THR Grannyhippy's Recovery Thread

[Grannyhippy]

I have not posted for a while but in the meantime I have started back at physiotherapy after a couple of months break. The physiotherapist thinks my case is complicated. My visits are now fortnightly and I have only been twice since starting back as she had to cancel the first appointment because one of her children was ill. The first visit back she tried using the TENS machine on my hip area while I lay on the side which had not been operated on. I had to try to do two side leg raises in the ten second period she manually had the machine on and then rest for ten seconds when it was off. and repeat the process several times. I then had my other normal treatment. The aim was to try to stimulate the hip muscles but it did not work the way she wanted it to. The following visit she said that after my session she had tested the TENS machine on herself at home and the electrical impulses did not go deep enough to reach the muscles she wanted to target. So, the aim now is to work on my core muscles.

I had deferred my OS's appointment until last Thursday 29th September and that gave me a month to work on the exercise that he had given me on my previous visit. I could not see the point in going back to him after a fortnight as he had suggested as I could not envisage making much progress in that short time.

Anyway, upon my return he could see that I am still limping even though it is not as bad and is slowly improving. He cannot work out why and does not know what to do next. He still asks me with each visit what my neurosurgeon said when I went to see him last year because I thought my back might be involved. I reminded him my neurosurgeon said that even though I have problems with my back he does not think that I need surgery and advised against rushing into anything like that. He also suggested I take up physiotherapy in the pool which I did do but I am now having visits in the clinic only.

My OS checked out previous x-rays and MRI scans on his computer and asked if it had really been a year since I had an x-ray or scan on my hip and had I had any since then. I did have an x-ray of my lumbar region taken a few months ago which my GP had ordered but I did not have it with me. Anyway I am to have and x-ray of my hip then go back to see my OS in three months time. That will be just before Christmas.

Mind you I can still do most of the normal things around our place if I pace myself and am careful how I do them. But, I have constant discomfort/pain around my lower lumbar region, iliac crest and hip. I also have pain in the front of my leg where my quad muscle attaches and I still get pins and needles in the side of my calf and around my ankle at the bottom of my calf when exercising or just going about any normal physical activity and the more I am on my feet the worse it gets. I still don't know if it's my hip or back or both. Nobody seems to know. There is still a tenderness in the trochanter area when my physiotherapist or I press on the scar but she thinks it is just scar tissue.

I forgot to add that my OS does not feel that there would be any benefit from redoing the hip surgery. Not that I suggested it.

Just another thought. My physiotherapist says that eventually I should be aiming to be able to do 100 side leg raises and other exercises eventually but there is no way I can see that happening as I struggle to do the 30 in groups of 10 at a time with a pause. I think her expectations are too much.

 

[Granny Di]

WOW! 100 leg raises seems like a lot to me. You are not 29 anymore. Sheesh -sometimes I think the physiotherapists forget that! I find it difficult to get into a routine of doing hard exercises on my own. And if I do then I don't have the energy to do the things I love like walking, hiking and skiing.
I am sorry you are still having problems and I hope you get better soon.

 

[Grannyhippy]

I agree with you @Granny Di. I think that my physiotherapist is expecting too much from me. Even my OS last year did not want me to go to one of those rehabilitation places as he said that they think you are twenty when you are not and give inappropriate exercises which are too demanding.

I went and had new x-rays of my hip done a couple of days ago. I took the x-rays home with me and asked them to post the report out to me as it was an hour and a half's wait for the report. It came the next day and from the wording in the report there is nothing wrong with my hip. It just mentioned a total hip replacement with no periprosthetic complication. It does mention the degeneration in my lumbar region and narrowing in the cartilage of my left hip and not much else. I guess my problem is either muscular or my back. I have to take those x-rays back in December when I go back to see my OS but honestly if there is nothing wrong and he does not know what to do what is the point of going back?

