Am I ready?

[MajorHeidi]

@Dmcfad2 Did another aerobics class today. The instructor I later found out had both hips replaced. I was floored. Good heavens. No way..... This is the second woman in three days I met who could do just about anything ; I could slowly try to keep up. She is so incredibly strong and conditioned. It made me happy.

 

[Dmcfad2]

@MajorHeidi, AWESOME! I love it. That's how I'm going to be. I've already decided!

 

[MajorHeidi]

@Dmcfad2 Me too! Let's do this!

 

[Sfina48]

@Dmcfad2 Hi there! You are describing exactly what I am going through, I am not always in pain. But was recently told that I need a new hip, but it is my decision..it is so difficult to decide to "elect" to have this surgery, for me anyway. I haven't made my appointment yet.. I am going for another opinion on Tuesday , I guess I am hoping he will say that my hip is no that bad, (yea right lol). My pain is bad when I over do it, sit too long and I am getting more and more limited in what I can do as well. My leg recently has been collapsing like my leg will not hold me up at times. I love the great advice from this forum, the more I read, the more I realize i need this surgery...I am looking to do the surgery the same time around 3rd week in march...we can follow each other! good luck and happy year!

 

[FraidyCat]

@Dmcfad2, I'm basically the same age as you are, and your "pain story" sounds somewhat similar to mine, though I'm not athletic. (Quit jogging, which I enjoyed into my early '30s, when I moved to Massachusetts; switched to gym; now just occasional strengthening and treadmill sessions with a trainer.) My x-rays showed bone-on-bone nearly three years ago; pain in R hip began (as another poster described it) as feeling like a muscle pull. However, pain was intermittent; no discomfort with sleeping, stair-climbing, getting out of car, etc. Since this past spring, that's all changed: sometimes have to climb staircase one foot at a time (just like my 90-year-old mother!), must maneuver vs. swing out of driver's seat, etc. And, most worrisome, as you also mention: pain and discomfort in other joints and in lower back has now surfaced. My surgery date is March 27, a week after yours. I'm hoping to avoid a wintertime surgery (I've said that now so many times on this site that I should change my "handle" to "No, not in winter!" [shades of "Camelot"]) and my avatar to a mound of dirty snow. We can swap preop ruminations as we head toward new-hipdom. Happy new year to you!

 

[Dmcfad2]

@Sfina48, @FraidyCat, Oh, good! I have some March surgery buddies! It helps having friends to discuss this whole, scary thing with. Happy new year!

 

[Poppet]

Bonding with your surgical buddies does help the recovery process - good luck to the March folk

 

[Dmcfad2]

Shoot. I am having doubts again. I am just feeling so good lately. No bone on bone pain, sleeping well, not even any twinges. I hopped out of bed this morning and thought, "Man, do I want to put myself through this extensive surgery and recovery when I'm doing so well?" I am happy I am feeling so good, but it plays with my mind. I haven't even taken any NSAIDS or pain meds for about a month now and still feeling great. If I postpone again, and I do something that makes the pain comes back (which will most likely happen at some point), then I will be at the bottom of the list and have to wait at least 4 more months for surgery. The bottom line is, should we do surgery when we aren't having any significant pain? Do I wait until the arthritis in my hip is worse? My doctor says I have a lot of arthritis in that hip already. I just don't know what to do.......

 

[Sfina48]

@Dmcfad2 Know exactly how you feel...There are days when I do not need Nsaids or other meds for pain and I also think...Do I really want to go through this major surgery?? I am afraid I will regret the decision..I wish the doctor would say, you must have this surgery...It would be so much easier if it was not Our decision...I m going through the same issue, but like others on this forum say, you dont want to wait until it is so bad, I was told I have a bone spur. In reading a lot of the recovery stories a lot of people say they wish they did it sooner. I think it is the fear of major surgery. I read the worst part is the waiting. Hang in there, I know how you feel...

 

[Dmcfad2]

@Sfina48, thanks for listening to me. I am relieved to hear your thoughts. They are mine exactly! I'm thinking maybe I have been feeling better because I have scaled back my workouts. So, then the question becomes, "if I can alleviate symptoms by modifying activity, isn't that a better thing to do than have a major surgery?" I have always heard that one should exhaust all other options before deciding on surgery. @Josephine, I am tagging you here in the hopes that you will give me your professional opinion.

