Sequin98's Pre-op Journey

sequin98

graduate
Joined
Jul 3, 2017
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695
Age
50
Location
AB Canada
Country
Canada Canada
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Female
Yesterday I went on the wait list for THR. Between 8-10 months, they tell me. So 9. What to do until then? I have done the prolotherapy route. Was great in the honeymoon phase, but now it is not doing anything for me. My right side has zero cartilage. What do most of you take for pain? I live in Canada, btw.

Liz
 
What to do until then?
Sorry your wait is so long. My best advice is to baby that hip as much as you can. If there is zero cartilage I am sure you are in a lot of pain. Talk to your family doctor about pain medication. Unfortunately there aren't any drugs that can control pre-op pain. But for some certain drugs take the edge off.

Many people find it helpful to do upper body strengthening while they wait for surgery. Having the strength to lift yourself with your arms comes in very handy just post op. Other than that I would not do anything to aggravate the sore hip. You run the risk of a collapse - and believe me you don't want that pain.
 
Hi Sequin98 - you're in a similar position as I am. I'm stage 4 secondary OA in my right hip. I was put on the waiting list at the beginning of the month, which is supposed to be around 4 months in my area. My pre-op is on the 14th August, so I am hoping they can tell me a bit more. Until then it's a waiting game.

The surgeon told me not to worry about physio at this stage. Me, trying to be clever thought maybe there was something I could do to strengthen the muscles without aggravating the hip. After some research and advice from Josephine and Jaycey I have had to give up on that. It's just not worth the risk.

I have found that the last few weeks the state of my hip has definitely gone downhill very quickly. Since you have a long wait ahead of you I would suggest to take it easy, and as Jaycey said, baby your hip.

There is nothing really to help the pain. I do take co-codamol some nights to help me get off to sleep. Apparently they work as I slept through the mother of all thunderstorms the other night...I do find if I get a half decent night's sleep I can get through the day reasonably well. A sleepless night usually results in some kind of meltdown during the day. I also take Naproxen in the morning to take the edge off a little; although I am not sure they really help that much.

You could try ice or heat - that seems to help some people. This forum is a great resource, so if you have not already - start reading :smile2:.

Hang in there - every day is one day closer to your new hip!
 
My hips were at endnstage...I had heating pad on as hot as I could stand it just to be able to rest minimally. Sorry that isn't very encouraging but I ate every conceivable medication...didn't find anything to alleviate it...maybe ease it...
Maybe they will get to it sooner somehow?
 
Thank you for the replies.
Sooner, I wish. The wait for surgery is brutal. It took me a year to see a surgeon for a consult. I have been dealing with this since Feb 2015. If anything, my pain threshold is higher, and I appreciate the word 'compromise'
 
Hi @sequin98 ... I am just a little north in Edmonton so share the Canada and Alberta experience. It took me 20 months from the day I phoned my sports medicine doc to tell him "it's time" to the day of hip surgery. The sports med doc was booked for 3 months - when I saw him he passed me on and 3 months later I saw what I euphemistically call "the grumpy screening doctor" at the hip clinic - he passed me on and 9 months later I saw the orthopedic surgeon for the first time, and 7 months later .. tah dah ... left THR which was almost 6 weeks ago. Once I was in the system and saw the surgeon, I have nothing but good things to say.

For pain during that time, I mostly relied on 1000 mg naproxin a day (500 mg in the morning, 500 mg in the evening). I don't like taking pain meds for long periods of time but had little choice if I wanted mobility. I also had 3 cortisone and 2 durolane (hyaluronic acid) injections over a longer period of time. The cortisone worked when I still had cartilage but it did nothing when I was bone on bone for the last year and a bit. For me, the durolane did nothing but other people have had pain relief with the injections. Remarkably, I had trouble walking the dog around the neighborhood but could ride my bike 200-500 km per week pain free until 4 months before surgery. The fact I still had aerobic activity and freedom on the bike was a life saver during the wait.

All the best during the wait and I hope you find something to give relief to the pain.
 