I need to buy more shoes and sandals for summer and I am thinking of going to one of those gait analysis places. One which uses the latest technology with videos and sensors etc. There are several of these within half and hour's drive and a couple which also do shoe lifts or custom made shoes but I bet they would be very expensive and therefore prohibitive if I wanted to get more than one pair of shoes. I am going to make some enquiries.

My physiotherapist runs pilates sessions with a small group of three of four people and they are going to start back again next week. She said I might be interested as it would help me. I have done pilates with the reformer for about eight months five years ago before I took up Tai Chi which I no longer do. The classes are run by one of her physiotherapist. At $40.00 a session I think it is a bit expensive on top of the $70.00 I am already paying out each fortnight (it was weekly until recently) for my hydrotherapy pool sessions and now clinic sessions with her. I feel I am doing enough exercises as it is. We are now working on my breathing and core muscles anyway. I might add that the pilates classes I went to years ago were on the reformer an run by a local physiotherapist at half the price and there were only four or five people in the group but it was run by an eighteen year old second year physiotherapist and very demanding even though the youngest person in the group was 57 at the time.


I get awfully sick of doing my exercises, especially if I have been physical during the day with housework, gardening, weeding, mowing the lawn etc. I am going to be 70 in a couple of weeks time. Exercising at home is boring but at least free. I am sick of going to the pool and don't do that as often although it is the middle of spring here in Australia and the pool I go to are indoors and heated.

I am not covered for any physiotherapy sessions other than the five free visits per year via a care plan which people are entitled to get a referral from their GP if they have a chronic medical condition such a diabetes, Coeliac Disease, Muscular skeletal conditions etc. The care plan can be with one or two health care providers such as a physiotherapist and or podiatrist and I used my entitlement up at the beginning of the year with physiotherapy. If they are not used up within each year the remainder are forfeited.

I just feel like I am going around in circles and at times feel discouraged. Then I go and watch some TV show featuring someone who has lost all of his arms and legs up to the elbows and knees because of a disease and even though he had down moments where he felt sorry for himself he showed tremendous courage and carried on. It makes me feel like my problems are few.

 

[dandy_candi]

I think it is good to take stock of your situation and be glad for your relative health compared to many people who are worse but I don't think that you should minimise your issues.

If you were in Melbourne I would recommend my physio, yours seems to have very high expectations. Maybe you need to mention your age to them and your not aiming to do 100 leg raises, you would prefer to improve the other issues with the lower back pain.

I hope you get some relief. Maybe try a new physio if your not happy? It's your health after all and you need someone who understands you.
I too got to the phase where I wasn't doing my exercises when I should have been as they really helped with my first hip. I give myself a reward for doing them- do one lot of exercises and then I can go and plant something in the garden, or I can start reading a book I enjoy once I have done them. If you don't find they are helping and you are still in pain you may need something new. My PT was changing my exercises on a weekly basis towards the end of my initial recovery period- changing exercises based on how my body responded.

Best of luck to you and just know we are all here. I am in awe of you doing this in your 70's- it's a struggle at 29!
Xx


Candice - 29 year old from Aus
RTHR 1 June 2016 LTHR 13 July 2016 Revision of LTHR 12 October 2016.

 

[Grannyhippy]

Just another update on my situation. I need to buy new shoes for summer and I hovered between seeing a podiatrist or a pedorthist shoemaker who does gait analysis.

I ended up seeing a podiatrist who advertised video gait analysis etc. The podiatrist did not do a video analysis but just watched me walk, tested my balance and strength and measured my legs for leg length discrepancy. He said that I do pronate my feet when I walk but not to get orthotics now but to wait six months and go back for another assessment. He did think that I need orthotics. Cost $110.00 for the assessment.

He also said that my torso faced one way and my hips faced another direction. In other words my pelvis is twisted.

Remember a few months ago when I went to see my OS he had a visiting OS with him who started to assess me and told me it was my SI joint but my OS disagreed with him and said it was my scoliosis, DDD, spondylolisthes, spondylitis and stenosis that was my problem. My OS then took over the consultation.

