Bilateral THR Bilateral hip surgery

[Mac2022]

I am having both hips replaced same day was wondering about length of recovery and pain factor
I can change it to one at a time but I am anxious to get on with life again. Not sure this is a good idea. Would like to hear from anyone who has done both so once

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @Mac2022
I had bilateral hip replacement 5 years ago and am happy to be back to an active life without hip pain.
I had both hips dignosed with end-stage OA (bone on bone) and my surgeon felt I was a good candidate for "both at once " however at my preop appointment, some of the medical techs reaction when I gave that response when asked which hip was being replaced certainly made me question if it was a good idea.
There is certainly twice the surgery trauma but I was grateful for one recovery period.
The first 2 weeks were the hardest but with good pain meds, lots of ice, and plenty of patience....things got easier by the week and having that horrid hip pain gone made recovery discomfort tolerable.

We have a month-out double hippy, @Zoebichon , that has been sharing her story.
You can find her thread here.

 

[Mac2022]

Thank you everything I have read says bilateral is rare. Your post was encouraging

 

[Mojo333]

My surgeon routinely does bilateral replacements when he consider the patient to be a good candidate.
I'm assuming your surgeon feels you would do fine.

 

[Layla]

Hello and Welcome to BoneSmart. Thanks for joining us! Do you have a date scheduled yet? If so, please let us know and we’ll create a signature for you.
All the best as you move toward surgery.

Would like to hear from anyone who has done both so once

https://bonesmart.org/forum/view/hip-surgery-recovery-area.5/?prefix_id=141
Here is a link to some Bilateral Hip members threads for you to read.

 

[djklaugh]

@Mac2022 Welcome to BoneSmart and welcome future member of the Bilateral club! Do you have a date for your surgery yet? If so, let us know and we will create a signature for you.

I had my BTHR 10.5 years ago (link to my thread is in my signature) and was just your age when I had that done. As Mojo said the first couple of weeks are the hardest but also very doable with lots of ice, rest, elevating your legs, and taking pain medication as prescribed by your surgeon. And one period of recovery/recuperation makes those few weeks look even more acceptable.

The only "raised eye brows" I got during the pre-op time was the nurse who approached me with a marker pen asking " Now which hip are we replacing today?" Every hospital has it's own way of making sure the correct body part is the one operated on so marking with a washable marker is pretty standard. Nurse got quite flustered when I replied "Both!" and had to go check my chart. She gave a slightly embarrassed smile and put her pen away.

Here are a few articles to help you prepare for this life changing surgery:

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:


Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

 

[Zoebichon]

Hi Mac. I am exactly your age ( but will be turning the Medicare age this Friday!) and I will be 6 weeks postop from bilateral hip replacements tomorrow.

I was given the option to spend the night, but feeling wonderful after surgery, I was sent home 3 hours after getting into the recovery room!

No OS would do, or recommend, a bilateral surgery on anyone they didn’t feel was an excellent candidate for it. My OS said I needed both done, both hips had a similar wear pattern, I was young enough, strong, and healthy enough for the surgery. Also no comorbidities.

I also don’t think it’s done all that often, judging by the reaction from my PCP, the hospital staff and anesthesiologist!

I am super glad to have had both done at once because I wouldn’t want to do this twice! I had no problem recovering both hips at once. I have been doing pre-hab PT hip strengthening exercises for 7 years so had strong enough quads to do it.

 

[Mac2022]

Thank you my surgery is July 21. I am especially nervous about doing both at once. I will be very happy when I am recovering instead of waiting for surgery. I am glad you did well it makes me feel hopeful I will be able to handle the post surgery pain.

 

[djklaugh]

@Mac2022 Back when I had my BTHR done, it was quite a new thing for my HMO and hospital. LOL I think I had nearly every doctor, PT person and OT person in the hospital come to see the little old lady with bilateral hip replacements in room 214. I stayed longer in hospital than most do these days- total of 5 days. I also had nurses and PT a bit baffled and confused as they had not worked with a bilateral patient before. So first day was a lot of folks saying "start off with your unoperated on leg" and me saying "don't have one of those". Then who ever would say "Well do what feels best". I'm sure you will find that now BTHRs are more common and your care providers will be much more knowledgeable!

Post op pain medication is very important. If you've taken any in the past that worked well for you be sure to tell your surgeon. Elevating both legs "toes above nose", applying ice packs to both hips , and resting (body needs lots of rest to heal and the fatigue from having 2 major surgeries at once can drag on for quite a while) - all will go a long way to help you manage pain. Also walking is the best exercise for new hips. Most folks do not need PT for hip replacement though if you have limped for a long time the muscles around the hips might need some PT ... but that does not need to start (other than some simple exercises given when you leave the hospital) until you're mostly healed up.

And we will be here to support you, commiserate with you and answer any question that comes up.

 

[Layla]

Best Wishes tomorrow! I will look forward to following your thread on the healing side of the forum. Hope to see you there soon.
@Mac2022

 

[Mac2022]

Thank you so much I really appreciate the good wishes I will keep you posted

 

[Mojo333]

Sending my best and will look for you in recovery!
still very grateful double hippyBye bye hip pain.

 

[Ocean]

Thinking of you and will be waiting to hear from you in recovery.

 

[Mac2022]

I am 6 days post op bilateral hip surgery. For last 4 days in the afternoon after I pushed my walking and am sore I get a low grade fever. Has this been anyone else's experience

 

[djklaugh]

@Mac2022 Congratulations on your 2 new hips! Please start a thread over in the post op hip section so that we can fully support your recovery and cheer you on!

 

[Jockette]

You can follow @Mac2022 on the Recovery Forum here:

Bilateral THR - Mac2022 in recovery

Leaving to go home walked 2 times yesterday 2 times today. Showered and dressed by myself so far pain has been managable

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