 

[FraidyCat]

@Dmcfad2, it's an elective surgery, which makes the decision that much harder. However, the anecdotal reports of others who also thought they could tolerate the pain for the indefinite future, only to have the hip "collapse" and make the pain acute and ongoing, have given me pause about continuing to postpone. As has the new-onset pain/discomfort in knees and low back; though the bad hip may not be completely at fault for this, consensus seems to be (and sense seems to confirm) that the increasingly "off" biomechanics of bad hip are placing undue stress elsewhere. Unfortunately I think the most likely scenarios are (1) go ahead with the surgery despite some misgivings along lines of "Could this have waited?" and (2) put if off until something occurs that makes rectifying the hip problem urgent, at least from a pain standpoint (and then perhaps being forced to wait long than is comfortable due to scheduling challenges at surgeon's end).

I think many decisions about major surgery are difficult, even when the surgery is not elective, as there's inevitably a degree of risk involved and a lot of unknowns. When I was younger (in my late 20s) I needed surgery for cancer; that's a situation where you feel like there's no choice or you could die. Yet I felt 100 percent well, so the weeks leading up to the surgery felt "unreal" as the disease seemed so abstract: something is seriously wrong, but there are no manifestations other than on x-rays. At least with the hip, the periodic pain, too acute when it does occur to be ignored, is continuing confirmation that something is indeed amiss.

 

[Sfina48]

@Dmcfad2 Oh you are welcome! I read your story and I felt like wow, that is me! As I mentioned like you, I am not always in pain, I have been on vacation and have been home a feel a lot better. I commute to work and I do a desk job, accounting work so I sit for long periods and when I get up from sitting the pain is unbearable until I move around a bit. So should I change jobs, have surgery or go on disability? Lol UGH!
I can even do the Eliptical machine and sometimes that actually makes me feel better! So yea, the decision to actually have the surgery is tough...Interesting to see what Josephine says..Best Regards

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

@Dmcfad2 The nice warm weather does help the hip...but it doesn't last for ever...once you've had the hip done it will be! Strange how our mind chatters too..." You don't need it done now ...the pain is gone". On and on it chatters...tries to fool you. Good for you scheduling your THR....I can't tell you how lovely it is to be free of THAT pain and not to seize up. I felt like an invalid at 61.....far too young for that. Keep reading all the lovely recoveries on BS! Good luck ...Chrissie dxx


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®

 

[AlanInAZ]

@Dmcdfad2
I noticed a bunch of comments urging you to have surgery even if you are in a state of pain remission. In my own case I had surgery when I had no more good days. It is a major surgery and I am pleased because I had pain every day before surgery and on many pain meds. Do not expect your new hip to feel better than your current hip if you are not now having pain. The probability for the need for revision increases about 1% every year after surgery. After 15-20 years that is not a small probability and that is why most surgeons will recommend delay as long as tolerable. You can roll the dice and say that the statistic is based on old technology and the new implant will last longer, but that is not proven. The decision is not easy and beware the euphoria of people recently made pain free. As well as my surgery turned out I will not rush into surgery on my left hip, which is also very arthritic but functioning well enough at present. I had no doubt that I needed surgery and I fear that unless you have pain you may not be satisfied with the outcome. Sorry if this makes the decision harder, but frankly it is a hard decision.

 

[Josephine]

Sooften we see people come on here trying to convince themselves that the surgery is unnecessary because they had good days here and there. But the big question is, which is more - the good days or the bad? And how much of your life do you want to lose before you finally give in and admit that yes, it is necessary? Don't forget that these are years of the prime of your life that you will never get back again.

I listed these that you admit to having given up already

My range of motion is horrible. I can't cross my legs anymore, people always tell me I am limping, I have to move slow getting into a car or putting on my shoes.
I used to run, but quit because I would suffer so much afterwards.
If I am having pain, I don't go to the gym or I modify my activity
I don't do yoga anymore
I already have given up a lot of physical activity that I love, like running and Zumba

That looks like a pretty significant list to me.

I hopped out of bed this morning and thought, "Man, do I want to put myself through this extensive surgery and recovery when I'm doing so well?"

The question here is how long does this wellness last for? Try keeping a daily journal to map these variations so you can get an overall view of it. And to help you further, print off the form I've attached to this post and complete it honestly. Not what you are feeling like on a good day but on bad days mostly. In fact, print off two or three and fill them in a month apart.

I think I will recover quickly at this point in my life, since I am active and do work out regularly

Don't set yourself such expectations. There is one thing about recovery which is that we don't influence it at all. Recovery is not something we do, it's something we go through, or, if you like, endure. Your active, committed life style ethic may well make your recovery more difficult for you psychologically because you will find it near impossible to cope with the amount of rest and taking it slowly you will have to do. This only lasts for about 6 weeks but for some like yourself, it seems to be a lifetime.