Anyway my podiatrist thought that my leg length difference was 1 1/2 cm and not 2 cm as my physiotherapist had said. My OS had spoken to my physiotherapist and got me to stand on planks of different thickness. He then told me to get a 1 cm lift on my right shoe. I did that. My podiatrist told me the lift was too high and to take the shoes back to the shoemaker to have some taken off the sole. It should only be 7 or 8 mm high. I was also told to use my cane in my right hand instead of my left hand for 20 minutes a day to counteract my compensated trendelenburg gait. He also told me to do the hip hike exercise.

So, there I was left up in the air again with experts disagreeing on my needs.

In the end I decided to go to a pedorthist who does gait analysis, makes orthotics and sells shoes.

I visited the pedorthist today and went over the whole spiel with him. He gave me a thorough assessment and I have ordered some shoes and orthotics from him. Total cost: $55.00 for the assessment, $498.00 for the custom made orthoses with a shoe lift and Performance Walker shoes with a rocker non slip sole for $427.00 equals $980.00. I seem to have my hand constantly in my hip pocket paying for all these assessments and treatments which haven't really helped much.

The pedorthist could see that I was battling constant pain when I walked. He also checked my stance, leg length difference and leg strength. He asked me where the pain was when I pushed my leg or foot against his hand and what level out of 10 was the pain. I had standing casts of my feet made for the orthotics. He feels that by wearing the shoes and the orthotics it will help to stabilise my balance and hopefully help things improve. He said my balance was very bad. These shoes and orthotics won't fully help with my problem but hopefully lessen it. He feels my main problem is with my hip but I have many other issues with my back as well.

The pedorthist also felt that I should start with a 5 cm lift and gradually increase it in increments.

 

[Grannyhippy]

I also started back with my physiotherapist after three weeks having cancelled an appointment when my husband had a fall and ended up in hospital with 5 fractured ribs and a fracture of the Transverse process of his L1 vertebrae. He also had a partially collapsed lung and spent a week in intensive care before being transferred to the vascular ward for another week. He also had a drainage tube placed in the plural space near his lung to drain the fluid build up. The tube stayed in for four days. He came home from hospital yesterday.

Anyway, my physiotherapist has just finished a dry needling course and I was the first or one of the first for her to try it out on. The aim is to release trigger points in the muscles of my hips and back so that hopefully the muscles will work properly again. I am full of knots. She admits she does not know if it will work but hopes to target those deep muscles she cannot reach with deep tissue massage or a TENS machine. She also stretched my leg and hip.

I am desperate enough to try anything at the moment. I had acupuncture by a GP before my back surgery eight years ago but that did not help at all. That was for my back.

And so saga goes on and on.

 

[Grannyhippy]

One other thing to mention was that the pedorthist asked me if I thought I might have a pinched nerve somewhere and I said yes but nothing shows up in any tests I have had done. I do have partial denervation to my lower limbs but the nerves to my hip muscles are OK. I also wondered and often felt as though there may be a trapped nerve somewhere.

 

[Grannyhippy]

I had a total hip replacement 18 months ago, posterior approach and I have a slight indentation where my scar is.

My surgeon used surgical glue on the outside of my wound and I presume dissolving stitches on the inside. The scar itself looks neat.

 

[Grannyhippy]

I meant that last post to be a reply to someone else's thread. Somehow it ended up in my thread.

 

[Grannyhippy]

A few days ago I visited my pedorthist for a final fitting of my new shoes and orthotics and I went back the next day to pick them up. I have only been wearing them for a couple of days and already notice and improvement in my gait and I have been doing a fair bit of running around so I have been doing a lot of walking.

I was very impressed with the pedorthist. He has been in the business for almost 30 years and really knows his job. He pointed out several things with my gait such as touching the tip of my toe on the ground when I walk, and a slight crossover gait. He also noticed that I tend to walk quickly and pivot instead of stepping around when I turn.
He suggested I take several smaller steps when turning as this puts less load on my hips and back. He said pivoting puts tremendous load on both of these areas and I am more likely to dislocate my hip. It was pointed out to me that I should be always be aware of my hip precautions when bending, turning and putting on my shoes and socks etc. I also pronate my feet when I walk.

