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I'll admit it.....I'm terrified of hip replacement

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bentonsmimi

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Hello everyone, I am a 59 yr. old grandmother that until a few years ago was very active. I played tennis, golf, and jogged (slowly). Then it got to the point where tennis and jogging were too much for me. Now I have put up my golf clubs and cannot walk to the end of the block with out pretty bad pain. My children and husband say that my walk hurts them to see. I sort of walk side to side. They do not understand why this surgery terrifies me.

Some background. My mother had this surgery in her mid-sixties. Poor surgeon, terrible outcome. She found another surgeon to redo it and was subsequently diagnosed with cancer. Therefore, no more hip surgery for her. Long story short. Ended up in a wheelchair. I lifted her poor cancer riddled body onto her death bed and her last words to me were "Oh my hip.....It has boils all in it!!!". I am crying now, recalling the memory. Ok, it has helped me to type this out. Realistically, I know my surgeon is top notch and my chances of this happening to me are practically nil. Emotionally, this is very hard for me especially since I have arthritis and pain in both hips. I know that I am looking at 2 surgeries. I am scheduled for the 1st Aug 1.

I guess I am looking for support, but some answers too. Did it bother any of you that a part of you was sawed off and thrown away. I know that might sound silly, but it really bothers me. Am I doing this too soon? As I SIT here and type.....no pain. But walking around....another story. It's like I know what I have now, what if I make it worse? If I have this surgery, can I ever put on tennis shoes again and tie them myself? Can I ever shave my legs again. Paint my toenails? Will I ever be able to bend over and look at my grandchildren with my elbow on my knees? I guess you get my drift. I have never posted on a forum before, so I hope this is not too long. I have really learned a lot reading here and I thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and look forward to your replies. Thank you again.
 
Bentonsmimi

You have some emotional stuff to deal with too, which adds a lot to this major surgery.
Things have improved so much and you sound very confindent in you surgeon. I am 5 weeks out of a right hip replacement and am 51 years old. Four kids, no grandkids.
I could relate to all of your other concerns. For the most part the hip restrictions of not bending to tie your shoes, crossing your legs etc. are for 3 months. Many people here say their surgeon releases them from that at 6 weeks. So yes, you will be able to paint your toes, shave your legs, etc. I actually ordered some device that you attach a razor to and can shave my legs.
About cutting part of your bone off, I was 100% there with you. That was the scariest thing for me. And I was not in pain all the time, and my MRI showed mild arthritis. I had had arthroscopic hip surgery in Feb and my doc said I had widespread arthritis .
Over the months my surgeon would keep telling me that hip replacement surgery has the best outcome of any surgery performed on any body part. They really know what they are doing now and just about everyone is happy they did this.
You are young, you will do wonderful.
At 5 weeks, I am swimming (kind of ) I use a cane outside, just in case. I still use it for stairs as I am trying to walk up them normally. I take pain med in the morning and late afternoon. I can walk normally with no aid if I take pain meds. If not, I use the cane and or limp a little.

Talk about long....We are here for you ....ask any questions
Judy in So Cal
 
Hey Bentonsmimi,
You have a great example in Judy. She became my friend early on as I am 50 and had my hip replaced Feb 26th. Judy had so many questions and we gave her so many answers. Now she is able to give answers.

Yes, it is a scary thought. I had 12 days to think about it before surgery after 5 years of total pain. Thought it was my back. But, I got through it and you will too....And yes, you will be able to do so much more after. Just remember after reading these posts...It took you a long while to get to this point and it will take TIME...LOTS OF IT...to heal and be well again.

I am in the same boat as far as my other hip goes. I am hoping to make it to the first of the year for the next replacement. I have to give this new hip all the help I can to get strong before the next step in my hip life. And at 5 months I am doing good but for me, still have a ways to go....We are ALL here for you...

Forgot one thing, the rehab after...That is your BEST key for you to be you again....Check into every detail of what will happen after and who will be there as in the PT OT and your doctor. And remember, do not hesitate to ask any of us questions....Cannot wait for Josephine, our resident nurse to meet you. She is great......Patty
 
I can imagine what you are going through and you have come to the right place. Everyone on here is so wonderful.

I had my first hip replacement two weeks ago. I thought it would be so much worse then it was.

As far as throwing away my hip after they cut it off.... I am donating mine to a dog search and rescue. I go this Thursday and pick it up. Pathology got it first to do whatever testing they do. They can only release it to me. So the gentleman from the search and rescue is meeting me ther so I can hand it right over to him. (They assured me it will be in a container)

They use the bone to train new puppies to find deceased people. They use live people to train the dogs in finding live people. My bone will be used in several local counties as they just need small pieces and can share it.

I will also be donating my second hip as well. Seems like a great use for something I have absolutly no use for. And somday a family may get closure because of my donation.