However, I do think what you need is some positive input about the aftermath of hip replacement. I remember asking a friend once when she voiced concerns about the outcome and was planning all sorts of disabled stuff for her home, "Do you expect to be disabled afterwards then?" and she said she was! I expect such thoughts are going through your head right now too, despite the people you have already met who you didn't even know had had hip replacements!

So take a look here
Stories of amazing hip recoveries
Dancing after THR: 4 months pics THR
Hips that have lasted 41, 40 and 32 years
Longevity of implants and revisions: how long will my new joint last. This last one should be particularly encouraging as I predict that, all things being good, your new hip would well outlast you!

And here's a couple of our THR stars

I'm thinking maybe I have been feeling better because I have scaled back my workouts. So, then the question becomes, "if I can alleviate symptoms by modifying activity, isn't that a better thing to do than have a major surgery?"

No kidding!

I think I went through a period of mourning when I realized I couldn't run anymore.

Well that really is a major acknowledgement! Not many people realise this when they have such surgery or how much it can affect them. But would you ever feel the same if you had a bad tooth extracted? It's much the same thing really, just a bigger operation.

I am still nervous and keep thinking of little things that kind of freak me out

Such as? In all your posts you have yet to mention one single thing that is freaking you out! I think this is your real problem. Let's get down to the nitty gritty and address those, yes?

 

[Dmcfad2]

@AlanInAZ, Thank you for your honest opinion. It does make the decision harder for me, but that's the way it is. I just got back from the gym. I walked three miles and lifted weights. I was aware of my hip, but it was by no means unbearable. I have some thinking to do.

 

[Dmcfad2]

@Josephine, Thank you so much for all the info and your thoughts. You are a dear to take the time and I appreciate it. I am feeling so uncertain. I cried this morning talking to my son, because I just don't know what to do right now. Anyway, I will just stay on this forum and see how things go. I have until March. We are going on a month long cruise beginning Feb. 14. That will be a good test. If I continue to feel good, maybe I will postpone. I see my doctor on Monday for cortisone. I will talk to him again then, too. You gave me things to think about. I value your opinion, as I have been reading your responses to others and you seem very knowledgeable.

 

[Dmcfad2]

@Josephine Thank you for the link to the scorecard and also to the stories about former hip patients. I enjoyed reading them. Amazing. I have kept a journal of my pain in the past and I am going to continue to do that for the next few weeks, as you suggested. I am still feeling inclined to do the surgery, but want to be sure I am doing the right thing. I must be driving my husband crazy (as well as everybody on this board!)

 

[Josephine]

It's okay. I also prevaricated for months before getting mine done and I'm doing it again for the other one!
On both occasions the sugreon was ready to do it there and then (apart from the 4 months waiting time, of course!) but still I prevaricated. As you can see from my signature, I took three years first time around and now have been a year second time around. If you have to prevaricate then you're not ready, I say! But my life doesn't involve much activity anyway (I let my fingers do the walking! ) so I don't have as much to regret losing as you do. I might find it difficult to climb stairs sometimes with my sack trolley full of equipment for work, and occasionally it aches horribly at night but not enough to make me take anything.

What bothered me most last time was what I call the 'sharp stone in the shoe' syndrome. This is a phenomenon where a piece of 'grit' from the worn away bone, which normally hangs around in the pouches outside the joint, gets into the weight bearing area and causes that most excruciating pain, resulting in use of crutches and being off one's feet for anything between 2 hours and 2 weeks! It was when that started happening more and more frequently, always without warning, it made up my mind. It got so I was almost scared to go anywhere or do anything in case it hit and I couldn't get home.

When I got to the theatre pre-op and my knee had been very okay for some weeks, I started to feel foolish and shyly asked the surgeon if it really needed doing. His response to give me an avuncular pat on my hand and assure me "well, let's just say it's not going to get any better"! That was good enough for me because one thing I did know what that he wasn't desperate for patients so he wasn't going to waste his time doing surgery on a knee that didn't really need it. I think your surgeon would be about the same, don't you?

 

[Butterfly]

The honest-to-God truth is that once you have pain in your hip from arthritis, it is only going to get worse over time. I played the waiting and denial game for a very long time, until the hips (both of them) went completely south and I ended up in near agony every day waiting for first the appointment with the surgeon, then the nearly 3 months for a surgical slot. Pain meds, even heavy duty prescription ones, will not relieve the bone-on-bone at that point.

I truly wish I had done it sooner and avoided those months of increasing horrible pain and immobility. It was awful! And your muscles sort of go to pot during all that time of immobility so it is harder to get them back up to snuff again.

Just sayin' . . .