The pedorthist has put a lift in my right orthotic to compensate for my leg length difference which is approximately one and half centimetres. I am to wear these for the next two to three months and then make an appointment to see him again at the end of February to see if he needs to add any more to the lift. If I have any trouble in the mean time I am to ring him sooner.

This has not completely solved my problem but I do feel more stability when I walk. He is a bit of a miracle worker. These orthics and shoes have done more for me in a couple of days than all the physiotherapy. By the way I quit physiotherapy as I felt I have gone as far as I can go with it. I don't even bother doing the daily exercises she has given me as I get enough physical exercise as it is and I think sometimes the exercises aggravated my hip and back. I did not finish my dry needling sessions with her either. I only had one dry needling session and it made no difference.

When the pedorthis checked my legs he said my right femur was shorter than my left femur. He checked this by getting me to sit back properly on a chair with my feet on the ground and his observation.

Anyway I am very pleased with my new shoes which have a rocker sole to help my gate and stop me touching my toe to the ground. I would like to have bought sandals but they are not suitable for my needs so I will have to put up with the shoes he made for me. They are good quality black leather sneakers with two velcro straps and they are very comfortable. They look quite dressy so I can wear them almost anywhere with slacks or long shorts. They might look a bit funny with a dress but I will just wear my old court shoes then if I am not doing a lot of walking around.

I mentioned in an earlier post about my husband having a fall and breaking five ribs and chipping a verterbrae. Well he was in hospital for a fortnight with a partially collapsed lung and fluid in the pleural space between the lung and the lining of the lung. Two days after his initial discharge he ended up back in hospital because the fluid returned and he had difficult breathing. This time round the fluid had not drained properly after a week and he ended up having surgery a few days ago to remove it manually. He is now recovering and had another drainage tube in for a few days. They removed it last night without anaesthetic and he said it hurt a lot when they did that. He should be home early or mid next week. They think he still might have a minor infection so he is better off where he is at the moment. The lung is gradually inflating again.

He is overweight and has arthritis in both knees and both hips. He had a knee replacement back in February, 2012.

 

[Grannyhippy]

Well I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. I have certainly had an eventful year and have become a grandmother twice this year with my daughter having her first child on 21st December and my daughter-in-law also having her second child last August.

I saw my orthopaedic surgeon last week as he had asked me to return three months after the last visit. When he saw me he thought my walk was worse than before so has given me a referral for a bone scan to see if the prosthesis might be loose. I also had a CT scan last week. After I have both scans done I will return to my OS for the results.

 

[Krista]

Oh, @Grannyhippy, hoping you get a diagnosis after your OS gets the results. If he does think it is loosening, or even if he doesn't, then you might want to get a second opinion from a revision specialist, someone in a different practice. Your problems are not going away, and you need to know what's going on with your hip!

Hope your husband is doing better after his fall and subsequent serious issues.

 

[Grannyhippy]

Your'e right @Krista I think I should get another opinion if nothing shows up on the scans. I have talked about getting another opinion for some time now but seem to get lured back to my OS and think I will give him another chance to solve my problem. I have made an appointment with the neurosurgeon who did my back surgery back in 2008. I saw him late last year when my OS thought I needed back surgery and he did not agree with my OS and said that I did not need surgery. I just had a cortisone injection in my back but it did not help. I am probably wasting my time seeing the neurosurgeon but last year he told me to do hydrotherapy for three months and to go back and see him if I did not improve. I never did go back to him so I want to confirm that my back is not the problem. I still think it is the hip or muscles surround the hip because I feel very unstable when I walk and lose my balance easily.

I was talking to my physiotherapist sister-in-law on Christmas Day and she said that maybe the damage is done and I will never make any improvement. She asked about the exercises my physiotherapist had given me and told me not to do straight leg raises but to continue to do side let raises. I find the side leg raises very hard to do and I get pins and needles around my ankle when doing straight leg raises. I had given up on physio for a while to see how I would respond in case I was over doing it. She also thought I should see another doctor as she said she thought my OS was passed his prime and should retire. She worked in the same hospital he did in 1988 and he was in his fifties then. We both reckon he would be in his mid seventies.

