (vitamin E) but will continue with calcium and Vit. D supplements. I'm walking the dog once or twice a day and doing some stretching exercises. The first floor bedroom is ready. I need this for the high bed -- our bed upstairs is too low to the floor. I made a huge vegetable-loaded lasagne and am freezing portions of it. I'm a lot calmer now than I have been. I guess it's because I'm committed to going ahead and not revisiting my decision any more. Can't say I am as excited as some people on this forum have been before surgery, but that's because my pain is not as constant and as intolerable as it is for some. My reward will be arriving at the top of a Catskill peak on a warm, clear summer day. Haven't done that in several years. I plan to practice a lot on my fiddle during the rehab period. I'm due to play at a contra dance in June so need to be ready.... Thanks to all on this thread and others who have helped me answer my many questions. I bothered the surgical nurse enough with what must have seemed to her my endless list of questions. Apparently, most other patients don't care to know the details.
Gail
 
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