Bilateral THR Both Sides NOW!

[Poppet]

Go Deb!

Fantastic! I can imagine the great music...and energetic dancing...... Love it! xx

 

[BionicGinger]

I had a bilateral hip replacement when I was 16 - 2 years ago now, and I just wish I had seen something like this before! Although I now obviously know how much my quality of life has improved, it's wonderful that yours has also and I hope that others who are just about to go through the same thing can read this and be inspired and have some worry taken away Well done!
Morag xx

 

[djklaugh]

Congratulations to you, Morag! Wow bilateral hips at age 16! You must have a fascinating story to tell. Do start your own thread and let us know what all has gone on for you. Thanks for your kind words - we have lots of very active and athletic folks here who have done and are doing fabulous things with their new hips - I hope I can help a few folks who are less athletically inclined to appreciate life without grinding bone-on-bone pain when that is not their life style.

 

[Poppet]

Hiya Deb, any more wild parties and dancing or has your social life settled down a little now?

Sending hugs xxx

 

[Poppet]

Hiya Deb... Had to go hunting for your thread.. So brought you forward...

 

[djklaugh]

LOL thanks Poppet Not much going on around here - no big parties or excursions - just puttering around my house doing everyday stuff. I have an appointment with the shoulder surgeon on 9/28 to see what if anything can be done. The last steroid injection did help a bit with pain though not much with functioning. And now even the pain relief seems to have faded. So now the shoulder's back to hurting quite a lot. And the Ibuprofen I've been taking does not help very much. Sigh I really don't want to go back to using Vicodan on a regular basis but may have to if surgery's not an option. The pain in shoulder keeps waking me up at night.

 

[VThereandnow]

Well, here you go Deb, here is you and I when we met. Kind of dark, but it's what we have. Yikes, I look so big :( Oh yeah, that's right, I am, haha. Ok, I'll stop. I'll try to post a few of your reunion next. By the way folks, Deb sent these to me because she was having trouble posting them. Let me know if when you click on the pic, it enlarges so you can see it better.

 

[VThereandnow]

pic from your reunion

 

[VThereandnow]

I am going to try this one another way. gotta see you kicking up those heals

 

[djklaugh]

Thanks so much Cathy!!! I'm delighted that you were able to resize these and post them. I don't think you look so big - it's just the contrast cuz I'm so short

The 2nd picture is me at the reunion - I'm the 3rd one from the left in the white shirt and black and white skirt - doing high kicks with the other 65-something gals As you can see the hips were working wonderfully!

 

[djklaugh]

The continuing saga - I saw the shoulder surgeon today - different OS from the fellow who did my hips - very nice man. But alas the only thing he could offer was shoulder replacement surgery - DRAT I was hoping there might be some other option as I am not all that eager for more surgery. The x-rays taken today showed worsening arthritis in the right shoulder now with multiple bone spurs and virtually no space between the bones. Of course my HMO being what it is I'll have to wait 5-7 months to get into the OR for this. I was told that after surgery I would have a permanent restriction for that arm - no lifting anything over about 20lbs. I think I can live with that ..... if I can get my hefty cat to go on a diet! Though he did say it would not affect my ability to lift heavier things with my left arm as long as that remains functional. So 2 joints replaced, one joint pending replacement, and how many more to go? At least waiting for this surgery will be a bit easier since shoulder does not interfere too much with my usual activities ..... though I do need to try to figure out how to keep it from waking me up at night. Putting a pillow under the shoulder for support only works partially as the pillow tends to "wander" at night.

The wee bit of brightness for today is that I won about $360 in the local lottery. I need a treat - anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Poppet]

Hi Deb djklaugh;

Mr Arthur Ritis... This is for you!

It really is time to quit traveling around Debs body... Just when she was starting to have such fun doing the high kicks, with her robo hips you come along and start to play around in her shoulder joint... This is it, we are canceling your frequent flying points after the next trip in a few months.. It's like this joke..... I told my Doctor I broke my leg in two places.... He told me to quit going to those places!

So there you go Deb... He won't travel any further... He has no more frequent flyer points and you have lots more fun to be having!

Hugs always.

p.s. congrats on your lottery win... another trip maybe?