Hi Liz. I took Celebrex for about 18 months trying to postpone the inevitable. It worked extremely well until the day it didn't. That's when I immediately scheduled surgery. I only had to wait a few months at that point, and while Celebrex no longer kept me pain-free, it did take some of the bone-on-bone edge off. So that might be one to try while you're waiting. I know that it did help, because I discontinued taking it two weeks before surgery. I wanted to make sure I was having the surgery for a good reason. Yup. Uh huh. For a very good reason.

Sharon
 
The physiotherapist told me that I will NEVER be able to cross my legs.
Never? I am still in shock. More questions to come, I'm sure.

Liz
 
@sequin98 My LTHR surgeon said the same and added crossing your legs isn't good for your circulation. But I laughed as he had his legs crossed when he imposed the restriction on me! The surgeon who did my RTHR said I had no restrictions. I cross my legs every once in awhile - but have honestly gotten out of the habit.

I would not take the word of a physio on this. Talk to your surgeon.
 
I agree with Jaycey - having not crossed my legs for so many weeks postOp I am also out of the habit. No bad thing! However, I do do it sometimes but more than anything I'm just guarding against varicose veins now. :angel:
 
There are lots of caveats like that around, not only about this but also about crouchingand cutting toenails (Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule). But the truth of the matter is that they are really only covering themselves so if anything untoward should happen, you can't say he never told you and sure him! Good surgeons tend not to be so draconian!
 
@sharonslp I sympathize. I postponed surgery 6 months because of professional commitments I wanted to keep. Traveled by plane for work, needed wheelchair assistance in the airport. Suffered daily. It was a long, depressing winter.

The hope that kept me going- it WILL get better on the other side.

Naproxen 500mg twice a day + seat warmer in car + heating pad + hot showers + deep slow breathing helped me survive it. Slow controlled breathing helped calm me because sometimes the pain made me anxious and stressed. The breathing doesn't help much for the bone-bone pain... but it did calm me and help soothe my nerves.

Rest as much as you can. Got a recliner (small size since I'm short) and that helped a lot. Prayer. Meditation. Cry when you need to... vent on this site.. interacting with folks here is a positive distraction.

Hang in there... we're pulling for you!:flwrysmile:
 
@sequin98 - Welcome to BoneSmart - I had bilateral hip replacements 5.5 years ago. At my last visit with my surgeon he told me the only thing I could never, ever do was ..... bungie cord jumping :) That's never been on my bucket list so not a problem for me! I cross my legs, stoop, bend, squat, trot up and down stairs, heft my 22lb Maine Coon cat, ride bike, walk without pain, and am totally delighted with my new hips - most days I don't even think about them .... until I log in here :snork: I did have one PT gal question my crossing my legs "but what about hip precautions? Are you supposed to do that?" Her specialty though was shoulders so I enlightened her to the fact that hip precautions are only for 6-8 weeks just after surgery ... and I was about 2 years past that at the time :)

Best of luck to you.
 
@sequin98 Hang in there! Because I take immune suppressing injections to treat psoriasis -Stelara & I've been on it since June 2011 & it's been a life changer for me- I had to postpone hip surgery for 4 years. Surgeon was worried about post-op infection if I didn't come off the injections. Coming off Stelara was not an option for me me since it's the only treatment that has consistently kept my psoriasis at bay. I was more than ready for surgery when they changed the surgery protocols on Stelara. had become very disabled & nothing helped with the pain; my life had become very narrow. Despite recovery ups & downs, life post-op is looking good. Take care of yourself. Marian (RTHR 30 June).
 
@sequin98 @Phoenixx29 many of us had a prolonged wait from lack of proper treatment eg., I needed two thrs and dr wanted me to wait ten+ years until I was older -yikes!

In the meantime, ice the sore hip, use crutches/cane (it really helps), don't lift or push heavy items, pillow between the knees when you sleep and try xs tylenol with the odd advil if your stomach can tolerate it.
 
My surgeon's only rule is if your body doesn't let you do it, don't. Wishing you well.
Michele
 
I, too, was told no bungee jumping but that is my only restriction. OS said my new hip will just keep getting better. I had anterior and am 3 months postop. I have absolutely no hip pain and am gradually getting more and more range of motion back. I can cross my legs again but like the others said, I haven't done it for so many years, that I just don't do it now. Just getting rid of that OA pain makes it all worth while.
 
What about bending at the waist? Like to brush your teeth...
 

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