A little humor---- The day of surgery the gentleman from the rescue group came in (He had to come in and prove he had infection control in place) The nurses were talking about what a great cause this was and they asked him what he did for a living. He informed them he was a chef in a nursing home. I yelled from my hospital bed "Please do NOT tell people you are a chef as you are asking for my hip bone!" Gross. LOL

Sandy
 
I highly recommend the surgery. I am 50 and had my first replacement on June 16 and the second is scheduled for August 18. My quality of life the last two years wasn't good, and since February, it was practically non-existant.
I didn't realize the bones could be donated. But now that I think of it, it would have been interesting to see what they look like and now I will ask about it.

After four weeks, I started working 1/2 days. However, I overdid it yesterday with going to work and then running errands. Consequently, I'm taking it easy today. The surgical pain is intense at first (for me anyway), but it gets better as the days go by. I'm immensely grateful I have no more arthritis pain. Surgical pain and the muscle aches are nothing compared to that. Though I admit I was on pain meds that I have almost weaned myself off them. In the coming months I look forward to getting my quality of life back. You will be so glad you had the surgery. Good luck and God bless you.
 
Judy, Patty,Sandy and Ceci, thank you all so much for your encouragement. It amazes me that by typing into a computer one can be connected with such caring people! You all have made me feel much better about all this, believe it or not. I will let you know how I do. Again thanks so much for telling me about your experiences. Thank God they have all been positive <smile>!!! God bless you all...Bentonsmimi
 
Bentonsmimi-
Welcome to the group. I am sorry to hear about your mom. This is an eclectic group from all over the world. Good natured and down to earth. Everyone gets cold feet prior to it. Forget about it. You have 2 weeks to go stay busy, you've got pre-surgery things to do, IE: donate blood, get cleared from your family physician? etc. What seems to work for most folks; get your surgery side in tip top condition as possible. Exercise and strengthen those leg muscles. It really makes recovery easier. Don't hesitate to ask your surgeon a million questions. The dumbest question is the one that doesn't get asked. Most people here have been through this once or twice. Regarding the small portion of your femur that you wont need anymore, (unless of course you have a dynamite soup recipe). Forget about it.
Regarding looking for support, well you've found it (whether you want it or not). Were all here because the quality of our lives wasn't there. On a brighter note: You will soon be a hippie! Most people on the forum are more eloquent than myself but I've found the bull in the china shop works for me. Incidently we use Jo's Video jug web site for good recipes.
Once again welcome aboard.
_Gary
 
Bentonsmimi,
We all know you will have questions, so don't be a stranger here. I sure will want to know how everything went, but would love to hear from you a lot before then too.

Have you been to a joint replacement class at your hospital? do you know about the raised potty seat? I don't want you to be unprepared and you never know how much people are told before surgery!!
Judy
 
I never considered that people would get anxious about that - interesting. Would you be anxious about having a tooth out and it being thrown away - or an inflamed appendix? Just thinking.

I am so sorry about your mother. I know in the sixties that hip replacement was a very new procedure and many surgeons got it bery wrong. Few realised how crucial the placement of the prosthesis was or the sterility of everything. Heck, even the sterilizing processes weren't half as efficient as they are now. In those days, I knew many who had a similar experience to your mother.

But happily, I think we have it about right now. Standards are heaps better and the outcomes are much better, both short term and long term.

I'm sure you will be fine. Just keep coming here and asking any questions you want. We've dealt with almost every subject you can think of here!
[Bonesmart.org] I'll admit it.....I'm terrified of hip replacement

 
Jo,
I too had a hard time with the sawing off and tossing part of my femur!!!
A few years ago I had to have a broken tooth extracted and yes that was the strangest thing. The whold time the oral surgeon was getting it out I kept thinking this is so wrong.

JUdy
 
Welcome "B'sMimi",

As I'm sure you've already figured out by now, you are now part of a special community of "Hippies"; and everyone here, is here to help. Judy, Patty, & Gary are some of the more frequent writers, and all have much to offer you. Jo is our resident Orthopaedic surgical RN from England, and is wonderful for the information she can and does provide.

I found this website a few days after my surgery, and it has been a Godsend for me.

As far as you having your procedure(s) done too soon, forget that! This is to stop your pain, increase your mobility, and improve your quality of Life, as it will surely do. I'm a 38 y/o Male, Married with no critters, and if you asked me 6 months ago, "would it be possible I'd need a total hip replacement?", I'd have called you crazy. I started having pain about 2 months before diagnosis, and 3 months before surgery. I have (HAD!) avascular necrosis of the femoral head, and to be honest, I was more frightened about having a catheter than I was with the whole "saw the bone and chunk it thing". (I avoided the catheter, by the way!) My surgery took about 2 hours, and the very first thing I said when I woke up was, "Hey, can I have my femoral head?" I was told no, it goes to the Pathology lab, and I said, "Well let me see it!" They did, and it was about the size of a tennis ball, fairly smooth and white. It didn't bother me a bit. (I didn't know I could get it back later, I would have enjoyed donating it to a search dog too!)
Anyway, I don't have a single regret. I'm 5 weeks and 3 days post op now, and I'm already walking better than I did before the surgery. I should be returning to work full time in about 2 more weeks as a Deputy Sheriff (light duty), and I expect to recover completely back to full duty by Thanksgiving.