A friend from my husband's fishing club recently started having trouble walking. He has a hip replacement which is a few years old and he thought he may need revision surgery to correct the problem. It turned out that scans of his hip showed that he had either torn tendons or muscles. My husband can't remember which and he now has to have surgery to correct this. The prosthesis is OK. His OS is the same one who repaired my shoulder back in 2011 and did a good job of it. He is also the same surgeon who recently did my neighbour's knee replacement and my sister's knee replacement about ten years ago. She still cannot bend that knee fully but her second knee done by a different surgeon four years later turned out fine.

@Krista, My husband spent a month in hospital after his fall and needed surgery to remove a build up of fluid from the pleural space near his lungs. He has been home a few weeks now and is slowly recovering. He is still on strong painkillers but has tried to do without them some days but usually ends up taking them by the end of the day.

 

[Grannyhippy]

I just finished catching up on @Krista's thread and I remembered that she had a special MARS scan which is how they found out she had a torn tendon and muscles.

I had a CT scan last week and am having a TC body bone scan next Tuesday to see if the prosthesis is loose. I am wondering if the types of scans I had last week and am having next week will show enough details of possible soft tissue injuries as well as bone issues if they are present.

I cannot understand all of the OS's writing on last weeks referral for my CT scan but he asking them to look for wasting or denervation because of my marked Trendelenburg gait.

@Josephine how effective is a TC bone scan and a CT and Metal? (cannot read) extraction (not sure) for gluteus max, med, and min. sizes Bibot? It is almost impossible to read a doctor's handwriting.

 

[Krista]

@Grannyhippy, from what I understand, the best ways to see soft tissue injuries with scans are either with an MRI (MARS MRI if the tissues are near a metal prostheses) or a diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound. Tears of gluteal tendons, like I had, are increasingly being recognized as a cause of limping (Trendelenburg gait) and buttock pain. Sometimes they heal on their own. Other times, like with me, the tears are too extensive to heal and must be repaired. Previously, it was thought that they couldn't be fixed, and people just limped for the rest of their lives, but now the surgery is being done and is helping many people.

You can't see too much in the way of soft tissue injuries in x-rays, usually, or with bone scans. I had one of those, too, to look for loosening of my prostheses, and they show bone injuries and problems. It was interesting to me because, after I looked at my scan, I saw that when I had a fall years ago and had had lots of pain in the side of my middle back, with some spasms, that I had actually broken a rib. There are problems with one of my ankles and one of my knees, too.

 

[Josephine]

TC body bone scan

I think you mean a Tc-99m MDP which is is a limited body scan the only concern being the bony metabolism of a small part of the skeleton.

I am wondering if the types of scans I had last week and am having next week will show enough details of possible soft tissue injuries as well as bone issues if they are present.

The CT scan might but I cannot comment on the Tc-99m MDP as it is a new procedure to me.

 

[Grannyhippy]

Thanks @Josephine

 

[Grannyhippy]

Yesterday I saw my orthopaedic surgeon to get the results of my CT scan and Tc-99m bone scan. My surgeon told me that the bone scan showed that the prosthesis was not loose and everything else was OK.

However the CT scan of my pelvis showed that there is some muscle wastage and fatty tissue deposits.

This is how the report read:

Exam: CT Pelvis

Findings There is a moderate fatty replacement and atrophy involving the mid and lower aspect of the right glueus medius and gluteus minimus muscles. There is moderate atrophy involving the left gluteus minimus. There may be tendinopathy or mild atropic change involving the inferolateral fibres of the right gluteus maximus.

There is metal artifact from the right hip prosthesis that partially obscures the pelvis. There is a possibility of some fatty infiltration and atrophy of the right priiformis and obturator muscles.

