THR One down and one to go...

[TiredOfLimping]

Hello everyone!

Time to introduce myself and tell my story. In March of 2020 I jumped over a child-gate to let my dogs outside (something I have done many times before) but this time my right hip failed and I went down. After managing to crawl to my desk and sit for some time, I was able to walk but lots of pain in my hip. This was during lockdown. I convinced myself it was nothing and hobbled around for a few months.

The beginning of 2021 I went to my primary care doctor and mentioned that I had some pain in my right hip. Got an xray and found I had severe OA in both hips. Bone on bone. I was in disbelief - how could I go from no pain to SEVERE OA without even knowing? I still had no pain in my left hip, only in the right. The right hip was MUCH worse. I did PT and limped around until Oct 2022 when I saw an orthopedic specialist. I got an injection in my right hip. It did nothing for the pain.

I had THR on my right hip on 3/2/2023. Still no pain in the left. My recovery was good and I was able to return to work after 3 weeks (desk job and work from home). During my 6 weeks followup, my ortho said my left hip was bone on bone but I still felt NO PAIN! Dr said I was healing well and next followup was scheduled for Aug!

Then it happened. I visited a friend in the hospital that required a LOT of walking. That evening I felt it. Pain in my LEFT hip. No pain at all in my right hip though so that was awesome!

I do not know how I never felt this before now. I guess the pain was so severe in the right that I couldn't feel the left. Or I thought this was normal aches and pains for my age. But I now feel constant pain in the left groin that radiates over to the outside of my hip. Went back to the ortho and now working on getting the 2nd hip replacement scheduled. My goal was to take my grandbabies to the Dallas zoo in Oct. But I may have to delay that for a bit now.

But I know that THR will fix this! And even though I am facing another one in the next couple of months, I am excited (and scared!) to have this all behind me! I have a 4 1/2 year old and twin 10 month old grandsons that I want to be able to play with and have sleep overs and go on vacations and do FUN stuff with. I am so close. Just a little more work and I know I will be able to do all that and more!

I only wish I had found you good people sooner! But I am glad to have you all to help me through the remainder of this journey!

Edit to add: Tomorrow is my 12th week postop on the right THR and it feels so good! Right hip is now my 'good hip'!

 

[djklaugh]

@TiredOfLimping Welcome to BoneSmart! Your story is quite like my own (without the gate leaping incident) - right hip hurt like heck (and was so bad it had fused to my pelvis! X-ray showed left was also bone-on-bone but it did not hurt! When my surgeon reviewed the films he recommending I get both hips replaced at the same time - and that is what I did thankfully! We have seen a lot of other folks too who get one hip replaced and then the other one starts to hurt. So you can find lots of threads here from other double hippies.

Life with 2 pain free hips is truly a marvelous thing!

Do you have a date for the next replacement?

Here are our post op articles and helpful suggestions:

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary.

2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for THRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital
The Recovery articles:
Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

 

[TiredOfLimping]

Thank you Deb for the good information!

I don't yet have a date scheduled for the left hip but should be getting a call in the next few days from the scheduler. I think the 1st week of Aug will be best. That will give my 5 months between the 1st and the 2nd surgeries and I have several birthdays happening in July that I don't want to miss. And August in Texas is too hot for anything so recovering in the AC will work good for me.

 

[benne68]

I do not know how I never felt this before now. I guess the pain was so severe in the right that I couldn't feel the left. Or I thought this was normal aches and pains for my age.

What you describe is exactly what happened to me. I had no pain... no pain... no pain and then... suddenly, one day: awful pain. My surgeon said: "Yep, our joints work -- until they don't."

It sounds like your recovery from your first THR is going very well. I hope you can get your other hip scheduled soon so you can plan that trip to the zoo!
Welcome to BoneSmart

 

[TiredOfLimping]

Thank you for the welcome!

I have surgery scheduled for Aug 8 for left hip.

 

[MissFanny]

I had a right THR on Sept and the left in April. Both recoveries went well for me. My left felt worse after my right was replaced, too! A strange phenomena. You will be running around with those grandchildren before you know it!

 

[LeftKath]

Glad you are scheduled for the left. I had a right THR in September of 2022 and just had the left one on 5/26. I didn't have a dramatic event like you did that highlighted my hip pain. Mine was more like a gradual...can't quite do the things I want to do. Some days where things were better and other days where things were worse. Gradually more and more bad days. I was hopeful that after the right THR that all the other aches and pains would calm down too. But about 2 months after my right hip replacement I realized that the left hip was was actually slowing down my healing. You are doing the right thing. My brother-in-law got both hips replaced in 2019 (September and then December) and he is back to doing the things he enjoys (including water skiing) and has taken up Yoga too.

 

[Layla]

Happy Three Month Anniversary!
Hopefully all continues to move along smoothly for you.
A couple more months for, Righty, to strengthen and heal before it's, Lefty's turn.
Have a wonderful weekend. Stay in touch!
@TiredOfLimping

 

[Newhip_Pol]

Thank you for the welcome!

I have surgery scheduled for Aug 8 for left hip.

Good luck with your second THR - 8th Aug is my birthday!

 

[TiredOfLimping]

Thank you Layla AND Newhip_Pol! My right hip continues to improve and feels wonderful! Absolutely no pain.

I had my yearly physical yesterday with my GP. The nurse was going down the list, asked if I exercise regularly. Not like I want because my left hip HURTS! I came home from the appointment and got on my stationary bike (my Christmas present to myself) with no traction. My right hip is strong and ready for spinning but my poor left. I had to quit at 10 min and then I limped around the rest of the day.

Today the left has recovered today but it isn't worth it. That will wait. So now I am focused on getting my right leg as strong as I can before my big day so I will be better able to get around after my left's surgery.