I'm back (with a new username too).
To re-cap - I was scheduled for a hip replacement last summer, but I decided to postpone. Mostly because I didn't like my doctor's negativity and rudeness. I have no regrets about my decision and I'm glad that I had the courage to wait.
I have tried to stay active for the last six months, but I'm running out activities I can do. Hiking brings pain with almost every step - not a lot of pain, but when I'm on the trail for several hours it adds up and I find myself just wanted to finish instead of enjoying the trail. My last hike wasn't much fun, and I was in pain the rest of the day. I actually visited some of grandkids after that hike, and getting down on the floor with them was rough. I had to give up outdoor biking because it hurt. My left knee pushes outward, which is not good form, and I'm not getting much power from my left leg. Plus, it chronically hurts. I can ride indoors since I can control the power, but my left leg is still stiff, and the first few pedal strokes hurt. Walking has a familiar pattern - the first half mile is painful and I'm limping, then it gets better, then it gets sore. I've given up running - my last run was short and slow, but I was in pain for a few days afterwards. If I sit down at my desk all day it's not too bad, but when I go to work and walk around my office building, I have to concentrate not to limp.
Since then, I also changed my health insurance to a plan where I have more flexibility to choose whatever doctor I want. That took effect in mid-January. My wife met a woman in one of her exercise classes and mentioned my situation, and the woman said both her and her husband had had hip replacements, and told my wife the name of the doctor, so I made an appointment with him in late-February. Incidentally, I think I know the woman's husband and might have played tennis against him. He beat me, even with a hip replacement. That was encouraging.
Another encouraging encounter came from a yoga teacher I know. A few years ago I had taken some classes with her. One time she noticed me struggling with my left side and spent some extra time trying to stretch me out. At the time, I didn't realize the cause of my problem was arthritis, so we stretched and stretched, but it didn't do too much good. It turns out that she also needed a hip replacement and got it right after Christmas. I saw her a few days after her surgery at a social event and she was doing great. I saw her again a few weeks ago (about 8 weeks after the surgery) and she seemed to be fully healed. She showed me how she could sit cross-legged on the floor. She has been very encouraging to me.
Back to my appointment with the new doctor. He works at a large orthopedic clinic in the area, and seems to be a leader in the local community. The appointment went well. He patiently answered my questions and genuinely listened to me. He was candid and the diagnosis is the same, but he didn't get snippy with me. He said that the latest generation of cross-linked polyethylene liners were extremely durable, and said that I would have no restrictions afterwards, including running. He said that he had never had one fail because it wore out, and I liked that answer because it was based on evidence. He also listened to me when I said I didn't intend to run any more ultramarathons and just wanted to do a short run once a week with friends to justify coffee and a muffin afterwards, unlike my previous doctor who bit my head off when I just mentioned running. He said he has done 6,000 hip replacements and will use an anterior approach. There were a few other topics we discussed, and in each case, his answer was far more positive or reassuring than the doctor I had been seeing last summer.
So now I'm scheduled for surgery next month. At the end of the appointment, I said "Well, I guess the next time I see you will be in the operating room. Please be gentle with me." He replied "There is nothing gentle about this procedure," and smiled. But I still like the guy.
One concern I have is that this doctor doesn't do any post surgery PT. His nurse told me that the best PT is to walk. I will be given an app with exercises. She also said that they believe that PT is too goal oriented and that they push patients too much. I sort of get that but it seems like I'm sort of on my own. When I had a major shoulder operation a long time ago, the PTs were critical to my good rehabilitation. On the other hand, I'm pretty motivated, and after my knee surgeries I did most of the exercises by myself. I'd be interested if other people have had zero PT after their surgeries.
Finally, even though I had a much better experience with the new doctor, I'm still scared to death of the procedure. For better or worse, I've watched animations of the procedure and know what they will do. Yikes! I don't like needles and I'm scared of getting a needle inserted into my spine. The last time I was in a hospital was in April 2020 when my mother passed away from covid, and all the equipment in the operating room will likely bring back those unpleasant memories. I am also a little sad that I will have a part of my body cut out, and I know that when I wake up I will be sad because of this. When my mother's health was declining, she fell twice and had to have both hips replaced, and I find myself comparing myself to her at that stage of her life. Rightly or wrongly, I view this surgery as the end of my youth (even though I'm 62) when I could run or play tennis or bike for hours with boundless energy. I realize we are all mortal, but I'm anticipating a period of serious sadness after the surgery. This is different from my previous surgeries when I was looking forward to the positive change the surgery would provide. On the other hand, I am good at viewing things in a positive light, although I find that I'm trying extra hard in this case. Many, many people have gone through this procedure, and if they can do it, then so can I. I try to focus on the people I've met who have had this and have had positive outcomes. I have a lot of faith in the medical community. I am fortunate that this procedure is available to me, and that it is not life threatening. I have friends going through more serious health and life issues, so I really shouldn't whine. And when I try to be positive, I look at this as a challenge to overcome, and that I will have to figure out how to be happy and active in this next phase of my life.
Thanks for reading.
United States
Indeed walking is the best PT for a healing hip. Remember - you are not in training, you are healing. Once that hip has recovered from all the trauma, strength and endurance training can begin. But strength training can be counterproductive if done too early.