There are degenerative changes at L4/5 and L5/S1, but no significant spinal canal stenosis or neurological impingement. There are mild degenerative changes in both SI joints and left hip joint.

Comment
There is fatty atrophy involving the right piriformis, gluteus minimus and medius, possibly the obturator muscles and the inferolateral aspect of the right gluteus maximus. Atrophic changes are noted in the left gluteus minimus.

My surgeon read over my report, checked back on the neurologist's previous reports, asked me to lie on my stomach and contract and release my buttocks muscles several times and said they were working.

He now says that there may be a possibility that a muscle has torn away from the bone and wants to do exploratory surgery to check it out if I am willing. I asked about my leg length difference while he is doing the investigation and he said he could put a larger ball on the stem which should increase my leg length. He measured my legs again saying that it was only one centimetre short because of the subsidence. He cannot guarantee success even if he finds a tear or tears and repairs it/them. I asked about possible causes for the tears and he said that sometimes the internal stitches come apart. His secretary has made a tentative booking for the end of February.

The thing is, I mentioned the possibility of a muscle or tendon tear months ago and he dismissed the idea saying that I would be walking differently to the way I was walking if I had that. I also have not ever had an MRI on my hip since the surgery. Only an MRI on my lumbar spine which from memory only showed the top of the prosthesis and certainly not all the hip musculature. I don't have any of my scans with me as his secretary kept them because she said he uses them as a template when doing the surgery.

After I came home I had concerns about having the exploratory surgery without having an MRI etc. I sent a copy of the above report to my physiotherapist sister-in-law who asked why the surgeon needed to do surgery to find out if I have any tears or not and why did he not just order and MRI which would show tears. Five and a half years ago I had a complete tear of the long head of the biceps tendon and another tear and the orthopaedic surgeon I had then ordered an MRI which showed the tears. He repaired them successfully. A previous ultra-sound on that shoulder only showed a partial tear and not the full details. In my opinion MRIs are better than ultra-sounds for some things.

Anyway I am having second thoughts still about getting another surgeon's opinion. I phoned to make enquires to see the surgeon who did my rotator cuff repair but the clinic is closed until 7th. I have not asked my GP for a referral yet and am hesitant to do so. I have cancelled the appointment to see my neurosurgeon as my present OS now thinks the problem is coming from my hip and not my back.

I don't know why I am so afraid of offending my present OS or GP by asking for a referral for a second opinion. I am not sure that the professor who did my shoulder can do anything more for my hip if I seek his help or even if continuing with PT will help.

My sister-in-law reckons I should continue with PT at home and not bother going back to the therapist I have been seeing. I quit seeing my PT a couple of months ago. My sister-in-law also told me not to do straight leg raises on my back but straight leg raises on my side are OK. The other therapist gave me those exercises. She also suggested keeping up the exercises in the pool and to keep using my cane and she also said that the fatty deposits and muscle wasting mentioned in the report are often a part of aging and may have been caused through my severe arthritis before my THR.

If I do see the OS who repaired my shoulder I will have to ask my present OS's secretary for my scans and x-rays back. If I do that he will then know I am seeking a second opinion and I don't want him to know. I was just going to get a referral from my GP. Such a dilemma. Don't know what to do. I don't want to offend my OS if I end up going back to him after getting another opinion.

My husband's friend who has a torn gluteus minimus and is waiting to have it repaired says I should go and see my former OS who is the same OS he has. He has a lot of faith in him after his THR seven years ago and says he thinks that OS is very professional and right to the point and explains everything well. I was very happy with the tendon repair he did on me before. This friend said he caused his own tear through overdoing things at work.

@Krista, Looking back on your original posts our symptoms are almost identical including not being able to weight bare for long on the offending hip, the instability and the hip jutting out when putting any weight on it.

@Josephine, What is your opinion on the above report?

ps I know I ramble on a lot but that is because my thoughts are racing and although I try to condense what I say I cannot give a full picture if I do so.