Keep your chin up and stay positive! Your recovery will take awhile, and it's different for each of us, but I've read where 70+ year olds have recovered faster than me, and some folks it takes 3 or more months before they're walking unaided. Just be patient, and the pain isn't as bad as you think. BUT, definitely stay on top of it with the pain meds they give you, and I'm sure you'll do just fine! (I stopped pain meds over a week ago, at about 4 weeks out, and some need it longer, and some quit after they came home 3 days after surgery!) Good luck, and don't hesitate to post ANY questions you have; there's good people who're here to help!

~Dalton
 
Hi Bentonsmimi,
I am also sorry to hear about your mom and it is understandable why your scared. But as everyone said things have changed a lot.
I am 62, a diabetic and I have two stents in my little heart. Talk about being scared, these people here helped a lot. I thought I would never heal...I had my surgery May 7th and I had NO problems, no pain I mean it isn't even fair for me to talk about how good my surgery went. And something else I never mentioned, my Doc wasn't even and MD so I was even more scared of that, but this is all he does and he does have a great reputation.
I was in so much pain I was in a wheel chair for months. It only gets worse so don't put it off. Now I am waiting to have my left hip done so I can walk without a walker. I know your scared but sometimes you have to look out for yourself more then your fears. You
will play with your kids and shave your legs. I haven't painted my toes yet or files my toe nails so I can't tell you that. I think I can but I am scared....Lol do you believe that.. don't wait do it......Not being in pain is wonderful.....
 
Hi Bentonsmimi,

I was scared too, about being out under and having a part of me removed. I did some therapy around the fear with and technique called EMDR and Brainspotting which was very helpful. I also listened to a CD of Bellaruth Naperstien: Successful Surgery for getting ready for surgery. The outcome was fantastic. I'm 12 days out, no joint pain and went for a pedicure today!
 
Hi Bentonsmimi,

I was scared too, about being out under and having a part of me removed. I did some therapy around the fear with a technique called EMDR and another one called Brainspotting which were very helpful. I also listened to a CD of Bellaruth Naperstien: Successful Surgery for getting ready for surgery. The outcome was fantastic. I'm 12 days out, no joint pain and went for a pedicure today!
 
p.s. I'm 53. I also did "pre-hab" which was strengthening the surrounding muscles and stabilizing the range of motion which I think has really increased my recovery rate.
 
Hi Bentonsmimi

I am a 35 year old female from the UK who will be having left THR on Monday.
My femoral head will be donated to the bone bank which think is to help people who need bone grafts (maybe josephine can clarify) I to can no longer paint or cut my toenails and shaving is a nightmare. Keeping up with my three kids is hard. I was sorry to hear your sad story about your mum, that must of been a very difficult time and its no wonder you are concerened. I hope you find comfort from all your responses and wish you well in your surgery/recovery. I sure can't wait to do all the little things like painting toes tying shoe laces and just getting dressed and getting in and out of the car without all the fuss (and pain) just the thought of this puts a big smile on my face.

Take Care Tracey
 
Hey, Tracey! Don't think I've noticed you around before.

The Bone Banks are a UK speciality and usually run under the auspices of the National Blood Transfusion Service. Some hospitals run their own bone bank but still under the same strick regime.

Patients are asked to sign a consent form to donate their femoral head (principally because personal info has to be shared with the bone bank). The head is then potted in sterile containers by the scrub nurse and put into a deep freeze storage. The heads are collected on a regular basis and taken to a lab where they are quarantined whilst they are checked for any form of contamination and also for problems from the donor like HepB and HIV. After 6 months and a clean bill of health, they are released back to the hospitals for use as allograft for patients who need a more bone than can be safely or comfortably harvested from the patient's own body (autologous graft). One of these heads can add around £1500 upwards to the cost of an operation. It's a brilliant advantage to surgery especially when carrying out, for instance, scoliosis surgery in children.
 
Thanks Josephine that was very interesting, it's wonderful that something i no longer need can be of help to someone else, kind of like recycling i suppose! I have not posted for a while as my surgery was scheduled in January for July 21st so i have not posted much since Jan/feb but i have been following everyones progress, you may remember telling me about working at one time with my surgeon Miss Muirehead-Allwoood.

Thanks again Tracey
 
Traceyleth,
If I miss you in the next few days, good luck on monday. I will be thinking about you although I'm not sure I can do the time conversion!!!

Just take those pain meds on time. As soon as you are able let us know how you are doing .
Of course post all those last minute questions , comments, feelings, etc.
Judy
 
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