 

[Poppet]

Hi Cathy VThereandnow; and Deb djklaugh

How fantastic the two of you look... I am so envious of all these get togethers.. But very happy that you were able to catch up.. It is lovely to be able to put a face to a name now..

Heaps of love going to the two of you.... with another of my bad jokes... I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine!

 

[djklaugh]

You're an angel, Poppet! And I appreciate the humor - I've been telling Mr. Arthur Itis this same message for a while now - He knew my father and my grandmother all too well - though they did not have the advanced medical options that I do. Maybe I'll change my screen name to RoboGirl ;) And another giggle about not liking to have your life disrupted by routine .... Once you're retired the disruptive routines can be put into deep storage!

 

[Poppet]

Wahoo..... can't wait... Deb

Mr Arthur Ritis, does like to travel... Just check out our member numbers..

Lots of love xx

 

[VThereandnow]

Hey Deb, dang it all. I was hoping for a different report for you also. I will say the recovery from that surgery is long. I had the a torn rotator cuff surgery and it was a long recovery but successful. I actually had a dentist in Syracuse who had the replacement surgery and went right back to being a dentist after his recovery. He did really well with it and I am sure you will too. Wow, good for you on the lottery. That was a little gift from the universe to reward you for putting up with Mr. Arthur Ritis haha. Hope you think of something fun for yourself.

I got one of those squish pillows from BB&Beyond for pre and post surgery. It really worked well for sleeping and actually sitting too to give a bit of support. Yes, it does travel at night too, but I think that is unavoidable.

Pulling for you and glad you are able to maintain your good attitude. ...as part of your treat, a nice massage?

 

[djklaugh]

Thanks Cathy It's good to hear that your shoulder surgery - and the replacement surgery for the dentist - was successful. I'll be going in for an scan (MRI or CAT not sure which) soon to further pin point where and how extensive the damage is. This OS said if the Glenoid area is really worn I may need a bone transplant - and there may be a rotator cuff tear needing repair as well - plus a previous x-ray showed a rather large calcium deposit that might need removal. So this shoulder really is a mess! My darling cousin has already let me know she's available for nursing duties .... she was such a blessing to have around before, during, and after my hip surgery! Plus she's good people and lots of fun to hang out with. Don't know yet if my HMO has a joint class for shoulders - all will be revealed in time - though I rather doubt I'll need all the special equipment needed for hip replacement. Already I'm having to learn how to become a "lefty" for many tasks I use to do with is wonky right wing .... like picking up my coffee mug.

 

[VThereandnow]

All this joint stuff is going to make you want to start smoking one . I TOTALLY started practicing stuff with my left hand before my surgery, especially bathroom stuff as I was sure not ready to have help with that. Soo glad you already know you will have help. Yes, not as many helping accessories needed like in the hip surgery, but lots of little things you don't think about beforehand, like opening a jar for instance, how to wash yourself in the shower etc. Good to start paying attentiion now to what you need 2 hands for and then writing them down so you'll know what you need help with.

going to watch some football now
me

 

[djklaugh]

What a difference a year makes! Whoo Hoooo! Today is my one year anniversary/birthday for my two darling hips! I went in today for the one year follow-up xrays - haven't seen them but I don't anticipate there will be any problems - lol the xray tech said she wished all her xrays came out as pretty as mine ;) So .... not much is new - waiting on scheduling for the shoulder surgery, practicing being a "lefty", playing with the coonie girls, having a fine time doing ordinary things. No real big activities or adventures here (other than some adventures in home upgrades - getting insulation put into this old house and going to do a couple more projects after the first of the year. First though gotta call the "come get my junk" crew) - just loving life without hip pain! I am grateful every day for my surgeon, the excellent care I received from my HMO in and out of the hospital, for an incredibly problem-free recuperation, and for BoneSmart! I seriously doubt I would have done as well as I did without having found this wonderful community. So anyone contemplating hip replacement (unilateral or bilateral) - or recuperating from such surgery - keep your chin and spirits up - no matter what you are going through it can and will get better!

I found these two videos that say it all:

 

[bottomshollow]

Deb! Great update---fun videos!