 

[Krista]

@Grannyhippy, my second surgeon would not have considered doing exploratory surgery to see if there were tendon tears without having an MRI done first. Here in the US, I don't think the surgery would even be approved by insurance without that MRI to prove that it was necessary. MRIs do show excellent pictures of what is happening in the soft tissues.

You say that you had severe arthritis before your THR, which someone told you may have caused the fatty inclusions. Were you limping before the THR, and if so, for how long? When I had my first hip MRI a year ago (which was 6 months after my THR), the gluteus medius and minimus on my surgical side were completely shot through with fatty inclusions. ALL of the many other muscles that were visible in the MRI scans were completely healthy, no fatty inclusions anywhere else. I had not been able to balance on the surgical leg for 6 months since the THR, and the GM was already very compromised. I was not limping at all before my THR. I will turn 69 next month, so we are about the same age. In my case, the fatty inclusions in my GM indicated that it was not being used. It turned out that mine were not being used because the tendons were torn, and were torn badly enough that they could not heal on their own.

In answer to my direct questions, the original surgeon had no knowledge of the possibility of a gluteus medius tear being bad enough to cause a limp, and he said that surgery would never be done to repair such a tear, if it could exist. My own internet research had disproved that. I had an appointment in the afternoon of the same day with a new surgeon who has a specialty in repairing torn gluteus and minimus tendons, and who has pioneered minimally invasive techniques for repair. He required an MRI to confirm his diagnosis after the physical exam. Many orthopedists don't seem to know about this condition.

I see that you are in Australia. Do you need a referral? My insurance does not require referrals, and I found the second surgeon, the one who did my second hip surgery, on my own. Even if your GP or OS have to know about you seeking a second opinion, they should be fine with it. It is YOUR hip, after all, and you want a correct diagnosis. Around here, second opinions for all kinds of conditions are common and expected and paid for by insurance.

It's a long road sometimes, to get the information we need, isn't it!

 

[Grannyhippy]

@Krista, Yes we do need a referral from either our GP or another specialist to see a specialist. If my GP gives me the referral is good for one year. If my OS gives me a referral to another specialist it is only good for three months.

Yes I did limp before my hip replacement but not a Trendelenburg gait and I started to use a cane on and off a few months before my surgery. When my GP saw my x-rays he told me to start using a cane. My hip did not feel as though it would give way when I put my weight on it. Nor did the hip lift up and out on that side and drop on my good side. I did not lean to the left to compensate or keep my balance. I had no trouble keeping my balance before surgery except when standing on one leg doing Tai Chi. I did not veer off to the right when walking if I did not use a cane.

A few years ago (2013 or 2014) my husband and I went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise to Vanuatu and I was walking all around the decks, up and down stairs without any trouble or assistance. I walked up to a church at Lifou which took about 10 minutes, I also walked around Port Vila and local market stores on one of the islands. I did all of that without too much trouble. I took Panadol Osteo for the pain and Celebrex for the arthritis. I only had surgery when the pain levels were constant and became unbearable. When I changed GPs within the practice and complained to him about my hip he suggested the hip replacement after new x-rays were taken. The other GP did nothing. My present OS said it was severe arthritis and he was surprised I had not had surgery much sooner.

Back in August, 2011 when I went back to my first OS post shoulder surgery I mentioned that my hip was bothering me and he suggested I pop next door to have an x-ray and go straight back to see him. He pointed out the arthritis in that hip but said it was not bad enough to require surgery and to wait. I said then that I was in no hurry to have surgery as someone else I know had just had a hip replacement and ended up with a leg length discrepancy. He said "That won't happen". Of course I did not have him do the surgery so I don't know if I would have ended up with the problems I now have or not. His profile says that he prefers an anterior approach and uses computer guided assistance to align the prosthesis. He seems to have a good reputation and I know a few people including my sister who have had him do there surgery. Mind you my sister to this day still cannot bend that knee fully but does not blame the specialist. Four years later she had her other knee done by a different surgeon because she moved away and she had no problems with that knee. She still thinks he is a good surgeon.